After supper, Caleb and I tried to help clean up, but my mom insisted we go relax and that she and my dad would take care of it. We took it as our cue to escape upstairs, and we stood in the hall together. Despite the supper conversation having migrated from inspecting my life choices, my mom's words still weighed on my conscience. 

Some people made a living abroad, although they were usually influencers or had a more specialized skill that was in demand. Back at the dive shop, everyone lived paycheck to paycheck with the backpacker employees celebrating payday with a night out and dreams of where they wanted to explore next. A few of our younger Indonesian coworkers would join us from time to time. I didn't go every time and stuck to buying food instead of drinks, but it was fun to let off steam and vent.  

In time, I hoped to land in Australia, but their working holiday visa required proof of 5000 Australian dollars in your bank account, which hadn't happened since I lived in Canada and would take ages when earning in far less valuable currencies. If I moved home, earning that cash would be much quicker if one of the three dive shops in the city was open to hiring me. But moving back into this house gave me anxiety. While my mental health wasn't always amazing, it had improved after being away only for my anxiety to peak now.

Caleb squeezed my hand and stroked my knuckles. "You're awfully quiet. Are you alright?"

I returned the gesture and nodded.

"Are you sure? That was like my grandparents going after my mum. It's hard on anyone."

My heart melted a bit given that he could sense the way my mom knocked me down. But this wasn't his problem.

"It's okay. I'm used to it. I was just too exhausted to say much back. Thanks for stepping in."

"Would you want a hug?"

When I nodded, I settled into his embrace like a warm fleece blanket after braving a winter storm. My eyes tingled as did my nose. I closed my eyes and breathed from my stomach to quell what was coming, but the tears came anyway. At least in his arms, I was more at peace.

"Are they always like that?" he asked.

I breathed to the gentle rhythm of the rise and fall of Caleb's chest. "Yeah. I thought my mom might relax in your presence, but not so much."

We pulled away from each other, but his eyes remained on me. "Are you looking to escape that for a few days?"

"That's not within my budget, as my mom already pointed out." It wasn't like I was hiding my financial situation, but it was nice to be in control of information about my life.

"Come to Churchill with me. Someone who knows that much about polar bears should see them in the wild."

It was sweet he wanted to help, and if it were possible, I'd jump at the chance. But this was reality where I was stuck with my parents for three weeks. Visiting my friends and running errands would be my escape. I was hoping today my mom would get the venting out of her system and that it would just minimally reappear afterward. I was sure she had lots of opinionated commentary on my aunts' and uncles' lives to catch me up on.

I shook my head. "Those tours book up months in advance. I appreciate the gesture, and you're really sweet, but I'd be wandering the town. If a bear showed up, they'd tranquillize it and send it to bear jail. That's not the experience I'm after."

Caleb bit his lip and released it. He took a deep breath while looking into my eyes. "I have an extra ticket to everything I'm doing. If you promise not to ask why, it's yours."

I furrowed my brow and studied him. His smile was light, and his shoulders were relaxed.

"You got ten times more mysterious."

"It's not a dark or dangerous secret. I'm just not ready to talk about it. You understand. But I am serious and would love it if you'd join me."

That seemed sincere enough, which was important when heading to isolated areas with near strangers. There was still the wedding where I could ask Vince about Caleb's trustworthiness.

But, should I join Caleb's adventure? He wouldn't have invited me if he didn't want me there. Or was this more of a guilt sentiment now that our faux relationship was stirring up drama with my mom? Although no matter how I'd showed up, those conversations would have happened. But Caleb didn't know that.

"You don't have to feel guilty about my mom. She's like this regardless of the situation."

"This isn't out of guilt. I've thought about inviting you a few times, but it seemed selfish. You didn't fly across the world to spend almost a week with me. You probably have other plans, and I understand." He tucked his hands in his pockets and looked at my dad's mountain landscape photography hanging on the walls.

"Not really. When I could get three weeks off, I took them. I don't have a ton of plans for this trip. If I went with you, I'd still have about two weeks to catch up with my people." I hesitated to say the next part because we hardly knew each other, and Caleb could be acting charismatic to sell our relationship, but something in the way he supported me felt real. My nervous eyes wouldn't meet his. "Honestly, I enjoy spending time with you. And unless that extra ticket is for a girlfriend you're fighting with..."

His eyes widened, and his shoulders straightened. "You think I'd act this way with you if I had a girlfriend?"

"We've only met two days ago, Caleb. We hardly know each other."

His posture relaxed. "Let me reassure you I do not have anyone in my romantic life and that I would never and have never treated someone so recklessly." He maintained eye contact with a concerned and caring expression, which told me he was sincere. "And I also like spending time together. It's why I asked."

I had to contain the urge to jump back into his arms for another hug. Getting attached too quickly could be a big turnoff, so I attempted to play it cool, though I suspect Caleb caught the beginning of my uncontrolled grin.

"Okay, I'm game. Let's see some polar bears. Are you leaving from Winnipeg or driving up?"

He tapped his fingers on his thighs. "Vince is loaning me one of his family's old cars. I am nervous about driving on the opposite side of the road. But he said it's a straightforward route."

"Straightforward and hours and hours of forest. Do you have time to stop a few places on the drive up?"

"Yeah, I have a hotel booked in Thompson to catch the train the next day."

I tensed. "You want to stay in Thompson?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with Thompson? There are some wolf statues, well-known pizza shops, and museums."

On paper, it sounded interesting, and perhaps it was. When you were visiting a new place, sometimes ignorance was bliss. Half the reason I felt safe in Southeast Asia was because I was unaware of the dangers. On my home turf, I didn't have that obliviousness. Thompson had a reputation, and it wasn't a great one.

"It's kind of scary and has the highest crime rate in the province, which is saying a lot, given that Winnipeg used to be the per capita murder capital of the country for several years. Where do you plan to leave Vince's car?"

"At the train station. Is that a bad idea?"

I attempted not to grimace. "It's an idea we can research."

We went back to my room where we sat on my bed, Caleb still far enough that our legs didn't touch.  I opened my laptop and smiled at its background of gorgeous rice terraces I'd hiked around in Northern Luzon in the Philippines. 

Within fifteen minutes, we found a local campground other travellers had used where we could pay to store the car in a private, more supervised lot. There were also large lakefront campsites at Paint Lake Provincial Park, about 30 minutes south of Thompson, much cheaper than the hotel Caleb could still cancel and get refunded. Between the car babysitting fee and refund, he was saving money.

He readjusted his position on the end of my bed and stretched out his longer legs. "Thank you for that. I'm not sure how I missed a chance to stay in the park. Maybe we'll see a beaver." His adorable excitement sent dimples into his cheeks.

The animals were fun to watch, and I hope he got to experience that too.

"You never know. They love water and trees. No shortage of that up North. Are you sure you're okay with me crashing your trip? I feel like a freeloader."

"My backup plan was to go with Vince anyway. And he'd much rather enjoy the time with his future wife, so you're doing all of us a favour. Plus this trip has only gotten better since I met you, "

It wasn't fair of him to keep spouting lines like that. So I retorted, "Careful, you're sounding like an actual boyfriend, and I'm the only one listening."

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't let me freak out your solo heart. You're just exactly the person I needed at this point in my life."

I grinned as his words echoed my sentiments. This trip was shaping up to be much better than I'd ever imagined.

We'll be out of the house and into exploring mode next chapter to see a few local attractions. Oh, and Audrey might finally remember to check Trevor's message in the next one :)