Disclaimer: I don't own anything, with the exceptions of Lizzy, Paul, Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, and even Clarabella (is it possible to hate your own character? LOL).

A/N: Let me say that I love my readers and reviewers! You guys are pretty much awesome. Sorry for the wait, again. But I know you all have been waiting eagerly for this chapter. Thank you very much for being so incredibly patient. I just want you all to know that my stomach was doing just as many flip-flops as Lizzy's in this chapter—yes, even yours truly was caught up in the anxiousness of the situation while writing. This is a LONG chapter, so enjoy and please review!

"It's so great to have you here with us, Lizzy." Maggie Harrison was saying as they exited the car.

She wrapped the teenager in a tight hug, which had been about the fifth one she'd received since she had first arrived at the airport a half an hour ago. Lizzy had returned each of them with sincerity—even the one Charlie had given her on the way to the car in the airport parking lot. It was strange how this whole adoption situation had changed their relationship dramatically. The bitterness and tension that had always been between the three of them had disappeared, and Lizzy was free to be herself around them without being judged. There weren't any more lies or secrets. They were relaxed and comfortable in each other's presence, and despite the two of them not being her biological parents, Lizzy continued to view Maggie and Charlie as an extra set of parents instead. They would always hold a special place in her heart regardless of whether or not they had actually brought her into the world. They'd raised her since she was young when her parents couldn't, and for that, she was forever grateful.

"I'm glad I was able to come before school starts." Lizzy agreed. She walked in between the Harrisons, following their lead to a table in the patio of one of her favorite outdoor cafés, Strawberry Fields, while she'd grown up in Florida. She was thankful that Charlie had been able to get out of work early in order to accompany Maggie to the airport to pick her up, and then spend the rest of Friday with her, as well as the weekend. She would be leaving Sunday night, so she had to make the best of her fairly short visit.

She was also quite thankful for the umbrella providing shade over their table. It was a little past eleven in the morning in the middle of August, and therefore the sun was beating down full force, with the temperature already a balmy eighty-seven degrees. Although the shade was nice, Lizzy was still sweating profusely. If she hadn't been smart enough to change out of her jeans when they'd stopped by the house to deposit her belongings, she knew she'd be sweltering right now.

They glanced at the menu after a waitress took their drink orders—Lizzy had gotten herself a tall glass of much-needed ice water. She was hungry from not eating a proper breakfast this morning before leaving for the airport with Max and her cousins. She eventually decided on the signature salad that they served at the place, which of course had strawberries in it, with an order of French fries on the side. Once she and the Harrisons had put in their orders for food, Charlie started up a conversation, interested in Lizzy's ever-approaching college career.

"So, Lizzy, are you all settled for your first semester?"

"Charlie, I'm sure she doesn't want to discuss that right now. She's on vacation."

"No, really, it's okay," Lizzy told them. "I'm pretty much set, I guess. I had orientation last week. I don't think I'll get too lost around campus; the people there are helpful."

"Did you make any friends at orientation?" Maggie asked.

"A few who are in the same major. I actually got asked to join the student art magazine, which is cool, since the one Dad works for is kind of…flaky, at times. Of course, we wouldn't get paid for that, but it gets my art published."

"That sounds wonderful. You should really pursue it. Send us copies, too, when your drawings get published—we want to keep tabs on your college life. It's hard to believe you're starting college in the first place…" Maggie sighed nostalgically.

"What about your classes?" Charlie questioned.

"They gave me my schedule at orientation. It's mostly general education classes and an introduction class for my major."

"What's your major, again?" he inquired, leaning forward with his hands clasped neatly in front of him. He was genuinely interested, she knew. Her education was always one of the things he took seriously, and even now that she was living in New York with Lucy and Jude, that interest still hadn't changed at all.

"Art education," Lizzy declared. "I want to teach high school art classes."

Maggie grinned knowingly. "Your high school art teacher would be pleased."

Lizzy laughed. It was true that Mr. Henderson had been very influential on her. She could only hope that she would have that same impact on her future students, wherever she eventually ended up teaching. The prospect of that was exciting; even more so was that she was getting the opportunity to go to school to learn how to succeed in a field she loved.

