Across the Ocean (8 page)

Taking in my surroundings, I
’m impressed with how everything around me is in Technicolor. The sky is perfect blue, clouds impossibly white, any vegetation visible is impossibly green. My eyes almost feel like they’ve stepped into a warped version of Oz.

Ari walks up beside me and points to the middle of three doors on the building and says “You want to go in there to change. It
’s the women’s dressing room.” Lára takes his advice, even though I’m sure she’s been here before, and I follow her in.

This room is literally just a small space where people get changed together with little to no privacy. The floors are made of concrete, and there are hooks put along a hanging height across the walls for hanging towels and bags. I can easily hear the guys in the room next to us getting changed, and I suppose I am
going to just have to suck it up. I’ve a huge sense of modesty, so sue me.

Hanging my bag on a hook on the wall, I slip off my shoes, and then pull my shirt over my head and off. Maybe if I take my time, Lára will be finished before me and I can change in peace. I take a quick peek in her direction to see how far along she is with changing.

Lára is a pretty girl. She has long black hair, probably to at least the middle of her back. I’d say she is about 5’6 and her waist is absolutely tiny, especially next to her ample breasts.
Her eyes are a lovely shade of green, sometimes reminding me of hazel. She’s really pretty pleasant to look at, except sometimes when she smiles.

She is British and Icelandic, and doesn
’t really have the best teeth. She more than makes up for it with her funny sense of humor, and how down to earth she is. Ari is really lucky to have her, regardless of her teeth.

She
’s finishing tying the strings to the top of her bathing suit and she’s almost ready to go. Good; now I can be alone. Grabbing her towel out of the bag, I hear a quick “See you out there,” as she discreetly slides out the door without letting anyone see me in a state of partial undressing.

After pushing
my pants down and stepping out of them, I fold them up and shove them into my bag. Standing in just my underwear and bra, I just stop for a moment and take a deep breath. I close my eyes and just try to focus on what’s going on around me.

I
’m in the middle of nowhere, getting ready to jump into the natural hot pools with a bunch of strangers. Being naturally very outgoing, this isn’t what has caused my pulse to suddenly speed up. Everything always comes back to Ari.

Slipping my bra straps down my shoulders, I reach forward to grab my
 sapphire blue bikini top and do a quick switcheroo. Then I do the same speedy change with the matching bikini bottoms and my panties. I grab a towel from the bag and shove all my discarded clothes inside before hanging my towel up on one of the hooks.

I turn
toward the door and take a deep breath to prepare myself. I look down to make sure all my important bits are covered by the bathing suit like they should be. I have to admit—I look really good.

I realize I haven
’t told you a huge amount about what I look like. Mostly because I’ve been too busy telling you about everything else. Being only 5 foot 2 inches, I’m rather short. I weigh only around 105 lbs. and petite is a perfectly suitable word to describe me.

My hair is the shade of dark chocolate that falls to just below my shoulder blades. It
’s fine and can be kind of wispy. My bangs are side swept.

Since I
’m from California, I also have a great tan. It really helps my eyes pop. I think I mentioned before that I have blue eyes. Without sounding super stuck up, I rather like my eyes. They have a very pretty ring of deep gold surrounding my pupils, and then the blue surrounds the gold.

I
’ve often been told I have a nice rack, and considering they are 32D, I have to agree with those people. They’re one of my nicest assets. Besides my ass, of course. I’ve got a healthy amount of bum for how small I am. I hear the guys like that too.
Yay for me
!

I grew up dancing and performing and have definitely been blessed with great genes, not to mention a high metabolism. Most guys like what they see when they look at me.

Planting a little smirk on my face, I open the door and saunter out towards the pools.

******

MSN Chat

2004

Brooke is preparing to move to Indiana.

marxist:
Are you finished packing yet?

salemsme:
Not even close. I swear I am the worst procrastinator ever. Maybe if I was moving somewhere a little more exciting…like Iceland!

marxist:
Somehow, I doubt that you wouldn’t procrastinate if you packed for Iceland, too.

Are you sure you want to move to Indiana? Are you sure that Tommy deserves all this effort you are putting towards him?

salemsme:
Nothing in life is certain. If we spend all our time asking ourselves “What if?” Then we will waste so much time that should be spent living. Of course, I don’t know how things will turn out, but I will always jump in with both feet and try my best. I’ll remain optimistic! It’s ok to make mistakes. It’s how we learn to appreciate the great things we have in life.

marxist:
I’m glad you are so hopeful. I just feel really helpless after everything that has happened this year for you. You’re in a delicate place and I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’d rather you just came here. I wish you were coming here to me.

salemsme:
I want the same thing. Although I appreciate your concerns about my “delicate condition,” I can’t treat myself as though I’m made of glass. I have to keep moving forward. You can’t always protect me, you know.

marxist:
I know. I wish I could.

salemsme:
As do I. I’ll let you know when I arrive in Indianapolis. Just think, we will be almost 3,000 miles closer to each other, and the time difference will only be four hours! Imagine that!

marxist:
At least there is something to look forward to in all of this. Please be safe.

salemsme:
Thanks, Ari. Talk to you soon.

Chapter 4

Present Time

I blink my eyes a bit due to the bright sunlight and cover part of my face with the side of my hand as I wait for them to adjust. There are already five people in the longest pool and I walk over and look down at the water.

Across the distance, I can see the ocean and the mountains meet, and then there is just the vast nothing over the
water. This has to be one of the most serene places I’ve ever been.

