Foreign Feelings

Pierre's P.O.V.
“So, how long have you been learning English?”

I looked over at Josh and shrugged. “Almost 3 years.”

“Is that all? Man, you're really good.”

I chuckled. “Thanks.” I looked towards the bathroom that Eva disappeared into. “What are they doing in there?”

“Well, you know girls . . .” We looked at each other and laughed. “When Bonnie gets started on something to do with beauty . . .” He rolled his eyes.

“I know. I've been here, what, 3 days? And I already know how long it takes Eva to get ready in the morning.”

We were laughing together when Eva came back with her friends, her face blazing red.

I tried to hide my smile when I said, “Eva, you have a little . . .” I waved my hand around her shirt.

“Shut up,” she muttered, glaring at me with those sharp grey eyes. “I'm not in the mood.” She sat down next to me and sighs. “Damn. I'm gonna stink.”

A laugh escaped my lips and I clamped them together tightly. Eva glanced at me before shaking her hair over her face and putting her head in her hands.

When Bonnie and Josh and Sarah were concentrated on their conversation, I put a gentle hand on Eva's back. “Hey, are you okay?”

She rolled her head to look at me. “I'm fine. Just stop making me fun of me, okay?”

“Okay. I'm sorry, it was only a joke.”

She smiled slightly at me and sat up. “That's okay. I guess I'm in a kind of sour mood today.”

I snorted, but stopped when she frowned at me. “Right, sorry.” I cleared my throat. “Dearest Eva, thou could never be in a sour mood. I am very sorry if my sarcastic laughter has offended thou in any manner.”

And then she was laughing again, and I was happy.



“How did you enjoy your first day back at school?”

I looked away from the road briefly and into Eva's eyes. “It was . . . interesting.”

“Interesting? Is that all? I would have thought you had more fun than just interesting.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled into the overtaking lane. “Whatever Eva. It was fun, for hanging out with people younger then myself.”

Eva's face fell. “Well, if you had of just asked . . . You could have sat with the older students, or even the other French ones. But you didn't say anything, so I didn't know.”

I sighed. “Eva, it's fine. That was a joke. I have nothing against sitting with people younger then myself.”

She huffed in her typical, stubborn manner. “Fine. Whatever.”

I pulled into her street and parked. We got out of the car and made our way to the front door in silence. That was where Eva stopped me.

“Pear . . . Are you happy here? With, you know, me being there all the time. Showing you around town, escorting you through school. Is that okay? Are you getting tired of me?”

“Tired of you? Of you, Eva? Of course not! There's no one I would rather spend all my time with.”

Her face lost some of it's concern. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Believe it or not, but once you get used to your stubbornness and constant need to be right, you're quite a pleasure to be with.”

“A pleasure?” She asked, totally ignoring my attempts to tease her.

“Yes, you're a pleasure, Eva.”

I couldn't help but love the way her face lit up at that. She smiled brightly and then, surprising us both, she hugged me.

Before I could return it, she had withdrawn. She looked embarrassed and angry at herself, but she was still glowing. “Thank you, Pierre.”

“You're very welcome, Eva.”

This time, I'm the one to start the hug. I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her waist. She's stiff for a second before sighing and hugging me back. Silently, she rests her head on my shoulder and shuts her eyes, relaxing.

I don't know how long we stood there, but it was long enough for my legs to start to ache. Yet I still don't pull away.

“You're unbelievably comfy, Eva,” I muttered into her hair.

She tilted her face up to mine, and I'm suddenly swept with the undeniable urge to kiss her. “Are you calling me fat, Pear?”

I watched her lips move as she spoke. Soft and pink. I was just about to give in and kiss her when she turned her face back into my neck. I felt her smile. “This is nice.”

“Yes.”

“Why do we have to argue?”

“We don't. We just do.”

“Why don't we stop?”

“Because you're impossible.” I chuckled and brought a hand up to stroke her soft hair. “You're stubborn and crazy, and hen things don't go the way you want, you start yelling. How am I supposed to not argue with that?”

“Me?” She exclaimed, yet still didn't move away. “You're the impossible one. You think everything's such a big joke. Oh look at me,” she mocked, starting to get worked up, “I can drive a car! Oh, this hill is so big. I know! Let's have some fun and trick Eva to see how stupid she can look! Every girl at school is checking me out and here I am, acting like it's no big deal! I'm a cocky asshole!”

I pulled back slightly to look at her, still keeping my arms around her. “Is that what you think of me, Eva?”

She looked at me too, her grey eyes big. “Do you really think I'm crazy?”

We stared at each other for a while longer in silence, and then I started to laugh.

“No, Eva, you're not crazy! You're amazing.”

“And I'm pretty sure you're not just some cocky asshole. You have some depth to you, I'm sure.”

“You're sure?”

“I'm sure.” She smiled at me again, her eyes shining happily. I smiled back at her and found myself tucking a stray piece of brown hair behind her ear.

“Well,” I stated, caressing her cheek gently, “My feet are numb. Can we move now?”

“Sure.” She withdrew her arms from me and picked up her schoolbag, which had been dumped on the floor. “I guess we should go inside now, hey?”

“Hey,” I agreed, following her through the front door and into the kitchen.

“You hungry?” She asked, rummaging through the cupboard.

“A little.”

“What d'ya want?”

“Anything.”

She pulled out a large packet of Doritos and then led me to the lounge room. We sat side by side on the couch while Eva chose a channel. After going through them all about 3 times, she settled on Roseanne, a comedy on the 111 channel.

“I love this show,” Eva told me, digging around in the chips. She packed as many as she could fit in her mouth. “What about you?”

I shrugged. “I hardly watch T.V. Normally I'm outside with Adele or cooking with Myrla.”

Eva sighed through her nose. “You have no idea how much I wish I had a normal life. You're so lucky.”

“Haven't we already been over this? Normal is over-rated.”

“Yeah we have. My response to that was that money was too. And then you said touché.” she chuckled. “I like that word.”

I smiled and ruffled her hair. “You're weird.”

She frowned at me. “Am not.”

“Are too.”