Free My Big Fat Christmas Wedding by Samantha Tonge

you one way or another whether you have made the right choice between—’
    ‘England and Greece?’ I said quickly, wondering if she was implying anything else.
    Grandma stared me straight in the eyes. ‘Exactly.’
    An unspoken dialogue took place between us, interrupted only by Niko entering the room. He wiped his arm across his brow and his shirt lifted out of his trousers, revealing the shadow of his abdominal V muscle.
    ‘Phew. Tables moved,’ he said. ‘Teashop reorganised. Mama now makes coffee.’
    Grandma stood up, handed my sock to Niko and he sat down in her place.
    ‘I fetch us some of those pistachio scones left over from yesterday,’ she murmured and left.
    Gently Niko pushed the sock onto my foot and then tickled my toes.
    ‘Sorry for being a stubborn old mule,’ he said softly, and ran his hand a little way up my leg, inside my jeans. Tingles ran higher, making me wish we were closer, skin upon skin.
    ‘Maybe, later on, I can make it up to you,’ he whispered.
    I reached over and ran my fingers across his determined jaw line. He leant forward and ever so gently kissed my top lip. When he pulled away, his strong hands had curled around my fingers.
    ‘Of course I come to London with you. My Pippa has lived here for four months now. It is only right that you should want to see your old home and we can’t afford a honeymoon. Like you hinted, in a small way, this visit could make up for that. I…I’m sorry for being unreasonable.’
    My chest tightened. Truth be told, it was me being unfair. The trip
would
use up money we might need one day, plus that weekend was probably the most inconvenient one of the year for us to just disappear. But it was no good, I just couldn’t let my head rule my heart on this matter and gave Niko a big hug.
    ‘In any case, ‘he continued, ‘talking to Papa, just now, made me think…’
    ‘What?’
    ‘We owe Henrik a favour. He stood up to Yanis for us – if he wants you and me to attend his party, then I pay the favour back.’ His chin lifted.
    ‘
So, will c u on the 22 nd
’ I texted to Henrik that evening, as I sat in the empty teashop.
    Moments later he messaged back, just as a bat swooped low across the front window.
    ‘
U r coming? Great. In that case, Pips, l’ll have something very important to discuss with you. Til then
.’

Chapter Six
    10:
have sex with boyfriend
    No joke. I once flat-shared with an auditor who wrote this on her daily to-do list. She accidentally left the piece of paper out on the kitchen unit – cue red faces and rambling conversation between us for a few minutes. Poor man. Fancy being considered a chore. Don’t get me wrong, with a background in studying mathematics, of working logically, hands-up, I’m a List Person too. But that? Plus, to rank him under putting out the dustbins? No! A step too far.
    My stomach tingled as images of Niko embracing me under a palm tree or behind a rock came to mind. Scheduling his moments of passion would be impossible. Instead I stuck to listing less emotional things. For the umpteenth time I gazed at the checklists in front of me as I sat in Pippa’s Pantry, in front of a coffee and breakfast muesli scone filled with yogurt and local cherry preserve. You see, today was Friday the twenty-second. Niko and I flew out to London in precisely three hours. I’d written down errands for my return, late tomorrow night, regarding Christmas, the fair, our wedding, my parents’ arrival in Kos a couple of days before the ceremony and…
    What a buzz. Having to multi-task to a tight schedule gave me the adrenaline rush I’d lived off in London. Our flight back to Greece tomorrow didn’t leave until tea time, and I intended to get up early and make the most of my day back in England. I’d buy a top-notch Christmas pudding for Grandma and some fancy perfume for Sophia. Bald Georgios would appreciate a stylish tweed flat cap and fashionable Pandora anything to do with the Duchess of Cambridge.
    Plus