Aris

September 22, Part 2.
I know I wrote today that I was tired of statistics, but they seem to follow me, even if indirectly. I was fourth place in the audition. And, according to the official rules, I shouldn’t have made it. But the rule changed for exactly one more position. Seriously, what are the odds of that? It could be luck. It could be coincidence or even fate. I know it’s a completely disproportionate comparison, but almost eleven years ago, I was on the brink of death and urgently needed a new heart. And it was precisely at that moment that a heart arrived for me. Things like this make me think that maybe statistics actually like me. And I confess that I enjoy the little things that make me think this way.
—
“What are you writing?”
I looked at Dimitris, who was driving at that moment. It was hard to write in a moving car; the handwriting was almost illegible. But I couldn’t wait until the evening to record how I was feeling at that moment. I closed my journal and deflected.
“The most important question is: where are you taking me?”
“You’ll see when we get there. But seriously, it’s not the first time I’ve seen you with that notebook.”
“It’s my journal. I take it everywhere I go.”
“Journal?”
I put the notebook away in my backpack, where I had clean clothes that I planned to change into after the audition. But Dimitris had said he wanted to take me somewhere and mentioned that I didn’t need to change clothes for it, so I was still in my dance attire.
“I know: it’s kind of teenage, isn’t it?” I said.
“I was going to say it’s kind of... analog. Can’t you jot down important things, I don’t know, in a notes app on your phone?”
“It’s not the same. And it’s not just notes. It’s records of things that are important to me. Or sometimes just brief outbursts or random thoughts. And I know it sounds a bit silly.”
“It’s not silly. It’s just... something I wouldn’t do. I think each day that passes is just... well, it’s kind of obvious: it’s just the past.”
“Seriously, you think that way? We live in Greece. Everywhere we look, there’s some ruin of ancient buildings reminding us of how important the past is.”
“The past of a civilization, yes. For individuals... not so much.”
I decided not to press the issue. I knew Dimitris had issues with his past and his memories. I knew he only lived day by day, trying to be indifferent to his losses and his grief. And I definitely didn’t agree with that. But we were having a good moment, so I didn’t want to ruin it by bringing up those discussions.

At least not at that moment.
When he drove the car into the parking lot of a luxury hotel, I felt a tinge of apprehension.
“Okay... You brought me to a hotel,” I said. “Should I ask what your intentions are, or just run away?”
“That’s not the kind of question I usually get when I bring a girl to a hotel. It’s not common for them to consider ‘running away’.”
His light-hearted response brought an unusual feeling, which I soon recognized as jealousy. The idea of Dimitris being in bed with other girls was too unsettling for me.
“Just so you know...” he continued, parking the car in a spot, “I booked two rooms.”
“You booked two hotel rooms... that are about ten kilometers from our university?”
“Yes.”
“I still think it might be wise to ask what your intentions are. Okay, there are two rooms. So why exactly did you bring me here? To sleep?”
“You’re pretty smart,” he said, getting out of the car.
More confused than before, I opened my door and got out, grabbing my backpack.
“Are you serious?” I asked.
“Totally serious.”
He walked toward the reception, and I followed, doubting the whole story until the very last moment when I saw the receptionist handing Dimitris two keys.
We took the elevator up to the top floor. Our rooms were across from each other, but Dimitris only opened one of them.
And when we entered, I was surprised to find a table set with a variety of dishes that could feed about five people.
“Maybe you can do a bit more than just sleep,” he said, closing the door behind him. “But nothing your perverted mind might be thinking.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Do I have a perverted mind?”
“You’re the one who doubted my intentions. I brought you here so you could take a shower, eat, and sleep. All day long, as you probably need. No noise in the corridors or interruptions. Oh, and I asked room service to prepare a healthy menu.” He gestured to the table where a cake was already sliced, and he took a piece. “Even the sweets. All sugar-free, fat-free, and probably also flavor-free.”
He took a bite and made a thoughtful expression, as if to say, “It’s not as bad as it seems.”
And I was stunned, without any reaction. I couldn’t believe he had actually done this for me. And worse, I was so exhausted that I nearly cried with gratitude.
This was in addition to the emotion I felt seeing Dimitris's good side in action once again.
“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked, taking another bite of the cake.
“To be honest, I’m starving. But I really need a shower first.”
“Alright. I’ll leave you alone. If you need me, I...”
“No!” I interrupted him before he even made a move to leave. “I mean... It must be past noon by now. You must be hungry too, and... Do you really think I can eat all this food? You prepared all this for me... So why don’t you have lunch with me?”
“Alright, then...”
He sat down in a chair and continued eating his cake. He quickly finished one slice and took another, which almost made me tease him for apparently enjoying the food he claimed was ‘flavor-free’. But instead, I took my backpack with me to the bathroom.
As soon as I entered, I leaned back against the door, needing to take a few deep breaths, trying to control the emotion of realizing that Dimitris had done all this for me.
Minutes later, after a shower and fresh clothes, I emerged from the bathroom with my hair still damp. I was wearing a sleeveless dress that exposed part of the scar on my chest. My intention when packing it was to wear it with a short-sleeved shirt on top. But there, alone with Dimitris, I thought it wasn’t necessary.
When his eyes fell on me, however, I reconsidered whether that had been a good idea. He looked directly at the scar, which made me feel a bit uneasy and insecure.
But I tried to ignore it and left the backpack on the floor, walking to the table and sitting in one of the chairs.
Finally, I managed to say what I should have said as soon as we arrived:

“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“What do you mean ‘for what’? For everything you did.”
“Yesterday you went through a horrible situation because of me. This was the least I could do.”
“I hope you’re referring to how you spoke to me.”
“No. I’m referring to the fact that two jerks threatened you, and you had to witness me beating up one of them.”
“So all of this is to make up for what I went through yesterday?”
“Exactly.”
“Isn’t it because you’re concerned about how I look like a zombie?”
“You’d need a few more sleepless nights to even come close to looking like a zombie, Aris.”
“Was that a compliment?”
“It was an observation. You have the whole ‘good girl’ combo, but you can’t add to it the factor of ‘modesty’ to the extent of not realizing how pretty you are.”
I felt my face heat up, as if I were a high school girl in front of the most handsome boy in school.
Well, he was the most handsome guy I had ever met, so, aside from the fact that we were both in college, it wasn’t such a different situation.
“Even if it’s an observation and not a compliment, I appreciate it.” Since he mentioned beauty, I couldn’t help but remember the blonde who had threatened me the day before.
And that sparked a question in my mind. “That girl, Zoe... Are you dating her or anything like that?”
“I’m not the dating type, Aris. I thought you’d have figured that out by now. And if I were, I don’t think I’d be kissing other girls while in a relationship.”
Other girls...
He used the plural.
It could just be a figure of speech, but damn it... there I was again, feeling jealous.
“Okay, so... Are you seeing her or something? Because she seemed pretty angry with me.”