Someone In The Crowd [Paul Wesley]

90. IRL

"It's right up here," Paul said as they turned into a side road and past a row of houses.

"Which one is it?" Cece asked, practically bouncing up and down in her seat with excitement.

"This one right here," Paul said, pointing at a suburban house before parking in front of it.

"Wow, it's gorgeous!" Cece said, taking out her phone and snapping a picture or two.

"That's not for Instagram, is it?" Paul asked.

"Of course not!" Cece laughed. "For the groupchat."

They got out of the car and walked up the path together, hand-in-hand.

"Just remember Cee, we don't want to come across too keen."

"I know!" she said with an eye roll. Paul had been giving her this lecture all day. If they acted too eager, the seller would be able to drive the price of the house up.

Paul knocked on the door and it opened immediately.

"Hi, Paul and Cece, right?" the very enthusiastic seller asked, shaking both of their hands. "I'm Kimberley. Come on in!"

She led them through the house.

"This is the kitchen," she said. She showed them a modest-sized kitchen with a marble counter-top and white cupboards. It had a beautiful black fridge and two black stools.

Cece squeezed Paul's hand in excitement while struggling to keep composure.

She took them through the beautiful white dining room and living room, past the comfy-looking black and white cinema room with a pull-down screen and to the stairs in the middle of the hall.

Walking up the stairs, they passed a huge bathroom complete with a bath, shower and two sinks, and went into the master bedroom.

"This is the master," Kimberley said. "We installed the TV a few years ago and it's done us quite nicely. You can easily get rid of it, or upgrade it if you want. There's also an en-suite."

Cece squeezed Paul's hand again and took pleasure in the fact that a small smile was creeping up on his face. He liked it.

"There are five bedrooms up here," she said, taking them through the smaller bedrooms. "Then over there there's the library."

"Library?" Cece asked. In her head she had visions of Belle's library from Beauty and the Beast.

"Yeah, come on," Kimberley said, leading them into a room where everything was made of wood. There were shelves after shelves of books as well as a huge wooden desk. "We're taking most of the books with us but the desk is yours if you want it."

"What about the garden?" Paul asked.

Kimberley smiled. "I'm saving the best for last."

They followed her back down the stairs, down the hall and to the back doors.

"We're quite proud of our outside space," she said, unlocking the doors. They were met with a white path. On one side, they could see a wooden table and white chairs – an outdoor eating area. On the other side, there was a huge grassy area. At the very end, there was a child's play area.

"And last but not least, the pool."

She led them to a large 'L' shaped pool with decorative lighting, a small waterfall and many plants.

"So, what do you think?" Kimberley asked them.

"I think we like it," Paul said, careful not to give too much away.

"That's great! There are a few people who came to view over the past week. I'll review the offers and get in touch with your estate agent when I make my decision."

"Thank you very much," Paul said, shaking her hand.

"Yes, thank you," Cece said.

They had barely made it out of the house before Cece grabbed Paul's arm and started shrieking.

"It's amazing!" she said. "We have to live there!"

"Other people put in offers, remember?" Paul asked. "We might not get it."

"But we have to get it. It was, like, made for us!"

"Let's just wait and-" as Paul spoke, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. "Hey Alfred," he said into the phone. Alfred was their real-estate agent.

"Are you serious?" Paul asked.

"Serious about what?" Cece whispered.

"Ok, thanks for letting me know." He ended the call and turned to look at his fiancée.

"What?" she asked, worried.

"We got it," he said, almost in disbelief.

"What?! We got it? Really?" Cece asked, her voice getting louder with every word.

"Really," Paul said with a smile. "Our offer was just what she was looking for. She gave it to us on the spot!"

"We have a house? We really have a house?!"

"We have a house!" Paul confirmed, kissing her. It seemed like everything was falling into place.