Across the Ocean by Heather Sosbee Page A

it’s just down the street, while Gunnar and Helgi decide to go a different party going on at the same time. They promise to meet up with us later tonight and I realize I’m a little bummed that Gunnar won’t be there. He’s fun…and hot.
    From our suitcases we grab some beers and harder liquor that we purchased before heading out of Reykjavik and put them into a grocery bag. We head out the door and I follow them up the street, all the while admiring how tiny this little town is.
    Coming up to a house, Ari and Lára just walk in without knocking. I ’m really hoping I’m welcome because I’ve been raised to always knock. Regardless, there is obviously a party going on inside and no one cares that we’ve just let ourselves in.
     
    ******
     
    I have to be honest. This night was alright, but not amazing. I think the most fun I had was when I got to jump on the giant trampoline. I got flirted with a lot, but because of the language barrier, I found that it was easy for everyone to slip back into Icelandic and talk to each other rather than to me. I can’t blame them though. I’m in their country, and they have all grown up together speaking one language.
    Most of this evening was spent with me trying to socialize yet keep Ari at least within my peripheral vision. There were a few times we chatted casually, and he even sat next to me. Mostly though, I think it was a bit awkward and uncomfortable for both of us.
    I have consumed one beer too many, and I’m definitely feeling the buzz. Baldvin has been hanging around me quite a bit, and I’m starting to suspect he’s flirting with me. He’s good looking and nice, but I’m not really interested.
    After several hours, Ari and Lára tell me they are ready to head back for the night. I ’m a bit relieved. I feel a little out of place here, since I don’t know everyone like they know each other, nor am I Icelandic. I am, however, quite tipsy. Beers may or may not have been given to me in excess by the guys tonight.
    Immediately upon returning to our borrowed house, Lára heads to her room with a little wave in my direction, Ari close behind. I plop down onto the pull out couch that I prepared before we left for the party. After a fierce struggle of toeing my shoes off, I snuggle into the comforter and let out a tired sigh.
    Lára emerges from her room in some red pajama pants and a white camisole and heads straight for the bathroom, probably to take care of her girly business and brush her teeth. After some minutes pass, she emerges and smiles at me.
    “Night,” she says, heading back into her room.
    “Goodnight!” I call after her.
    After waiting some minutes (I ’m not too certain how many of them it was, what with the being tipsy and all), I work some crazy leg motions that I don’t think I could do while sober to maneuver my pants down and off. Wiggling out of my shirt and tossing it onto my bag, I lay there listening to the sound of music playing from the house next door.
    Listening to the noises of a party the next house over, I ’m having trouble falling asleep. The dark curtains over the window aren’t completely blocking all the sunlight out of the room, and it’s rather distracting. My brain is all over the place and it’s hard enough to focus, let alone to fall asleep without the world starting to spin. At least there is good music playing next door.
    I ’ve learned so much about different types of music while being here, and I’m really enjoying it. There are a lot of bands that I’ll be listening to in the future. The always awesome Icelandic musicians like Sigur Rós, Gus Gus, and Björk. The non-Icelandic musicians like Chicane, Younger Brother, Muse, and Damien Rice….
    Wait, what was I thinking about again? Man, I ’m really sloshing around in my head. I’ve got to stay awake a bit longer so that I don’t get sick when I close my eyes. It’s so easy to think about how sexy Ari looked in the hot pools earlier today, though, so I zoom