The Project: Phase Three [feat. the FAH-BU-LOUSSS ScoMan]

This is part three of The Project series.
You can find Part One here.
And Part Two here.
For those of you who just stumbled in, The Project is a tandem story written by the witty and talented ScoMan and myself.
He's been such a sweetie to work with. And he's such a fabulous writer. In fact, he's so fabulous, I dedicated a post label just for him. You can find his blog here.
Hope you enjoy this part of the story and we'll be posting more up soon. =D

He looked back over his shoulder to get the licence plate of the other man. It was a vanity plate and not hard to remember - "THEONE". "Sorry I lost my cool" he said to her as they approached the car. It was then he heard his phone was still ringing. He hurried back inside and answered it. "Hello" he said. "Hello, are you at the airport?" he heard his brothers voice respond. "Just on my way now. It's been a rough morning" "Yeah, I just heard on the radio there was an accident on the freeway, could take them awhile to clear it" That was the hold up he thought. "Well we're just starting to crawl again now, so they must have cleared at least a few lanes. I'll call you when we've got mum and are heading to the restaurant." "Okay, should I call ahead and let them know we might be late?" "Sure, sounds like a good idea. Call me back when you've spoken to them, bye" "Bye"He put the phone down and turned to her. "That was my brother. He's calling the restaurant to let them know we might be a little late. Would you like to call your parents?" he asked, offering her the phone.

She shook her head. "Thanks, but I just spoke to them last night. I told them all about today. Besides, it'll be pretty pricey calling all the way to South Africa at this time, peak rates and all that." She smiled. Her parents were celebrating retirement by traveling around the world. So far, they had gone to Athens, Florence, Madrid, Washington and were now traveling around South Africa. They were really enjoying themselves. She herself was looking forward to her trip to Phuket in a few months' time. However, she hadn't gotten around to telling him about her little trip yet. It was a holiday to celebrate the upcoming wedding.

"Fair enough" he said, sliding his phone back into his pocket. He was glad she had refused. Every time she talked to her mother she was worried his surprise would be ruined. Her mother was a lovely lady, but found it difficult to keep a secret. Especially one this big. He had called her parents one night and organised with them to fly to London with them after her sisters wedding. There, her parents would return to their world tour, and he would propose to her. There was something about London and it's old style buildings. To him they held a certain romance and charm. Although he had worked out the way he wanted to propose to her, he had not yet worked out how to get her on the plane without making her suspicious.

She glanced at him. He had been acting rather out-of-character lately, practically jumping for his phone every time it rang. She wondered if something was wrong with him and had thought to ask him a few times. But he'd always been the type to talk when he was ready and she didn't want to push. The traffic was clearing up rather nicely, and it looked like they just might make it to the airport on time. "I'm going to order the chicken pesto pasta later, I think. And loads of garlic bread. I'm so hungry! And nervous. I hope your mum will like me." She started fidgeting in her seat, as she always did when she was nervous. Perhaps she should tell him about Phuket now? Or wait until they reached the airport. He can't yell at her in front of his mother. Hah. She decided to do just that. But first, she should prepare him. "So, mum and dad are having such a fantastic time traveling. I'm so jealous. I really want to go on a trip too, get a change of scenery." She glanced at him to see his reaction.

I was projecting a bit when I mentioned all that traveling. I would love to be able to travel all over the world.
And it turned into a fun little game between ScoMan and myself, a bit like ping-pong.
He's been great to work with, even though I apparently torture him with tasks as times. Lol.
You can read his side of the story here.

The Project: Phase Two

Ladies and gentleman... man... man...

I present to you... you... you...

Without further ado... do... do...

The Project... ject... ject...

Phase Two... Two... Two...

He smiled. She looked at him in that way that let him know she knew he was up to something. "It's a good thing you're sitting beside a former boy scout," he said, "because they always taught me to be prepared. He enjoyed playing with her. She was so cute when she knew she was being played with. He motioned towards the glove compartment and she opened it. He knew she wouldn't have had time for breakfast, so he'd made her a sandwich before he left. She smiled and he melted.

It was her favourite sandwich too, roast turkey on rye with mayonnaise and black olives. She hated green olives for some unknown reason. She was just about to bite into it when the car in front of them braked suddenly, causing him to brake suddenly as well. She cried out as the sandwich flew out of her hand and watched as the olives fell on her shoes. He started cursing the driver of the car. She started picking up the sandwich from her shoes and dress.

