Caleb's ringtone alerted me to my being sprawled out, mouth open, and a puddle of drool on half of the lower part of my face. I wasn't sporting one of those cute 'just woke' looks, more of a hobgoblin awakening from hibernation, but my back was to Caleb. His arm rested gently over my side, his hand on my stomach. It was the perfect sleep cuddle, enough contact to send me into a serene state, but not so much to be restricted in movement.

As the phone rang again, he groaned, brushing his fingers against my biceps. "Audrey?"

"Yes, love?" It didn't sound as cute from me as it did from him, but it still made me giddy to say.

He squeezed me close against him and kissed me on my dry cheek before rolling over and grabbing his cell on the bedside table. My body protested at the absence of Caleb's warmth, but he was back beside me in a second. As the bright light of his screen overtook my vision, I squinted.

"'Ello?" he asked.

The man on the line mentioned Northern Lights, and Caleb sat up.

"Interested in the Northern Lights tour tonight?" Caleb repeated, with his gaze on me.

Despite how wonderfully comfortable it was to cuddle in his arms, I nodded.

"We'll be ready then, thank you."

When he hung up, I wiped my face, rolled over, and rested my head on his chest before he could jump up to prepare. "Can we bring the bed?"

He chuckled and stroked my hair. "They ought to develop a cuddling below the Aurora tour, though that might make us ideal polar bear prey."

"No, we just need a bear-proof, glass-domed sleeping pod they tow through the tundra."

"It's a beautiful idea. I believe they have something like that, although some are immobile and the other is more of a trailer bus."

"But we're not on it, so how helpful is that?"

He chuckled. "I can carry you while you rest."

My heart fluttered at the thought of being swept up in his arms. "I wouldn't be too heavy alongside your camera gear?"

"I'd find a way."

We kissed once more before scrambling to replace our pyjamas with clothes that would keep us warmer in the dead of night. I found a crew sweater, a toque, and a pair of fleece leggings while Caleb had tugged on jeans and a hoodie.

When we headed outside to wait for the shuttle van, our gaze drifted to the sky, causing me to trip into the handrail, and Caleb's soft hands caught me yet again.

"I still can't keep my balance around you," I joked before he did.

"You just want me to catch you," he whispered in my ear, sending a rush of blood and heat into my ears like waves crashing into a cave.

Teasing, tentatively flirty Caleb had become confident flirty Caleb, and I liked the change, though I loved that awkward, flustered version too. As our eyes adjusted to the darkness, beside the street lights, white streaks danced in the sky.

As if he knew how much it affected me, he whispered again, "The solar flares are smiling down on our love."

***

Soon the shuttle bus arrived, and we hopped inside to see several familiar faces from our other tours, including Marcela and Yannick. We exchanged smiles as we found a free bench seat near the front. Caleb was playing with some settings on his camera as we left for the last bed-and-breakfast.

We drove through the edge of town and back toward the eastern section of the tundra. We took a similar route to our town and polar bear tours until we ended up at the Miss Piggy Plane wreck.

Our guide, Sam, a photographer from Winnipeg, explained how this was one of his favourite backdrops for the lights and constellations, and then offered photography tips to anyone new to this. Caleb was drawn over like Thai ants to peanut butter. Given that I was here to enjoy the Northern Lights and spend time with him, I wandered a few feet away with Yannick, who'd also been sidestepped by Marcela, so Caleb could focus on getting those dream shots from Sam's photography website.

At first, Yannick and I stood on the gravel road overlooking the sloped coast leading to the bay. As our vision adjusted better to the darkness, greens, reds, and purples faded in and out of the sky. They were subtler than in those epic Aurora Borealis photos. Some lights materialized way above our heads, forcing us to crane our necks to catch the dancing bands tickling the earth's surface. Others near the horizon meandered, like the thick waves in cave draperies.

