Screw my brain for bugging me with ideas when I already have unfinished fics. But then it's something instead of nothing, right? Well, I still hope you people will like it. Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts on it!
Turning off the ignition, Stephanie brought the car to an abrupt halt. Her eyes slowly travelling up to the small structure that stood in front of her - her summer house. Wincing in pain as she did that. Her headache was surely resurfacing and the long drive unsurprisingly added up to it. Carefully resting her head against the headrest, she closed her eyes to get a grip over her involuntarily headache due to lack of sleep. Just about two months back, their love making, long conversations and watching movies all night long were the causes of her sleepless nights. But now, remembering the memories they made together didn't let her sleep. He was still infecting her brain with his thoughts.
She never had the slightest idea that she will fall for him, for Paul Michael Levesque. But she did, and she hadn't gotten up since. A long sigh escaped her lips when his name crossed her mind. Stephanie always believed in the notion that if you're going to truly love someone, then love them with everything you have. She did that. She loved him with every fiber of her being, every beat of her heart, and every drop of blood running through her veins. But love is not always enough. They loved each other as deeply as two people can, but that didn't make their relationship infallible.
Taking a deep breath she fluttered her eyes open, finally coming to the conclusion of going in her house, reliving the past, on the same day which was supposed to be their first anniversary of dating officially. Life, as they said, was a challenge. And for Stephanie it surely was living up to that saying.
Huffing soundly, Stephanie stepped outside as the wind blew lightly, caressing her skin. Bringing her body into motion, she let the gentle breeze play with her shiny brown hair that tumbled in mahogany waves halfway down her back. With her gaze lingering on the porch, she momentarily froze, baffled by the memory of her ensconced in Paul's lap flooding back to her mind.
"Am I, by any chance, your official pillow, Ma'am?" Paul uttered inquisitively, as his fingers played with her silky hairs. Stephanie nodded imperceptibly in response, with her eyes closed and a peaceful smile tugging the corners of her mouth.
"Can't say I am honored," Paul teased. Stephanie quirked an eyebrow, her eyes still shut, when he lovingly added, "But I love the feeling of your cheeks pressed against my lap." Stephanie turned her face from her side to glance up at him, with a grin making an appearance across her perfect face.
"And I love the feeling of being near you, Sir" she whispered, overwhelmed by the warm look in Paul's eyes. With his eyes smiling into hers, Stephanie felt utterly content. Alive. At peace. So did he – she knew it as well as she knew her name. In that prolonged moment of silent companionship, Paul linked his hands loosely behind her back, with her back now pressed against his lap. He leaned forward, descending his mouth and capturing hers in a slow kiss. With an inner moan of pleasure, Stephanie slid her hands up his chest, curving them around his nape. She gave herself over to the kiss, like she always did. Letting him part her lips felt so natural, second to only breathing.
Snapping out of her reverie, Stephanie let her eyelids rest on her rosy cheeks to restrain the tears that were threatening to fall. Memories that she planned to cherish all her life now only brought tears to her eyes. After a brief moment, she started walking again and clicked the door open.
Being here was the only thing that would make her feel alive somehow. It had been about two long months since she last visited this place. And the exact same amount of time since she last saw Paul. Although it felt like an eternity. But now that she was back in town, the only place where she could be on this day was this house. It was her safe haven a few months back and even now, when she knew that being here would only bring back memories that would cause her pain - a feeling that she had grown pretty accustomed to. Pain was the only thing she was capable of feeling now. Pain was her only companion from the day her dad talked her into breaking it off for the sheer reason of protecting Paul. That was the sole reason why she made the biggest decision of her life. It was to protect Paul from all the negative accusations from his peers and colleagues, who began to put the credit of his success on one mere act - he banged the boss's daughter. Vince gave Paul and Stephanie his blessings at first because he wasn't far-sighted, that was what he later told his daughter. But truth be told, Vince never really believed that Paul and Stephanie's relationship would last six months. But it lasted, prospered, and their feelings for each other increased at an unimaginable rate. And that was when people and their accusations came into existence. Vince, therefore, wanted them to break it off before their relationship would have ruined Paul's career in any way possible. The reason he gave to Paul was that he had some parental issues, although there was no truth in that. Paul was perfect for his daughter in all senses of the word. But he knew Paul well and therefore he knew that even bringing his career into the mix wouldn't make him leave Stephanie. So he pulled the trump card and somehow managed to get them to call it off. Stephanie was well aware of the real reason but she couldn't risk Paul's career for her love, their love was above such selfishness. It was so pure that she called it off for Paul's sake while Paul accepted her father's decision. But the hard part isn't making the decision. It's living with the decisions you make. And that was where they were failing miserably.
