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Chapter 9

Jewel woke up the next day, and felt something on her bedside. She turned around and saw Paul sleeping beside her, half-sitting and half-lying. Then she remembered what happened. She smiled and touched his face. He took care of me last night. Paul slowly opened his eyes and blinked rapidly.
�I�m sorry. I didn�t mean to wake you,� she smiled and sat up.
He smiled back at her. �Are you feeling better?� He sat up and laid his back on the headboard.
�Yeah, thanks to you,� she said. �I�m sorry I kept you awake last night.�
�It�s alright. I had a wonderful sleep.�
�How can you say that? I know your sleeping position wasn�t very comfortable.�
�Yeah, I guess so,� he shrugged, and then looked at her. �But I was beside you. That�s enough to make it wonderful.�
She blushed and smiled shyly. She didn�t know what to say. They were both silent for a while. Then Jewel cleared her throat.
�Uh, I think I better go take a shower,� she said, and then stood up.
�Yeah. Uh, I�ll be in later,� he said. Then realizing that what he had said might have implied a different meaning, he quickly added, �I mean, after you�re finished, of course� I didn�t mean that while you�re still in there, because that would mean that we� that is� I mean��
She cut him off to put him out of his misery. �It�s okay, Paul. I know what you mean.�
He laughed nervously. �Uh, yeah. Of course.� He stood up and walked towards the door.
�I�ll see you later,� he said, turning the doorknob.
�See you.� But before Paul could go out, she called him. �Paul?�
�Yeah?� He turned around.
�Thanks again for last night.�
He just smiled and went out of the room. As he was closing the door behind him, he ran into Ben who was just coming out of the bathroom. Ben was surprised to see Paul coming out of Jewel�s room.
�What were you doing there?� Ben asked him, his eyes widening.
�Well, good morning to you, too, Mr. Adams.�
�Did you and Jewel�?�
�No. No, we didn�t,� Paul laughed.
�Then what�?� he looked confused.
�Let�s make breakfast downstairs and I�ll tell you. Come on!�

One afternoon, Jewel was out in the balcony of her room. It was a nice day outside. The soft breeze is whispering to the trees, and the sun is a bit hidden behind the white clouds. It�s a shame to let this day go to waste by spending it inside.
I think I�ll take my book and read it outside, she thought. So she grabbed her paperback romance novel from her desk, and went downstairs. The house is unusually quiet. The boys decided to go to the mall and grab a bite at the coffee shop afterwards. She went through the door in the kitchen and was surprised to see Christian sitting in one of the chaises, playing his guitar.
�Hey, Chris!� she said as she approached him.
�Hi! Nice day, huh?� he commented.
�Sure is. I thought you went with the guys to the mall,� she sat on a chair beside him.
�Nah. I wanted to finish this song that I�m composing,� he answered.
�Really? Can I see the words?�
�Sure,� he said, handing her an open notebook. �I thought you want to wait until the album comes out.�
�Yeah, but I only want to read the lyrics,� she smiled. She looked at the notebook and saw the words �The Things We Never Did� written on top of the page. Then she continued to read.

You and me,
We sit and talk of friendship then I ask,
If you can see
if we could be together, forever
I see the light die in your eyes
Coz you're scared you'll hurt
So you don't want to try

Well take a chance and come home with me
You could stay for eternity
If you try then at least you'll see
Then you'll never regret the things we never did

You turn to me, I see your eyes, and somehow they cease to shine
You smile at me yet I can see, you don't think we can make it
You see the light die in my eyes, coz I'm scared to lose you
I wish you would try

As she read each line, Jewel felt as if they were speaking to her. She has always tried to concentrate on her friendship with Paul and disregarded her deeper feelings for him. But she still could not help imagining them as a couple. She wondered what it would feel like if she could show him what she really feels. But what if it doesn�t work out? What if I lose him forever? What if�?
�There are times in our life when we have to take chances, Jewel,� Christian told her, as if reading her mind.
She looked at him. �But I am really scared. I don�t want to get hurt, and I don�t want Paul to get hurt in the process, either.�
�But you�re already hurting now,� he said. �You don�t want to reveal your feelings, and show him that you really love him. You know, it�s terribly sad when you can�t be with someone you love, but it�s even worse when you can be with someone you love and not do anything about it.� Christian stood up. �Paul is also hurting now, too, you know.� He put one hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. �Think about it, Jewel. You can save a lot of what-ifs when you take a chance on something.� He gave her a smile and then walked back towards the house.
Jewel just sat on the chair and looked down at the notebook. ��If you try then at least you�ll see. Then you�ll never regret the things we never did��

A few weeks later, the boys were told that they were invited to perform in a social gathering in a hotel in another city, so they have to leave town. The day of their departure came, and they were putting their bags at the back of the limousine that will take them to the hotel. Jewel walked them out of the house.
�We�ll be back in a couple of days, Jewel,� Mark said.
�Okay. Take care of yourselves!� she said.
�You too! Bye! We�ll miss you!� Ben said, as they walked towards the car.
�See you, Jewel!� Christian said.
�Bye!�
But Paul lagged behind and walked back towards her.
�Are you sure you�re going to be okay?� he asked.
�I�m sure,� she said. �After all, I have lived in this house alone before. I�ll take care of everything,� she reassured him and gave him a smile.
�Yeah, but I wouldn�t mind taking care of you,� he said, touching her cheek with the back of his hand.
He never failed to make her blush and leave her speechless when he says something like that. They stared at each other for a while, until�
�Paul! Just give her a goodbye kiss and let�s go!� Ben shouted from inside the car.
Now it was Paul�s turn to blush. �I have to go now,� he said and quickly kissed her on her cheek. He ran towards the car and got inside. They all waved at Jewel as the car started to move away and she waved back at them. And then she went inside the house, touching her right cheek where she could still feel Paul�s warm lips.

The next day, Jewel tried to finish off some of her work from the office. She brought her laptop down to the living room and started typing. But something seemed to be distracting her, so she stopped what she was doing and just turned on the television. She was switching the channels and just decided to turn it off. She wasn�t in the mood to watch anything. She went out to the backyard and sat on the hammock. This is crazy. I can�t be missing him already. He�s just been gone for a day! she thought, and then sighed. Who am I kidding? I do miss him already. She stood up and started pacing back and forth. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind and, after giving it much thought, she went back inside the house and up to her room. Now she knows what to do.

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