We'd been on the road a week and I already didn't want it to stop. The jetty where we sat, legs dangling into the high tide was literally in the middle of nowhere. Not a single person around and we'd parked the campervan right up at the end of the jetty, pulling over for lunch and a nap for Sophia.
We were heading to do some whale watching, a private tour booked for the three of us and I couldn't wait. Living here my whole life, this was still something I hadn't gotten around to doing. Being with Tae opened up so many opportunities to do things you might never have done before, mind lingering on your private tour up the Sydney Harbour Bridge. But for now, while she slept, you were letting the sun wash over you, Tae in a baseball cap to protect his skin, your feet and ankles swishing in the cool water. It was too cold to swim in but it didn't matter. As you leaned against each other, this was enough.
Today it had been your turn to make lunch, Tae and Sophia stretched out on the grass as he read a book to her. The groceries were running low and you needed to do a shop for all of the fresh items so for today it would be ramen, cooked Tae's way. Thinking back to earlier in the week, you'd been educated about the proper way to cook noodles.
"What are you doing," Tae had asked, coming up behind you in the small kitchen space, looking over your shoulder. The ramen was cooked and you were about to drain off the liquid so it was how you normally ate it.
"Getting rid of the extra," I replied, going to tip it a little more and Tae stopped you with a loud laugh.
"Is that how you normally eat ramen? Cook it, drain it, eat it," he asked, taking the pot from my hand and resting it on the metal counter.
"Well, yeah. Why are you smirking?"
"I'm not smirking. I'm smiling at your cuteness," he replied, gently moving me out of his way and reaching for bowls. He poured servings into three bowls, dividing the liquid between them. I frowned, unsure if Sophia would like it that way. It was more like a stew and she liked how I made it. He caught my look. "Trust me, the broth is one of the best parts. And I could eat ramen cooked like this at least once a day and be happy."
I believed him. Tae had packed half a suitcase of food from home when he'd come as he wasn't sure whether he'd find his favourites here but was surprised at the amount of stores that were dotted around the country where he could find them after all. Ramen was a staple in the tiny campervan pantry.
"But with the liquid it's too wet," I said, still sure I preferred it my way.
"Don't you like when it's wet," he replied, biting his lip at me.
"You. Are. Terrible," I groaned out, smacking him on the arm at his comment.
"Terrible but you love it."
"Terrible but I love you," I corrected, kissing him briefly and losing my breath as he pulled me in for a longer and deeper kiss. When we surfaced, the noodles had cooled down a little and I had to admit, they smelled good. And they had tasted good that way, Sophia surprising me by copying Tae and slurping up the rest of the liquid in the bottom of her bowl.
Smiling at the thought, I had cooked ramen Tae's way, Tae eyeing it with a chef's look before pronouncing himself satisfied. Then we'd settled Sophia for her sleep and come to sit here together.
"I'm very excited to see whales close up," Tae said, looking across the water to the bays across from the jetty.
"Me too although boats and I are not friends. I get a little seasick and I'm a bit nervous. Whales are so big."
"I will hold your hand," he said sweetly, linking them together and bringing them to his mouth, pressing his lips to my knuckles.
"I know you will oppa," soft smile breaking out across his face at my words. My stomach fluttered at the way he held my gaze, eyes flicking closed as I leaned against his shoulder, the breeze perfect to keep the heat of the sun at bay. I was still always so effected by him but I didn't want that feeling to ever stop.
"We'll take lots of photos, I may never do this again," he said quietly against my hair.
"I've heard it's impressive to see them in Alaska," I answered, feeling sleepy under the midday sun.
"I'll take you there."
"What if I want to take you there," I said, pulling away to raise an eyebrow. His money still bothered me and it was stupid but I was stubborn.
"You can take me then, I'll gladly go anywhere with you," Tae placated and he wrapped his arm around my back, lowering me gently to the jetty floor. His baseball cap was quickly discarded as his lips found mine, blocking the sun as he stretched above me. "Anywhere," he said again and there was no way I could stay annoyed when his mouth moved over mine that way, making us both lose track of the time.
Two hours later, we were on board a boat, life jackets on and heading out into the ocean, slightly rough water causing us to move around a lot. Sophia was sitting on Tae's knee, having already strayed too close to the side too many times. I was definitely second guessing whether this was a good idea but while we were sitting, at least she was contained. We'd been told we didn't have to go too far from the coastline, the whales probably knowing they'd get fed if they stayed close.
My stomach was starting to move around a little and I took, deep breaths of the air, trying to settle it. The last thing I wanted to do was throw up in front of everyone. Tae was holding Sophia with one arm and his free hand came up to rub my back lightly as I started to feel like I was going to turn green. "Jagiya," he asked, concern in his voice but I couldn't turn my head to look at him. Or even answer, taking more air in as my face started to feel flushed. Any minute now and I was going to have to head to the side, and quickly.
