Laura
With what little time i had unfortunately, i didn't have the oppurtunity to adequately prepare myself for going out, but on my way to the room earlier i'd been mentally combing through the contents of my luggage. I wanted something that would end up in the least crumbled after the long trip. Finally i'd picked a long black dress with a metal cross on the back, a pair of black flip-flop, a gold wrist watch, and large round earrings. I'd hastily applied some eyeliner and mascara, touching up my earlier work, which was already fading after the long flight, and then powered my face lightly. I'd grabbed a tube of golden speckled lip gloss and drew a line along my lips with out looking in the mirror. Karolina and Michal shot me suprised glances as i left the room. They were still in the same clothed they had during the flight.
"How did you manage to change clothes already? You look like you had hours to prepare!" Karolina muttered as we were walking to the elevator.
"Well..." I shrugged. "You've got your talent for excessive drinking, but i have trick or two up my sleeve, too. I prepare in my head, so that i can ready myself in a couple minutes."
"All right, quit it with the chitchat. Let's go have a drink!" Martin boomed.
All four of us crossed the hotel loby to the exist. Giardini Naxos at night was a beatiful pictursque place. The narrow, winding streets pulsated with life and music. There were all kinds of people everywhere from partygoers to mothers with children silcily only woke up after sundown, it seemed. The scorhing heat of the day was too much for everyone to go out earlier. We reached the densely populated port district. We reached the densely populated port district. There were dozen's of restuarant bars, and cafe's along the seafront.
"I'm about to die of hunger here", karolina said
" And my blood alchol content is definitely too low", added Michal "look at this place it'll be place. It'll be perfect."
He pointed to a restaurant by the beach called Tortuga. It was a classy place with glass table's, white chair's and sofa's and candles everywhere. Overhead, enormous sheet's of white sail cloth waved and rippled in the wind, making it seem like it was floating. The restuarant was divided into cozy nooks enclosed by heavy wooden beams supporting the cloth roofing. The effect was magical- bright and breezy and simple perfect. The prices were a little steep, but it was filled with people. Martin waved at a waiter, and with a quick incencitive of a few euros we were sitting comfortable and reading the menue in no time. My dress did nothing for me to blend in with my surroundings. I felt everyone's eye's on me. With all that white, my black outfit made me stand out like a bacon.
"Am feeling watched, but who could have known we'd end up in a big milk jug," i whispered to martin with a stupid apologetic smile. He took a quizzical look around, leaned into my ear and said "your paranoid babe, besides you look astonishing let them look." I scanned the place again. At first glance, nobody was looking my way, but i had this strange feeling of being watched nonetheless. I pushed away the nagging thought of having some kind of mental disease from my mother and focused on the menue. I quickly found my favourite grilled octopus, and chose a rose Prosecco. The waiter, despite being a silcian, was also an italian which meant we couldn't expect the food fast. We'd have to wait a good long while before he came back to take our order.
"I have to go to the restroom," i said, my eyes darting around. There was a small door by the beautiful wooden bar in the corner of the restaurant. I headed that way. I passed through, but it was just the dishwashing room. I turned back, only to hit the stone -hard chest of a tall man. Frowning and rubbing my forehead, i raised my eyes. The man in front of me was handsome. An italian. Haven't i seen him somewhere before? I thought. I couldn't move as he gazed at me with his black eyes. There was something in him that terrified me. I froze.
"You seem to be lost", he said in perfect English with an immaculate British accent. " i can help if you tell me what your looking for ".
He smiled, presenting a set of perfectly straight white teeth, and placed a hand on my back between my shoulder blades, touching my naked skin. He pushed me gently in the right direction and led me to the door. Feeling his touch made shivers ran down my spine. It made walking no easier. I was lightheaded, bewildered. I couldn't speak. The only thing i could do was smile, or rather grimace. I headed back to martin. With all these emotions running through me, i completely forgot why i had left our table in the first place.
As i returned, my friends were already having their drinks - they had managed to down one round already and were just ordering another. I collasped on the sofa, grabbed my glass of Prosecco, and finished in one gulp. At the same time, the glass still at my lips, i gestured to the waiter that i needed another one. Martin shot me an amused glance.
" you boozer!" He laughed. And you tell me i have a problem with alchol".
"I just needed a drink", i replied, a bit dizzy with the wine i had drunk too quickly.
" that restroom has to be a magical place if that's the way it worked on you." Hearing that, i glanced around nervously in search of the tall italian who had made my legs shake like they had on the day i first ridden a motorbike after getting my driver's license. And he'd be pretty easy to spot in the white interior- just like me he wore black. Loose black linen trousers, a black shirt with a wooden rosary sticking out from underneath the collar, and black loafers. I might have only glimpsed the man, but i remembered him well.
"Laura!" Michal's voice pulled me out of my reverie. "Stop staring at people and have a drink!"
I didn't even notice the second glass of Prosecco arriving at our table. I decided to take my time with it, though i felt the urge to pour it all in my mouth just like the first one. My legs were still shaky. Dinner was served and we devoured it. The octopus- accompanied only by small sweet tomatoes. Martin got a gigantic squid, cut into pieces and scattered over his plate with garlic and corlander.