"Paul?" I ask him and I hesitantly touch his shoulder.
"Jane won't talk to me."
"Why not?" I ask and my hand leaves his broad shoulder.
"She keeps jumping to these conclusions that something is going on between you and I." he reveals.
"But nothing is, why would she think that?" I question and he lifts his eyes to meet mine.
"I dunno, and she's wrong, because there isn't anything going on between us." he states a fact and I nod while I fold my hands.
"How'd the rest of your shift go?" he changes the subject and I look to him.
"It went really good, I'm really liking working there." I reply and he smiles.
"That's great to hear." he comments and I nod my head with a grin.
"Are you hungry or anything?" he questions.
"Yeah, kind of." I respond.
He gets up from the couch to walk into the kitchen and after a minute I follow him to get a glass of water while he's rummaging through the cupboards for a snack.
"Where are the others?" I question as I sit on the kitchen counter and I flick my braid off of my shoulder.
"With their girlfriends or somebody." he replies and I feel bad that just because of me staying here with them Paul and his girlfriend are fighting.
"What's wrong?" he catches on to my blank look and I lift my eyes from the half empty glass of water to his face.
"I'm just sorry that your girlfriend and you are fighting all because of me." I admit in a quiet voice.
"Eh don't sweat it, she'll get over it." he tells me and I nod with a small smile.
I take a look at the clock hanging above the counter next to the window right above the sink, and it reads 4:30. My shift went fast, and sometimes felt long, but I enjoyed it, and I'm coming to really like this job.
"Robbie freaked out on me because I never told him that I know you." I reveal to Paul with a smirk on my lips and I see his flattered look.
"He's quite the fan, huh?"
"I guess so." I reply and I take a drink from my water to finish off the glass.
"He seems like an alright fella." he states and I meet his eyes and nod my head vertically.
"What do you wanna do until din?" Paul questions after a few moments of nobody saying anything and I set my glass in the sink.
"I don't know, what're you thinking?" I reply and I stop walking to stand in front of him.
"I dunno, how does going to get fish and chips sound?" he proposes and I remember how he had eaten at the diner about two hours ago, and I had a snack then too.
"Sure." I reply and we both get our shoes on and leave the empty flat to occupy his car parked on the curb and he takes a turn at the stoplight once we're no longer stationary.
We come up to a fish and chip shop and he parks and we leave his trusty car to join the small line inside springing from the counter.
"Courtney, hey!" I hear a voice say and I turn around to see Robbie enter in his casual clothes and I smile.
"Hey Robbie, what're you doing here?" I question and Paul looks ahead at the menu with a bored look while he wears sunglasses.
"Oh I'm just stopping over for my lunch, are you doing the same?" I question and he nods and leaves to go use the bathroom, like he said.
I turn back to look at Paul who stands at my side and the line moves so we're at the counter and he kindly orders for both of us. He pays and we get our meals to find a circular table in the corner and we sit across from the other.
"We just can't seem to avoid that guy." Paul alludes to Robbie and I pick up a hot fry to eat.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I question about his comment.
"Nothing, just never mind." he replies and I shrug to myself and I wonder why he was being rude by saying that.
Robbie waves to me when he leaves the place with his food and i wave back and return to my greasy food.
"Is everything okay?" I ask Paul and he gives me a silent nod without speaking his answer and he takes a bite from the fillet of fish.
"You don't like Robbie, do you?" I voice my suspicion and I wipe my wet fingers on a napkin.
"No, I never said that." he replies and I take a drink from my milk carton we got with our meal.
"That's not what it looks like." I reply and he doesn't respond and a calm comes over us as we stick to eating our food.
"I dunno Court, I just have a funky feeling about him." he admits after a few seconds.
"But Paul, you don't even know him!" I exclaim and we lock eyes.
"And neither do you! He could be some bad guy for all you or I know!" he exclaims and I sigh.
"He's a really nice guy, Paul."
"Okay maybe he is, but I think he's a little too nice." he admits and I become confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Just, just forget I ever said anything." he mutters in a soft voice.
"Thanks for paying." I mumble after an awkward minute.
"Mmhmm." he replies with a look that I can't read and he finishes his last fry and walks over to the garbage to toss the paper basket into it.
I sense that he's lying, but I don't go any further with the questioning and he takes his seat by me again and once I finish I toss my leftovers in the trash too. We leave and return home to find the other three to be there and we spend the rest of the night together just talking about our day, they played guitar and sang once again, and we returned to playing a few board games to top our night off with some laughs and smiles.
"Are you sure something isn't wrong, Paul? Is that thing with Jane still bugging you?" I inquire later that night as I lay in his bed and he once again is in the brown sleeping bag on the floor next to me.
"No, I'm not worried about it or anything, why?" he replies softly and I recall him not acting like his cheery self at all after we went to get fish and chips.
"I was just wondering." I reply and I turn around to fall asleep.
We all went to work the next morning and I got a ride with Ringo instead, because Paul hasn't spoken a word to me all morning, and I felt that if i had asked I would've been bugging him.
"Do you know if something is going on with Paul?" I ask Ringo as he stops in front of the mostly dead diner and he shakes his head in answer.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious, thanks Ringo." I reply and I undo my seat belt.
"You're welcome love, have a lovely day."
"Thanks, you too." I reply and I get out of the car dressed in a dark red dress identical to the one I wore yesterday and I hear the ding of the bell when I enter.