He looked at her dress. "Don't worry, it's fine," he said. He wondered why traffic has stopped ahead. Perhaps there'd been an accident. He certainly hadn't been expecting it. The squeal of brakes behind him woke him from his thoughts and he checked his mirror, just as the car behind slammed into the back of the them. The impact shook the car violently, causing her to drop what she had recovered of her sandwich. He couldn't believe their bad luck.

She gasped loudly and turned to look behind. Traffic was at a complete standstill. The driver behind started honking at them, which made her seriously angry. First, she had turkey flung all over her dress and now the jerk behind them was honking at them when it wasn't their fault. That was it. She wound down the window and started yelling at the driver. He replied by honking again. She nearly jumped out of the car to go punch the guy.

While she was yelling at the other driver, he got out of the car to check the damage. The car still looked driveable, but there was a bit of damage to the bodywork at the back end. The other driver was still honking and yelling at her. He normally was not a violent man, but today he was being pushed to his limits. He took ten deep breaths, and walked towards the other car. As calmly as he could, he walked over to the other car to try and get the other driver's insurance information.

Meanwhile, she realised how silly she was acting and popped her head back in the car to pick up the sandwich. Her stomach was rumbling loudly now, from the effort she had spent yelling at the jerk. She tossed the remainder of the poor sandwich out the window and took out some wet wipes to try to get the grease out of her dress. At the rate they were going, they might not reach the airport. His mobile started ringing and she glanced at the incoming number. It was a private number. She looked behind and saw that he was still exchanging information with the other driver, who saw her looking and glared at her. She gave him the finger and smiled sweetly. The phone was still ringing. Should she answer? But she hated answering other people's calls. It felt like an invasion of privacy to her.

He couldn't see what she was doing now, but he just knew she'd upset the other driver because the guy started yelling and screaming at the car again. He gave the guy a shove and said, "Leave her out of this. Let's just get this sorted before traffic starts moving again." the guy shoved him back. He threw his hands up in surrender. He was already likely to be turning up late, his date with food all over her dress and with damage to the back of his car. The last thing he needed was a black eye and a bleeding lip on top of all that. "You're even more of a b***h than she is," the guy said. Today that was all the provocation he needed. He threw the first punch he'd thrown since he used to fight with his brothers as a child.

The phone had stopped ringing. She heard loud voiced coming from outside and turned to look. The phone started ringing again, but she ignored it. She stared at the scene outside in disbelief before jumping out of the car and running towards the two men. By the time she reached them, the other driver had a split lip and a bruise was forming on his cheek. Luckily, her guy was unharmed. She pulled on his arm and urged him to get back in the car with her. The other driver started cursing at her, which didn't bode well with her. She kicked him in the stomach, which shut him up. It was her guy's turn to pull on her arm and coax her back into their car. Traffic was beginning to move as well by now.

There you go... go... go...

Enjoy!

Stay tuned for the next phase!

Don't forget to check out ScoMan's blog here.

The Unveiling; The Project Phase 1

A while back, I read a really great [tandem] story, which I shared on my blog here. I was so inspired by this story that I asked ScoMan if he would like to work with me on a tandem story. [Check out his blog, it's really worth reading! He's got great stuff up there. He's really funny too. Click here for one of my favourites from him.] I could go on and on, but then I probably would not get a chance to get into the story. Enter many exclamations of praise for him here and here.
Anyway, he said yes and we've been working on it ever since. We've apparently gone over 5 000 words, and the end is nowhere in sight. We will post the story in parts [since it's way too long for a single post] and here is the first part.
I do hope you enjoy it as much as we both have!


He straightened his tie and looked in the mirror. He'd known for months this day was coming, but the reality that it had finally arrived had not yet sunk in. Even as he was preparing for the days events, he could not fully comprehend what was ahead of him. He didn't realize what it meant for any of them. October 18th would be a day none of them would ever forget.

She looked at the photograph of him on her dresser. She wondered what he was doing and thinking right now. Was he as excited as she was? He was smiling in the photo, caught in a moment of candid happiness. She loved his smile. She loved his laugh. She glanced at the dress waiting for her on the bed. She should really start getting ready.

