Chapter 38

The sun was out to get me again. I was turning pink. He had noticed and teased me about it, but as soon as he came home the sun came out to try and make me less happy to have him back. I poked my arm, the bright yellow spot of my finger faded back to pink. I turned letting my legs go onto the couch in his room. I leaned against him. He was filling out job applications. Why? He's finally getting pushed over the edge by Steve.

"What's wrong?" He asked. His arm moved as he took another application.

"It's too hot." I said.

He sighed. I had complained again and again that it was too hot. He turned the temperature down to sixties in his room. He did this, he did that. But it was hot outside. I didn't feel hot. I was just burning whenever I stepped out the door. "Stop complaining." He said.

"I'm turning pink!" I said. I turned so I was sitting normally next to him. "Look at me! I'm fucking pink now." I showed him my pink arm. He shook his head pressing his finger into it watching it fade back to pink. He kissed my forehead and went back to filling out applications.

I didn't want to complain that I was bored. I was bored, but he didn't tell me to come over and he didn't tell me he was busy when I showed up. I just wanted to hang out with him for hours. His family is staying a few more days and he wanted to come back because he had to work or else he'd get fired. He sounded like his job was important. All he does now is fold t-shirts- sweater season died a few months ago.

I looked at the application. "You're applying for a job at the record store?" I asked.

"Yeah," He said. He went out filling the application. He didn't have neat handwriting. It wasn't bad- it was just boy-ish. You could read it and everything it was what I expected his handwriting to look like.

"Cool," I said. I watched him filling them out. I leaned against his arm and he stopped looking at me.

"If you're bored you can go." He said. "I just need to get these done."

I sat up again. "I'm not bored." I didn't want to go what-so-ever. I wanted to just be with him. He looked at me sighing shaking his head. I smiled kissing his cheek. "Do you want to get rid of me?"

"No," He said quickly.

I leaned my head against his shoulder. He finished the application. "It's going to be weird having you work somewhere else." I said. "Steve'll miss you."

He smiled kissing my forehead. "I hate my job." He said.

I smiled. "You can't hate your job." I said.

"I do," He said. He finished the seventh application I've watched him fill out. He put them on the table close by I sat up again and he sat back flexing his hand. "God," He said under his breath.

I got up sitting on his lap facing him. "I need to tell you something," I said looking at him. I wasn't serious- but he got really serious.

"Okay," He said.

I leaned into his ear. I paused. "I only date Gap employees." I said. He shook his head sighing.

"I should have stayed in Maine." He said. I kissed his neck once, moving my lips up to his. I kissed him. Closing my eyes and kissing him. I don't remember what it's like to kiss non-Gap employees. But I'd find out soon. I don't think it'd be any different actually.

We were just lying there. I was lying on top of him. My ear against his chest listening to his heart. I closed my eyes as his lips pressed against my forehead. "Are you hungry?" I asked him.

"Are you?" He asked.

"Why?"

"Never mind," He said shutting up. Now he was good at avoiding me winning. I still counted it though. Rainie: 305. Paul: 0.

I shifted lifting my head p resting my chin on his chest. His face was so close. "Are you?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Sure," He said.

"Do you know where we haven't gone in forever?" I asked.

He just looked at me. "We've been to IHOP at least fifty times," He said rolling his eyes. I kissed him softly.

"You," I said looking at him. My face was inches from his. "Love pancakes. I know it. You know it. Why do you try and hide it Paul Spinella?"

He just looked at me. He was giving in. I just needed to wait three seconds. I counted them slowly in my head. "Fine," He said. Rainie: 306. Paul: 0. I think I should let him win at least once one of these days. I smiled kissing him.

Someone knocked on his door. I was already off of him. He sighed running a hand through his hair walking over to the door. He opened it, I'd feel kind of awkward if it was his mother or something. This wasn't really a great way to meet them. Paul having the house to himself for a few days and us being alone in his room was too familiar to me. Paul was always so different from everything I'm used to with Boys. "Hey," He opened his door.

It was Caroline. "You left me with them on purpose!" She jabbed her finger in his chest. "You piece of shit. I can't believe you. Me and Brian go to get ice cream and I come back and you are just gone!"

"You can't blame me." He said laughing. "They stuck me in there playing cards with Gran all day. I hate that vacation."

She gave him a dirty look. I felt invisible. But she saw me smiling. "Hi Rainie," She said.

"Hi," I said. I ran my fingers through my hair.

