Gudrun got up, came behind Astrid and hugged her. ‘Oh, As. I didn’t know you felt like that. To me, you were so lucky to be living abroad doing your dream job, and I was stuck here, waiting to be old enough to do the same.’
‘It’s fine.’ She rubbed her sister’s arms, trying not to think about how it might have felt if Leifur had taken his hands off the wheel and embraced her like this. ‘You don’t need to feelbad for me.’
‘I’m happy that you’ve got a place,’ Gudrun said. ‘I’ll miss you, but I love that Reykjavik is feeling like home to you. Maybe you’ll stay longer than the summer.’
‘Don’t get carried away. I haven’t seen an opening for a marine biologist in Reykjavik yet.’
Later that evening, when Olafur was home, Astrid said goodnight and retreated to her room to give them some time alone. They were so welcoming, happy to share their home with her, but it was hard to relax at someone else’s house the same way you would at your own. Astrid was so glad that Gudrun had understood why she wanted to move out. Now she could start looking forward to it.
She imagined inviting Leifur over to her new place. She could picture him there, lounging on the sofa while she made them a coffee, or sitting on the small balcony sharing a beer. And she liked the thought of that. Could that happen? She felt as if they were friends now, but it seemed like a big step to go from where they were to inviting him round to her flat. Something else needed to happen between those two things, and for her own sanity, she could do with seeing him sooner rather than later to get a feel for how things were since the puffin trip.
Before she could change her mind, she texted him and invited him for coffee the following morning. He replied straightaway and agreed.
Astrid arrived at Te & Kaffi a good ten minutes earlier than she’d planned to. With Gudrun at work only a couple of doors away, she’d been strategic and walked the long way round so that her sister wouldn’t see her walk past the Snug window and come out to say hello. It would inevitably lead to Astrid having to admit she was meeting Leifur, so she hadn’t mentioned it, knowing that Gudrun would probablyhave walked back and forth in front of the coffee shop to get a glimpse of them together. Better to keep it quiet until she knew where she stood.
She waited, wondering whether it was too forward to have suggested the coffee. What if he didn’t feel the same way as she did? Perhaps she should have waited until the next time she saw him. It would have been fairly soon since they were going to be working on setting the boat up.
Leifur arrived right on time. She loved that he was prompt. It always meant a lot to her when the people she was meeting were on time, because it was a sign they were excited to be meeting and that they respected her time enough not to waste it by being late.
He came over to where she was sitting. She’d chosen a low table with two bucket chairs rather than a normal table, thinking it would be cosier. He took his coat off and laid it over the back of the chair.
‘Can I get you a coffee?’
‘I’ll come up with you. I might get something to eat as well.’
She stood up. Leifur stayed where he was, then leant in and gave her an awkward kiss on the cheek before darting off to the counter. So many things shot through her mind; his beard was soft; he smelled great; that was brave; he liked her.
They made their coffee orders, and Leifur insisted on paying, then went back to their table.
‘I was pleased you suggested this,’ he said.
‘Really? You didn’t think it was weird?’ Straightaway she was annoyed with herself for not playing it cooler.
‘Not at all. I had a great time the other day.’
Did he mean the puffins or the trip back?
‘Me too.’
‘Can I be honest with you?’
She nodded, bracing herself in case it was honesty shedidn’t want to hear.
‘I’ve never worked with a woman before. Actually, I haven’t worked with many people I wasn’t related to.’ He dropped his head into his hands and ran them over the back of his head. ‘This is more awkward than the hello kiss,’ he muttered.
‘If it helps, I feel as awkward as you, I think I’m just better at hiding my feelings.’
He looked at her and laughed. ‘Okay. That does help.’ He took a sip of coffee and exhaled, seeming to relax.
‘Is that the honest part, because I was expecting something more than that you’re used to working with family. That’s not a massively shocking revelation.’
‘No, that’s not it.’ He grinned and shook his head. ‘I like you Astrid, and I’m not smart enough to know whether that’s because I’m not used to working with women. And who knows, maybe I’d react to any woman like that, or maybe it’s you.’
Astrid took a deep breath. Did he admit he liked her?
‘As a comparison, I’ve worked with quite a few men and never felt like this about them.’ She watched his reaction.
‘So I was right. Not just any woman.’ He spoke softly but seemed more self-assured now. ‘And you feel the same.’
