'Cause I Like Him Too Much

Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Later that afternoon,  I wore my neatest and nicest clothes on. Wondering what was the surprise about, I scudded to the Cavern filled with anticipation. When I got inside, there was absolutely no one there, except the wooden seats and tables, and the faint light coming from the club’s small windows.

  I stood there in the middle looking around. Now what is that George up to?

  “Hi.”, that soft distinct voice right on my back, I started to think there was some sort of misunderstanding happening around. Not what I was expecting, he wasn’t supposed to be here. Not him.

  “Hey Paul.”, I turned to my left and saw him smiling. “W-What are you doing here?”

  Paul offered me a chair and I sat down and watched him, taking one for himself too. “I’m waitin’ for them three.”, he looked down, biting his lower lip which I found rather cute. Well, every girl would think the same way like I, too. Then he tilted his head back to me. “How ‘bout you? What makes you come down here this afternoon?”

  “George told me to go here.”, I said, and began to talk about George’s letter and the ‘surprise’ he got for me.

  “I see.”, Paul seemed to be forcing himself to nod and smile.

  I just ignored it, I didn’t want to jump on things especially if I know nothing about them. It could be that Paul had something to do with George’s surprise for me. And that he didn’t want me to know it. To stop my own mind from unleashing unusual thoughts and before it gets me, as always, I asked Paul instead,

  “So you’re all going today?”

  “Probably. We’ve been told to pack all our things and wait for his call. Eppy got a couple of cars sent for us here.”, he told me.

  I sighed. “Then I guess I should be ready.”

   "Ready for what?", he asked.

  “Ready to do some things busy, I don’t know. I sometimes I hate the feeling of missing you all.”

  A scant smile was drawn on Paul’s face. “You’re going to miss me?”

  “Yes. All of you. John annoys me though. But I think I’ll miss him too. And so Richard.”

  “I’m going to miss you too, Hannah.”

  As much as I wanted to reply and prolong this conversation, even when we I didn’t know where it would to, I just stopped and kept quiet. A very timid whisper from inside told me to. Just in time, I saw George entered with his things in his both hands. By looking at it, he was prepared to go and it made me a bit sad. I went to him, to help him carry them.

  “I’m so happy you’re here, love.”, George said, dropping his case as he held my hand.

   How I wanted much to leap into his arms and kiss him again and again, but now for a long time. Only I was afraid to create a scene and be talked about, it weren’t just the two of us, and I’m glad I didn’t for John came with his wife, Cynthia, both of them greeting all of us with smiles and nods.

  “Cynthia, I apologize for having your husband hit lately.”, I shook Cynthia’s hand as I gave John a ‘I’m so sorry’ kind of smile.

  “It’s alright. He needed it after all.”, Cynthia joked.

 “Better punch harder next time, little girl.”, John grinned, winking at me and George. “And remember, don’t let me catch you doing it again.”

  Thinking I might be defensive, George gently pulled me away from John. Wait, I wasn’t even thinking of fighting back. I turned to George and hugged him, I held his hand, leading him to the corner, away from the others so no one would here of course. And there I asked him, for I could no longer stand it.