The Pen Pal Project

He was relieved that Bella had dropped the subject because he really didn't want to ruin the day with his father issues. In regards to Bella's question James appeared to be thoughtful for a minute as his dark blue eyes raked over his surroundings.


"I think you're quite beautiful. But if you're talking about the river it's pretty great too." he smiled warmly before his face lit up with excitement. He hopped out of his shoes and peeled off the socks underneath them and raced quickly to stand in the water. A content almost child-like expression crossed over James' face and he beckoned for her to join him in the shallow part of the river.
 
Bella blushed a little at his comment, but luckily he didn't notice as he ran into the river. She laughed a bit when she saw the childlike expression on his face, and when invited in she quickly took of her socks and shoes as well, rolling her jeans up to capri-height so they wouldn't get wet and walked into the cool water.


Once she felt the cool water and the ground swishing around her feet, she smiled. "I haven't been here for awhile. Usually I just sit at the park since I don't have enough free time to make the trip this far..." She played happily in the water, now feeling just as childish as James looked.
 
"That," he answered quickly and with a slightly roguish smile, "Is the worst thing I've heard all week. I make a point of going to the river in Riverview at least once a week, but it isn't half as nice as this one. It's actually quite shallow unless it's spilling onto the floodplains and it's always incredible crowded. It isn't as secluded as this one."


He sighed contentedly and wished that he had brought swimming trunks. He doubted that Bella would be impressed if he stripped down to nothing to swim but the river was practically calling him.


"What would you do if an alien ship landed over there?" James asked the first question in his head to avoid dwelling on his desire to swim and he pointed off to a small patch of empty land near the river and not covered by thick trees.
 
Bella giggled a little at the question. "What?!" she asked. She quickly glanced over to where he pointed and gave it a quick thought. "I'd have to go check it out of course!" she said, as if there could be any other answer. She'd always been curious. "I mean it's a UFO, what would anyone do? I suppose there are people that would run and hide though..." She imagined the situation in her head, and decided for sure that she wouldn't be one of those people.


"Well," she started. "What about you? Would you be like a little girl and run off screaming or would you have the guts to walk over there?" she said in a mocking voice with a cute smile that let him know she was joking about potentially calling him a little girl.
 
"Of course I would! I'm the biggest little girl ever..." he joked, "I'm totally kidding. I have no beef with aliens, I'd totally check things out. If a group of zombies came out of the trees however... yeah I'd like to think I'd be all strong and manly but I'd likely run off screaming. Those things give me the creeps." he shuddered slightly and laughed easily. The last girl he had asked a random question like that had just found him strange so he was glad that Bella at least had enough humour to play along with his hypothetical scenario.
 
Bella laughed when he admitted his fear of zombies. "What??" she asked. "No way. I am so ready for the impending zombie apocalypse. I'm totally going to kick some zombie ass." she laughed a bit and skipped a flat rock across the water, watching it hop three times before plunging into the river.


"Let me guess, you didn't bring any shorts to swim in?" she asked. She already knew the answer to this, having seen his eagerness to get in the water but his hesitation to actually swim.
 
"I'm having difficulty imagining you kicking zombie ass. No offense or anything, it's just that you look all prim and proper. Have you ever even shot a gun?" James asked.


"And if you insist!" James responded to her other statement. He hadn't really thought through what to bring so he had brought a handful of various bills adding up to roughly $50.00 and the clothes on his back. Or the clothes that were on his back. He tossed his jeans and his shirt onto the shore but he kept his boxers on before he waded into the water. James cringed as he moved further into the water, it had been colder than he had expected but it was refreshing. At the very least James could claim that the chill of the water woke him up more than the drive to Hollyfield. "Coming?" he asked and his jaw chattered at the coldness. He watched Bella eagerly wanting to see her reaction to him stripping down to his underwear in front of her and if she would join him.
 
