I rose on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "It's perfect."
He stiffened for a moment, his ears flushing red. Seeing this normally stoic man like that made me smile even more.
On the black sand beach, the Basalt Columns stood like organpipes, waves crashing against the dark shore with a deep, rumbling roar.
"Incredible..." I raised my camera and snapped away furiously.
Kholod stood quietly nearby, not rushing me, just watching with a content expression as I got excited.
"Kholod, let's get a photo together!" I set up the tripod on timer and ran over to him.
"Smile."
"I don't do smiles."
"Then just be yourself."
Click.
I hurried over to check—him with his usual blank expression, me grinning brightly, the black beach and surging waves as our backdrop.
"One more," I said. "Different pose this time."
"Again?"
"Absolutely!" I grabbed his hand. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing—we need plenty of memories."
He sighed but went along with it, striking various poses. His face stayed serious, but I could tell he wasn't actually annoyed.
On the fifth shot, inspiration struck—I tiptoed up and kissed his cheek just as the timer went off.
Click.
The photo captured me mid-kiss, with him staring wide-eyed at the lens, looking completely stunned—no trace of his typical cool demeanor.
I laughed so hard I could barely stand. "Your expression is priceless."
"Delete it." He moved to grab the camera.
"No way!" I dodged nimbly. "This is my favorite!"
"Noelle—"
"Absolutely not!" I clutched the camera and ran, with him chasing after me.
He finally caught up, wrapping his arms around me from behind. We collapsed in laughter on the black sand, like the most ordinary couple in the world.
In that moment, I almost forgot everything about Philadelphia. It was just us and this vast, free landscape.
That night, we staked out a spot in a clearing near the hotel to wait for the aurora. Iceland's chill pierced even through my thick down jacket, and I started shivering.
"Cold?" Kholod asked.
"A little." I rubbed my hands together, breathing on them for warmth.
He stepped closer, took my hands, and tucked them into his coat pockets.
"That should help," he said.
