The day after Thanksgiving was a busy one for Paul. He was up very early to get a start on Christmas shopping. He had never experienced the madhouse known as Black Friday before, and after he spent a good 10 hours buying gifts, he had no desire to experience it again. But he had got gifts for everyone on his list. He and Linda were heading back to school on Sunday, so the shopping had to be done then.
He couldn't wait to give Linda her gift, because he was 100% sure that she would love it. But after a quick trip home for some food, he drove out to the Robbins house, to see Jill. Knocking on the door, Elizabeth Robbins answered, and gave him a warm smile as she let him in. He handed her an extremely large package, and asked that she give it to Jill on Christmas day. Mrs Robbins had always thought that Paul was a sweet boy. Even after all the trouble her daughter had caused him, he still cared enough to give her a present every Christmas. And the fact that he wrote Jill a letter every week just made him a special friend to her daughter.
He went into the living room while Mrs Robbins let Jill know that he was there to see her. Paul wanted to sit down, but the furniture was too tall for him to climb on, so he just paced back and forth, until he heard the heavy footsteps approaching. And then Jill and her mom entered the room.
Paul was sure that Jill looked the happiest that he had ever seen. She went over to him and gave him a gentle hug, and they said hello to each other. Mrs Robbins asked him if he wanted to sit on the chair, and with no other available options, Paul said yes. So she gently lifted him up on top of the seat cushion, and she and her daughter sat on the sofa.
Paul remarked to Jill that she looked really great, and that she seemed happy. Jill smiled and said she was, that a new boy moved in next door only last week, and that they were hanging around with each other, and that she was starting to like him, and he liked her.
Paul smiled and said that he was very happy for her, and that he hoped that he was the boy for her, that she deserved to be happy, that she had a lot going for her. Jill blushed a little, and said thank you. Paul asked what his name was, and she told him it was Pete. Again, Paul told her that he was very happy for her.
After spending about an hour with Jill, he said goodbye to both her and her mom, and drove to Linda's. He was feeling really tired, having been up since 2am. But no matter how tired he might have been, the thought of Linda kept him focused. He couldn't wait to see her. And about 15 minutes after leaving the Robbins’ house, he arrived at the Mills’.
Knocking on the door, Linda opened it within seconds of his last knock. She could see how tired he looked, and offered to make him a cup of coffee, which he gratefully accepted. He said hi to her parents, and took the cup of coffee and followed Linda into her room. The coffee had no effect, and within minutes after finishing, had passed out from exhaustion. Linda smiled at him sleeping on the big chair in her room, and picked him up and placed him on her bed, and covered him over. She went back out to the living room and sat with her parents, who were curious about Paul's absence. Linda explained that he fell asleep, and she didn't want to disturb him.
With the ring on her finger, it made Linda feel like a million dollars. It was beautiful. She never knew about Paul's tutoring job, and didn't know how he could afford such an object. But once he explained what he did in his free time, she felt better. The last thing she wanted him to do was go broke trying to buy things for her.
A few hours later, while Linda was watching TV with her parents, Paul emerged from her bedroom, looking not quite awake, but apologizing to everyone for falling asleep on them. He didn't mean to be rude. Victor laughed, and asked him what time he got up that morning. Paul told him 2, and Victor said that it was understandable that he was exhausted. Paul instinctively got up on the sofa and sat next to Linda, trying to shake the sleepiness from his head. Linda put her arm around him, and pulled him closer to her. The warmth and curve of her body caused a tremendous sensation of joy to run through his body. He just put his head on her chest and started rubbing her arm.
He and Linda were both lost in thoughts about each other, until Stephanie asked them what they wanted for dinner. Paul and Linda said that whatever she made was fine by them. Paul was more alert than he had been a short while before. Linda excused herself and went into the kitchen to
help her mom cook dinner, leaving Paul and Victor alone in the living room.
