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| Cam |
Originally I’d just wanted to make some notes on my laptop with a coffee, but I realized I had already written a few pages. I was just unsure if I wanted to include Cam and what happened. It was funny to me that Samantha sent a short, grumpy bodybuilder to fix my AC. Who had knocked himself out after an old chair broke as he stood on it. It seemed book-worthy, but also incredibly random.
Then again, my entire arrival day had been pretty random. I decided to research the island of Cyprus. I included some parts of its history and current affairs in my notes. I also wrote down the names a few places I definitely wanted to visit while I was here. Now my outline was beginning more like usual for my books.
However, the places I wanted to visit were an hour drive away at least. I decided to use today to discover Paphos, my more immediate surroundings. Also, I needed to get some groceries. I finished my coffee, got dressed and went out. I had barely walked out of the alley the apartment’s entrance was in, when I already spotted Samantha sitting at a table outside her pub.
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| Cam |
Samantha looked the most relaxed I had seen her so far.
“Good morning!”
“Did you sleep OK? Did Cam fix the air-conditioning?”
“Yeah, I slept great, thanks! Cam, though… He was…”
“He’s a character, isn’t he?”
I wanted to tell her about what happened, but she didn’t let me. Instead she told me about Cam’s past.
“He moved her for this girl and needed a job, so of course I helped him out, you know. But he’s always been this quiet. Grumpier since she left him, though, like, 6 months ago. Not sure why the lad’s still here, to be honest. He hasn’t been himself. First, he came here and drank himself silly night after night, the poor bugger. These days, I think he’s just at the gym or at home.”
I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. I would have to tell her about the broken chair some other time. However, I did appreciate learning Cam’s backstory. It made me feel bad for him. Samantha wasn’t done.
“Different man when he’s drunk though, I’ll tell you that much. Swear to God, true story, one night he got so drunk here and he came on to me. Said, ‘I have a small willy but I work out’. Swear to God!”
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| Cam |
“D’you want some breakfast?”, Sam asked.
“No, I’m OK. Just wanted to get some groceries.”
“You can go to the large supermarket up there”, she said, pointing. “Or you’ve got Stavros down this way for your basics.”
I liked the sound of Stavros.
“Thanks, I’ll go check out Stavros.”
“Have a good day, do!”
“You too!”
I wandered downhill and tried to make a mental grocery list. Maybe I could walk all the way down later today and check out the sea. I quickly found Stavros’s little corner store. It was quaint, by which I mean small. And old. But in a good way.
“Kalimera”, I heard.
I turned, and to the left of the entrance sat a man in his 60s, on a stool behind a cash register. His smile was wide. I could only assume he was Stavros. I smiled back.
“Kalimera”, I responded.
“You find them all?”
He was a charming man. I smiled.
“Yes, thank you. Efcharisto.”
He chuckled.
“You want halloumi sandwich? Is still warm.”
“That does look good!”
He quietly scanned all of my items when my eye wandered to flyers of several touristic attractions, displayed off to the side. I recognized some of the places I had found online this morning.
“Khirokitia? It is very special place. You go. Is good.”
I smiled. I took the flyer.
“And Cape Greco?”, I asked, the only other name I knew by heart.
“Oh! Yes! Beautiful. But, is far.”
I nodded. Stavros handed me the flyer that said Cape Greco as well as a flyer with several hiking routes and Cyprus highlights.
Stavros continued to carefully bag my groceries while I looked at the flyers. There was something so touching about this exchange. I was glad I had opted to go here instead of the big supermarket. I paid for my groceries and thanked Stavros. I would make sure to get my groceries at this shop for as long as I stayed in Paphos.
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| Cam |
I walked back, this time uphill, with two heavy bags of groceries in one hand, my delicious halloumi sandwich in the other. I had stuck the flyers on the top of one of the bags. I was enjoying my walking breakfast when I suddenly saw someone who caught my eye, sitting on a stoop. First for his attractive muscles, but soon I realized I recognized him. It was Cam.
He was sitting outside of a gym, scrolling through his phone. His hair was flat and I saw sweat still drop down his temple. His gym bag rested in front of his feet. He wore a tanktop and shorts. His muscular arms and thick thighs were hard to miss. He looked good. I was just glad he was doing well after what happened the night before.
“Cam?”
He looked up. He said nothing.
“Are you feeling OK?”, I asked. “You left so quickly, I…”
“I’m fine.”
He looked back down at his phone. It looked like he was scrolling through photos.
I didn’t want to walk away and leave him sitting there. Putting my grocery bags on my lap, I sat next to him. I was surprised by the smell of his sweat. Our arms touched. Cam didn’t even look back up or move. He continued scrolling through selfies of some beautiful woman on Instagram.
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| Cam, Elena |
The scrolling stopped.
“It helped me understand why you were a little short with me.”
Only now he looked at me. His facial expression remained neutral. But at least I knew he was listening.
“I wanted to tell you it’s OK. And that I hope things get better for you.”