I grab my apron and stand behind the counter pouring coffee and tea into customers mugs as the slow morning begins. I took on taking more of customers orders and also delivering their food, and I seemed to be doing a good job of that, and I stuck to doing the dishes and filling people's cups up. Robbie came in later that morning and he had been acting weird I had noticed, not much like himself, and he didn't bother to say a word to me. I kept to myself most of the day and I saw Robbie looking at me at one point when I was walking back to the counter from bringing a customer their milkshake they ordered. I wanted to talk to him so I basically confronted him, and in the end I wish I hadn't.
"Hey Robbie, how are you today?" I ask him as I go in back to get a few clean mugs for customers.
He ignores me as he cooks an order of over easy eggs at the stove and I find the stack of mugs and I grab the ones I need.
"Are you mad at me or something?" I ask him and he finishes the eggs to place them on a plate and he sets them out for a waitress to take.
"Can't you just leave me alone? I don't want to talk, okay?" he retorts and I'm shocked at his sudden angry tone.
"Robbie, did I do something to make you mad? If I did I'm sorry." I reply and he sets the spatula down and walks over to me with a hard look on his face.
"You're just a little tease that's what you are, flirting with me and then acting like you're too good for me." he states and I'm so confused.
"What are you talking about?" I ask and he gets closer to me so I back up but I run into the refrigerator and he cups my chin with his hand and pushes me against the fridge forcefully.
I drop the two mugs to clatter onto the hard floor into a hundred, little pieces and I look away from him and sigh.
"Don't play dumb, I saw you with Paul." he says and I try to move but he won't let me move.
"Paul! He has a girlfriend, you idiot!" I reply and he holds both my chin and my cheek with a hard grip and I feel his sharp fingernail dig into the skin on my cheek, maybe he even drew blood.
I hear Pearl's voice get louder as she probably walks over and he smashes his lips against mine in a forceful kiss and i struggle to push the creep away before he lets go and walks away back to the stove and Pearl enters through the open doorway.
"Is everything okay back here? I thought I heard something break." she states and her eyes flit to the broken mugs, and I blink away the forming tears in my eyes.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I just tripped over something and dropped them. I'm sorry." I explain with my slightly shaky voice and I walk over to where the broom and dust pan are to clean the mess up with my unstable hands.
"Oh well I'm glad you're not hurt, love. It's okay, we have another order of those mugs coming in tomorrow, they were gonna be broken sooner or later." she responds and I dump the shards of broken ceramics into the trash once I have it cleaned up.
I look to the clock to see that for my luck my shift is over and I strip off my apron to hang it up, and I miss the hook, but I'm in too much of a hurry to get out of here to walk back over and fix it. I quit holding back the tears once I exit the restaurant and I walk down the sidewalk while tears blur my vision and I turn a corner to find a red telephone box and I open the door. I find a coin on the floor and fortunately it's just enough I need for a few minute phone call and I stick it into the slot. I exhale a weak breath and I rack my brain for what the apartments number is and I finally remember. With my shaking hands and how to enter the number it took me awhile before I hear the long ringing and I wipe my cheeks that are wet with my tears.
"Hullo?" I hear George's voice on the other side and I breathe a sigh of relief, because I was afraid they wouldn't be home from work yet.
"George, it's me. Can I speak to Paul?" I took a deep breath and tried to sound like I wasn't crying.
"Sure, hold on a second so I can get him for you." he tells me and I rest against the left wall of the telephone box and I notice a phone book next to the phone attached to the wall.
"Hullo?" I next hear Paul's soft, calming voice and I tear my eyes away from the tattered book.
"Paul, it's me Courtney. Could me please come pick me up at the diner?" I ask him while still crying and I use my hand to wipe my tear streamed cheek.
"Yeah of course, I'll be right there," he replies and I hear voices belonging to people who walk the sidewalks and the whiz of cars passing on the crowded street. "What's going on, darling?" he questions in a concerned tone and I sniffle.
"Will you please just come get me?" I reply in my weak voice and I hear rustling on the other line and I think I see a man Robbie's size with the same hair color walking towards me but it's a different guy who just resembles him a little bit.
"Of course, dear. Where are you calling from?" he questions still in that worried tone of voice.
"Some telephone box around the corner from the diner." I answer his question.
"Okay, what's the name of the street, love?" he inquires and I glance up to a street sign some distance away and I read it.
"Victoria Street." I respond and I wonder how much time I have left for the call.
"Alright, I know where that is. Stay there, Court. I'll be there in a few minutes." he tells me and I nod to myself and hang up the phone to rub my eyes and I exhale a sigh.
I soon see Paul's nice car come from around the corner and I wipe my eyes and I leave the lonely telephone box to get into the passenger side of his car and he steps on the gas once I get the seatbelt on.
"Courtney, what happened at the diner?" he questions the minute we're moving and the tears stop.
"Was it Robbie?" he questions and I nod my head up and down and he lets out a sad sigh.
"Did he hurt you?" he questions while taking a turn and I don't feel like speaking so I give him a nod.
He stays silent as so do i while he drives the rest of the way to the flat and when he arrives there we get out of the car to go up the steps and we find the living room and kitchen to be empty.
"Courtney." Paul states and I take my shoes off and he shuts the door and does the same.
I turn around to face him and my lip quivers as I feel more tears coming and he closes the distance between us and encloses me in his snug arms, and I cry.
AN: So, what did you think of that part? Kind of a surprise, huh? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.