CHAPTER 21

Olivia

After a long and stressful day, I actually finished filming the ski resort story without anything untoward happening. Thank God! I wasn't sure I could handle anything more that day. It took two takes to get the gliding down part, and though I was thinking about changing up my reporting style, a couple of words from my crew helped change my mind.

"You're changing what already worked… because some snooty rich bastards made fun of you?" Mark asked, keeping his indifferent tone but also not hiding his disgust. "I just think they didn't want to see you succeed. At least that's what my boyfriend would say," he added when he finished setting up the action camera attached to my helmet.

"So you think I should just keep my style even if they're going to make fun of me?" I asked, still apprehensive about doing a fun activity in a serious reporting tone.

"Wow, you're really in your twenties. You still think life is like high school," Mark snarkily commented, but again, it didn't really hurt at all since he said it so monotonously. There was no bite in his words.

"Late twenties." I smirked at him to remind him I wasn't a kid.

After that, the rest of the crew agreed with Mark's sentiments, though they were more supportive. I had a quick contemplation while I was riding the ski lift. It was surprisingly therapeutic sitting down and ascending while overlooking the gorgeous fjords of Norway. Who would have thought? And it turned out that they were absolutely right. If I changed every aspect of my style with a number of comments from people I didn't even know nor care about, then I was destined to fail as a reporter. Maybe even as a human.

I just had to stick to whatIwanted to do, and ignore what everyone else wanted me to do.

And that was what I did, but damn, it took a long while to get there. I even had to rush and get changed to interview Henrik, but that went off without a hitch as well. He wasn't rude at all, and I might have just been in a bad place when they were talking about how hilarious I was last night. At least that was what I kept telling myself, so I wouldn't remember that instance when I was interviewing him.

Yes, everything worked out in the end. Well, except for one thing. I didn't see Ben for the rest of the day after he coached me on how to ski. I started feeling bad when I remembered that his whole mood changed when I told him that he seemed to be the only person not having fun at the ski resort. I didn't think it was a tender topic to him, and I wished I knew where his cabin was so I could knock and apologize. But I didn't have any luck with that, unfortunately.

So I trudged back to my cabin, completely exhausted. I had been working all day, and I didn't even get to enjoy this free trip to Norway at all. But while I was walking back to my room, I spotted a quaint little wooden sign that conveniently pointed in the direction of a local hot spring, and I knew that was just what I needed to unwind. Lucy mentioned it to me when we were researching about paradis,so I had been looking forward to it.

It was a little colder tonight compared to yesterday, making me run to the hot springs. I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Well, I expected a building of some sort. But the springs were completely out in the open. It was completely empty and the steam rose gently into the sunset.

I quickly removed my clothes, shivering in the bikini underneath. I slowly stepped toward the stone steps that sank down into the water. I carefully walked down, feeling the hot water lap at my skin. Slowly, I dipped my body fully into the hot water, immediately feeling my entire body relax. I definitely needed this. My legs had been aching from being so bad at skiing.

"I'm surprised to see you here."

I yelped at the sudden voice behind me. For some reason, I moved to cover my breasts even though I was wearing a swimsuit and was underwater.

Ben.

He confidently shucked his sweatshirt and in a few fluid motions walked down the steps and sank into the water. I tried not to look, really I did. But his entire body was on display, and you can't blame a girl for wanting to look at a specimen of beauty.

His defined abs, his perfect chest, and his huge arms dripping in the damp heat. His skin glistened, making him look even more desirable, if that was even possible. Once my eyes landed on his face, he was sporting his usual indifferently irritated look, but my brain reiterated his god-like status with his hair being wet and slicked back. Like a sex god whose sole purpose was to lure you into his universe so he could take your soul for himself.

And honestly, I wouldn't mind that right now.

"You were trying to cover up your chest earlier, but I think I should be the one doing that with how you're looking at me," I pointed out, kind of amused at Olivia's obvious attraction but also still kind of annoyed at what happened out in the snow.

Olivia then put her hands up, not attempting to defend herself whatsoever.

"You're right, you're right," she said. Then, when I thought she was going to get out of the pool, she relaxed back into the water just a few feet away from where I was. "It's nice here, and I needed it," she said, a grin spreading on her flushed face.

I hummed in agreement. I saw her headed this way and decided it was a great time for a dip in the hot springs. It was a shame I got here too late, when she was already submerged up to her neck. What was she wearing? Did she have on a bikini?

She bounced above the water a little, and I caught a glimpse of the tops of her breasts straining in a black bikini. It took all my self-control to not grab her and take her right there.

"So, what happened with your story? I was expecting a draft in my email, but I didn't get anything," I asked, trying to distract myself from the filthy thoughts I was having about my employee. It was kind of hard to do when she was within arm's reach, but I wanted to respect what she said on the plane—about our sexual relations being a little too much for her to process.

"You're always talking about work," Olivia pointed out, kind of catching me off guard. "Can't we talk about something else? Like on the plane?"

She sounded genuine, like she really wanted to talk. I was silent for a bit, trying to think of things that I could talk about with her, but I came up with nothing.

"I would ask you what movie you saw last," I confessed, kind of feeling a slight twinge in my chest. "But I haven't been to the movie theater in eight years."

"Eight years!?" Olivia loudly yelled, her voice reverberating throughout the entire hot springs.

I merely chuckled, however. I expected that reaction, but I never liked telling people about what I did in my personal time. Mostly because I didn't do anything. I valued my health, so I worked out and ate nutritiously, but the only other thing I had time for was my company. I didn't really have personal time.

"Hard to believe, huh?" It wasn't really much of a question. It was just simply the truth. I took a deep breath and leaned lower in the water, covering up to my collarbone.

"No one becomes who I am without sacrificing a lot of things, Olivia," I said, losing myself in the steam as I looked up at the darkening sky. "I vaguely remembered the college version of myself before I graduated. That was when everything changed for me."

It was strange how comfortable I felt, telling her all of this.

I looked over at her, seeing an astonished look on her face. I thought that she finally pieced together why I was touchy about not having fun.

"So… that's why you…" she asked out loud, to which I only gave her a small nod as confirmation.

Another silence fell between the two of us until she cleared her throat and followed-up.