What the fuck got into her?

I ask myself the same question over and over again, long after the sexy blonde has disappeared into the darkness. She seemed perfectly all right, up until my phone rang. After that, she looked like she had seen a ghost. But, this wasn’t the first time a girl’s behavior didn’t make sense. I love women, but understanding them often turns out to be much harder than I expect. Why should that blonde be an exception?

Heading for the bar, I wonder if I should bring her up to Michael and Ray. My brothers are way more experienced in this than I am. I’m positive they’ll be able to guess why she reacted that way.

Talking about a random chick that freaked out over nothing in a bar full of drunken tourists? Hmmm… Bad idea.

It’s more than just a bad idea. Hell, it’s stupid, not to mention almost impossible. I can hear loud, beat music from across the street. In fact, it’s loud enough to make the ground vibrate beneath my feet. Besides, Ray chose that place exactly because we could have a few laughs and drink our asses off without discussing anything. He’s still a mess after discovering Laura’s little scheme, and I want him to forget about it. I don’t care if he suggests living in a hole for the next couple of weeks. To me, he and Michael are family. I never turn my back on family, even though my folks turned their backs on me a long time ago.

The rest of the night gets off to a promising start. We dance around; we mingle with girls from pretty much all over Europe. For more than two hours, we are surrounded by French, Italian, and Dutch chicks. They rub themselves against us, wearing big smiles and sometimes can’t keep their hands to themselves. A French brunette named Chloe pins Michael in the corner, and dares to slide her fingers up his stomach. However, it doesn’t take long for things to go seriously wrong. Her body sways backwards. For a moment, Michael thinks she’s faking it, but once her eyelids slide shut, he thrusts his arms forward to prevent her from dropping to the floor. A quick sweep of the bar tells me that staying in there any longer is in vain. Another redhead staggers across the dance floor, her arms around two men’s shoulders as they lead her to the bathroom. We knew most of these people would be drunk, but this is much worse. They are drunk out of their fucking minds. Disappointment written all over his face, Ray makes his way toward the exit: night over.

He and Michael leave me alone the following afternoon, deciding to take another trip south. Ray insists on revisiting the beach where he bumped into Laura, not because he wants to see her again, but because “it’s too goddamn beautiful.” I mean to see more of Crete, but before riding out to another resort to the east, I head off to a coffee shop in Ammoudara. I seat myself at the table nearest to the entrance and place my order. A glance up at the red neon sign across the street brings the memory of last night back to my mind.

I had moussaka there two days ago, and I liked it so much that I went back to ask for the recipe. People pay good money here for that dish. If Carlo’s okay with it, I’d like to put it on the menu when I go back home. The elderly owner was kind enough to give me the recipe. People pay good money here for that dish. The elderly owner was kind enough to give me the recipe. Still, the mysterious blonde’s face quickly makes me forget the sweet, Greek woman and her weird accent.

Fuck it, man. Don’t start speculating. She could have run off for a million reasons. Try focusing on something else.

Yeah, that’s the answer. Thinking about someone who didn’t even bother giving me her name is pointless. Looking away from the hot barista though, I realize that blocking her out of my mind will have to wait. There she is, smiling, strolling along the catwalk, with a brunette and a redhead on each side. I’ve got my chance, and I’m not going to let it go to waste. I stare up at her, determined to draw her attention. And, within seconds, I get what I want. The moment our eyes meet, her smile is wiped off her face. I stay put, not saying a word. I just curl my index finger. She tells her friends something, but I’m too far to hear what it is. The brunette and the redhead cross the street, and then she makes her way towards me.

“Good afternoon,” She says, striding into the coffee shop.

“Well, well, well…” I respond, nodding at the same time. “If it ain’t ‘Ms. Weird.’”

“Okay, I guess I deserve that,” she admits, pursing her lips as the waitress arrives with my coffee. “Miss, his coffee’s on me.”

“No way, darling,” I shake my head in denial. “Sit down,” I gesture towards the chair across from me.

“All right, but you should know I don’t have much time,” she states, pulling the chair out from the table.

“I only need a minute,” I shrug and fold my arms across my chest. “So, let’s start with your name.”

“Stacy,” her response is sharp. “Listen, I know I shouldn’t have ditched you like that, but…”

“But what?” I ask nonchalantly, shrugging my shoulders.

“It’s just that, um…” she pauses and takes a deep breath. “Well, you look a lot like my ex. I realized that when I walked up to you. He used to ride a bike, too. Your hair’s almost the same length as his, only a bit darker. He’s got tattoos too, but he has a whole sleeve,” she continues, throwing a hurried glance down at the scorpion tattoo on my tricep. “Yours are a little unusual, I must say. I mean, two scorpions facing one another?”

“It didn’t end well with him, did it?” I ask, assuming a bass-deep voice.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Stacy announces, interlocking her fingers over her stomach. “I’ll tell you more about my ex, if you tell me why you got those tattoos.”

“Fine,” I say on an exhale. “They’re my brothers’ zodiac sign. I don’t believe in that…” I pause. “Astrological shit, but it’s a good way to honor them both. They’re the only family I’ve got. We’re here on vacation together.”

“Brothers?” she asks, squinting up at me. “I thought you said they were your friends.”

“They’re a lot more than just friends,” I point out, raising my voice. “It’s a long story, but let me just say I don’t know if I’d still be alive if it wasn’t for them.”

“Oh,” Stacy gasps in surprise. “Okay, my turn,” she goes on, leaning forward. “I dated Danny for about two years. He used to be a drummer in a rock band called ‘Misfits,’ back in Miami. At some point, they got pretty popular. I was a little worried that one of his groupies might move in on him. He kept reassuring me that it would never happen, because he was loyal to me. About a year ago, I found lipstick marks on the collar of his t-shirt when he returned from a gig. It reeked of cheap perfume, too. That was it. I haven’t dated a guy since.”

“No wonder you ran like hell last night,” I remark, a bitter smile forming on my face as I unfurl my arms. “You still owe me a drink, though. And I want to collect: tonight.”

“Okay,” she gives a reluctant nod. “There’s a bar just down the street, called…”

“Nah, forget about Ammoudara,” I interrupt, annoyance creeping into my tone. “Everybody gets stone-cold drunk around here. By midnight, they’re so drunk that they can’t even walk to the bathroom. I went to “Agia Pelagia” a couple of days ago. It’s a nice little town, about six or seven miles west of here. Trust me; the bars are a lot better over there.”

“As you wish, so shall it be. Where should we meet?” Stacy asks, rising up from her seat.

“I can pick you up from your hotel, or we can meet here,” I reply, my tone relaxed. “It’s your call.”

“I prefer my hotel. Do you know where ‘Dina’s Apartments’ is?” she poses another question.

“Yeah, it’s pretty close to where I live,” I speak, noticing the brunette and the redhead outside the coffee shop. “How’s nine o’clock?”

“It’s good,” Stacy says. “I’ll see you later. Bye.”

As she turns away, I get to scan that curvy body of hers. That girl’s got insane legs, but the best thing about her is her nice, juicy ass. The black leggings she has on highlight it perfectly. She even turns a few heads on her way out of the café and on the street. I don’t know how this night is going to play out, but I’ll be damned if I don’t try to get my hands on that sexy ass.