Alice went with him, but she couldn’t get the invasiveness of the press in his life out of her mind. ‘That really happens to you?’ she asked with a small shake of her head.
He tilted a wry smile at her. ‘I am somewhat recognisable.’
Alice stopped walking and looked up at him, frowning. True. Thanos Stathakis was instantly identifiable—not least because he was frequently in the tabloids. The idea of living such an exposed life didn’t sit well with her.
‘You must hate that.’
He considered that for a moment. ‘I don’t particularly enjoy it.’
They weaved through a narrow street with cobbles underfoot and as they walked Thanos reached down and took Alice’s hand in his and she didn’t even question it. The intimacy felt normal. She liked the way it felt to hold his hand, their fingers weaved together, his thumb lightly stroking the back of her hand.
Alice couldn’t take her eyes off the streetscape. It was everything Signora Verde had described, and more. The residents were vivid in her imagination and the reality was just like it. The smells, the sounds, the tiny little boutiques—clothing shops, book stores, restaurants, cafes, it was all so quintessentially Italian, she felt as if she’d stepped onto the set of a movie.
‘Here.’ Thanos slowed as they approached a pair of ancient timber doors nestled at the base of a stone building. Alice paused, looking up, running her eyes over the place.
The sign above the door read Ristorante Vecchio Città.
‘Old City Restaurant?’
Thanos grinned. ‘You’re fluent already.’
Alice laughed. ‘Barely. I’ve got a long way to go.’
‘Do you take lessons?’
‘No, I couldn’t afford that, and I don’t have the time.’ She didn’t see the way Thanos’s expression darkened. ‘I use free apps. They’re good. They keep me distracted on the subway.’
He guided her towards the doors, which, on their approach, were opened inwards by an older man with silver-grey hair and dark black eyes. He was tall and wiry and wore a black apron with white stripes over a crisp white shirt and black pants.
‘Signor.’ He nodded curtly, gesturing into the restaurant. ‘Welcome.’
‘Thank you. We’d like a table for two. Something with a view.’
‘Of course.’ The waiter nodded and his eyes seemed to linger on Thanos for a few seconds—moments in which Alice surmised he recognised the billionaire tycoon, because within seconds the best table in the restaurant was made available and a bottle of champagne brought over, compliments of the house.
Alice took the seat offered, so distracted by the view that for a moment she said nothing. From the street it had been impossible to identify this building’s location but she saw now it was right on the edge of one of the three rivers that ran through the heart of this town. A little way down there was what looked to be a medieval bridge, like a miniature version of the Ponte Vecchio, with shops built along either side of it and fairy lights strung across the roof.
The water ran quickly and children were sitting at its edge, one holding a fishing line, the other reading a book. In the distance, a family sat on a blanket, drinking wine and eating sandwiches.
It was idyllic and breathtaking.
The champagne was poured and they were left in peace with a menu that was all in Italian.
‘What do you feel like eating?’ Thanos asked.
She scanned the menu, picking out the words she could recognise.
‘What do you think looks good?’
‘Would you like me to translate?’
She nodded. ‘I can read some of it.’
‘Show me what you recognise.’
She lifted her eyes to his, a hint of embarrassment in her expression. ‘Really only the simple ones. Bread, chicken, ham, pizza, pasta.’
‘That’s half the menu,’ he pointed out with a grin.