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Chapter 7

A1 were given a few days time off from their recordings. It was perfect timing because they have been meaning to throw a party for Jewel. Her birthday is coming up, and now they have enough time to plan everything.
�Has anyone called up Andi?� Christian asked. Mark and Ben were with him in the kitchen, finishing up their plans for the party.
�I did,� Ben answered. �She said she�d bring the decorations.�
Mark looked at their checklist. �Okay. We�ve got the drinks, some finger foods, and, let�s not forget, the cake,� he smiled. �Looks like we�re all set!�
�Except for presents,� Ben pointed out. �Have you guys bought her anything, yet?�
�Well, I was thinking that maybe we could all go to the mall today and we can each buy her a gift,� Christian suggested.
�We better get going,� Mark said and they all stood up.
As they were leaving the kitchen, they saw Paul coming down the stairs.
�If you would be my girlfriend, then I would be in heaven�� he sang.
�Paul,� Christian called him. �What have you been doing? Jewel�s birthday would be-� He stopped talking when Paul grabbed him and started waltzing with him in the living room. �Hey!�
��Then I could do anything. I'd stand on my head and sing, if you were my girl�� Paul continued to sing as he tried to dance with Christian.
�Stop it already, Paul! I will never be your girlfriend!� Christian exclaimed, trying to free himself as Mark and Ben laughed at them.
�I�m not talking about you!� Paul laughed with the other two.
�Hmm, looks like our Paul has been planning something on his own for Jewel�s birthday,� Ben said, raising his eyebrows.
�You�ve finally decided to tell her, huh?� Mark asked.
�I have done a lot of thinking, a whole lot. And I�ve decided that I�ve got to be honest with her. It would only be fair. I don�t want any more confusion,� he said. �If she accepts my love, then I�d be the happiest man on earth. But if not, well, I�ll still be there for her and be her friend, that is if she�d still want me to.�
Christian gave out a small whistle. �Whoa, you�ve really given this a lot of thought.�
�I sure did,� he replied. �I have to.�
�Good luck then, mate,� Ben patted his shoulder.
�Thanks. I�ll need that.�
�So, any chance on letting us on in this surprise?�
Paul laughed. �Fat chance. You�ll just see what�ll happen.�
�Well, we�re off to the mall,� Mark told him. �Want to come with us?� �Sure.�
�Alright. Let�s get going!� And they all went out of the house, piled up in the car and drove to the mall.

Three days later, Jewel received a call at work from Andi, saying that she�s sorry she would not be able to see her that evening because her boss asked her to work late that night. Great, Jewel thought. And the guys told me they�d have an important meeting with a few people tonight. She sighed. Looks like I�m going to have a birthday dinner by myself.
She went home feeling depressed. Well, at least they remembered to greet me, she thought as she turned her key in the front door�s keyhole. She stepped inside the house, and when she turned on the lights in the living room, she was surprised with what she saw. Colorful streamers were hanging on the walls. There are balloons, too. And there was a basket of pink roses on the coffee table. Oh, wow! My favorite! As she knelt down to smell the roses, Andi, Mark, Ben and Christian jumped from behind her and shouted, �Happy Birthday!�
�Thanks, you guys!� she smiled at them. �This looks beautiful!� she said, referring to the roses. Then she stood up to give each one of them a hug. But she felt something missing. Or rather, someone. �Umm, where�s Paul?�
�We�re not sure,� Mark answered. �He left a while ago, but he said he�ll be back later.�
�Oh,� she nodded.
�Don�t worry. He�ll catch up,� Andi told her
�Yeah,� Ben agreed as he turned on the stereo and played an album of dance tunes. �Let�s party!�
The party went on its way. Everybody was having fun, eating and dancing. Christian was dancing with Andi and Mark asked Jewel to dance with him. Seeing that he was left without a partner, Ben grabbed a balloon, drew a face on it and pretended to dance with it. The rest were laughing at him as he tried to dance with his balloon-partner. Soon, they were just all over the place, dancing and fooling around. Christian got the video camera and focused it on Jewel.
�Hey, birthday girl! Smile for the camera!�
Jewel waved at him. �Thanks for the party!� she said, as she puckered her lips and made a kissing sound.
�Aww,� he said, and then laughed.
They all took a break for a while. And that�s when they took the cake out and made Jewel blow out the candles.
�And don�t forget to make a wish,� Andi told her.
Jewel closed her eyes, and just thought about Paul. Then she blew out the candles as the rest clapped. Then they each gave Jewel a present. Andi bought her a bottle of perfume, and Mark bought her a digital organizer. From Christian, she got an expensive wristwatch. And from Ben, she got a huge white teddy bear holding a bouquet of pink roses.
�He�s so cute, Ben!� she said as she hugged the teddy bear. �I think I�ll call him �Fussy�.�
�Erm, don�t you mean �Fuzzy�?� Ben asked.
�No, I mean �Fussy�, to remind me of how you always fuss with your hair!� she laughed.
�Hey, I do not!� Ben disagreed, and then laughed.
A couple of hours have passed but Paul still hasn�t come back. Jewel started to get worried, but she didn�t tell the others. Soon, Andi was about to leave.
�Happy Birthday again, Jewel!� she said as she hugged her.
�Thanks, Andi,� Jewel hugged her back.
�I better get going,� she said. �Bye, guys!� Andi waved at them.
�Oh, wait! I�ll take you home,� Christian offered, standing up.
�Okay, thanks,�
Jewel walked with them out of the house. Christian proceeded to the garage to start the car.
�Hey, don�t worry about Paul,� Andi told Jewel.
She sighed. �I can�t help it. Where could he be?�
Andi shrugged. �I don�t know. But he�ll be back,� she reassured Jewel.
�I hope so.�
�He will,� she looked over at Christian, who was already in the car. �I have to go.�
�Alright. Thanks again,� she smiled and Andi smiled back. Jewel watched as they pulled out of the driveway and into the street. She gave them a wave, and then went back inside the house.
Mark and Ben were starting to clean up the place. She went over to help them, but Mark scolded her in a mocking way.
�Young lady, don�t you know it�s against the rules to clean up after your own birthday party?�
�Oh, I�m sorry,� she smiled.
Mark smiled back. �Go, do whatever you want. You�ve still got a few more hours before your birthday ends,� he said, looking at the wall clock.
�Alright. Thanks,� she said. �I�ll just change out of these clothes and take a walk.� She went up the stairs to her room and changed into a pair of jeans and a baby-tee.
�I�ll see you guys later! Thanks again for the party!� she said as she went out of the door. She sighed. I think I�ll just go to the park, she thought.
The night was just a bit warm. She could see a few stars in the dark sky. When she arrived in the park, she saw only a few people, most of them teenagers. She went over to her favorite spot, a bench near the fountain. Where could he be?, she thought to herself for about a millionth time that night.

