C'mere (Paul Banks fanfic)

The Escape

- I'm going to go spend a couple of weeks with Valerie, Lee. - Rhi announced to her fiancé the next day, as they walked back to her apartment after going for a cup of coffee.

- Oh, really? Why? - He seemed surprised, but not completely against it. These last couple of weeks with the wedding planning and Rhi refusing to have sex had been utter shit for him.

- Because I'm tired and I need a break. And I guess so do you...

He chuckled.

- I don't need a break from you, silly. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you, imagine if I were thinking about breaks! - He said, holding her hand.

Rhi smiled.

- Ly will take care of work, Mum and her assistants will see to whatever necessity arises about the wedding. I am off. I am going to disconnect. I hope you don't mind, but I don't even want to bring my mobile.

Lee whistled and raised his eyebrows.

- Well if that's what you want, I guess we can still permit ourselves some eccentricities before the wedding...

She stopped walking to put her arms around his neck and kiss his lips.

- See this is why I love you... You're so open and you let me be bizarre.

He smiled, surrounding her tiny waist with his enormous hands.

- As long as you let me be bizarre, too... - He whispered, kissing her too.

- I will.

Rhi flew to California just 3 days after the dream that set off her alarms.

-

- So... why exactly are you smoking in my car instead of planning your wedding in New York? - Valerie snapped when they were driving to her Malibu home.

- Make a guess. A wild one. You'll probably nail it. - Rhi answered, lighting up his second cigarette of the trip.

Val was new-age and hated people smoking (tobacco, at least) around her, but Rhi seemed to be in such an alarming shape that she didn't dare refuse when she asked if she could do it in her car.

- Existential crisis. You realised you don't want to get married. - Val let out.

- Maybe.

- Rhiannon?

Rhi bit her lips and threw the fag out the window. She was trying hard not to cry. Val pulled over and surrounded her with her arms.

- You know you can tell me everything, right? - She whispered, her older sister assented, quietly.

She finally let out a big sigh and murmured.

- I think I'm in love with someone else.

Val raised her eyebrows, now this was unexpected.

- Did you meet someone? What happened?

- Remember that bloke in the Paolo Piani exposition?

- The singer? - Of course she remembered, he was one dreamy man. - Did you shag him like I said? Oh my word, Rhi...

Rhi shook her head, laughing like a mad person.

- No, I didn't, but I can't stop thinking about doing it and not only that. He makes me weak, he makes me hot, I can't control myself around him and I am here because I am fleeing him.

Val frowned and twitched her mouth. This was her usual expression when she was thinking hard.

- Does he know? How does he feel about you?

Rhi sighed again.

- He knows and he apparently feels the same, I don't know Val, we never actually talked about it, but he kissed me one day and I could not refuse him. If we had not been near my office, I would have banged him right then, right there.

Val giggled, but stopped when her sister rolled her eyes.

- Sorry, I just... you don't usually talk like that... Well you need to think long and hard... no pun...

- Well that's why I'm here... also... - she hesitated.

- Yes?

- I think Lee might be having an affair too...

- Oh shit. OK, listen. Let's go walk on the beach, tell me everything.

-

Paul rubbed his eyes and then cradled his chin on his hands. Lydia thought he looked like a scolded school boy.

- We will present our own witness and then the jury will say the verdict. We're pretty confident it will go our way. - She repeated as he didn't seem to react the first time she had spoken.

He nodded.

- So miss Yeatts won't be present?

Lydia made a face. It was as if she had been speaking to the wall.

- She didn't say when she would be back, but you can call her...

- I don't want to bother her... - He interrupted. - She's just been gone for, what? 5 days?

Ly felt something was wrong when he added.

- And she's getting... married after all...

Lydia gasped. She knew that look, he was... oh dear.

- I will call her if you want me to. - She assured, placing an understanding hand on his arm.

He lifted his blue gaze, he seemed alarmed. She knew something. Had he been that obvious?

- No, for God's sake, don't... - He trailed.

Lydia smiled at him, she didn't want to sound unprofessional, but she really wanted to make him feel better. He looked appalled.

- I have to call her about other cases anyway, I will tell her you asked if she'll make it for your audience. It's a perfectly normal question.

He scratched his head.

- Everything will be OK, Paul. - She finally said, standing up. - I will call you sometime next week, alright?

He nodded and watched her walk out of the café where they had met. He began to feel hopeful, even though he knew he shouldn't.