Writing A Love Story

    It would help to have romance on the mind instead of hiding dead bodies, Angelique thought. Yesterday she and Monica had discussed hiding dead bodies as a plot device, and that discussion was lingering, blocking thoughts of romance. A deadline was looming with this story; she had procrastinated far too long.

    Okay, Travis and Marie. Where were they? Hmmm . . . Restaurant? No. She’d used that a lot. Ballgame? Nah. Just thinking about the noise made Angelique discard that idea.
    Travis and Marie. What do they both like? Music. Concert? No. Too loud for her thoughts. Maybe riding around listening to the radio? That might work.
    Travis’s Escalade or Marie’s Camry? Escalade. That was easy. Does it matter what color it is? Angelique thought about that for a couple of moments and figured that wasn’t important since the story would be set in the nighttime.
    Music. Did they like the same thing? Maybe. Or have different tastes but close enough that whatever a local radio station was playing would work. Travis was too tight to splurge on Sirius. Driving an Escalade was one thing but paying for music when radio stations provided it for free wasn’t in his way of thinking.
    Had they eaten a meal together before they started riding around? Tough to answer. Was this a weekend date or had they decided to meet up an hour or two after work? Okay. Travis could’ve just gone to Marie’s around seven to see if she wanted to ride around a while. That’d work.
    Did Marie worry about how she was dressed? Probably not. She and Travis usually dressed casually and wouldn’t be concerned with their clothing on a workday night. Jeans, T-shirts and loafers would be fine.
    How long would they ride around? A couple of hours? Maybe three? That would depend on the weather, traffic, moonlight, where they were, and their work schedules for the following day.

    Angelique thought that was a good start. What now?

    Hmmm . . . Had Travis and Marie been dating long? Hmmm . . . Problematic. Too short a time and he wouldn’t be apt to just appear on her doorstep and say, “Wanna ride around a while?”  Too long a time and they’d either be living together or married. What to do, what to do? Six months sounded about right.
    Do they love each other? Most likely or Travis wouldn’t be stopping by at random times. Have they confessed their love to each other? That was a toughie. Marie is a modern, self-sufficient woman who doesn’t think a woman needs a man in her life to feel complete. She might not tell Travis she loves him until she feels the time is right for both of them.
    Would Travis tell Marie he loves her before she says anything to him? No telling. Travis is hard-working and honest, but has many wild ways about him; one is not wanting to be tied down.

    Okay, I’m getting somewhere, Angelique decided. Now for the real toughie. Will  riding around under a full moon, with romantic songs on the radio lead to back-seat sex? The Escalade was certainly roomy enough. Had they done that before? 
    Oh, boy. I just threw myself a curve ball, Angelique said to herself.
    Yeah. They’re adults, not silly teenagers, and if the mood strikes and the urge is there, they’d have sex wherever they wanted. 
    Would Travis spend the rest of the night at Marie’s? Maybe. Did he ever do that? Sometimes. 

    Alright, Angelique thought . . . I’ve got the basics, now to start writing. She sat down at her computer, opened up a Word file and started typing.

    Marie walked to the front door and opened it. Travis was standing there, dressed as usual in Levi’s, a Carhartt T-shirt and Justin boots. She smiled at him. His presence always made her heart beat faster.
    “What’re you up to?” she asked him.
    Travis replied, “Wanna go for a ride in the moonlight?”
    “Sure,” Marie said. “Let me get my keys and lock up.”