Page 5 of Protecting Paul

Without another word, I oblige. I lean down more and press a proper kiss to his mouth. He hums against my lips, and I laugh softly as his breath tickles me. I hover over him, bracing my arms on the wall on either side of him, and kiss him again. I keep kissing him, each one a little longer than the last. When he meets my gaze again, the smile reaches his eyes.

“Oof,” I murmur to myself. I don’t know how long I’ve been standing in the hallway thinking about that bittersweet memory, but I fully zoned out. Memories of my first relationship pop up like that a lot for me since I’ve been back home.

I try to shake it off, but I can’t help but feel a new resolve fill within me. I wasn’t able to protect Paul back then, but maybe I can protect Mrs. Jones now. It won’t change anything, but every person I help takes some of the weight of that failure off.

“Sorry about the wait,” I tell her as I walk back into the room and set the water bottle across from her. “I was checking a few things.”

“Checking on… him? On George?” I can tell it’s hard for her to even say his name the way she chokes it out. I nod, and she looks at me straight-on for the first time. “How is he? Where is he?”

“He’s in our holding cell right now, ma’am.” I see the slightest bit of light return to her dark eyes. “He’s causing quite the ruckus, but he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“Oh, good, good…” She heaves a big sigh of relief at my update. “I’m sorry you have to deal with him…”

I wave my hand to dismiss her apology. “It’s part of the job, Mrs. Jones. We grow immune to it after a while.”

I make my voice sound casual, but her apology brings up another memory from ten years ago. I try to push it back, but it comes on too strong.

“I’m so sorry, Sam,” Paul looks up at me. His eyes are swollen and red, which I can tell embarrasses him. “I didn’t want you to get caught up in this.”

“Don’t apologize,” I say, settling my hand on his lower back comfortingly and protectively. “It’s what I’m here for. I told you that, remember?”

“I know, but…” He trails off, and I see tears well in his eyes again. “It doesn’t keep me from feeling bad about it. You didn’t sign up for this.”

“I definitely did,” I correct. I move my hand from his back to grab his hands and twine my fingers with Paul’s. “I signed up for whatever you needed when I kissed you the first time.”

“You’re so cheesy.” He rolls his eyes but lets out a small, slightly teary laugh. “You and your corny lines.”

“You love it,” I tease, squeezing his hand instinctively. It doesn’t take too long to reach my house, and I see that there are still lights on. I told my dad I would be home shortly, but he insisted on waiting up anyway. “I didn’t tell my dad what was going on, by the way. So, you don’t have to worry about that. You can sleep on the couch or, you know, in my room. Or I can sleep on the couch… I don’t care.”

My cheeks flush a bit at the offer. I’m not trying to imply anything, but it still sounds more suggestive than I want. I just want to make sure he feels comfortable after a rough night.

“I’m not gonna make you sleep on the couch, Sammy.” Paul looks at me with more guilt in his eyes. I hate when he looks at me like that. It makes my heart ache. “Can I make a selfish request?”

I look at him curiously. Paul is anything but selfish, so I’m fairly certain whatever his request is won’t be selfish. He tends to beat himself up about asking for anything though. I nod and squeeze his hand again.

“I don’t really wanna be alone right now.” He looks away, and he’s the one flushing now. “I can sleep on the floor or something…”

“Don’t be stupid, that’s not selfish at all.” I shake my head insistently even though he’s not looking at me. “Mark sleeps over all the time, so my dad won’t think anything of it.”

“Thanks,” Paul says. His voice is sheepish, and it makes me feel bad. Hell, I feel bad that he would assume I would say no in the first place. “I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, come here,” I say and stop on the front porch. I wrap him up in a hug, squeezing him close against me. He feels so good in my arms, and it feels like he melts against me. “I’ve got you, alright?”

“Officer Conroy?”

I look up suddenly when I hear Mrs. Jones’s voice interrupt my thoughts.

“Sorry,” I say immediately. It’s unprofessional of me to get lost in my thoughts like that. “I think I’m just a bit tired. Were you saying something?”

“Yes, um…” She looks down before looking back up and meeting my eyes. “I’m ready to talk. I want to help put him away if I can.”

“That’s great, really it is.” I open my notebook and grab my pen to begin writing down whatever she has to say. “Start wherever you’re ready.”

“It began five years ago.” Her voice is small, but she sounds more confident now. “I think we got into an argument about bills…”

Mrs. Jones talks for the next two hours straight. Her reluctance to speak is all but gone, and she goes into way more detail than I expect. It’s hard to listen to, but it absolutely gives me something to give to the district attorney’s office.

“Thank you for the information, Mrs. Jones,” I say when she finishes. I close my notebook and set it aside. “I can have one of the other officers bring you home if you’d like. We’ll let you know if we need anything else and keep you updated.”

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