Moti on the Water by Leylah Attar

Author:Leylah Attar [Attar, Leylah]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: novel
Publisher: Leylah Attar
Published: 2019-08-14T18:00:00+00:00

When I tiptoed into the galley the next morning, the first rays of light were just starting to fan out over the horizon. I paused at the door, watching Alex remove something from the oven. Steam rose and condensed on the windowpanes as the aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air. I smiled as he took off his shark mitts and placed them, teeth up, on the counter. He moved between the stove and counter, reaching for milk, scraping seeds off a vanilla bean, wiping his hands before mashing an avocado.

He cooked in an almost meditative state, earbuds in place, turning simple things into sacred rituals. Cracking an egg, grating cheese, boiling water. He picked through a basket of red peppers and held one up to the window, admiring the way the rising sun reflected off its skin.

I see you, he said to me. He saw things people missed, like how a pepper turns bright and beautiful when you hold it to the light, when you take the time to appreciate its wholeness—bruised bits and all. Alex didn’t just cook. He poured all his attention into each act, each ingredient. Passion flowed from his heart and through his hands, giving him the magic ability to transform food into emotion. Onions into chocolate. How could it leave anyone immune and unaffected?

I would’ve stood there watching him all day, if he hadn’t noticed me.

“Kalimera, Moti.” He unplugged his earbuds and poured me a cup of coffee. “You’re up early.”

“I won’t be around for the rest of the day or tomorrow, so I thought I’d come in early to help.” We were midway through the cruise, heading toward Santorini. Isabelle initially chose the picturesque island for the wedding, but Thomas’s father was born in Hydra, and he’d insisted they have the wedding there. Not to be outdone, Isabelle arranged for everyone to spend one night in a rented villa in Santorini, so she could still get the dream photos she wanted for her wedding album.

“No swimming lesson tonight.” I sipped my coffee and took over the cutting board. “And you’ll finally have the cabin to yourself.”

“I can finally watch porn in my bed?” Alex looked up from the breakfast cards. He was using a red sharpie to work his way through them.

“Whatever.” I flushed at the flashback of Alex’s hard chest pressed against mine in the pool. “Just don’t use mine for any of your extracurricular activities.”

“Well, you’ll be happy to know I won’t be around either.”

“Oh?” For some reason, I had to know exactly where Alex was spending the night, and with whom.

“Since you’re all away until tomorrow, Captain Bailey’s letting the crew roam wild and free.”

“You’re staying overnight in Santorini too?”

“No, I’m going here.” He pulled out a cookbook from the shelf and flipped it open to reveal a folded piece of parchment paper. Inside was a beautifully pressed white flower—fragile and delicate, looking like it was picked early in the morning, with its petals just reaching out to the sun.

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