"Charlie," Paul began, wide eyed.

I stared at the paper wordlessly, completely bewildered. I had a week to get out of my flat or pay my missed bills with interest.

"Let me pay it." Paul spoke kindly after a moment of silence.

"There's no way I'm letting you do that." I laughed hysterically, grabbing the key from my pocket angrily and shoving it into the lock.

"Really, I can." He spoke softly as he quickly swiped the paper from my hand.

"No, you can't." I argued trying to grab it back from him, to which he simply just turned his back to me stubbornly so the paper was out of my reach.

I groaned and opened the door to my flat.

"Your electricity was cut off?" He asked in shock reading through the note as he walked in behind me.

"I'm saving the environment one unpaid bill at a time." I spoke sarcastically quickly swiping it from his hands as he was reading it.

"Charlie, really, I can help you. You can come live in my guest bedroom if you won't take the money," he insisted worriedly.

"Paul, I'm fine." I spoke slowly looking into his eyes trying to assure him I'd be fine.

He frowned grimly.

"I'll be right back, I'm getting changed." I sighed heavily before going and changing into a long sleeved blue mini dress.

Paul and I didn't talk much on our way back down to the car, neither of us knew what to say.

I'd have to call Audrey and tell her, I'm sure she'd let me stay with her and Ben until I could find a cheaper apartment, or get a better job.

It was a huge wake up call, I was realizing living on my own was way more difficult than I'd envisioned. There wasn't any jobs I was qualified enough for that would pay my bills.

"Do you like the theatre?" Paul's eyes illuminated as we began to drive along the busy streets of London.

I shot a quick smile back at him.

"My mother used to take me. I'd often sing show tunes until I drove both my parents absolutely mad." I chuckled, watching Paul grin looking over to me.

We had driven to the theatre as quickly as we could talking about our favourite productions surprising me, I hadn't expected Paul to like that sort of thing as much as he did, but I knew for certain there was so much more to him than anyone really thought.

When we'd arrived, we had been escorted in through the back doors to avoid any sort of paparazzi outside because they'd been tipped off Paul had gotten tickets to go tonight.

We sat in a private box at the side of the theatre to watch the play, being extremely close to the stage.

"Wow." Was all I could utter as I looked around at the intricate romanesque architecture in the theatre.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Paul spoke looking around with me in admiration.

I nodded in agreement wordlessly, looking down to the stage and how close we were. I'd never been this close before at a show, my mother being the sensible woman she was only ever bought the cheapest tickets.

The show soon begun and I couldn't help but feel completely and utterly joyful despite the news I'd just received earlier on today.

I never knew I longed to be right where I was until then, with Paul anything seemed possible. I almost felt like I didn't deserve the treatment Paul was giving me, it seemed as if it were too good to be true.

"How are you liking it so far?" Paul whispered in my ear after awhile, his eyes glued to the stage.

I couldn't contain a large grin as I turned my attention toward him.

"It's wonderful." I whispered back delighted.

He looked over at me, his gaze softening as it met mine. His expression was solemn as his eyes trailed down to my lips slowly, causing me to gulp nervously.

I began to melt like putty in his hands, feeling him leaning closer to me and cupping my face in his hands as he began to kiss me.

Every part of my body tingled with enchantment feeling like I was on cloud nine. It was better than I'd imagined it. Although it wasn't actually the first time I had kissed him it felt extremely meaningful and passionate being sober, his lips against mine moving in synchronization with a softness that seemed more meaningful than lust.

He pushed my hair away from my face gently and tucked it behind my ear as our lips slowly parted from one another's.

His warm smile soon faded as he backed away from me, his features twisting into confusion and what seemed to be disgust.

"Are those hickeys?" He asked slightly taken aback.

A lump in my throat formed in terror realizing I hadn't covered the bruises on my neck from Oliver.

"Charlie-" he began sorrowfully seeing my expression as I got up out of the chair and walked out of the box quickly out into the big empty hallway.

I hurried to the exit hearing Paul call for me from behind. I felt humiliated, he must think I'm some sort of whore. He'd never want to be with me if he thought I was.

"Charlie." Paul said grabbing my hand from behind, causing me to jerk back as he stopped walking.

"What?" I looked up at him with a quivering lip, tears stinging my eyes.

I thought maybe it would be better that he thought I was a whore because I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of telling the humiliating story that I never wanted to think of again.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just, are you seeing someone else?" He questioned sounding a little hurt.

"Of course not." I took my hand out of his grip defensively.

He looked at me emotionlessly expecting me to explain myself.

"Have a nice night." I scoffed beginning to turn away when he said nothing, staring at me with puzzlement.

"No." He spoke firmly grabbing my hand once again making sure I faced him.

"At the party, did I?" He trailed of inquisitively examining my neck trying to remember.

"No." I spoke flatly with a sigh.

"Then, who?" He exclaimed looking frustrated with my short answers.

"-I didn't want it to happen, okay? He, forced himself onto me." I almost shouted tired of the back and forth with a bitter taste in my mouth as I talked about what happened, a scowl forming on my lips.

I rolled up my sleeves to show him the other bruises, holding out the two large purple bruises in the shape of hands on my forearms.

