I turn to him and stare deeply into his eyes, see myself reflected back. See the radiance of someone truly in love for the first time. That love has changed me for the better. It’s made me trust in myself, and in others. Opened me like a flower. All my life I felt like I was lacking, I was missing some crucial element, but Georgios has made me realise it wasn’t me who had to change, it was the world around me. I’m perfect just the way I am.
We kiss with the Heart of Santorini as a backdrop. It feels like a sign. Like I’m right where I’m meant to be. With Georgios’ hand in mine. A man who loves me, quirks and all.
When we pull apart he says, ‘Will you marry me one day, Evie?’
I glance at the heart, sure it’s pulsing, telling me to say yes, my dating rules be damned. I’ve always lived in a cloud of doubt, but that part of me is gone. Replaced by this deep abiding romance. The trust that this is true love.
‘I’m free next week?’
He throws his head back and laughs.
‘I’ll take that as a yes?’
‘Yes. One day. When the sun sinks into the horizon, turning the water a flame-coloured hue. That’ll be our moment. Ourkapsoura.’
We kiss once more in front of our Grecian blue sea backdrop, framed by a love heart made from solid rock.
