Page 61 of Ship Happens

Kaitlyn breaks out her phone, snapping photos of everyone as the boat makes it further out into the water, everyone striking various poses together.

“Owen! Get closer to Jacob!” she urges, stretching her arm out to get all of them into frame. “Closer!” Kaitlyn urges when Owen barely moves at all. “Come on, some of us have short arms!”

Owen sighs, scooting closer to Jacob, and even leaning in so that he can see himself on Kaitlyn’s screen. He looks so uncomfortable, standing there, close enough that he can see the mark on Jacob’s ear where piercings he got as a teenager have been closed up for over a decade.

“Want me to get one of all of you?” the tour guide asks.

“Yes! Please!” Kaitlyn tells her, eagerly handing over her phone before she directs everyone to stand in front of the railing. Kevin inches closer, forcing Owen to nearly press his chest against Jacob’s shoulder. Then, he feels a hand on his waist, Jacob’s, gripping him securely, pulling Owen in close.

Oh God, Owen thinks, noticing the hitch in his breath.

When Kaitlyn flips through the dozen or so photos she managed to get, Owen can see the discomfort on his face, the spike of adrenaline and anxiety in his eyes. If anyone else does, they don’t mention it, maybe because they don’t have the chance to.

As they’re standing there, Owen wondering if he could swim the miles back to shore just to get away from Jacob, the entire group is sprayed with a heavy jet of water. There’s an assortment of surprised yelps as everyone on deck is drenched.

“Looks like our friends are finally here!” the tour guide shouts out. “These guys are gray whales. They’re pretty curious when it comes to boats, so they might get a little close, but don’t worry, they’re friendly!”

Hands braced against the railing of the boat, Owen watches as the whale that just sprayed them starts to sink below the surface of the brackish water, the waves rocking their vessel back and forth. Further out, another whale emerges. It’s amazing just how stunning the creatures still are even when only a fraction of their bodies is visible.

“Whoa . . .” Owen whispers, mouth agape as he watches them.

“They’re stunning, aren’t they?” Jacob asks, his hand just an inch or two from Owen’s. “You know they have one of the longest migration paths of any mammal? They’ll swim like ten thousand miles, sometimes more. A lot of the time they’re hunted while they’re traveling.”

“I thought Kaitlyn was joking when she said you’d switched to mammals,” Owen replies, hoping that they can just breeze past their last conversation.

“You know my doctorate is in biology, right? Not just cephalopods.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Owen smirks. “What’s it like? When you’re out on the boat? Out in the field?”

Jacob snorts, shaking his head. “‘Out in the field’?”

“Don’t make fun of me!”

“It’s cold, I’m always wet no matter what I do. So . . . you know, lots of fun,” Jacob replies, his words slow.

“Doesn’t sound like it,” he says. “But I know you wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

“Yeah . . .” Jacob’s expression shifts to something a little more thoughtful. “Well, I guess—” Another spurt of water shoots through the air, spraying the boat way more directly, almost like the whales did it on purpose.

“Ah! They’re feeling playful today!” their guide says, everyone laughing and clapping.

“What were you—” Owen starts to ask Jacob, but he’s so focused on the water, his smile bright, the corners disappearing into his dimples. Owen stops himself, realizing that this moment is too special to interrupt.

“All right, everyone, we’re going to back up a bit, give our friends some space to swim,” their tour guide explains. “Get your pictures in while you can.”

The boat hitches, and most of the group takes the opportunity to snap photos as more of the pod begins to surface, spraying water into the air. This time, the boat is far enough away that the spray is just a dense mist by the time it reaches them. And suddenly, hearing the break in the water before he actually sees the creature breach the surface, Owen gawks as one of the whales soars into the air. Of course, it’s so large that only the top half breaches the surface of the water, but it’s still glorious as it spins, turning onto its back before it collides hard with the ocean.

“They’re so big!” Kaitlyn exclaims.

“Well, yeah!” Abigail rolls her eyes. “They’re whales.”

“Do you think I could ride one?” Kevin asks, acting like he’s going to climb over the side of the boat before Jacob stops him. Owen takes a few more photos with his phone, immediately contemplating a flash page full of whale tattoos.

“Want a picture of you with them?” Jacob asks.

“Oh, no,” Owen tells him. “It’s fine.”

“Come on, when are you gonna be this close to whales ever again?”