IMAGINE #7 : PAUL McCARTNEY

FOR tragicalmysterytour

Bella wished the sun would shine trough the thick grey clouds.

It was barely February, and the chance of the sun warming her up before June, was rare. She wished for the improbability, anyway.

She woke up with a dread that morning. It was the type of dread that came with her birthday. She didn't dislike birthdays, quite the opposite. What made dread settle in her bones was the way such an important day could go wrong. She was turning 20 this year,  but she wasn't planning on doing anything exciting.

She was going to her classes at uni, only three for that day, and then getting lunch with a friend. Paul was coming over for dinner today. Bella appreciated the gesture, how Paul was willing (and liked) to spend time with her family.

Bella made her way towards the kitchen, where her mum had made breakfast. She looked up at the sight of Bella, and kissed her forehead. "Happy birthday, darling."

"Thanks mum."

"How does it feel being so old?" Bella's brother asked, before going ow. Bella's mum hit in in the back of the head.

"Shut up, you'll be my age soon enough," Bella told him. He was three years younger than, Bella. He'd be freaking out soon enough. When the day came, Bella wouldn't help ease his anxiety. That'd do him good, for being a git.

Bella sat down across from her brother. She grabbed two pancakes from the stack. She loved pancakes, but didn't know how to flip them without the pancakes coming out deformed. So she really appreciated when her mum made them.

The telephone rang. Bella felt her stomach twist, wondering if it was someone calling to wish her a happy birthday. Perhaps one of her old college friends?

Bella's mum answered the phone. Instead of trying to figure out who was calling, Bella tried to eat her pancakes. Her mum nodded along to the call, hanging up shortly after.

"Who was it?" Bella asked, despite telling herself she wouldn't ask.

"Not Paul!" Her brother said, before going ow. Bella kicked him under the table before her mum could get to him. "I don't see what Paul see's in you, anyhow."

"That's it," she said, standing up. Her brother covered his face, as though Bella was about to hit him. Bella went back inside of her room, wrapping herself up in a warm coat and a scarf. Once she'd bundled up, she shrugged on her bag and left the warm flat.

Though Bella usually rode her bike to college, with all of the snow outside and slippery roads, she had to take the bus. She crossed the street, and waited for the bus to arrive. She wished Paul had called before she left for uni this morning. She began to grow frustrated he hadn't called.

Then, she stopped. She had to. She couldn't start getting fed up over something so silly. Paul was coming to dinner tonight, and that was enough. Bella brought out a book from her bag as she waited for the bus to arrive. She must of read thirty pages before she heard an engine pull up. She looked up from her notebook, digging inside of her purse for coins to feed the farebox.

"Bella!" A familiar voice exclaimed. Bella looked up from her bag. Paul was stepping outside of his car. "Aren't you freezing? I told your mum to keep you inside while I came!"

"My brother was being a complete arse," she admitted.

"Ah, I'll have a talk with him, don't worry," Paul said. He kissed her quickly, then grabbed her hand and lead her to the car. His face had been warm, his cheeks blushing from the heat of the car. Once Bella took a seat, she hunched over the heater.

"I think he only listens to you, y'know," Bella told him. "He loves you."

"Is he the only one?" He asked. Bella couldn't help but blush. They'd only been dating three months, and neither had said those words yet. If Paul noticed her blush, he didn't say anything.

"Thanks for dropping me off at uni. You didn't have to."

"I'm not."

"What?"

"I'm not dropping you off at uni," he said. "We're having a nice day out. No responsibilities. No school work."

"Where are we going?"

"Ice skating."

. .

Bella was really not the best at ice skating. But Paul assured her he'd take care of her. On their way there, he handed her a bag he'd bought for the road. Inside of it were a lot of sweets, which Bella dug into as soon Paul told her what was in the bag. Her blood was pumping with sugar, all of the energy had to go somewhere, Bella figured. (Even if all of it went into falling.)

Paul payed the fee to get inside. Bella started to dig into her bag to pay for the skates, when Paul stopped her. They walked towards a bench, where Bella took a seat. She extended her arms to put on her skates. Paul stopped her, doing it for her. He kissed her forehead, then put on his own skates.

He grabbed on to her hand as they stepped on the ice. Bella felt unstable as she held on to Paul. She didn't want to make him fall wit her, so she didn't held that tightly to him at first. She took a step forward, then nearly lost her balance.

"Bella!" Paul pulled her arm. Bella managed to get enough of his shirt not to fall. She started to laugh from the ridiculousness of nearly falling. She supported herself more on Paul, holding tightly to him.

She hold on to him like this for almost half an hour, and Paul didn't protest. He started making conversation, and encouraged Bella to skate on her own. After feeling like she got the hang of it, (at least a little bit) she let go of Paul's warm hand, and stepped forward on her own.

She skated in an almost straight line, without falling. But when she started getting close to the wall, Bella realised she didn't know how to make a turn. She tried moving her body slightly to the right. That worked, she didn't collide with the wall, but with the floor instead. Paul shouted after her, skating towards where she was.

"Are you alright?" He asked. He sat down to check Bella. He checked her forehead for any bumps, and her face for any scrapes. Bella sat up, her bum feeling cold from the ice. "Do you want to go? Are you having fun?"

Bella started at Paul, at beautiful face, and his worried expression. She didn't answer. Paul started growing more concerned, worrying whether Bella could understand him at all. Finally, Bella found the correct words to explain her admiration for him, the elevation of her mood whenever she was with him, and how fond she was of every moment they spent together.

"I love you," Bella said.

"I love you too," Paul said.

. .

[ a/n: tragicalmysterytour sorry it took me so long to finish this for you!! ]