He checked his watch. He knew she wouldn't be ready yet. She always got ready in a frantic rush at the last minute, and always managed to take his breath away. Her beauty was effortless. He checked his watch again. If he was going to be at the airport when his mothers plane landed he'd have to leave soon. She'd never taken much interest in meeting his girlfriends in the past. Maybe after 18 months, she knew how serious he was this time.

She picked up the dress, then hesitated. Was it right for this special occasion? It was important to her that everything was perfect today. She checked her watch. Ooops, she thought. She was running a bit behind. If she was late it wouldn't matter how perfect the dress was. She slipped it on and hoped it wouldn't clash with what he was wearing. If he were here, he'd probably nag at her to hurry up. And people thought women were nags.

He got in his car and started heading towards her place. He hoped she was ready. He knew if they were late to the airport, his mother would never let them hear the end of it. Today had to be perfect. It was the day the two most important people in his life would finally meet. He fiddled with the radio. He needed to find something to take his mind off today. "If I don't think about it, I won't stress about it" he thought to himself.

She heard the car approaching. She grabbed her bag and shoes and ran down the stairs. She hated to keep anyone waiting. When the car stopped, she was already at the door, slipping her shoes on. She waved and climbed into the car, noting happily that his tie and shirt didn't clash with her dress. He looked wonderful.

He was pleased she was ready for him when he arrived. She looked perfect. He loved the dress she had chosen for today. If she had let him select the outfit for her (he had volunteered to do so in a moment of panic), that is the dress he would have picked. He scolded himself for being so worried. She'd never let him down before, and she knew how important today was to him. Though it wasn't just important to him he thought, it was her day too.

"I'm so nervous," she told him. "And I'm absolutely starving! I missed breakfast because I was too nervous to eat. Oh gosh, when I meet her the first thing she'll hear is my stomach rumbling!" She began rummaging through her purse but all she found was some lozenges. "Lasagna would be so good right now, " she sighed. She knew she should have listened to her friends and just forced herself to have a few bites before she left.

Oh, guess who wrote which part? =P

Two Dimensions

One day, I was sitting in the cafeteria, taking a break from a study session in the library. While I was enjoying my pudding and drink, I thought I'd read a bit more of The Odyssey, as I had an exam for that module the following day.

So, there I was, alternating between reading and drifting off, when some people I knew came and joined me. They were also students there, but they were engineering students, whereas I was just an English and Classical Civilisations student. They're very nice boys, and fellow Malaysians.

This is how the conversation went:

Them: Hi, Riyya. Enjoying your book?
Me: Hey. Not really. I'm a bit stressed. I need to finish and remember this book by heart for my exam - tomorrow.
Them: [Looking extremely surprised.] Oh... you're... studying that book?
Me: Yes, I have to for this module I'm taking.
Them: You have an exam?
Me: [Thinking, well, yes, I am a student and it is part of university life.] Erm... yes, I do have a few papers actually.
Them: Oh. How many exams do you have?
Me: 6.
Them: [Looking even more surprised.] We thought you didn't have exams. Every time we see you, you're reading a book and looking relaxed.
Me: [*hissing inside*] Well, erm, I'm taking literature. I kind of have to read all those books. That's how I study.
Them: Oh, well, good luck on your exams.
Me: Thanks. I have to go back to the library now. I still have 3 more papers to study for. So, see you.
Them: Okay. Bye!

This is how the conversation ended:

Me gathering my books and walking away as quickly as I possibly could. Ooooh, I was so angry. Why do so many people look down on the Arts and Humanities students?

I did not choose Literature because it was easy. I chose Literature because it was what I loved. And to have people belittling what I loved really got to me.

So... as stated in my previous post...

One point of view gives you one perspective. One perspective gives you a one-dimensional picture. One-dimensional pictures paint a pretty flat view of the world.

