That Summer

The door loomed before Paul, even as he was just about the same height.

The whole house was intimidating. Paul didn't want to be here, but at the same time he knew he had to be. He'd been right when Evangeline was so wrong; but he had to be here now. For once, in the entirety of his chauvinistic life, Martin had been truly right about something. He'd been right and insightful and deep and now Paul, the one who was supposed to be caring and gentle, realized he was being a total asshole.

Martin was telling Paul that he was a dick, and Martin was completely correct. What was the world coming to?

These were the exact thoughts which passed through Paul's head as he raised his hand to ring the doorbell.

His finger shook slightly as it pressed down on the round button and a ringing erupted all around him. Paul heard movement from the other side of the door, footsteps moving down stairs and across the living room to the front door. The clicking of the doorknob turning seemed to be tremendously loud to Paul's ears and he braced himself for the girl on the other side of the door.

But when the door swung open, there was no too-thin blonde staring at him in contempt. There was only a brunette girl there. A beautiful brunette, with honey brown hair and tanned skin and chocolate eyes and a large smile. But a second after the door opened, something seemed to click in this girl's eyes and her smile faltered, then changed. She looked slightly confused but very much in awe. Paul could swear that it almost seemed like she recognized him.

"Are you Bailey?" he questioned after a moment.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. Evangeline just sent me down here to answer the door. I could call her down if you want?" Bailey offered slowly.
"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks," Paul smiled. Bailey nodded back, still looking slightly dumfounded, and moved to the stairs.

She ran back into Evangeline's room, eyes wild, and skidded to a stop on the carpet. Evangeline looked up from the book she'd been reading and raised her eyebrows.

"You okay?" she questioned, looking slightly amused.
"He's here," Bailey whispered even though Paul couldn't hear her from downstairs. "That guy from your sketchbook."
"Paul?" Evangeline whispered back loudly and slightly alarmed. "What the hell is he doing here?"
"I don't know!" she threw her hands in the air. "But he's hotter in person."

Evangeline narrowed her eyes to which Bailey only shrugged and muttered a small sorry. The blonde stood and looked down to her pooling jeans and tee shirt, letting out a small shrug. She descended the stairs slowly, watching as Paul came slowly into view. He looked nervous, standing there and playing with his fingers, his head down and feet shuffling.

"Paul?" Evangeline asked, catching the boy's attention. His head snapped up and he smiled. He couldn't help it; she looked healthier. If only a little bit. She didn't seem to have gained any weight but she hadn't lost any, either. She had color in her cheeks now and that made Paul happy. He wondered how much of it was due to Bryan, Bailey or something inside Evangeline that had changed on its own.
"Hey, Evan," he smiled.
The corners of her mouth tugged up against her will. "So what are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to see how you were. And apologize for disappearing like that," Paul's eyes dropped back to the ground. He looked shamed and some evil part of Evangeline felt happy because of that. Another part of her felt bad. And an even different part felt angry for letting herself care.

She knew she could do one of three things. She could accept his apology and move on, or she could refuse him and ask him to leave, which would probably just break his heart even more, and make those beautiful brown eyes plead with her. Or, lastly, she could just shrug; give him a noncommittal answer but not throw him out. That response would probably confuse Paul; maybe even anger him.

So Evangeline thought over all these responses and then she, simply, shrugged.

Something flashed in Paul's eyes then and he had to fight to not let his eyebrows furrow. He was upset by that answer. He didn't know if Evangeline was accepting him or refusing him and that was one of the most frustrating things he'd ever experienced. And he was just about to question her when the door suddenly opened behind them.

"Oh, man," Bryan was saying as he walked through the door, his eyes on his phone. "So I just almost ran into Mrs. Finkleberg from down the street. She was walking that stupid dog of hers and I ducked behind a-" he cut himself off as his eyes fell on his sister and friend in his living room. "Oh. Hey, dude," Bryan said slowly, unsure if this situation was a good one or bad one.
"Hey," Paul answered awkwardly. "I was just stopping by to see what was going on and...stuff. I'm actually going to go. Bye," he said and turned towards the door before pausing. "Bye, Evan," he murmured softly.

The Donahues watched Paul go in silence and the second the door was firmly shut behind him Bailey made her way into the room.

"What was that about?" Bryan asked.
"He apologized," his sister answered simply.
"Why didn't you tell me that there was a ridiculously attractive boy who's practically in love with you?" Bailey demanded.
Evangeline's eyebrows raised, half in lackadaisical amusement, and she was about to answer until Bryan did for her. "Paul's been in love with Evangeline since they were like twelve," he shrugged. "I think she's just gotten too used to it."

At that point, Bailey answered Bryan and they began going off on a separate discussion of which Evangeline was sure she was supposed to be apart of, but she wasn't listening. Something Bryan had said made sense; it sparked something in her mind. Evangeline had gotten used to Paul being obsessed with her. She had gotten used to Paul being around for her to tear down when she wanted or to catch her when she fell. She was used to all of that. So, when Paul had magically stopped showing up she didn't know what to do. He just wasn't there anymore. That had crushed her. And when he came back, Evangeline had felt a soaring in her chest that she'd not experienced for a long time.

She came to the sudden realization that with the way Paul had just left - with the noncommittal answer she had given him - he may choose not to come back. Again. The thought made something in her stomach tug uncomfortably. Evangeline realized, suddenly, that Paul didn't need her anymore.

She needed him.