Liberté.
The French Translation of Freedom.
When Adrienne woke up, she found that Justin had gone from the room. She went to the bathroom to freshen up. Justin walked in just as she was putting on her boots.
“Hey, where have you been?”
“Having a chat with the pilot,” he replied.
“Can you fly a plane?” she asked.
He grinned. “I have a license. I don’t think they give it out to just anybody.”
She smiled. “Justin Adams, the pilot. What else don’t I know about you?”
She stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned forward and kissed her lips. “A lot. But that’s why you’re going on a weekend date with me, right? So I can show you what I’m like when I’m…unrestrained.”
Adrienne laughed. “Nice choice of word.”
As soon as they landed, a limousine took them to a local mall. Adrienne turned on her phone and immediately, it kept ringing, indicating text messages and voicemails.
Jill: Trying your phone. It’s off. Where are you?
Yuan: Hey, where are you? Coffee this afternoon?
She sent them a text message telling them that she had to fly to Boston to see her parents. Hopefully, they wouldn’t ask her to elaborate. She did that once in a while anyway.
While at the mall, in broad daylight, Justin pulled her to him and put an arm around her shoulder. She felt a kiss at the top of her head.
She got herself some sweaters, pants, underwear, gloves and a thick coat. Just enough for the next three days. When she brought her stuff to the counter, Justin was quick to hand over his Infinite credit card.
She glared at him in protest. “No, Justin. It’s my stuff!”
He grinned at her. “And it’s my treat. I don’t let a woman want for anything on our date.”
“But this is not a date! This is…shopping!”
“The whole weekend is a date, honey,” he argued. “And besides, I didn’t give you a chance to pack some clothes. I owe you on this.”
The cashier swiped Justin’s card.
She stared up at him. “Thank you,” she said in defeat.
Justin smiled and leaned forward to kiss her. “You’re welcome, hon.”
They decided to explore the local shops, all the while holding hands and frequently kissing. Adrienne felt free. She didn’t care about the people around them, or what they would say or think. All she cared about was the man beside her, whose arms wrapped around her, whose lips kissed her.
And for the first time in her life, she felt what it was really like to have a boyfriend…to be in a real relationship.
They checked in to a hotel, which seemed quite remote. And Adrienne couldn’t help teasing Justin.
“What?”
“You said you didn’t want to hide. And yet this hotel is really more than a little bit remote,” she said, giggling.
He laughed. “Trust me. I have my reasons.”
She raised a brow at him.
“Patience, Miss Miller. It just might turn out to be a pleasant surprise if…nature agrees with me.”
She smiled brightly. “Now, I’m curious!”
After checking in, Adrienne immediately sent her clothes for laundry. Express service returned them all back to her within an hour.
They enjoyed a candlelight dinner in one of the fine dining restaurants in the hotel.
“Where’s your plane?”
“On its way back to Chicago,” he answered. “One of my cousins might need it. Or maybe my Father. He flies to our different branches once in a while.”
“Are you working for him now?”
He shook his head. “No.” He fell silent for a while.
Does he have a rift with his parents? Is this why he becomes quiet every time I mention them?
“So, what else don’t I know about you?” she asked, trying to make his mood lighter. “Any brothers or sisters?”
He gave her one hard look and then he replied. “I have a twin. I mean, I had a twin.”
This almost shocked Adrienne.
“Identical?”
He nodded.
She thought that the world could barely handle one Justin Adams, just imagine two.
“What happened?”
He shrugged. “I was eight minutes older than him. I lived. He didn’t.”
Adrienne reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “It would have been a blast,” she said quietly. “I’m sure you would have had a better relationship than Kim and me. We…never really jived. She hated me. I knew it even if she didn’t want to admit it.”
“I wondered what it would be like if Jeffrey lived. I always wanted a brother.”
Adrienne smiled. “I did, too. But all I got was a sister who I share nothing with…except for a DNA.”
“Do you look like your Dad?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Kim is a spitting image of our Mom. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Dad has dark hair and brown eyes. Yeah, I did look like him in a way.”
“What about cousins? Sometimes a cousin is good enough to take the place of a sibling.”
Adrienne shook her head. “I never met any of them. It was always just Kim and me.”
“I have a lot of cousins,” Justin replied. “Three guys, and one girl. We all sort of lived in the same house, except for one who lives in Italy. My parents have a huge house in Chicago. Like ten bedrooms. Each of my cousins has a room there. It’s always a full, loud house. Sure, they have their own homes. But they seem to love living there more.”
Adrienne smiled. “You’re really lucky. When it came to family, you hit the jackpot!”
Justin seemed thoughtful for a moment. Then he said, “Well, someday, your mother will change her mind about you. She will see what a beautiful, wonderful and smart daughter she has. And she will learn to love you as much as she loves your sister.”
Adrienne bit her lip to keep from crying. “I sure hope you’re right.”
They retired to their room at around ten at night. When Adrienne got ready for bed, she found Justin in the balcony. He stretched out in one of the loungers with layers of blankets on top of him.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
He smiled at her. “My surprise. Come.” He pulled her to lie down with him. She leaned on his body and then he wrapped the layers of blankets around them.
