If only I knew

Chapter Thirty-six

I boarded my flight from Shanghai airport and arrived in Frankfurt airport thirteen hours later. JC flew out from Beijing and arrived in Frankfurt just an hour before me. He was waiting outside my gate when I stepped out. 

"How was your flight?" he gave me a hug and a pat on my back. He had his hoodie over his head, no mask on so I can see his stubbles. He hasn't shave yet, but that in a way gave him the cover to hide his identity as well. 

It had been quite difficult to coordinate our flights - timing and place. And once again, we had to trouble Zhou-jie, who simply was an expert and did it within an hour max. That's why she's the manager. 

Then from Frankfurt, we wait for about four hours to catch our flight to Reykjavik - the capital of Iceland. 

"Are you hungry?"

I shook my head. "There was plenty of food on the plane," I chuckled. "More tired than hungry."

"Let's find a place to sit down and chill for a while." 

I nodded. 

We ended up at Costa coffee. It was crowded but we managed to find a corner away from the main crowd. He got an Americano while I got just a Chamomile tea, warm and soothing for my stomach. My stomach is always weird on travels. 

Finally it was time to board our flight. I felt bad that he had to come in Economy with me. He had wanted to pay for my flight tickets but I insisted no. He was paying for most part of the trip already. Of course I know he earns so way much more than me but he saves a lot too, gives a portion to his family as well, goes to his doggies, and he's very generous with treating his friends and co-workers. And I felt that I need to contribute for my part on the trip as well. I can't have him pay for everything! 

The flight time from Frankfurt to Reykjavik was about four hours. I dozed off as soon as the plane took off. He managed to catch half a movie before dozing off as well. 

We arrived in Reykjavik around four pm local time. Then we had to go and collect our rental car. By the time we actually drove off, it was nearly half past five. Since it had been a long day, my plan was to rest and relax in town for the rest of the day. It took forty minutes drive to get to town and by then it was already dark. This season was still in winter though the ends of the season and with luck we might still be able to catch the northern lights. 

We parked at our accommodation, a small little apartment we booked beforehand. We planned our itinerary and accommodations together, though most was me who did the research and he just added on his ideas. After we checked in and dropped off our bags, we headed for the streets. 

Though it's the capital and town, it was pretty quiet. And I hardly saw any Asians. That was a good thing. Because we wanted to be as discreet as possible. He still kept his hoodie on. But partly because it was so bloody cold. I had my beanie, and my scarf. He wore the one I made for him. I was pleased. 

We found a nice cozy restaurant nearby to settle for dinner. And man, the prices were... very very heart breaking - it's so expensive...! No wonder when I did research, a lot of people just buy from the supermarket and cook their own meals.. We do plan to do that when we are off camping. 

"Gosh... it's so expensive..." I grumbled when our food came. The portion was small too. 

"It's Iceland," he chuckled. "Anyway we are on holiday so let's not think too much about the cost." 

"Still..."

But I have to admit, the taste is good. Imagine it doesn't taste nice. That will be a double blow. 

We took a stroll along the street after dinner. Most of the shops were closed by then except for restaurants. But we didn't mind. I think the last time we were out walking so leisurely was probably in Beihai - his hometown, where he asked me to be his girlfriend, tsk tsk. Very memorable.