chapter twenty four
“Girls, I hope you don’t mind squeezing into the guest room?” The stout older woman asked.
“Not at all Mrs. Apostolos, we’re quite used to such things!” Marlene assured.
“Call me Yai Yai, all of you, much shorter,” She winked a brown eye at the girl. “Now, I’ll clean the table, go on,”
Mr. Apostolos leads the group of teenagers down the hill towards the cove, the boys lugging their bags, the girls giddy to catch up. They made it onto the boat, the British natives marveling at the sights of crystal blue waves and the all-white small ship named Cressida after their only daughter.
The space below the deck held a small kitchenette, an even smaller bathroom, but a large bed that somewhat resembled a nest with all of its pillows and random throw blankets. There was also a hammock strung up, which Marigold collapsed into almost instantly. It would fit the four boys, but barely. No one minded the small quarters, it was captivating just to be there on the Mediterranean sea.
“Why would you ever return to England?” Lily gaped out one of the windows.
“You’re all there,” She shrugged, smiling.
They returned up top as the grandfather hoisted the anchor up. Marigold placed the captain hat on his balding head affectionately and went to adjust the sails like she had been doing since the ripe age of eight.
Sirius basked in the sunshine, removing his button-up shirt to feel it on his chest and arms. Remus slipped on a pair of sunglasses and relaxed next to his friend behind the wheel. Marlene and Peter peered over the side, gazing at the water below with one of her arms around his shoulders. James and Lily sat together at the bow, leaning on one another in comfortable quietness. Dorcas and Mary leaned over the other side, hands intertwined, marveling at the sight of the shore slipping farther away.
Marigold’s grandfather slipped under the deck to nap in the hammock, letting her steer the ship. Remus and Sirius admired her from a few feet behind, with lazy smiles and eyes full of adoration. They glanced at one another like they often did, recognizing the same smitten look on another’s faces.
“You’re beyond lovely,” Sirius gushed, making her glance over her shoulder at them.
She still only wore her bathing suit from earlier, but now her hair was dry. It blew in the wind, and her eyes twinkled in the sun. Her shoulders and nose were sun-kissed, burnt and freckled deeply.
“Really? With all this to view, and you two are staring at me?” She turned around fully now, chin dipped and eyebrows raised.
“Yes,” Remus sighed, resting a cheek on his knee.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” She stepped closer so she stood directly in front of the two. “Kiss me finally?”
“Which one of us?” Sirius mused.
“Surprise me,” She replied flirtatiously, closing her eyes and crossing her arms over her ribs.
Sirius motioned to Remus, who rolled his eyes in good humor. The sandy brown-haired boy stood, cupping her jaw and tilting her head back. She tried to suppress her smile, but oh how great it felt to be touched by them again.
He kissed her slowly, his own hazel eyes slipping shut under his shades. Their friends whispered elsewhere, too caught up in their own relationships to notice. Sirius stood now too, to better admire his favorite people.
Remus broke the kiss, his smile soft as he let Sirius go next. Sirius ran his hands up the girl's toned arms from quidditch and surfing, taking a moment to gaze at her, her eyes still shut in bliss. He leaned in to connect their lips, relishing in the feeling they’d all missed so much over the season apart.
Marigold was certain now, beyond an ounce of doubt, she loved the men.
When she opened her eyes again, she looked at the surroundings. As much as she wanted to just kiss the two of them till nightfall, she knew she couldn’t dismiss the rest of their friends who had arrived with them.
“I’ll drop the anchor here, we can swim.” She announced so they’d all hear over the waves.
They had made it out of the cove, and the small boat now drifted down towards the larger beach with the wind. She fastened the sails and dropped the anchor. They spent the rest of the afternoon swimming around the boat, splashing one another, and doing trick jumps off the bow of the boat.
Marigold’s grandfather had awoken some hour or two later, watching the teenagers and their antics from the deck, reading a book. He drove the boat back at sunset, letting Marigold sit with her friends to watch as it sunk below the sea line. The horizon was split sharply, the sky orange and red against the dark blue water.
Marigold wore Sirius’ discarded shirt unbuttoned, as she leaned a head of his bare shoulder. She ran her hands through Remus’ messy damp hair as he laid his head on her lap. Marlene and Peter sat next to them, legs entwined. Dorcas was on Mary’s lap, her head leaning onto her girlfriends’ collarbones. Lily and James sat with them as well, both pairs of hands fidgeting with each others.
They took dinner outside once more, this time under the starry sky. It was a bit brisker out now, so they all adorned thick sweaters over their warm clothes but remained barefoot. Mrs. Apostolos had never been much of a cook, so she’d gone fetched dinner from one of the small town's only restaurants.
The week passed just like this, the teenagers staying up well into the night talking in the front garden or laying around the living room before going to bed. The four boys would make their descent to the boat, always a slow goodbye to the girls.
Mary and Dorcas squeezed into one of the small twin beds, Marlene on the other. Lily and Marigold had set up an air mattress between them on the ground. This allowed for a lot of gossip and laughter to be passed quietly, conscious of the sleeping grandparents just one story up.
They’d wake up well into the morning, drinking espresso and eating sweet local fruit. They’d bring the boys some as well, rushing down to see them. Then the nine of them would lay on the sand, swimming in the water to cool down from the ever-present sunshine. They might venture into town for dinner when Mr. Apostolos didn’t make it.
Here, they’d get into trouble for drinking and getting to rowdy in the only bar there. The girls wore skimpy strapped dresses to combat the warm Mediterranean air, while the boys adorned loose linen shirts unbuttoned but still tucked into their jeans. They had been kicked out twice for being too loud, but somehow weren’t denied service when they’d return again the next evening.
It was after one of those evenings that the nine made their drunken walk to the house on the hill, dancing and chasing each other through the streets and up the path. Marlene and James were serenading their respective partners, mumbling the words to a fleeting Greek love song they didn’t know the words to that played from a nearby shop.
Dorcas and Mary swung their hands between them, doing a silly little jig themselves. Marigold and her boys were in the back of the pack, having to stop occasionally when one would try and steal a kiss. It would get carried away a little, and Remus would end up tugging her into an alley or Sirius pushing her against an empty building, lips locked and hands roaming.
One of the others would notice and call to them, but they were never annoyed at having to stop and wait because they understood fully. Marigold would fondly recall this memory some decades later.