I flew back to Greece for a fit waiter I’d met once

Would you fly across the world to try and reconnect with a man you’ve only met once? (Picture: Liv Nevill) Everyone wishes their life was a romcom, right? But while most of us simply fantasise about stepping into the shoes of Bridget Jones or Andie Anderson, one hopeless romantic in London decided to put her money where her mouth is. This summer, content creator Liv Nevill, 28, found herself freshly single for the first time in years and on her first ever solo holiday in Athens. Rather than the Acropolis and Parthenon, however, the sight she was most blown away by on her trip turned out to be a handsome Mediterranean waiter. In fact, the connection she felt was so intense that just three months later, she was boarding a one-way flight back to the Greek capital to find her man. ‘I tend to be someone who ignores my gut’, Liv tells Metro. Look beyond the headlines Get a curated list of the most important stories of the weekend every Sunday from our weekend editor Jess Austin. Look beyond the headlines with exclusive articles, emotive interviews and must-read explainers from our expert team of reporters across news, lifestyle and entertainment. Sign up here. ‘By the end of my four-year relationship my gut was screaming out to me that it was time to go. There were so many physical signs. My body was trying to tell me that I wasn’t living in alignment with myself, that I was in the wrong situation.’ Liv tries to romanticise her life in any way that she can (Picture: Liv Nevill) So, after splitting with her partner, and swearing to never ignore her intuition again, Liv packed her things and embarked on her very first solo getaway. ‘I just wanted to go with the flow and see what happens,’ she recalls. ‘As women we’re so often told that there’s a certain way we should live, behave, and act – I was just so over that.’ Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. After a night or two of finding her feet in the city, Liv headed out for dinner – only to find herself face to face with her very own ‘gorgeous Greek god’. Tall, tanned, and holding a plate of pita… let’s just say it wasn’t only the souvlaki Liv was vibing with. ‘I was too embarrassed to ask for his number so I just said “where’s a good place for me to go after dinner?” He then recommended an ice cream shop nearby,’ she shares. Liv waited, but pretty soon her pistachio cone had melted, and the Greek waiter still hadn’t appeared. You may think this is where the story ends. But, no. ‘It was a really great encounter, but what made it so special was how that one interaction changed the entire trip for me; it was almost like a butterfly effect,’ Liv continues. ‘Meeting him meant I then had this huge attachment to Athens. The Greek waiter became a symbol for me of being in my yes era and going with the flow. ‘Old me would have gone straight to bed and never spoken to him. But I just thought “screw it”. And when I left, I knew I wasn’t finished there.’ This story isn’t about just one man Liv soon found herself back in Athens, alone, once again, having forked out £70 for a one-way ticket straight back to the Greek capital. She admits that her plan ‘was about as vague as you can imagine,’ adding: ‘I had absolutely no idea how long I’d stay or where I’d end up next.’ ‘I’m very aware of how privileged I am to have a job that allows me to work from anywhere, but I’d had this overwhelming gut feeling that I needed to go back,’ Liv continues. ‘And after everything that had happened on my first trip, I’d started trusting those feelings a little more.’ This summer wasn’t about falling in love with a man, it was about falling in love with life (Picture: Liv Nevill) Although she said on TikTok that the intention of her trip was to ‘find’ the handsome waiter, Liv stresses that she was totally uninterested in concocting any sort of ‘grand plan’ to track him down. ‘I think there was a part of me that was curious to see whether the universe would put us in the same place again,’ she says. ‘But ultimately, I wasn’t going back for a man.’ Still, Liv returned to the same restaurant they’d met at all those months ago, nursing a glass of wine and fantasising about what the night may bring. Unfortunately, their paths never crossed that night. But, undeterred, Liv decided to write her mystery man a short letter, ‘thanking him for the summer he probably has no idea he helped create.’ She handed her note to another waiter and left. ‘Funnily enough I actually wasn’t disappointed when I didn’t bump into him!’ Liv shares. ‘I think I’d realised by that point that the waiter himself was never really the point of the story. It was everything that had happened because of that initial interaction.’ Still firmly in her ‘screw it’ era, the creator spent the rest of the night exploring the city. And, like a scene straight out of a movie, she found herself crossing paths with yet another stranger: an equally gorgeous man who approached her in Monastiraki Square. The pair spent the rest of the evening chatting, strolling through the cobbled streets of Athens illuminated by hundreds of fairy lights, and bringing what can only be described as the ultimate ‘romcom’ summer to a close. ‘I can have a flirt but it doesn’t have to be the end of the world if they don’t like me back’ (Picture: Liv Nevill) While Liv’s responsibilities in London forced her back to the UK, this mysterious Greek Adonis ‘has been in pursuit ever since’. However, she says that her knack for being ’emotionally unavailable’ might sadly mean that this romance will well and truly remain in the Mediterranean… ‘The biggest thing I’ve learnt from this whole experience is that romance doesn’t always have to mean falling in love with another person,’ she muses. ‘It can mean falling in love with a place, a possibility, or an entirely different version of your life.’ You never know where one interaction may lead Having shared this whole saga on social media, Liv’s been at the receiving end of a lot of criticism, with commenters accusing her of being ‘delusional and ‘centring men’ or warning her, ‘life isn’t a movie.’ The content creator’s outlook hasn’t been impacted too much by this, though. Liv’s goal is to ultimately help other women find those little glimmers each and every day (Picture: Liv Nevill) ‘There seems to be this misconception that decentring men means you have to stop dating or be interested in romance,’ Liv says. ‘But that’s not what it means to me; the whole point of my romcom summer was to remind myself that men can be a part of your life without being at the centre.’ ‘So yes I went back to Greece to try and find the Greek waiter, but I wasn’t going to be sitting around waiting for him. ‘I wasn’t interested in tying my self-worth to the outcome of a situation with a guy. And as a result, I honestly have never felt more empowered.’ Deals of the Day QVC shoppers can save £159 on Elemis' biggest beauty gift set of the year This Hoover vacuum is a game-changer for pet owners and muddy homes See London's Christmas lights from an open-top double-decker bus this winter The skincare formula that finally took the guesswork out of my routine Families can save up to 20% on summer 2027 holidays in Club Med's four-day sale Arrow MORE: Grandma had dementia – but she never forgot my pronouns Arrow MORE: I couldn’t stop drinking – but I’m not an alcoholic Arrow MORE: The subtle sign that your relationship is ‘doomed’ — long before it’s over The Sunday Edit Look beyond the headlines with exclusive articles, emotive interviews and must-read explainers from our expert team of reporters across news, lifestyle and entertainment.