Uh-oh, I am so very late! Paul thought as he turned the doorknob of their front door.
�Honey, I�m home!� he called out.
Ben was coming out of the kitchen. �Sorry, Paul. But your honey is not here.�
�What?�
�Winnie the Pooh ate it!� he said and then chuckled. �No, seriously, Jewel went out for a walk.�
�Oh, great,� he groaned.
�What took you so long anyway?�
�I�ll explain later. I better go out and find her now,� he said as he hurriedly went out of the house. And I think I know just where she is.

Jewel was staring at the fountain, thinking of a thousand reasons as to why Paul wasn�t in the party. Maybe he forgot that it�s my birthday. Nah, the guys would�ve told him. Maybe he�s gotten himself into an accident. Oh my gosh! I sure hope not! Or maybe he�s got a date tonight� She frowned at that last reason. Oh no! That would be the worst birthday present ever! Then suddenly, she heard someone singing behind her.
�Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, happy birthday. Happy birthday to you�� It was Paul, his hands were in his pockets. He gave her a shy and apologetic smile.
Jewel stood up and gave him a hug. �Paul! I was worried about you!�
He hugged her back. �I�m sorry I�m late. I was detained.�
�Where have you been anyway?� she pulled back to look at him.
�Just around town. You see, I talked to someone about your birthday present yesterday. And he told me that it would be available at 9:30 tonight. But I couldn�t be at that party of yours with no present to give you,� he explained. �So, I hang around town for a while until I finally got you this.� He pulled out a small blue velvet box from his right pocket, and handed it to her. �Happy Birthday, Jewel.�
She opened the box. Inside is a silver necklace. Its pendant is an outline of a heart and inside it is a musical note.
�I know that you like music a lot. I mean, it just shows. You take music everywhere you go and in whatever you do,� he said.
�Thanks so much, Paul!� she hugged him again. �I love it!� She took the necklace from the box and placed the box in the pocket of her jeans.
Paul stepped closer. �Here, let me put it around your neck.� He fastened the lock at the back of her neck. �There.�
Jewel looked down at the pendant and touched it.
�I�ll always wear this. I�ll never take it off,� she told him.
As she lifted her head to face him, she found herself staring into his soulful green eyes. Her own brown eyes are full of confusion, but full of love at the same time. And then, without saying a word, Paul bent his head and kissed her on the lips. She was startled at first, but soon she found herself responding to his kisses. She put her hands behind his neck as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. They exchanged gentle kisses, as gentle as the wings of a butterfly. Jewel let herself get lost in them.
But suddenly, the image of the girl crying in the club flashed in her mind. Her eyes burst open and she pushed Paul away.
�Jewel, I-� he started.
�No, Paul. I�I�I can�t,� she stammered. Tears started flowing involuntarily from her eyes. �I just can�t.�
�But, I-�
�I�m so sorry, Paul,� she said. And with that, she ran away from him and headed towards the direction of their house.
�I love you,� he said, almost in a whisper, as he was left there standing alone.

