Chapter Ten - Fool's Gold.
"And, yeah, I let you use me from the day that we first met,
But I'm not done yet,
Falling for you." - Fool's Gold, One Direction.
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"Where on earth have you been?!" Paul's father called from the front room as Paul entered the house, having seeing him through the living room window.
"I stayed at John's, me and George did!" Paul called back, kicking his shoes off and making his way into the front room.
"Ah, I see." Jim nodded, looking up from his newspaper, "So, how are things?"
"Things such as..." Paul scowled, hoping that his father wasn't hinting at Daisy.
"The band!" Jim widened his eyes, placing the paper down.
"Oh! Brilliant. Honestly, we came up with a brilliant idea last night." Paul grinned proudly.
"What, you're going to take over the world with your music?" Jim chuckled.
"Not taking over the world exactly... More... Uniting it." Paul shrugged, watching his father as he stood up from his armchair.
"It's nice to see such determination," Jim crinkled his nose, patting Paul on his shoulder as he walked passed him, "You can do it, son. Just don't lose your way."
"I won't! Honestly, things are going so well at the minute at our regular spots, who knows what could happen anywhere else?!" Paul exclaimed with a wide smile, following his father out of the room.
"You seem very happy, Paul. I like it." Jim sighed softly.
"I am." Paul beamed, leaning against the living room doorframe.
"I'm glad." Jim smiled back and slipped into some shoes, reaching for his coat, "I have to go and meet Mike, but I won't be long. Are you home for your tea?"
"Well, I'm meeting the boys later tonight so we can inform Stu and Pete on things, but I'll stay and have tea first." Paul replied, smiling sweetly.
"Alright! I'll see you shortly." Jim waved once as he stepped out of the door, carefully closing it behind him. Paul nodded and waved back, sighing happily to himself.
Pushing the loose strands of hair back into place, Paul walked into the kitchen, starting to make himself a cup of tea. He couldn't believe the way that his mood had drastically changed since discussing the band last night. It was as if he was finally over things, he knew what was important and there was nothing in the way of what he and the boys wanted to achieve.
Once made, Paul sipped at his cup of tea, quickly taking a drag from the cigarette he had lit in the meantime. He was so grateful that his dad was so supportive about what he wanted to do, and he wanted to show a little appreciation toward him tonight. He wanted to tidy up the kitchen, the dining room and set the table so that all his father had to do when he came home was put the food on it. He knew it must be hard losing the person you loved all those years to such a terrible disease, and he saw so much courage in his father for dealing with it and raising him and Mike on his own throughout their teenage years. He wanted to help him out, just like his father had always helped him out.
He exhaled the smoke before hanging the cigarette between his lips and starting to clear away unnecessary things from the kitchen, making it look tidier. He emptied the kitchen bin and replaced it with a fresh bin liner, cringing to himself as he carried the dirty one outside, placing it down for the bin men to collect the following morning.
Once both rooms were tidy, he walked into the kitchen again, opening the cutlery draw. As he reached inside for the knives and forks, he heard a brief knock at the door. He ignored it and simply shook it off, thinking he must have just been hearing things. He heard it again. This time it was slightly louder. Paul scowled and walked toward the door, wondering who it was. Obviously he knew that Mike and his father would make their own way in, so who would be visiting at tea time? His heart sunk when he immediately recognised the figure behind the glass, almost not even wanting to open it. Daisy.
Taking one long, almost violent drag from the cigarette, he eventually opened the door.
"Hi, Paul!" Daisy spoke in a cheery tone.
"Hey..." Paul exhaled the smoke, scratching the back of his neck. He gazed down at her face, immediately regretting making eye contact with her as his heart beat madly in his chest. She certainly had some sort of power over him, she could turn his stomach into butterflies at just a glance. It's like all his anger disappeared and he remembered exactly why he loved her. Regardless of any situation, she just made him fall for her over and over again.
"Do you mind if I come in?" She raised her eyebrows.