We looked at each other for a second before I had to break eye contact.
“Thanks for fixing my AC”, I concluded.
Just as I began to get up, Cam quickly grabbed one of the flyers that were in my bag.
“You going to Khirokitia?”
I was surprised he said anything, let alone this many complicated syllables.
“Maybe.”
“There’s also an archaeological site here in Paphos. Are you going to see that first?”
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| Cam |
“They have monuments from the 4th century BC. I can walk you to it, if you want.”
He took the one grocery bag off my lap and checked what other flyers I had. He got up, slung his gym bag over his shoulder and began to walk off. I quickly got up as well and followed him. His shorts strained to contain his buttocks with every step he took.
Somehow I had managed to make a connection with this stoic Englishman. I was fascinated by him. His body and his looks, sure. But also his demeanor, his history, and his sudden passion. I remembered how I shortly held him in my arms last night.
I caught up to Cam as we walked past Samantha’s Pub. The outdoor seating was empty. Cam went to my apartment entrance in one go and waited for me to unlock the door. He went ahead of me up the stairs, so I was at face level with his glutes. I had to make sure my boner wasn’t too visible once we reached the right floor.
Cam put the bag he was carrying on the counter. As I put away my groceries, he checked out the broken chair, now sitting in the corner.
“I’ll let Sam know to replace this”, he said.
“Oh, thanks.”
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| Cam |
“It was no big deal, I just blacked out for a second.”
“Looked like you went down pretty hard. I was worried you had a concussion or something.”
“Nah, I’m fine.”
We were silent for a few seconds as I put away the last of the stuff.
“I’m sorry, mate.”
“Huh?”, I said, just as I closed the fridge.
“Sorry if I was short with ya.”
“Oh. Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”
“You ready to go?”
And just like that, we were off, back downhill where we came from.
“Let’s walk by the beach, yeah?”
“Sure!”
I told Cam it was my first morning here and that I was hoping to experience as much of Cyprus as I could, because I was going to write a book about it.
“It’s a gorgeous island”, he said. “You’ll love it.”
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| Cam |
“How long have you lived here?”
“2 years, 2 and a half.”
“Must be easy getting used to this.”
Cam chuckled. He looked down.
“I’ve been on the fence about going back to the UK. For quite some time, actually. I don’t really have anyone keeping me here.”
He looked ahead as he spoke. I didn’t want to interrupt him.
“It’s beautiful here, and, it doesn’t bloody rain all the time.”
I laughed.
“I do have some painful history here. But back there, as well. So I’ve stayed until I could make up my mind, and I still haven’t.”
I didn’t know what it was about this man. He had seemed so closed off before. Somehow I had stripped away his armor. I really liked how open he was with me. I didn’t want to do or say anything that would close him back up.
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| Cam |
I looked back at Cam and was surprised to see him looking straight at me.
“I’ve had shit happen to me back home in New York. It made me want to leave. But I just needed to make some other changes to get back to myself. Just so I could be happy in the same place that made me sad.”
“Thanks, mate. That means a lot.”
He shortly put his hand on my shoulder. I smiled.
“Of course.”
We arrived at the Paphos Archaeological Park. Cam had been right. This was amazing. They had remains of four Roman villas, all with very beautiful and well-preserved mosaic floors. There were also several theaters. Cam pointing at his favorite parts and seeing him smile from time to time, made it all so much better.
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| Cam |
“When I saw you were traveling by yourself, I figured you would be weird, like.”
I laughed.
“But you’re a pretty cool fella.”
“Thanks?”
I felt like we were becoming friends real fast. We were even laughing together now. A turn of events I had not seen coming.
“It can be awkward traveling alone, but I’ve done it a few times now. Getting better at it.”
“It’s a pretty cool job, it sounds like.”
“I do really enjoy it.”
“Do you have a girl back home?”
“I’m gay.”
“Oh shit, sorry.”
“No problem.”
“I just meant like, if you have a partner, like, wouldn’t they be upset you get to travel without them?”
“Good point. I am single, and have been. Probably because of this job. But that’s OK. I’m 30. Not in a rush. I am perfectly at ease being single.”
“I like that.”
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| Cam |
“Tombs of the Kings. And you’ll need to see the old town, and probably try some traditional meze. Do you write about nightlife as well?”
“Sometimes.”
Cam’s face lit up.
“I just realized. There’s a gay bar, like, around the corner from Samantha’s Pub.”
I laughed.
“That sounds fun. I’ll think about it.”
After I insisted on paying the bill, Cam thanked me.
“Let me at least return the favor and take you out for meze tonight. And then we’ll see about that gay bar afterwards.”
I was surprised. Cam wanted to see me again. It made me wonder if he felt lonely. Then again, I did have a good time hanging out with him as well.
“Sure!”
“Great. First though, I need a shower and a nap. I’ll pick you up at 7?”
The way he said it, made it sound like a date.
“Sounds good.”
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