"Well, Lizzy, make sure your parents know if they ever need any financial help while you're in college, all they have to do is ask. They don't need to be ashamed about asking, either. We're always happy to help them out." Charlie stated.

"Thank you." Lizzy replied, beaming. "I'll make sure to let them know."

"How is your family, by the way?" Maggie asked as the waitress arrived with their food. Lizzy glanced down at the huge salad being placed in front of her with appreciation before looking up at the Harrisons to address the most recent question. She smirked when the familiar and delicious scent of strawberries filled her nose—it was like she had a piece of her home in New York right here with her while at the same time, she was visiting her second home. The thought was interesting to take note of.

"Everyone's great."

"Good to hear." Charlie smiled.

They dug into their food at last, Lizzy taking in forkfuls of salad laced with strawberries between French fries smothered in ketchup. It was an odd combination, but she couldn't just skip out on the fries; she'd always ordered them every time she came to Strawberry Fields with the Harrisons because, quite simply, they were some of the best fries she'd had. When they were finished with their lunch, Lizzy ordered a hot fudge sundae—she was on vacation, for crying out loud, she was certainly allowed to overindulge—and the Harrisons each got a cup of coffee, with Maggie splurging along with Lizzy, since she also ordered a piece of strawberry cheesecake. Lizzy was comfortably full once Charlie had paid the bill, and thanked the Harrisons for treating her for lunch as they walked back to the car.

Resting her head against the backseat, Lizzy suddenly asked, "Have you talked to Mrs. Rigby lately?"

"We went out for coffee earlier this week, actually." Maggie answered.

"How is she?"

"She's doing well. Her new job is making things a lot easier."

"And Paul?"

"You haven't talked to him?" Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow. He watched Lizzy curiously through the rearview mirror. She shook her head, shifting leaning forward a little. "That's surprising."

"I know. Things have been…hectic recently."

"He's seeing this girl—Clarabella, I think her name is."

"Yeah," Lizzy muttered. "He told me."

"She's a real sweetheart," Maggie said brightly. "They met at the restaurant where Paul works."

"Oh."

So, that's how it is… Lizzy thought.

"Speaking of Paul, I bet you're dying to see him." Maggie said, twisting around in her seat a little to look at the teenager.

Lizzy put on a somewhat forced smile. "Yeah, you could say that."

"We could stop by his apartment building right now, if you'd like."

"No," she said, more harshly than she'd intended, "I mean, I wanted to go back to the house first and freshen up, maybe grab a few things, and ask him if he wanted to go to the beach for awhile. If you don't mind, of course."

"Not at all."

"You can take the car—just be careful." Charlie offered. He wasn't going to forget that she'd trashed two of his most expensive cars. She was surprised he was even offering. In any case, Lizzy didn't want to risk it.

"I think I'll take my bike."

She could've sworn she heard Charlie let out a sigh of relief at that statement.

Lizzy stood in front of the bathroom mirror and let out a deep breath. She could've gone to Paul's when Mrs. Harrison had suggested, but she needed some time to mentally prepare herself. She'd slipped on her bathing suit underneath her clothes and packed a few things into a small beach bag, like sunscreen and her sketchbook, just in case. After brushing her hair and leaving it down even though it was scorching outside, she'd put on some perfume. She didn't bother with makeup at this point; it was a mistake on her part that she hadn't brought the waterproof kind, so any makeup she wore would end up being washed away or sweated off. Besides, Lizzy wasn't sure if going the extra mile in making herself look good was going to help in any way, shape, or form. Paul was taken, and she couldn't be positive that once they'd had this little chat, he would dump this rebound girl and welcome her back. That was wishful thinking.

This was it, though. She was going to head over to Paul's apartment, and hopefully he'd agree to go to the beach with her. She wouldn't bring on this conversation right away. She wanted to wait until after they'd spent some time together, getting reacquainted and such. Then, she'd break down and tell him everything—how wrong she had been, how sorry she was…He would probably react by escalating things into an argument, in which case he would never think of taking her back, or he would calmly accept her apologizes and their tight-knit bond would be mended once again. She was really hoping that it would be the second scenario. Paul was a pretty laid back person, but judging from how much damage she'd brought upon him, he could be unpredictable.