"I..Well, I am kind of busy, actually." Paul swallowed hard, not quite wanting to give in to her just as quickly.
"I... Just thought it would be nice for us to have a catch up." She shrugged, completely ignoring his words and walking inside. Paul widened his eyes and stepped back so she could get passed him, closing the door behind her with a small sigh.
"Catch up?" Paul repeated, raising his eyebrows and walking into the front room.
"Yeah! We haven't seen each other for a few weeks or so, I thought it would be nice to just update each other on things." She smiled sweetly, biting her lip. Paul squinted his eyes, repeatedly having flashbacks in his head of what happened last time they were alone together.
"Well... What would you like updating on?" He scowled, crossing his arms across his chest.
"How is the band going?!" She grinned, sitting down.
"Brilliant. We have our next steps all figured out, actually. It's just for us to put them in place now." Paul nodded.
"Ooh, exciting! What are they? Are you going to take over the world?" She giggled.
"God, you sound like my dad! No! We just want the world to know who we are. That band that just had a laugh and made people happy." He shrugged, chewing his bottom lip.
"And how likely do you think that will be?" She pursed her lips.
"I... Don't know. I mean, only Liverpool and Hamburg know us, really. And that's just the people who come to the shows. We haven't got a record out there yet, let alone an album!" He chuckled.
"But the next step is to get a record deal, yes?" She widened her eyes, looking directly at him.
"Yes, definitely! That's next. Trial and error until we get signed and then we just take it from there! John doesn't think it will be long before someone wants to produce our music. I don't doubt it, either. Not to sound big headed, but I seriously think we've got it." Paul replied, smiling contently.
"That's great! God, you'll be rolling around in money by then, won't you?!" She gasped, playfully covering her mouth with one of her hands.
"Uh, yeah, I suppose we will. If people buy our music!" Paul cringed playfully, letting out a soft laugh.
"That would be fantastic." She crinkled her nose.
"Yeah... I don't mean to sound rude, love, but... I'm kind of in the middle of doing something for my dad, is there any chance we could have this catch up another time?" Paul asked, looking down at her.
"We can, but... You haven't asked me what's new in my life." She shrugged, nibbling at her bottom lip uneasily.
"Oh, sorry. What's new with you, Daisy?" Paul arched a brow, scowling slightly when he noticed her change in body language. Her breathing became shallow and she stared down at her feet, blinking hard and waiting for a few moments before looking up at Paul, her eyes directly on his.
"I'm pregnant." Her words practically came out in a nervous whisper. Paul felt his breath instantly hitch in his throat, desperately trying to convince himself that he had misheard her.
"You... I'm sorry, love, I think I'm hearing things." He blinked hard, unable to even make eye contact with her.
"You didn't..." Daisy shook her head, reaching forward to take both of his hands and squeezing them gently as she looked up at him, "I'm pregnant, Paul."
"Y-You're... I-I mean... Congratulations?" His voice became slightly uneasy and high.
"Congratulations to you, too." She nodded, rubbing her thumbs over the backs of his hands.
"Wh-What?!" Paul blurted out, almost choking on his own words as his jaw hit the floor. His hands instantly started shaking in her grip as he felt all the colour drain from his face, his breathing becoming unsteady.
"You.. Haven't already forgotten about the other week, have you?" She raised her eyebrows, scowling slightly from his reaction.
"W-Well, no, of course not!" Paul shook his head quickly, still trying to process what she had just said, "But this is a little unexpected."
"I know... I just thought you should know." Daisy shrugged, licking her lips nervously as she let go of his hands, looking down at her stomach.
"W...What do we do now?" Paul raised a brow, looking down at her.
"There's not much we really can do... Wait for it to be born?" Daisy replied.
"Shit... What am I going to tell my dad? What am I going to tell the band?!" Paul covered his face with his hands, practically hyperventilating at this point.
"Is that all you're bothered about?!" Daisy scoffed, standing up, "Try being the one that has to carry /your/ baby around for nine months!"She shook her head, walking toward the door of the living room. Paul groaned and quickly followed, grabbing her hand from behind. Before he even had a chance to speak, Daisy took his hand and placed it over her stomach, rubbing it lightly as she whispered, "That's yours."
