I release his hands after holding them for longer than I probably should of been doing, "That's just an idea of how much pressure you wanna be putting on the clay. You want your left hand to be pushing in more too." I tell him.
"Alrighty, teach. Just keep telling me what to do." he remarks and I smirk before sitting back down and moving the chair closer to him. My, he really is such a charmer and with that wit of his.
"See, there you go! It looks really good, Paul! Especially for a beginner." I comment as I look to the circular bat he holds with his cylinder he just finished that is about the height from the bottom of my palm to the bottom of my fingers; just like his pinch bowl of his that has kind of been forgotten.
"I hope you're not just trying to make me feel better 'cause it's truly not that good."
"No, I'm being honest. I promise." I assure him and he looks down to the cylinder with a proud smile.
It was a bit hard helping him since he's never done it before, but we had fun with it and he turned out this great piece. I told him he must a natural, but he disagreed.
I plop down onto his springy bed and I glance around the dark room and then I feel the bed shift and his shoulder collides with mine on accident; I groan and then I follow his laugh with my own.
"Ah, I can't believe that you made four bowls, two vases and a coffee mug. Bloody hell, you just turned them out like it was nothing," I yawn and I soon feel his arm wrapping around my left shoulder. "You made it look so easy too. I honestly still have no idea how I made that one thing, probably with all of your great help."
"Mm, stop talking. I want to sleep." I respond jokingly and he chuckles and I scramble to get under the thick covers with my tired legs. I have my eyes closed as I feel his calloused fingertips brush themselves across my cheek and then he kisses a whisper of a peck on my temple.
"Love me tender, love me long, take me to your heart. For it's there that I belong, and we'll never part." I soon hear his flawless voice that sings softly and slowly as his fingers continue to drag themselves across my cheek here in the darkness of his bedroom after we just got in as it's quarter past ten. I smile to myself at hearing his lovely voice and how I remember hearing that song playing on the radio while at the pottery studio where we had a grand time at together.
"I love your voice." I tell him with my sleepy voice as he lays on top of the covers of the fairly small bed.
"Yeah, that's what most girls say." he comments cheekily and I groan and blindly swat at him. He giggles and takes my hand from his arm and then I feel his hand on my cheek before his lips briefly meet mine in a short kiss.
"Wow, you're so good at ruining a romantic moment." I comment afterwards and he scoffs as I turn around to place my back to him.
"What? But we just kissed." he insists and I laugh as I flick my braid over my shoulder. I yawn.
"Court, please don't fall asleep just yet." he whines as my heavy eyes threaten to take me off into a wonderland.
I feel his lips kiss my hair and then his hand lays itself on top of mine affectionately. I suddenly think of the apparent rumors that aren't so apparent or more true about how Paul in the sixties, where I am now, slept with a lot of women and acted as if he cared about them just to use them for pleasure. Just like a lot of celebrities in general do because of the attention; they take advantage of it. I slip my hand out from his warm one at the almost frightening thought. He hasn't been acting this whole time has he? What about the thoughtful hugs, rubbing my back, getting me to stop crying when I thought it nearly impossible before, the caring looks, the little kisses and the almost tender moments we've had together? His hand slides back over to mine as my mind is awake now and coming up with thoughts.
"Paul?" I ask him and I turn around and he flicks on the bright lamp near the bed to illuminate his tired features that are even more attractive to me right now.
"Hmm?" he responds and I look over those puppy dog eyes that could convince any girl of something he says.
"Do you think that this is right?" his arched eyebrows dip in confusion. "I mean us. I'm really just messing everything up because you're supposed to end up with someone who isn't me and-."
"If you don't want this, then just say so. I thought you wanted to be with me though." he responds with a voice that he tries hard to keep balanced and to not have his emotion show in it.
"Paul, I do. I-."
"What, Court? Is it the age difference or that we don't know each other all that well? My dad was seven years older than my mum and it never stopped them from being together, becoming married and having my brother and I. Shakespeare married his cousin who was way younger than him, and they seemed to turn out fine! We were making pottery together, going on walks together and I get to look across the room at the studio to see you sitting there enjoying yourself as I play! Or is it something else entirely that's your reason for bringing this up all of a sudden?" he runs on while his droopy eyes work their ways on me. There's no way he could be improvising this.
"Paul, I-."
