Read To Kiss You Again for Free Online

I’ve been dozing, and my farmer’s son stands beside me and asks if I need a ride home. It’s nearly two. I could stagger the distance or go to the port for a taxi, but I’m tired and it’s late. I don’t like imposing on my neighbors. Tomas assures me it’s no trouble. He takes me home.
    The next morning, my head pounds as I swim, and I must face the fact that’s he’s left. Carla told him to fuck off, and he has. My wishful side argues he might not have been out last night. Perhaps he stayed in, or maybe he’s sick, but my gut tells me he’s gone. Why would he stay? After the way I blew him off and Carla’s rudeness, he probably boarded the next ferry and went on to Rhodes.
    I throw myself into Eight Leg Aquarium so I won’t obsess about him. It works. A day passes, and then the next. I stop at five because I have to go into town again. My painting stares back at me, and is changed. No longer a tranquil glimpse into the underwater world as seen through the octopus fisherman’s spotting can, it is now a storm, the rocks and seaweed strewn about by raging winds and crashing waves. As I clean my brushes, my shoulders slump. My escape was no escape at all.
    Later, wearing an older, more humble dress, I follow Carla into the party. We walk through the throng of people, occasionally stopping to catch up with old friends. Marcia, an older British woman married to a local Greek man, fancies herself an artist, and as usual, wants to draw me into a conversation about technique and supplies. I humor her, but it’s the same conversation we have every time we meet. The smile on my face is like a cardboard cutout – it’s the same one I use for all the fake and annoyingly boring people I meet.
    We no sooner escape Marcia than the lascivious butcher pounces on me. For years, I have successfully deflected his pathetic attempts at seduction, and when I gently fend him off once more, he turns his attention to Carla. I can’t help but feel a sick pleasure as the middle-aged letch drools over her. The disgust is clear in her expression, but he is not deterred. Soon, I am bored with his disgusting suggestions and rescue her, tugging her arm and telling the man we are expected by friends.
    When we are almost through the crowd, Carla turns to me. “You are the luckiest bitch I know,” she sneers. At first, I think she’s referring to the butcher, but when the shock fades, I know it’s something else that has her riled up. I am shocked, not by her name-calling, but by her honesty. The look in her eyes is one of pure envy. She steps aside, and there he is. Sitting beside Ginny, he is as beautiful as I remember. When he sees me, he jumps to his feet, his eyes as wide as my own.
    “It’s you.”
    “It’s you,” I repeat.
    “Jennifer!” Ginny squeals.
    His face pales. “Jennifer?”
    I slowly nod, and Ginny looks back and forth between us. Understanding flashes across her face.
    “Oh my God. Jennifer is the girl from the boat?” Her look of shock tells me he’s shared our secret.
    “And that makes you Matt.” The words leave my mouth, but I don’t recall vocalizing the thought. It all makes sense now. The reason I was so drawn to him, how I felt I knew him, the way I feared he’d hurt me.
    “Oh, this is just too cool,” Ginny giggles. “Matt, you probably don’t remember Jennifer’s little sister, Carla. She was pretty little back then, but as of a few weeks ago, she’s a high school graduate.” Carla glares at him as he greets her.
    With a nervous cough, Matt pulls out the chair beside his and waits. I’m in a fog as I sit and he pushes me in. I am flushed, sweating, unsure what to make of all this. Someone hands me a glass of wine, and I down it without hesitation. Matt is staring at me, but I can’t look at him. I’m so confused, and it feels like I’m suffocating. His hand grasps mine under the table, but I am looking for more wine. The place-setting beside mine is empty, but has a full glass. I down