Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or the Characters, except my own OCs!

AN: This is chapter is a little short, so I wrote the next chapter right after it, and I'm gonna post it up here in like the next few minutes so stay tuned! Hope this chapter is alright, it took me soo long to write it and I actually had to do it over twicwe because I wasn't happy with it. So, here it is, Please Read and Review! Thanks, and I want to say again, thanks to all my awesome reviewers who are so great and who are so nice and supportive! I wouldn't have written so much without you guys! Thanks!

Chapter Twenty-Three

Date

"Whoa," I thought aloud, taking in the surroundings throughout the restaurant. It was one of those huge, fancy, expensive restaurants. I had never been to a place like this before, I mean I've seen in movies where the rich big-shot would take out his new girlfriend to this expensive place to eat just to prove how great he was and all, but God, this was weird.

"Hannah?" Paul placed his hand on my waist attentively, and was staring at me with concern. I realized that he probably had been trying to get my attention for a while now.

I must have been spacing off. "Sorry, did you say something?"

"The hostess wanted to know if we preferred a table or booth?" Paul motioned to the short blonde who was making moony-eyes at him.

"Uhh. . .booth?" It came out as more of a question, I was still staring at the blonde, who was now giving me the stink-eye.

"We'll take a booth," Paul confirmed.

"Right this way," the girl answered only to Paul, I might add.

We followed- me more slowly behind, because the girl decided to walk right next to Paul- and I mean right next to him.

Once we were seated, the girl bent down next to Paul, giving him a good view of her cleavage, and said, "I'll go get the waiter, but if you need anything else, you know where to find me."

I would have been mad by this encounter, but I couldn't be because Paul wasn't looking at her- at all. He wasn't even staring in her direction, he was staring in mine, probably watching as my expression turned sour with every word that the whore uttered.

"You alright?" Paul asked me quietly, as he reached his hand out toward me slowly, but then thought better of it, knowing very well that the jester was reserved for couples. Something we were not. Mainly because of me and my stubbornness.

"I'm fine, just feeling a little. . .crowded," I put an emphasis on the word, and looked right at the blonde who was scowling. She gave me one last glare, and Paul one last longing look before leaving us alone. Finally.

"Better?"

I gave Paul a shrug, still feeling a little strange being in a place so out of my element. I wondered if he came here often, if this was the kind of scene he was used to. Did he take a lot of girls here? I attempted to will the thoughts away. It wasn't any concern of mine, and I shouldn't have even been wondering if Paul took all his girlfriends to this place, because I currently wasn't Paul's girlfriend.

As if Paul had been reading my thoughts he said, uncomfortably, "I don't know how any of the food taste's, I've never been here before, actually."

"Really?" I questioned, surprise evident in my tone. Then why would he take me here? "Where do you usually take your girlfriend's out to?"

Too late I realized that the question was a prying one, totally noisy, but I couldn't take it back, so I leaned forward on the table in front of me and waited for the answer.

Paul's eyes grew a bit wider than normal, and he took a sip of the water that had been placed in front of him slowly. "You remember, I mean you used to be my girlfriend. . .sort of," he coughed and pulled on the collar of his dress shirt. "I usually take them to the movies, and then to a nearby diner in town."

I took all of this information in, ignoring the part where I used to be his girlfriend, because technically I never was, but I didn't want to get into that again, at least not here. "So, then why did you take me here?" I asked.

"Do you not like it? We can leave," Paul was fidgeting, and now his mood seemed to dim.

There I go again. . .ruining everything. It seemed to be happening to me lately. I just appeared to suck the fun out of everything. I was your average fun sucker. I should start wearing a sign.

"It's fine, Paul. We're already here. We're not going to leave. I was just asking a simple question, don't start freaking out on me now," I tried to sound casual, to calm him down.

It took a few moments for him to speak again. "I-I just wanted to do something nice. To show that I cared. I wanted to take you somewhere different, to show you that this is going to be different, because I've changed."

"Changed?" I repeated. I knew he changed, it was clear in the way he talked, and the way he acted- like with the hostess, if it had been a few months before, Paul would have flirted with her, it wouldn't have mattered in the least who he was with at that moment. Because before Paul was known for being a flirt, a big one, but he didn't appear to be one anymore, hence the change.

"Yeah, I've changed, or at least, I've tried to. I knew how I was before, I knew what people thought of me, and I liked people thinking of me as this big-shot who got all the girls. I wanted to be that guy. . .but then, then my dad," he paused and absently reached out for my hand clasping it in his. "My dad cheated on my mom, and I was angry, so angry, and I just changed. In a lot more ways than one, but I knew I had to be different. I didn't want to be my dad, or end up like him. My mom was devastated, God she cried for weeks-" Paul's voice broke off and he released my hand as the waiter came and took our order. I ordered a shrimp-pasta dish, while Paul got the largest steak on the menu- rare.

When the waiter left, before placing bread-rolls on the table, I asked Paul if he still talked to his dad.

His response was, "Not since we ran off with that whore half his age."

I was silent after that, and nibbled on a breadstick that desperately needed butter.

"Can I ask you something?" Paul asked suddenly, making me jump in my seat.

"Sure," I answered, bracing myself for some probing question that I probably wouldn't have been able to answer.

Paul was watching me. He looked like he was holding his breath. "Do you think I've changed? I mean, can you see it?"

"Well, I haven't really spent that much time around you, lately, but from what I've seen. . .yeah, you're different."

"Different how?" He pressed, reaching for three rolls and shoving in one at a time. At least he chewed with his mouth closed though.

I could tell that he wanted me to give him some examples, probably wanting to see if I had been paying attention or not. "Well," I hesitated. "I don't know, I guess you. . .walk differently." I really wanted to choke on that roll after those words came out of my mouth.

Paul looked taken aback. "I walk differently? Care to elaborate on that one, Hannah." I would have assumed he was making fun of me, but he didn't laugh, just had a small confused smile on his lips.

"You know," I told him, "you used to walk all confident, and arrogant, like you were some rock star. Now though, when you walk you still hold yourself with confidence, but the arrogance and self-righteousness is gone. It's not just the way you walk though," I tried to put my finger on what it was about him that was so different. "It's your appearance to, the way you look, more determined about something, less laid-back and careless. You really changed, Paul. It's good."

Paul's face lit up, it was the happiest I had seen him all day. And right as the food came to our table he gave me this look, this penetrating stare that actually made me shiver, and before the waiter asked me if I wanted cheese on my pasta I faintly heard Paul whisper, "It was all because of you."

ANN: I know, really short, again that's why the next chapter will be posted in the next few minutes so be ready for it! I really hope this chapter was alright, it was hard for me to write becaues I didn't want to give too much away, Hannah doesn't want to get into heavy topics, but Paul's all for bearing his soul at this point, so I needed to even it out a bit. Please stay tuned for Chapter 24 that wil be posted super soon. Please Review, Thanks- Anya! =)