I smiled and waved goodbye to Missy as I headed out. I checked the address that Chance had texted me earlier in the day. It was about a fifteen-minute drive from campus, and Missy had loaned me her Ford for the night. I found the car in the student parking lot that we shared between four different buildings and slipped inside, thankful for the warmth that engulfed me.
I pulled down the mi
rror and stared at my reflection. I looked flushed and nervous, but I thought I looked quite pretty, too. Most importantly, I looked like myself. I took courage from that thought and started the drive to Chance’s apartment.
Chapter Sixteen
Chance
I placed the dish of moussaka in front of her and sat down beside her at the table. Thankfully, her attention was taken by the food, and so I had the freedom to admire her. She was wearing a simple black mini dress underneath a decidedly un-simple jacket. Her hair was tied up into her usual ponytail, and her makeup was natural and understated.
“This is amazing,” she breathed, looking up at me. “You made all of this yourself?”
“I lived in Greece for six months when I was twenty-five,” I admitted. “I picked up a few things along the way.”
“Wow,” Natalie said, and her stark blue eyes were awe-filled. “Tell me what you’ve made?”
“We’ve got tzatziki with some pita bread, Greek salad, spanakopita, and of course, the moussaka.”
“Okay, I think I know all those things,” Natalie nodded. “Except the span…spana…”
“Spanakopita?”
“That’s the one,” she nodded.
“It’s essentially a pie made with filo pastry, spinach, and feta cheese.”
“Wow,” she said again.
“Have I impressed you?” I asked teasingly.
“You have,” she replied.
I smiled triumphantly. “Well then, mission accomplished.”
She looked flattered that I thought she was worth impressing, and again, I wondered what made her so unsure of herself. She was clearly a beautiful woman, so why was it that she acted as though she wasn’t?
“What was it like?” she asked. “Living in Greece?”
“It’s hard not to love Greece. I lived in this neighborhood in Athens called Neos Kosmos,” I said. “There’s so much culture and history there. It makes you feel small somehow, but not in a bad way.” I smiled. “That doesn’t make much sense, does it?”
“No, I get what you mean,” Natalie said. “It’s that feeling you get when you’re walking through this amazing landmark that’s been around centuries. You know that it’s seen just groundbreaking bits of history and you’re this little insignificant person, strolling through with only the faintest clue of what it was like back then.”
I smiled. “Where have you had that feeling?”
“Loads of places, mostly in the States when I’ve traveled with my parents,” Natalie replied. “But also the ancient Acropolis in Athens.”
“You like to travel?”
“I love to travel,” Natalie corrected. “I wish I could do it more often.”
“There’s still time.”
“Travel needs money as well as time though,” Natalie said. “I’ve only ever lived in the States. You’re lucky that you’ve got to live in so many different places.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What?” she asked, growing self-conscious.