Victor wanted to know if he could ask Paul a question. Paul told him that he could ask anything. Victor asked him how his visits with Jill were going. It was a subject that Paul never really discussed with anyone, except Linda. Even his parents didn't know the outcome of his visits. Paul gave a thoughtful look, and told him that he believed that she was getting to a point where she could handle being around Betas and Tweeners without issue, but stressed that he was not a doctor, and could make no diagnosis. It was just a feeling.
Victor asked him what was his real reason for wanting to visit her? He told the young man in front of him that most normal people would avoid any contact with the one responsible for the type of injuries that he suffered. Paul told him that when he had found out what had happened to her when she was in first grade, he just overwhelmed with pity for her. He had listened to her parents describe a perfect little girl, happy and carefree, and for her classmates to do what they did, he just couldn't blame her for her actions. He understood why, and just wanted her to know that if he couldn't be there for her when she suffered, he would be there for her going forward. He couldn't explain why, he just needed to tell her.
Not wanting to push the issue further, he asked Paul if he wanted something to drink. Paul asked for a cup of coffee, and thanked him again for giving him the rides to and from college. Victor stood up, and patted him on the shoulder and told him he never had to thank him, he would gladly do it in a heartbeat.
Saturday came. Paul had invited everyone over to his backyard for a get together. After making sure that there was enough food and drinks for everyone, he showered and went to pick up Linda. His parents had surprised him that morning with a vehicle that could accommodate both him and Linda in the front seat. Paul was excited to drive it, and showed up at Linda's. He didn't tell her what his parents had done, so he surprised her when he asked her to close her eyes and take his hand. He led her to a spot, and she heard a car door open, and was surprised when looked and saw the vehicle. Paul told her about his parents’ gift, and said that the chariot awaited the queen. She bent down and picked him up and kissed him like she hadn't seen him in years. They were lost in their own world, until realized that John and Mindy were due to arrive in about 10 minutes. Once Linda put him down, he made sure that she was comfortable, and got into the driver's seat, noticing that Linda's seat was a good foot behind his. But at least he would be able to drive her around, and that was all he cared about.
Once he was back at his house, he saw John and Mindy park just as George and Alice pulled up, followed by Todd and Betty. Paul and Linda greeted everyone out front, and several made jokes about the new Barton Mobile that was parked in the driveway. Everyone looked happy. Todd and Betty. John and Mindy, and George and Alice. God, Paul thought, Alice was looking especially ravishing, with her strawberry blonde hair flowing in the sunlight. George, on the other hand, looked exhausted, like he had been staying up all night working out. And judging by how happy Alice looked, he correctly assumed that he had been up all night working out, just not with weights. He laughed at that thought. A big, strong Alpha male being worn out by a bigger, stronger Alpha female. He would have felt sorry for him, but he knew the feeling well. He looked over at Linda.
But it was time for everyone to move to the backyard, where both Paul and Linda served the others. He told her that serving the guests was his responsibility, to which she replied that if he was going to be a great host, then she would be a great hostess alongside him. He appreciated her more than ever. Once everyone was seated, and had their drinks, Paul thanked everyone for coming. And Linda finally got to show off her ring. Alice was most impressed by the object on Linda's finger. She kept mentioning how beautiful it was, while she kept looking at George, as if to subtly tell him that she was waiting for hers.
Mindy asked Linda if a date had been set, and both Paul and Linda said that once they graduated college, then the date would be picked. Todd really enjoyed his trade school, and was one of the better students in his class. John found developing code pretty neat. It was both very technical and very trial and error. But the promise of a lucrative career was too enticing to pass up. And he too wanted to buy a ring for Mindy, but he couldn't afford it.
Goerge was learning the ins and outs of his father's business. There was a lot of hard work and decision making involved, but he was picking it up, and with Alice studying Business Administration, he would have someone he trusted to be by his side.
And it made Paul feel very fortunate. Life was good for the 18 year old male, and with his engagement to Linda, it would only get better. He looked forward to life in general, and life with Linda in particular. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world.