The Northern Lights haven’t made an appearance as yet but that doesn’t stop us craning our necks hoping to see the pinky-greeny-hued swirl.
‘Let’s have one more drink,’ CJ says. ‘And then we can call it quits for the night.’
Everyone agrees so CJ heads inside to the bar.
We chatter away about plans for Christmas Day, which consists of sauna bathing and Arctic swimming. How I got myself roped into this I do not know. I blame peer pressure.
‘What’s taking CJ so long?’ Princess asks. ‘My mouth is like the Sahara over here.’
I laugh. ‘Let me go find out.’
The heat of the lodge is a shock coming in from the cold. As I step inside and make my way to the bar, there’s no sign of CJ. It’s nice to defrost for a bit – maybe CJ is warming herself by the fire. Not there either. I walk up a couple of steps to the lounge when I hear her laugh. I follow the sound to a staff area. I peek in and a slow smile settles on my face.
There’s a bank of security cameras and next to those is a laptop with a music video playing. I’m no expert on K-Pop but even I can recognise the familiar faces of the BTS band on screen. CJ sits next to a security guard with a fit physique as they sing along to the music with eyes only for each other. Has she found her K-Pop fan? I leave them to it and go back to the bar.
34
25 DECEMBER, LAPLAND, FINLAND
‘Argh!’ A scream escapes because, well, I’m throwing myself into an Arctic lake when there’s a cosy heated igloo with my name on it. The cold plunge takes my breath away and shocks me silent until my endorphins kick in. Wow, what a rush. CJ just might be onto something with all these high-octane adrenaline-filled pursuits.
Jasper leaps in and swims over to me, casual as anything, as if he always throws his buff bod into icy pools of water.
‘You’re shivering.’ He wraps me in his arms and pulls my body against his. ‘I suppose that’s stating the obvious.’
My teeth chatter too much for me to form words and instead they come out garbled. Eventually I manage to control my shivering enough to say, ‘How long am I supposed to stay in the water for maximum benefits?’ I’ve never felt cold like it before, but it’s somehow invigorating, and heightens the natural world around me. The vista in front of me is all white ice, with the exception of the carved-out section of lake. I must be mad!
‘As long as you can handle it.’
Princess swims by doing a gentle breaststroke, with Barry trailing in her wake, not quite as graceful a swimmer. Karen remains on the edge, holding onto the ladder for dear life, while CJ tries to convince her that she will not become an ice block.
‘Get in, Karen!’ I encourage her.
‘YOLO, right?’ Karen throws herself into the water with a scream, while CJ dives in just after. A few seconds later they pop up next to me.
Karen’s expression is one of awe. ‘OK, yes, it’s both awful and wonderful at the very same time. How is that possible?’
We laugh, as much as our lung capacity allows us to at any rate. Princess swims back, merry as anything. ‘Isn’t this a refreshing way to spend Christmas Day?’
‘It’s definitely going to be a core memory,’ Jasper says.
Sabrina and George are off to the side, chatting away like they’re the best of friends. When he splashes her, all bets are off, and she soon dunks his head under water.
CJ pops up near me. ‘Sooo,’ I say subtly as anything. ‘Am I wrong or did I see an impromptu K-Pop concert for two last night with you and a rather handsome security guard?’
The Canadian woman grins. ‘Spying, were you?’
I laugh, it comes out breathless from cold. ‘Yep.’
‘Details!’ Princess yelps. ‘Name, age, net worth.’
CJ shakes her head. ‘His name is Eeli, and he’s thirty-five. Not sure about his net worth, but I am sure he loves K-Pop and Korean pop culture. And he’s into extreme sports!’
‘More extreme than this?’ I ask.
‘Much more! We’re meeting later to go ice climbing!’ CJ explains the terrifying technique involved in ice climbing, where essentially an ice axe and crampons are used to climb an ice fall. ‘I’m a beginner obviously so we’re starting small. And who knows, I just might have found the next great love of my life, or just a really fun buddy to join me on outdoor pursuits.’
‘And yet you risk the development of that love or friendship by climbing an ice fall…’ Princess says. ‘I will never understand adrenaline junkies.’
