It Began With A Game of Scrabble
Dramawriter
Chapter One
Blame It On Me
The day had started out so brilliantly with the sun pouring down in bright streams of golden light that flooded every crevice of the northern French valley. Then an hour ago the sky closed upon itself in a terrifying rumble, turning into wicked shades of gray so dark it nearly blackened out the light of day. And just as quickly, it began releasing golf ball sized hail upon the soft muddy ground that was soaked with the endless down pour of rain that still refused to stop it's unmerciful flood.
"It's so depressing." Sydney whispered to herself leaning up against the cold stone windowsill, watching the rain come spilling down the outside of the windowpane. For once she was thankful to be inside and if you had to be inside this wasn't a bad place to be. It was a small chateau built in the early 14th century that had been turned into a hotel only three years before by the current owner, Zoé de Bricassart; a lovely eccentric woman maybe only a few years older than Sydney herself. She and Nigel had been staying at the hotel for nearly 4 days and had planned on leaving today since they had recovered a lost document the day before of a communiqué between the Dauphin and Jeanne d'Arc just before she laid siege on Orléans, but with this weather, who knew when they would get back home.
"Yes, it is. But luckily we already have the letter and don't have to go wandering across the countryside in it today." Nigel's voice startled her from so close behind she could hear and feel every breath he took across the base of her neck. The sensation didn't so much bother her as surprised her, she didn't think they'd ever stood this close. And it began to become a little unnerving; turning around, she took a step to the side and back. Leaving a foot gap between the two of them—'a safe distance' she thought. That's when she noticed a box of some sort tucked underneath his arm, craning her neck to see what it was a smile came to her face in recognition.
"Scrabble?" She asked him curiously. He smiled sheepishly in return, shrugging his shoulders.
"We have to have something to do until the weather clears and it was the only game I could find; do you want to play?"
"Um, sure, but I have to warn you – I was the champion of Scrabble at Saint Beatrice's." She said confidently, walking over to a small circular table.
"English National Junior Championship; 1986." He grinned deviously at her, "It was the only thing that Preston never beat me at and neither will you." With his continued grin she also noticed a glint in his eye, she had never seen this confidence in him before. She smiled inside of herself knowing she'd have to try everything to win.
"We'll just have to see about that." She said matter-of-factly taking a seat across from him.
"Yes, we will." He told her as he lifted the lid off of the box, setting it in the floor to his left. He then pulled out the game board and the letter tiles, spreading them along each side of the board face down. Then he handed her a wooden stand to hold the letters, each picking their seven tiles, setting them on the stand in front of them.
"Your turn first." He told her. Setting back in his chair, his arms folded. Sydney shook her head at this action, a little too nonchalant.
"Okay." Sydney looked down at the letters she had but there wasn't much of anything there. Frowning, she pulled three letters and placed them on the board.
"B-A-T, Bat. 5 points." She looked around her and realized that they had forgotten a pencil and a piece of paper to keep score, "Hold on a minute, we forgot something to keep score. Be right back," She stood up and took a step and then stopped, "better not cheat while I'm gone."
He smirked, "Wouldn't dream of it."
"Better not." She warned him again walking away to the front desk. A 30-something brunette dressed a crimson silk blouse and black slacks sat on a stool behind the counter, reading a book with much interest.
"Excuse me, Zoé. Could I bother you for a pencil and a few pieces of paper?"
"Just a moment." She said with a smile, leaning down beside her pulling out three sheets of white computer paper. Then pulled a pencil out of the pencil/pen holder on top of the desk, "here you go, Sydney."
"Thank you," Sydney told her about to walk away but then turned back to her, "we're playing a game of scrabble, would you like to join us?"
"Merci, non. I'm reading Jane Eyre, quite interesting. And I think you and your boyfriend Nigel would like to be alone, non?"
"Zoé, I told you we aren't dating—just friends and colleagues."
"Oui, but you are forgetting something," Sydney looked at her curiously, "friends make the best lovers … they know everything about you. Especially what you want in bed." She wiggled her eyebrow grinning at her own insinuation.
"Zoé …" Sydney whined at her, trying to make her see that there was nothing going on between her and Nigel.
"Ah … your loss. Such a loss too, he may not look like much of a stallion but I can tell he wouldn't disappoint any woman … especially you." The last bit of information startled Sydney. She looked inquisitively at Zoé for answers, "Sydney, I've seen the way he looks at you when you aren't looking. That man and he is a man Sydney no matter how you like to think otherwise … loves you." Sydney's breath caught in her throat at Zoé's charge.
"How do you know?" Sydney hesitantly asked.
"Ach, Sydney to be so naïve at your age. I have seen it enough to know …" Zoé let her words linger as she turned around and walked into a back room. Sydney watched after her dumbfounded at what she might have just learned … maybe, but what if Zoé was wrong? Turning away she walked back to the table, paper and pencil in hand. Sitting back down in her seat.
