A Greek Odyssey - Jason Fic

CHAPTER 11

Jason was quite enjoying his little game of playing it cool. He kept his sunglasses on because it meant he could watch her without her realising. She obviously thought he was avidly reading in his book, but in fact he was watching her eye him up surreptitiously for at least 10 minutes. He smiled to himself and hoped that it was working to his advantage and that eventually curiosity might get the better of her.

The waiter came over and brought his Tuna salad and put it in front of him with a basket of fresh bread. Jason picked up his fork and put the book down on the table so he could eat his lunch. He took off his sunglasses, Lexi didn't look away quickly enough and he looked straight at her 'want some of my bread?'

Lexi flushed when she realised that she'd been caught red-handed eyeing him up and quickly looked away saying in a frosty voice 'no thanks I've just eaten.'

Jason shrugged his shoulders as if to say it was her loss and started to eat his lunch. He deliberately didn't look at her or talk to her and looked out to sea while he ate. When he'd finished the waiter came over and took his plates away and asked if they wanted another drink and Jason replied that he'd like a beer and gestured towards Lexi, 'do you want anything?'

'I'll have a white wine, she replied. There was no way she was going to let him think that she was affected by him sitting there. The waiter brought the drinks over and she realised he'd assumed she wanted a half litre carafe instead of a glass. 'Oh well I can have a couple of glasses and then walk back,' she thought to herself.

'Cheers!' said Jason's voice, breaking into her thoughts and without thinking she replied the same to him. He then resumed ignoring her, pulled his sunglasses back over his eyes again and looked out to sea.

Lexi finished the first glass having spent the whole time wondering when or if he was going to speak to her, in the end she started to think to herself that this was a bit stupid them both sitting here like this, on the same table and not speaking. She poured herself another glass and noticed he'd drunk his beer.' Do you want a glass?' she asked him, pointing to the carafe.

'Ok,' he replied and gestured the waiter over asking him for another wine glass. Lexi poured him a glass and sat back in her chair and looked at him. 'So, did you walk here from where you're staying?

'Erm, yes,' he lied, crossing his fingers and hoping that Anna wouldn't drop him in it. It would definitely freak Lexi out if she knew he'd followed her all the way here. 'We're renting a villa on the way to Methoni.'

By now the alcohol had started to loosen both their tongues and so Lexi was starting to feel more relaxed.

'So who are those lads you're with then?'

Jason explained that Josh was his younger brother and that Ben and Calum were Josh's friends and as they'd all been at a loose end they'd decided to holiday together.

'I find it very hard to believe a man who looks like you would be at a loose end,' Lexi interjected, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror at what she'd just said. She blushed beetroot red and hung her head in embarassment.

'I could say the same to you,' he laughed winking at her and flashing a really sexy smile at her. 'What did you say your name was?' he asked pretending he didn't know.

'It's Alexia, but all my friends call me Lexi' she replied, 'and you are?'

'I'm Jason,' he reached across and shook her hand. 'Nice to meet you Lexi.' He was amazed that so far it didn't look like she had a clue who he was - there was no look of recognition which crossed her face when he said his name.

'Are you going to the festival tomorrow night in the town centre?' he asked, knowing full well that she was. She replied that they were and Jason thought to himself that he had nothing to lose and dived in headfirst. 'Well, seeing as we seem to be the only English people in this resort shall we all share a table?'Lexi replied that she thought it would be a good idea. Jason got up and headed for the gents, he needed to find a way to walk her back to the apartments so he could collect the car and meet the others.

He went to the loo and when he came out he'd worked out a likely story.  He said the lads decided to go and have a swim in  the pool where she was staying as there was a bar there, so they drove up there and had said to meet them there. Heprayed to god when he got there that none of them would drop him in it and tell her that Jason had been there talking to her mum.

They sat there a little longer chatting and finished the carafe, by the time they'd finished Lexi felt decidedly tiddly. They agreed to halve the bill and left the waiter a tip and went to leave the taverna. Lexi stumbled as she walked away, not seeing her bag which lay on the floor by the table. Jason jumped forward and caught her as she fell, he saw a flash of what looked like fear as she realised he'd caught her and that she was trapped in the circle of his arms, his face just inches away from hers. She gazed deep into his deep blue eyes, fringed with dark, long lashes and shivered.

'Are you cold?' he asked, knowing full well the affect he was having on her because he could feel her trembling in his arms.

'No,' she whispered trying to tear her gaze away from his and not doing a very good job of it.

The moment was broken when the waiter came up and picked up her bag handing it to her. Lexi abruptly pulled away like she'd been burnt and took the bag off him, striding out of the taverna and leaving Jason shaking his head wondering whether he'd done something wrong.

'Get a grip!' she muttered to herself, completely confused by her reaction to him holding her. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she realised that one part of her wanted desperately to kiss him and another part wanted to get as far away from him as possible to protect herself.

They walked back to the apartments without speaking. Every now and then he looked at her from the corner of his eye trying to work out what the hell was going on in her mind. They arrived back around an hour later and Lexi headed back to her apartment to drop her bag off, so he said goodbye to her and said he'd see her the following eveving.

When he got back down to the pool Anna raised an eyebrow at him and gestured with her head to join her at the bar. He could see the lads in the pool playing water polo with some of the Greek lads staying there, so he nodded to her and mouthed 'in a mo.' He wandered over to the pool and quickly said to Josh, 'can you warn the others not to say anything to Lexi that I was here with you earlier? She thinks I bumped into her by accident, he guessed Anna had probably filled Josh in as to where he'd gone when he disappeared so quickly.

'No problem Jase, I hope she's worth it that's all I can say.'

'I think she is,' replied Jason looking hopefully in the direction she'd walked off in.

He disappeared off into the bar and told Anna that he had found Lexi at a taverna on the beach and they'd had a few drinks together.

'That's good,' she said, pleased to hear that it had gone ok.

'We've arranged to share a table tomorrow night at the taverna on the seafront,' he said with a smile. 'I just wish she would relax and realise that I'm not out to hurt her.'

'Jason, give her time and if you're persistent she'll soften towards you. Under that exterior she's not as brave as she lets on, she's just scared of getting hurt again, she just needs time to trust you and for you to break down her barriers.'

They arranged to all meet in the square the following evening at 7pm where there would be some Greek Dancing and a parade and then they would all walk down together to the taverna. Jason went to find the others and they decided to head back to the villa for some dinner.

Unbeknown to Jason, Lexi was laying on her bed thinking that for the first time in months she felt alive and the first piece of ice was thawing around her heart without her realising it.