Two Fish

fifty five || alaska

When Alaska woke up, she had forgotten where she was and momentarily panicked at the sight of the strange room and the person-shaped lump under the duvet, softly snoring. The heavy breaths pulled her back into reality and she threw the duvet back to see Elver’s ruffled head, the shock of dark hair that stood on end after a night of tossing and turning. She lay back with her hands clasped over her stomach, staring up at the ceiling. The paint swirled in thick ridges, lit up by the seven o’clock light. They had gone to bed early but Elver was still asleep. He rolled over in his dream and his hand fell on Alaska’s arm. She jerked back at the unexpected touch and he woke up.

“Alaska?” He blearily opened his eyes and blinked at her.

“Yeah?”

“No, I just forgot that we shared a bed.” He rubbed his red face.

“Yeah, we did,” Alaska said. Even in shorts and a t-shirt, when Elver had seen her in a lot less, she felt exposed and pulled the duvet up round her shoulders.

“Sleep well?” he asked, letting out an impressive yawn and bombarding Alaska with his morning breath. She wrinkled her nose and he covered his mouth. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok. Just, you know, all the bacteria have been festering in your mouth for like, ten hours or whatever.” She pinched her nose and wafted her hand in front of her face before breaking into a grin.

“Rude,” Elver said bluntly, hitting her with a pillow.

“I’m kidding, it’s not that bad.” And she kissed him to prove it, though only closed-mouthed.

“What time is it?”

She checked her phone though it had only been a few minutes since she had last looked. “Five past seven.”

“We need to go soon.”

“Oh God, yeah, I forgot. Cathy’s birthday, isn’t it?”

“Mmhmm,” Elver said. He groaned and rolled out of bed, hoisting up the boxers he wore instead of shorts. Rooting in his bag, he pulled on a clean t-shirt and when he thought Alaska wasn’t looking, changed his boxers. She stifled a surprised giggle well – he didn’t notice she had seen, yanking on a pair of jeans. Alaska, in an expertly swift move, shimmied out of her pyjamas into an outfit she had laid out the night before without flashing Elver, much to his dismay.

Half an hour was spent clearing away their mess, though they had hardly been there long enough to make any. It mostly consisted of folding blankets and tidying the fridge, fluffing up sofa cushions. Alaska packed the car and stood with her back to the house, hugging herself as she looked out over the view. It truly was stunning.

“What’re you doing?” Elver asked her, slipping an arm around her waist. A tingle shot down her spine and she moved her hand onto his hip.

“Just looking. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.” The sea below was a murky grey, even brown in place, the trees were full and green, the weak sun glinting off the water.

“Shame we never got to go down,” Alaska mused.

“Mmm,” Elver hummed. He kissed her forehead and then her lips, his teeth now thoroughly brushed. “We could, if you wanted,” he said, keeping an eye on the time.

“Nah, it’s ok.” Alaska shook her head. “It’s kinda cold. Let’s just go, shall we?” She tugged him closer, tucking her head under his chin. They stayed like that for a moment, a warm embrace against the chilly wind.

“Ok, well, we’re all packed up,” Elver said, glancing at the car. They scoured the house one last time for anything they had forgotten and Elver looked up, leaving the key where he had found it, under his aunt’s instruction and a few minutes later, they were on the road again.