Foreign Feelings
; the Fourteenth
Pierre's P.O.V.
I watched Eva across the dining table. Sensing my gaze, she looked up from picking at her lettuce and met my eyes. She smiled slowly and mouthed, “Sorry.”
I shook my head at her and rolled my eyes, dismissing her apology like I had to all of the previous ones. My nose still throbbed, but the pain had died down, as had the blood. I had no doubt though that my face was red and bruised. But I didn't blame her for what she had done. I was pretty much asking for it when I held her against her will.
“Pass the mince, Pierre?”
I looked up to see Abe, his eyebrows raised. I picked up the mince bowl and passed it down the table to him.
“Thanks, my boy.”
“You're welcome.”
“So, Pierre . . .” Emilie spoke up for the first time since she saw me and Eva on the stairs, my nose bleeding. “What's your favourite food?”
I smiled at her teasingly. “Snails. Frogs. Anything of the sort.”
Emilie's face scrunched up in distaste, as did Eva's and Abe's. “You are not serious, are you?”
I laughed and shook my head, shovelling diced tomato into my taco shell. “I'm joking. I like croissants.”
“Really?” Eva perked up. “Me too!”
“Are they your favourite?” I asked.
“Nope. I like chocolate.”
“Chocolate?”
“Yes. Chocolate is the best,” she boasted in a childish way.
“How do you feel about chocolate croissants then?”
Her eyes grew wide. “Seriously? There are really such things?”
“There sure are.”
I watched as her mouth dropped open and she grinned at me widely. “Cool.”
“There's just something about you Evarah Harper,” I mention casually, tapping my palms on the steering wheel, “That I find addicting.”
Eva snorts and rolls her head to look at me, a strand of dark hair escaping her ponytail to join her bangs. “You're addicted to me, Pear?” She smiles slightly. “Could you get much cheesier?”
I scoff. “I didn't say I was addicted to you. I said you were addicting.” I roll my eyes as an impression of her. “Obviously!”
She chuckles and pushes her hair behind her ears. “Whatever.”
A few minutes pass by in silence, and I pull into the student parking lot. When we're both out of the car, Eva turns to me shyly. “You find me addicting?” There's a blush riding her neck.
I smile. “How did I know that was eating away at you the whole time?”
She scowls. “Pierre, I swear to God, if this- this thing with you and me is just you teasing me . . .” She takes a deep breath and looks me in the eyes. “Then I will seriously kick your ass.”
I shake my head. “Eva, how could you even think . . ?” I sigh and run my hand back through my hair. “I'm not playing with you, Eva. What I feel, it, it's real.”
And then she's shy again. She untucks the hair from behind her ears so that it swings forward to hide her face. Her cheeks are red. “Right. Sorry.”
I put my arm around her waist, pulling her to me. “That's fine. But do you seriously think you can 'kick my ass'?”
She smiles up at me. “I know I can.”
I tighten my arm around her waist and lead her into the school. We only get a little ways until I stop, just having realised something. “So, Eva,” I begin. “You think we've got a thing.”
Eva chuckles and pulls out of my arm. She turns to face me, smirking, and mocks, “How did I know that was eating away at you the whole time?”
I watched Eva across the dining table. Sensing my gaze, she looked up from picking at her lettuce and met my eyes. She smiled slowly and mouthed, “Sorry.”
I shook my head at her and rolled my eyes, dismissing her apology like I had to all of the previous ones. My nose still throbbed, but the pain had died down, as had the blood. I had no doubt though that my face was red and bruised. But I didn't blame her for what she had done. I was pretty much asking for it when I held her against her will.
“Pass the mince, Pierre?”
I looked up to see Abe, his eyebrows raised. I picked up the mince bowl and passed it down the table to him.
“Thanks, my boy.”
“You're welcome.”
“So, Pierre . . .” Emilie spoke up for the first time since she saw me and Eva on the stairs, my nose bleeding. “What's your favourite food?”
I smiled at her teasingly. “Snails. Frogs. Anything of the sort.”
Emilie's face scrunched up in distaste, as did Eva's and Abe's. “You are not serious, are you?”
I laughed and shook my head, shovelling diced tomato into my taco shell. “I'm joking. I like croissants.”
“Really?” Eva perked up. “Me too!”
“Are they your favourite?” I asked.
“Nope. I like chocolate.”
“Chocolate?”
“Yes. Chocolate is the best,” she boasted in a childish way.
“How do you feel about chocolate croissants then?”
Her eyes grew wide. “Seriously? There are really such things?”
“There sure are.”
I watched as her mouth dropped open and she grinned at me widely. “Cool.”
“There's just something about you Evarah Harper,” I mention casually, tapping my palms on the steering wheel, “That I find addicting.”
Eva snorts and rolls her head to look at me, a strand of dark hair escaping her ponytail to join her bangs. “You're addicted to me, Pear?” She smiles slightly. “Could you get much cheesier?”
I scoff. “I didn't say I was addicted to you. I said you were addicting.” I roll my eyes as an impression of her. “Obviously!”
She chuckles and pushes her hair behind her ears. “Whatever.”
A few minutes pass by in silence, and I pull into the student parking lot. When we're both out of the car, Eva turns to me shyly. “You find me addicting?” There's a blush riding her neck.
I smile. “How did I know that was eating away at you the whole time?”
She scowls. “Pierre, I swear to God, if this- this thing with you and me is just you teasing me . . .” She takes a deep breath and looks me in the eyes. “Then I will seriously kick your ass.”
I shake my head. “Eva, how could you even think . . ?” I sigh and run my hand back through my hair. “I'm not playing with you, Eva. What I feel, it, it's real.”
And then she's shy again. She untucks the hair from behind her ears so that it swings forward to hide her face. Her cheeks are red. “Right. Sorry.”
I put my arm around her waist, pulling her to me. “That's fine. But do you seriously think you can 'kick my ass'?”
She smiles up at me. “I know I can.”
I tighten my arm around her waist and lead her into the school. We only get a little ways until I stop, just having realised something. “So, Eva,” I begin. “You think we've got a thing.”
Eva chuckles and pulls out of my arm. She turns to face me, smirking, and mocks, “How did I know that was eating away at you the whole time?”
♠ ♠ ♠
Now, I have some things to say.1)I understand that the French translations are a little wrong and confusing for some of you, so I've decided to just put everything that's said in French in bold and English, so that you can see when they're supposed to be speaking in French, but can also see what they're saying more easily then before. All will be changed (eg. Conversations between the French siblings) except the more basic words such as moi and oui.
2)And I made a mistake about Pierre and the school. In case you didn't notice, Pierre wore the school uniform where all of the other French exchange students wore their own clothes. So from now on, I'm going to have Pierre wearing his own clothes, although I'm not going to change the fact that I DID make a mistake, because I like the conversation that happened between Pierre and Eva. I felt that they made a connection then, and I don't want to get rid of it. So please just ignore the fact that I made a mistake with that.
3)I have a horrible habit of changing the past tense in this story to present. I'm just changing it all together. This means that half the story is in past tense, half in present. Personally, I don't think it's that big of a deal. Just easier for me to write. And it would take to much time to go back over the 12 or so chapters and change everything, so I'd just leave those bits. Whataya think? So from halfway (I know, I'm a dweeb) in this chapter, the tense has changed from past to present.
Thanks. Comment with your thoughts?