With another deep breath, Lizzy slid her sunglasses on and exited the bathroom. Walking down the stairs, she told the Harrisons she would try to make it back for dinner, and then she went outside to grab her bike from the garage. She hadn't ridden her bike since before graduation, so she was slightly amazed that it had air in the tires and was in good working condition.

Obviously, she knew the way to Paul's well enough that she could've navigated her bike there with her eyes closed, so it didn't take long. Stowing her bike in the entranceway, off to the side, she decided to take the stairs to prolong the journey. With each step upward, Lizzy's heart quickened in pace and the so-called butterflies in her stomach fluttered horrendously. She had half a mind to turn around and just go to the beach by herself, using some lie to the Harrisons later. But Lizzy wasn't a coward. She faced things head-on, and this situation was no different.

Lizzy took a moment to compose herself in front of the door to his apartment. Her hand trembled a bit as she knocked on the door. She waited on bated breath for someone to answer, picturing a million different outcomes in her head during the two minutes it actually took for someone inside to open the door. For Lizzy, those two minutes felt like years. On top of that, it felt like she was roasting; was it extremely hot in the building or was it her own nervousness? It could've been both.

Wonderful, she thought sarcastically, I'm going to be all sweaty and gross when Paul sees me. That'll really make him want to take me back.

The teenager was greeted by Mrs. Rigby, which came as quite a relief. A huge smile broke on her best friend's mother's face as soon as she laid eyes on her.

"Lizzy!" she said, pulling her into a comforting embrace, "What a surprise to see you, sweetie!" She took Lizzy's hand and guided her just inside the doorway, shutting the door. It was much cooler inside; Mrs. Rigby had every single window open and fans in each room of the apartment that were in Lizzy's line of vision. It helped her gross sweating issue a little, but the nervous flip-flopping in her poor stomach hadn't dissipated.

"How are you?" Mrs. Rigby asked cheerfully.

"I'm good, thanks. How about you?"

She tugged on her shirt, blowing air into her own face. "Boiling. Other than that, I'm great," she laughed. "I knew you were visiting, but I wasn't sure when. How long are you in town for?"

"Just the weekend."

"That's nice. You're lucky; you picked the hottest weekend so far to come down here. I think it's supposed to get into the nineties pretty soon. Excellent beach weather, though. Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked, hauling open the fridge. She grabbed a water bottle and pressed it to her cheeks and forehead.

"No, thank you."

"Right. I'm assuming you're looking for your friend, then?"

"Yeah." She attempted to grin in an excited manner. It was halfway sincere, because while she missed him terribly and wanted to see him, she couldn't shake the uneasiness.

"I'll get him for you." Mrs. Rigby walked off toward the hallway where the bedrooms were located and stood at the end of it, only sticking her head in that direction. "Paulie! Lizzy's here!"

She heard the squeak of his bedroom door, then footsteps and voices in the hall. When she finally saw him, Lizzy couldn't help but feel a mixture of anticipation and jealously. She just couldn't help it. Because, when Lizzy's blue eyes met Paul's tall form, she also saw who she assumed was Clarabella hanging off his arm. She was pretty—Lizzy had to give her that. And, as she'd suspected, she was also blonde with big boobs. Of course. He had picked a Playboy bunny-esque girlfriend, which Lizzy felt like she couldn't compete with on any level whatsoever.

It was exceedingly hard physically seeing him with another girl. It was difficult knowing about it over the phone, but witnessing it in person was heartache on a whole other level.

What she did notice, however, was that Paul's expression completely lit up once he saw her. That alone made her feel a little bit better. It had to mean something, right?

"Lizzy." he stated happily with a wide grin. Was it just her, or did he sound breathless saying her name?

Lizzy took a few steps forward, wondering if he'd detach himself from Rebound Girl. He approached her, and fortunately, Clarabella unhooked her arms from around Paul's, letting him go.

"Hey, Paul."

