"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.

"Your mom?"

"Am I the worst if I call her before we eat and explore the train? We have service here and at least thirty minutes until departure."

"You should call her." I kissed him on the cheek so he couldn't misinterpret my support as politeness. "I've already told you you're the best, and I mean it."

He gave my waist a gentle squeeze and eyed the pizza box balanced on my chair. "Don't wait for me to eat."

Smelling that pepperoni, mushrooms, cheese and fresh dough made his offer hard to refuse. "I might have a slice or two while it's still warm, but I promise I won't eat it all."

As I opened up the pizza box we had purchased in Thompson, my mouth watered. I could taste that salty, savoury goodness. Before I dug in, I glanced at Caleb, who was also staring at that box. I passed him the first slice on a camping plate I dug out of our shopping bag loaded with enough snacks for days.

"Just one," he said as much to himself to me. But with the size and weight of one slice, I would eat a similar amount. I'd never had such a dense piece heavy on the crust and the toppings. The tangy sauce was quite nice too and still warm despite the wait since we bought it. We were both full after that single slice, which we should have shared given that it wasn't even 5 pm yet.

I spun the chair from side to side, letting my feet dangle like a kid. "Do you want me to give you some privacy for the call or stick around?"

Caleb rinsed the pizza residue off his hands in our cabin sink. "I don't want to kick you out. You can stay if you want." His tone seemed more polite than anything, like he'd be fine alone, which meant the call shouldn't be too stressful. "Although it might bore you."

"I don't mind exploring, to be honest. By the time you're done, I'll know the best spots. Just message me when to return."

"Thanks, Audrey." He came to give me a quick kiss with hints of tomato sauce still on his breath.

As I left our room, the sleeper car seemed busy enough with people darting in and out of their cabins. One of the train attendants steered me toward the dome car with plenty of windows and mostly full seats. Families with kids had settled into the rows, some looking at devices and others playing family games. I scanned for an empty seat but only spotted one next to an older woman, but she had a bag beside her. I ventured upstairs to the upper section with the surrounding windows offering a view of the station, but it was equally full. There had to be some other place to go.

Once I descended onto the main level, a woman with grey spiral curls said, "There's a seat here if you want it."

I turned to see if she was speaking to me, and it appeared so as I was the only one in the aisle. "Are you sure?"

"It'll teach my husband not to lose track of time watching YouTube videos on the toilet."

I laughed despite my efforts not to and took the seat. "Thank you, I'm Audrey."

"Marcela," the woman said. "Have you been on the train long?"

"Just hopped on here."

"So you did the drive?" Her eyes sparkled with interest. "How was it?"

"Long but beautiful. Not as lengthy as the train journey, I imagine."

"It has been long, but those prairie sunsets are spectacular, and it was nice to stretch our legs in the city. How was the limestone lake? I've heard it's stunning."

I shared a few photos of the various spots. She sighed and smiled, saying she'd have to add it to her list of places to visit. From there we chatted about our dream destinations, which did my wanderlusting heart no good. She'd been to some incredible places, a journey to see Antarctica's wildlife, the hike of a lifetime at Machu Picchu, and a visit to the Danakil Depression and its geothermal wonders in Ethiopia. Some of her travels connected with her job as a biologist, and others were for pure enjoyment. As I talked her through my Southeast Asia adventures, I liked to think I'd somewhat balanced work and happiness too.

"You've replaced me," came a deeper voice with a European French accent.

"Only for the train ride." She grinned at the man with equal parts curly, wiry hair and a shiny forehead. "Once we're on the tundra buggies, I'll need a partner I can outrun."

He smiled at me. "My speed, or lack thereof, is one of my more charming attributes."

I couldn't help but laugh. He and Caleb would get along well. Marcela introduced her husband, Yannick, and I.

"I hope you both return okay from your excursion," I said.

"Have you booked tours to see wildlife?" Marcela asked.

"One for the tundra buggy, kayaking with belugas, and I think we see them again on a river cruise or ferry. My boyfriend did all the planning, and I'm along for the ride."

"It's quite nice, isn't it?" Yannick grinned at his wife. "And where is the organized fellow?"

