Across the miles

The pair also exchanged gifts, but it didn’t occur to either one of them to exchange photographs for quite some time. “I didn’t know what she looked like but I didn’t care,” says Florian. “She was a good friend and we could just be ourselves without all the pressure of physical attraction.” When they finally did swap photos, both were impressed. “I thought she was very cute,” says Florian.

To anyone on the outside, Jacqui and Florian were obviously a young couple falling in love. But despite their growing chemistry, neither of them admitted their feelings to the other, or even to themselves. The pair continued in blissful denial of their feelings for many months, but finally decided to meet up while they were watching the opening ceremony of the Atlanta Olympic Games ‘together’ over the telephone. “We made a bet about which of our two countries was going to take out the most medals at the Olympics, and whoever lost would have to take the other person on a trip somewhere in the world,” explains Jacqui. “I knew Australia would beat Switzerland, and I think Flo did too!”

Florian made good on his bet and booked flights and accommodation for the two of them to Hamilton Island in Queensland’s Whitsundays. “It felt like we were about to have an adventure and there was no real romantic pressure; just two friends meeting up,” explains Florian. “But I was a little more excited than if I was meeting up with a male friend, I think.” In the months that followed, the lead-up to their rendezvous triggered the same excitement in Jacqui, along with a few nervous twinges. “I was looking forward to meeting him but I knew this wasn’t quite the same as meeting up with an old girlfriend and I was also aware that this would change the dynamics of our friendship so it was a bit of a risk.”

As the countdown to their holiday approached, fate stepped in. Jacqui was suddenly swept off her feet by a young Australian man. “I told Flo I’d met someone straight away and he seemed happy for me. I guess that’s how much denial we were both in.”

The pair decided to go ahead with their holiday plans, but when Jacqui told her new Australian boyfriend about her Swiss friend, he was not impressed. “He didn’t like the idea of me meeting up with a guy and I completely understood how he felt so I told Flo I had to call it off... I offered to buy the tickets from him.”

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