𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐩//𝐌𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧//

Thirty seven

(Note at the end)!!!

Paul

john came back with their food and they all ate around the table, laughing at anecdotes john told about his childhood. Paul and john could tell that carly wasn't used to sitting around a table eating a meal like this. at one point she accidentally spilt her drink and was quick to clear it up with a cloth repeating sorry, this caused Paul's heart to break as he knew it was her fathers strict influence on her that made her so paranoid and worried about upsetting people. Paul made sure to reassure carly that it's alright and accidents happen and nobody was angry at her in which carly responded by saying sorry for being sorry.  •  after eating they all went into the living room as it was coming up to six o'clock and they all played board games together and bonded over tubs of ice cream.  after around two hours Paul asked john to run a bath for carly and carly pulled out a few dolls from her rucksack to take in the bathtub with her. Paul and john let her get in and play for a while whilst they pulled the mattress from the spare bedroom into the main bedroom and then went and stood in the kitchen . after John stubbed out a cigarette he'd finished off of the phone began to ring and paul walked over to the wall and answered it.  it was anne.  "Paul lovely! so nice to hear your voice, how are you?"  "i'm great actually thank you, how are you?" Paul smiled into the phone at his grandmother.  "i'm well, and i'm glad you're doing good paulie, you deserve it. anyway, i'm calling because you know my daughter melanie? well she's getting married in the week and i forgot to tell you that she's invited you, if your not busy that is?" Paul wasn't to keen on melanie, she took advantage of anne and it upset him. but nonetheless he agreed to go and got all the details off her and anne informed him he could bring a plus one if he wanted too.  they shared small talk and then
Paul hung up the phone and turned round to john.  "fancy going to a wedding with me wednesday?" He asked.  "who's wedding?" he questioned back.  "anne, you know from the book shop, her daughter melanie's."  john thought about it skeptically, "i don't know paul, me and smart clothing don't really go together."  "oh please johnny, pleaseee," he whined wrapping his arms around john and staring up to him.  John rolled his eyes playfully, "fine but you'll have to help me choose something to wear," paul nodded his head eagerly replying,  "let you catwalk it out for me in different suits, yes please," he teased winking at him, "but you have to come shopping with me for a new suit."  "let you catwalk it out for me in different suits, yes please," he mocked pauls voice. Paul rolled his eyes laughing at him. He kissed the bottom of johns jaw until carly called from the bathtub saying she was ready to get out.  • Paul helped her out and then left her to change into her pyjamas in the bathroom.  meanwhile john and paul went into his bedroom to do the same. Paul looked through his wardrobe looking for suitable bed clothes and then found the sweatshirt john let him borrow when they got soaked in torrential rain. He held it up and turned to face john who was shirtless and pulling a sweater of his own out his bag. Paul quickly pulled the sweatshirt to cover his eyes and red cheeks.  "paul you can look you know," he chuckled, paul pulled the sweatshirt from his eyes and let them linger over his naked upper half. they then made their way up to his eyes where he stood looking at paul with an amused glint.  Paul quickly snapped out of it turning redder and said, "can i wear this?" he held the sweatshirt in front of him and pouted his lips. John pulled his own black sweatshirt over his head and walked over to him whilst pulling it down.  "yeah, keep it, looks better on you anyway," he winked.  Paul turned away from him and pulled out some bottoms and shut the wardrobe doors.  john turned around to let him change in privacy.  he turned to face him when he said so and immediately noticed the purple mark on his neck becoming more visible. he walked over to paul smirking and swiped a finger over it, "did a good job with that one didn't i?" he joked. Paul quickly walked to the mirror to inspect the bruising but any worry he had of it being so visible disappeared when he remembered the feeling of johns lips touching him in that way. he adjusted the jumper to cover it enough so carly wouldn't question it, he then turned to john and said, "you sure did."  •  afterwards carly knocked on the door and was invited in with knotty wet hair and a scruffy rabbit stuffed animal in her hand. she sat on the mattress on the floor and paul kneeled behind her and began combing her hair.  "john play your guitar for us!" carly asked excitedly,  "yes johnny play your guitar for us."  he picked up his guitar throwing the strap over his shoulder, "do you lovely's have any recommendations?"  "anything," carly said watching him intently as paul french plaited one half of her head.  "well carl, it just so happens i'm working on a new cover with the band and i'm not sure if i sound too good on it, can you review me?" carly shouted a loud yes in response.  he pulled out a pair of glasses from his bag placing them on the tip of his nose and began strumming a familiar song to paul. He stopped plaiting for a while and looked up to john . He stared in aw of him in his element, and being confident enough to wear his glasses in front of him as paul knew he was insecure about that. John briefly looked up to him and then back down to his guitar.  he began to sing a slower acoustic version of the of the song a fool such as i by elvis. Paul tied an elastic band around the end of carlys plait, and before moving onto the second one he wrapped his arms around carlys shoulders and watched john in aw.  when John finished he nervously looked up to find their eyes watching his every move. he took the strap off his shoulder and asked, "so what do you think?"  "wow," carly replied dumbfounded,  "yeah me too, wow," paul added.  they both started clapping their hands at him making him turn red.  "that was beautiful, truly, i knew your voice was great, but johnny that was - wow," paul couldn't shake the trance john had put him in whilst singing, "the glasses were a nice touch too," he winked teasing making john quickly take them off his face.  • Paul finished carlys hair and let her now begin playing with his own hair. john joined in letting carly try to teach him how to do plaits with the limit of hair paul has while continuously pulling on different strands accidentally making paul wince and john apologize.  after a while, carly got tired and so paul lay next to her on the makeshift bed.  carefully Paul climbed onto her own bed next to where john lay with his glasses back on his face reading a magazine of pauls he found in the pile next to his bed. they'd already turned off the main light and so he was struggling to read it with just the light off of his small lamp. John put the magazine on the floor next to him and opened his arms for Paul to go and lie next to him. He crawled up and into johns arms placing a hand on his chest and his head on johns shoulder.  "you're so good with her," he whispered putting a hand on top of pauls and using his other hand to rub up and down his back.  "i try to be," paul replied.   He pulled the covers over the top of their bodies and nestled himself into the crook of johns arm. he felt John kiss the top of his head and whisper, "goodnight paul."
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Hey guys!!! I finally updated :) wouldn't be surprised if people didn't want to read this anymore because of how long I took. I will be updating it more now !! Let me know what you think and thank you for sticking along if you are still reading <3