Her chest felt so heavy, a sudden spark of braveness fluttered in her head, she got close to him, he didn't, Paul didn't want to feel that maybe he was benefiting from her previous tipsy state; she leaned to kiss him, unsure if he would stop her since he wasn't making any advances, she gave him quite a clumsy kiss on his lower lip, he seemed frozen, that made her retract a little, but suddenly he pulled her closer and gave her a soft kiss, he could feel her lips tremble.
"Are we ok?" He asked.
She nodded and put her hands on the back of his head and gave him deep passionate kisses, he immediately put his arm around her waist, and with his other he placed her to sit on his legs, he wanted to feel her body close to him.Her hands were tangled in his hair, and her breath between his kisses.
The romantic state was broken by Paul, he withdrew his face from her kissing, and with a sudden apology, he helped her get up.
She fixed her plaided skirt and asked, "What for?"
He was trying to catch his breath, as if he had just ran a marathon, "this... you are-," he said pointing at the house, using a possible excuse that she was John's relative. He went out of the porch, but seeing her confused state, and looking at the swollen lips he had just kissed, he pulled her out of the porch and pushed her softly against it, and kissed her again, her arms were around his neck and, his arms holding her close in a private embrace.
He could feel her smile in his mouth, he was taking his hand to her neck when a noise spook him. He drew back and saw two women taking their dogs for a walk.
He put his hands on his pockets, stopping himself from holding her again, "Ella, I better go."
She gave him a quick hug, and felt him shiver, "Yes, it is late."
He waited for her to enter to the house, and left, he had always knew a sense of an unusual remorse would appear if he kissed her, but this night no regret showed up.
George decided to go and spend some time with Ella at NEMS store, trying to find out why was Mr. Epstein spending time at the Cavern.
"What has he told you?" he asked
"Nothing!" Ella said
"You haven't heard anything?"
"If I had, I would've told you, wouldn't I?" She assured "and when I do, you'll be the first to know,"
George smirked, a smug look on his face "Me? Because I'm the smartest, I suppose, "
"No, YOU because you keep on asking," She grinned "And because you're my favorite, but don't tell anybody." she poked him.
"Okay, I won't," he looked to the door and saw that Paul had decided to visit her, "not even, to him." He said mocking.
She simply smiled, and greeted Paul, "what record will you buy today?"
"I'm just here to look," he lied, "So... Ella have you-,"
"Heard anything from Mr. Epstein? No, I haven't." She said as she counted some sales.
He turned to look at George who only shrugged, he knew his friend had also tried to get some information, "I see, is he here?"
"He went out hours ago," she informed.
He pretended to look at the records, "Would you.."
"Tell you when I know something? Yes, sure I will." She responded in the same tone as she had told George, as someone explaining instructions to five year-olds.
"But first to me, I'm the favourtie one." George informed.
Lizzy walked in to the store cheerfully as always.
"Look, is the luckiest bird in Liverpool!" she said to Ella
"What are you talking about?" Ella continued counting the money.
"Rumor has it you are!"
"Anyone who survived the boredom of dating your brother is lucky," George said, "hello, Liz"
"George!" she said excited, then she tried to hide the enthusiasm "I didn't see you there, hi...and Paul of course." they smiled at each other for a while.
"What is the rumor?" Paul asked, driving her attention to him.
"Some friends in my school were talking about how lucky must be the girl dating Rick Lafebre,"
Ella nervously drop some coins to the floor, as she picked them up she clarified that she wasn't that girl they were talking about.
"I thought so too.... But then my neighbor Clara said that at a party he talked marvelous things about the girl he was dating, and he said that he bought a rose necklace for her birthday, that must be you."
"He's widely known I see..." She said.
"Of course! Oh you don't know the story... tell her Paul."
He grinned, "He was selected to be the model of a department store here in Liverpool, back in '56, his face was plastered in every bus stop."
"That's when he started his band, the only reason why they survived until this year, they were bloody awful." George continued.
She put the money in the cashing machine, "Such nonsense, people probably understood wrong, that's how gossip is created."
Paul gazed at her, "you're not dating him?"
"I thought you were, every time I've seen you he's all over you."
Her cheeks went red at George's last comment, "I'm not." said decisively
"We better leave George," he said.
"Sure... ask your boss about his visits." George instructed, and then left along his friend.
Lizzy was now mortified, she thought she was bringing good news, but everyone seemed to take it the wrong way, "Did I do something wrong?"
Ella turned to her friend, "No! Not at all... I feel quite awkward knowing that people may be talking half-truths about me,"
Her friend hugged her, "As Paul said, he was quite a big deal here, he's friendly and most people recognize his face, he's never talked about a serious girlfriend... and you have to admit that giving you that present was somehow romantic and serious."
She turned serious and thoughtful, as she played with the necklace on her neck.