Page 20 of Sun, Sea and Spotted Squid

After that first night out, Sam had decided to keep his distance. He hadn’t appreciated being abandoned the moment something more exciting appeared, and he had said as muchthe following day. Maria had seemed genuinely apologetic, while Astrid had waved his complaints away.

Genevieve and Paul mostly worked nights, so Sam rarely saw them. That left Wolfgang, who seemed to occupy more and more of Sam’s head with each passing day.

“Yeah, everyone is great,” Sam replied. “We’ve been getting out on the sea. We’re looking for rare squid.”

“Squid? Doesn’t sound very exciting.”

“Yes, I know, but I’m having fun.”

“Is your room nice?”

“I wouldn’t exactly say nice.”

“Send me a picture.”

Sam had absolutely no intention of doing that. His mother would go berserk. He tapped the leaflet he had picked up from a local shop the night before—a flyer advertising a flea market across town. He needed to buy a few things for his room. It desperately needed brightening up.

“I’ll send you one later. Listen, I’d better go. I just wanted to say hi.”

“You go and have some fun. All work and no play and all that. I love you, Sam.”

“I love you too, Mum.”

By now, Sam and Wolfgang had settled into a comfortable rhythm. Wolfgang had thrown himself into studying, and Sam did his best to keep up. They also had less glamorous duties, like cleaning the exhibits. Their lunchtime discussions about the day’s work had become something Sam increasingly looked forward to.

Perhaps too much.

More than once, Sam had caught himself daydreaming about Wolfgang while supposedly scrubbing squid tanks. Miguel had already told him off twice for taking too long. He was fiercely protective of his squid.

Sam leapt out of bed and headed downstairs to make coffee. Maria had cleaned the kitchen the previous day. And still the countertop felt sticky. Not to mention the stains on the cutlery that would not shift.

Note to self: buy kitchen supplies at the market.

He dreaded to think who had lived there before them. Whoever it was clearly hadn’t believed in detergent. Only Maria and Sam seemed remotely bothered by the mess. Mind you, Sam had noticed Wolfgang buying takeaway coffee from the café across the road almost every morning.

Maria emerged from her room with a handsome man trailing behind her. After kissing him goodbye, she wandered into the kitchen.

“Morning.”

She appeared exhausted.

“Another late one?”

Maria nodded. “Astrid wanted to go clubbing. You should come with us next time. It was great.”

“Maybe. We should get Wolfgang to come too.”

Maria stole a sip from Sam’s coffee. “You two are getting mighty close. I was sure you’d bag Ruben. Perhaps you’ll wake up with Wolfgang instead. Lucky boy.”

On one hand, Sam didn’t have much choice but to get along with Wolfgang. On the other, he genuinely enjoyed his company. They had gone on walks together and even taken the open-top tourist bus around the city. Wolfgang seemed determined to learn everything about Valencia, while Sam had mostly focused on getting a decent tan on the top deck.

The front door opened, and an effortlessly attractive Wolfgang poked his head into the kitchen.

How did he manage to look that good first thing in the morning?

“Put your trainers on and meet me downstairs in twenty minutes,” Wolfgang said. “We’re going for a run.”

“Have mercy on me.”