Flight Risk

33 - Train to Churchill Part 1

"There are no beds!" I said.

Every romance story is well aware of the one-bed trope, and let me level with you, it's way less exciting in real life than it is in stories, especially when you book a solo ticket on a budget group tour and are surprised last minute that not only are you sharing a room with a stranger but a full-on bed. And even if that stranger is a fun and easy-going Brazilian man you don't mind drinking with, you may still nestle into the far corner of your side of the bed at an unreasonably early hour, pretending to be tired and crossing your fingers nothing happens, which was the case. At least it restored my faith in humanity, and he became a nice temporary travel companion.

But as Caleb and I stood in our room with a tiny private bathroom, storage area, and a wide window, I couldn't fathom how the railway company could sell this as a 'sleeper cabin' when we had similar upright chairs to the other passengers, except ours were vinyl instead of cloth. Although I could sleep in a chair and it was private, it seemed unfair that his splurge resulted in only chairs and not even the pull-out sleeper kind. I was looking forward to cuddling together no matter how many beds we had. Except zero would make that challenging.

He inspected the back half of the cabin. "It looks like something can come out of the wall and like those chairs may tuck down into the floor."

The metal outlines on the floor and wall reinforced his point, and it seemed like it could fold out like an odd Murphy bed.

"Are there instructions or buttons?"

A knock echoed on the open door and an employee tucked his head in. "We'll arrange the beds for you later in the evening. No need to worry. The snack car should be open soon, and there'll be items available for purchase for supper too."

We both smiled and thanked him as he passed, even if he had not noticed the large pizza box sitting on the chair.

Caleb chuckled as he studied me. "The beds had you worried?"

"I wanted at least one," I said.

"Just the one?" That cheeky smile left me torn between playfully nudging his shoulder and invading his space.

"I'll take any number but zero."

"Fair." He stepped closer to me and set down his bag. "This morning and last night were nice."

I threaded my fingers through his and grinned. "More than nice. I didn't... It's been..."

None of my words seemed right. How did I express the way his protective arms soothed me into a warm, comforting sleep, or the reassuring sensation of my fingertips brushing his skin and finding company in the hazy space between dreamland and the waking world? I'd grown used to the freedom of sleeping alone and was well aware of the perks like not overheating, having 100% blanket control, and no one to wake you with their tossing, turning or snoring, but I'd forgotten the comfort of someone who cared for me.

"I want as many of those moments as possible," I said.

"Me too." He looked into my eyes and leaned in to place a feather kiss on my lips. It brought me the biggest smile. "You're so beautiful." His hand left mine to migrate to my cheek, which he brushed with his thumb.

"And you are the best in every way."

We kissed until my stomach's uninvited growls broke us apart. I frowned and whispered, "Quiet, you jerk," at it.

Caleb couldn't contain his laughter. "Time for pizza?"

My stomach growled again, and I sighed in defeat. "Perhaps."

He sneaked in one more kiss before we stashed our larger bags in the overhead bins so we'd have room to eat. As we finished, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it and tapped his fingers against his leg. He pressed his lips together while looking between me and the device.