Thankfully, the captain stalled the engine and we glided a little before coming to a stop. The waves still bounced the boat around a little but it was better than when we had been bouncing quickly over the water earlier. "I'm OK," I said, standing up and walking to the edge of the boat, taking the rail in my hand as I breathed a little easier.
"BugBug, you need to stay on my back for now, OK," Tae asked, swinging her up.
"OK, TaeTae," she said easily, trusting in what he asked, linking her arms around his neck and clinging on like a koala. One arm came up to anchor her in place, the other resting on my lower back as they joined us, all looking down into the water. Nothing stirred in the turquoise depth and I hoped this trip wasn't a bust.
"Whales mama," Sophia asked, snuggled into Tae as she looked over his shoulder into the water.
"Soon I think Sophia," I answered, the captain coming over to chat about what to expect.
"I took a group out this morning and again at lunchtime, this is definitely the spot to see them," he said, sun baked face tanned and leathery looking, like he was born on this boat.
"Sperm whales live around here at this time of year," and we nodded, searching the sea.
"BugBug, can you see the birds over there," Tae asked, turning his head to talk to her, taking his hand off my back to indicate where he was looking.
"Those are albatross," the captain said, the giant birds wingspan captivating us as they soared across in front of the boat, heading back towards land.
"Wah, they're huge," Tae said, following them with his eyes at the same time as the captain spoke.
"Ah, I hope you have your cameras ready," and the water erupted a few hundred metres from us as a whale breached, it's tail shimmying back down into the water as it dove down again.
Clutching the side, we were captivated, exclaiming over and over as several more breached the water nearby, different sizes, travelling together in a pod. Sophia wiggled to get down and Tae put her hands on the railing, his on top, boxing her in as I reached for my phone. I snapped constantly, capturing as many as I could, Tae taking his phone out of his pocket to do the same, grin enormous. The spray from the water was drizzled across his skin, making it look dewy and his hair was damp as he ran his hand through it. "This is amazing jagi," he yelled over the noises of the water, Sophia giggling and pointing, the whales splashing, the cacophony real. I breathed it in, nodding in agreement.
Quickly taking some selfies, he looked down at Sophia, wriggling in front of him. "Up mama," she asked and I swung her up onto my hip, one hand securing us to the side of the boat. My hair whipped up in the air current and Tae moved closer.
"Do you have a hairtie," he asked, pulling my hair away from my face into a ponytail so I could still see.
"In my pocket," I indicated with my head, hands full and he reached into it, pulling one out and deftly tying my hair up.
"Thank you nae sarang, you're good at that," I thanked him, kissing his cheek as he leaned closer, eyes momentarily diverted from the creatures in front of us.
"At tying things up. You know I am," he hinted into my ear and I laughed as he joined in, our sound mixing together and disappearing into the wind.
As a large whale came near enough to the boat to see the blowhole, we gaped down at the beautiful creature sliding alongside the boat, longer than I could've imagined, dwarfing our boat and I suddenly felt very small. Small and in awe of what I was watching.
"Want to touch the whale mama," Sophia yelled and I chuckled.
"We all do baby but some things are just meant to be looked at."
"Do you want me to take some photos of all of you," the captain asked and we nodded enthusiastically as I handed over my phone. We turned with our back to the water, leaning back on the railing.
"Take heaps," I said, knowing this could be a once in a lifetime moment. He nodded as he clicked and clicked, Tae wrapping us both in his arms, all of us smiling with the joy of the moment.
As he handed the phone back, Tae scrolled through it and stopped on one. "Marley, look," he said in a hushed voice. The image had managed to capture all three of us, huge smiles and in the background, a whale could clearly be seen disappearing back into the water behind us.
"Oh, that's perfect, thank you," I said to the captain and he nodded with a grin. It was probably common for him but for us, it was a beautiful moment in the first week of our travels. I was blowing that one up to go on the wall in the camper.
Later that night, my stomach still felt a little unsettled from the earlier seasickness. I'd skipped dinner and I wriggled now as I settled into bed, unable to get fully comfortable. Tae climbed into bed next to me, propping himself up, resting his hand over top of my stomach, rubbing it a few times. "Still sore," he asked, going to move his hand but I held it there, his warmth and it's weight helping a little.
I nodded, snuggling against him as he continued to lightly rub, his lips against my ear. "Marley," he said quietly as I relaxed into his touch.
"Mmmhhhmmmm," I mumbled back.
"Do you need me to distract you from it?" His fingers moved from my stomach to my hips, flexing as if he was about to tickle me.
I flicked an eye open to see him leaning above me, like he had earlier on the jetty. He wasn't smirking or even smiling and I couldn't tell where this was going.
"A distraction," I asked as he lightly brushed my hip. His lips attached themselves to my neck and my eyes closed with a smile as they moved down my body, the flutter in my stomach changing to a different kind of feeling. The distraction was definitely going to work.
