“What brought you to Iceland?”
“The flights were cheap.” He shrugs.
I’m a little stunned by the answer. Tom and everyone in the group shared stories of all the places they’ve visited—countless other countries. Trips that if I wanted to afford, I’d have to save for months just to pay for the flight. In Europe, it’s as simple as driving or hopping on a train or a short flight to go to a different country.
I glance over at Tom. While it’s already dark, the dashboard of the car lights up his face a little.
“You know, it must be fun to live in the UK,” I say.
He gives me a broad smile. “Why’s that?”
“You guys can go anywhere you want and get there fast and cheap. Your flight to Iceland probably cost you less than if I just wanted to fly from Massachusetts to California.”
He chuckles softly. “It’s possible.”
The car in front of us pulls down a road that’s narrower than the last, but then the road starts to climb upward.
“Are we going the right way?” I thought the direction we were going in was taking us closer to the ocean, but now I’m wondering if we’re driving up a mountain instead. The terrain of Iceland couldn’t be more different than back home.
“We’re heading to Dyrhólaey.” He says the name easily, like he’s grown up here. Either that or he completely butchered the word with a lot of confidence.
“As if I know where that is.” I let out a nervous laugh as I follow the car in front of me up a road with a switchback. What in the world had I signed up for?
Tom laughs. “It’s a stone archway in the ocean, but the parking lot to view it is up high.”
“Got it,” I say, putting all my focus into driving up this road in the dark. After another minute or two, the road evens out and the cars in front of me park. I follow suit.
“Well, that was a bit of an adventure!” Archie exclaims as he opens his door. Theo and Amelia get out of his car and Lily and Elise pile out of the other.
“Now what?” Elise asks, pulling her jacket tight.
“We wait for the sky to change colors!” Archie says, expanding his arms.
§
We all openthe trunks of our cars. Thankfully they’re all hatchbacks, making it a little easier to sit on the tailgate while we wait for the northern lights to show up. We make ourselves pretty comfortable, since Elise had brought some blankets from wherever they’re all staying to use while we’re waiting.
In the darkness, it’s almost impossible to tell where I am, but I look it up on my phone while we’re waiting. The photos online are stunning. At the edge of the water there’s a massive rock jutting out from the sand with a huge cave. It should be viewable from where we are, but the darkness hides it away, leaving only the sounds of the water crashing against the rock.
“So have you seen the northern lights before?” Tom asks, sitting in the back of the rental car with me. Everyone else is sitting in their own cars or walking around.
I shake my head. “Hoping to see them before I go home.”
He smiles. “It’s spectacular.”
The way he says the words makes my stomach flip. Why are men with British accents so sexy?
I glance away, trying to hide my blush. And that’s when I notice everyone else is gone. Off in the distance, I can make out a few figures running around, the phones from their flashlights bobbing all over the place.
“Archie likes to torment them,” Tom chuckles.
I raise an eyebrow, turning back to him. “He seems like he’s the type to keep you on your toes.”
“Oh yes. There’s at least one prank per trip. He promised Theo he’d wait until after the proposal, so now that it’s done, we’re all doomed.”
“What type of prank?”
Tom shrugs. “Some are harmless, maybe swapping out sugar for salt. Last year he snuck some green hair dye into Elise’s shampoo.”
