Half of me was fantasising about the idea of Joe just throwing me, caveman style, on that pool table and having his wicked way with me, while the other half was already realising how hard it could be to get over him if that did happen.
Maybe the mom...
Somehow in space of five minutes I've went from being abandoned by my brother, to acquiring a new holiday companion.
I don't really know what made me do it. The fact Sienna was really upset and I didn't know how to fix things for her? Because I feel the tiniest bit guilty for my brother stealing her friend? Or is it simply because I think she's gorgeous?
I noticed her two afternoons ago climbing onto the airport transfer bus; even when she was clearly knackered from the early flight, she stood out.
Now, sitting in front of me, despite her bout of crying, she is still beautiful. Her eyes, which I thought at first glance were brown, are actually an unusually dark shade of blue. Which I guess makes more sense as her hair is so light it's practically platinum. Her eyebrows and lashes are much darker but it somehow works with her delicate features. She has a sprinkling of light freckles dancing along her cheeks and across her nose. In a word, she's amazing.
Is she my usual type? Well, according to a lot of folk, my type is simply "female". I've tried my best to lose that reputation over the years but some things still stick unfortunately. I may have made a concerted effort to change, but most people have long memories.
Maybe doing this good deed for Sienna will help atone further. Although it will benefit me just as much as I don't think she'll be difficult to spend time with. As Joey in Friends (I believe) once said, there's no such thing as a selfless good deed.
The fact she's heartbroken also means that, despite the fact I think she's hot, I'll keep it platonic - there's yet another test for me, I tell myself wryly.
I snap myself out of my thoughts and clap my hands together. "So we need a plan," I say. I open the blank back page of my book and grab the pen out of my shirt pocket. "Tell me what you were planning on doing, and we'll try and make as much of it happen as possible."
"Oh god," she sighs. "It was Kate who had all the ideas, I just listened." She takes another sip of her wine, thinking. "She said something about the capital of the island being over the hill, I think."
"Argostoli, that's right. I actually walked over to it yesterday." I needed to do something. "It's really nice, lots of good places to eat, great views. We can definitely make that happen."
"Yay," she says feebly. I smile at her in what I hope is a reassuring way.
"She talked about hiring a car, boat trips . . ." Sienna exhales loudly again. "I wish I'd paid more attention but I was exhausted on that flight."
"I know," I say without thinking, remembering again her face from the transfer bus, to which she gives me a strange look, and I feel myself blush. What the fuck? I don't think I've ever blushed in my life, despite the amount of embarrassing things I've done. Looking for a distraction, I spot a row of leaflets sitting on the bar and retrieve them.
"I can see about hiring a car tomorrow," I say, pushing some leaflets towards her. "See if there's anything that takes your fancy in amongst these attractions."
She shuffles through them. "Fiskardo looks nice," she comments after a few moments. "Let's get that on the list."
"Cool." I scrawl it down. "Anywhere else?"
"Ooh, Xi Beach?" She points out a photograph of a reddish beach to me. To my relief, she's starting to perk up a bit. She's starting to look less . . . defeated and more like the happy beauty I spotted at the pool bar on Wednesday night. Before my bloody idiot brother ruined her trip by falling for her friend.
We come up with a few more ideas, then I hear a strange little growling noise. She starts laughing and covers her face. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. That was my stomach." She shakes her head. "I've not eaten anything apart from a croissant this morning, I've been too stressed."
"Fuck, and you've had quite a bit to drink," I jump to my feet, and grab her hand. "Come on."
"Where are we going?" She asks, letting me pull her up.
"I'm taking you to dinner, of course." She's not drinking any more on a virtually empty stomach on my watch. I take my holiday buddy role seriously.
That's what I'm telling myself anyway.
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Kefalonia is a beautiful place - have you ever visited?
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