Bella shook her head at his question. She hadn't fired a gun before. "I will eventually maybe!" she said. "How hard could that be??" She was surprised when he took off his shirt and pants and ran into the water in his boxers. She blushed a little and turned away to take off her button-up. At least she'd worn a swimsuit underneath. She finished undressing and waded out in a pale blue and white swimsuit, shivering when the water was high enough to reach her stomach. She had her belly button pierced and looked down at it. "Don't tell my parents." she said with a wink and a giggle. "It's sooo cold today!" she added.
 
James took a slight pleasure in the fact that Bella cheeks had become slightly flushed when he took off his clothes to swim. He was glad he had been playing quite a bit of soccer lately so he was in pretty good shape. She had clearly thought further ahead than he had when she revealed a bathing suit underneath her clothes.


The fact that her belly button was pierced was surprising to James and when she asked him not to tell he could only laugh, "I didn't think that you had a rebellious bone in your body! Now you sound more like my kind of girl." he smiled and he disappeared beneath the surface of the water before he popped up again several feet away. "It starts to warm up a little once you're in far enough." he added although James wasn't too sure if he was actually beginning to become accustomed to the water or if he was simply going numb from the cold. It didn't matter too much, he loved swimming after all.
 
Bella laughed. "Your kind of girl, huh?" she asked. "What a privelege!" She ducked under the water in a deep part of the river, resurfacing a few moments later. She got a cold chill but then became accustomed to the cold water. "Not bad." she said, pushing her wet hair out of her face. "So then I guess that means you're into piercings? Well, at least somewhat." she smiled a little.
 
"No, no, it's not that!" James offered quickly. He had seen too many girls with more metal on their face... well, than something that had a lot of metal in it. He was a little too numb to be witty in his head right now, "I like girls with a little bit of a spine. They're more exciting than the boring straight-and-narrow girls... generally they're a little more crazy, but you can't win them all." he answered and he floated on his back casting his eyes to the dazzlingly clear bright blue sky.
 
"Well that's good." Bella joked. "I was afraid I'd have to look like a scary overly-pierced girl to impress you." She looked up at the sky as well. A cool breeze went by and she shivered, the water on her skin becoming momentarily colder. "Not that I was trying to." she added. That probably sounded really weird, and she didn't want to give him the wrong idea. "I'm not out to impress anyone, really. Just me..."
 
The fact that she had to backtrack slightly made James a little suspicious. He moved himself from floating lazily on his back to a position where he was treading water and he glanced at Bella and responded in almost a sing-song voice, "Do you liiike me?" he asked with a slight smirk as if he found the idea amusing and he waited almost expectantly.
 
"W-what?!" she said, looking over. It was a good thing she was freezing or she'd be blushing. "No way!" she said. She made what was an attempt at a grumpy face that failed miserably and just looked cute. "I mean I just said I'm not out to impress anyone, right? So you're included in that group. The effect of the cold water was wearing off, and her cheeks were feeling warm. Hopefully it at least wasn't noticeable. "T-that's...... That's dumb." she crossed her arms.
 
James raised a questioning eyebrow. He wasn't quite sure what to make of what she had said because he couldn't shake the feeling that she may have been lying. But he knew enough that a no was a no. He wasn't going to kiss her unless he could be sure that she wouldn't press harassment on him or anything and he certainly didn't want to ruin a good fledgling friendship with any moves.


"Ah, I was just teasing. I figured as much! Anyways, I'm starving so you've got to let me know where a good place to eat for lunch in Hollyfield is... oh and mind my wallet. I've only got like fifty bucks in there so don't go expecting me to take you to some place for caviar." James responded immediately shrugging off any potential blow to his ego from the rebuff.
 
Bella let out a sigh of relief. When he mentioned food her stomach grumbled. "There's plenty of good places around here, depending on what you like." she said with a small smile. "I'll have to stop by home first if you don't mind. I don't think any of the places would appreciate me walking in in a wet bathing suit." It wouldn't be very comfortable, either.
 
