Alfred was waiting in the parking lot as Oriel walked out of her apartment, sitting in his faithful old red pickup truck that he had inherited from his father. He glanced up from his notebook where he was finishing grading some papers from his general chemistry lab section and smiled brightly at his fiancee.
"Ready for the grand tour?" He called out the window as he grinned.
Oriel skipped down the front steps and jumped into his arms as he got out of the truck and tossed his notebook into the seat for a moment; her legs wrapping around his hips. He chuckled as his strong hands cupped her legs. completely holding her up and his heart fluttered as he smiled; eternally grateful that no one else but this French woman could make him feel this way.
"Kiss me first," she demanded softly as she pulled him closer until their lips met, amazed that he still made her feel so giddy and excited after dating for so long. Oriel felt like a kid waking up on Christmas morning as they parted for a moment and just smiled at one another. She could feel so much love radiating off him that it made her heart swell proudly
"Oh god, my heart is pounding," Oriel admitted as she breathed against his lips, so excited and nervous to see the house. It had been months since she'd seen it, what if there had been changes, did she even accurately remember how it looked in the first place?
Alfred chuckled as she pecked his cheeks before he leaned her back against the cab of the truck, feeling like they were the only two people in the whole world at that moment. He looked deeply into her eyes and smiled as he listened to her voice. "So is mine," he whispered breathlessly, adjusting his hold on her legs which were essentially lean, hardened muscle after years of dancing.
"Are you ready to go see your house?" He asked, letting his southern accent come out which he had inherited from his mother despite his father's best intentions.
She squealed, kissing his jaw rapidly as she was bursting at the seams to be able to go see their new home. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Oriel grasped his cheeks and pulled him in for one last deep kiss as the accent brought back memories of when they had first met. "I am the luckiest woman," she said as she slid off his hips, standing between her boyfriend and his truck. Her body was strong and toned from years of classical ballet training, but you wouldn't notice for all the chunky sweatshirts she enjoyed stealing from her boyfriend.
He grinned like a child at Christmas as he moved around to the other side of his truck and opened the door for her to get it.
"Your surprise awaits," Alfred said with a dramatic bow as if he were addressing a queen.
Oriel giggled and grabbed the overhead bar to pull herself up and into the old beast since the step bar broke off a few months back.
"Why thank you, kind sir." She replied with just as much show when she finally managed to swing in. Her boyfriend nodded and closed the door with a solid clicking sound before returning to his own side, stepping up easily into the truck without the need of the overhead handle, he pushed his notebook into the middle of the bench seat before cranking the old vehicle, listening as it roared to after a moment of sputtering. Oriel smiled as she used to hate the loud growl of the engine, but it had grown on her and was now soothing.
She rested her hand on Alfred's thigh as he drove, tapping her feet anxiously on the floormats as he began backing out of his parking spot.
"God, Alfred, I can't believe you did this!" She exclaimed happily watching as he turned to her with a grin so wide it looked like his face might crack.
"I wanted to surprise you." He replied as he turned left onto the highway before picking up speed, glancing back over at her. "Did I do a good job?"
She laughed softly and nodded, squeezing his leg as she spoke.
"You did a wonderful job, I just thought you were working more to sorta..." The young woman paused and blushed, looking out the window as she didn't want to ruin the moment by bringing up how worried she'd felt.
"To what?" He asked, catching the sight of her flushed cheeks and knowing there was always more to her unfinished statements.
Oriel fiddled with her jean shorts, shrugging as she kept her eyes averted.
"I don't know..." She said as she gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment before finally being honest. "I thought you were wanting things to slow down, or maybe getting cold feet about the...,"
She cut herself off and shook her head with an airy laugh as she blushed and rambled, "but that's stupid now that I know you were just doing it all for me."
He quickly reached over and took her hand as she spilled her inner thoughts, lacing their fingers together in an attempt to dispel all the things that were buzzing around in her head.
"Oriel... I'm sorry for making you feel like you weren't important to me." He explained as he held onto his bride to be, occasionally taking his eyes from the road so she could know he was serious. "I love you, and I don't think I would be able to go on with myself if you were suddenly gone. I want you to always have the best of whatever I can offer, and I want you to have everything you can dream of."
Alfred paused for a minute or so, letting his words sink in as he continued to drive.
"Even though I may be busy and dead tired sometimes, I always want you to know that I love you; and I need you."
She squeezed his hand in both of her own as he finished speaking, bringing the appendage up to her lips as she kissed his knuckles, blinking as her eyes started to burn.
"I'm sorry I ever doubted you," she kissed the top of his thumb, "you are everything I've ever dreamt of Al, I don't need anything else."
Oriel smiled as she squeezed his hand in her lap and looked over at him as he passed the sign for the city limits. "I love you too, I'm sorry I was being selfish and wanting you all to myself."
He smiled and gripped her hands in return, flicking on his right turn signal as he prepared to turn off the four-lane highway.
"It's not wrong of you, sometimes its good to be a little selfish," he told her as they pulled off the road and into a little neighborhood where their new house was. "Sometimes you just need to stick your foot up my ass and let me know what you need."
