And it scared the life out of her.
*
Jonathan suggested Grandvalira for mushing this time, and happy to experience a new terrain, Lydia couldn’t wait to get going.
‘The dogs look like they’re raring to go.’ She watched as the huskies pulled at their harnesses, the sled fixed so they wouldn’t go anywhere.
‘Are you?’ asked Jonathan.
‘Of course. Wow, look at them over there.’ To one side, a couple on skis were mushing with a professionalism Lydia could only dream of. ‘I think I’ll stick to the guided version.’
‘Maybe next time we can try it ourselves,’ Jonathan suggested, but her face clearly told him it wouldn’t be happening.
Jonathan looked extra handsome today in a marl-grey jacket with salopettes with yellow piping at the sides. His face was tanned with only the faintest of goggle marks, suggesting he spent as much time outside when he wasn’t skiing as he did when he was.
‘I wonder if the sun ever goes down around here,’ Lydia mused.
‘Beautiful, isn’t it? This is the right kind of cold weather. Not like back in England where it’s grey and dull, cold and wet. This is crisp, dry and bright. Much nicer.’
The musher indicated they could climb into the sled and Lydia realised she hadn’t quite thought this through because she’d be lying in between Jonathan’s legs. It was an intimate position, leaning back into him. Sitting on reindeer skins and covered with blankets tucked in around their feet, it was the epitome of cosiness. She laughed inwardly, knowing this gave her another angle for her article. She could talk about how to make that snow holiday romantic with a cosy sled ride for two, roaring fireplaces in hotels and restaurants, red wine drunk long into the night when the kids were tucked up in bed.
They’d been told to keep their limbs inside the sled at all times and so Jonathan wrapped his arms around Lydia. She held onto his hands and with a squeal as soon as they set off, she couldn’t stop smiling. She could hear him laughing too as the dogs took off upon the appropriate command, and with practised ease they followed the pathways with an enthusiasm that rivalled Lydia’s. The wind whipped past their faces. She caught her breath, and before long the laughter and excitement gave way as she relaxed and looked ahead, up at the spectacular scenery. The sun shone in the pale blue sky, tall trees tipped with frost surrounded them, and the snow muffled any other sounds apart from the mushers’ commands: Hike! Easy! Gee! Haw! and the faint tap-tapping of the huskies’ paws against the snowy ground.
Lydia let herself relax into Jonathan and felt his chin on her head. It was an electric atmosphere, charged with excitement, but at the same time she felt every other concern she may have had evaporate. The dogs made their way through the snowy paths of the forests, up hills as easily as they went down, skilfully negotiated bends as the musher continued to give commands. It felt like being in Narnia, having just stepped out of the wardrobe, and Lydia couldn’t imagine being anywhere else right now as the sun’s golden glow at the end of the pathway guided them and ensured the snow sparkled.
Back where they started, Lydia collapsed into more laughter as she tried and failed to pull herself to standing in the sled. She’d lost all strength in her arms and legs.
Jonathan stood behind her and hoisted her up. ‘Reminds me of the first time we met, on the slopes,’ he breathed into her ear once they were out of the sled and when she turned to him, swept up in the moment, she planted a kiss on his lips that surprised him so much he stumbled back and landed on his arse.
‘I’m so sorry!’ She put a hand out to help him up but when he took it he pulled her down on top of him and landed a pile of snow on top of her head.
Lydia scooped up more snow and the fun continued until they were asked to please move out of the way.
Reprimanded, they giggled their way back to La Massana. ‘So tell me…’ said Jonathan, nursing a cappuccino as Lydia sipped the froth from a hot chocolate. She’d cut out the cream this time, it was getting sickly even for her. ‘…how is a girl like you single?’
The hot chocolate burnt her throat. She hadn’t anticipated the question. Stupid really. If you were cavorting around with another man, it was a perfectly legitimate thing to ask. But behind her hot chocolate, she shrugged.
‘Are you single?’ she asked to avoid the question.
‘Of course.’ He grinned. ‘I wouldn’t be kissing you otherwise.’
‘That’s good.’ He was still staring at her and that, if nothing else, would force her to be honest. ‘It takes a lot for me to describe myself as single, but there’s an explanation.’
‘Go on.’ She hesitated until he said, ‘I’m a good listener. And I could tell from the first time we had drinks that there was something you weren’t telling me.’ When she looked at him with something akin to panic, he added, ‘Why do you think I’ve left you at your hotel room each time and didn’t try to follow you inside?’
She pushed her drink away even though she’d only had half. ‘Do you mind if we walk? Somehow the fresh air might clear my head and make this easier to explain.’
‘Sounds like a good idea.’ He fetched two takeaway cups but Lydia couldn’t stomach hers and so he poured his coffee into one and they left the café.
‘I guess I should start from the beginning,’ she said as they set off down the street, away from the crowds.
She wasn’t sure how long they’d walked for, but by the time they eventually arrived back at her hotel, Jonathan knew everything there was to know. He knew about university, their lives in London, the home in Bath, the accident and every day since. He knew about Theo’s affair, the gambling. She even told him about Connor, because whatever this thing between them was, it had to start with total honesty. And for the whole time she talked, Jonathan hadn’t said a word.
‘So…’ Her breath met the air as she sighed. Standing outside her hotel she couldn’t look at him. ‘That’s it, that’s my story.’
He put a hand beneath her chin and tilted her face so she had no choice but to look at him. But he still didn’t say anything. He kissed her once, on the lips, and then pulled her into a hug so tight she knew this was a whole lot more than a simple holiday romance.