"Hey! That's no fair!" he groaned, "I'm in my underwear! No, no, I believe in equality." James protested and he dragged himself with great effort from the water. After he pushed his way back onto dry land he regarded his clothes almost quizzically as if trying to figure out a tough equation. As wonderful as it had been to swim, he was really regretting this decision now. He grimaced and he threw his dry clothes over his wet body with great difficulty.


He appeared to have mild discomfort for just a moment before he seemed to overcome the discomfort of his clothing situation and he returned his attention back to food, "I would just about kill someone for a hamburger." he smiled almost dreamily and his mouth watered almost on cue with the slight gurgle that his stomach put forth.
 
Bella laughed a little. "You were the one who didn't bring anything to swim in!" she argued, but then dropped the subject. She waded out of the water and did her best at wringing out her hair. She let the air blow her feet dry before slipping her shoes on. Her bathing suit would probably take longer to dry than James boxers, so she resolved to put her clothes back on when her swimsuit wasn't so soaked.


"Burgers, huh?" she contemplated. She nodded in agreement. "I know a place." she gave a small smile and they began walking back towards the park. Finally her swimsuit started drying a little and she slipped her clothes on. Damp clothing was at least better than soaked clothing.
 
"Lead away." James murmured with a smile as they pressed through the walk back to the park and to his car, "I could take you home if you want to change. I was definitely just kidding." he asked her as he flung open the door to his car. He made a quick gesture that indicated that he wanted a minute.


With great haste he cleared the passenger seat of a pile of papers and some general garbage tossing anything on the passenger's side into the backseat and when it was finally sufficiently clean he moved back to the driver's side and beckoned for her to enter.


"So your musical choices range from ACDC to Zeppelin." he motioned to his glove compartment indicating a wide collection of classic rock CDs within it.
 
Bella followed him to the car and waited for him to clean the seat. He must not have expected for the two of them to go anywhere together. Then again, he probably didn't expect her to show up, either. Bella climbed into the car, shutting the door. When James got in and told her the choices for music, she shrugged. "I'm fine with absolutely anything, honestly. I listen to most music. Well, except rap." She stuck her tongue out to show her disapproval of the genre.
 
"I'm awful and I don't really care for music made within the last five years anyways." James shrugged then he seemed to be gripped by an idea and he had done more than put the key in the ignition before his face lit up with enthusiasm, "So I remember you saying that you don't have a car. Do you know how to drive?" he asked with a grin.
 
Bella blushed in embarrassment. "No," she admitted. "My parents won't let me while I'm living with them. They think it's silly to get a liscence when we have drivers who make more than enough money to tote me around every once in awhile." She gave a cute smile. "Apparently I'm incapable. You know, since my hands are obviously broken and all." She giggled a little at her own sarcasm, which then made her laugh at herself for laughing at herself. She sighed; James probably thought she was crazy.
 
"I kind of hoped that you would say that." James answered with a roguish grin and he moved from the driver's side, "My car's not standard so this should be cake. Gas means go and brake means stop. Don't be afraid to use the brake!" he laughed and moved around to the passenger side of the vehicle. He left the door to the driver's side opened and motioned energetically for Bella to drive.
 
"What??" Bella said. Her eyes widened when she found out he was serious. He got out of the car, motioning her back out of the vehicle. "You can't be serious! What if I wreck??" she asked. There was no way she should be driving someone else's car. Besides the fact that she could easily just buy him a new one if something happened, she still felt weird doing it. She stood up and gave him a strange look before slowly circling around to the other side, sitting in the drivers seat and shutting the door. "Are... You sure about this?"
 
"Yeah. What's the worst that could happen? We die. But that happens to the best of drivers. Remember who works at an automobile shop? Besides I have no idea where this restaurant is." James explained. It was kind of sad how he enjoyed this suggestion he had posed just because of the expression on her face. He kind of enjoyed seeing her flustered, she was quite adorable when he took her out of her comfort-zone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Back
Top