The air's chill made me shiver beneath my sweater, and I checked how the photo session was going. Sam still had his DSLR camera out to explain the f-stop and shutter speed. I'd never be able to keep those numbers straight, but Caleb followed along with no hesitation. So much for my human-powered blanket keeping me warm.

"They might be awhile," Yannick said.

As we continued to enjoy the light show, he and I chatted about the polar bear tour. He had to tease me about being more distracted than the average tourist. But he also expressed he was happy for us finding our rhythm as a couple. The discussion gave me an opening to ask the question gnawing at the back of my brain like an aggressive beaver.

"I'm struggling with a choice right now. Would you mind giving me your opinion as someone who has lived this?"

He smiled, "Of course."

"You separated in distant time zones for a couple of years, right?"

"We did."

"If you could pick between that, given that you'd be able to afford your visa sooner, or living much closer, though still apart and without the funds to visit each other and knowing it would take likely twice as long to be reunited, which would you choose?"

Yannick let out a breath and stared at the swaying bands of green light. "That is difficult. I did what was best for my career and my financial stability, as I didn't want to rely on Marcela financially, and I wanted a viable future."

I admired his ability to take such a professional approach to a decision that was drilling holes in my heart like a pileated woodpecker.

"My current career is the barrier to financial stability. The distance would put me in a different, better-paid job, with the opportunity to work part-time in my chosen field in a less interesting capacity while working in my field would be much more exciting in southeast Asia, but would double the time it would take to save up for the visa."

Yannick paused, his eyes now on the plane instead of the lights. The longer we were out here, the more beautiful stars sparkled above it.

"Could you keep up your certification while working part-time and be employable when you move?"

"I believe so."

"Then it sounds like either option will set you up to succeed."

I sighed as despite the potential for success, each one came with risks. Why couldn't there be a clear-cut answer?

"Unless being apart that long costs us the relationship," I muttered.

Yannick turned to face me. "When you're apart, you grow and you change, but it's not always negative. A break, especially when the romance sneaks up on you quickly, can help you imagine your life with and without that person and consider the best ways to build a life together if that's what you both decide is ideal. Would you have more support from a distance or in Southeast Asia? Because it won't be an easy transition, and you have to think of your entire well-being, not only the romantic part that seems bigger than everything else at the moment. "

There was a key answer to Yannick's question, and it confirmed the choice I was scared to voice to Caleb. I had spent two years away from my friends and family. I had run from the pain that I'd caused that still rested on my conscience. Staying here would give me the support and closure I needed.

He wouldn't object since he trusted my judgement, but it would unsettle him a little, especially given his fears about Trev. Was I being insensitive to Caleb's needs or meeting my own? Could the two be mutually exclusive?

"You have time to figure it out. Don't let it sour the moments you have left together."

"Thanks, Yannick."

Caleb had set up a tripod facing the plane wreck alongside Marcela, so we joined them. He snuggled into me the second I was within arm's reach. With a contented sigh, I snuggled into his chest, committing his strong heartbeat and the secureness of his embrace to memory.

"I love you," I whispered. It didn't feel like there were enough hours left before his departure to share the enormity of my affection.

He kissed me before returning my words.

The aurora danced over the plane wreck, interspersed with bright stars and even the faint outline of the Milky Way. The lights would die down enough for me to distract Caleb with snuggles, and the colours would shimmy across the sky again, sending him racing to the camera to capture them both over Miss Piggy's aeronautical corpse and against the horizon.

He was keen to try out a technique to light up the subject during the shot, turning me into a mini aurora model. Marcela insisted he join me soon after, so she could practice as well. I couldn't wait to see those photos but also knew I'd gaze at them with tears in my eyes once we were apart. It was hard to savour these moments, knowing they needed to be the memories to help us survive at least a year of separation.

It's been such a lovely year for Northern Lights! These photos are from back in 2021.

Part 2 of this scene will be coming next weekend! Thanks for your patience and support ❤️