"Daisy..." Paul's lip quivered, feeling his own stomach starting to churn from everything he was trying to take in. He breathed heavily through his nose as his shaking fingertips moved back and forth over the material of her dress.
"Yes?" She looked back at him with heavy eyes.
"H-How do you feel about this?" He asked, biting his lip nervously.
"Well, I'm alright, I guess. We both played as much part in this as the other, so I suppose all we can do is just get on with it." She shrugged, turning to face him.
"Y-Yes, we did." Paul swallowed hard, chewing on the inside of his cheek before speaking again, "How are you feeling physically?"
"I'm alright... For now. It's early days, so, we'll see." She spoke quietly, letting out a small sigh.
"Y-You'll be fine, love... I-Is there any chance we could maybe meet up and have a proper discussion about this?" Paul raised his eyebrows, following her toward the door.
"Of course, I think that would be good," Daisy nodded, "I.. I can't do tomorrow, but I can do the day after?"
"Y-Yes, I think that'll be fine." Paul took a deep breath, walking toward the door and holding it open for her.
"I'll see you then, Paul." She half smiled, looking up at him.
"Look after yourself. I'll come by yours in the afternoon." Paul smiled back uneasily, leaning in to give her a gentle hug.
"Alright. Goodbye." She took one look back at Paul before stepping out of the door.
"Goodbye." He swallowed the lump in his throat, watching her until she was out of sight before closing the door. Once closed, he turned around and leant against the back of it, slowly sliding down and bringing his knees up to his chest.
As he hung his head between his knees, thoughts crashed around repeatedly in Paul's head. This couldn't have come at a worse time. The band were actually going somewhere and he and Daisy weren't even together! This baby could stand in the way of the band and the only chance they had of making it big, and he couldn't believe how careless he and Daisy had been. He had no idea how he was going to tell his father, and he feared telling his bandmates even more. Daisy had been a girl he loved, really loved. A girl he was /in/ love with. Then she was a girl who broke his heart. Now she's a girl who is going to be the mother of his child. A few weeks ago, this could've been one of the best things he could've heard, but now... Now not so much. He thought he was over Daisy, and this had really come as a genuine shock.
After a few moments, he forced himself up and stumbled into the kitchen, lighting a cigarette and smoking it quickly as he resumed setting the table; not that he'd even be able to barely look his father in the eye. Once finished, he pushed the back door open and stood in the doorway, exhaling each heavy drag of smoke. He felt physically sick. He wasn't disgusted at the fact that Daisy was pregnant, he knew he had just as big of a part to play as she did, he was just scared. Scared that he wouldn't be able to give the child the up-bringing it deserved, scared that he would want Daisy back even more, scared of how his father would react, scared of how his bandmates would react, scared that his hopeful career was over... He was a mess.
"We're back!" Jim called as he and Mike made their way through the door.
"O-Oh, hello." Paul smiled shakily from the kitchen, weakly waving at them as he stubbed his cigarette out. Jim and Mike walked into the kitchen happily and Jim gasped when he noticed how tidy it was, immediately turning to Paul.
"My god, what's gotten into you?!" He chuckled with widened eyes as he looked around.
"I... I set the table, too." Paul stuttered, trying his best to act casually as he gestured toward the dining room, "All you need to do is put the food on it." He tried to smile again.
"Thank you, son." Jim crinkled his nose, patting Paul's shoulder as he walked over to the food he was about to cook.
"Teacher's pet." Mike mumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes. Paul nudged his side slightly, making Mike flinch and narrow his eyes at him.
"You two go sit down, I'll be over with the food shortly." Jim grinned. Paul and Mike nodded and walked into the dining room to sit down.
Throughout the meal, it was obvious to see that Paul wasn't quite acting himself. He loved his dad's cooking, however, he was just pushing it around his plate with his fork and barely eating any of it. He had no appetite whatsoever. He was just staring into space. He couldn't stop thinking about the news Daisy had told him and he had no idea how to deal with it.
