Attached Strings √

Chapter 15

His words took a while to register into my head and, when they did, my hands flew straight to my mouth. Suddenly, I found it quite difficult to speak. I opened and closed my mouth in vain.

"W-what?" I stuttered, finally. I had to ask, you know, just in case my hearing was impaired. What he said was beyond unbelievable. Surely he couldn't have meant it, could he? Could Paul really be interested in sharing his space with me? Me, of all people! Maybe my brain was playing tricks on me. Yeah, maybe.

"Move in with me," he repeated his words and I could sense that his tone was not so confident anymore. Was he afraid that I'd say no? I now knew that my mind wasn't tricking me and realization hit me. He really did want me to move in with him.

"Are... are you sure? I mean, won't that be too much of a hassle? I'd hate to invade your personal space," I said hoping for him to say that he didn't mind because well... I still needed a place to stay.

"It will be no problem at all, Chloe. Besides, I could use your company because," he was now whispering into my ear, "I do get lonely at times."

That was exactly what I was afraid of. I couldn't take myself straight into the lion's den. No! I couldn't live with him. Eventually, we were going to sleep together and then what?

And then he'll move on to another girl.

Of course I knew that and I knew it very well but a part of me didn't want to accept it. I couldn't just allow a player, a very hot one at that, to have his fun with me and then toss me aside. I couldn't, no matter how irresistible he was. I knew that Paul was the type of guy who just has his cake and eats it.

But you still need a place to stay.

I heard that tiny voice inside my head reminding me. I took a look at Paul and found him waiting, patiently, for me to make the big decision. I thought that he'd suffered enough and decided to relieve him from the suspense. I sighed deeply, cleared my throat and said:

"Yes. I'll move in with you."

After hearing the words, I couldn't help but notice the smile that broke into his perfect face and made it even more perfect. He gaily engulfed me in a tight embrace and I actually had to squirm for him to release me because I was out of breath. His hug was breathtaking - literally. He looked quite relieved and... happy?

Sorry, buddy but I'm gonna have to burst your happy bubble.

"However," I began, "we have to set some ground rules." I could see curiosity written all over his face and I took that as a signal to continue. "There will be no intimacy," I told him. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly swallowed his words at the sight of my serious facial expression.

"N-no intimacy?" he asked as if intimacy was the daily bread he couldn't live without. I nodded in confirmation. He sighed deeply and said: "Fine. I can live with that. I can. Yes, I can - definitely."

I was not sure whether it was me or himself that he was trying so hard to convince.

"No intimacy, Paul," I repeated for emphasis, "none whatsoever." He nodded. "Is that all?" he asked and I shook my head at that. "Also, we will have to forget about what once happened between us so that we won't ever cross that line again."

He was taken aback by this information and I thought I recognized what resembled sadness in his eyes but he quickly regained his composure.

I saw him taking his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans and he asked, "How much do you owe this guy?" I told him and he handed me the money. I didn't like the fact that he was settling my debt but I reminded myself that I was just borrowing the money from him. I made a mental note to pay him as soon as I could. I jogged out of the room in search of my landlord and found him sitting in his car, writing something on his diary.

I knocked on the window and he told me to get on the passenger's seat. Not long after I'd taken my seat, he started talking. "Ms. Jones," he turned to face me, "if you're here to try and change my mind..." he trailed off hoping that I would get the meaning of the words he left unsaid.

"No, sir," I informed him shaking my head, "it's the contrary actually." He raised his eyebrows intrigued. "I'm here to make payment, sir." I handed him the money. "Ms. Jones," he said, "I'm afraid I still can't let you stay here. I can't ha-"
"I understand, sir," I said cutting him off.

When I got back, I found Paul typing away on his phone and he lifted his head at the sound of the closing door. "Are you ready to pack?" he asked putting his phone in his pocket. "Yup."

I finished packing in less than an hour. There was not much to pack anyway and right after that, we hit the road. In my head I kept thinking of all the memories I had made with my mother in that house. My eyes suddenly stang but I managed to chase those tears back to where they came from.

I rested my head on the window and looked out on the blurry images formed by the houses in the neighborhood I was leaving behind. Before my eyes I saw a lot of trees that passed in a blur and, before I knew it, we were already in the suburbs.

I could tell by the sudden peace in the atmosphere. Gone were the dusty roads, the voices of people exchanging obscenities. I was in a foreign place and I knew it. The houses screamed wealth and the whole ordeal reminded me of how much I did not belong there.

I did not realise how deep in thought I was before the car came to a halt. "Come on, we're here," Paul informed me stepping out of the car. I followed suit and I was immediately hit by a breeze of cool, clean air. We went inside with him carrying my luggage.

"You've been awfully quiet. Are you okay?" Paul asked with his voice oozing concern.

"I'm fine. Please show me to my room." Like a loyal servant, he obliged and, with my bags in hand, he led me up the small staircase. Not long after, I was acquainted with the room that I would call mine. It was obviously bigger than my previous room but it was not too big, in fact, it was perfect for me. The walls were coated with cream coloured paint and the room itself consisted of a double bed, a wardrobe, dressing table and a mirror hung on the wall.

I was content.

I noticed that the apartment entailed only one bathroom which was not in Paul's bedroom - thank God but the only problem was in the fact that I had to pass by Paul's bedroom each time I felt the urge to visit the restroom.

Choosing not to let that affect me, I took a relaxing shower and headed straight to bed. Before I went deep into sleep, I heard a faint knock on the door. "Come in," I said as I sat up on the bed.

"Hey. I just wanted to let you know that you should feel at home and..." he cleared his throat, "goodnight." He planted a soft kiss on my head and started walking towards the door.

"Paul," I called out and he turned to look at me expectantly, "goodnight." He nodded and went out the door, leaving me gazing at the patterns on the ceiling.

Eventually, drowsiness overpowered me and I slept with one thought on my mind and no, it was not the thought of a thing. Oh, no. I was thinking about a certain handsome young man that I needed to get off my mind - fast.

A/N: My sincerest apologies for the very late update. I promise to update sooner next time. I hope you guys have not lost faith in Chloe & Paul, have you? If you have, what can they do to regain it? Please do vote & comment with what you'd like to see in the next chapter. Adios amigos.