I look around thinking I'll see Robbie lingering at the counter or at a booth chatting it up with a friend, but I luckily don't see him. I stop right in front of the counter where no employee is seen and Paul stands by my side a little more closer than somebody who's just a friend of mine. I've noticed ever since I've came to know Paul how protective he is over me. I sight Pearl's elaborate hairdo around the corner as she sets a plate of food in front of a customer, and she turns around and walks up to us.
"Hello, loves." she greets us two.
"Hi, Pearl. I came to pick up my check." I state and she goes around us to get behind the counter.
"Oh yes, just give me a second to find it." she responds and she bends down to look on a shelf where I know a basket of files sits.
"Here you are." she says and she hands me the sealed, white envelope.
I thank her and I turn to leave, but Paul places his hand gently on my arm to stop me and I look to him, and his eyes flit to Pearl who stands there waiting for us to say or do something. My brow falls and I watch as his mouth opens.
"Uh I'm wondering who the manager is here." Paul states and I cross my arms over my chest.
"That's me, and i also own this diner, why are you wondering, son?" Pearl replies and I see a flash of short, light brown hair back in the kitchen, and I catch a glimpse of Robbie back there too.
I tear my eyes away to look at Paul and his hand falls from it's place my arm and he stuffs his hands in his pants pockets.
"Just curious, thanks." Paul replies and I turn on my heel to exit and Paul follows a step back.
"Court, she needs to know!" he exclaims the minute the glass door shuts and I spot a few teenage girls on the corner of the sidewalk a short distance away who squeal at the sight of Paul.
"And how do you think we do that? He's there right now, Paul. I saw him back in the kitchen." I reply and he sighs and scratches his chin and then turns to face the small group of girls who shyly stand behind us with their autograph books in hand.
Paul looks to me with an apologetic look and I nod slowly and I lean against the light pole while Paul is surrounded by the young girls who blush at seeing him. I notice the smile that breaks onto his face, what a happy one it is, while one of the girls said something flattering to him. He signs the last of the books and says goodbye to them and they turn their backs on him and cross the walk with the biggest smiles on their naive faces. He comes over to me and takes my hands to hold and he raises his eyebrows with a smile.
"Aren't you gonna smile?" he questions and I shake my head with a stern look.
"Oh, well I can get you to smile, wanna bet?" he replies and I shake my head and he keeps staring at me until I break with a smile and he grins.
"I knew it." he declares and I laugh and I watch as his smile fades.
"Lets go get it over with, okay?"
"Paul, can we just do it another time, please?" I ask him in a soft tone.
"Why don't you want to just do it now?"
"I just don't." I reply with a bad answer, but he nods and pulls me away from the pole over to him and we start walking back to his car and I sight Robbie taking out the trash out back and Paul follows my eyes to him.
We don't stop walking, but they had a bit of a stare down and I touch his arm and he turns back to me and we get to the car to drive back home. We're silent on the short car ride and we find the other three to be in their rooms doing whatever when we get there.
"We need to do it soon, you know. It wasn't anywhere near okay how he treated you, and he needs to know that." Paul states as he sits down on the couch with a cup of tea while I lay on the other end with my knees bent allowing him room to sit.
"I know that, Paul. I just don't want to do it right now or today, okay?" I reply with a harsh tone that I didn't mean to use and I meet his soft eyes.
"Yeah, okay." he agrees in a quiet tone and I smile at him.
"I'm sorry for being crabby, I-." I begin to apologize and I sit up and he cuts me off.
"It's alright, love. I shouldn't be nagging you about it, so I'm sorry." he says he's sorry too.
"It's okay." I let him know and he smiles and I relax into the couch and I shut my eyes.
"Court, what were you doing before you know came here?" Paul inquires and I open my eyes to see him drinking from his cup of tea and he sets it back down on the coffee table.
"Uh listening to a song." I reply after remembering how I had purchased a new song off ITunes that I was excited to listen to.
"Alright, well do you think that's was caused you to travel here?" he questions and I shrug.
"Did you eat or drink anything shortly before?"
"What, you mean like Rip Van Winkle?" I reply a bit sarcastically and he shrugs.
"Nah, not that bloke. I'm just thinking about how you got here, like if something triggered it," he replies and I lift my feet to rest on the edge of the coffee table. "Did you happen to speak to anybody a few minutes before or anything?" he adds on and I think.
"I talked to one of my professors for a class of mine, but that was like twenty minutes before I sat down on the sidewalk to rest." I reply and he purses his lips while seemingly thinking.
"Has this professor of yours got it in for you, or not like you?" he questions and I laugh.
"He's given me a few bad grades before, but he's not some wizard or whoever that would do this to me. It's not magic, Paul." I reply and I turn to face him and he does the same.
"Then what happened?" he inquires and I shrug my shoulders at his question.
