The Perfect Fan
chapter 8
Paige changed out of her clothes, hating herself for turning them down. She wanted to go out with them so bad but she was so on edge with what happen at the shop. As she was pulling on her dark gray pajama pants, she kept telling herself that Leo was right. It was just a random robbery. It wasn't anything else. She wasn't being targeted. She sighed to herself and pulled on her 3/4 sleeve shirt. She walked back out to living and curled up on the couch. She had been watching TV for almost an hour when someone knocked twice her door. Paige stared at it hard. Her fingers were trembling as she pulled up Leo's number.
" Hey baby!" He said. He picked up after only two rings.
" Some one is here." She said.
" Did he knock twice?" Leo asked.
" Yeah." She said, still staring at the door.
" Then get up and answer it, Paigey." He said as she started towards the door.
" Who is it?" She asked. The music from the bar was pumping through the phone.
" You're going to like it." Leo said. Paige's hand shook as she undid the lock.
" How do you know?" She asked, slowing opening the door.
" Because I sent him." Leo said. Norman's hands were in his pocket and he was smiling at her.
" Can I come in?" He asked. Paige didn't say anything as she stepped out of the way. Norman smiled and walked into her apartment.
" Oh, Lee, what have you done?" She whispered before she hung up the phone and shut the door.
" I hope you don't mind. Leo told me where you guys were living." He said, turning around and looking at her. Paige felt very uncomfortable standing in front of him in her pajamas.
" No, that's okay." She said. She hurried past him and to the couch. Norman turned around and followed after her. He couldn't stop his grin as he read the words printed on the ass of her gray yoga pants.
Victoria's Secret
" So with everything going on today I forgot to ask you for your number." He said as she slipped down onto the couch, pulling a blanket over her lap. She curled her legs under her.
" Oh yeah?" She asked. She pulled her phone out and handed it to him. " If you can find it in that phone, you can have it. Lee and I just got numbers with New York numbers but I don't know mine." He smiled and chuckled.
" Leo said that so he gave it to me." He said. Paige smiled.
" Seriously though, do you think you can find it because I can't." Norman took her phone and they both repositions themselves as he started to scroll around in her phone. " I should write my number down but I just don't." He moved through the settings of her phone, explaining to her how to find the number. Then he pulled it up and showed it to her. " Oh yeah! Thank you!" She said, taking it back to him. She started flipping through the phone, making sure she could pull it up again. " So you didn't want to stay out?"
" No, not really." Norman said. Paige suddenly realized how close they were sitting together.
" Was Lee being a super fan?" Norman chuckled again.
" No, he's a cool guy. Once he settles down, he's really cool and funny." Paige smiled and looked back at the TV.
" Yeah, he's really funny. We laugh a lot together." She said. " What about Hailey? Is she being crazy with your friend?"
" No. They seem to be getting along well. I just hope he doesn't break her heart. Sean jumps around a lot and he doesn't live here so if she thinks they are going to date...." Paige laughed and looked right at him as she shook her head,
" Oh no, she doesn't. Hailey doesn't date. She just wants to have fun so she won't have her heart broken." She said. He smiled again and her heart rate sky rocketed. She hoped he didn't notice it racing through her neck.
He spent the next hour at her apartment with the two of them talking and watching TV. They got along really well, surprising Paige. He would smile or laugh with her and drop his eyes. She was surprised at how shy he seemed to be sometimes. There were a few times where it seemed like he couldn't maintain eye contact for long. He almost seemed unsure of himself and that made Paige feel better because she was shy too. When he left for the night, they hugged lightly and he promised to see her the next morning.
XXXXXX
Norman held the two coffees and a bag of bagels in his hands so he had to knock on the back door with his elbow. It took a few minutes before Paige opened it. She was on the phone and looked highly annoyed as she held the door open for him. She wasn't talking, just listening. She shook her head at him but waved him in. He smiled as she rolled her eyes.
" No, I understand what you are saying," Paige finally said. She turned and started back to her office as he let the door close behind him. " but you are telling me no one can come here until four days from now so what am I supposed to do? I have a business to run. I have orders coming in so I can't just sit around and do nothing." He was surprised at the annoyed tone in her voice. She always seemed so pleasant and nice.
" I got you coffee and bagels." He whispered, making her smile as she sat down.
" Listen, this is how it is going to go. I am going to buy the windows and replace them. You send someone here to look at the pictures the cops and my friend took," And by friend, Norman knew she meant him, " you take the receipts I will have from the glass work and give me the money for it. That is your job as my insurance company.....Yes I understand you might not give me all the money back but that is a chance I will have to take, isn't it? I pay a certain amount every month to you in case something like this happens. Now it has and you are jerking me around." Paige was leaning back in her chair, her frown focused on the computer screen. " After this is done and over with I am finding a new insurance company.....Oh, really? Well look at that. I look forward to seeing your agent this afternoon then. Thank you." She pulled her phone away and hung it quickly. She tossed it on the counter with a frown.