Stepping inside, Stephanie looked around. The house was dark except for the dimly lit porch. She switched on the light, closing the door behind her. Her gaze irresistibly drawn to the blanket lying on the couch. Hastily, she reached for it and clung it to her chest as if it was her most valuable possession. A solitary tear trickled down her cheek as her finger lightly grazed over the material. Before coming here, she thought she had run out of tears. But still her eyes were shedding tears, for him. Subconsciously, she brought the blanket closer to her face, wondering that does it still have his scent, although she was too afraid to find out because she did not want to experience a new wave of memories. But she had no control over her actions.
Instinctively wrapping the blanket around her trembling body, she curled up on the couch, drowning in her own tears. With her eyes still surveying her previously abandoned house, she again traveled down the memory lane. On this day, Paul confessed his feelings to her, in this very place. They had been good friends and he was in Connecticut for the live event. She volunteered to show him around the place and then she brought him here, to show him the house she usually talked about. Unbeknownst to her, her act of bringing him to this place lead to something that changed her life forever.
"I rarely come here because of my travelling schedule, but I adore this place. It's like my second home," Stephanie gushed while giving Paul a tour of the house. She was standing with her back to him but upon getting no response, she turned around.
With her eyes now Paul, she walked towards him,quizzically watching how he was fumbling with his car keys, shuffling his feet, and staring blankly in another direction. "Is everything okay?" She inquired, looking concerned.
"It's...you know...nothing, just...you know," Paul trailed off, unable to muster a bunch of coherent words.
"Maybe you think I know whatever it is that I know. But seriously, I don't know. So, what is there for me to know?" She mocked him, earning a nervous chuckle from the muscular man who stood six feet tall. However, knowing something was bothering him, Stephanie pressed further, "Spill Paul. What's wrong? I won't bite you, I promise."
Exhaling soundly, he explained, "The thing is, Steph, I know how much you love this place. Which is why I thought of doing this here. Actually I wanted to do this for a few days. No, for a few months. No...yes, yes, a few months.."
"Is this about you being tired of me and dumping me for the sorry excuse of a friend I am?" Stephanie interrogated with a pout adorning her face. She knew it wasn't about this, but she had to rack it out of him, and since he was so lost in babbling away, cutting him off and seemed like her best bet.
With a husky, startled laugh, Paul hurriedly brushed off that mindless accusation while failing to filter what left his mouth. "Here I am planning to take this relationship to another level and you…" he stopped short, belatedly. Damn. Of course he wanted to say that, to tell her that, but not like that. There are some ways and ethics to do things like proposing. Screw him for being in this precarious position for the first time. Obviously it was not every day that you were confessing your feelings for Vincent Kennedy McMahon's daughter. Even the thought of Stephanie's father and his boss, for saying out loud, made his mouth dry. Paul was damned. He knew he was. Therefore when he saw Stephanie closing the gap between them, walking even closer, he tried to avoid eye contact, purposely looking in all directions except for her. But he knew that he had to say it, he just had to. There was no way he could keep his feelings for her bottled up forever.Man up, Paul, he silently told himself. Closing his eyes for a few seconds, he tried to gather up the courage. It was now or never. Stephanie was standing closer to him now. As he opened his eyes again and looked at her, all he could see were her expectant blue eyes. He had rehearsed dozens of speeches but such a dummy he was for forgetting all of them now that the time was here. Bracing himself for all kinds of possible responses, Paul finally spoke.