He reached forward first, pulling her into a friendly hug, which Lizzy immediately returned. It felt good to be this close to him again, after months of being apart.

"I missed you."

"Glad to have you here," Paul responded. "I missed, you, too, Lizzy."

She wanted to cry. She wanted him back so bad it nearly hurt. She missed him, and she missed this—this comfortable, familiar closeness.

They broke their embrace even though Lizzy didn't want to. She could almost feel Clarabella glaring daggers at her. She couldn't lie; causing jealousy on Clara's part made her happy inside.

Paul stepped back, putting his arm around Clarabella's waist, thus returning the jealousy to Lizzy's side. Clara was absolutely beaming, which was gradually making Lizzy even angrier. She knew what she was doing, and she probably knew what Lizzy was up to as well. The thing Lizzy wasn't sure about was whether or not Paul had told his new girlfriend that she had dated him before. On the phone, Clara had addressed Lizzy as Paul's friend, so it would be interesting if she had no clue that they'd been romantically involved.

Lizzy had a feeling that it was going to be like this the entire time she was here—the back and forth jealousy war. She couldn't help it, but if that was how Clarabella wanted to play, then so be it. Lizzy wasn't going to fight over Paul; she wanted him back, it was true, but at this point, there was nothing she could do. She realized in that moment that she could apologize and explain herself to her best friend, begging forgiveness and such, but in the end, it was up to Paul. If what he wanted was to stay with Clara, then she would have to accept that, even with the heartache involved. But if he wanted her back, she could most certainly live with that. She wasn't going to force herself on him; that would be ridiculous and Lizzy wasn't like that in the least. She wasn't going to play the crazy, obsessed ex-girlfriend card, groveling at Paul's feet until he accepted her into his romantic life again. She would be happy enough returning their friendship to its proper state. Being denied would be heartbreaking, of course—she was only human, and a hormonal young woman—but she could get by with Paul's friendship intact, at least.

"Lizzy, this is Clarabella," Paul introduced. "And Clarabella, this is my best friend, Lizzy."

Clara offered a smile. "Nice to meet you," she said, but Lizzy was sure that there wasn't much truth to her words. "Paulie's always talking about you."

"I'm not surprised," Lizzy answered. She was immediately irked that she was calling him 'Paulie', when in the past he'd only allowed her and his mother to get away with addressing him by that nickname. She saw, though, that he'd flinched a bit at the name, which made her grin inwardly. "We've been friends since preschool."

"So…" Paul cut in, sensing some tension in between them, "You look like you're ready to head down to the beach."

"I was on my way. I came over on my bike; I wanted to ask you if you'd like to tag along."

"Charlie didn't let you borrow the car?" Paul smirked knowingly, and for a moment the two of them shared the inside joke, leaving Clara completely out of the loop.

"He did offer, which is shocking," Lizzy giggled, "but I kinda got the feeling he didn't want me to drive another one of his precious cars, so I opted for the bike. I think he was secretly thanking the heavens for that decision."

"I wouldn't doubt that." Paul chuckled, glancing at Clara, who was still firmly attached to him. She stared at him with a questioning expression, but he simply shook his head. A few moments of awkward silence—Lizzy was sure there would be more of them while she was with Paul and his girlfriend—filled the room, with Paul and Lizzy pointedly avoiding each other's eyes. At the same time, they both seemed to be taking a trip down memory lane, remembering the series of events surrounding the inside joke with Charlie's cars. Clara, meanwhile, was confused and further doubting that her boyfriend and Lizzy had been just best friends. She had this distinct feeling that there was more to their story.

Paul finally cleared his throat. "You were saying something about the beach?" he asked.

"Yeah. Wanna come?"

"Sure," He peered down at Clara. "Would you mind if…Clara came, too?"

Inside, Lizzy was screaming every curse word imaginable. Beach trips were her and Paul's thing ever since they were old enough to go by themselves. She didn't want Clara to come—she'd been planning to initiate their deep and meaningful conversation there after they'd hung out for awhile. She'd been picturing it in her head during the plane ride and in the time she had been in Florida, and now absolutely nothing was going according to plan. However, it wasn't exactly in Lizzy's nature to be rude to people she'd just met or barely knew. Therefore, she couldn't say no. With Clara being the third wheel—or, really, it was Lizzy who was the third wheel, since Paul and Clara were together—she was aware that the trip wouldn't be as enjoyable. Lizzy figured she would be stuck sitting on the sidelines, watching Rebound Girl having fun with her ex-boyfriend. Not that she was jealous or anything.

