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After winning against the Seattle Kraken, Joel and Jonas realized that they had a little bit of time to spare before going to Vancouver. Most of the team was hanging out together. But like so many times before, the two of them had different plans. They didn’t need to be around the whole team the entire time.
“Well, why don’t we go to Whidbey Island?” Joel said as he looked at his phone. “It says that it’s a good vacation spot from Seattle. There’s a beach, even though it will be too cold to swim. Still beautiful, though.”
“That sounds great,” Jonas replied. It would be a nice break from their hectic schedule.
So, they rented a car and drove away from Seattle and up to a smaller town. From there, they were going to take the ferry and spend a night on an island in the middle of the Puget Sound. As it was not peak season, Joel had managed to book them a cottage right by the sea even on short notice.
The ferry made it to the dock, and Joel drove the car onto it. They then got out, went up the stairs to the deck, and stood outside. The refreshing breeze hit Jonas’s skin. Seagulls rested atop the piling which poked out of the sea.
“Look,” Joel said, gesturing to the water.
“What?” Jonas asked.
“The seals. Don’t you see them?”
Joel was always noticing things that Jonas didn’t, and Jonas didn’t know how. With his eyes, Jonas traced Joel’s hand to the waves. “I don’t see them.”
“You can only see their heads,” Joel said.
Jonas finally noticed the little heads sticking out of the water. Then, they vanished under the surf. “I saw them just in time.”
“Glad you did.” Joel clapped Jonas on the shoulder. It always felt great when Joel did that.
The ferry began to cut through the water, and the wind grew stronger. Joel stretched out his arms to feel the air.
Jonas never really missed not being with the rest of his team. Joel was the most important to him.
Jonas put his hands across the cool metal railings, looking out at the water and shores. It really was beautiful. It reminded him a bit of the west coast of Sweden with its fjords and ferries. While he was happy with his life in the US, at times there would be things that would remind him of home, and the pangs of longing would return. They would subside, and he would go back to appreciating his new life and career, but they never entirely disappeared. At least he had Joel with him, who must’ve had similar feelings, and he was a connection to home, even if they didn’t know each other then.
It was a short ride, and soon, they drove off the ferry and onto a country road, surrounded by greenery.
They then made it to the small town of Langley, filled with little wooden buildings. They drove a bit past the center down a wooded road until the foliage opened to a cottage. Surrounded by Douglas firs, it had dark wood siding and a gable roof. Behind it was a pebbled beach and then the sea.
When they got out of the car, Joel paused to take in their place for the next night. “It’s sure nice here,” he said.
They went in and placed their bags by the queen-sized bed in the single bedroom.
“There’s only one bed,” Jonas said.
“Don’t worry. I can sleep on the couch,” Joel replied.
“Really?”
“Really.”
They jogged together down the road to Langley, then spent the day walking through the small town. It was one of those old compact little towns where you could walk to everything. Jonas always appreciated those towns, especially compared to the suburban sprawl that was a lot of the US.
As darkness began spreading across the sky, they made their way back to their cottage, then settled onto the couch.
Joel turned on the TV and caught a rerun of an old sitcom. Since they had nothing else to do, they simply relaxed and watched.
Jonas laughed at a joke on the show. He glanced at Joel to see if he found it as funny. He wasn’t reacting at all, which was unusual for him. If anyone was more likely to laugh at a sitcom joke, it was Joel, not Jonas. It seemed like his mind was elsewhere.
“Come on, that joke wasn’t that bad, was it?” Jonas quipped. He gave Joel a playful shove.
“What joke?” Joel asked.
“You’re not really paying attention, are you?”
Joel gave a slight smile. “You caught me. I’m just thinking about things.”
“Like what?”
Joel let out a deep breath. “To be honest, I just wanted a chance to look at the stars with you."
Jonas paused. There was another joke on the show that built on the last one, but he let it play in the background without any laughter. “Is that why you booked this trip?”
“You could say that. I was considering the mountains, but we wouldn’t be able to see the stars there with all the big trees. On the beach, we can.”
Jonas stood up. “Well, why don’t we go to the beach?”
“Aren’t you watching the show?”
“I’ve seen it many times. I don’t need to see it.” Jonas shut off the TV and put on his jacket and shoes. He let Joel do the same, then they stepped outside into the cold. Jonas turned on his phone flashlight, and they walked around the cottage to the beach. Jonas felt the uneven rocky surface under his shoes.
As the little waves lapped the shore, they looked up, and the sky was spackled with stars. Joel turned off his phone flashlight. Once they were out from under the trees, moonlight was enough to see.
Joel put his hand on Jonas’s shoulder. “You know, if it were cloudy, I wouldn’t have said anything about that.” He gave it a squeeze and kept it there.
A bit of giddiness emerged in Jonas at the touch, the beautiful night sky, and the sound of the soft waves. “Love you, man,” Jonas said.
Joel looked down at the ground, then gave another squeeze. “Thanks.” He withdrew his hand.
Jonas looked up. Pointing, he said, “There’s Ursa Major. I don’t know many constellations, to be honest. I know that one, though, since it has the Big Dipper in it.”
Searching the sky, Joel chuckled. “Me neither. They’re sure pretty, though.”
Jonas looked over at Joel and gave a grin. “It’s almost romantic, isn’t it?” He gave a nervous laugh.
“Maybe it is,” Joel said, facing Jonas. “And maybe I was thinking that, too.” A smile spread across his lips.
“Were you?” Jonas asked.
Joel nodded.
Jonas shifted on his feet. “Is this an admission?”
“Well, I guess it is,” Joel said. He let out a chuckle and reached his hand to Jonas’s. And their hands became intertwined.
They stayed like that for a short while, wordlessly standing together on the beach.
It was getting chilly. Their hands together, they went into the cottage. They then watched some more TV. And soon it was time for bed.
“Does it matter now that there’s only one bed?” Jonas asked.
“No,” Joel answered with a slight laugh in his voice.
Joel changed into an old T-shirt and sweatpants. Meanwhile, Jonas simply stripped to his underwear. They brushed their teeth and got into bed. Joel shut off the light.
Jonas nestled his back against Joel, and Joel put his arm across him.