They said their goodbyes and climbed into the taxi.
David and Ella waved them off. David looked to Ella.
"Don't ask!" she said.
Ruth and Harry sat in the back of the cab and both wanted to reach out for the others hand, but they didn't.
"Harry, I'm sorry for kissing you," she blurted out when they were almost back at the hotel.
"It's not a problem, Ruth, really."
"I don't know what came over me, maybe I've had a little bit too much to drink."
Harry didn't know what to say. He thought she was back tracking, the excuses were being prepared. He knew the signs, he just didn't want to be led in the direction they were pointing.
"Ruth, really you don't need to apologise. That's what I'm here for." That had come out all wrong he realised. "Well, not that I'm here in Greece for that, clearly, but, well I'm here if you want me. need me, I mean, if you want to kiss me that's fine, but if you don't well, that's okay." He tailed off and sighed. He couldn't take much more. It really wasn't okay if she didn't want to kiss him. He didn't think it ever would be again.
They got out of the cab and walked towards her room. At the bottom of the stairs they paused.
"Harry…I"
He waited.
"I…shouldn't."
He waited.
"Shouldn't…" she wanted to say I shouldn't have said no to you, but the words just wouldn't come. She still thought it too much of a jump. From hardly being able to string a sentence together, to marriage. It was madness surely.
But she did want him.
Him and only him.
But the words just wouldn't come.
He thought she was saying she shouldn't be anywhere near him, shouldn't have kissed him, shouldn't invite him to her room.
Just shouldn't.
As they stood there, faltering for the words a couple of teenagers came round the corner laughing. Ruth looked nervously at them and away. They didn't speak, didn't even acknowledge them they just kept laughing.
"I'm sorry, Harry," said Ruth and ran up the stairs. He called after her but his only answer was the door shutting behind her.
He stood and looked at her door, he didn't want to go.
She stood in the room. They weren't laughing at her, or Harry, they were just kids. She couldn't take another night of not saying the things to him she wanted to say, she couldn't spend another sleepless night thinking about his touch, his face, how sexy he looked leant on the patio. She turned and ran back out of the door.
He was gone.