"Not at all." Lizzy replied pleasantly, almost through gritted teeth.

And it happened like she thought it would, making her regret saying yes.

They'd ridden their bikes, of course, but Clara sat on the handlebars of Paul's bike for most of the ride down to the beach. Clara had almost fallen off a couple of times, which slowed them down and made the ride seem longer. When they finally got there, they chose a spot on the crowded shore, spreading out a blanket on the sand and setting their bags of assorted items and essentials on top of the blanket to keep it stationary. Clara peeled off her clothes, revealing her skimpy bathing suit (which, lo and behold, she kept at Paul's house, making Lizzy question how far their relationship had gone and consequently making her a little angry and somewhat jealous again) and extremely toned body, making Lizzy feel inadequate. Lizzy then had to watch as Clara asked Paul to help her put on some sunscreen, and the two of them flirted and kissed during the whole process.

It only seemed to get worse, because Paul and Clara flirted and kissed a lot. Lizzy sort of stood off to the side, walking along the damp sand and wading in the water while the two of them swam, chased each other through the surf, or splashed one another, laughing and thoroughly enjoying each other's company. Lizzy, now feeling terribly like the dreaded and annoying third wheel—not to mention ignored—remembered back to when she and Paul acted like he was with Clara. Although, their relationship felt like it had been more genuine and about just being in each other's presence every waking moment, whereas Clara was the noticeably touchy-feely type of girl. Lizzy wasn't sure if she was like this all the time, or if Clara was simply doing it because she was there. Either way, it was disgusting and bothersome.

After awhile, Lizzy got tired of it and wandered back to the blanket, taking out her sketchpad to do some work on a drawing she'd started in New York. She was copying a picture of her parents that she'd found one day while they'd been going through some old boxes; it had been taken in the sixties, in the time that Lucy and Jude began dating. Lizzy had secured the photo to her sketchbook with a paperclip so she could carry the picture with her. Paul had noticed Lizzy's antisocial behavior, and knew that something was up. He knew, actually, that this entire situation was awkward, and felt horrible for ignoring Lizzy like this. He walked back to where she was sitting, wrapping a towel around the lower half of his body. Clara was following in his wake, saying something about wanting to lie out in the sun and tan.

"Looks good," Paul said, plopping down on the blanket next to his best friend. "As usual. No big surprise there. Your artwork is always amazing."

"Thanks."

Paul suddenly leaned over and wrapped his arms around Lizzy, taking her completely by surprise.

"You're dripping wet and freezing cold!" Lizzy mock-complained, even though she leaned into his touch, letting her sketchpad and pencil fall onto the blanket. She couldn't understand why he would do such a thing when his girlfriend was right there, but she assumed his intentions were out of friendship and not something else. It wasn't like she was going to stop him either way.

"I'm really happy you're here, Miss Lizzy." he whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Lizzy's smile widened. "Me, too."

This would've been the moment to launch into that impending discussion, if it weren't for Clara standing several feet away, staring at them quizzically.

"You know, there's this party on the pier that The Glass Onion is sponsoring tomorrow night…"

"Really? It's about time they did something cool like that."

"Yeah," Paul agreed, keeping his arms hooked around Lizzy, "Clara and I are going, and I want you to come, too, if you can. I know you aren't in town long, and you probably want to spend time with Charlie and Maggie, but—"

"I'm sure they'll understand." Lizzy grinned, loving that he'd said he'd wanted her to come instead of asking her if she would like to come along. It was more of a command rather than an inquiry, and Lizzy couldn't help but feel more hopeful about their relationship because of it.

"Great." Stealing a discreet glance at Clara, who was lying on her towel in the blinding sun with her eyes closed, Paul gave Lizzy a quick peck on the cheek before moving to talk to his girlfriend. This unexpected action left poor Lizzy confused, yet secretly overjoyed. She couldn't really figure out what was going on.

