Page 46 of Adrift in Iceland
She was going to break his heart. She’d leave him, and he’d be heartbroken.
‘I won’t ask you to do that. Let’s give ourselves the summer with no expectations.’ It was not what he wanted to give, but he got the feeling it was all Astrid could give, so he was willing to go along with it. He’d worry about it at the end of the summer.
They began kissing again. He felt Astrid tugging at his waistband to untuck his top, and he gasped as her hands found his skin.
‘Your hands are cold,’ he said, pulling them out and cupping them in his own before breathing warmth onto them. Her eyes were on his as she put them back exactly where theyhad been and he realised it hadn’t been the cold making him gasp. Her touch was like a shot of electricity, giving him the sudden certainty that this was nothing ordinary.
‘God, you’re beautiful,’ he said, losing himself in another kiss as he began to explore her in the same way.
‘Leifur…’ She dropped her head back, inviting him to continue. Decisively, he picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
‘Where are we going?’
‘The forward berth.’
Leifur opened the door at the back of the galley and ducked through it, still carrying Astrid, who felt as light as a feather to him. Abandoning the buns and coffee, they spent an hour or so cementing their new relationship and, as far as Leifur knew, christened the forward berth.
‘Would you like to come to dinner tonight at mine?’ Astrid asked afterwards, lying in bed and nibbling on a bun that Leifur had fetched in from the galley. ‘My parents are coming. That’s not a warning,’ she added, with a grin.
‘Are you sure?’
‘I’d really like you to come.’
‘In that case, I’d love to. Shall I bring something?’
‘Maybe a toothbrush?’ Given what had just happened, he was surprised she sounded shy, but it was endearing.
Dinner at Astrid’s was highly entertaining. All that Leifur knew of her was on the boat, where she was highly organised, calm and clear-headed. Domesticity was not her forte. She hadn’t realised that she didn’t have enough forks for all four of them, so she was eating with a spoon and a knife. The bread she’d put in the oven to warm was burnt to a crisp by the time she remembered it, at which point they were halfway through the main course anyway. Then what she thought was an easy frozen desert needed defrosting for twohours before it could be eaten. Her parents were clearly more used to seeing this side of her than he was and didn’t seem surprised as one mishap led into the next over the course of the evening.
‘I’m not always as disorganised as this,’ she said, as they flopped onto the sofa after dinner.
Leifur noticed a smile pass between her parents.
‘It’s because I’m not used to entertaining.’
‘It was a lovely meal,’ Leifur said supportively.
‘Thank you.’
‘Do you live in the city too, Leifur?’ Astrid’s mother asked.
‘I’m in Hafnarfjörður. I used to fish out of there.’
‘Gudrun mentioned that,’ said Astrid’s father. ‘Tough times in that industry.’
‘It’s true. It felt like the right time to start something new.’
‘So this is a new start for both of you,’ said Astrid’s mother.
‘Not for me, Mamma,’ said Astrid with a small frown, as if her mother ought to know better. ‘It’s just the summer.’
‘Of course.’ Her mother looked into her wineglass, but Leifur could see the hint of a smile. If it weren’t for the talk earlier in the day, he’d feel bruised by Astrid’s comment. As it was, he wished she didn’t feel like that, but he was content to accept her terms. He’d agreed to them after all.
‘And how has it been moving out of the city?’ Leifur asked Astrid’s parents.
‘I don’t miss it as much as I thought I would,’ said Astrid’s mother. ‘The pace is a little slower where we are, and there are plenty of other retired people. There’s never a dull moment.’
‘My mother has a better social life than I do,’ Leifur said.