"You mean," Paul began gobsmacked, taking my arms in his hands carefully and scanning over them breathlessly.

"He tried to," I nodded trailing off unable to bring myself to say the words feeling a lump forming in the back of my throat once again.

"I'm sorry." His expression softened and his voice became quiet, ashamed he'd pushed me to explain.

"You didn't know, it's alright." I rolled my sleeves back down putting my hands to my sides shyly.

"It's not. That was a real shitty thing for me to do. I'm sorry." He stared me in the eyes solemnly, causing me to shrug timidly.

"I ought to talk to this bloke, what's his name?" He seemed to be becoming increasingly infuriated realizing what it all meant.

"You can't do that." I shook my head nervously.

"Why not? He needs to be taught he can't treat a lady like that. Especially you." He nodded angrily.

"Especially me?" I looked up at him curiously.

"Yeah," He looked into my eyes dreamily.

"You're special." He spoke softly.

"Special?" I tried not to let out a huge grin.

"I've known you for a matter of weeks yet I feel like I could tell you anything. You're intelligent, and funny, and loving," he trailed off looking down to my lips once again.

I admired his kindness and how much he truly seemed to care for me. I found myself leaning in closer to him seeing him do the same. As our lips met fireworks ignited in my stomach filling my entire body with adrenaline.

It grew more and more intense with every passing moment, Paul wrapping his hands around my back and pulling me in closer to him with slight urgency, his soft lips parting against mine deepening the kiss. I brung my hands up and held his face gently in my hands.

I had pulled away from the kiss first after catching myself becoming more and more wound up in his embrace and realizing we we're still in public in a wide open hallway.

"We should get of here yeah?" Paul asked breathlessly seeming to understand my exact thoughts.

I nodded enthralled by his soft touch, beginning to realize how much I was falling for him.

A voice in the back of my mind was telling me to distance myself from Paul, knowing he was well known for his charms. I ignored the bad feeling in the moment however because I felt absolute ecstasy, never having felt this way about anyone else before.

               _____________________

We had soon arrived to his house and gotten comfortable in his living room, Martha having come to join us.

"Hello Martha." I smiled down at her scratching underneath her ear as she sat in front of me.

"She really seems to like you." Paul said impressed, standing up pouring the wine.

As if it were on cue Martha jumped up on the sofa beside me and plopped her head down on my lap, turning over on her back in hopes for a belly rub.

I giggled and began to scratch her stomach, causing her leg to kick in delight.

Paul chuckled walking over and handing me a glass of wine.

"You silly girl." Paul ran a hand along Martha's belly playfully, causing Martha to turn back on her stomach and look up at him.

He laughed and sat down at the other sofa seeing how unmoving she seemed to stay.

"Cheers to us." Paul smiled extending out his glass.

"Cheers to us." I echoed him clinking our glasses together with a slight blush.

______________________

After a few drinks everything became hazy, the both of us dancing to the record player and fooling around in a carefree state.

"Good day sunshine, good day sunshine, good day sunshine," The record player spun the Revolver album and Paul's voice filled the room with an upbeat tune.

"I like this one." I giggled as Paul spun me around.

"We take a walk, the sun is shining down,
burns my feet as they touch the ground," Paul sang along, my back was turned to him as I swayed in his arms.

He rolled me out of his arms then pulled me back in and dipped me, the both of us giggling like two drunken idiots.

When the laughter subsided we were left staring in each others eyes.

The paranoid voice returned in the back of my mind, it scared me how much I felt for him, unsure of if I even meant to him what he meant to me.

Martha barked starling the two of us, Paul having accidentally let go of me and I fell to the ground with a thud.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, god I'm sorry, are you alright love?" Paul asked frantically kneeling down beside me.

I bursted our with laughter at his tenseness, causing a smile to rise on his lips giggling as well.

Martha began licking my face making me squirm around laughing almost to tears. I sat up and looked to Paul who was watching me with amusement.

"That'll leave a mark in the morning." I teased him.

"Let's get you up." Paul got up rolling his eyes, extending his arms downward to help me.

I grabbed onto his hands and hoisted myself up with his aid, bumping into his chest accidentally in a clumsy state as I got up.

He smiled charmingly staring into my eyes, making me feel and fuzzy inside once again.

"Stop doing that." I let go of his hands that were still clutching onto mine.

"Doing what?" He laughed with the same dazzling look in his eyes he had before.

"The sparkle in your eyes like that, because it may work on all the other girls but it won't work on me." I pointed my finger and poked his chest slurring my words together.

Although I couldn't think straight I thought I was right about that part, I'm sure I wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last to get his seductive stare.

"It won't?" He challenged tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear, resting his hand on my face sending chills down my spine.

"Nope." I breathed out shakily trying to keep my cool.

He leaned down and swiftly crashed his lips down onto mine urgently, my response immediate, feeling him pick me up as my legs wrapped around his waist.

Paul pulled back teasingly for a moment.

"You're the only girl I care about." He looked at me seriously, seeming to be genuine.

I crashed my lips back down onto his once again, those words being the only confirmation I needed.