" Damn, next time I need someone to go off about something, I'm calling you." Norman said, handing over her coffee. He had watched how she get her coffee ready so he knew just how she liked it.
" Well what the hell? I mean seriously? This was a break-in and they are acting like I did this to myself. No one was going to come here for a while and you know where their office is? Just two blocks away. I'm so annoyed right now." Paige snapped as she took the coffee.
" I see that. You better drink this coffee and eat this bagel so you calm down." He said, pushing the bagel towards her.
" Thanks but I don't usually eat breakfast." She said. She popped the lid off the coffee and let the scent fill her.
" Yeah, I know, that's what Leo said but you should. We are going to be busy today and you need to energy. Who else is coming?" Norman asked. He kind of hoped it was going to be just the two of them. He wanted to talk with her more.
" Just Hailey. James had requested the day off and Leo has to work this afternoon. He said he'd come in but he didn't get home until one and he was pretty drunk so I'm sure he is going to be hung over. I didn't even wake him up."
" Is he pretty loud when he's drunk?" He watched her carefully as she got ready to eat. She was breaking the bagel into different pieces.
" He's hyper. Last night he came flying in my room and started jumping on my bed." Paige said with a smile. He had been proclaiming it the best night of his life. He and Sean got along like they had been friends forever and had exchanged numbers. " He woke me straight out of a dead sleep. First, he jumped on me, scaring the hell out of me. Then he grabbed me by the shoulders and started shaking me to make sure I was awake."
" Does he do that often?" Norman asked. Paige laughed and nodded.
" If I don't go out with him and he comes home drunk he does. He likes me to know he is home. But if he brings someone home then he won't do it." Norman looked up at her but she wasn't looking at him.
" Are you guys...." He didn't know why he was asking. Well he knew why. It was because he liked her and didn't want to think about her sleeping with someone. He was just surprised that he was asking. Paige seemed just as surprised when she looked up at him.
" Yuck, no!" She said quickly, making him smile.
" What do you mean yuck? He said you guys used to be friends with benefits." Norman said without thinking.
" You guys talk about me alot." She said. He laughed and let his eyes fall to his breakfast. " And we weren't friends with benefits. We dated for like a month. And there were a few times after we broke up that we slept together but I would have never called us friends with benefits. I mean, Leo is a good looking guy but I'm just not into him like that now. He just comes into my room at night to make me mad." She said.
" Hey baby!" He said. He picked up after only two rings.
" Some one is here." She said.
" Did he knock twice?" Leo asked.
" Yeah." She said, still staring at the door.
" Then get up and answer it, Paigey." He said as she started towards the door.
" Who is it?" She asked. The music from the bar was pumping through the phone.
" You're going to like it." Leo said. Paige's hand shook as she undid the lock.
" How do you know?" She asked, slowing opening the door.
" Because I sent him." Leo said. Norman's hands were in his pocket and he was smiling at her.
" Can I come in?" He asked. Paige didn't say anything as she stepped out of the way. Norman smiled and walked into her apartment.
" Oh, Lee, what have you done?" She whispered before she hung up the phone and shut the door.
" I hope you don't mind. Leo told me where you guys were living." He said, turning around and looking at her. Paige felt very uncomfortable standing in front of him in her pajamas.
" No, that's okay." She said. She hurried past him and to the couch. Norman turned around and followed after her. He couldn't stop his grin as he read the words printed on the ass of her gray yoga pants.
Victoria's Secret
" So with everything going on today I forgot to ask you for your number." He said as she slipped down onto the couch, pulling a blanket over her lap. She curled her legs under her.
" Oh yeah?" She asked. She pulled her phone out and handed it to him. " If you can find it in that phone, you can have it. Lee and I just got numbers with New York numbers but I don't know mine." He smiled and chuckled.
" Leo said that so he gave it to me." He said. Paige smiled.
" Seriously though, do you think you can find it because I can't." Norman took her phone and they both repositions themselves as he started to scroll around in her phone. " I should write my number down but I just don't." He moved through the settings of her phone, explaining to her how to find the number. Then he pulled it up and showed it to her. " Oh yeah! Thank you!" She said, taking it back to him. She started flipping through the phone, making sure she could pull it up again. " So you didn't want to stay out?"
" No, not really." Norman said. Paige suddenly realized how close they were sitting together.
" Was Lee being a super fan?" Norman chuckled again.
" No, he's a cool guy. Once he settles down, he's really cool and funny." Paige smiled and looked back at the TV.
