A/N: Oopsie, for some reason I think I deleted this one, so I'm reputting it in here. For you new readers, just ignore this, and enjoy :D

Chapter 7

"Did somebody order cheesecake and some mocha nonfat latté's?" Paul asks as I answer the door 10 minutes until lost is about to start.
"They smell delicious, Paul, thank you," I reply, taking the bag and drinks from him and leading him into the living room where Cee Cee and Adam are already waiting for us.
I catch Cee Cee glaring over at me from where she's sitting. She really hates Lost. I've tried to get her into it, but she refuses to actually get into it, I know...she's such a loser.
I had to beg her and Adam to come over tonight. Cee Cee shoots me a look that says I owe her big time, which I know I do. I just didn't want to have to do this alone.
I know Paul well enough to know that, even though we haven't dated in 5 years, he would definitely go for a move within the first fifteen minutes of the show.
But I also know that he wouldn't try with Adam and Cee Cee around, which is why I need them here. I'm not ready to just dive back into dating. Especially with Paul Slater.
I guess the real reason why I'm so resistant is because I know as soon as he lays some of that Paul Slater charm on me...well, I'll be gone. That's exactly how it was back when we dated. One word and I was his.
It was almost scary how fast and hard I fell for him. He showed up at school in his BMW convertible and leather jacket and...I was stuck. He, quite literally, had me at hello.
And now...well, now he was looking at me with those intense baby blues of his, watching my every move as I went to the kitchen to prepare the food, and it was unsettling me once again.
"You all right?" Cee Cee asks softly, glancing between Paul and I. "He can't take his eyes off you, can he?"
"I guess not," I say, cutting the cheesecake into 4 slices and putting them on separate plates, drinking my late in between cuts.
"Come on, let's go watch your dumb show," she says, taking a couple of plates as I take the others. I laugh and shake my head.

"You never gave it a chance!" I exclaim.
"No, I gave it plenty of a chance...just like you gave Gilmore Girls a chance," Cee Cee says, giving me a meaningful glare.
"Okay, that is completely different," I begin but she shakes her head as we sit down, her beside Adam, me beside Paul.

"No, it isn't! You got fifteen minutes into the Pilot and fell asleep!" she exclaims.
"Come on, they were so ridiculous! And there was that nasty guy that Rory was SOOOO in love with. He was like a greasy Backstreet Boy," I say, rolling my eyes.
"Man, I miss listening to the two of you argue," Paul says, laughing and putting his arm around me. I discreetly move away from him. See, the show hasn't even started yet and he's already starting.
"Okay, now everyone shut up so we can watch the show," Adam says, pretending to be enthusiastic. This is why I love him so much.
The show starts and I'm so into it that I don't push Paul's hand away when he takes my own and I hardly even notice that he's starting to stroke the back of my hand with his thumb, the way he used to when we dated before.
Cee Cee, on the other hand, notices as soon as the first commercial comes on. She elbows my side gently and smirks before glancing down at our hands.
I roll my eyes up to the ceiling and slide my hand out of his, clearing my throat. "I'll be right back, bathroom break," I say before leaving the living room.
I exhale deeply as soon as I'm in the bathroom, leaning against the sink. I notice my phone on the counter and remember that I forgot it in here earlier. I pick it up distractedly, just to check and make sure that I don't have any new texts or anything, and find that I, in fact, have a voicemail.
I quickly punch in my security code and wait until the message starts and when it does, my eyes widen. "Susannah..."

Immediately my mind turns to jelly and I can feel my heart accelerating. "I...uhm, sorry I accidentally dialed...bye." That's it. That's all...it was an accident.
Tears fill my eyes at this realization. He didn't mean to call me. He didn't want to call me. It was an accident. I'm sad and elated at the same time. Sad because it's clear he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore but elated because...I heard his voice. His beautiful voice for the first time in weeks.
"Suze? Are you alright in there?" Paul's voice comes from outside the door, his hand knocking gently against the door.
"I'm fine...I'll be right out," I tell him, swallowing my tears. I wait to hear his retreating footsteps, but the sound never comes. "Really, Paul, I'll be right there."
"Okay," he says and I sigh before washing away my tears really quick and making sure I look alright before turning off the light and opening the door, and Paul is standing next to the door.
"Oh!" I exclaim, laughing a little. "You scared me." The cheerfulness seems false even to my own ears.
"I just wanted to apologize...in case I came off too strong back there during the show. It's just so easy to sink back into old habits, you know?" he says to me.
"Yeah, I know," I reply, giving him a small smile. "It's all right, Paul...let's just go back and watch the show, okay?"
"Can I talk to you for a moment, Suze? You guys are recording the show..." Paul says, reaching out and placing a hand on my arm.
"Uhm, sure," I reply, leading him to my bedroom, the only private place to talk in the apartment, and shut the door behind him. "What's up?"
Instead of words like I was expecting from him, as soon as the door is shut he gets a primal look in his eyes and he takes my arm, pinning me against the wall behind me.
"Paul, what are you--" but before I can finish, he covers my mouth with his, pressing his body against mine and, oh my god, I'm in high school again.
"Suze, I want you so bad. The moment I saw you that day I just...I knew that I never got over you. I still love you, Suze..." Paul whispers to me in-between kisses before his lips trail down to my neck.
The moment his words hit me, I gently push him away. "Paul...I'm not ready to jump back into this just yet," I whisper, not looking into his eyes.
"We don't have to jump into anything, Suze. I just wanted you to know..." Paul says, his hands moving up and down my arms as his eyes search in mine.
I sigh and nod my head. "Let's just...slow down," I tell him. "I need some time to think, okay?"
"Absolutely. Just...first," he says, leaning in and kissing me gently on my lips and then once on my forehead, "just like our first kiss."
Without saying anything else, he smiles at me and leaves, closing the door behind him. I can faintly hear the sound of Jack and Locke arguing on the TV, but the thoughts in my head are much louder. I just...don't know what to do!
Without giving myself anymore time to think about it, I leave my bedroom and go into the living room, sitting back down. Cee Cee thankfully tells me what I've been missing so in no time I find myself relaxed again...well, pretty relaxed.
The rest of the night goes by uneventfully and after both the guys have left, Cee Cee says, "Man, Paul still has it BAD for you."
"He...he kissed me. He said he wanted to talk to me so I went in the bedroom with him, and he well...kissed me," I admit to her and I swear her mouth nearly falls to the ground.
"OHMYGOD!" she shouts, jumping up and down and squealing excitedly. "He KISSED YOU!? What else? Did anything else happen??"
"No...I, I stopped him," I say sheepishly and Cee Cee groans in frustration before shaking me.
"Why! Why did you stop him, are you INSANE!?" she exclaims. "It's Paul Fucking Slater, Suze! Do you remember how in love with him you were only five years ago??"
"Yeah, FIVE YEARS! That is a really long time, Cee Cee! Look how much has changed in those 5 years?" I exclaim, sighing.
"This isn't about the time that's passed, is it?" she asks, taking her hands off my shoulders and shaking her head. "This is about Jesse. It's still all about Jesse."
"It's only been like about 3 weeks, Cee Cee! That's not long at all!" I cry, standing up and storming into my bedroom.
She comes running in after me, sighing. "Look, I'm sorry," she says. "I'm just looking out for you. You don't know how bad you were the night it ended. You were a mess. I barely recognized you."
"Well...I can't just immediately move on with him, Cee Cee. It's impossible," I whisper. "I need to get some sleep, Cee. Thank you but...I really just need some sleep."
She sighs and looks at me with concern before leaving. I get changed into my pajamas and crawl into bed. It's going to be a long, sleepless night.