Just The Two Of Us

By: Stephanie Woodworth

Juliana stared out at the falling snow, it was beautiful. She wrapped her arms around herself trying to keep from shivering. The wind blew the snow around in circles on the deck outside the sliding glass door. Why in the world would someone want to go out in this weather?

“Isn’t it beautiful?” JC asked walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. “I can’t wait!”

“Me neither,” Juliana said trying not to cry.

“C’mon baby, get your snowsuit on.”

“Jace, why are we doing this again?” she almost whined as she asked him.

“It’s beautiful, it’s fun, it’s just the two of us,” he answered, zipping up the black snowsuit that he’d just bought. “C’mon time is a wasting,” he said slapping her backside.

“Jace, I’m dating you because you don’t like this type of thing. You like art, wine, things that don’t involve me on the back of a snowmobile in the freezing snow!”

JC had to smile. He loved her deeply and understood, normally he wouldn’t have given snowmobiling a second thought. “I told you, I wanted to try something new. It’s going to be great fun. Just think of how much fun it will be warming each other up,” he added with a raise of his eyebrow.

Juliana had to laugh. “Fine, fine, I’ll go and freeze my ass off.”

“And what a cute ass it is,” JC said, quickly adding, “Hurry up, I’m gonna go start the snowmobile.”

Juliana dressed quickly, about suffocating in the heavy snowsuit. He’d better make this worth my while! She waddled out of the hotel. The wind bit at her face as she stepped out of the hotel lobby, causing her to pull her scarf tighter. Ugh!

JC was out at the snowmobile revving the engine. He couldn’t have been more pleased with himself. This was going to be the best surprise that he’d ever given her. He pulled at the cuff around his wrist exposing his watch. If all was going well Justin and Britney should be fixing up the surprise for Juliana. “C’mon Jules, we don’t have all day,” he yelled.

“I’m right here baby,” Juliana said standing next to the ‘beast’ as she nicknamed it. She kept wanting to ask herself why. She couldn’t see Britney allowing Justin to talk her onto one of these things.

He handed her a helmet and placed his on, tightening the strap under his chin. He switched on the microphone and asked, “Can you hear me okay?”

Juliana laughed, “Yeah, I can hear you.”

“Climb on. Hold on tight.”

She did as she was told and before she was totally comfortable JC took off about throwing her off the back end of the snowmobile. “Are you sure you know what you are doing?”

“Yes. Now just hold on and enjoy the view.”

What view she wondered, all she saw was the blowing snow hitting the shield on her helmet’s mask. She sat in silence hoping that it would all be over soon. The fantasy of a hot bath running through her thoughts. A hot bath with JC. Suddenly the snowsuit seemed mighty warm again. “Where are we going again?” she asked trying to keep her mind off its previous thoughts.

“We’re going to this great little bed and breakfast that Justin told me about. He said it’s a prefect get away in this kind of weather.”

“How far is it?”

“About half an hour from the hotel.”

“And what was wrong with the hotel we were staying in?” she asked, still not seeing what was so great about this whole thing.

“Honey, I told you that this place is romantic. No one will bother us. No one will care that I’m JC from NSYNC.”

She wanted to tell him that the hotel that they’d just left was romantic enough for her. Hell, she didn’t even care if people recognized him anymore. She kind of liked it in a weird way. She loved watching him with his fans, especially the children. Juliana was deep in thought, thoughts about nothing at all.

“Honey, I feel your hands around my waist, so I know that you are still back there. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I was actually just thinking about how much I love you and how much I want you,” she whispered. “I’m daydreaming about you and a hot bath.”

It was almost as if she were whispering in his ear, he thought he could even feel her warm breath on his neck. Oh my god she was turning him on. “Honey,” JC almost squeaked, “It’s getting mighty warm in this snowsuit.”

“Yes it is,” she said running her hand from where it was resting at his waist down over his crotch.

As she did this JC lost control of the snowmobile throwing them both in different direction. “Fuck!” he screamed as he hit a snow bank.

Juliana was laying on the snow a few feet away. She was just laying there staring straight up. “Jace?” she said hoping the microphone in her helmet still worked. Her body ached from its impact with the snow. “Jace?” she said a bit louder.

JC sat up in the snow. “Jules?” he said into the microphone, but soon realized that it didn’t work anymore. He pulled himself up and saw her laying face up in the snow. “Juliana?” He ran the best he could to get to her. “Are you okay, honey?”

“No.” she said calmly. “NO Jace, I’m not okay.” She sat up. “I’m cold, I’m wet and I hate being out here!”

“Jules.”

“Don’t Jules me! Jace, I love you, but this was a stupid idea. We could be in a warm hotel in a warm bath right now!”

“And that’s what got us here is the first place. If you hadn’t ran your hand down so far I wouldn’t have lost control.”

“Sure Jace, blame me. But if you wouldn’t have gotten this stupid idea of snowmobiling in your head to begin with we wouldn’t be sitting out here freezing. Now get that damn beast running so that we can get out of here.”

JC walked over to the snowmobile and went to turn the key. “Oh shit,” he mumbled under his breath.

