If I Fell

~57~

Club take 2

"Everybody is meeting there, John will see you inside" Paul stood by the door and watched as I set about trying to create an outfit. Bloody hopeless I was, I had a skirt and blouse laid out on the bed but frowned at the selection, unsure.

Paul strolled over, replaced a pink shirt with a white one and it looked bloody marvellous.

"How did you do that?!"

"A knack"

"McGirly maybe" He rushed me and my outfit fell away to the floor as he pushed me back on the bed and knelt over me, my thighs clamped between his legs. He began trying to tickle me to death "Arrrrr!! Sorry you win, you wiiinn! You're the tickle king"

"Take it back"

I giggled out a tortured "Paul, you are not McGirly just a very fashion-conscious hip man about town" He still had my hands clamped down under his knees "Stop it! Stop tickling! I said it! Oh please Paul. Stop tickling!! Paulieee"

Paul stopped but didn't move, lighting a cigarette basically on my lap, he tapped the ash in my teacup. "So.... he been better then?"

"John? Yea, much. He still stays out and I hated that picture in the paper, it was a bit nasty to see" I watched the smoke rise and push toward the hallway. The window was open a fraction so the draught was sending the smoke off away from us. The newspaper picture was of John cuddled up with a pretty girl from one of the television shows he appeared on "He is more..... I don't know, attentive. He brought me that tiny vase, which was very nice"

"And the others?"

"Girls?"

"Yea, um, you don't mind?" Paul fussed around with the rest of the cigarette then decided on dropping it in the little bit of cold tea left in the cup sat on my side table.

"Course I bloody mind! Gee Paul. He isn't ....." I struggled with my words. John was being lots more attentive and loving but girls still hovered "Paul... would you say if he did stuff? You know, stuff that would hurt me?"

Paul looked out the window this was a big thing, we were good friends supposedly 'siblings' but John was the other half of his whole. John was the right Paul the left, the yin and yang.

"Don't bother answering that, it isn't a fair question"

Paul looked back down at me then leant down close, his eyes flickered with puzzlement, so close, so Paul. His new fancy aftershave, the tobacco smell all a breath away, my senses screamed for air. His eyes, oh his eyes held me captive. Touching my cheek and kissing fleetingly where he touched was so very intimate, he watched carefully as I digested his closeness and the touch.

"Come on" He moved off me, helping me up "Best get ready, don't want to have them thinking the worst"

"The worst being?"

Paul stepped back tinkering with his shirt, tucking it in, buttoning the top button then looking in the mirror at the results.

All of a sudden, he was back in my space, hovering over my frame. I felt slight, the way he stood over me his boots making him taller by mere centimetres but his whole aura now felt larger than life. My face upturned watching his lips move and speak softly as he pushed hair from my eyes.

"The worst would be...... Ab, the worst would be... me saying 'sod it' and running off with you" The way he spoke made my breathe disappear, he left the room and I had to sit heavily on the bed.

My slamming heartbeat pound hard and I struggled to breath for minutes and understand why he would utter such a thing. Like it was a given that I understood his mind.