Chapter 5 #3
Chest falling as he releases a measured breath, Ben keeps his apprehensive gaze trained on mine as he slowly turns his hand over and the soft skin of my palm meets the rough, calloused skin of his.
My stomach drops into free fall, my heart simultaneously pounding and aching at the cautiousness in his expression that wordlessly asks if his actions are okay.
“You rescued me once when I needed it,” I remind him.
Our fingers twist together, and the plane lifts off.
Then we’re airborne, hand in hand, and Ben’s no longer the only one struggling to breathe.
Three hours down…ten days to go.
Everything is fine.
* * *
Once we reach cruising altitude and Ben breathes easier, I slide my hand from his grip, offering up a pacifying quirk of my lips when he looks my way. Circulation returning to my fingertips, I pull out my laptop and set it atop the tray table.
“Shouldn’t you get some rest?” Ben asks. “It’ll be eight a.m. Reykjavík time when we land, and we have a full schedule.”
A lesser-realized truth about the glamorous life of a travel writer is that we’re there to cover an assignment, not gallivant around at a leisurely pace as if it’s our own personal vacation.
This is work. We’re there to learn the facts, see the sights, and quickly move to the next excursion.
“I can’t rest. Other than glancing at our itinerary in my email, I’ve done exactly zero prep work.
But you should sleep. One of us should be rested. ”
“Ha,” he barks. “You think I’m going to sleep on this death tube hurtling through the sky?”
Smirking, I assess him. “Benjamin Carter—afraid of flying. I never would’ve guessed.”
He returns my smirk. “Mona Miller—more judgy than I recall.”
My attention is pulled to the beverage cart slowly making its way down the aisle, steered by a redheaded flight attendant with a bright smile, a fancy updo, and a set of hawkish eyes firmly attached to Ben’s face—which, understandable, it is a very good face.
Eventually reaching our row, she asks in a saccharine voice, “Can I get either of you something to drink?”
Before Ben replies, I say, “Nothing for me, but he’ll take something strong. Whiskey preferably.” There, peace offering extended. So far, I’m nailing being back to affable Mona on the first hour of this flight.
The attendant begins riffling through the cart’s drawers with the earnestness of someone retrieving a fire extinguisher if the plane had just burst into flames.
Although I suppose I shouldn’t think about fires and planes unless I want to end up in the same state as Ben.
Once he has his stiff drink and not one, but two, packs of pretzels, the attendant reluctantly moves on, but not before pointing out the call button and letting Ben know that if he needs anything else at all not to hesitate to use it.
Diverting my focus back to my laptop, I open Suki’s email and click on the attached ten-day itinerary and start perusing.
We’ll be driving Ring Road around the entire country, starting in Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital city and home to over sixty percent of the country’s total population.
Although we’ll be staying in hotels and not roughing it in camper vans like many tourists choose to do—bless Suki forever for that decision—we’ll be constantly on the move, never staying in one town for more than a night or two.
In addition to the loads of walking, hiking, and climbing I’m definitely not prepared for, there will be a lot of time spent in the rental car.
Just the two of us.
Alone.
Ben and me.
Me and Ben.
Cool, cool, cool.
Shaking that thought from my head, I glance over the notes she shared with me.
Suki’s Iceland Itinerary at a Glance
Southwest Iceland
Day 1:
Arrival at Keflavík International Airport
The Blue Lagoon (BIG-TIME jealous over here btw.)
Drive to Reykjavík and explore Hallgrímskirkja and Rainbow Street
Day 2:
The Golden Circle: Start in Tingvellir National Park and view the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates
Geysir geothermal area
Kerie Crater
Gullfoss Falls completes the tour
Head back to Reykjavík and explore the city’s nightlife
South Iceland
Day 3:
Snowmobiling at Myrdalsjokull glacier
Skógafoss and Kvernufoss waterfalls
Day 4:
Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi waterfalls (Sense a theme yet??? LOL. I swear each waterfall will be worth it!)
Nauthúsagil ravine (You’ll need to climb a mini waterfall here, but don’t worry, there’s a chain for assistance. )
Day 5: Warning you now, this is a long one!
Reynisfjara black sand beach (Watch out for sneaker waves.)
Dyrhólaey Peninsula and Lighthouse
Vatnajokull National Park—hike to Svartifoss waterfall
Glacier Lagoon
East Iceland
Day 6:
Stuelagil Canyon
Explore the town of Seyeisfjoreur (Check out the Blue Church.)
North Iceland
Day 7:
Dettifoss and Selfoss waterfalls
The city of Akureyri (You can thank me later for getting the accommodations here approved.)
Day 8:
Whale-watching excursion on the Skjálfandi bay in Húsavík
Víti crater
Grjótagjá cave
Goeafoss waterfall
West Iceland
Days 9 and 10:
Explore the Snaefellsnes Peninsula
The Black Church of Búeir (Which you should be able to view from your window at Hótel Búeir.)
The village of Arnarstapi
Skálasnagaviti lighthouse
Kirkjufell mountain
Ytri Tunga beach
After perusing this itinerary, I realize it’s entirely possible I’ll be too exhausted to notice Ben is on this trip with me.
Suki has included more attachments that further break down each location, but I’ll come back to those later.
Right now, I scroll the main body of her email, and I learn several things.
For starters, the average temperature for early September in Iceland has highs in the fifties, lows in the thirties.
Which sounds completely reasonable until I read that the winds in Iceland can be totally rad.
(Suki’s particular wording tells me I’m not likely to find them rad at all.)
Continuing on, I read that English is widely spoken throughout the country, and many Icelanders are fluent in several languages.
Also, crime is almost nonexistent, with Iceland consistently ranked one of the safest countries in the world.
(At least I need not worry about getting mugged and getting my ass kicked by the elements.) I let my eyes skim the rest of the document until they catch on one specific note at the end.
September is usually the first month the northern lights MIGHT be visible after the summer season. If the weather conditions are right and the solar activity is high, you could be lucky enough to see aurora!
Best of luck!
—Suki
Excitement shimmers in my chest like a confetti cannon exploded. The northern lights! The motherfucking northern lights!!
For the first time since I took this assignment, the noise of all the uncertainties and distractions quiets, and I feel blessed all the way down to my bones. This is everything I’ve ever dreamed of. And turning this opportunity into a permanent reality is finally within my grasp.
I cast a sidelong glance at Ben—currently alternating between sips of whiskey and small bites of pretzel—and make a silent vow to myself: I will not let this guy from my past somehow ruin my future.