Paul's POV

Happiness knocks on my door for the first time in a while. I've always waited for this encounter to happen. It's not exactly what I expected it would be, but at least it's real.

I'm a man of my word. So, before I head to her house, I have to figure out exactly how I'm supposed to recite what happened. Retell the story of the manipulation that I've lived in for the past few months

Elizabeth is on edge. Also, I feel that she invited me earlier to her apartment to vent and lift a weight off her shoulder. Quite frantically, I want to vent to someone too. Since I have kept what I knew about untold for this long, she has to keep my secret cached.

I have to prepare myself well. Knowing that girls can judge how good you are from your clothes, well, especially the shoes and watch, I choose the best ones I have. Trying my best to put everything perfectly together, I match the colours and the sizes; not so bright and not a dark shade, not so baggy and not a tight fit. I don't even know why I'm making such a fuss about it. That's not even a proper date. It feels like an interrogation.

Maybe a quick shower would help me relax for a while and gives me a fresh scent. The problem is that I usually appear clumsy to girls because I'm afraid of rejection, so I rarely approach them. That doesn't feed their feelings of being wanted. In addition to this, they end up completely ignoring me.

My love life isn't a good example. Most of my dates were setups from my friends, and the girls never replied to my calls nor messages after.

I trust my looks, but my internal fight with rejection never ends. It started when I admitted to my colleague in my first year of high school. Not only did she reject me, but she made fun of me. Her guy friends picked up on me during the entire year, in changing rooms, school practices, and corridors. My school life was like hell, so I ended up applying for another school to start from square one, a place where nobody knows me. My conflict with dating started then.

Elizabeth is the first one to break my silence. I've monitored her in the office. We're similar, or at least I think so until the time being. The way she smiles, stresses, works, argues and rushes fascinates me. Whenever our colleagues plan going out, she doesn't show up just like me. I notice that she doesn't show up in the photos and follow up from the office's gossip. Even if she makes an appearance, it's always Laura pushing her on with it. I'm happy there's no more Laura. She stood between us.

It has been a single working day without El around, and I couldn't bear not seeing her. The warmth of her smile, her persistence to finish her work, and her tolerance to help whoever is in need are very attractive.

I dress up in a white shirt with a NASA logo on it. It never fails to amuse girls. A blue jeans fit well with the mystique logo, and I adjust my blond hair in organized chaos. Further, I apply masculine cologne from one of the finest brands. The smell is strong, and it boosts my confidence. I've always left this for special meetings and occasions. It may seem too much, but I'm trying my best not to ruin my chance this time.

Elizabeth has a broken heart, so her feelings are absolutely a rollercoaster. I don't want to add insult to injury. No, I'm not taking advantage of her. It's finally just the time for me to be where I always wanted to be. Is there a thing called a silent love? Because if there's, it's probably my case. I dread rejection.

My liking for her wasn't from the first sight. Usually, I tend to take things slowly so as not to break my very own heart again. So it built up in baby steps. The only thing that chickened me away was Laura's threats. Sometimes I feel like she notices my affection for her, other times she's oblivious.

The first destination I head to is the gift shop. Eventually, I need to buy Elizabeth a gift or something on my first visit. Luckily, I know that she loves chocolates with hazelnuts, from all the times I've watched her eat stressfully in the office. Hence, I order a mixed box with all brands of hazelnut chocolates in the shop.

"Do you like a wrapper or a gift bag?" The shop assistant asks.

Wrappers feel more personal than gift bags to me.  I politely confirm, "a wrapper, please."

The shop assistant hands me the wrapped box, "thank you!"

He greets with a smile, nodding. "Your place, sir. Have a nice day!"

"Thank you," I squeeze my eyes on the name tag on his chest, "Paul. I'm Paul too. That's a pleasant coincidence," I chuckle, closing the door behind me.

I don't what else should I bring. A flower bouquet feels too much. I guess I haven't dated for a decade, so old fashioned. Making up my mind, I decide to get a simple flower, not an entire bouquet. My purchase is a light shaded pink flower; the same colour as Elizabeth's cheeks when someone compliments her.

As I reenter my car, I find a message from Elizabeth. It immediately draws a smile on my face. I think I'm like a teenager again.

E: Why are you late?

P: On my way.

E: I thought you're not coming.

P: I can't wait to see you.

E: Me too.

Though, she doesn't seem eager to see me as I do.

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As I park the car in an empty spot a few blocks away from hers, I inspect my look one last time in the reflecting glass of the passenger seat. My feels are that of a teenage girl sneaking school to hang out with her boyfriend right now. What might she be wearing now? Maybe she exerted much more effort on her look. I can't wait for everything to unfold.

P: I'm under your building.

E: Finally!

E: 9th level, the apartment is on the left of the elevator.

I ring the bell, and before I remove my hand from it, Elizabeth drags me in. I haven't had a proper look on her before finding myself in a bone crashing hug between her needy arms.

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A/N: Hey beautiful people, if you like the chapter, please remember to comment and vote. What's your opinion about Paul?