" Yeah, he's really funny. We laugh a lot together." She said. " What about Hailey? Is she being crazy with your friend?"
" No. They seem to be getting along well. I just hope he doesn't break her heart. Sean jumps around a lot and he doesn't live here so if she thinks they are going to date...." Paige laughed and looked right at him as she shook her head,
" Oh no, she doesn't. Hailey doesn't date. She just wants to have fun so she won't have her heart broken." She said. He smiled again and her heart rate sky rocketed. She hoped he didn't notice it racing through her neck.
He spent the next hour at her apartment with the two of them talking and watching TV. They got along really well, surprising Paige. He would smile or laugh with her and drop his eyes. She was surprised at how shy he seemed to be sometimes. There were a few times where it seemed like he couldn't maintain eye contact for long. He almost seemed unsure of himself and that made Paige feel better because she was shy too. When he left for the night, they hugged lightly and he promised to see her the next morning.
XXXXXX
Norman held the two coffees and a bag of bagels in his hands so he had to knock on the back door with his elbow. It took a few minutes before Paige opened it. She was on the phone and looked highly annoyed as she held the door open for him. She wasn't talking, just listening. She shook her head at him but waved him in. He smiled as she rolled her eyes.
" No, I understand what you are saying," Paige finally said. She turned and started back to her office as he let the door close behind him. " but you are telling me no one can come here until four days from now so what am I supposed to do? I have a business to run. I have orders coming in so I can't just sit around and do nothing." He was surprised at the annoyed tone in her voice. She always seemed so pleasant and nice.
" I got you coffee and bagels." He whispered, making her smile as she sat down.
" Listen, this is how it is going to go. I am going to buy the windows and replace them. You send someone here to look at the pictures the cops and my friend took," And by friend, Norman knew she meant him, " you take the receipts I will have from the glass work and give me the money for it. That is your job as my insurance company.....Yes I understand you might not give me all the money back but that is a chance I will have to take, isn't it? I pay a certain amount every month to you in case something like this happens. Now it has and you are jerking me around." Paige was leaning back in her chair, her frown focused on the computer screen. " After this is done and over with I am finding a new insurance company.....Oh, really? Well look at that. I look forward to seeing your agent this afternoon then. Thank you." She pulled her phone away and hung it quickly. She tossed it on the counter with a frown.
" Damn, next time I need someone to go off about something, I'm calling you." Norman said, handing over her coffee. He had watched how she get her coffee ready so he knew just how she liked it.
" Well what the hell? I mean seriously? This was a break-in and they are acting like I did this to myself. No one was going to come here for a while and you know where their office is? Just two blocks away. I'm so annoyed right now." Paige snapped as she took the coffee.
" I see that. You better drink this coffee and eat this bagel so you calm down." He said, pushing the bagel towards her.
" Thanks but I don't usually eat breakfast." She said. She popped the lid off the coffee and let the scent fill her.
" Yeah, I know, that's what Leo said but you should. We are going to be busy today and you need to energy. Who else is coming?" Norman asked. He kind of hoped it was going to be just the two of them. He wanted to talk with her more.
" Just Hailey. James had requested the day off and Leo has to work this afternoon. He said he'd come in but he didn't get home until one and he was pretty drunk so I'm sure he is going to be hung over. I didn't even wake him up."
" Is he pretty loud when he's drunk?" He watched her carefully as she got ready to eat. She was breaking the bagel into different pieces.
" He's hyper. Last night he came flying in my room and started jumping on my bed." Paige said with a smile. He had been proclaiming it the best night of his life. He and Sean got along like they had been friends forever and had exchanged numbers. " He woke me straight out of a dead sleep. First, he jumped on me, scaring the hell out of me. Then he grabbed me by the shoulders and started shaking me to make sure I was awake."
" Does he do that often?" Norman asked. Paige laughed and nodded.
" If I don't go out with him and he comes home drunk he does. He likes me to know he is home. But if he brings someone home then he won't do it." Norman looked up at her but she wasn't looking at him.
" Are you guys...." He didn't know why he was asking. Well he knew why. It was because he liked her and didn't want to think about her sleeping with someone. He was just surprised that he was asking. Paige seemed just as surprised when she looked up at him.
" Yuck, no!" She said quickly, making him smile.
" What do you mean yuck? He said you guys used to be friends with benefits." Norman said without thinking.
" You guys talk about me alot." She said. He laughed and let his eyes fall to his breakfast. " And we weren't friends with benefits. We dated for like a month. And there were a few times after we broke up that we slept together but I would have never called us friends with benefits. I mean, Leo is a good looking guy but I'm just not into him like that now. He just comes into my room at night to make me mad." She said.