"I don't know what happened, I wish I did."
He nods simply and I sigh and all of those myths and ancient stories about time travel run through my head.
"Did you believe in it before I came here?" I give up with the closing my eyes and I see his light brown pair sitting on me.
"No, I always thought it was just some wacky thing that only happened in books." he answers my question.
"I didn't believe in it either, it was the last thing on my mind at the time, that's for sure," I share my opinion and I hear the clock's loud noise and I see it to be quarter to 11. "I'll have to go back, won't I?" I think aloud.
"I dunno, Court. I'm still trying to process this new information about you being from the future, and somehow being here. I really have no idea, darling," he responds and I exhale a sad sigh. "But yeah, maybe you will have to go back, or maybe you never will go back. I'm not sure." he continues on and I pick at my nails with a discouraged look and he takes my hand in his.
"I don't want to leave, Paul. There's nothing there in the future for me. My parents don't want me, and the few friends I had stopped calling me or wanting to spend time together, they just forgot about me," I speak with a weak voice and his eyes are glued on me while I speak. "But here I'm for the most part happy, and I love getting to spend time with you, and getting to know you and the others." I finish and he drops my hand to pull me into his arms and I sigh and rest my head on his shoulder while my arms go around his neck.
"Hey, it's alright. I know you don't like your life back home, and you're welcome to stay here as long as you like, you know that. I don't want you to leave either, Courtney, but I don't think we need to worry about you leaving quite yet. You've been here for almost four days, so I think we have more time together. I dunno how much, but I'm going to use my moments with you wisely," he attempts to console me with a hug and we both pull away and he runs a finger over my cheekbone. "Don't be sad, alright? Be happy, so I can see that smile of yours again." he ends and of course I smile when I witness his beautiful smile and he gives me a sweet kiss.
I smile and he winks at me and I blush while we look into the others eyes.
"Paul, do you think this, us, is right?" I question and the smiles disappears from his lips.
"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"
"I guess because we haven't been known each other even a week, and I'm two years younger than you." I say and he moves away with a displeased look.
"What, are you changing your mind now?" he retorts while not meeting my eyes and I move towards him and I move so my face is in front of his.
"No, I'm not, promise." I tell him and the hard look on his face relaxes to fade completely.
"Yeah, I know that we really only just met, but I feel like we already know a lot about each other, and I want to get know more about you," he adds on to this topic we speak of and I pay attention to what he has to say. "I know that you make me smile, that I'd rather use my free time to be with you rather than talking about models and that stuff with the lads, and I know that when we kiss it feels right, simple as that. Another thing that I know is that you make me happy, and that's all I need to know that this is right." he replies with thoughtful words that I'd never expect to hear a man utter to me and about me, and a smile comes onto my lips at hearing him say such sweet things and I cup his cheek and close the space between us to kiss him.
I pull away and I see that smile on his lips again and I smile back at him.
"It feels right for me too, I just wanted to ask." I admit and my hand drops from his round cheek.
"Alright, love." he responds and I return to my usual posture next to him on the couch.
I reach over to him to tickle his side and he easily squirms.
"Courtney, don't." he responds and I chuckle.
"Sorry, it's so tempting." I reply with a sly grin and he moves away from me on the couch and keeps an eye on me while I smile.
"Well don't do it anymore, alright?" he remarks and I nod my head with a smirk.
I tickle him again and he pushes my hand away as I laugh and he gets up from the couch and takes his tea with him.
"No, don't leave." I whine as he stands with his white cup of tea and I frown with sad eyes.
"Will you stop tickling me?" he questions.
"Yes."
"And will you keep your word this time?" he asks and I reply with the same answer and he sits by me and drapes his arm around my shoulder and he sips at his brown tea.
"What do you reckon we should do until we have to leave for that show we have at three?" Paul inquires while I play with my bracelets on my wrist and I glance up at his patient eyes.
"You know what, I have something for you. Just wait here a second." he speaks before I can answer him, and his arm leaves me and he sets his tea on the small plate to go up the stairs and he returns with a small box that he sets in my hand.
"I've noticed how I've found you a few times fiddling with those bracelets on your arm, and I saw these at a shop, and your face came to my mind." he explains and I remove the red top to find two bracelets and I smile at the sight is them.
"Paul, this is so nice of you, and they're so pretty." I comment with a thankful smile and I pick up one of the unique bracelets.
I continue to grin while I notice the pattern of green, red and white thread that is braided together in a way i don't recognize and I pick up the other that is a mixture of blues.
"Well I thought they'd fit you, since you know, you're a pretty lass." he comments and my eyes flit back to him and he grins and he takes them from my hands to tie them securely on my left wrist where one of my already tattered bracelets already is.
Paul flashes me a smile when I meet his eyes after he puts them on my wrists and I smile back at him, I think I've found myself a keeper here.
AN: Thoughts?