"Calling home before the train departs and we leave the service area. It's morning out there."

"I remember those days," Yannick said. "I'm from Belgium originally." He and Marcela shared a smile as if there was a story there. Before I asked, he said, "Has he moved here recently, or are you both living elsewhere?"

"It's complicated," I explained our true situation more without going into Caleb's family situation and our upcoming break-up, and they nodded as if they understood.

"You can make it work. It takes time, but if you're both willing to put in the effort and wait through the job transitions, work permits, and visas, then you'll be together, and it'll all be worth it." Yannick and Marcela shared another loving stare that made my heart flutter.

It gave me hope to see people still so in love after so many years. That was worth everything to me. If that was on the horizon for Caleb and me, waiting for his family's struggles to subside was nothing in the grand scheme of things.

"I hope that happens for us." I had other questions I could have asked about long-distance relationships, but it didn't feel like the right time. "Here, please sit."

"It's quite fine, Audrey," Yannick said.

A family was getting up and taking their bags with them on the other side of the car. "I'll head over there, so I can get a seat for Caleb, too. It was lovely to meet you."

"You too, good luck with everything, though it sounds like you both know what you want, which helps," Marcela said.

After wishing them a pleasant trip, I settled into a couple of seats near the window, which still featured an unmoving Thompson rail yard. With no one to swap adventure stories with and no moving landscape to occupy my attention, I turned to my phone.

Once I caught up with the shared wedding photos in the group chat where my friends and I looked to be having an amazing time and my crush on Caleb was not fake, I sent a few trip pictures since everyone was asking. One of my favourites was our faces snuggled together in front of the beach at Steep Rock the morning of our first kiss, as we were both giddy as hell. The sweet comments my friends fired back made me smile, especially about the couple's photos I was too excited not to share.

Claire and Vince were also counting down the days until their honeymoon, which was only a few weeks away. It was easy to picture them sipping wines in vineyards on the rolling hills or feeding each other gelato, and I couldn't be happier for them. Or I could if my heart didn't ache knowing about Caleb and I's nearing separation. It didn't help that it was hard to talk to my friends about it since it would mean admitting to lying about the entire relationship. I'd have to settle for chatting with my roommate when I was back in Indonesia, who'd both sympathize and laugh at my ridiculousness.

To think this all started with Trevor's message and my anxiety over it. I wish his attempt at reconnecting hadn't been the spark to rekindle my romantic life, especially with how much I'd hurt him, but he seemed happy too with his new partner, so it all worked out for the best. Although those pained looks at the wedding were concerning. I scrolled past our recent messages out of curiosity to see how our old friendship cut off. You'd think I'd remember, but it was like a box I sealed and tossed in the attic.

He'd wished me a happy birthday, and I'd thanked him and wished him well. But that had been our only message for quite a few months. Before that, we'd had a few missed video chat connections as our work and free time schedules always conflicted. He'd been hard on himself, and I'd said perhaps it would be less stressful if we stopped trying to force this. It was odd as I didn't remember making that statement in a harsh way or to end all contact, but it had been a relief not to tiptoe around my responses with him.

When he hadn't followed up past that conversation, I assumed it was for the best. That his life was improving like mine, but based on his comment at the wedding, he'd given up after seeing how happy I was without him. Sadly, with the stress of a relationship that was only bound to hurt the other person removed, life was easier, and I was working a job I loved in an amazing place. But I hadn't done that out of malice.

Could we salvage our friendship now that we'd both found other partners? Most would say no, but Trevor had seemed optimistic at the wedding.

I sent him a quick 'Hey Trev' just to feel it out.

Part 2 will be out next week with more Caleb, a bit of Trevor (from a distance) and then we will be in Churchill :D Sorry these chapters keep getting away from me in length and needing to be split, so it's taking longer than anticipated, often just like the regular delays on the train. I'm pretty sure that the second last car in the photo is the dome car (but I took this train when COVID restrictions were firmly in place--wear a mask even when you're sleeping intense--so it was closed, but it looks like the ones I saw when researching for the chapter.) The other photos are once the train departed from Thompson on the earlier part of the journey.