9

IRIS HAD ORGANISED the trip to Hraunvik with Bjarkey. It was Tuesday morning, and she'd not heard from Siggi since their volcano trip on Saturday. And she missed him.

When he said he thought there had been something between them, she couldn't bring herself to open up and say that yes, she felt something too. It felt too dangerous. What if he'd gone on to say, I thought there was something between us, but I think you have the wrong idea? That would have been terrible. The safest thing was to deny it until she made sense of the feelings she had for him. She had long ago resigned herself to being single. Flings didn't interest her because she knew from bitter experience that when she liked someone, she fell hard. So it was easier to glide above any emotions like that until she felt ready, one day, to let her career take a back seat. That time wasn't now.

The problem — and it was a nice one to have — was that Siggi had forced her to dip into her emotions, and that hadn't happened for a long time. He was so kind and thoughtful, and that wasn't something she came across very often. She led a very independent, sometimes lonely life and wasn't used to anyone going out of their way for her. She didn't know Siggi well enough to know whether this was usual behaviour, in which case she'd be an idiot to think he was treating her any differently to anyone else. But the alternative, that maybe she was special to him, and that was why he took her to see one of the most amazing volcanoes she was ever likely to see, was just as hard to accept.

Bjarkey picked Iris up, and they travelled to Hraunvik on the same route as she'd taken with Siggi the week before. It was a grey, overcast day and it felt as if the sun hadn't quite risen. It made the landscape look more desolate and imposing, without the sun to glint off the lying snow or to illuminate the drifts that were swept in clouds from the sides of the mountains in the wind.

Since it had looked so cold, Iris had put an extra layer on just to be sure, and packed a spare set of clothes in her backpack in case they got drenched either by snow or rain. She'd also been to the closest bakery and bought two cinnamon buns. She hoped Bjarkey would think about bringing a hot drink for them both since Iris had no means to do that herself, but she packed some water as a backup.

They chatted easily about their work. Bjarkey periodically pointed things out as they crossed the Reykjanes peninsula, showing Iris areas where there had been activity before and a couple of places where their own seismometers were located.

When they arrived in Hraunvik, Iris directed Bjarkey to the street where her seismometer was located. There was nothing to see, but Iris wanted to check in with the homeowner to make sure they were still happy to have it in their garden, and to check that it hadn't been disturbed at all. The data she was getting looked good, so she didn't expect anything to be wrong.

‘Do you mind coming with me?' she asked Bjarkey when they pulled up outside.

‘Sure! We may as well leave the car here while we survey.'

They got their things together, then Iris went up to the door of the house she'd been to with Siggi and knocked. The same man answered.

‘Hello. I just wanted to check that it's still okay to leave my equipment here?'

He nodded. ‘Of course.'

‘Thank you. I'll just check on it and then we'll be off.'

He frowned, and Bjarkey took over in Icelandic. The conversation extended beyond a quick translation of the last sentence, so Iris smiled politely and went back down the steps over to her seismometer, which was exactly as she'd left it.

‘Everything all right?' She asked Bjarkey when she'd finished talking and come over to see the equipment.

‘He was asking where your friend was. Siggi is it?'

Iris blushed. ‘Oh yes. He works for a tour company and he agreed to come out here with me when I set this up.'

‘Apparently, he knows the family in the house next door. That's how the guy knows him.'

‘Oh, he didn't say.' Well, that was confusing. If Siggi knew who lived in that house, why had he been so reluctant to knock on the door?

‘I wonder why he did not suggest putting it in their garden?' Bjarkey said with a frown.

‘We did try their door, but there was no one in. Here is as good as there.' Why she felt the need to defend Siggi, she had no idea.

‘Of course,' Bjarkey said with a smile. ‘So this is your special seismometer. What made you decide to site it here?'

‘Based on your data, I tried to triangulate a location where we might expect to see the most activity and this was the ideal place.'

‘Ah. And has this picked up anything more than we have seen from our own monitoring?'

‘Yes. What you saw the other day, that trend is increasing, and the activity is becoming more regular. There is a seismic event every few hours, according to the data.'

‘That is what we were predicting would happen, so it is exciting that you have data that supports it. Maybe tomorrow you could come into the office again and we can have a proper look?'