Jewel opened the door to their house and banged it as soon as she entered.
�Whoa!� Christian exclaimed. He has just gotten back from dropping Andi off. He was watching television with the other two.
Mark saw Jewel�s tear-strained face. �What�s wrong, Jewel? What happened?� He started to approach her, but she ran up the stairs and slammed the door of her bedroom.
A few moments later, Paul entered the house and also slammed the door behind him.
�Whoa!� Christian said again. �Is this some sort of a trend that you�re starting?�
�Uh-oh. This is bad,� Ben said, seeing the look on Paul�s face.
�What happened, Paul?� Mark asked him.
Paul took a seat on one of the armchairs, and placed his head in his hands. �Man, I blew it!�
�This is very bad,� Ben remarked.
Paul told them the whole story, and he finished with, �I don�t know what went wrong. It felt so right when we were kissing. I don�t understand it!�
�Did you remember to use a breath mint?� Ben asked.
�Stop fooling around, Ben,� Christian scolded him.
�Sorry.�
�Damn! I just might have pushed her further away from me!� Paul said.
�You�d better talk to her,� Mark suggested.
�Yeah, I will,� Paul nodded. �One of these days. It�s the only thing left for me to do.�
In the meantime, Jewel was sitting on her bed, crying. She hugged a pillow to her chest and looked out the window. No! This can�t be happening, she thought to herself. It�s hard enough to hide my feelings from him, and now this! I�m so very sorry, Paul. You don�t know how sorry!

�You kissed?� Andi exclaimed. She was walking by the poolside with Jewel one afternoon.
�Yeah, we did,� she said, bowing her head down.
�So, how was it?� she asked excitedly.
�It was wonderful,� Jewel smiled at the memory. �It was like falling into space, not caring what will happen.�
�Oh, I�m so happy for you!� Andi hugged her.
�Yeah. I guess I should be glad, too, huh?�
Andi sighed. �No offense, Jewel, but I think what you�re doing is stupid. I mean, I know you want to be with him. But what do you do about it? Nothing! And even worse, you want to hide it from him.�
�I am just so scared, Andi!� Jewel said, her voice almost pleading.
�He kissed you, Jewel! That ought to mean something, right?�
�Yeah� maybe� oh, I don�t know!� she said in exasperation.
Andi glanced at her wristwatch. �Oh gosh! I hate to leave you like this, but I have to be in a meeting in about 20 minutes.�
�It�s alright. I�ll be fine,� Jewel gave her a smile.
�I�ll give you a call, alright?�
�Okay. Thanks.�
Andi smiled at her and then hurried towards the house. She bumped into Paul in the kitchen.
�Hey, Andi!�
�Hi, Paul,� she said. �How�s it going?�
�Okay, I guess,� he shrugged.
�Listen. I think you�d better go talk to Jewel. She�s right outside,� she pointed towards the back.
�Yeah, I guess I�d better. Thanks,� he said and then went out of the kitchen through the back door. He saw Jewel sitting on a chaise, her back towards him. He took a deep breath and approached her.
�Hi,� he said.
She jumped and turned around. �Paul! Oh, umm, hi!�
He took a seat in front of her. �So,� he started. �Uh, how are you?� Oh, that�s smooth, Maz! Just smooth, he silently scolded himself.
�Fine,� she answered immediately. �Just fine, just fine. I�m okay. Everything�s great.� Stop it, Jewel. You�re blabbing, Jewel told herself.
�Good,� Paul nodded. �That�s good.�
Then there was awkward silence. Paul cleared his throat. Say something to her, you jerk! But Jewel beat him to it.
�Uh, how about you?� she asked. Ugh! What a way to break the ice!
�Who, me?� He felt like kicking himself. Of course you, stupid! Who else? �I�m okay. Just great!� he smiled. Then he sighed. �This is crazy, Jewel. We can�t even have a decent conversation. I think we should talk. I mean really talk.�
�Yeah, you�re right,� she agreed. She inhaled deeply and then exhaled. �I apologize for the way I acted.�
�I�m sorry, too. I didn�t mean to make you cry, and on the night of your birthday of all nights!�
�The only reason I did is because I�m scared,� she said. �I�m scared to be in that kind of relationship with you.�
�But why?� Paul reached out to take both her hands in his.
�Oh, Paul! Don�t you see? Your friendship is so very important to me. If we take our relationship further and it doesn�t work, I� I don�t think I�ll be able to handle that. I hope you�ll understand me, Paul.�
He didn�t say anything, so she continued.
�I don�t want to lose your friendship. I just want us to remain friends.� She was afraid that he�d walk away from her right then. But to her relief, she saw him smile.
�Alright, if that�s what you want. I�d very much prefer us being friends than us avoiding each other,� he said. Then lightly squeezing her left hand, they both stood up.
�Thanks so much, Paul! You�re the best!� she gave him a hug.
He hugged her back, and then pulled back a little.
�But, Jewel, don�t ask me to deny my feelings for you,� he looked her in the eye. �I just couldn�t do that.� She just nodded.
He smiled and started to walk back towards the house. But he turned around and said, �Oh, yeah. And there�s one more thing.� He bent over and whispered in her ear. �You�re a terrific kisser.�
Jewel was surprised and couldn�t help but blush.
�See you later,� he said as he entered the door to the kitchen.
All she could do was stare after him. How do I respond to that?

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