A Mountain View

"Why have you brought me here?"

Julia stood in front of the window and looked at the amazing view. The mountains were just breaking the early morning haze and their outlines were hesitating to show themselves but gradually, in the warmth from the sun, they were revealed. Snow striped the steep sides and the lake's milky green contrasted with the slopes' solid greyness.

"Because I thought you'd like it. Because I thought we needed a change."

Julia sighed. It was beautiful but it just added to her sense of unease. She should be ecstatic about being here, about the fact that James had made such an effort arranging it and bringing her here but she didn't want it. She was unsure of his motives and it was unsettling her, especially in light of their recent discord.

"I thought it would give us a chance to talk."

He came up behind her to share the view, placing his arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder. She managed to suppress the flinch caused by contact with him, she thought, but he'd noticed and it made him hold her all the tighter.

To all outsiders, they were the perfect couple: successful, confident, good-looking, devoted to each other. But James could sense that he was losing Julia. She was gaining in life faster than him and he hated it. Her career was rocketing and he did not want her to have it. He coveted it for himself. He felt he was being left behind and his prideful resentment was uncoiling and fastening itself to Julia to try and limit her.

He didn't recognise that she deserved it. He merely begrudged her having it and how it affected him.

They'd fought and he'd found texts, about leaving him: an extraction plan. He'd come close to hitting her that night, but hadn't.

Yet.

Julia separated his clasped hands from her waist and moved away without turning.

He felt his anger rising and his fists clenched.

"Julia?"

She looked at him and said, "I'm going for a walk." She couldn't bear to be there.

James stood, ramrod straight, his anger fizzing.

"I'll come too."

Julia merely said, "Don't."

***

366 words

There have to be relationships where one partner is envious of what the other achieves and I wanted to explore that here. Reading through it, I am wondering why Julia went with him to this beautiful mountain escape if she was already thinking of leaving him, but isn't it hard to completely end something if it's felt right before?

Thanks for stopping by! If you do read it, please do drop a comment as I love to interact with my readers.