"You don't need all that sunscreen Jess, the weather's oddly very nice today"
"This skin", she points at herself, "is worth at least 3 times the net worth of everyone in this community put together"
He snorts but smiles at her exaggerated comment and turns his face just in time to see her.
"Hello there", he says in a slightly raised voice just as she steps out of her hotel room.
She turns, smiles in his direction and waves while locking her door and walking towards the direction of the stairs.
He walks away from his sister standing just in front of her door to catch up with her.
"You don't talk much, do you? I'm Steven. And you are?"
Realising that she has no escape anymore, she finally responds.
"I'm Alice. Nice to meet you"
Feeling accomplished, Steve gives off a full grin and she smiles back.
"I bumped into you this morning and I didn't get the chance to know how you were doing."
"I'm doing okay, really."
"So, where are you headed? My sister, Jess, and I decided it would be a good day to chill by the beach, are you headed there as well."
"No, I thought it would be nice to hike around the community for a bit."
"Coool, I guess I'll be seeing you around, then?"
"Sure"
She walked out through the hotel lobby door and he watched her keenly as she thread carefully through the narrow path that connected the hotel to the rest of the community.
"You're gawking"
He turned around and saw his sister staring at him with a frown.
"She's cute, that's it. Come on. Let's go get our feet wet"
"Good evening Miss. How was your hike?"
"Oh hi uhmmm..." She went a little closer to the receptionist counter to get a proper glimpse of his name tag "hi Perez, it was... Interesting. The people have a lot of stories to tell."
"Ah yes, the good people of Ekowe always love to pass over their community tales to guests. They see it as good fortune and well, a good story is cheaper than wine but the taste lingers longer" He laughed.
"Now that's a line I'll never forget", she laughed.
"Enjoy the rest of your stay ma'am"
"Thanks, have a great day"
The morning air was always fresher for Alice. So when the concierge told her there would be a complimentary canoe tour very early the next morning, she was eager.
However, what Alice didn't expect to see was her Greek god of a crush and his sister waiting at the dock for the same tour.
"Hey, there stranger!" Steve beckoned at her excitedly.
"Hi, Steve" looking over at his sister who seemed more interested in her nails than anything else, "hello, Jess"
"Hmmm"
Alice felt awkward with her response but she looked away praying for the tour to be over quickly.
"Can you swim?"
"What?"
He smiled as she turned over to look at him, "I asked if you could swim?"
"Yeah, I can. I haven't for a while though due to life's demands and all"
"I can understand that. Maybe we could hang out at the beach tonight, if you have nothing else planned, that is?"
Ignoring the snort she heard in the direction of Jess, she accepted.
The canoe tour had been a mix of amazing and weird. While Steve kept the tour alive by making funny comments and enjoying the sound of Alices' laughter, Jess had been anything but friendly.
She barely spoke but her few words made one thing very clear, she didn't like Alice and she wasn't going to pretend about it. But that didn't stop them from going on their first date at the beach.
After that date, they had spent the rest of the week hanging out. They played soccer with the locals and even went farming. They found peace in the casual lives they lived in Ekowe and found each other's company satisfying.
She told him about her reason for being there and he told her his.
He had just gotten out of a very horrible divorce so his sister, who seemed like nothing but a diva, had suggested they come along with their friends, the other lady and man she met at the lobby, on the first phase of their honeymoon.
Jess had also gone through a tough phase, apparently. She had recently lost her job at a big beauty company and then her boyfriend of 4 years told her they needed time off. So she needed some days away from reality.
He told her all that to try and explain Jess's bad behaviour towards her but it didn't seem to matter. Alice liked him and he liked her too. They liked each other so much that they decided to extend their stay by another week just to get acquainted a little more.
That also meant that Jess would be extending her stay as well, but that was okay. All she needed to do was avoid her.
"She isn't worth your time, Steve"
Jess and Steve were sitting at a table in the hotel bar and they don't notice as Alice walks in and sits at a different table to have some drinks. Unfortunately, she's within hearing distance as there's barely anyone else there.
"Mind your business, Jess. I didn't ask you to stay"
"I'm not staying because of you", she snorts.
"Good, then stay in your damn lane"
"That girl is not worth your time and I worry about you. You'll have your heart broken again. You need to understand..."
Her voice fades as she notices Alice and glares at her as she walks up to their table.
Alice pulls out a chair beside Steve and smiles knowingly at Jess.
"You really should mind your business, Jess".
Jess picks up her purse and catwalks out of the bar, leaving them alone to have a moment together.
I'm creating what you could call the Ekowe Trilogy. It's a collection of stories that I'm writing that are all based in the same community. The first one was very long, so I decided I'll be dividing them into 2 parts and try to always stick to the prompt.
These are the stories in the Trilogy so far:
THE SPIRIT OF THE LAND
A TRIP FOR SANITY
Property of