The Birthday Wishlist - Part 1 [revised - again]

1. the pretty white pearl hairband [Forever 21] [Got it for myself.]
2. the tiny cute pocketbook with brown feathers design [Forever 21] [Changed my mind.]
3. the pretty cream [or pink] quilted hair band [Forever 21]
4. the sweet sequin butterfly hair clip in pastel colours [Diva] [I got it for myself.]
5. the gorgeous black shoulder bag with gold buckle [Nose] [Changed my mind.]
6. the lovely XX perfume [Hugo Boss]
7. the adorable 'Happy Birthday' flats [Brera]
8. 'Rockferry' album [Duffy] [I'll get it myself.]
9. those gorgeous, gorgeous cream/beige/brown half covered, half open shoes [Nose] [Got another, similar pair.]
10. The yummy black strappy black suede platforms from Guess [MidValley's Metrojaya] 

P/S The list is NOT in order of preference

P/P/S I am available to be taken to the shops to pick out my own presents. Yes, I am THAT shameless. But really, I'm just helping out. I mean, I don't want my friends to spend money on something that I'm not going to like. So, there you go...

P/P/S I'm justifying being THAT shameless.

P/P/P/S Part 2 will be coming up as soon as I go on another shopping 'survey'. Just to further prove how shameless I am.

The Painting - Chapter Five

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The Birthday Wishlist - Part 2

I Want, I Need - Part. 3

   Was he trouble?

   Oh, yes, he was.

   Because of him, I couldn't stop smiling whenever he crossed my mind.

   Because of him, whatever I did, I couldn't stop thinking about him.

   Because of him, I've changed.

   Who else but him would [I'm sorry, I can't divulge anything more. I prefer to keep the private part of 'us' private.]

   Suffice to say, he inspires me, makes me unbelievably happy, comforts me, supports me, brings out a whole other side of me.

   Most importantly, he lets me be me. He accepts me for who I am. He told me what I could be. 

   I'm not going to say he completes me, because every time he has to leave me, I feel like something is missing, so he de-completes [I don't even care if that's not a real word] me.

   I will say that... even though I initially didn't want him... I thank Him Up There every night for giving me him...

   Because... I got what I needed, and what I [eventually] discovered I wanted [very much].

   [Even though, half the time I feel like killing him. Or at least, smacking him.]

   He's trouble, but he's mine.

   And I don't plan on that fact changing anytime soon.

I Want, I Need - Part. 2

We went to bed. He went to the guest bedroom and I crashed in the master bedroom with the other girls.

When I woke up the next morning [read, afternoon], he had gone. Apparently, he had a work thing. I got his number from my best friend. I also got something else from her. 

Yes, I got the news that he already has a girlfriend. A girlfriend that he's been with for a few years and is apparently planning to marry. Funny how that didn't come up during our conversation the night before. Especially since it was extremely obvious that I was throwing myself at him. Huh.

I texted him anyway. Oh, his number started EXACTLY how I said it would. How freaky was that? Literally, this is the man of my dreams. I guess I forgot to include the part that he should also be SINGLE and MADLY IN LOVE with ME. *sigh* I knew it was too good to be true.

And I only texted to ask how he was, nothing more. I'm a big believer in staying away from other women's men. I thought since he was such a nice guy, it would be nice to have him as a friend. No harm in that, right? 

I didn't think I would ever see him again, anyway. But, I did. About a week later. My best friend wanted to say her farewells to him before she returned to London and asked me to go with her. I didn't want to at first, but she talked me into it. Another friend came with us.

We went to Baskin Robbins and waited for him. And there he was. Looking even sweeter than all the ice cream in the place. [Yes, I was that in love.] He was even lovelier than I remembered. We talked. We laughed. And all the while I kept reminding myself that he belonged to someone else. Then it was over. [That was also the last time I ever saw him.]

When we were in the car, my other friend said to me that she noticed the chemistry. What chemistry? It was positively sizzling between us. Or so I thought.

Fast Forward 4 years later. [I stayed single by choice - I was so over relationships that wouldn't go anywhere. I mean, after meeting your dream man, what else could you do? Everything else was bound to be a letdown.] By this time, I was in Swansea. I was in my second year of university life. [HE was a husband and proud father of a gorgeous baby girl.] I met a long-lost friend online. She said she had someone she wanted to introduce to me.

He was 2 years younger - a total no-no with me. Based on that alone, I said no. But she was insistent. I agreed to just get to know him. He might make a good friend. He was back in Malaysia anyway, so it would just be a nice, harmless friendship right?

He was nice to chat with, very funny and easygoing. I started calling him just to hear how he sounded on the phone. I enjoyed talking to him even more. But it was just a friendship, nothing more. 

Fast forward 1 month later. I'm sitting in my friend's living room, waiting for him to come over. 

The knock came. I pretended to be chilled out and look cool on the couch. My friend got the door. And he walked in. 

