Northern Exposure

by Stephanie Williams

  “Let’s do this one.” Sebastian pointed to I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher.

  After their performance, Brit figured she would be banned from all the Nordic and Scandinavian countries, but the crowd cheered and asked for an encore – twice.

  After the singing, they had cocktails and enjoyed more conversation with their fellow passengers.

  “Hey, ready to go back to the cabin?” Sebastian asked.

  “Yep, it’s late,” Brit said, looking at her watch. It was two in the morning.

  Once back in the cabin, they took off their clothes and sat by the window looking out over the sea.

  “Simply awe inspiring,” Brit said.

  “It is. I’m with you. It’s nice to just sit back and appreciate it.”

  “So, tell me,” Brit said, sliding her chair next to his. “Besides being raised in Finland, what do you love about it?” She was still thinking about his proposition. He needed to give her good answers for her to even consider packing up sweaters and moving.

  Did she love him enough to make it worth it? She liked him—a lot. She loved his company and he was an excellent lover. He was drop dead gorgeous. What woman wouldn’t want to be with him?

  So what was her hang-up? The cold?

  Sebastian reached over and put his hand on the small of her back. He rubbed it gently as he stared out the window. “Let’s see. Finland is quiet. Clean, very friendly. We enjoy life. We love having fun. We enjoy learning new things and meeting new people. Travel is big with us. The weather is perfect.”

  Brit subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself, and Sebastian laughed.

  “It’s something you get used to after a while,” he said, scooting closer to her. “And as you see, Finland is beautiful. All of the countries here are beautiful. It’s nature at its best. No place like it on earth.”

  “I would agree with you on all of those qualities.”

  “Is there a reason you asked?” he asked with a knowing smile.

  “I was just wondering. Look, we can talk more about it when we get back.”

  “Okay.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Let’s go to bed. I want to snuggle with you.”

  He just wanted to snuggle. Yep, she found the perfect man. What was her problem?

  “Almost packed?” Sebastian asked, closing his suitcase.

  “Yep.” Brit put her suitcase down from the bed. “Sebastian, this was the most wonderful time I ever had,” she said, throwing her arms around his waist and kissing him.

  He returned her kisses. “Even better than all those trips you made for your work?”

  “Most definitely. This trip had something the others didn’t.”

  “Oh, what was that?”

  “You.”

  The ship was coming into Helsinki. Brit actually felt like she was returning home. Maybe that was a clue, but she wasn’t going to voice a decision yet. She still needed something else to convince her to make such a move.

  After a couple nights, they went between snuggling and talking to wild sex. She was starting to really fall hard for him. But snuggling, wild sex, and talking does not a relationship make.

  It was ironic. She could risk her neck bungee jumping, but she couldn’t move to another country with a man that basically worshiped the ground she walked on.

  The drive back to Sebastian’s hotel was just has picturesque at night than in the morning. However, she kept nodding off to sleep. She was pooped.

  They made their way back to the hotel and began unpacking. Brit had all her souvenirs out on the bed.

  “Nice sweaters,” Sebastian said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “Thanks,” Brit groaned.

  Sebastian smiled and picked one of them up without really looking at it. “You want to talk now?”

  “Not now. But soon.”

  He went to her. He kissed her on both cheeks. “No pressure. Just let me know when you’re ready.” He left the room.

  She sat on the bed and held the sweater he had been holding. Tears burned her eyes. She needed to make a decision. She didn’t want to just jump into something that she would regret later on. But she would like to give him and answer before she left.

  She got up, wiped her tears with the back of her hand and finished unpacking and putting away her souvenirs. She would speak with him before it was time to leave. They were going horseback riding Saturday, she wouldn’t think about it then. She would just enjoy her time with him. So she had two full days to think.

  She just hoped whatever decision she made would be the right one.

  Chapter Eight

  Brit and Sebastian were at his uncle’s farm putting on riding gear while waiting for their horses. She looked at Sebastian as he finished suiting up. He cut a striking figure. But was he worth moving for?

  It wasn’t like packing up and going from say, Los Angeles to Dallas. This was a totally different country and culture. Why couldn’t he live in England? Yeah, England, she could handle that. At least the English spoke the same language.

  But Finland? She shook her head. She couldn’t believe she was even entertaining the thought. But over the past week she had made a mental list of the pros and cons. So far, there weren’t enough cons. Okay, enough Brit. You said you wouldn’t think about it today.

  “Here come our horses,” Sebastian said in her ear, catching her unawares.

  The cute horses were furrier than their American counterparts, surely an adaptation to the climate. She approached her horse, Sebastian right behind her.

  “They are very gentle animals, more so than your average horse,” Sebastian said. “And if you notice, they are softer. Here.” He took her hand and glided it across the horse’s back.

  “Feels almost like fluff or something.”

  “Wait until you start riding, you’ll be in for a surprise.”

  Brit stopped rubbing her hands across its back. “What do you mean ‘surprise’?”

  “Don’t worry that pretty head of yours.” Sebastian stroked her cheek and smiled. “It’s nothing bad.”

