We stumble into the bar on our last night in Santorini. It’s late, and we are messy. By messy, I mean we’ve had way too many cocktails and we’re laughing like fools.
Everything is hilarious.
I can’t remember ever being this relaxed and carefree. I don’t think I’ve looked in the mirror for three days. I don’t need to. Spencer makes me feel like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world just as I am.
I’m wearing a short yellow beach dress, with my hair down and messy. I have a red flower tucked behind one ear-a flower Spencer picked from a garden for me. He’s wearing a white linen shirt with the top buttons undone, and pink shorts with white hibiscus flowers on them. He’s also donning a bright green dinosaur cap that he bought for his niece.
The bar is practically empty, and there’s a one-man band playing on a small stage. He has a harmonica on a stand, a set of bongos, and a guitar. His long brown dreadlocks give him the ultimate hippy vibe, and his voice is beautiful.
Spencer’s eyes light up and he drags me to the dance floor. He grabs my hands, pushes me out, and then slams me back to his body. “I love this song.” He smiles down at me.
“I’ve never heard this before in my life.”
“Me neither.” He pushes me away and spins me again.
“Then how do you know you love it?”
“I love everything I do with you.” He smirks down at me, and the air swirls between us. Even drunk and disorderly, he’s the most perfect man in the entire world.
The song finishes, and we both clap and cheer to make up for the lack of enthusiasm from everyone else.
“What do you want me to play?” the singer asks in his thick accent.
Spencer points at him and his eyes widen. “Aussie?” he asks.
“Yeah, man.” The guy laughs.
Spencer high fives him as if they are long lost best friends. “I fucking love Australians.”
I turn to see Wyatt and Anthony snickering from the corner. They can deny it all they want but I know they like Spencer, too, now. How could anyone not? He’s the friendliest person I’ve ever known.
“What’s your name?” Spencer asks the singer.
“Reg.” The guy smiles.
“That’s a great name!” Spencer cries, as if it’s the most exciting piece of information he’s ever heard.
I laugh out loud again. Oh man, we are so drunk.
“Play us a song, Reggie.” He picks up my hand and kisses it, waiting for the song to start.
Reg takes a sip of his drink and picks up his guitar. “This song is called ‘Dream Catch Me.'”
Spencer smiles down at me and gives me one of his swoony winks. The song starts, and he begins to move me side to side to the beat. As the words pour out of Reggie, Spencer sings them to me, but with a delay. He’s listening to them first and then repeating everything clearly.
His timing is completely off.
There’s a place I go when I’m alone.
Be anyone I want, be anyone I want to be.
But it is us I see.
We begin to really sway side to side as our dancing gets a bit out of control and I’m laughing as Spencer sings the wrong words as he dances and swings his hips.
His big beautiful smile covers his face as he sings to me and I laugh up at him in the goofy dinosaur hat as he swings me around like a ragdoll.
I cannot believe I’m falling.
Hold me close, don’t let this go.
Dream catch me when I fall.
The chorus breaks out and Spencer lets go of me. He begins to bop, jumping up and down, having the time of his life.
“Jump.” He laughs.
I find myself mirroring his dancing, bopping along with him with a huge goofy smile across my face. What must we look like? Who even cares?
This is so much fun.
The music begins to wind down. “Great song.” Spencer claps. “Play it again.”
“Yes.” I laugh. “Again.”
Reg laughs with us and begins the song from the beginning. This time Spencer sort of knows the words and sings to me as he holds me in his arms.
Be anyone I want to be,
But it is us I see.
There is nobody else on earth tonight.
Only him.
The chorus rings out again and he begins to bop once more.
I throw my head back and laugh, unable to stop myself from joining in. He looks utterly ridiculous in that dinosaur hat, yet he’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him. His huge smile is infectious. I glance over to see the boys are laughing out loud at the spectacle we are making of ourselves.
Spencer spins me around the entire dance floor. “Be anyone I want to be!” he sings to me. “But it is us I see… and I cannot believe I’m falling.” The song begins to wind down and he pulls me close. Our lips touch and he dips me back.
“You know what else I’m going to do one day, angel?” he whispers.
“What?” I smile up at him.
His eyes hold mine. “Marry you.”
My heart stops.
“What?” I whisper.
The chorus kicks in again, and Spencer kisses me quickly, pulling me up to bop around, once more.
“Jump!” he cries.
This isn’t even a song you can jump around to. It’s a ballad, and I begin to laugh so hard that I can hardly stand. He begins to dance like he’s crazy, jumping from side to side with his hands in the air like he’s at a rock concert. This is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I laugh so hard I have to rest my hands on my knees to hold myself up.
The song finishes, and we both clap with our hands in the air.
“Bravo, bravo.”
I laugh as I continue clapping.
“Brilliant, mate,” Spencer cries in excitement. “Best fucking song ever.”
Reg laughs and shakes his head at the lunatic in the bright green dinosaur cap. “You’re hectic, man.”
I’m laughing when Spencer drags me from the dance floor and signals to the door to the boys.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“We need to go home.” He turns and puts the dinosaur hat on my head. “That dream song made me horny.”
“You’re always horny.”
He turns and takes me into his arms. “I’m only horny for my dreamcatcher.”
I smile up at him and my heart swells. He could say the word potato and I would find it romantic.
“I love you.” He smiles down at me.
“I love you more.” I run my hands through his hair.
“Oh, Jesus,” Wyatt moans behind us.
“Dream catch me when I fall,” Spencer sings at the top of his voice. “Or else I won’t go home at all.” We stumble outside the front steps and Spencer raises his hand like he’s drawing a sword. “To the kebab shop!” he cries.
* * *
We’re waiting in the boarding lounge, and I’m staring at the beautiful man in front of me. He’s more dishevelled than I’ve ever seen him and hungover like nothing else. I’m dreading going home and back to reality. We’ve had the most beautiful weekend in paradise, and I want to stay here in our little love bubble.
Spencer rebooked the villas for two weeks over New Year’s. I can’t think of anything more perfect.
My phone begins to bounce around the table as it vibrates. The name Edward lights up the screen.
My stomach drops.
I stare at it as it rings for a moment, and Spencer frowns in question when he looks over at me. I know I can’t avoid this call for forever.
“Hello,” I answer.
“Where are you?” Edward growls.
I close my eyes, hearing the obvious anger in his voice. “Greece.”
“Get your fucking arse back to Nottingham now!”
He hangs up, and my heart constricts. I look over at Spencer with fear running through me. I swallow the lump in my throat.
They’ve seen the magazine story.
“I need to go home to Nottingham,” I whisper. “Tonight.”