She was still tired from the trip. She rested her head on Justin’s shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment.
After a few minutes, she heard him say, “Open your eyes, beautiful.”
When she did, she didn’t expect the sight before her. The sky was suddenly covered in a curtain of multi-colored lights over the mountains.
“Oh my God!” she gasped.
The sight before her was more than spectacular. Tears welled up in her eyes. She had always dreamed about seeing the Northern Lights. And the sight had just become more surreal because she was wrapped in the arms of a man as equally magnificent as the dancing of blue, green, yellow and red lights before her.
“Do you like it?” Justin asked.
She stared up at him and smiled. “I love it,” she whispered. “Thank you, Justin.” She leaned forward and kissed his lips.
They lay there quietly, warm beneath the sheets. Adrienne felt warmer, wrapped in Justin’s body heat. But moreover, the warmth came from deep inside her as she realized she had just fallen more in love with New York City’s most wanted bachelor.
***
When Adrienne woke up the next morning, she found herself snuggled against Justin. She stared up at Justin’s handsome face and smiled. She didn’t know how long this thing they had would last, but she knew she would have no regrets. She had never felt more alive or free until the day she met him.
He never failed to make her feel adored…cared about. He made her feel, for the first time in her life, that her thoughts and feelings actually mattered. And that she didn’t have to be afraid, or to care about what others think about her. For that, she would always feel grateful towards him.
He opened his eyes and stared at her lazily. “Morning.”
She smiled wildly. “Morning.” She leaned forward and kissed him.
In a minute, he got on top of her, kissing her urgently, passionately. Adrienne realized that they hadn’t made love in two days. And somehow, it never seemed to bother her. Their relationship had turned to a different page. They still had this fire, this passion that tended to consume her every time, and yet, they shared a bond built on friendship, trust, and comfort. And that’s wonderful, too.
After breakfast, she asked him what his plans were.
“Do you know how to ski?”
When she was in high school, back when she was still rebellious, she used to sneak behind her parents back to go on ski trips. She told them she was going to the beach house of one of her friends for the weekend. But when they thought she bathed in the sun, she was actually rolling on the snow. They didn’t really care much about her to ask her why she didn’t have a tan when she got back home.
“I’m not a pro, but I can balance myself on a pair of skis.”
The thought of skiing again excited her. They took a trip down to a nearby ski mountain. Justin brought his own gear and he bought Adrienne new ones for herself.
“It’s temporary. Can we just rent for me?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Nope. Who knows? You might want to keep doing this. Consider this another treat. And besides, if you change your mind and decide not to breakup with that asshole boyfriend of yours at all, I want something in your apartment to remind you…that you deserve better than him.”
She stared up at him. “Justin…”
He silenced her with a kiss. “I know. No pressure. Do it when you’re most ready. I can wait.”
Justin helped her put on her new ski boots, helmet and goggles. They headed to a beginner’s slope to get her accustomed to skiing again, as it had been a long time since she did this. Pretty soon, she was getting the hang of it again. As they ventured into more challenging terrain, Adrienne felt her blood pumping into her system, and she screamed to her heart’s delight.
Justin always stayed close, making sure she was safe and he would reach her soon enough in case she tumbled or struggled.
When they came close to the station, Adrienne felt tired but extremely happy. She fell to her knees, causing Justin to ski faster to get to her. He reached her side the very first second.
He bent down. “Are you okay?”
She let go of her ski poles and then grabbed a handful of ice on her hands and threw it at Justin. He was caught unaware. She got out of her skis in a minute, standing up on her feet, and tried getting away from him, scooping another handful of snow.
“You’re dead!” he said, unfastening his skis.
Adrienne balled the snow on her hands and then directed a perfect aim at Justin. It hit him on the shoulder. She shrieked when she saw him coming for her. She turned around and tried to run away but he was agile, fast even though he was wrapped in layers of clothing and wearing a heavy pair of ski boots.
He caught her by the waist and lifted her off the ground. She struggled to free herself. She couldn’t help shrieking and laughing. Justin put her down and spun her around. He lifted her googles off her face and also took his off. He smiled at the rosy color on her face. Slowly, he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the lips.
They deepened the kiss. Then suddenly they heard a camera clicking behind them.
They pulled away from each other and looked at the person who just interrupted their moment.
Adrienne saw a very good-looking guy with sparkling blue eyes, a shade almost similar to Justin’s. His blond hair was peeking out from under his helmet.
“This is a sight you don’t see every day,” the guy teased, seeming to be taunting them…particularly Justin. “Actually, it’s a sight you don’t see ever!”
“What are you doing here?” Justin asked in an annoyed tone.
The guy lifted the snowboard he held with his right arm.
“This is why the plane was unavailable yesterday? We were going to the same place, and you didn’t want to share, Just?” His eyes danced and he obviously succeeded in needling Justin. Then his eyes went to Adrienne. He studied her quickly and then he smiled. “Of course, now, I understand why.”
“Go away, Gian!” Justin said to the guy.
“You’re not even going to introduce us?” The guy feigned a shocked look on his face, enjoying Justin’s irritation.
