Only Sad Girls Smoke

10

With the assistance of the guide, Aliyah stepped out of the speed boat. Her mint coloured heels touched the wooden bridge just as the man put her suitcase on it, too. She let go of his hand and stabled her self. Finally, land. She gazed up from under her large sun hat to see nothing but mountainous green. It was a breath-taking view.

"Anything else you would like help with, miss?" The shirtless man said, flashing a sexy smile as he fired up the engine.

"No, that will be all, sir. Thank you for the ride." Aliyah replied with a genuine smile. The man had been charming and flirty towards her all day. He had made her laugh multiple times with terribly cheesy lines. But, it was all fun and games.

"Oh, miss! If your husband did not own this boat, I really would have shown you a proper ride, panemorfi." He winked at the exotic-looking woman he was instructed to aid in getting to her final destination. Vito spent half of his day collecting the young lady from the airport in Athens, to driving her to the Ferry port in Phthiotida and, now, finally taking her to the Island of Skopelos via speed boat. "Agápi̱ mou, if you ever need a ride eh, please, call for me."

Aliyah scoffed and shook her head smiling, before turning around and picking up the handle to her suitcase. Men like that only ever wanted one thing. Albeit, he was gorgeous looking. Most people from Greece were. But, Greek people were also very lustful, too.

Aliyah walked down the bridge towards the villa that she would be staying in. However, she couldn't but stop, and take in the view. Skopelos. One of the lesser known Greek islands. Just as Achilles had said to her that morning in her office, the island truly was ethereal. With its mountainous green landscapes and sapphire-blue water, no wonder it acted as the setting for the film adaptation of Mama Mia!. Of course, Achilleas told her that the villa - which apparently Sefi's great-grandfather had gifted to his wife, along with a huge piece of beach - was away from the buzzing town, in a secluded, private beach. And, right he was. There was only sand and palm trees for miles from either side of the villa. Maybe, this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Aliyah took off her heels and her blazer and rolled up her cigarette trousers. It was difficult dragging the suitcase through the sand. She cursed at the fact that she was still in the office attire from that morning, and not at all dressed for a beach getaway. However, as this was a 'surprise' trip, she was rushed to the airport before she could even put down her coffee cup. Apparently, Seif had gone ahead of her in the morning as he had some prior business in Athens, anyway. Aliyah wasn't sure how the two weeks would play out. The best outcome: she would have a 'some me time' getaway.

-

The villa was indeed magnificent. As Aliyah walked into the open-plan living room, she adored the fact that the whole layout was spaced-out and breezy. The decor was minimal and modern and she could see the sea from every window. She felt light and happy inside. The villa seemed to be one story tall, but it looked like it was large in terms of the carpet area it covered. She walked further into the room to stop right on her tracks. Aliyah's eye dilated in surprise as she took in the scene in front of her. She gulped in fear.

There, drinking, dancing and laughing were Seif, Xiomara, Celeste, Rafael, Kasper, the guy with the dark hair and eyes, and a few more unrecognisable people - all dressed in casual beach attire. Aliyah sucked in a breath. Of course. Seif was not going to spend two whole weeks, alone, in a secluded beach villa, all by himself. Or with me. It shouldn't have come across as a surprise. Suddenly, she made eye-contact with Xiomara. Aliyah cursed under her breath.

"Well, look who we have here." No one. None of your business. Aliyah quickly smiled at Xiomara before picking up her suitcase and heading towards what she assumed was the corridor. However, she wasn't fast enough as Kasper had stepped in front of her. He took her hand and led her to their little sitting area, twirling her. Aliyah accidentally dropped her shoes onto the wooden floor.