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“But more than Alex, right?”
Ingrid laughed and added, “Waymore than Alex. You’re the one I want here with me.”
“Same,” Elin replied.
Ingrid kissed her quickly and asked, “So, what do you want to do?”
“Well, I have a few ideas,” Elin said.
“Yeah? I haveone.”
Elin laughed and said, “Come on; we’re going for a hike.”
“That’snotthe idea I had, Elin,” Ingrid told her.
???
Thankfully, Elin had an easy hike picked out for them. Ingrid wasn’t much of a hiker, but she enjoyed getting outdoors when she could, and this was a great way to do that and spend time with Elin. They started off from the fishing village of Mefjordvær and followed a well-placed trail to Russehula, named after Russian explorers who invaded parts of the Norwegian coast in the 1300s. They rested a bit at Russehula but didn’t take advantage of the bonfire spot where most people would stop to prepare their food since there were a few people already there and Elin didn’t want to be recognized. From Russehula, they continued farther out to Knutskjærringa, the legendary site of Senja’s last witch burning. By the time they finished hiking and made their way back to the house by car, the weather conditions had changed from chilly and sunny to wet and foggy, but there was still a fire ready for them at the house.
Ingrid changed in the bathroom while Elin changed in the bedroom. They each chose comfortable clothing, and outside of that day trip to the hot springs in St. Rais, it was the first time Ingrid had seen the Queen in anything other than formal wear or, at least, jeans.
“You look cute,” Ingrid spoke, pointing to Elin’s flannel pants.
“I probably should wear something better for dinner, but I’m cold, and these are warm.”
“You look great,andyou look comfortable. Come here.” Ingrid reached for her before adding, “I’ll warm you up.” She then ran her hands up and down Elin’s arms quickly. “Today was perfect.”
“So, I was thinking we could eat and then take a nap,” Elin said, pulling Ingrid against her body.
Ingrid wrapped her arms around her, smelling the salt air and woods on Elin and loving it.
“Nap?”
“I sort of have something else planned for us if you’re interested,” Elin explained.
“Well, I’m interested in hearing about it,” Ingrid replied.
“There’s this private boat that will take us out on the water at night.”
“Okay…”
“It’s a Northern Lights tour. I mean, you don’t really need a tour of them – they’re just kind of there. But he shows you the fjords and… I don’t know; there’s wine and food, I think. He… I guess he talks about the island, and I thought…”
“Elin, I’d love to go on that boat with you, but we have a glass ceiling here. We don’t need a fancy boat with wine to see the lights. I’d love it if we could just lie in bed and look up at them together.”
“You would?”
“What about me makes you think I need some fancy trip like this, Elin? I love this. It’s amazing, being here with you. Hiking today, holding your hand, stopping when we were alone to kiss – all of that was pretty much a dream day for me. But I don’t need fancy or extravagant; I just need you. It took me three years to figure it out, but we’re here now, and I just want to eat dinner by the fire with you and talk for a while until the lights appear. Then, we can just lie next to each other in bed and watch them dance.”
Elin’s eyes welled with tears.
“Did I say something wrong? I’ll go on the boat, Elin. If you made special arrangements, I’ll–”
“I did, but I can cancel them. It’s not about that. I’m sorry. I–” Elin took a step back and wiped at her eyes.
“Whatisit?” Ingrid asked.
“I never thought you’d want me,” Elin said honestly.