“What?” Juliana asked walking up beside him.

“The key is gone.”

“What do you mean the key is gone?” she asked pushing past him to check for herself. “Where the hell did it go?”

“I don’t know Juliana. If I knew don’t you think I would get it so I can get your whining ass out of here!”

“You don’t have to yell at me JC! I didn’t do anything wrong.” Juliana folded her arm across her chest. “So now what are we gonna do?”

“I guess we could call for help. Give me your cell phone.”

“I didn’t bring my cell phone. Where’d you expect me to put it?” she asked throwing her hands up in exasperation. “I could hardly fit myself in this snowsuit. Plus I thought we didn’t want contact with the outside world.”

“Then I guess we have to walk for help,” he said throwing his helmet down next to the snowmobile.

“Walk?”

“Yeah, that’s the thing you do walking one foot in front of the other.” JC tried to grab her hand but she pushed him away. “Fine! C’mon!”

Juliana followed him through the deep snow. “I hate this,” she muttered.

It seemed like forever before they reached a tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere. They weren’t even sure if they were headed in the right direction. “We can stop here for now and warm up,” JC said to her.

“Fine,” she mumbled through her frozen lips.

“You know this isn’t what I had planned for us.” She didn’t answer him. JC tried the door and was delighted when it opened. Stepping into the cabin, he surveyed the small room. “Not the nicest accommodations, but at least it is dry in here.” He moved around the room. “Hey, they have a fireplace, let me try to find some wood.” JC looked around the front porch of the cabin, but found nothing. He wondered around to the back and found a small shed. He was pleasantly surprised to find wood stacked to the ceiling along one side. He filled his arms with logs and waded back through the snow. “I found wood,” he said about tripping over his own two feet as he reentered the cabin.

“I found matches,” Juliana said triumphantly.

JC arranged the wood in the fireplace and grabbed the book of matches from her. “Thanks.”

“No prob.”

The wood was extremely dry and lit easily. “It should be warm in here in just a bit.” JC walked over to where Juliana was standing, “Jules, I didn’t want it to be like this. I had this ultra romantic night planned for us. I’m sorry.”

She turned to face him. “It’s okay Jace, I shouldn’t have been such a pain in the ass about this. I’m sorry too.”

“Maybe we can salvage some of the romance.” He unzipped his snowsuit.

“Jace, it’s cold in here. Keep that zipped or you might catch pneumonia.”

“Hold on,” he whispered.

“Jace, it’s still too cold in her for that.”

He grabbed her hands and one of his while the other fished in his snowsuit. “I want to give you something. And not that,” he said raising his eyebrow. He finally produced a small box. Juliana gasped. “Now wait Jules. I want to do this right.” He zipped his snowsuit back up and dropped down on one knee. “Juliana, I know today hasn’t been perfect, life with me most likely won’t be. I still want to spend every day with you, whether it’s stranded in the snow or laughing on a beach as long as we are together I’ll be happy.” He opened the box showing her the ring that he had made for her. “Juliana, would you please marry me?”

She just stood there with her mouth gaping open, gasping for breath. He’d done all this so that he could propose to her. How could she have yelled at this precious man? How could she have doubted him? She closed her mouth and smiled. “Yes, Joshua, yes I will marry you.!” She grinned from ear to ear. “I love you so much,” she said dropping to her knees. She kissed him deeply sealing their fate together. “God, I love you,” she said again.

JC pulled the ring from the box and removed her wet glove. “I love you too,” he said as he slid the ring on her finger.

“I need you Jace, please make love to me,” she said unzipping his snowsuit.

“I thought you said it was too cold for that,” he said with a sly smile.

“I’ll keep you warm,” she all but moaned. Unfortunately they didn’t have time to act on their love as Justin and Britney came through the cabin door.

“Jace, thank goodness we found you,” Justin began and then took in the two people kneeling before him. “Oh!”

JC smiled as he helped Juliana up off her knees. “Hey guys, we are glad that you found us.”

“We saw the snowmobile when we were on our way back to hotel. We just hoped that you were okay. We’ve called ahead for help.” Justin said happy to see they were both okay.

“So did you …” Britney began.

“Brit!” Justin reprimanded.

“She said yes.” JC said with a smile.

“Congrats man!” Justin said hugging his best friend.

“Yeah congratulations,” Britney added hugging Juliana. “How’d he ever talk you into coming on this wild ride?”

“I’m not sure, but my mind kept thinking about a hot bubble bath and the man I love,” she said with a giggle. “How’d Justin talk you into this?”

“He didn’t, I talked him into it. I made it sound all romantic, not to mention he got to drive a snowmobile. Men,” she said with a smile.

“Yeah, but they are our men,” Juliana said looking down at her ring.

“Ready?” JC asked walking up behind her and wrapping his arm around her waist. “They’re here to get us.”

“Yep, um, let’s just promise to finish what we were doing when we get back to the hotel.”

“Don’t worry, we have the rest of our lives to spend together. I love you, Jules.”

“I love you too, Jace.”

The End

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