  “Okay, ‘cause there are some surprises I don’t like. Like being thrown off the back of a horse.”

  Sebastian threw back his head and laughed the sexiest laugh Brit had ever heard. “Don’t worry. Like I said, they are gentle. In fact, they love being ridden.”

  When they got out in the open crisp air, Brit’s horse turned its head towards her and tried to lick her face.

  “See. She likes you. This one is Preita, which means most loving. She’s only five years old. Mine is Oskari, which means divine spearman. He’s been around, he’s eleven.”

  They finally mounted the horses and the handlers released the reins.

  “Wow.” Brit said, lightly bouncing up and down on her horse while it was still. “It feels like I’m sitting on a bunch of blankets. Their hides are so soft. No wonder you suggested bareback.”

  “That’s surprise number one. Let’s take them down the road. You will soon see surprise number two.”

  They did, and Brit immediately understood what Sebastian had been taking about. “Oh boy! No bouncing, even when they’re trotting!”

  “Yes, it’s the way they are made. They’re shorter in the withers.”

  “This is going to be a pleasurable ride.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  She looked over at Sebastian and knew immediately he wasn’t talking about the horses.

  The ride was quiet, neither of them speaking, both enjoying the view. The mountains were vast and green, the lakes clear ice-blue, as if no human ever intruded.

  Brit was a little ahead of Sebastian, allowing Preita to lead the way. She had a mind of her own or knew the trail. Either way, Brit was enjoying the ride.

  “Hey, wait up.” Sebastian finally caught up with her. “Trying to lose me?”

  “Of course not. I just get so caught up in the scenery.”

  “You can look at it all day and night if you wish.”

  Brit knew where this conversatio
n was going and she wasn’t ready for it. “Uh, tell me more about your job. Since you refused to talk about work on the ship, now I’m curious. What kind of graphics do you do?”

  “I work for the government. You know when you go on the website for Finland’s tourism, and you see all the beautiful pictures and movies and effects? That’s what I do.”

  “Wow, that’s a big job and a big responsibility.”

  “It is. But it’s boring.”

  “Boring? How?”

  “Well, look at your job. You write about different countries, events, festivals, sometimes the changing politics of these countries.”

  Brit was impressed. He had read her magazine, cover to cover.

  “It’s something different every week, every month,” he continued. “Me, I know this country, I was raised here and nothing really all that dramatic happens here, as you know,” he said with a smirk.

  “I guess that makes sense. Are you looking for something else?”

  “You might have noticed that jobs are not raining on our people, especially for something so specialized. More and more companies are having their graphics work done in-house.”

  “And you want me to move here why?” Brit didn’t try to hide her sarcasm.

  Before Sebastian could answer, other riders came toward them. When they were close enough, Brit was pleased at what she saw.

  Sistahs! Five of them!

  “Hello!” one with bright red locks said as she drew up her horse alongside them. “We kinda got off the beaten trail and ended up here. Could you tell us were here is?” She chuckled embarrassedly.

  The others chucked with her.

  “You’re in Porvoo. If you’re looking for the main city, you’re not that far.” Sebastian pointed to the north.

  They all laughed. “Thanks.” We’ve just been riding and riding and lost track of time and location,” another woman said.

  “So where are you guys from? Am I safe to assume you’re not locals?” Brit asked. This was the first time she’d seen this many women of color in one place in any Scandinavian or Nordic country, unless they were near the major cities or university. Porvoo was far off the beaten path.

  “Oh, no. We live here,” said one of the women, her British accent heavy.

  Brit did a double take. “What?”

  “We live here,” said the woman with the locks. “I am so sorry for being so rude. My name is Edna.” She stuck out her hand as she moved her horse closer. “This is Linda.” The lady with the accent waved. “That’s Karen, Mary, and Tracy.” Each waved and nodded as her name was called.

  “I’ve lived here seven years,” Edna said. “The others, less than five. We met at a club and became fast friends.”

  Edna stared at Brit in an odd way. Then she and the rest of the women looked at Sebastian with obvious admiration. Brit was irritated all of a sudden.

  “You know, you look so familiar. Do you live here, too?” Edna asked, smiling.

  “No, no. I’ve visited before; this is my fourth time back. I’m sorry, my name is Brittany Reese and this is my boyfriend, Sebastian.”

  He nodded to the women.

  “That’s it! That’s where I saw you. You’re editor of Colorful Travels! We get your magazine every week. We love it!” The other ladies nodded enthusiastically.

  “Great, I hope it helps. I try to put in as much current information about each country as possible.”

  “I don’t think I could have made the transition from England to Finland as easily if it weren’t for your magazine,” Linda said.

  Sebastian pulled his horse a little closer. “So you ladies like it here?”

  “We love it,” they all said, singing different praises of Finland.

  “So are you here writing another article?” Linda asked.

  “Ah, no, this time I’m on vacation,” Brit said.

  “Vacation, huh?” Tracy grinned. “And this is your boyfriend?”

  “Uh….”

  “Hey, we ain’t mad at you.” They all laughed.