"No. You know what? Just forget it, Court," he interrupts me with his sudden change of tone that is harsh and he wiggles out of the bed to step on the floor. "I thought we were having a fab night with the pottery class and how we talked about tons of things, but I guess tonight didn't turn into that good of a night after all. You can have my bed; I'll take the couch. G'night." he concludes with his tense as well as cold voice before leaving quick enough so I can't stop him by saying something. He closes the door behind him and I huff.
I let my head fall back onto the pillow as most of the room is lit by the lamp that shows brightly. I didn't want to make him mad or let alone to cause him to yell at me like he just about did, but I didn't want to just stick that thought away to avoid it and have it come up at the least expected times. I stare up at the ceiling and I think of how we really did have a blast at the art studio. I helped him throw that cylinder and how he took such pride in it even though I did offer a lot of help, and how he got the both of us laughing so hard from throwing these little clay balls; something that he started in the beginning when he got bored as I was struggling to get my vase to look just right. Then we spoke about our families briefly which led to us speaking about little memories we have from when we were little. Paul laughed at some of the goofy ones I have, but I didn't mind because I knew that they're weird.
Unwanted tears rush to my eyes and I take a deep breath and wipe me eyes before they can spill out onto my cheeks and I leave his bed. I grab the sweater I tossed on the chair earlier to wrap around myself. I quietly walk downstairs so I won't wake anybody and I find the living room to be dark and quiet as Paul must be sleeping on the couch like he said. I quietly sigh and tip toe into the kitchen to find a glass in the cupboard that I fill with water from the tap to down as the silence eats away at me as it lets the nagging thoughts harbor in my mind. I set the glass in the sink and I leave the kitchen and I look out the window next to the door to see the sidewalk lit by the yellow light of the streetlamp.
"Going outside, are ya? Do you really think that's a smart move?" Paul's voice that appears almost out of nowhere surprises me as my arms hug myself. I snap my head to see him standing in a t shirt and sweats with his messy mop top masking his forehead.
"I-." he just won't even let me speak three damn words because he's too impatient to speak himself.
"Why in the bloody hell would you go outside when it's nearly eleven o'clock at night?" he demands and I almost shake my head at his assumption.
"Did I have my hand on the door knob or did I have one foot out of the door? No, I didn't! I wasn't going to leave like you seem to think I always do."
"Well, what am I supposed to think? It's what you bloody do when things get hard." he retorts. Apparently I'm not as brave as I think, but don't most people underestimate or apparently in my case over estimate themselves?
"Why do you treat me like I'm a little girl? I'm not an idiot, you know! I wish you would quit treating me like I'm one." I shoot back and I see his formerly hard eyes soften and his straight lips fall to a small frown.
"Court-."
"No, Paul. Will you please just leave me alone? I don't want to talk to you right now." I reply as I turn away with my throat aching from the tears that I'm sure will arrive soon.
"Let me talk, please." he requests and I turn to look at him.
"Let you talk? Why should I let you speak when I would try to put a word in and you would interrupt me the second I got started? That's hardly fair!" I return and I don't try to hide the emotion in my voice and I catch a glimpse of the hurt showing in his eyes before I look away. I don't want to be sucked into their beauty another time; who knows what time it would be now.
"Love.." he begins and I face his eyes again to see him trail off and his lips meet each other to shut his mouth.
I continue to hug my arms against the drop in temperature because of the night and I glance to the floor where my feet are planted; where I can't seem to lift my feet and walk away like I want to be doing. I suddenly feel the tears coming and then his voice that was intimidating a few minutes ago is kind, somehow, "Courtney-."
"I said leave me alone." I retort quickly as the tears are blurring my vision.
"I know you did, but I'm not going to."
"I'm mad at you, can't you see that?" I cry to him as we share this eye contact I decide to break by walking away from him.
"No, no, I'm not letting you off the hook that easily." he appears to think this is funny in some strange and bizarre way while I'm blazing with anger and trying to hide my hurt feelings.
I walk towards the stairs and I sigh and let the tears fall onto my cheeks as I near the first step. I wish that for once I wouldn't screw up something that is already so great.
AN: Hey, guys! So i'm officially back with this story since I've written a lot for it already, so you don't need to worry about me pausing it anytime soon. I'd love to hear some reviews from you guys and I hope that you're liking the direction it's going in. I apologize for the long time since the last update, it won't be as long next time!