‘Of course, I'd be happy to.' Iris knew this was her big chance to prove that her method worked. To be here, in such close proximity to where something big was going to happen, knowing it was only a matter of time before her predictions would become reality, was exhilarating. If she pinpointed the event accurately enough, gave people time to evacuate, it could make all the difference to the town, and would give her the data she needed to support her research paper.

‘We will walk around the town to see if there are any physical signs yet that support what we have seen so far in the monitoring. And perhaps stop somewhere for a coffee?'

‘Lovely!' said Iris. She hadn't imagined that this remote little town would have much to offer, but Bjarkey took her to a cafe called Hjá H?llu . It was located back on the main road they'd come in on, near the only roundabout in town, and offered everything from pastries to lunches. The wonderful scent of homemade bread hit them as they went in, making Iris feel hungry. She and Bjarkey both ordered coffee and a pastry each. Iris chose something that looked like a figure-of-eight of light flaky pastry with what she hoped was custard, filling the holes. Bjarkey was far more restrained and opted for something that looked like a tiny pain au chocolat.

Once they'd settled themselves at a table, Bjarkey asked, ‘Which tour company did you use to come out here last week?'

‘Iceland Adventures. I'd emailed a few places to ask, and they were the only ones that responded and actually, they said no.' Iris smiled because it seemed pretty funny now that she knew Siggi.

‘I expect they thought you were a tourist.'

‘That's what they said. I had to ask them to google me to prove my credentials.'

Bjarkey laughed. ‘I do not know what other way there would be to prove it, but I am not sure I would have thought of suggesting that.'

‘And I'm not sure they said no because of the risk, because on Saturday Siggi took me to Fagradalsfjall .'

‘ On a tour?'

‘Not really. More of a day out.'

‘So you guys are friends now?' Bjarkey raised an eyebrow and smiled.

‘Yes, I think so.'

Bjarkey raised her eyebrows and tipped her head, encouraging Iris to elaborate.

‘It's a bit awkward. We held hands at the volcano and then on the way home, I think he was trying to tell me he likes me.' It felt odd, sharing what felt like intimacies with Bjarkey, but Iris liked her and wanted to forge a friendship, so she didn't think too hard about it.

‘You think? What did he say?'

Iris thought for a moment. Because what did he say? ‘I'm not sure I gave him the chance to explain himself properly. The thing is, I travel a lot. There never seems any point starting anything with someone I'm going to leave in a week or two.'

‘Not for some fun?' Iris may have looked shocked, because Bjarkey quickly added, ‘I am sorry. I have been married a long time. I love my husband, but I live for conversations like this.'

Iris laughed at Bjarkey's candour. ‘I don't know if I'd be able to have the fun without the feelings that might go along with it. I don't want to get hurt, and I don't want anyone else to.'

‘Does it need to be so deep?' Bjarkey asked gently.

‘It does.' Because what was the point otherwise? Letting down the defences that she had spent so long building could be disastrous if it was for the wrong man. The last thing she wanted was to have made herself as resilient as possible, only to have her heart broken by someone who wasn't as invested in a relationship as she was.

Bjarkey dropped Iris off at the hotel, and after they'd made plans for her to go into the IMO office the following day, she dumped her things in her room and headed back out in search of food. The fish and chips she'd had on the first night had been so delicious, it was tempting to head there again, but there were other places she'd seen as she'd walked around that she was keen to try too. She headed for the church, Hallgrímskirkja , remembering that she'd seen somewhere at the other end of the road from there that she wanted to try. It was on the street where the road was painted with rainbow stripes. The only way Iris could remember where that was, was to use the church as a reference.

101 Reykjavik Street Food was a cross between a street-food eatery and a casual restaurant. Iris ordered the house special, which was fish stew and rye bread. Authentic Icelandic food was something she had yet to try, and this felt like a safe choice. She sat on a high stool at the bar that faced the window so that she could watch the world go by. The food was delicious. Hearty, full of flavour, and it warmed her from the inside out. It was the best meal she'd had, well, since the fish and chips.

When she finished eating, she sipped her beer and gazed out of the window. She was so busy daydreaming that she jumped out of her skin when someone rapped on the window.

‘Oh my god!' she said, smacking her hand to her chest. Siggi was on the other side of the glass, laughing so hard he was shaking.