Everyone is looking at me, mostly with smiles. Gunnar and Helgi are sitting next to each other
and leaning against the wall behind them, facing me. To my left are Ari and Lára, and I have the side I’m on all to myself. There’s also a random guy I don’t know sitting next to Gunnar, and I wonder if he’s been here the whole time, or what.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately
; I haven’t decided yet), Gunnar has his legs stretched out across the pool, so I’m kind of cramped in my space. I really don’t mind though, as the deliciously hot water covers my skin as I sink slowly down.

“Oh
, wow,” I ooze loudly, rolling my eyes in dramatic bliss. “This is really something else.”

“You
’re telling me,” agrees Gunnar. He still has those blasted aviator sunglasses on, and I’d really just like to get a good look at him. His smile is really charming. I happen to have a thing for dark-haired men.

The stranger leans forward with his hand outstretched. He
’s fairly good looking as well.
Is this country only full of handsome men or what?
His hair is fairly short and is a sun-bleached light red. He has twinkling blue eyes and is sporting a cheeky grin on his face. His facial structure definitely reminds me of a stereotypical Viking with strong cheekbones and a broad jaw line.

“Hi, I
’m Baldvin. It’s nice to meet you.” I shake his hand and return the gesture.

“I
’ve heard a bit about you, Baldvin. It’s lovely to meet you as well.” I let go of his hand and sink back into the water. I also notice Lára wagging her eyebrows at me.

Continuing to make nice by smiling and nodding at everyone in the pool, my eyes end with Ari. He
’s looking at me as well, but it’s a bit difficult to read what he’s thinking. He wraps his arm around Lára and averts his eyes.

Well, fine.
If he’s going to continue to play the “We can’t look at each other or socialize in public” game, then I am going to make sure that I start enjoying the men on my vacation. Somehow, I keep forgetting that I’m on vacation, and I can really do whatever I want. I’m single and Ari isn’t the boss of me.

Shrugging my shoulders a bit, I settle back against the little wall
so I can rest my neck and head against the top. I stretch my legs out a little bit and they come in contact with Gunnar’s. He seems to be a really nice guy and pretty handsome so far. Why not flirt a little bit? Maybe Ari will be jealous.

Plus, it
’ll be fun to enjoy some male attention. I’ve been out of the flirting game for a while so this could be fun. I give him a flirty smirk and a wink for good measure.

Everyone continues on with whatever conversations they were having before I stepped out of the dressing room, and most of it is in Icelandic so I
’m unable to understand it. That’s fine with me. I just rest my head back down and enjoy this awesome hot pool.

******

MSN chat

2004

Brooke is in Indiana.

marxist:
The guys and I just got back from the hot pools a bit ago. I wish you could see this place someday. We saw the northern lights tonight.

salemsme:
Wow, that really sounds amazing. Stop rubbing it in. :P

marxist:
If you were here, it would just be you and I going. There’s no way you wouldn’t have a good time. ;)

salemsme:
Emilia DID tell me about your “magic fingers”, and how well they could please a lady. Too bad I live so far away and will probably never get the chance to experience them.

marxist:
A guy can dream, can’t he? Do you have any idea of the things I want to do to you?

salemsme:
You’re always welcome to explicitly explain exactly what you are imagining.

marxist:
I was just thinking of what I would do to you in the hot pools….

******

Present Time

My eyes slowly open. They’re heavy from being so comfortable and toasty. I’m not sure how long we’ve been in here. I risk taking a peek at Ari while Lára is having an animated discussion with Gunnar, Helgi, and Baldvin. A lightning bolt of shock runs down my insides when our eyes suddenly lock. I can’t look away.

I can hear the swoosh of blood flowing through my ears and my heartbeat picks up speed. Moments of eye contact between the two of us have been so few and far between that I am unprepared for my own physical reaction.

I can feel the pinch of my nipples as they harden and I watch as Ari’s eyes drag like a caress down my neck and chest to rest on my nipples. Goose bumps break out over my skin, even though I’m almost completely immersed in hot water, with my breasts floating above the surface like buoys. His eyes seem to heat up, and he meets my eyes again with such intensity.

A foot is brushing against mine under the water, and I look over to see Gunnar looking at me with a little smirk on his face. I
’m guessing he can see my nipples too.
Eat your heart out Gunnar, and enjoy the show
.
I don’t even care
.

I think I
’m starting to turn into jelly. The heat of the water has seeped into my bones. My skin is burning up all over, and I can feel some sweat forming on the back of my neck.

“Phew, it
’s getting really toasty. How do you all keep from turning into soup?” Sitting up, I fan my face and neck with my hand. My skin is turning pink, and I might be getting too hot.

“We
’re used to it, since we’re Icelandic men,” jokes Gunnar while wagging his eyebrows at me. Gosh, he’s charming. Take off those damn sunglasses!

“Yeah, Vikings can handle the heat,” Baldvin adds.

“I’m going to jump in the shower. I’m turning into a prune. What about you guys?”

Lára suddenly stands up
and water sloshes down her body as she steps out of the pool. She walks carefully (it’s slippery!) over to the door that I didn’t realize housed a shower.

The guys all shrug and nod in agreement. Gunnar, Helgi and Baldvin climb out of the hot pools and head into the men
’s dressing room. Realizing that it’s just Ari and I left, I waste no time in checking him out thoroughly, now that I have a chance. I’m not disappointed.