When Paul reached the apartment Stephanie had put the door on the latch so when he knocked she just shouted 'come in' so he walked inside and shut the door behind him.
Once he was inside she started off polite, "do you want a drink or anything Paul?"
"No thanks, I'm fine."
She got up and went to look out of the window a minute to gather her thoughts when Paul interrupted them, "Steph why did you call me up here?"
Turning to look at him she was questioning her decision a little, "you wanted to talk so I thought I'd give you the chance, what do you want to talk about then?"
He sighed, "us, is there an us anymore?"
Looking back out of the window Stephanie sighed, "I need a drink, I'll be back in a minute."
She retreated to the kitchen to get some water leaving him sat there all alone.
While she was in the kitchen he took a look around the living room of the apartment, although they had been there before they'd spent more time in the bedroom and by the pool than in the living room so he took the chance to really look around. When he walked over to the mantlepiece he saw a line of pictures, there were a couple of Stephanie and Shane when they were younger and there was one of Linda and Vince when they got married and then further along there was one of Shane and Marissa on their Wedding day and a family shot of everyone, including Paul in and then finally the last picture was of Stephanie and Paul together, messing about at the mansion in Greenwich on an off day when they had been invited to dinner. Paul didn't even know that they'd taken that picture let alone had it framed.
Stephanie walked back in the room but Paul didn't see her he was too engrossed in the picture, "that's a nice picture isn't it? I didn't realise my parents had taken it."
He looked up to see her stood not far from him, "yeah it's beautiful. I never noticed these here before."
She smiled, "that would be because we hardly spent time in here, we spent most of our time in the bedroom."
Paul smiled back, "yeah I know. . . Steph is there an us anymore?"
She sighed softly, "honestly I don't know, don't get me wrong I want there to be but there are so many things going on right now it's hard to see the wood for the trees as they say."
He was relieved that she wanted there to be an us but he was still confused where things had gone wrong, "what was so wrong that you had to leave me in the middle of the night? Why couldn't you stay and we could talk it out? Are things moving too fast for you? If they are we can slow down to whatever speed you want."
Stephanie smiled in spite of herself as he was always so considerate towards her, too considerate sometimes, "Paul I just needed space, everything just got on top of me and I had to get away, I didn't plan it though it just happened."
"Steph do you regret us getting engaged?"
She was shocked that he even asked the question, that was the last thing she expected, "no, oh God no Paul, I don't regret the engagement for a minute, I love you."
"If you love me why didn't you want me knowing where you were?"
Stephanie felt like she was going round in circles so she decided to just let everything out, "Paul I love you with all of my heart, I love you more than I have ever loved anybody else in my life and it scares me. We'd been together over two years and then you proposed, I honestly couldn't have been happier then or now."
Paul started to interrupt 'then why . .' but she cut him off, "just let me finish okay?"
He nodded his head in an understanding of what she had said to allow her to continue.
"You make me really happy and I love you so much but everyone says how you are using me and deep down in my heart I know you're not but there is that and then there is all the people just slating you and me and our relationship and there is only so much a person can take. Joanie started it off at the beginning and I learned to just let that go over my head but when people think they know our relationship and how it works it's hard to just forget it and ignore it. I have tried but with the way I feel about you, the stuff from the guys and the stuff from the fans it all got too much for me and I decided to take a break from everything, that is why I came here."
A few minutes passed between them where neither of them spoke, Paul was trying to digest what Stephanie said and she was waiting for him to say something, anything would be good for her.
Eventually he spoke up, "so you do love me then?"
She nodded her head, "yes I do."
"And you do want there to be an us?"
Stephanie nodded again, "yes I do . . I think."
"So why don't you come back with me and we can sort things out together?"
She shook her head not ready for that, "Paul I came here to get away from everything, including you. I can't just leave again as nothing is clear in my head and I haven't decided anything."
Paul's head shot over from where he was looking at the wall to look at her face, "what is there for you to decide?"
Stephanie looked at the floor as a tear escaped her eye, "I need to decide whether I want to still go through with marrying you and also whether I want to be with you still."
Taking a breath he tried to remain calm and composed, "you . . uh . . you don't know whether you want to marry me or be with me anymore? I thought you loved me?"
More tears started falling from her eyes, "I do love you but everything is so hard I don't know whether I can still do it or not so I need some space. I'd really like you to leave now and I'd prefer it if you didn't call me or come and see me again until I've made my decision and I come and find you."
Paul had no other option but to plead with her, "Steph don't do this, I love you."
Stephanie wiped the tears from her face, "Paul don't make this any harder than it has to be, it will only be for a few weeks."
At that piece of information he exploded, "a few weeks?! That's all is it? I love you and you supposedly love me and you want me to leave you alone for a few weeks, fine, have it your way I'm out of here."
Storming out of the apartment and slamming the door behind him he ran down the stairs, as soon as he reached the pavement he sat down and just let the tears that he had been holding in flow.
Meanwhile back in the apartment Stephanie picked up the photograph of the two of them and stroked his face with her finger, "I love you Paul."
Sitting the picture back down on the mantlepiece she then walked back to the couch and collapsed on it in tears.