The cold does prove to be more draining than he thought, and by the time Gabriel returns and he sees that it’s just turned half past four, he finds himself craving dinner and an early evening. Even if they’ve only got one day in this historical wonderland of a city, James knows that he’s got to listen to his body. Gabriel doesn’t have to be told twice,having had trouble with the cold for quite a few hours already. Soon they’re sitting down at a table at a cozy restaurant at the edge of Senate Square, enjoying a bowl of stew and closing off their stay in Helsinki in a way most fitting for the two of them.
22 [Gabriel] From Helsinki To Tromsø
December 15th & December 16th
The journey ahead, as soon as they leave Helsinki, is another long one. While it’s not a full day, it’s awfully close to one and for once Gabriel’s glad that the train is leaving earlier in the evening. It means that most of the trip will be happening while they sleep. The cold’s wrecking havoc on his body in a way that he didn’t expect.
If all goes according to plan they’ll be rolling into Tromsø just after noon. It’ll give them the perfect opportunity for a quiet breakfast onThe Adventurerbefore venturing out for the day. And if he recalls correctly, James has some important things jotted down in that little notebook of his.
For now, he’s happy to sink back into the bed, wrap himself in the covers and recover from the day spent out in the bitter cold. If he closes his eyes, the lingering heat of James’ body is enough to bring a slight flush to his face andwarm him up from the inside out. It was really only out of reflex, the way he jumped in front of James to catch him in his fall.
Those few seconds, lost in the adrenaline of the moment and stuck in the pull of the eye contact, he’d been sure a kiss would happen. He’s not sure if he should curse himself for ruining the moment or compliment himself for doing the right thing to preserve their friendship.
That doesn’t mean he can’t let his thoughts linger on that moment. On the way James’ chest moved with his frantic breaths. On how he would’ve stayed there a lot longer than just those few minutes. But also on the way that they held hands all the way down, and long after stepping off of the stairs as well.
It’s little things like that, that feed the little seedling of hope blooming underneath his ribcage. Having to fake being close to James wasn’t fake at all, and the longer it goes on, the more he sees that it might not be fake for James either.
James patters around the room, steeping two mugs of tea for them to enjoy. Gabriel follows him with his eyes. It’s in moments like this that it’s not hard to guess for Gabriel why he fell for James. The softness, the kindness and the pureness of the love he gives to everything. Even just watching a movie becomes an event with James, with bits and pieces scattered around and the lights dimmed as far as they can go. He makessure there’s enjoyment in even the smallest of things and it’s made Gabriel find little pockets of happiness during the day as well.
James sits down on the edge of the bed, flattening down the pillows in between them to put the tablet on, and leaning back after he’s satisfied with it. A beat later, there’s an agitated little huff and he sits up again. This time to reach out to press play on the movie. Tonight they’ve settled on another classic,Jack Frost, and although Gabriel’s used to having it play during the festivities, he’s not sure he’s ever watched it in its entirety.
Just before James touches the screen to press play, Gabriel reaches out to stop him. “Hey,” he begins, “I got you something.”
James turns to him, eyes sharp. “If this is because of the gloves-”
“No, no. It’s not.” Gabriel twists a little, grabs the little gift bag he stashed behind his back. “It’s just a little something.” Leaving James at the market this afternoon wasn’tjustto go to the bathroom. From what he’s seen, licorice is one of the things Helsinki is famous for. He knew that James put it in his notebook. However, if there’s one thing in this world that Gabriel dislikes more than his own family members, it’s licorice. So he made the wild guess that James wasn’t going to stop at one of the market stalls and buy some for himself.
“Oh! These look so good.” James clutches the little plasticbag in his palm, eyes shining. “Why did you-”
Gabriel shrugs, laying back on the bed. He pulls the covers up to his neck. “Part of the experience, isn’t it?”
“But you hate licorice.” The confusion in James’ eyes is clear to see. As if it’s unconceivable that someone might have gotten something for him, just becauseheliked it.
The duvet caresses his cheek when he shrugs his right shoulder. “So? Didn’t buy them for me.”
The look in James’ eyes is so soft that Gabriel has to look away. It’s almost gut-wrenching how easy it is to make James happy. He’s acting like it’s the greatest thing he’s ever received, this little sachet of candies. Gabriel’s heart aches at the thought that that’s all it takes to put that content, happy smile on James’ face.
With the bag of sweets in one hand, the other having just pressed play on the movie, James burrows himself into his side of the bed as well. The mop of brown hair falls across the pillow in a sea of soft looking curls. They settle in to watch in silence. The occasional sound of a bottle of soda being opened or the rustling of the plastic candy bag are the only sounds that disturb the little bubble they find themselves in.
A pinging sound breaks the silence, warping the bubble with its unwelcomeness. Gabriel sees James glance at his watch, but he knows it’s not James’ watch. It’s the sound he’s assigned for incoming messages from his family. Almost likea warning sign – don’t pick up the phone,don’t give yourself the opportunity to accidently open the message.
He’s determined to ignore it, to just let it be and deal with it whenever he feels he can. But the first message is soon followed by a second and a third. After the fifth it’s like a continuous loop ofping-ping-ping.
“Something wrong?” James sits up, pressing pause on the movie. Now the bubble pops in its entirety, the warm atmosphere melting away. James reaches out to his side table, flicking on the light before twisting back toward Gabriel.
He does his best to ignore it and aims for indifference as he says, “Just family.”
James arches an eyebrow, his eyes filling with worry. “Oh? It sounds urgent.”
“Trust me, with them everything is but nothing is important.” There’s a reason why he hasn’t shared much about his family with James. Just like he’s sure that there’s plenty that he doesn’t know about James yet. At James’ insistent look, he grabs the phone and promptly turns it off entirely. “Just…ugh,” he swipes his hand over his face, now mirroring James’ seating position, “it’s the first Christmas I’m not home. My mum, she’s got some…uhm…opinions on the matter.”
He might not have shared much with James, but it’s enough to paint an unpleasant picture. James’ eyes sadden. “I’m sorry they’re giving you a hard time.”
“Don’t be. I know I’m not.” And in the quiet that follows that statement, Gabriel finds that the words ring true. While it’s sad that it’s the first time he can’t wish his parents happy holidays in person, he can’t recall the last time they said the words to him and seemed like they meant them.
23 [James] Tromsø, Norway
December 16th