"Stephanie, no matter how confusing relationships are, how irritating they can be. But our story, will be different. We'll make it different. Here…" he paused as he held her hand and lifted up to his chest. "This, right here, it beats for you, and I don't even know for how long. I know you are too good for me," he nervously paused, her expressions still unfathomable. "I love, I mean I like you...but maybe you don't like me and it's alright," he abruptly half-lied, but was cut off once again by her. Although this time her lips did the honors instead of her words. She kissed him passionately, showing him that despite his reservations she indeed loved him back. There was no denying it. No hiding it. It was written all over her face. The moment Stephanie yearned for and simultaneously dreaded had finally arrived. She had fallen for him since they started working together. To her content, he felt the same way. He had just poured his heart out to her. Now it was on her to return his favor.
"Even if you only like me, Mr. Paul Levesque, I love you," Stephanie mumbled against his lips after ending the kiss. He beamed at her response and a huge smile formed across his face. He stayed silent but his smile said everything. And then his other actions did too. After registering those words in his head, Paul took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. Tipping her head back, he brushed his lips slowly back and forth across hers. "I love you, too, Ms. Stephanie McMahon," he happily proclaimed.
A fresh batch of tears left her eyes as the realization hit home. Nothing was same anymore. Neither their love, nor them. There was no use of sitting here in isolation and dreading over the past but she did not know what else she could do. Since the day her Dad asked Paul to stop seeing Stephanie, she had only talked to Paul once, over the phone. Unable to say anything, Stephanie just held the phone to her ear, listening to Paul's breathing. Finally Paul did speak, and all he said was, "If it is meant to be, it will be." Those were the last words he ever said to her. Neither of them had seen or heard from each other since then. "It wasn't, it wasn't meant to be," Stephanie cried out in the empty house. To feel the pain of the miserable happenings all over again wasn't the reason she came here for. She came here because in this house she felt closer to him. Paul somehow implanted himself in this house, as well as in her mind. Memories were a dagger to the heart, Stephanie had learned the reality of it the hard way. And as unfair as it was, this place was filled with several memories of the beautiful relationship they once shared. The couch she was curled up on was where she snuggled into his side when they once spent a night here and stayed up all night watching movies. The kitchen counter on her left was where Paul placed her, after he had picked her in his arms. Later, they had made out in the same spot. The dining table was where they had a wonderful candle light dinner. They talked about how their own house would look like while walking in the back garden of this house. The bedroom upstairs was where he made love to her, repeatedly. Afterwards, they laid in each other's arms and talked about their future. It was all very ironic now, considering all they had now was past.
A sharp sound of a car door being slammed shut pulled Stephanie out of her thoughts. She slightly jumped at the sudden sound but then immediately figured that it may be someone from her family coming here to check up on her. Making an attempt to stand up and open the door, she prepared herself for the intruder's possible reaction. There was a possibility that her family would throw a fit considering how she had driven back to Connecticut and hadn't even dropped by the house. But she would send them away, she decided. She did not need anyone here. Neither did she need to go to her parents' place. She was going to stay in this house for as long as she was in town, and they couldn't talk her out of it.
Wearing a determined façade, Stephanie hurriedly wiped the tears off her face and peeped outside from the window pane. The dimly lit porch made it difficult to recognize the person who had just stopped outside. Silently clicking the door open and slipping outside, Stephanie walked out of the house. She had barely taken a step, when her feet arrested partway. She felt perilously close to tears. Her body remained incapable of movement, utterly thrown by the sight of him. The dark silhouette standing before her did not belong to Shane, or Vince. It belonged to someone else. Someone who she could have recognized with her eyes blind shut.
With his gaze riveted heavenwards, and his hands shoved deep into his trouser pockets, Paul Levesque was standing with his back to Stephanie's summer house. Her mind was paralyzed with apprehension as she took in his presence. This wasn't happening, she shook her head to gather her wits. This was some sort of daydreaming, she reminded herself. Yes, that was it, she quietly admitted. Paul couldn't possibly end up at the same place on the same day when she decided to be here. Surprisingly, this was the first place that came to Paul's mind when he remembered what day it was. He wanted to relive the past, just like Stephanie did. But both of them were unaware of the coincidence that God had planned for them. Fate dealt them with a sweet card but they were too naive to understand. Absorbed in his thoughts, Paul failed to register her presence. Stephanie walked quietly, reducing the distance between them with every step she took. It was him, her mind screamed to her. He was really here. When his body remained still, she tried to call him from behind, afraid that her voice would betray her. What would she say to him when she only wanted to fling herself into his arms? Restraining herself from doing what she wanted to do most, she made him realize that he wasn't standing there alone.