"Paul, are you alright?" Jim frowned, looking over at him from across the table.
"A-Actually, I'm not feeling too good." Paul swallowed hard, taking a drink from the glass next to him.
"Are you not hungry? You've gone to all this effort to make the place look spotless, eating what I've cooked should be your reward!" Jim narrowed his eyebrows.
"It's nothing against your cooking, dad... I think I'm going to go lay down. I'll have it later, I'm sorry." He spoke in an uneasy tone, slowly standing up as Mike watched him with a frown.
"A-Alright, son. Do let me know how you're feeling, please." Jim spoke as Paul walked down the hallway and toward the stairs.
"I will." He spoke in a timid voice, making his way up the stairs before walking into his room and letting out a deep sigh as he laid down on his bed.
Minutes went by that felt like hours as he stared at the ceiling, trying to come to terms with the fact he was going to become a dad. How would /his/ dad feel about it, would he be disappointed in him? Happy for him? He was terrified to find out.
"Paul, what on earth was wrong with you, you usually demolish dad's cooking!" He heard Mike chuckle as he walked passed his bedroom door. He couldn't take it no longer, he /needed/ to tell someone. He quickly jumped off his bed and walked out of his room, grabbing Mike by the arm and pulling him into his room as he wriggled in his grip, "What the bloody hell are you doing?!" He exclaimed as he shut the door.
"Sh!" Paul brought his finger to his lips.
"What is going on? You're acting very strange." Mike narrowed his eyes.
"Michael, I'm going to tell you something very serious and important, okay? It'll just be between me and you..." He sighed before murmuring under his breath, "And her."
"Eh, what?" Mike scowled, sitting down on Paul's bed next to him.
"Do you remember a few weeks ago when me and the boys played a gig for a relative of Pete's birthday?" Paul raise his eyebrows as he spoke, "And you asked me where I'd been the day after because I hadn't come home that night?"
"Yes..." Mike nodded slowly.
"I told you I was at a friend's house... I wasn't... I stayed the night at Daisy's." Paul sighed heavily, shaking his head.
"I knew you were lying!" Mike exclaimed, widening his eyes.
"Hush! Listen!" Paul waved his arms, not wanting his father to suspect anything, "We, uh.. Well, one thing lead to another and, you know, we... Slept together... And now she's.. P-Pregnant." He spoke in a shaky voice, not even believing the words that were coming out of his mouth.
"What?!" Mike gasped loudly, grunting when Paul immediately covered his mouth, afraid it would cause too much attention from their father.
"I know, I know. I can't believe it, either. She just called around today to tell me. That's why I've been a little off." Paul narrowed his eyebrows, staring down at his feet. "I'm supposed to be meeting the boys tonight but I honestly don't think I can. My head is all over the place."
"And this isn't what you wanted, right?" Mike asked in an unsure tone, tilting his head.
"Well, it's not exactly fucking ideal, Mike." Paul glared at him, shaking his head. "We're not even together! We broke up, got drunk, and it was a random one night thing a few weeks ago... And here we are."
"Oh, Christ." Mike widened his eyes, "And dad doesn't know?"
"No, no one knows. Not dad, not George, Stu, Pete, or John. Just me, you, and Daisy. That's why it's very important you don't say anything. I just /needed/ to tell someone, it was eating me alive! I'm going to spend the afternoon with Daisy the day after tomorrow and we're going to try and talk things through." Paul bit the inside of his cheek.
"Try not to make anymore babies while you're at it." Mike teased, chuckling.
"Mike, this is serious!" Paul swatted his side, giving him a stern look. "You're not to tell or even hint it to anyone, understood?"
"Understood." Mike nodded.
"Promise?" Paul raised his eyebrows with a serious expression.
"Promise."
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Thank you to everyone who has read this story so far!
This chapter has taken quite the turn ;)
Please let me know what you think!
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