World Men à la Mode

Chapter Forty-eight - Paddle Boarding

        Amilia was awake before you were. Her noisy routine woke you up as soon as she got in the shower, however. She wasn't the quietest of singers, but you figured it was better than waking up to the sound of your phone's alarm. You rolled onto your side to face the wall, eyes still partially closed. The sound of the water running stopped five or so minutes later. Amilia continued to sing, a little quieter this time. You slipped back into unconsciousness for around fifteen minutes before your phone's alarm rang. You snatched up the device without looking and hit the snooze, hoping for at least five more minutes. Amilia had other plans for you though.

       "Psst! Hey, (y/n). You awake?" she questioned, tip toeing to your bedside, towel still wrapped around her petite form.

        "No..." you grumbled in response, hiding your head under the covers.

        "Okay. I guess I won't tell you what I know then."

        "What do you know?" you peaked back over the top of the sheets.

        She giggled and skipped over to her suitcase on the other side of the room. "I heard from Alfred that we'll be paddle boarding today and going to a seawater pool and sauna today. I was going to ask if you could help me pick a swimsuit for each."

        "You can't wear the same one to both?"

        "Of course not! What if the one doesn't have appropriate colors for the other location? Plus the lighting could make me look washed out depending on the way it reflects the swimsuits colors."

        "Ami, I'm sure wearing the same one to both will be fine."

        "No!" she whined. "I need two of them!"

        "Okay. Okay. Show me which ones you brought with after I shower and get dressed."

        "Alright! I'll look for them in the meantime."

        You rolled your eyes and got out of the bed. You swear that she was one of the most disorganized people you've ever met. After a nice, hot, relaxing shower, you towel dried your hair while you walked out of the bathroom and into the main room fully clothed. Amilia had torn through her suitcase's contents in order to find all five of her swimsuits, leaving a rather large mess on the floor. She turned to your from her position on the floor and smiled, still in her towel.

        "I found them!"

        "Yeah but at the expense of making a mess of the room. Why did you even bring that many?"

        "Because I needed options!"

        "If you say so. Anyway, let me see them so we can make this decision quickly. I assume you're starting to get cold."

        "Only a little!"

        She laid out the five swimsuits she brought on her bed and let you look at them. You picked out two of the more neutral colored pieces and handed them to her. She smiled and took one into the bathroom, the other finding itself stuffed into her day bag along with a towel. You packed your own swimsuit in your bag with a towel, figuring that there would be a place to change wherever you went paddle boarding. Once the two of you were ready, you headed down to breakfast. Alfred then explained the plans for the day, which included stand-up paddle boarding for most of the morning, followed by a picnic lunch in Esplanadi park. Hiking would then ensue at Nuuksio National Park before grabbing dinner by the seaside. Afterward, the group would relax at Allas Sea Pool to experience the sauna and seawater pools.

        Most of your group changed into their swimsuits at the paddle board rental place before getting a safety lesson from the instructor and some pointers. Tino led the group out to the archipelago islands nearby to explore the coasts. He let everyone paddle around on their own but warned them to stay close to the islands. You ended up paddling around with him between two of the islands.

        "Isn't the great outdoors nice?" he asked, marveling at some of the wildlife wandering around the coast line and in the trees.

        "Very. There's something so calming about it," you answered, paddling a little ahead of him.

        "What's your favorite season?" he questioned after a moment of silence.

        "Autumn. I love watching the color change of the leaves and the smell of the air on a breezy day. How about you?"

        "Winter!"

        "Why?"

        "Why not? It may be the coldest time of the year, but that's just an excuse to stay inside and snuggle up by a warm fire. Or you could go out and build a snowman and go sledding when the snow isn't too wet or too powdery. Plus seeing the reflection of the Northern Lights in a frozen lake or a field of untouched snow is breathtaking. Not to mention there's Christmas!"

         You hummed, smiling as Tino came up beside you on his board. "Maybe I'll have to come back in winter sometime."

        "Please do! You could stay with me, and I could show you all my favorite winter activities!"

        "I'd love that. I'll give you my number once we're back at the rental place."

        "I'll do the same!"

        Time flew by, and before you knew it the group was back together and at the rental place. You unfortunately fell off your board on the way there, but you weren't the only one to do so. Luckily the rental shop had a stand-in dryer that blew warm air at you from all different directions. Everyone who had gotten soaked used it before heading to a supermarket to grab lunch and eat it at Esplanadi.

        The group was then bused to Nuuksio National Park, where Tino once again led the group, this time on a hike around the lakes, trails, and gorges. Poor Darcy had practically been eaten alive by bugs, given she refused to use bug repellent. One bus trip later and a quick stop at a pharmacy to pick up an anti-itch ointment, the group was back in Helsinki and at a seaside restaurant near Allas Sea Pool, which happened to be by the Helsinki SkyWheel. Once everyone's food settled, you headed to Allas Sea Pool for the evening. You tried out one of the seawater pools, which were kind of set up like an infinity pool, before deciding to swim in a freshwater pool. You washed off in the shower room before switching pools though, not wanting to contaminate one or the other. You spent most of the night in the freshwater pool before getting out to take in the last rays of sun for the day to dry off. Back at the hotel, you showered again before dozing off in bed, dreaming of your final day in Finland.

~Author's Note~

DreamsForDays here! We're on time once again folks! I'm on a roll for updating on time. Also, don't forget that voting starts in a few chapters! I've started to compile a list of things I think we all could be interested in, but in the meantime, just enjoy the chapter! Thanks for reading! Feedback in the comments is always appreciated! Until next time!