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“I was… I am so fucking pissed at you, Amelie,” Jack said. “Wait… what? What did you say?”
“My letters. You ignored them.”
He shook his head. “I never received a single letter from you.”
“Well, that explains a lot.” She swallowed. And then she began laughing maniacally, only stopping when she could no longer breathe.
They made love twice more that night. Each time better than the last. No matter how many times or how many men Amelie had sex with, she had yet to find a lover who even came close to Jack. She laid there in the dark, listening to him sleep and tried to put her finger on what it was that made things between the two of them so intense.
The following morning, Amelie ordered room service for breakfast and sat sipping her coffee as she watched Jack sleep. When she’d finished, and he hadn’t woken, she showered and dressed. She exited the bathroom to find him hurriedly ending a phone call.
He didn’t look at her.
“I ordered food,” she said motioning toward the cart.
“Thanks,” he said as he stood and pulled the sheet around him. He headed for the restroom and closed the door.
Amelie sat on the bed and flipped through the hotel brochure. She watched from the corner of her eye as Jack emerged from the bathroom and dressed. She noticed the way he lifted the lid on the hot plate and picked at the food, seemingly uninspired. “Everything ok?” she asked nodding toward his cell phone.
He turned as though for the first time noticing that someone else was in the room. “Oh. Yeah… you know… business B.S.”
He checked his watch and grimaced. It was after nine o’clock. “I haven’t slept this late in years…”
Amelie stood and walked to him. “So… I was thinking… I’m not sure what your schedule is like… but they’re sending me to Iceland for a few days… and I was wondering if maybe you’d like to come along…”
He started to respond then hesitated before finally saying, “I can’t… there’s too much going on at work…”
She placed her finger to his lips. “It’s ok. No need to explain. There’ll be other trips.”
Jack backed away and sighed. The color drained from his face. “Sit down, Amelie. There’s something I need to tell you…”
She didn’t sit. She watched his face and waited.
Jack stared at the floor as he spoke. “I’m engaged. The wedding is in five weeks.”
His words cut like a knife. “Oh. Wow.” She scoffed when she could finally speak.
He glanced at her and held her gaze. “Yeah. I know.”
She looked at the bed and then back at him to further dig in the point she knew was already weighing on him. “When were planning on telling me, Jack? I mean, we could’ve fucked a few more times before you sprang your impending marriage on me, don’t you think?” she hissed.
“It’s not like that. I never meant for it to happen this way.”
She threw her hands up. “Really? What did you think would happen when you decided to show up here like this…?”
He rubbed his jaw and shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to see you and tell you in person.”
“Well, you’ve seen me: check. You told me: check. So at least there’s that,” she said, through gritted teeth.
Jack sat on the bed and stared out the window. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
Amelie sat down next to him on the bed. His remorse suddenly on full display, and sensing that he saw her as a mistake, she thawed a little. “It’s ok,” she interrupted. “It could be worse. I mean… you’re not married yet, right?” she said, attempting a smile.
He pursed his lips. “It’s not like that. I’m not like that… I love her.”
She turned to him. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she came up with a plan on the spot. “I’m sure you do,” she said, her mouth set in a hard line. “But I really think, Jack… that you should give some thought to coming to Iceland with me. One last trip. Just you and I. We don’t… have to do this.” She motioned toward the bed. “It’s three days. Three days out of the whole rest of your life. That’s all I’m asking. For old times sake. It’ll be our last hurrah—only without the fuckery. Think about it… You’re getting married. When are we ever going to have the chance to travel together again?”
He sighed. “We’re not.”
