A Business Love

chapter 28

YOU ARE READING
A B U S I N E S S L O V E

It was a cold Friday night. Christmas was just around the corner. Jessie was laying on her couch tucked under her suede sheet with an unhealthy number of snacks, ready for a weekend of complete sorrow while her boyfriend would be skiing with another woman.

Julian had reassured her time and time again that he wouldn't be spending any time with Alexandra and that he was only going there for business, but that didn't change her state of mind. She had fully accepted that she would be a depressed couch potato for the weekend.

"What a fun way to start the holidays!" she said sarcastically while opening a classic Lays chips bag in honour of Julian as this was his favorite flavor, although she felt like it was the lamest one.

She hesitated between opening her laptop to get some work done or play the depressed card to the maximum by watching a Netflix movie.

Ultimately, she decided on the movie as she knew she'd have the whole night to work since she was probably not going to be able to sleep peacefully.

She scrolled through the Netflix series and found nothing interesting except the latest true crime series that had just came out. She knew she had to wait for Julian so they could binge watch it together, but she needed some type of distraction.

She clicked on it when suddenly her doorbell rang. She startled and got scared as she wasn't expecting anyone. Although it was only 5:30 p.m. it was already completely dark outside and Jessie was a coward. 

She got up and pressed the button on the intercom. "Hello?" she said with a questioningly tone.

"Hey Jess, it's me." She recognized Julian's voice right away. She gasped as she buzzed him in.

She excitedly opened the door waiting for him to come up. When he arrived, she was surprised, yet delighted to see him. "Baby!" she said as she hugged him as if she hadn't seen him in forever. "What are you doing here?"

"Surprising you," he replied with a winsome smile.

"I thought you were already on your way to Mont-Tremblant!"

"No, I'm here," he replied as he removed his shoes and entered her place.

He was shocked to see all the snacks on her green velour sofa. "Were you going to eat all of this?" he asked pointing at the sofa.

She looked at her messy couch with all the bags of chocolates, candies and chips. "Don't judge. This is a three-day food supply. But wait, how are you not at Mont-Tremblant?" she eagerly asked. 

He was looking at her TV now. "You were gonna binge watch Ted Bundy without me?" he asked scandalized that her Netflix was set on the newest true crime series.

She grimaced. "Busted. In my defense, I was going to be completely alone while you were gonna be skiing with Alexandra."

"I'm not skiing with Alexandra. I'm spending the weekend with you instead."

Her whole face lit up. "How come?" she promptly asked.

"I didn't want to be away from you," he shrugged.

Jessie looked at him with excited eyes and a child-like smile.

"So," he continued, "I'm taking you with me. Pack your bags."

She was now confounded. She immediately dropped her smile. "Julian, I'm not going to Mont-Tremblant."

She was in no way ready to announce their relationship. The timing was not right. Depending on the sales results that would come out in two weeks, she was aligned to be promoted in early January and she didn't need people thinking that it was because she dated Julian.

"I'm not taking you to Mont-Tremblant. I'm taking you to Whistler."

Jessie's jaw dropped as she was blindsided by his announcement. "Are you serious?" she asked, not even sure she had heard correctly.

"Yes! Five days in Whistler, just you and I. The plane is leaving at ten tonight."

"Julian Moretti!" she exclaimed in admiration. "You are the best!" She jumped in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Julian then watched her run around like a chicken with no head to pack her bags.

Meanwhile, he looked around and was still baffled at how small her place was. Although the space was adorable with the multiple colorful plant pots and wooden book shelters filled with business books hanging on the walls, he couldn't help but noticed how his bedroom was bigger than her whole place.

He had been thinking of asking her to move in with him but hadn't mustered the courage to actually do it. He wanted to offer her the world and he wasn't satisfied with her living conditions. He had the means to make her life much more comfortable and he had been yearning to do just that. But he was well aware that Jessie wasn't one to easily accept gifts; in fact, she didn't like having anything handed to her.

"Ok, I'm ready!" she suddenly screamed which made Julian startled and come out of his thoughts.

"Right on time," he said as he helped her with her bags.

***

When they boarded the plane, Jessie was reminded yet again that money was never an issue for her boyfriend. They were escorted to the superior class where they had private booths and beds to sleep in. She had never been on a first-class trip and the amount of attention and care they received was dazzling to her.

But this was just the beginning of her astonishment. When they landed to Vancouver, a private chauffeur was waiting for them in a black Lincoln Navigator. He drove two hours to Whistler while they could sleep some more as it was 4 a.m. for them, although with the different time zone, it was 1 a.m. in British Columbia.

They woke up when they arrived in front of a breathtaking contemporary A-Frame cabin with a soaring celling. They had no neighbours; only snow, trees and white mountains surrounded them. It was the most peaceful atmosphere.

The cottage had a polished and modern look yet still retained a very warm and cozy character with its huge fireplace. The master bedroom was located on the second floor and was surrounded only by windows that overlooked the ski slopes in the distance. The landscape was all white like a winter wonderland; it was simply magical.

As Jessie looked over Julian in this wonderful setting, she understood Adele's lyrics; he looked like a movie and sounded like a song. Out of all this magnificent surrounding, he was still her best view.

Their five-day getaway was like a dream. They were two workaholics; they weren't used to completely disconnecting from the office. Yet, for the first time, the two of them, alone, far from the city and from the prickly eyes, in this magical atmosphere, took a real break, no longer thinking about their responsibilities at work.

Julian had never felt like this; the urge to open his laptop and look at his emails always stalked him no matter the situation. But not this time; he only had eyes for Jessie. He found himself projecting into the future several times during their stay. While they did many activities, like skiing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, ice skating, and even a helicopter trip, he could see himself reliving these experiences with Jessie and their future children.

When they had gone hand in hand in the village and they had passed in front of a jewelry store, Julian surprised himself looking at the rings without Jessie knowing. He didn't want to rush things and scare her away. But marrying her was a no brainer; he had never been so certain about someone. She was unequivocally the woman of his life, his soulmate. Seeing her in a completely different environment with her child's heart, her jovial laugh and her contagious joie de vivre only confirmed his choice. She was the one.

Meanwhile, Jessie cherished every moment wishing she could have them for life. It was almost too good to be true; she felt like she was dreaming while being wide awake. Julian made her feel like the luckiest girl in the world.