⇾ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 | 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐈

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚 ➪ 𝘼𝙨 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙒𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙀𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧

ꕥ May 25, 1966 ꕥ
Juliette's POV

"Am I gonna get to see you again soon?" Paul asked as we stepped out of the diner into the cool evening air.

"Well, you'll have to," I replied slowly.

"Well, yeah, but I mean...just as two people who want to get to know one another?" he asked me, twiddling his thumbs behind his back.

I thought for a moment, looking down at my feet for a brief second to try and get over the fact that he was standing right in front of me. "Paul, maybe we should see what happens with those tests before we try and start anything," I said finally.

I looked back up and his face looked slightly let-down, but he nodded nonetheless. "Maybe you're right."

"I'm sorry," I replied awkwardly.

He shook his head. "No, I get it," he replied. "Things are always gonna be different now. Aren't they?"

I shrugged. "Maybe."

He looked around at the empty parking lot. "Do you have a ride home?" he asked me.

"I'll catch a cab," I replied with a feeble smile.

"How about I just take you home?" he asked. "I've got a nice car." He smiled teasingly.

"N-no, you don't have to," I replied immediately.

"No, please, I insist," he responded, smiling at me.

I was quiet for a moment as I tried to find it in me to not give into his offer, but I was unable to. He was staring at me with such a convincing look that I finally sighed. "Oh, alright," I responded.

He broke into an even wider smile than before. "Brilliant," he responded. "Right this way." He gestured towards a car parked right up by the front of the building. It was getting dark and it was all alone. Not one person had come into the diner while we had been eating. Maybe that's why he chose it. Maybe it was always empty like that. I could only imagine that he had to be very particular with what places he went to in public.

He led me over to his car and even opened the door for me. He was clearly trying very hard to win me over. It was quite endearing, really. When he climbed into the driver's seat next to me finally, he went to adjust his mirrors slightly. "Where am I headed to?" he asked with a smile.

"The Stevenson's Building," I responded sheepishly. He was probably used to lavish mansions, so my lowly little apartment building probably seemed a little silly.

"Alrighty," he replied. "So, do you live alone?"

"Uh—no, I've got a roommate. Her name is Caroline."

He nodded, keeping his eyes trained solely on the road. "Interesting."

I smirked. "Why do you want to know?"

He shrugged. "No reason. If you're gonna have my baby, I wanna know who you're living with."

I rolled my eyes. "We don't know if I'm having your baby yet. Slow down, please."

"Oh, come on, do you really think that they're gonna say you're not?"

I paused. Did I? Of course not. "I don't know. Honestly, I hope they do."

"What? You don't want to be tied to me for the rest of your life?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Not particularly," I replied with a laugh.

"Hey, you seemed really worried about what your parents were gonna think about all this. Do they know?"

I bit my lip and shook my head. I hadn't even been thinking about that. "No, they don't."

"Are you...scared to tell them?" he asked, sounding slightly nervous.

I looked down at my lap. "I'm terrified to tell them."

"W-why is that?"

"Well, they're all Catholics. The whole—y'know—no sex until marriage...well, it's a huge thing for them. I'm just scared of what they'll say. They can be quite...degrading."

Paul stayed quiet for a moment. "But you're their daughter. Surely they'll understand, right?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. They flipped out when I told them I'd kissed a boy."

"Hmmm," he hummed. "I'm glad my dad wasn't like that."

Suddenly, I felt tears well up in my eyes. "I wish my parents weren't like that," I choked out and Paul looked over at me in concern.

"Oh, love, don't cry," he said consolingly. "It's alright, y'know. Whatever that test says, we'll get through it, I promise."

"You're sure?" I asked him for confirmation between my tears.

"I'm sure," he responded. "It'll be alright as long as we have each other, alright?"

Despite my strong emotions, I still felt my cheeks turn red as I listened to what he said. What a sweet thing to say. "Alright," I responded.

ꕥ ꕥ ꕥ

When we finally pulled up to my apartment building, Paul looked a little crestfallen.

"I guess this is it for now, yeah?"

I nodded feebly. I really didn't want it to be it, but I needed time to think everything through on my own.

"Here," I said to him, digging in my purse for a piece of paper. I always had one with me. You never knew when you might need it. I scribbled our phone number onto it and handed it to a curious-looking Paul. "Feel free to call, and if you wish to see me in person for some reason, you know where to find me. I'm on the second floor in apartment 201." I smiled sheepishly.

"Well, if you ever need to see me," he responded in turn. "Find me at 7 Cavendish Avenue." He smiled as I looked down to scribble that onto another little slip of paper.

"Will do," I replied finally. "Bye, Paul. Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime, love," he responded with a little smile and a wave.

As soon as his car rounded the corner, I turned around and raced upstairs to tell Caroline everything.

She was waiting on the couch when I made it up there. I stopped in the doorway, doubling over to catch my breath. "I...shouldn't...have...ran...up here," I wheezed. When I looked back up, Caroline was staring at me with a raised eyebrow.

"You're excited about something," she noted. "What is it? What did Paul say?"

I smiled. "Well, wouldn't you like to know?" I quipped with a grin.

"Oh, come on! Tell me!" she squealed excitedly, patting the couch next to her.

I went and sat down solemnly. "So," I began with a deep breath. She was watching me in anticipation. I recounted every last detail in perfect memory. I'd taken a mental note of everything that had happened, and now I realized, sitting here, that that was exactly what I needed to do from here on out.