★彡ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ | ᴘᴀᴜʟ ᴍᴄᴄᴀʀᴛɴᴇʏ彡★ ✅

★彡[ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 19]彡★

The studio, it turned out, was closer to Mollie's school than the cafe had been, and so as it drew nearer to 3pm, Paul put his bass down and went to find Abby.

She was in the room which Brian had commandeered as his office, and she was talking to him.

Paul knocked on the door, which was wide open. Both Abby and Brian looked up at him. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, "Abs, we need to go or we'll be late."

Abby looked at her watch and gasped. "I didn't realise the time!" She stood up and said to Brian, "thank you so much for today, Mr Epstein, and the job! I'm sorry I have to leave, I -"

Brian held up one hand. "Brian, please, Abby... and as long as your work is done, I don't care what time you leave." He looked at her, "is it done?"

She nodded as she went to join Paul, who had taken her coat from where it was hanging on the wall by the door. He held it open for her. As she put it on with his help, Abby said to Brian, "I didn't have a lot today, which I'm grateful to you for. I think it will take me a few days to get the hang of things, but I can definitely get there."

Brian smiled, "I look forward to it." He excused Abby and Paul with a curt nod, politely asking them to close the door for him on their way out.

Paul opened Abby's car door for her and watched her strap herself in, thinking about how pretty she was. He would have loved to call her his bird. He would have loved to care for her and for Mollie, and to have Abby not have to ever work a day in her life again. He wanted to look after them both and give them the happiest lives that he possibly could.

Was that love?

He thought it was.

"Are you staring at me, Paul?" Abby asked in a teasing tone.

Paul snapped back to reality, realising that he had indeed been staring and that she had caught him.

"N-no, I w-wasn't -" he stumbled over his words, but Abby cut him off with a giggle.

That sound was like music to Paul's ears.

He so desperately wanted to act on his feelings, and resolved to do so the next time that there was an opportunity. Paul went to go get into the car and then they drove off to Mollie's school.

By that point, Paul's car was a regular at Heathmount Primary School. He thought that it didn't really blend in with the other few cars which were around; most mothers walked to pick up their children, and only about seven or eight cars were parked outside of the school. Paul pulled into an empty space and looked at Abby, who was too busy looking out of the back window of the car to notice his movements.

"Something wrong?" He asked. She didn't reply, instead craning her neck so she could see more of whatever it was that she was looking at. Paul reached for her hand which was resting on her knee. Abby jumped when their skin made contact. She turned back to him, "something wrong?" He asked again.

"No, I..." she bit her lip. Paul's attention flickered down to her mouth but he tore his gaze and caught her eyes again. "I don't think you should come with me to pick Mollie up anymore."

"What?" Paul asked in surprise, "why?" He was a little hurt by that, he had to admit. Paul that they had been getting on well, and that she enjoyed having him come and get Mollie with her. He knew that Mollie definitely enjoyed him picking her up!

"Because there are girls outside of the gates." Abby pointed to the school gates through the back window, and sure enough Paul saw that there was a group of about fifteen girls waiting there. A few were sitting down with their backs against the railings, but most were standing up. He knew that the second he got out of the car, they would descend on him like a flock of vultures.