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Benjamin and Julia had returned to Botnia Paradise after a couple years, but this time not as staff.. at least not in every sense of the word. They were there as passengers, simply to have fun and enjoy each other's company. Still, in some way they would always be part of the crew. They'd always been well-liked. And they were treated as such, with incredible warmth and familiarity from everyone. Sinikka had welcomed them back with warm, tight hugs that had almost squeezed the life out of them both.
The day before they'd been served the best possible candlelight dinner at the restaurant before they'd finally returned to their cabin. It was no Botnia suite, they had politely turned it down and been just fine with a normal cabin. They had stayed up quite late, talked about different things and laughed a lot, until they had finally fallen asleep in each other's arms.
The next morning Julia woke up alone. With still closed eyes she tried to search for Benjamin, but couldn't find him. Immediately she missed the warmth of his body next to her.
"Benjamin..?"
she called out in half a whisper, but the room remained quiet. Julia then crawled out of bed and got herself ready for the day in silence, still constantly wondering where Benjamin had gone off to. As she prepared to leave the cabin, her eyes trailed off to the light green post-it note left on the door. She smiled as she immediately recognized Benjamin's lively but neat handwriting.
Good morning! I'm sorry I'm not there when you wake up. But I have planned you a little scavenger hunt around Botnia Paradise,
Julia read the first words.
We'll start with something easy. Head to a place where you first showed me the ropes. There you will find your next clue, nested next to a golden egg."
"Next to a golden egg..? Of course,"
Julia spoke to herself as she left the cabin and confidently headed to where their story really had begun. On the way she sunnily greeted the crew members she passed by. A few minutes later she already opened the door leading to Svante club. She walked further in and straight to where the giant golden egg was stored. And there she saw it; a folded piece of paper sitting safely right by the egg. She picked it up and realized just how her heart was beating. A scavenger hunt sounded fun, but what was it for? She was sure she'd find out by the time she'd reach the end. And the only way to get there was to keep following the clues. So, she unfolded the paper.
"Indulge only if you're feeling brave. Fish out the clue from where the seafood lives."
The smile remained on Julia's face. She knew exactly where to go. Either Benjamin wasn't very good at coming up with actually challenging clues or Julia simply had a home field advantage because she had been working on Botnia Paradise for longer than he had. But whichever of those options was more true, it didn't matter in the slightest. This was all in good fun. With some pep in her step, she started making her way to Deck 8.
Once there, she walked straight up to the buffet.
"Where the seafood lives, the clue said.."
she spoke under her breath. And after a little bit of fumbling around, she found a Minigrip zip lock bag hidden under the shrimp. She opened the bag and pulled out another folded paper. At least, thanks to Benjamin planning ahead, it wasn't all covered in shrimp juice.
"A cabin with windows. Look for a little photo of us. Flip it around to find your clue."
"A cabin with windows,"
she repeated and couldn't hold back the giggle bubbling up in her chest. Her mind played back to the very first time she had seen Benjamin fully give in to his fanboying. It had been adorable then, and it still was adorable now. In some way, she realized, this was also a little trip down their shared memory lane. As she kept looking at the clue, she noticed how Benjamin had drawn a little heart next to us. She meant a lot to him. And he was just as important to her.
She walked towards the Botnia suite with a smitten smile on her face, holding all the clues close to her chest.
Luckily, no one was staying in the suite at the time. She opened the door quietly and walked into the cabin. Once the door had closed behind her, she started looking around for the photo. She did soon find it leaning against the window. She picked it up. There they were, cheek to cheek, looking at the camera with wide smiles on their faces. It was Julia's favorite photo of them. After looking at it for long enough, she finally turned it around, eyes already focusing on the handwriting.
"Unfit for a schlager diva. Take a dip if you dare."
Benjamin was getting better with his clues. However, it still didn't take awfully long for Julia to piece everything together. She descended to Deck 6 as she heard the Botnia Spa & Wellness calling her name.
"Take a dip,"
she mumbled as she entered the completely empty spa. She wasn't sure if it still was getting any more use than it had when she had worked on the ship, but something made her doubt it. She approached the infamous, drained hot tub and peeked in. And like she had suspected, she saw her next clue waiting for her.
"You made it all the way here! I knew you would. Head to a place where you first said that you love me. Look for me there."
As she read those words, Julia's mind took her right back to the storm, to the moment where they both had confessed their love for one another. Back then neither of them had known if they'd even see the next sunrise. Better to die knowing how they really felt, than in uncertainty.
Julia's heart started beating faster as she hurried to the top deck. She wasted no time and almost dashed through the ship. Once she reached her destination, she found Benjamin standing at the front of the ship, with his back turned. And he was wearing the Svante costume.
"Benjamin, what's going on?"
Julia couldn't help but wonder, her voice filled with both laughter and curiosity. Benjamin then turned to face her and they approached each other. Once they'd closed the distance, Benjamin took Julia's hands in his own and looked at her in the eyes. He smiled at her.
"Julia, hear me.. There's something I have to tell you. As I came to know you better, I realized something. You were the answer I'd been looking for. So, I wanted to come back where we first met. I've been looking for home, and.. I know now that it's not somewhere out there. It's where you are."
Benjamin spoke clearly and straight from the heart while Julia could only look at him. He then let go of her hands, but only to get down on one knee. Julia gasped and instinctively moved her hands to cover her mouth.
"My heart belongs with you and I want to navigate the storms of life by your side. So.. Will you follow me where the sea takes us and marry me?"
He presented her with a ring. Julia was almost unable to believe what she was hearing and seeing. But once the realization actually set in, she pounced at Benjamin, pulled him back on his sweet and hugged him. Even if it was a little awkward while he was still wearing the swan costume. Still, Benjamin put the ring on her finger, after which she helped him out of the costume. This gave the pair a proper chance to embrace each other tightly.
"How long have you been planning this?"
Julia asked with her arms around Benjamin's waist.
"Two months, or three,"
he told her sheepishly.
"It was so hard to keep it a secret. And I was so nervous that someone else would break and just tell you, spoiling the surprise."
"The crew.. Were they in on this?"
She then asked another question, and Benjamin nodded.
"They were. I slipped to see them when you were busy and distracted, and let them in on everything. Thankfully they were immediately on board, because I really wanted to propose to you here. Did you.. ever guess what would be waiting for you at the end of the scavenger hunt?"
Julia had to shake her head.
"Not even once, I just thought that you'd wanted to think of something fun for me to do."
She then pulled Benjamin into a kiss.
"I love you so much,"
Benjamin said in a breathy voice once they pulled apart for a few seconds.
"And I love you, you silly swan,"
Julia responded before pulling Benjamin back in for another kiss.