  Brit immediately got an idea. This was a perfect opportunity to get into the minds of a variety of expats. She had done England, France, Germany and Italy. This was a chance to get unique viewpoints of Finland. This was definitely a goldmine. “Would you guys mind if I interviewed you?”

  “A workaholic, huh? I know the feeling,” Edna said. “But no, we wouldn’t mind at all, would we?” The others shook their heads with big smiles on their faces.

  “Great!”

  They exchanged numbers and addresses, then agreed on a place to meet. When the women left, Sebastian came up close to Brit and held her hand. “So I am officially your boyfriend?” He smiled.

  Oh crap! She had introduced him as that. Just as he had referred to her as his girlfriend on the ship. It was just so easy. “Um…well….”

  “Don’t think too hard on it. I like it.” He leaned over and kissed her. His horse seemed to want to make the connection easier and moved even closer to hers.

  “By the way?” Sebastian asked.

  “Yes?”

  “What did she mean by ‘not mad at you’? What did you do?”

  Chapter Nine

  Brit and Sebastian continued their ride until they came to the one of the grassy mountains. She stared at it in wonder. It always amazed her how a mountain could be covered in snow and if you traveled up a bit further, it would be covered in thick, tall grass. They rode back to the barn in companionable silence and then drove back to their hotel.

  “I had a wonderful time,” Brit said, removing her jacket. Sebastian came to her aid.

  “I did, too. So tell me, you never explained about that woman being mad at you. You two never met before today, right?”

  Brit had to laugh. It was cute, him trying to understand an urban colloquialism while at the same time put logic to it.

  “Okay, sit down and I’ll try to explain.” They both sat on the edge of his bed. “The term, ‘I ain’t mad at ya’ is like saying, ‘I don’t blame you.’ Something like that.”

  He nodded.

  “So when I mentioned that you were my boyfriend, ‘I ain’t made at ya’ was her way of saying she understood why I’m with you.”

  “She made the comment after you told her you were on vacation and that I was your boyfriend.” Sebastian pointed out.

  Damn! “Uh…yeah.” He was too observant for his own good. She had picked up on that and was hoping the issue wouldn’t be raised. But Finns were a curious bunch. Well, at least this one was.

  “That had some meaning to her,” he continued. “For her to say something like that to a stranger, it had to be significant. What do you suppose she was suggesting?”

  Sebastian looked at her, his sea-green eyes almost challenging her.

  Brit got up and went to the window. Clever bastard! “I assume she thought you were a…a….”

  “Yes.”

  She turned to face him. He had a knowing grin on his face, but his body language spoke volumes. He stood there, arms folded across his chest as if saying, Go ahead, I dare you to say it.”

  “She…was… probably thinking since I said I was on vacation and that you were my boyfriend…and lived here, that maybe you were….”

  “Go on. I’m listening,” he said as he slowly approached her.

  “A fling type deal,” she said quickly.

  “I see. I noticed you didn’t set her straight.”

  “It’s not that I didn’t want to, it’s just I didn’t pay that much attention to the remark right then. I was so excited seeing so many women of color, and expats at that.”

  “I see.” Sebastian stepped even closer to her. So close, she could make out the gray flecks in his eyes. “Of course, when you meet with them tomorrow afternoon, you will tell them otherwise.”

  “Otherwise?”

  “That I am not a fling, or one night stand.”

  Brit flinched a little. “Sebastian, I really don’t know what our relationship is.”

  �
��Have you thought about what I asked you the other night?”

  “About staying here? I don’t know anyone here.”

  “You’ve been here four times now and you’ve just met some more expats. But more importantly, you know me.”

  “Sebastian, I just can’t pick up and move. I have my job, my family. Why don’t you come to America?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Actually I was thinking of the type of magazine you write. It is about foreign travel. What better way to soak up the foreign flavor that to live here?”

  Damn him! That did kinda make sense.

  “Look, Sebastian, are you sure you’re not just smitten with me?”

  He cradled her face in his hands and leaned in for a blood-boiling, brain-frying kiss. “Does this feel like I’m just smitten? I’ve seen you here four times. Three times I missed you. I won’t this time.”

  Sebastian kissed her again. It was all he could do to keep from ripping off her clothes and throwing her on the bed. Which actually wasn’t such a bad idea since they weren’t doing anything the rest of the day.

  “Sebastian.”

  He came up for air when she spoke through his kiss. “Yes,” he said as he rested his forehead against hers.

  “I need time to think.”

  “That’s something at least.”

  “It’s just so sudden. We just met.”

  “No, we did more than just meet. We finally came together.”

  He pulled away and looked at her as she stood there. Was this really that hard for her?

  “Brit, I don’t know how else to say it or ask you. But I want you to know that I do love you. Wait,” Sebastian said holding up his hand. “Listen to me. I was a man at thirteen. I was on my own. I lived, worked, traveled and yes, loved, all from a young age. I’m thirty-four now, and you may think that this is some crush that couldn’t possibly be anything deeper. I know what the real thing is, and I certainly know what I want out of life.”

  “I wish I could be that sure about my life.”

  Sebastian took her by the chin and kissed her. “You don’t have to be. I have enough faith for the both of us.”