The Project

I know I am not as "serious" of a writer as the rest of you, but I still would like to post some of the things I have written and receive comments as well.  Be gentle. :)

               Alex threw her suitcase and book bag into her car and then backed out of the driveway.  She was late to pick up Pierre and she knew how much he hated being late.  She also knew that it would take them a good five hours to get to Eureka Springs and she wanted to get four solid hours of work done on the project tonight.

                She pulled into the cracked driveway and stopped the car.  The ancient looking house that stood before her seemed to cry out for mercy.  Its lavender paint was chipping off and it’s porch looked as if it would collapse from underneath you if you stepped on it.  Alex found it quite repulsive, but Pierre said that if had a touch of flare.

                A tall, handsome man came out from the fuchsia door with a night bag in one hand and a briefcase in the other. He wore a pair of loose khaki shorts and a white Polo shirt. His dark tan seemed even more golden in the April sunshine.  As he approached the car, the mid afternoon sun caught the green of his eyes and they sparkled like lovely pools of water.

                She had always found him attractive, but today he seemed more than just attractive; he seemed sexy and irresistible.  As he opened the car door and sat in the seat, Pierre thought to himself:

                “Oh my gosh, she’s gorgeous!  I wonder what kind of kisser she would be?  I wonder if she thinks about me as much as I think about her? ”

He shook away these thoughts quickly though.

                “No!  What am I thinking?  She’s getting married in just a few months.  She’s in love with Ken.  I introduced them for heaven’s sakes.  I can’t be attracted to Alex.  We are here to finish our project and nothing more.”

                He decided to brush the thoughts aside and chide her for being late.

                “It’s about damn time you got here. I thought you said 3:30?”  Pierre questioned, being quite sarcastic.

                “You know I love it when you’re mad.  It makes things so much more interesting.  Now let’s hit the road.”  Alex jabbed back at him.

                Pierre chuckled to himself and then adjusted himself in the buckle seat.  The drive from Lawrence to Eureka Springs was absolutely gorgeous.  The newly budded leaves and the emerald green hills and meadows beckoned the two friends to a state of relaxation.  The sun began to set when they reached Mark Twain National Forest.  The sky slowly changed from yellow, to orange, to red, to a deep shade of purple.

                “Wow, that was beautiful!”  Pierre decided to break the silence.  Somewhat shocked by the sincerity of the statement, Alex could only answer with a barbaric sound “Yeah”.

                “Almost as beautiful as you.”  Pierre continued, with the same sincerity as his comment about the sunset.

                “Thank you dawling.” Alex said in an overexaggerated brogue.  “Is there any particular reason for kissing up to me this way?”  Alex teased.

                But he wasn’t kissing up.  He admired her shapely figure and incredibly long legs.  Her long, wavy hair gently blew in the breeze from the open car windows.  He loved her big brown eyes which had a certain melancholy to them when she was concentrating.  Her breasts, perfect and round, which were hidden underneath a tight fitting pink cardigan sweater.  He loved her.  He loved her stunning body and her alluring eyes.  He loved her kind and gentle way of looking at everything in the world.  He loved her orneriness and her stubborn side.  He loved her, but he knew he shouldn’t.  Ken, her fiancé, was an old high school buddy.  He introduced them to each other.  Now he almost regretted it.

                Alex and Pierre were both graduating in May, so they decided to get together and work on their senior project.  It was due in two weeks and they had barely scratched the surface.  They needed to concentrate all of their time to the project this weekend.  That is why they were here.

                Alex’s parents owned a bed and breakfast in Excelsior Springs.  She thought it would be a quiet place for them to work, away from the crazy college life at the university; away from the temptations of end of the year parties.  When she was younger, she loved to go to the inn.  It was always so quiet and peaceful.  It seemed that the whole world had slowed down to a crawling pace inside this town.

                “Welcome to Eureka Springs” the sign read as they approached the quaint little town in the hills. The narrow streets and the Victorian homes smiled on them as they drove.

                “My parents place is just up this hill.”  Alex beamed with anticipation.  “It’s funny,  every time I get near this town I am filled with excitement.  I feel like a ten year old again who is on her way to grandma’s house.  It’s so comfortable.  Everyone in town is friendly.  The streets are filled with quaint country stores and restaurants.  I guess that’s why mom and dad decided to buy this place.  They came here for their tenth anniversary and fell in love with it.  It was eight years and about twenty vacations later that they bought the Piedmont.  I can’t wait to show you the place,Pierre, you are going to love it!”

                They pulled up in front of the two-story Victorian home.  It was painted blue with pink laced around the windows and other trimmings.  It had a porch that encircled the whole house.  Off to the north side of the porch, you could see the rolling hills and peaceful countryside of the Ozark Mountains.

                Alex pushed open the heavy oak door that led them into the house.  She immediately walked up the curving oak staircase that led them to the rooms.

                “We can stay in Suite #6.”  Alex said more to herself than to Pierre as she entered one of the rooms.

                The room, much like the rest of the house, had dark walnut floors.  The walls were papered with a delicate cream wallpaper, laced with pink roses.  In the center of the room was a queen sized bed covered with a fluffy down comforter that matched the pink roses of the wallpaper.  The intricately carved wood posts of the four poster rose high above the bed.  In one corner of the room sat a rocking chair that appeared to have rocked many a child to sleep in its lifetime.  On the opposite side of the room sat an antique oak dresser.  The only other piece of furniture was an antique desk that had been painted blue and had chipped away with time.

                “It’s very charming.”  Pierre said, responding to the room.  “You are right, I do love it.”

But what he really meant was that he loved her.  The room was filled with Alex.  The softness of the walls, the wholesome old-fashioned charm of the floors and furniture.  The room was Alex and that is what Pierre loved about it.

                “Well, I’d show you the rest of the house, but the trip took longer than I expected and I really think we should start working.”

                “Working?”  Pierre whined the most childish whiny voice he could muster.  “I don’t want to start working.  Can’t we just fool around?”

                “Of course we can dawling, but I usually like to play hard to get.”  Alex smirked.

                Pierre’s words were teasing of course, but his heart wasn’t.    Was Alex aware that his playful flirtations were more than just friendly banter? 

                Pierre thought to himself, “Alex is the perfect woman for me.  I have loved her since the first time we met.  This is my one last chance to tell her.  If I leave this weekend without telling her how much I love her, then she will marry Ken and my chance will be forever lost.  I’ve got to tell her, but how?”

                Alex noticed the sudden sullenness on Pierre’s face and wondered what she had said.  They have always joked around with each other like this.    Oh well, it was a long drive and they had a lot of work ahead of them.  Maybe he was just stressed.  Anyway, they really did need to get to work.  So she looked over at Pierre, winked and said, “Let’s get to work.”

To be continued