Caroline looked at Paul. "Did you ask her yet?" That got me curious. I didn't know what it was and it interested me. I walked closer to them. Paul squirmed- it took a lot to make Paul squirm. I've only seen him squirm once in my life and that was when he asked me out. It was something I haven't seen in forever.

"No," He said. "I wasn't going to."

Caroline rolled her eyes. She looked at me. "I'm getting married at the end of July and I want Paul to bring you." She said. "All of our sane relatives couldn't make it."

"This is how you get back at me?" Paul shot her a dirty look. She was already turning.

"Yep," She said smiling. "Love you little brother." She shut the door leaving us alone. There were now two things in the world I knew that made Paul uncomfortable. One was asking a girl he liked out. The other was weddings.

He looked at me, wincing at the grin on my face. "I love weddings." That made him sigh. I moved closer to him my arms moving around his neck. I just didn't like Bill's wedding because it meant my mother was officially gone. "If you don't want me to go I'll say no."

"Do you want to?" He asked moving his arms around my waist.

I nodded. "Sure," I said. "Why don't you want me to?"

"My family." He said.

I considered this. He made his family seem like Satan made clones of itself and made up the Spinella family. Even Caroline did just a few minutes ago. I looked at him. "Is your mom going to rip me to pieces."

He paused looking at me. "She'll probably like you," He said.

"And if she doesn't?" I asked making a face. My eyebrows went down.

"You'll know it." He said. He kissed my forehead. "Are you sure?"

I smiled. "Yes," I said. "No dancing though. I'm uncoordinated."

He raised his eyebrows. "Thank God," He kissed me again. I closed my eyes kissing him back. "Come on," I said. "I'm starving. I need pancakes."

He smiled shaking his head.

We had our normal waitress. She smiled a lot bigger when she saw us because we haven't been here in a while. I wonder if Paul notices how she acts around us. This certain waitress. The older one who looks at us like we're all the hope there is in the world. We sat down and she brought us water. "Do you want what you normally have?" She asked.

"Sure," I said. I looked at Paul.

"Yeah," He said. "Thanks."

The waitress walked away with out menus. I looked at him excitedly. I grabbed his hand. "We're regulars!" I said so only he heard it.

"What?" He said.

"You know in movies," I said. "And the people always go to these diners and get 'the regular' and stuff and the waitresses and waiters always know what they're talking about? That's us now! I always wanted that to happen. It always sounds so cool."

He laughed at me. Sipping his water. "You're ridiculous." He said.

I rolled my eyes. "Like you don't think it's awesome where after the fifty times we've been here we're now officially regulars." I said.

He sighed. Rainie: 308. Paul: 0.

"What's the date of Caroline's wedding?" I asked. I opened the straw sitting next to his. He never uses a straw. I love them. I stick it into my glass of water taking a sip.

"July twenty-seventh," He said.

I paused. "Queenie's due date is the thirtieth," I said. I looked down at the table. "Do you think I'll still get to go?"

He paused. "Probably," He said. "I mean, if you can't whatever." I knew he didn't have his heart set on me going. Now I was a little nervous about saying yes because I know there's a chance the baby might come early. But that is just as likely as it will come late too. So I wasn't sure. I looked up, a group of kids walked in.

My eyes caught Bennett's. He looked at me smiling a little. He waved walking to his table next to one of his friends. I just looked at him. I couldn't wave back, there was some weird feeling about me doing it especially right there in front of Paul. Things are always rocky when it comes to Paul and Bennett together.

But I looked at Paul. "I want to go," I said smiling. "So badly. Weddings are usually so fun."

He smiled a little. "Brian's family hates mine so there will probably be a few good fights between my mom and someone else." He said. "My mother's such a bitch."

I shook my head smiling a little. "You're so mean about her." I said. "I'm terrified to meet her. You make it sound like she's going to rip me apart."

He shook his head. "I'm pretty sure she's going to love you." He said.

Paul was always welcome in my family. Everyone collectively liked him. Anna met him once or twice but when he gets to the door he ends up talking to my dad or Jake or Caitlyn. If this is what it's always like when boys meet your family I don't know what I was missing. But then again Paul's different.

Paul's always been different.

A/N: Predictions? I've been so busy lately. Argh. Review please. This is where it morphs into a whole new story almost. Those readers who read the original get some new stuff to possibly enjoy. Review review review. Predict abour the wedding. Predict about Rainie's relationships with people. Predict about Rainie and Paul's relationship. Review please.