"I try my best, but I don't always pick up on everything." He admitted, giving her a soft smile.
Oriel nodded, "I'll try to be more open with how I feel from now on," she promised. After all, a good marriage needed a foundation with good communication between both parties. She turned and looked out the window, a smile growing on her face as she knew they were getting close.
"Oh my god, we're almost there!"
Alfred nodded and grinned as he pulled onto their new street, feeling even giddier by the second. His smile grew as he began to slow down and pulled into the driveway of a cute little single story townhouse which was painted a greyish white with white accents and olive green shutters. As they entered the driveway they faced the two car garage, the house extending out to the right with a small curved alcove that served as a front porch before you could see the front door which was painted to match the shutters.
Oriel squealed and reached across the console to hug her fiance close. She went to grab for the door before remembering the child lock was broken and she would need to be rescued before she could rush to their new home.
"Oh god, Alfred! Let me out." She exclaimed with a smile, watching as he smirked and laughed before putting the vehicle in park and jumping out the drivers' side so he could pull her door open from the outside.
"I hope you like the inside as much as you did the first time we saw it, there have been a few changes." He teased, offering her his hand so she could get down safely. She cheerfully jumped down from the cab before he closed the door. She was already pulling him along as she rushed for the door, more than excited to see this house now when it was theirs.
She opened her mouth to ask about the surprise as they got to the door but was silenced as he kissed her cheek.
"Okay, close your eyes, Oriel." He demanded as he wiggled like a giddy child. "I don't want you seeing it too soon."
Oriel nodded and grinned as she covered her eyes with her hands while Alfred grabbed ahold of her elbow to lead.
"If you walk me into a wall, I swear I will kill you."
He laughed and slipped the silver key into the lock. "I won't. I promise." He replies, turning the key until the deadbolt unlocked with a click, allowing the couple access to into their new home. Alfred gently gripped Oriel's elbow as he lead her into the hallway, his smile growing as he pulled her slowly through the front part of the house. Their shoes making soft squeaks and clicks as they walked on the hardwood floors.
"Hurry up, I can't take it!" Oriel said frantically, wiggling as they continued off into the hallway that opened to the right of the main living area. She was eager to see her new, albeit empty home.
He chuckled as the sound of a door being opened echoed off the walls. He pulled her into the space, anxiously wanting to see her reaction as he positioned her just right. They were standing in a room they had proposed to use as an office; he had her face a large set of windows that looked out into their new backyard. This specific area she had mentioned would be a wonderful place to curl up and read some books if only there were some sort of seating available.
Alfred had spent a lot of effort, with plenty of help from his brother Matthew, installing a wide padded bench underneath the windows as well as a set of bookshelves on either side that projected off the wall so that it was the perfect little reading space for Oriel; on either side of the shelves there was space for their desks, giving the couple privacy and separation in the little room. It had taken the twins an entire weekend to set up the little nook and three trips to the local hardware store to get more lumber when Alfred had misheard his brother's measurements.
"Okay. you can open your eyes now!" He announced, standing back as she took her hands from her eyes as his fiancee bounced with excitement.
Oriel gasped as she opened her eyes, her hands flying back up to cover her mouth before she rushed over to the bench to touch everything; the bench, the pillows, the shelving. It took her a few moments to be satisfied before she turned around and ran right into his arms.
"Oh my god, Alfred!I love it!" She squealed as he smiled and hugged her in return.
"I'm glad," he replied softly as he kissed her head, "I was so nervous that you wouldn't. When Mattie and I were cutting the base we figured out I'd done it about an inch and a half shorter than the other one so we had to go back to the hardware store and I thought we wouldn't get it done in time for the big reveal."
She giggled and lifted herself up so that she could wrap her legs around his hips, peppering his face with kissed as she inhaled the scent of fresh paint from the bookcase.
"It looks absolutely stunning. I love it and remind me to thank your brother next time we see him." She explained, burying her face in his neck and holding him tightly as she put kisses anywhere she could reach while he let out a hearty laugh as he accepted all the love for his hard work.
"Do you want to see the rest of the house, or stay in here all day?" He teased with a smirk on his lips as he looked down at the woman who had entangled herself all around him.
Oriel looked up and ran her fingers through her hair to prevent the wild mass from getting in her eyes before she leaned up and kissed him lovingly on his smirky lips.
"We have the rest of our lives to see every room in this house," she purred with a smirk of her own as she squeezed her legs around his hips.
He smiled and closed his eyes as he returned her kiss and held his fiancee in his arms, humming as she gripped his t-shirt and felt the room start to heat up a little.
"I love you, Oriel," he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her neck tenderly. "God, I love you so much."
She felt a tremble make its way down her spine as he spoke to her, sucking on his lower lip as he brought his head back up and leaning back a little as she tugged on the sensitive flesh.
"I'm so happy to start my life with you," Oriel muttered softly, giggling as Alfred blindly found his way over to the wall and pressed her back against it.