Page 62 of Heat It Up (Off the Ice)
We drive to Helsinki, and I find a spot to park near the waterfront. Since the island has numerous locations where you can enjoy a picnic, we walk to the market to buy food first. It’s Saturday, so the place is crazy with the crowds.
Sofia grabs my hand and pulls me through the bustle of people to the indoor market. Inside the building, we buy a loaf of bread, an assortment of cheese, reindeer meat, and sodas. Next, we wander around the different booths outside, and buy peaches, strawberries, and cloudberries to bring with us. The cloudberries are expensive but worth it.
Sofia’s hand remains in mine the entire time. The reindeer meat, cloudberries, and marketplace aren’t the only things I’ll miss when I leave here. As it is, I missed her during the week, when I saw her Wednesday evening and that was it. We’ve texted back and forth a few times since then, but it’s not the same as seeing her in person.
I check the time on my phone. “We should head over to the ferry now.”
Toivo and Maija are waiting near the line to board the ferry when we arrive. Maija waves when she spots us, and she and Sofia hug.
Toivo laughs. “You saw each other yesterday. What will you do when Sofia goes back to Minnesota?”
Maija fake pouts. “Maybe she won’t want to leave. I could introduce her to my cousin Haarti. It will be love at first sight.”
Toivo bursts out laughing. “Your cousin looks like a troll. I don’t think she’ll want to stay in Finland for him.”
Maija huffs, as if offended, then laughs. “I guess you’re right.”
After Sofia and I purchase our tickets from the machine, the four of us join the line to board the ferry and fall into an easy conversation while we wait.
Once onboard, we find empty seats outside on the top section. Sofia removes her camera from her backpack and starts shooting photos of the dock from the railing.
I join her and instinctively rest my hand on her lower back. It feels natural there. A warm, slight breeze brushes against her hair. Lucky wind.
“Someone’s hungry,” she says and points to a seagull flying overhead with a large piece of bread in its beak.
“Greedy more like it.”
“I can take a photo of you two together, if you want,” Maija says behind us.
We turn around and Sofia hands her camera to her friend. I pull Sofia against me, my arm around her waist. The breeze teases me with her apple scent.
Maija shoots several photos then hands the camera back to Sofia. Sofia checks them out as the ferry begins pulling away from the dock. In them, we look like a happy couple instead of two friends enjoying the added perks of our friendship. Not that we’ve had sex since last weekend.
But as much as I’ve missed it, I’ve missed Sofia that much more.
“Thanks,” she tells Maija. “They look great.”
As I turn back to look at the city, I spot Joni climbing the stairs to our level. What the fuck? “Why is Joni here?”
Sofia twists in the direction I’m looking. “He called last night and asked if I wanted to see a movie tonight. I explained I couldn’t ’cause we were going to Suomenlinna today.”
“So he decided to join us?” Again, what the fuck?
Joni surveys the area and his laser gaze lands on us. His jaw muscle briefly jerks before his expression adjusts into one that is thrilled to see me here with Sofia. He says something to the four people with him, and they walk over to us.
“Hei,” he says to Sofia, pointedly ignoring me. “I didn’t expect to actually bump into you on this trip. My friends are going to the island and asked if I wanted to join them.”
If said friends weren’t standing next to him, I would’ve questioned that, although it does seem to be too much of a coincidence for it to be true. But I’m hardly calling bullshit to his story.
Joni introduces us to his friends. From what I can tell, Erik and Hanna are a couple. He’s on the skinny side with shaved short hair. She’s curvy with chin-length red hair. The other two, Daniela and Lovisa, could be twins straight out of one of Nik’s sexual fantasies. They’re pretty, have long, straight blond hair, and are dressed like Sofia, in shorts and tank tops.
And they both have that look I’m familiar with. That look a puck bunny gets in her eyes when she goes after a hockey player.
Sofia introduces the group to Toivo and Maija, then Erik and Hanna excuse themselves to find seats inside. The other three stay with us.
One of the twins (Lovisa, maybe) stands next to Joni. The other one stands a little too close to me, and I get a weird feeling it’s a test. I draw Sofia against my body.
Joni has already tried to screw things up between Sofia and me with the photo. Now he’s trying to prove I’m the manwhore he’s set me out to be.