I looked up and, as corny as this sounds, it was like electricity. Seriously. I just felt it. i don't even know how to describe it. I remember my first thought being... Oh, I'm in trouble.

Was I really in trouble?

Read on, dear reader...

The Painting - Chapter Four

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The Painting - Chapter Three

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The Painting - Chapter Two

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For The Record

This is a follow-up to my 'Love Thy Thesaurus' post.

Here's the 'translation', or the original text...

Someone who would drive for about an hour, both ways, each, just to visit you for a couple of hours, when he's dead tired, probably really likes you.

My wonderful man did just that for me, simply because I asked him to [since I was missing him so much]. Bless!

I wanted to say thanks to him for being so amazing.

This is taking so long so I'm going to end it here.

That's all!

A Girlfriend's Reply To Her Boyfriend's Imaginary Post

Nasi lemak (fragrant coconut rice with gravy) is the only thing available for breakfast that is within a 10-minute walk from my house. My girlfriend nags me about it because she thinks it is not healthy.

---> I'm only trying to get him to be more healthy because I love him and I worry about him. He doesn't take care of himself, so I'm trying to get him to take care of himself.

I like to drive manual cars because then I can control the speed and the performance. My girlfriend nags me about driving safely, even when I'm only going at about 80 km/h. I think the Volkswagon Golf GTI 2.0 would be amazing to drive, and am trying to convince my girlfriend to get one. She, of course, is being a bore about it as she would much prefer an automatic car.

---> Yiiissshhh. Why would I buy a car I won't be able to drive? I can barely remember how to drive a manual car. Besides, it's way too much hassle. I'd rather save my energy for something more important, like shopping.

I don't like to eat vegetables, and my girlfriend is always going on about how I should eat more healthily. I think she should chill because she stresses too much. She says I need my vitamins, but I've managed to survive so far without daily intakes of vegetables.

---> You need vitamins. Everybody needs vitamins. I stress out a lot because watching you drink Coke after Coke worries me. That much sugar cannot possibly be doing you any good. And before you tell me not to worry, I worry because I LOVE YOU. I want you to enjoy a healthy and long life.

I want to paint my car black because I think black would really suit the design of my car. My girlfriend wants to paint it pink and decorate it with crystals. I can't decide if she's serious or if she's just playing with me. I mean, seriously, a PINK car?!? With CRYSTALS?!? She tried talking me into painting it red. I think that's because she can then "accidentally" mix in some white into the red. As if I'm going to fall for that.

---> Pink rocks. And I was just playing with him. Even I, a devoted pink-a-holic would be embarrased to be driven around in a sparkly pink car. I'm not Barbie.

Food. Cars. Nagging girlfriend. Food. Cars.

---> I wouldn't nag so much if he would actually LISTEN to me.

The Story of a Boy and a Girl... Part Two...

   The girl was so scared because she was not there with him, that she might lose him. She was afraid that he would meet someone better than her, someone who was just as kind, and sweet, and gentle, and caring, and understanding as he was. She tried so hard to be the best that she could be for him because she knew that if she lost him, the loss would break her. However, no matter how hard she tried to cling on to him, she felt that he was slipping away from her. After all, he did have his own life to lead, just as she had her own life to lead. 

   This caused her to be very insecure, and as a result, she was not nearly as kind, and sweet, and gentle, and caring, and understanding as she should have been. She was aware of how badly she was acting and tried to stop herself. But the more scared she became, the worse she behaved. And the worse she behaved, the more scared she was that she would lose him. It was a vicious, vicious cycle. 

   At the same time, everything else in her life was so unsure. She felt that she was losing control and that she could not cope with what was going on. She retreated into herself and spent many hours getting angry at herself and feeling helpless.  Meanwhile, the boy started his studies again. The girl pushed herself and got a new start on life. She made new friends, she went through a lot of new things and it was good. But always, always, always, the boy was in her thoughts. Not for a second did she ever forget him. They still laughed together, and loved together, and cried together. They both still held on to their promise. 

   While the girl was living her life in the far, far, far away place, the boy was also living his life. He also made a lot of new friends and was constantly busy with his studies and with his new friends. The girl was happy that the boy was enjoying his new life, but at the same time, she was also afraid that he would slip away from her. After all, she had been away for quite a long time now.