But…why did Paul have to make things so difficult?

The following night, Lizzy found herself sliding into the backseat of Paul's car, dressed in a simple but beautiful royal blue dress and matching flip flops. The color was especially vibrant, helping to bring out the color of Lizzy's eyes with the makeup she'd applied as well. She was relieved that the Harrisons had allowed her to go to this party, since this was her last night in Florida before she left the next morning. However, they'd been pretty okay with it, knowing that Lizzy and Paul were close; besides, they'd spent the entire day together hanging around the house and going window shopping in town.

Unfortunately for her, Clara looked stunning in a low-cut red dress, her blonde hair down and curled similar to how Lizzy had hers. But to Lizzy, Clara seemed to pull off the whole thing better. It was disappointing, since Lizzy had spent a good hour and half getting ready for this party. It amazed her how Paul had even gone out with her at one point, now that he had the supermodel-esque Clara. When they stepped out of the car and started walking to the pier, Lizzy began regretting her decision to come. It was a terrible idea, because she felt like the awkward, unwanted third wheel again, despite the fact that Paul had wanted her to accompany them.

The three of them mingled and snacked on the refreshments that had been provided by The Glass Onion, and Lizzy and Paul were able to catch up with some of their few friends from school or their days of attending the club. Paul revealed that he hadn't taken Clara to The Glass Onion because it wasn't her kind of scene. This made Lizzy wonder, again, why he'd choose a girl like Clara, since she was so different from Lizzy.

Or, maybe that had been the point.

It was wishful thinking, but maybe be wanted someone completely different because his feelings for her hadn't entirely disappeared even though he was with Clara. Maybe he couldn't deal with someone who was like Lizzy; it would bother him too much, and it would seem like a replacement of sorts, which he most definitely did not want. What he got, on the other hand, was Clara the Rebound Girl, who was as far from Lizzy as one could possibly be. This line of thinking made sense in Lizzy's mind, and it made her feel a little better—although not that much better—about herself.

Her thoughts and this thing with Clara was making her dizzy again. She didn't know how much longer she could take it.

They danced for a bit, until they slowed the music down for the couples. Lizzy stood off to the side while Paul led Clara to the dance floor on the pier, which was surrounded by multicolored lights. Once the song began, Clara wrapped her arms around Paul's neck and got as close to him as she could possibly manage. Paul was clearly all right with this, it seemed.

If you wear red tonight,
Remember what I said tonight,
For red is the color my baby wore,
And what's more, it's true,
Yes it is.

Lizzy didn't notice it—her gaze was purposely everywhere except on Paul and Clara—but Paul's eyes drifted over to her every so often, feeling guilty. He was with Clara, but it upset him to see his best friend looking so dejected.

Scarlet were the clothes she wore,
Ev'rybody knows I'm sure,
I would remember all the things we planned,
Understand it's true,
Yes, it's true,
Yes it is.

I could be happy with you by my side,
If I could forget her,
But it's my pride,
Yes it is, yes it is.

The song somehow mirrored Paul's thoughts and emotions—the ones he had been fighting with ever since Lizzy had shown up in his apartment yesterday. Sure, he was mad that Lizzy had left him behind for her new life in New York, and that she had totally overlooked his own lingering feelings for her, but he couldn't push aside the fact that those feelings were still nagging at the back of his mind. He was so torn between everything that he didn't quite know what to do or think.

Please don't wear red tonight,
This is what I said tonight,
For red is the color that will make me blue,
In spite of you it's true,
Yes it is, it's true,
Yes it is.

I could be happy with you by my side,
If I could forget her,
But it's my pride,
Yes it is, yes it is.

He peered over Clara's shoulder to study his best friend and former girlfriend, realizing how attractive she looked in that blue dress, which made her brilliant blue eyes stand out above everything else. He always loved those blue eyes of hers, remembering when he would often get lost in them. Lizzy would catch him staring, and the two of them would end up blushing horribly. But then they would have a laughing fit afterward, and any embarrassment would quickly disappear.

