“You think the temperature won’t drop just a bit once we’re parked next to a mammoth, two-hundred-foot-tall, ten-mile-long river of solid fuckingice?”
“Such a smart ass,” Nate moaned.
“He is indeed,” Joshua agreed. “But he has many redeeming qualities.”
“Like being great in bed?”
“He’s also greatoutof bed,” Joshua told his friend.
Nate snorted out a laugh. “Notthatgreat.”
“Now you’re just being mean,” Colin told him, then grinned when Nate leaned against him in a half-hug.
“Kidding!”
“There it is, children,” David said, pointing ahead.
“Oh, wow!” Nate exclaimed, leaning further over the railing while David grabbed a handful of his jacket.
Ahead of them, the ice mass loomed in the distance, a colossal wall of blue and white. As the ship moved closer, they saw deep crevasses and iridescent blue tones. Massive chunks of breakaway ice floated in the water all around them.
“Uh, isn’t this what sank the Titanic?” Joshua asked, pointing at a huge chunk.
“I think the one that sank the Titanic was underwater,” David said. “And besides, this boat is a Cadillac. The Titanic was a garbage scow in comparison.”
“Josh, they’ve been taking cruise ships to this glacier for decades,” Colin told him. “We’re perfectly safe. Enjoy it.”
“Listen!” Nate cried out. “Listen to it!”
As they drew even closer, a symphony of sounds reached their ears, sounds that grew louder as they approached. Occasional cracks and groans emanated from the ice as it shifted and moved. Glacial meltwater dripped rhythmically, creating a soothing background melody, and the occasional roar of ice breaking away and crashing into the water added a dramatic punctuation.
“We’re going to walk on one of these?” Joshua asked.
“Yep,” David told him. “We’re booked on a helicopter ride to the Mendenhall Glacier, I think on Wednesday.”
“Don’t forget yoursnow boots!” Colin teased.
“You broughtsnow boots?” Nate asked him.
“No. But my overanxious, overthinking husbanddid,” Colin told him.
“Damn,” David muttered. “I wish I’d thought of that.”
“You can borrow mine,” Colin told him. Then, when Joshua threw him a dagger look, Colin draped his arm around Joshua’s shoulders and kissed his hair. “Just kidding, baby. Nobody touches my extra special, husband-approved L. L. Bean snow boots!”
“L. L. Bean?” David said, his eyes wide. “Damn, Colin!”
“No ‘Colin’ connected with it,” Colin told him. “This was all Josh. My husband is the best. You wouldn’t believe the amazing stuff he bought for us! A windproof travel umbrella, a VPN, a neck wallet, AND…” He turned and kissed Joshua’s cheek. “To top it all off, aquick-dry travel towel!”
“Wow,” David marveled, clearly envious, while Joshua clutched Colin’s arm, both of them laughing too hard to breathe.
* * *
Brunch was deliveredto David and Nate’s stateroom, and as the four men ate, they stared out at the spectacular glacial vista. The ship maneuvered left then right, providing them with various viewing angles, each more beautiful and dramatic than the last. Finally, as the morning shadows deepened, the vessel moved back down the waterway, heading for their first port of call, Juneau.
“We need to change clothes,” David said when the Juneau docks appeared ahead of them. “We’ve got a shore excursion in about forty-five minutes.”
“Dress warm!” Colin called over his shoulder as he returned to his and Joshua’s stateroom.
