"Look at them" muttered Shaz "Doesn’t she realize all he wants is one thing?"
Gabrielle swirled her G&T around in its glass and shrugged. She didn’t drink that much but she liked the way her mind was becoming all blurry and fuzzy. It made it seem like she was sitting on a poufy cloud. "Maybe she knows and she doesn’t care"
Shaz was quiet and then looked around "Where’s Charlie?" she said, more to herself then Gabrielle.
"Chatting up a bird?" suggested Gabrielle.
Shaz looked over at he friend, eyebrows raised "D’you think he is?"
"No"
"Oh" there was quiet again "If he is I’ll cripple him"
Gabrielle nodded and threw back the rest of her drink "I’ll hold him down" she said before going in search of another. She found Paul playing bartender. He was wearing a Santa hat on crooked and had lipstick smudged in the corner of his mouth. Against her better judgment and normal ways of thinking Gabrielle found it very cute.
"Ah, Gabby, what’ll you have" he asked, while pouring some concoction that Gabrielle realized she probably didn’t want to know what was in it.
"Er… G&T" she said holding her empty glass out to him.
"Righto" he laughed and started fixing her a new one.
Gabrielle watched. "Paul" she said
"What"
"Are we mates?"
Paul put down her drink in front of her and looked up grinning in a lopsided way that let her know he’d had a few too. "Course luv" he said wearily.
Gabrielle picked up her drink and held it limply in her hand "Can you tell me something?"
Paul cocked his head to the side and smiled, closing his eyes "Mmm hmm"
"Why don’t you take George seriously"
Paul’s eyes snapped open "What?" he mumbled "Of course we do. Are you nutters? He wouldn’t be in the band if we didn’t take him seriously"
"No you don’t" she shook her head sadly "It’s like he’s not one of you or something"
Paul was quiet for a minute, he tossed some rum in a glass with coke and took her by the arm "Come ‘ead" he murmured
"Where are we going"
"To talk" he replied shortly and gave her arm a firm tug in the direction of the Kitchen.
She followed him, sipping her drink as they went, through the kitchen and out onto the back porch. Paul leaned against the railing and wrapped his arms around himself "Ok" he said "What d’you want from us"
Gabrielle stared at him and ignored the cold winter night air that was raising goosebumps on her arms through hr thin turtleneck. "Paul I don’t want anything" she said "I was here for five minutes before I saw the way you two were"
Paul looked at the ground "I know" he said quietly "And it’s not George, it’s weird it like…" he paused and shook his head. "We really like George, John and I, but all three of us understand that this thing we have..." He gestured waftily with his hand "Whatever it is, I don’t know. The musical thing, it doesn’t really extend past that. I don’t think George understands we aren’t menu to be best mates. And I know that’s really terrible of me Gabby, but…" frustrated sigh "He’s so bloody clingy!"
Gabrielle crossed her arms over her chest "You aren’t friends" she said disbelieving "None of you…" she shook her head and laughed "You’re an unbelievable bastard and I know exactly why he’s in your band." Paul opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off "You treat him like he’s some kind of little kid who follows you around, but really you know you need him if you want to be anything, and you’re threaten that he’s so good with a guitar. Aren’t you?"
"No!" he said with little conviction "That’s… that’s not true"
"Yes it is" she said taking a step closer and putting her hands on her hips "You need him and you hate it. What’s more, I bet you even like him and you hate that too because you think John" she rolled her eyes when she said his name "Won’t approve or something bloody silly like that."
Paul was quiet for a minute, he just stared back into her eyes, searching her face for some reason that might make what he was doing ok. "Gabby…" he paused and then grabbed her face in both hands, pulling her towards him. Their faces crashed together and Paul turned her around so she was leaning against the porch railing.
At first she was just surprised he kissed her and let him probe her mouth with hi tongue, it was a little nice even.. But then something snapped in the back of her mind and she pulled away. "What …what are you doing" she asked breathlessly.
Paul blinked bewildered. "I… I don’t know" he looked around and took his hands oof of her waist "I was just… trying to tell you…"
"So you kissed me?" she looked incredulously "Paul, *what* exactly have you been drinking?" she made an annoyed sound "What are you going to do about George" she asked at last. He met her eyes again "If that was an attempt to make me shut up it wasn’t a very good one"
"You don’t understand Gabrielle." He said quietly "Maybe you will one day but, now I just" he made an aggravated sound and grabbed her by the shoulders pulling her close to him "Gabby, could you just shut up for a while, just let it be if he’s content d yo8u know"
"Hey!" Paul and Gabrielle turned around to see an aggrieved George standing with his arms crossed, and next to him Amanda Scotts was biting her lip and raising her eyebrows suspiciously "What’s going on?" George asked looking from Paul to Gabrielle and then back again. Paul let her go and crossed his arms in front of his chest
"Nothing" he said coolly "Gabby’s a bit pissed is all I’m warning her on the dangers of drinking too much, right Gabby"
She glared at him but turned around to look at George "Yeah, that’s right, Paulie" she said tonelessly "George I’m going home… I’ll see you tomorrow"
She pushed past him and Amanda. Her mind swam though and she wondered exactly how much she had to drink again.
"Gab! Wait!" George called after her just as she made it to the door, he clasped her arm tightly "Aren’t you going to Shaz’s because you’re parents are up in Blackpool"
"Oh" she said numbly and turned around "Well there’s a key at your house Georgie"
He nodded "All right then, we’ll go":
Gabrielle felt the smile on her face fall away "Ah no George, you stay I’ll just…."
George grabbed her jacket and helped her to put it on "No that’s ok Gab, really. I don’t want you getting hit by any buses or anything"
She snorted disdainfully "I wouldn’t get hit by a bus"
"Gab you can barely walk you’re so pissed"
She turned around to look at him "Am I?" He nodded blankly "Really?" another nod
"Gear"