We parked, cut the engine, and sat there as an unfamiliar feeling wrapped around.The hum of the ferry vibrated through the car, steady and low.Tristan drummed his fingers once on the steering wheel, before he stilled them.
“You okay?”he asked.
“Yeah.”I forced a smile.“Just...a lot of water.”
He snorted.“We are, in fact, on the coast.”
“I’m from the interior,” I shot back.“We prefer our danger to come in the form of wildlife and emotional repression.”
That earned me a real laugh; the kind that eased something tight between my shoulders.
We grabbed our jackets and made our way up to the deck, the salty air hitting us all at once.
The sky stretched wide and pale blue, clouds drifting like they had nowhere better to be.The ocean rolled endlessly, dark and glittering, like a promise and a warning all at once.
I leaned against the railing, letting the wind whip loose strands of my hair into chaos.
“Careful,” Tristan said.“If a seagull steals your snack, I’m not intervening.”
“I don’t even have a snack.”
“That’s how they get you,” he replied gravely.“They sense vulnerability.”
As if on cue, a seagull landed on the railing nearby and stared at us, head cocked.
“Oh no,” I muttered.“It’s judging me.”
“It knows,” Tristan said.“They always know.”
I laughed, the sound stolen by the wind.He leaned beside me, close enough to feel his warmth even through our jackets.Our elbows brushed.Neither of us moved away.
We watched the shoreline pull away slowly as the mainland retreated and gave us space.
“This is usually where people take selfies,” I said.
“Do you want one?”
“No,” I said and immediately softened my tone.“I want to remember this the old-fashioned way.Inappropriately fondly.”
He smiled earnestly at that.The type that didn’t ask anything of me.
“You know what?”I said, my voice ripe with promise as I turned and leaned against the railing.“Let’s do it.Let’s take a selfie.”
“You sure?”
“Why not?Mr.Moose would be highly disappointed if we didn’t.”
He pulled out his phone and stretched his arm out, turning the camera view to face us while his other hand settled on my shoulder.I involuntarily melted into him, tucking my shoulder into his.This time, he perfectly positioned us within the frame, the far-off hills and the dark waters a perfect backdrop behind us.
A few clicks later, I faced him.The breeze blew more strands of hair across my face and practically tickled his chin and cheeks with the tips.An easy grin grew on his face.
The camera clicked away.
After gazing upon each other for a few heartbeats, I broke the connection and tucked the strays behind my ear.
Tristan cleared his throat.“Let’s see how they turned out.”
“Can’t be worse than the ones we took in Lake Louise.”I tried my best to keep a smile under wraps, but I failed.