"Paul?" Stephanie called, her voice a hoarse whisper. Paul stiffened the instant she spoke. He dared not turn his head to look at her. He was positive that he was hallucinating, therefore there was no use of turning around. The voice was clearer now, as Stephanie inquired, "What are you doing out here?" This wasn't real, it wasn't. He had not even imagined to find her here. She left town the day they broke up, leaving the storyline hanging in mid-air and Vince with a ton of responsibility to find a way to dissolve the McMahon-Helmsley Era.
However, his heart interceded, telling him that maybe, just maybe this was true. Maybe she was here, standing just a mere feet away from him. Despite being torn between reality and confusion, Paul answered. "Praying. I've been praying for you to come back. Now please don't do this to me, Steph. I know you are not here. I'm probably talking to myself," his voice cracked in the midst of his admission. He was already broken enough, imagining her being so near would only add to his misery.
He froze, his heart stopped for a split second when he felt a hand pressed against his broad shoulders. Tears stung Stephanie's eyes when she remembered the way Paul had dismissed the idea of praying as the last resort to fools - dreamers who won't face the fact that they cannot have something. And now he was praying, to have her. This was all so unbelievable, just like having him here, feeling his warm skin beneath her palm. Paul slowly and gradually turned around, as her hand gripped his shoulder, but his eyes were still shut. He was afraid to open them for fear that she would vanish. But Stephanie prompted him to do so, after placing her hand on his light-bearded cheek. She was there, actually standing a few inches away. His eyelids were in motion as they fluttered open, his eyes mirroring hers, shimmering with tears. Without giving it a second thought, he yanked her in his arms, burying his lips into hers, crushing her hard against his body. He was afraid that she'd leave him if he would let her go. Stephanie felt the familiar vibration run through her body at his touch. It never ceased to amaze her, the bond she shared with him.
An eternity later, Paul removed his mouth from hers. He looked at her, drinking her in, as he guided a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He always knew she was beautiful. But he was mesmerized every time he took the time to really look at her. It was almost palpable, the look on their faces speaking louder than their words ever could. Their sacred love could be felt, as did the fear of losing each other again. Paul's prayers had been answered and she was here. His Stephanie was in his arms again. And he couldn't let her go, not this time.
"Steph, I don't care about the world. I don't care about your Dad, his business or anybody else walking on this planet. All I care for, is you. Because if I am with you, nothing else matters. Please Steph, don't let your parents or anyone else decide our future. I...I can't live without you, Stephanie. I don't know how to," he affirmed with firm conviction. It was like Stephanie needed to hear this, although it wouldn't have mattered if he didn't mention caring about the world. It took her 2 months to realize that people were born to hurl accusations on others, however at the back of her mind she feared that Paul moved on from her therefore she backed away from contacting him. But he didn't, he clearly was waiting on her still holding his heart out to be taken away. Stephanie reached for his hand squeezing his fingers in a gesture of profound affection and gratitude, beyond grateful that they had found each other, once again, defying all the odds.
"I can't live without you either. I love you, Paul. I could never stop loving you," she declared, still holding his gaze.
"I love you, too, Steph. Always did, always will," Paul replied with tenderness in his eyes and love in his voice. A smile of relief dawned on his face, as he breathed in the moment. It was after such a long time that his smile reached his eyes. Hell, it was after such a long time he actually found himself smiling. But he wasn't the only one. The girl he loved with all his heart, who was now buried in his chest, also found back her smile, her happiness, the reason for her living.
"Don't ever stop saying that," she teased, lifting her head. Looking at him as he held her close, Stephanie knew that this was the man she was sent down to love, to cherish. This was whom she was destined to live her life with. To spend her every waking moment with. Paul Levesque was hers, and she was his. And that, they were indeed, meant to be.