Chapter 6

The door shut, making a soft click sound that would have been unheard if it were not for the complete silence in the room. Glancing over at Paul, Cece felt her nerves begin to build. Why had she agreed to have dinner with him? Why would she even think she could be alone with the man for that long?

He looked towards her, making her jerk her gaze away from him. With a sigh, he stepped towards her. "If you would rather not have dinner with me, I understand. We're not exactly each other's favorite people."

"True," she mumbled with a shrug. With a sigh of her own, she angled her body towards him. "I wouldn't want to waste your sister's food."

He held up the plastic bag, sending a new wave of tantalizing smells Cece's way. "They did go through a lot to get it here, but if you don't want to eat it with me, I'll take my share and you can have yours."

Silence met his statement, but as a small smile flew onto his lips, she felt her own smile bloom. "This is awkward."

"To say the least." He laughed; the sound echoing through the quiet, making it feel warm where it was once cold. "I haven't done this since before high school."

"Go on a date?"

Waving a hand dismissively, he shook his head. "No. I've been on plenty of dates. I'm talking about trying to impress a girl."

His mouth slammed shut, and the silence entered the room again. The only thing she could hear was her own heart beating in her chest. Did he really want to impress her? He had said it himself; they didn't like each other. Before tonight, all they had done was tolerate one another until they could make their escape. This was the first time since she had met Paul that she was actually enjoying his company. Even when his sister had thrown food ideas at him earlier, he joked around. It wasn't the joking that made Cece want to be around him. It was the way that he never excluded her from their conversations. Even when his sister would share a private joke, Paul would turn to her and explain, sending her into fits of laughter.

"You can stay."

She heard the words, but it took her a moment to realize that she was the one who said them. As reluctant as she was to admit it to herself, she wanted him to stay. She wanted to share a meal with him, learn more about him.

He cleared his throat. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." When he still did not look convinced, she sent him a genuine smile and reached for the bag. "Come on. I'll set the table, and you can find us something to drink."

He handed the bag over after a small hesitation. "Wine?"

"No," she said with a laugh while walking towards her kitchen. She knew he followed, could hear his feet padding on her floors. "While I love the taste, wine makes me tired. I don't want to fall asleep on my guest."

Reaching the table, she set the food down and began pulling it from the bag. She set the four containers in the middle of the table before turning to grab some forks. Something hard blocked her path, making her let out a breath as she slammed into it.

"Sorry," Paul said with a shake of his head. With a grin, he took a step back. "I guess the smell distracted me a little. What do you want to drink?"

"Tea," she croaked before slinking around him. When she could no longer feel his warmth surrounding her, she let out a sigh. "Tea sounds good."

Sounds of him moving about her kitchen reached her ears. It was strangely comfortable and disturbing at the same time. Even though his presence was overpowering, the man himself was easy to be around.

"Cece."

Hearing the vulnerability in his voice, she snatched the forks from the drawer before turning towards him. He already had their drinks placed in front of two seats. How long had she been standing there? Shaking her head at her foolishness, she smiled at him. "Yeah?"

He motioned for her to walk towards him. As she did, he pulled a chair out for her. Her hands clutched the forks in a grip so tight that it made her knuckles white. When had a man even been nice enough to open a door for her, let alone pull out a chair? Easing into the seat, she sucked in a breath as his fingers skimmed her back while he pushed her closer to the table.

"Do you think that when all is said and done, you and I could at least be friends?"

His words brought reality crashing down around her. Friends, he wanted to be friends. Nothing more. She knew the smile she sent him was a little tight on the edges, but she couldn't keep her emotions from showing. Once again, she had let her mind wander, let herself wonder what it would be like to actually be with a man like Paul.

"That'd be great."

Reaching out, she began piling food on her plate. It didn't keep her from seeing his frown or how he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched as he opened his mouth before snapping it shut with rueful smile. Holding up his cup, he tilted it towards her. "To friends."

"To friends," she mumbled, picking up her own drink and taking a gulp.

Another bout of silence filled the air, but this time, it was ringed in unease. Great, she had once again ruined a perfectly good evening by overthinking it. Fidgeting with the food on her plate, she opened her mouth only to shut it once she realized she had nothing to ask.

He cleared his throat as he set the tea down. "So, Cece, tell me about yourself."

"Have you ever cheated on anyone?" she blurted. Eyes widening, she wished she could take her question back. When a smile flew onto his face and the comfortableness from earlier returned, she took her wish back.

"No," he answered in amusement. "While I've dated a girl with the sole purpose of sleeping with her then leaving her, I've never cheated."

She bit her lip, wondering how much she should say. Taking a deep breath, she explained herself. "It's just that when you were with Abby, I didn't like you." He chuckled, and a smile flew onto her face. "Even though I didn't like you, you were good to Abby in your own way. The times that I met you, you never once even glanced my way."

He shrugged as if it was no big deal, but Cece knew from experience that it was. Understanding dawned on his face. "Others have though, haven't they? How many times has your relationship with Abby been tested because of some jerk?"

"Never," she said with a fond laugh. "Oh, don't think that it only happened to me. I've had plenty of boyfriends who would gravitate towards Abby. Even had a few that dated me just to get to her. As soon as one of them would though, we would tell." She shrugged as she glanced down at the table. "I'd always believe Abby over them, just like she always believed me."

A hand covered hers. "That's what you're afraid of?"

Refusing to look up at him, to let him see the vulnerability in her eyes, she shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do. Look at me, Cece." The hard tone in his voice made her head snapped up. When she looked at his face, her eyes widened. She had never seen Paul look so fierce before, had never seen him look so adamant about something. "I'm not using you to get to Abby," he said slowly.

"I'm not like her."

He flipped his hand, making it to where they were now intertwined. "I know," he whispered. "That's exactly why being friends might not be good enough."

Her breath caught in her throat, but he didn't say another word. He simply picked up his fork and began eating, leaving her sitting there in shock as she wondered just how true his words were.