Where the Streets Have No Name
Chapter 90
Bella met Paul when they were both in middle school. He had been her shadow ever since.
When they began high school, he asked her to be his date to the Freshman Formal, but she turned him down politely.
Paul was persistent. He asked her again later that year, and again the year after to the Sophomore Spring Dance, until she shyly accepted.
Even as an awkward teen, Paul was a sweet boy. He excelled in class work, but was not deemed a nerd. He was a star sportsman but was never vain about his accomplishments. He was very much part of the "in" crowd yet he never felt the need to belittle anyone to legitimize his place in the group.
When Bella announced to her parents she was going to the dance with Paul, they were ecstatic. Loved by townsfolk and teachers alike, Paul was the quintessential golden boy who could do no wrong.
Bella could never quite explain to herself why she consistently failed to be part of the Paul cheer-wagon. She could tell he was a sweet, well mannered and kind hearted boy. He wasn't particularly hard on the eyes either. Yet the idea of exploring the forbidden but oh-so alluring landscape of sexual awareness with him left a clammy taste in her mouth.
Paul was too familiar - too mundane - to hold any intrigue for her. He was like an open book and she felt she knew the plot twists by heart. There was nothing to uncover, nothing new to learn.
So, shortly after the Spring Dance, when Paul asked her out on a second date, Bella gently but decisively told him that she felt it was for the best that they remained just friends. That she didn't want to be anyone's girlfriend yet.
Paul's face fell in heartbreak, but true to his reputation, he didn't harangue Bella to overturn her decision.
"If you ever change your mind, would you tell me? 'Cause you know, I'll wait for you as long as I have to," he said with simple conviction.
Bella agreed. She saw no reason to be needlessly cruel. After all, it wasn't like she had anyone else in the horizon. Paul would grow tired of waiting eventually.
That was until the unthinkable happened.
Thank you Lulabelle98, HeidiJoVT, and Dinx.