Justin sighed. “Adrienne, Gian. Gian, Adrienne.” Then he turned to Gian. “Now, can you…evaporate?”
The guy didn’t back down at all. He took a step towards them. He looked at Adrienne. “Sorry. My cousin has better manners than that. Don’t get turned off.”
“Cousin?” Adrienne echoed, peering up at Justin.
“Now I’m thinking…how unfortunate, right?” Justin said, rolling his eyes.
Adrienne finally smiled. She extended her gloved hand to Gian and he shook it, although barely because his gloves were much thicker than hers.
Gian smiled at her. “I can see why he doesn’t go home frequently anymore. I can’t see what you see in him, though.”
“Nah! He’s a great guy…if he chooses to be,” Adrienne teased.
Justin pulled her closer to his side, and then he turned to Gian, “Now, can you leave us in peace?”
Gian took a step back. “Aww! I was hoping to show Adrienne my impressive moves on the board.”
“Not gonna happen.” Justin raised a brow at him.
“What’s the matter, Justin? Afraid of some competition?”
Justin narrowed his eyes. “Remind me again who taught you how not to fall on your ass in a halfpipe?”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” the guy jeered. “Come on, big cuz. Show your girl what you got.”
Adrienne actually smirked. She wanted to see Justin on a snowboard. She was curious and she felt sure Justin would be pretty good at everything he did.
“That would be interesting!” she announced.
Justin turned to her. “Really? You’re listening to this guy?”
She laughed. “It’s not like I present any sort of challenge to you on the slopes. Have fun. I’ll watch.”
Justin shook his head. He turned to Gian. “Just so you know, it’s rude to interrupt somebody’s date.”
“Just so you know, it’s not good to antagonize family when one of them runs into you while you’re on a date,” Gian responded evenly.
“One more word and I’m kicking you out of my house!”
Gian backed down, his eyes dancing as he pressed his lips together.
“See you on the pipe in fifteen minutes,” Justin said, then he pulled Adrienne with him.
Adrienne turned to Gian. “Good luck!”
“Oh, he’s the one who’s going to need it, sugar!” Gian then walked away.
“Unbelievably annoying!” Justin groaned.
Adrienne smiled up at him. “So…you seem close.”
“Sometimes, I think… too close! You know like one of those annoying little brothers?” Although he was groaning, Adrienne didn’t miss the affection that was disguised in his voice.
Then she remembered that he took a picture of them while they were kissing.
“He…took a snapshot.” She sounded a little worried.
“Don’t worry about it. The most he’ll do with it, is blackmail me into borrowing one of my cars for a week to impress one of the girls he’s dating.”
Half an hour later, Adrienne stood in one of the viewing decks overlooking the snowboarding halfpipes. Justin had arrived there with Gian.
She watched proudly as Justin took off from one side and went to the other side hanging mid-air for a few seconds. Then came Gian’s turn. He looked like he knew what he was doing, too.
Then both of them showed off their freestyle moves, somersaulting, spinning three hundred sixty degrees in the air. Adrienne took out her phone to take a video of Justin. He was amazing. He could totally go into one of those X-Games competitions. Gian seemed extremely good, too. But in the end, Adrienne understood exactly what Justin said. He had taught Gian those moves. He remained the better one on a snowboard.
When they finished, Adrienne met them at the station, smiling widely.
“So, did I totally kick his ass out there?” Gian asked her.
She laughed. “You were magnificent!” she said. Justin raised a brow at her. She smiled at him. “But he still owned you!”
Justin laughed proudly and pulled her into a hug. “You’re saying that because you’re dating him,” Gian complained.
“Yeah. And he owns the transportation that got me here. So you can see that my hands are tied.” She winked at him.
Gian laughed. “Yeah. He owns the plane that got both of us here, so let’s give it to the guy.”
“You two are unbelievable,” Justin groaned. Then he added, “Come on. Coffee’s on me.”
Gian turned out to be actually funny and sweet. Adrienne learned that he was only twenty-two and still in college. He had a twin. Adrienne guessed that twins ran in Justin’s family.
That night, when they got back to the hotel, Adrienne showed Justin her video. He watched it happily.
“You’re really, really good,” she told him. “Do you do that a lot?”
“Whenever I have the time. I usually go snowboarding with my cousins at least once a month.”
“It looked dangerous.”
“It is. If you don’t know what you’re doing.” He grinned.
“Smug!” She rolled her eyes.
They made love again that night. Slowly, passionately. Here in this place, she felt like she belonged to Justin. He belonged to her. Here, in their own little world, where no one can stop them and nothing holds them back.
Justin never told her how he really felt about her but what right did she have to demand that? She couldn’t ask him to commit to her, when she can’t commit to him in the first place. He was single…and she was the one who was supposedly spoken for.
As Adrienne rested her head against Justin’s shoulder, she looked through the glass windows and watched the Northern Lights. She realized there that she didn’t know if he felt the same way about her, but she never would until she risked everything she had. Troy. Her mother’s respect. Her friends. She might end up losing them all. But all this freedom to love and be loved by Justin…had become something absolutely worth risking everything for.