Iris began laughing and tapped on the window, trying to encourage him inside. He finally noticed and came in, taking the stool beside her. He brought the cold in, like an aura around him.

‘You have already eaten?' he asked, pulling his hat and gloves off and unzipping his coat, but not taking it off.

‘Yes. I had the fish stew.'

‘That is good here,' he said. ‘And what are you doing when you have finished that beer?'

‘Heading back to the hotel. What are you doing?'

‘I am on my way to see Brun play at the open mic night. Want to come?'

Iris was quite surprised. It was hard to imagine Brun as a performer. ‘He sings?'

‘And plays guitar. I think everyone will be there, apart from Ned and Anna. They are still in London.'

It was too tempting an idea to pass up. Iris knew it was going to further blur the lines of friendship between her and Siggi, but when he was sitting there next to her, his blue eyes glistening, creased in the corners because he was smiling at her, it was hard to listen to the logic that she was trying to remind herself of.

‘I'd love to come, thanks.' She finished the last of her beer and put her coat on. It felt good to be doing something on the spur of the moment. And it felt great to be with Siggi again.

As they began walking down the road, towards the Harpa, Iris wished they hadn't had that conversation at the volcano, because right now, she'd love to be holding his hand. More than anything, she wished she had waited to see what Siggi was going to say instead of assuming the worst. Why did she think so little of herself that she would let herself believe he had already regretted the hand-holding at that point?

‘Are you alright?' he asked.

‘Yes, sorry. Just lost in thought for a second.'

‘So what have you been doing since I saw you?'

‘I went to Hraunvik today with Bjarkey, from the IMO. We visited my seismometer and did a brief survey to establish whether there has been any significant movement.'

‘And?' Having family in Hraunvik gave him a vested interest.

Iris made a mental note to temper the information she shared with him with that in mind. It was important not to be alarmist. ‘There is nothing at the moment, but the activity is becoming more regular. I'm going to the IMO tomorrow to look at the data with them.'

He nodded. ‘So, I am wondering where we will go on our next excursion.'

Iris frowned in confusion. ‘Our next excursion? I didn't realise it was a regular thing.'

‘Of course. But this is what we will do now that we are friends. Do you have time this week, or maybe Saturday again?'

‘So we're friends who do stuff like that together? Coupley stuff.'

‘I do not know what makes it… coupley. Don't friends do things like this? It is no different to you going to the beach with your friend in Hawaii.'

‘You're right,' she said, smiling. ‘It's the same.' But it wasn't the same. She hadn't looked forward to seeing Dylan in the same way that she was already looking forward to what she and Siggi were going to do next, even though she didn't know what it was yet. And her heart hadn't leapt at the sight of Dylan like it had when she'd seen Siggi tonight, and not just because he made her jump. No one had made her feel like that for a long time.

They crossed the road and headed past the Harpa towards an unassuming single-storey building that backed onto the water.

Inside, the bar was busy and cosy, with low-lighting. The bar itself stretched along one wall, stopping short of reaching the far wall to allow space for a stage area in the corner where a woman was singing. There were a few large tables at the back of the room and smaller ones nearer the front.

Siggi waved at his friends who were sitting at a table near the back of the room, and then asked Iris what she'd like to drink, and ordered the same thing for himself.

‘This place is really cool,' she said. It was the kind of place you'd hope to stumble across on your travels, but in reality, unless you were a local, it was unlikely.

‘Yes, it is,' Siggi said, grinning at her. ‘Shall we go and join them?'

Iris nodded and led the way to the table where Gudrun, Rachel, Brun, Jonas, and Olafur were waiting. Rachel and Gudrun greeted her as if she were an old friend, and she remembered what Siggi had said; that just a night out with them would make you want to stay in Iceland. After one night out already, Iris could totally understand that. She wanted to be friends with these people, and not just for a couple of weeks. She was almost as excited to see them as she had been to see Siggi tonight. This wasn't what happened if you spent a couple of weeks somewhere. You didn't come away with lifelong friends. You didn't think you might be falling in love with a man who you'd spent only a few hours with. Was Siggi right? There was some kind of strange Icelandic magic going on, or did this kind of thing happen to people all the time? Iris had spent so long concentrating on work, perhaps she'd closed herself off from more than falling in love with someone. And perhaps now was the perfect chance to make up for lost time.