"You sure took your time." She heard but didn't really register the comment; she was still too caught up in her thoughts over what Zoé had told her, "Sydney." She heard but still nothing.
"Sydney!" It finally registered that Nigel was calling her name.
"Huh? What?" She broke out of trance, looking at him bright-eyed.
"I said, 'you sure took your time.' Where were you just now?"
"Huh? Nowhere. Here." She said defensively, turning her attention back to the game.
"Sure … May I play now?"
"Yeah, go ahead." She said turning her complete attention to the game, forgetting for the moment what Zoé had told her. Nigel picked up all seven titles, placing them under her 'T'.
"T-O-X-I-C-I-T-Y, Toxicity." He smiled at her, "Add the points up, 1, 2, 3 …" He gloated at his point gain.
"Shut up." She stated embarrassed.
"Oh, poor loser are we?"
"I haven't lost yet."
"Yet, but you will." She rolled her eyes at him watching as he picked up seven more tiles and played his turn again. But this time he didn't have as much luck she smiled at his misfortune. The game continued for another 15 minutes with Nigel leaving her trailing by nearly 45 points.
Annoyed with the constant smug look on his face, Sydney decided it was time for a little 'fair' play. Maybe it would distract him enough to get the point lead. Looking down at her tiles a devilish smile crossed her face, knowing it was perfect. It would make him lose concentration and the X was sure to give her at least some points. Picking up the two letters from her stand she place them under an S previously placed by him. Before she even said what the word was she could already see the distress at her blatant move. But what she didn't expect was her own uneasiness at using the word with Nigel particularly after Zoé's comments earlier. But she used it and said it nonetheless.
"S-E-X, sex."
"Sydney! That very improper." She smiled despite her own apprehension toward the meaning of the word. She stifled a laugh as she watched him squirm in his seat; it had worked as it did every time, "You can't use that. It's … it's …"
"A word. It means-"
"I know what it means, Sydney. I know what you are trying to do and it's not going to work." He sighed and begrudgingly gave in, "Fine, You can use it this time, but no more dirty words, understand?" She smiled, getting her way.
"Dirty? Sex," She nearly choked on her own words but continued, "is a perfectly acceptable word and besides it was the only word I could make from the letters that I had."
"Sure, Sydney." She watched him still shifting in the seat and she was still fighting back her stifled laughter.
"Your turn." She said, studying him closely to see what he would come up with. He picked up three tiles placing them under her 'E' to spell 'eggs.' She beamed with pride knowing she had succeeding in making him lose his train of thought. Picking up three more letters from the table to complete her seven she looked at all the letters on the stand and grinned from ear to ear, she couldn't believe her luck. And then suddenly she began having second thoughts but with one look at the score sheet they dissipated. Placing the five letters down on the board, connecting with his 'S.'
"Sexual." She said innocently.
"Sydney!" He griped at her, "Get your mind out of the gutter."
"What do you mean?"
"Not funny. Play right, I mean it."
"I am. It's not my fault the letters are what they are. And they are perfectly acceptable; they are in Webster's Dictionary." Nigel exhaled sharply looking directly at her with infuriated eyes.
"Fine, if you don't want to play correctly then … I don't want to play with you." He stood up in a huff to leave but she was able to speak before he walked off.
"What are you, five? Lighten up; I'm just messing with you."
"Right." Nigel muttered to her as he walked away toward the stairs. Leaving Sydney completely confused as to what was really going on with him and to what just happened. Staring after the stairs she saw Zoé walking over to her and inwardly groaned; what would she have to say this time?
"Sydney, what happened? You two seemed to be getting along fine, hopefully it wasn't something I said earlier." Sydney raised an eyebrow at her, what hadn't she said earlier.
"No, it wasn't." She gave Zoé her reprieve, "It was my own stupidity and desire to win the game. I tried to win the game by making him uncomfortable, but all I did was make my own self uncomfortable after what you said earlier. And I think I made him mad, I'm not sure how but I did. I have to talk to him."
"Of course he's mad. You're teasing him; you can't do that to him Sydney, it's unfair. He's in love with you, he may not admit it to you but he knows it. He probably thinks he can't have you, thinks that you are 'out of his league' for a lack of a better saying. Don't doubt me on this, Sydney, please. I was stupid and pigheaded and lost the love of my life by not realizing sooner what I felt. Do not make the same mistake as I did it won't serve either one of you. Go to him, Sydney, now before it's too late." Sydney watched Zoé intensely pleaded with her, her French accent coming through quite thick as emotion filled her voice. Turning silently toward the direction of the stairs she looked up them as far as she could see, apprehension filled her but she knew she had to speak with him. Letting this fester could ruin their relationship forever.
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