22: Huddle for Warmth: Bridgette and Geoff
Geoff lived for adventure. It was engrained in his bones since the day he was born. His parents were adrenaline junkies, especially his dad who was a storm chaser, so this was no surprise to his family. Before he could walk, he saw tornados whip across the prairies, avalanches, sand storms, and a lot of other things that gave him this sense that the world could be a lot of fun even if you didn't always understand what was coming up next. In his mind, that was what made it more fun, the unexpected.
That was why "Total Drama" was an easy decision. The show was made for him, or so he thought. A lot of stuff scared him, but he never gave up on the challenges. After all, what kind of a person would he be if he just quit? If he never stuck it out, he wouldn't have gotten to know Bridgette. He wouldn't have kept the love of his life.
Despite how everyone always said they were meant to be, sometimes neither of them believed it. Sometimes, they would argue and Geoff just wanted to pack up and leave. He didn't want to deal with her perfectionism another minute. In the heat of the argument, he'd say stupid things that he would later recall and cringe over. He may hate her perfectionist nature sometimes that clashed with his laid back manner, but one thing he loved about her was her ability to forgive. Because of that, he never lied to her. He never wanted her to forgive him for a lie, because it seemed like the ultimate sin to put her through that.
They had taken more than one "break" during their relationship, but they always found each other again. Sometimes he would be on the beach in the waves, sometimes in cafes, grocery stores, or movie theatres. He'd think of her in the middle of a comedy and suddenly tears would be running down his face and he had to leave, find a phone, call her, and just be with her again because his life felt like nothing without her in it. The waves weren't big enough, the fun activities, the ones that made his blood rush, were dull and lifeless. Without Bridgette, life lost its edge.
She felt the same of course, and she called him too if he wasn't fast enough. That was why they lasted through college, at least in his mind. While at culinary school Geoff often got stressed easily and things slipped his mind. Bridgette always remembered though, and she'd bring him back to his senses.
Now, at twenty-four and fancy free, he was beginning to consider moving to someplace with more opportunity for fun. He felt like the big city was stifling his creativity, making cooking become a job rather than something enjoyable. He planned to talk about it with Bridgette because he wasn't leaving without her, but he never found the time, not till their snowboarding vacation just before Christmas. It was at least a twice a year (January and December) occurrence, mainly so they got some form of surfing in during the winter months when their precious oceans were too cold to play in.
After a day full of snowboarding, the two hiked back to their rented room in the chalet and tossed their snowy gear over the register for tomorrow. Woolly socks, long underwear, sweats, sweaters, long sleeved shirts, everything that was damp from either sweat or snow was thrown in the dryer, leaving the couple in t-shirts and boxers (Bridgette had her own pair with M&Ms on it). He watched as she retracted the ponytail and went to the attached kitchen for a mug for the coffee. Geoff settled in front of the already blazing fire and tried to stop shivering. Although Geoff liked winter, he was a summer boy and without the sun constantly on him, he was always cold.
Bridgette came back into the main area of their room and settled beside him, curling against his side to help warm him up. Geoff sighed peacefully and leaned back until he was lying down on the carpeted floor. He tugged until she mirrored his position, neither speaking this entire time. He liked that she understood she didn't need to always talk to keep his interest. She was always interesting, especially in silence.
"I think we need to move to a different city," he stated in the quiet.
She sat up a bit and stared at him curiously. "You want to move?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I feel like the big city is zapping my mojo. I can't, like, enjoy my work anymore. It feels like . . ."
"Work?"
"Yeah! And I hate that feeling. What do you think?"
Bridgette curled her legs up to her chest and rested her head on her knees as she considered what he said. "Well, I wasn't thinking about transferring offices, but maybe in the New Year I could take a leave for a while. I mean, with the profits from my surfing career, I don't really need to work. We can take that time to find a place where you can cook in a place that won't make it feel like work. If it's near a place I can commute, I'll transfer to that office. How does that sound?"
Geoff grinned and nodded eagerly. "Sounds perfect babe. See, I am making you a little more relaxed," he teased. She playfully punched his chest, causing him to wrap his arms around her waist and bring her back to his side. "C'mere, I need to stop shaking," he chuckled, burying his head against her neck.