Those blue eyes…Lizzy's blue eyes…They reminded him of the beach, and lying together on the sand under cloudless blue skies, and times of innocence and their unwavering friendship. Of their love. How could he get angry staring into them like that? No matter how frustrated she'd made him, he couldn't stay mad at her. He just…couldn't. And he hated that those blue eyes looked so heartbroken…

Please don't wear red tonight,
This is what I said tonight,
For red is the color that will make me blue,
In spite of you it's true,
Yes it is, it's true.

The song ended with him and Clara sharing a kiss, which he didn't put as much effort into as Clara might've liked. She clung to him, nonetheless, in a fashion that she'd perfected since they'd started going out. It didn't bother him that much, but it did feel like Clara was intent on doing it just so the world knew that he was hers. Or, more correctly, that Lizzy knew he was hers. That irritated him more, and he didn't know why.

The DJ announced that he would be playing another slow song, and it would be the final song of the night. This was Paul's last chance to ask Lizzy. He gently untangled himself from Clara (which pissed her off a little) while they made their way over to his best friend. She appeared to brighten up once she saw him; that made Paul happier.

He smiled, extending a hand out to her. "Would you like to dance?" he asked.

Lizzy took Paul's hand, secretly assessing Clara's behavior out of the corner of her eye. She seemed a bit unhappy about this, but that wasn't going to stop her from taking the offer.

"Of course."

Paul guided Lizzy onto the dance floor and they stood in the center. Lizzy placed one hand on one of his shoulders, and he rested one hand on her hip, while their free hands were clasped together. Lizzy didn't think it was appropriate to hang all over him or get too close, what with Clara standing there watching them. Unlike her, Lizzy had some sense of decency. Nonetheless, being with Paul like this stirred up her feelings again, and she wanted nothing more than to rest her head on his shoulder and sway back and forth, hoping to stay like that for as long as she could.

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday

Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, I yesterday came suddenly

Strangely, Paul didn't know what to say to her. He wanted to tell her what had been on his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Meanwhile, Lizzy was trying to come up with a way to start that conversation she'd had planned for the beach, knowing that they were far enough away from Clara that she wouldn't be able to hear what they were discussing. But, she found herself at a loss for words, caught up in her emotions and the song they were dancing to.

Their eyes locked for a few moments, and the familiar blush crept onto their cheeks, but they didn't tear their gaze from each other.

Lizzy laughed. "I miss this." She'd said it before she realized what she was actually saying; the words carried a lot of meaning. It didn't get past Paul, who inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that she'd finally said something.

But he couldn't get his voice working properly enough to respond. Did she mean being here, or seeing him, or being with him?

Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday

Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away
Oh, I believe in yesterday

Lizzy couldn't decode the expression shining in his eyes, but it made her curious. She suddenly steeled herself, deciding to go through with what she'd set out to do, in some sort of roundabout way.

Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday

She avoided his eyes for a brief moment, and then looked back up at him. Her heart was beating quickly in her chest, and she was pretty sure that Paul could almost hear it.

"Paul, do you…" she paused, gathering up her courage, "Do you ever think about us…together…again?"

Paul couldn't believe what he was hearing. All the time, his mind screamed at him.

But that wasn't what his mouth decided to say. Instead, he asked, "What?" like his brain had no idea how to process that specific question.

Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away
Oh, I believe in yesterday
Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm…

"Nevermind," Lizzy replied, shaking her head and noticing that the song had ended. She'd misread Paul's surprise for an expression that she thought had said, 'Why the hell would you even ask that?!' That's when she knew even bringing it up had been a huge mistake. She looked over at Clara, who clearly looked like she was itching to get her hands on Paul. "Forget I said anything. It was stupid…"

She started to walk away, but Paul grabbed her hand. "Lizzy, wait—"

Lizzy wiggled her hand out of Paul's. "I'm going to go wait in the car."

"Lizzy, please—"

She stopped walking, throwing one last look in Clara's direction and jabbing her thumb at her.

"I think your girlfriend wants you."

She left for the parking lot, leaving Paul even more torn than he was before, thus making the entire situation more complicated.

Where did they stand now?