"Slow down love," he called to her while walking and looking down at his phone.
Julie turned on her heel to look back at John who was slowly making his way down the hallway and called to him "Hurry up!" waving frantically for him.
John smiled at how anxious she was to get to their hotel room. But he was also cautious of her as she continued on down the hallway of one of Vegas' nicest hotels by herself. Ever since her recovery from the coma, he had taken to spending an enormous amount of time with her but on her terms. Her survival had been a miracle and a blessing to him because it gave him the courage to say how he really felt about her, which was more love than she knew what to do with. But out of respect for her boundaries and vulnerability post coma, he kept his distance, working on stories for his editor but always being a plane ride away if she wanted to see him. So when she invited him to the Forensic Academy Conference where she was a guest speaker on blood spatter analysis, he jumped at the chance to spend some quality time with her. However, a looming deadline from Susan, his editor, threatened to ruin this special occasion, but he would try his best not to let anything get in the way of a chance to spoil Julie and shower her with love and attention she deserved.
His slow pace irritated her and she had to double back down the hallway, grab his hand and drag him to their hotel room. When they were both outside it, she swiped the key card through the slot and pushed open the door excitedly. The room was a large open concept. A giant bed with fluffy pillows filled most of the space. There was a mini bar, a spa like bathroom and a giant flat screen TV. Julie glanced up at John to see his reaction to the room which was just as she hoped. He wore a look of shock and awe at the luxury that surrounded him.
"See?" she said smugly "told you it was nice."
"It's beautiful," he said looking at her rather than the room.
"Come see the view," she begged, dragging him by the wrist over to the tall windows that surrounded the room.
She pulled back the curtains so they could see the city below. She sighed watching the city bustle beneath them, a place she never expected to fall in love with but had claimed her heart not long after arriving. John stood beside her, breaking the silence by asking "So what time is the conference?"
"Two o'clock I think," she said not taking her eyes off the city below.
John had to consult the pamphlet in her travel bag to know for sure.
"Yep, two," he read out loud to her "what should we do while we wait?"
She didn't answer him right away; she just continued to stare out the window.
"Jules?" he tried getting her attention.
She looked at him properly and asked "Can we just, stay here?"
"Of course," he said worried that she might not be feeling well but didn't want to tell him. So he stood behind her, hugging her tight and swaying with her gently while they watched the active city below.