The man had my body, my future and my heart. I knew it was only a matter of time before he had my innocence too. When it was all gone, when I had nothing left to give - what would happen?
Chapter 11
Calix and I had toured the bustling city of white and sienna for what felt like forever - and I still hadn’t had enough. The air was different. It was warm and wet and salty. Strong scents of smoke warred with the stifling scent of diesel throughout the streets. Every now and again, I would catch the fresh scent of jasmine that made me pause in place, nearly desperate to catch the scent again - and capture it. It was sweet.
We’d passed numerous restaurants and unlike at home, I could smell the food being prepared within the building on the street. Warm spices wafted in the air, and my belly growled in hunger my eyes refused to allow me to satisfy. There was just so much to see, I couldn’t find it within me to take the time to eat. However, waves of garlic and oregano tickled my senses with every passing of a restaurant and I remembered, from my extensive research on Greek life, that both garlic and oregano were staples. I didn’t hesitate to share this fact with Calix as we walked, hand in hand, along the streets and walkways. When he mentioned the stifling scent of diesel, I also informed him that for the most part, the Greeks used diesel-fueled transportation.
I babbled on and on about the Gods and the interesting mythology that surrounded the culture. I informed him, with no lacking of exuberance, of the places I longed to see - Acropolis where both the Parthenon Temple and Athena Nike Temple stood. I also ached to see the Temple of Hephaestus, which incidentally, is the best preserved of the ancient temples in Athens, most likely owed to the fact that in the seventh century it had been converted to a church.
There was so much I desperately wanted to do and see and experience and I wanted to do it all in this minute. My eyes were everywhere. I couldn’t stop my head from bobbing up and down as I studied the stone of he buildings, memorizing their weathered lines and colored windowsills. Everything appeared to be an undecided mix of old and new, but I appreciated the abundance of colors and white.
Calix squeezed my hand and I stopped speaking my thoughts aloud to glance up at him. He wore a look of complete fascination and amusement on his face as he peered down into mine.
“Hmm?” I asked, stunned by his interruption and the many things I still had to tell him about this amazing city, the mythology, and the culture. Oh, there was just so much passion inside of me to teach all I had learned.
“I think we should eat something, love. We’ll need to retire for the night within the next couple of hours.” His tone was gentle and I was certain it was because of the look of utter heartbreak that settled into my features at the words retire for the night. There was still so much to see.
“Oh,” I nodded. “Okay.”
Calix chuckled, pulling me into his side. “Where did you learn so much about Athens?”
“Um,” I paused. “The internet.”
“All this from the internet?” He raised a speculative brow at me.
“Pretty much.” I shrugged. “It started when my mom’s friend and her daughter, who was a year older than me, came to stay with us over the Christmas break. They lived in Alberta and Gemma, her daughter, brought her Greek textbook with her. I was in grade five and she was in grade six. I’ve loved Greece ever since.”
“And being the nerd that you are, you read the entire thing.” Calix guessed.
I blushed. “Being the bookworm I am,” I enunciated the word bookworm before continuing quickly, sheepishly. “I read the book cover to cover.”
Calix laughed and I felt my eyes fasten to him with just as much interest as I would stare at the Temple of Athena Nike. He really was beautiful. But when he threw his head back, like that, and laughed. He was freaking amazing, breath-robbing, heart-stopping beautiful. And he was mine. Calix McKnight was mine - my husband. And I was his.
He led me into a restaurant that read Aleria over the door. We were lead to a patio table where plants and vines hung over the walls and in enormous stone pots. The chairs we occupied were cushion-topped wicker and they were a quaint kind of comfortable. I talked more about Greece over dinner, the places I thought Calix would like to see and the places I thought would irritate him - such as the famous Parthenon Temple, which stood upon Acropolis.
At this, Calix cocked his head to the side. “Why would this temple irritate me?”
“Well,” I scrunched my nose. “It’s incredibly busy. It’s one of the largest tourist attractions that apparently, isn’t very peaceful.”