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Fan Fiction

Title: Love is paradise
(Love has dropped by)
Author: Trang Le Thu
Genre: Romance
Started: 21. December 2001

© Trang Le Thu 2001
Disclaimer: This story is a purely fiction. Nothing here is true!! All Hawaii descriptions come from the internet and guide books.

PART 4

Hey for the 4th time! Read and vote as always :)
The last part's question was: Will Paddy come to Agnes's table?
90 % of you wanted Paddy to come to Agnes's table. Please, vote and submit your comments.

Agnes scowled as she read over the menu for a second time. The majority of the entrees were seafood, something which she absolutely refused to eat. After much debate, she had narrowed her choices down to some strange sounding steak, or a chicken dish with radishes and mushrooms. Neither sounded very appealing. She'd give anything for a plain old greasy cheeseburger right about now.
Paddy cleared his throat to announce his presence when he reached her table.
"Hi."
"Can I have a few more minutes please? I'm not quite ready to…" Her voice trailed off when she looked up from the menu and saw Paddy instead of the waiter. "Hi" she replied quietly.
Paddy didn't detect any animosity in her greeting. For the first time, it sounded like a regular, neutral 'hi'. He could feel his confidence slowly building.
"Your boyfriend's working late tonight?"
She nodded politely and then returned her gaze to the menu.
"Mind if I join you for a sec?" he asked again.
Agnes hesitated for a moment but then relented.
"Sure."
Paddy sat down and nervously began fiddling with the utensils at the place setting in front of him.
"I… just wanted to apologize for this morning… I was way out of line… so, once again… I'm sorry."
He bravely met her gaze, waiting for another explosion.
But she didn't scowl at him, narrow her eyes in suspicion, or even snort in disgust. What she said next surprised him.
"I'm just as much to blame as you are" she admitted quietly. "So… for what it's worth… I'm sorry too." Agnes practically had to force the words out against her pride which had stubbornly tried to prevent her from surrendering.
Paddy felt a major wave of relief wash over him. So Jimmy had been right after all. Maybe she was reachable. Her apology was proof that she already seemed to be warming up to him. This was a major obstacle which had just been crossed, he thought triumphantly.
"Apology accepted" he said, grinning at her.
"Yours too" she muttered, turning back to her menu.
"Thanks. Well. I better get back to my date" he said, pointing over his shoulder.
Agnes looked past him to see an unhappy blonde girl impatiently drumming her fingers on the table and scowling in their direction.
"Ahh… Of course. One of the beach bimbos. I thought there were three."
"There are. I'm leaving her now to meet another at 8 and then another at 11" he bragged proudly.
Agnes rolled her eyes distastefully. Now she regretted apologizing to him, because he hadn't changed one bit. He was still as arrogant and manipulative as ever.
"Gee. I'm sooo impressed."
"I wasn't trying to impress you."
"So what, then? You just thought I'd be interested in your sleazy dates?"
"No. I was just trying to make conversation."
"You were bragging" Agnes declared matter-of-factly. "There's a difference."
He shrugged innocently, still smiling at her. He knew she would be quick to retaliate right after her apology.
"Well, if it did, I didn't mean for it to come out like that. What are your plans for tonight anyway?"
There was no way Agnes would ever give him the satisfaction of knowing she'd be spending the evening alone.
"Scott's coming back at 9. Then we'll go out."
"That's good. Hope you have fun. Where are you going?"
"We haven't decided yet." She pointed across the room and said "Your date's gonna explode any minute. You better go."
"Yep." He stood up, staring at Agnes for a moment, suddenly enthralled by her delicate mouth, creamy skin and azure eyes. For some strange reason, he was becoming more attracted to her with each passing day.
She looked up from the menu, perturbed to see him still standing there.
"What?" she asked in exasperation.
"Nothing" Paddy said, quickly snapping out of his momentary trance. "I was just admiring how nice you look tonight."
Agnes snorted in disgust as an attempt to disguise the blush she felt creeping up her face.
"Save it for the bimbos. They're stupid enough to fall for that line."
'She was back to her good old self again' Paddy thought smugly. 'One apology and her wounded pride couldn't handle it.' For that one brief second, he had watched her become vulnerable as she had let her guard down, yet now she had quickly raised it back up again. However, he was still confident that he had made some progress with her - even if it was only very slight.
"Well. OK. If you insist" he said casually. Then he waved and walked off to rejoin his unhappy date.
For a brief moment, Agnes admired built frame as she watched him walk away but then quickly reprimanded herself for her foolishness. His attractiveness was objective, and any girl who denied it would need to have her eyes examined, so even though Agnes was only admitting the obvious, it didn't mean she had to like him. She still despised his arrogance and haughty attitude and would tolerate it under no circumstances. The sooner his ego understood that, the better off he would be. In fact, the better off they both would be…

After an uncomfortable dinner all by herself, Agnes headed over to the beach for a moonlight stroll. She needed to relax, ease her mind, and just cool down. That had been the first time she had ever eaten alone in a public place and she swore it would be the last. Loneliness was the most unpleasant feeling in the world.
She was angry with Scott for neglecting her once again, but also angry with herself for letting him. For the past couple of days, he had done nothing but take her for granted. She knew she was supposed to be a little more understanding. He had even told her from the beginning that this trip would be more business than pleasure. But that still didn't give him the right to become so distracted by his work that he completely disappeared from her life.
For Agnes, it was the small things that mattered most. She didn't expect him to entertain her with a fancy dinner date every night. All she desired was little simple signs of affection so she'd know he still cared about her. Was that too much to ask?
She sighed and sat down for a while, enjoying the peaceful sound of the waves softly lapping on the shore. A few couples walked by, hand in hand, and she stared after them longingly, missing Scott terribly.
"You really have got to stop following me around" a familiar voice cracked from behind Agnes.
She jumped slightly, startled by the surprise and scowled when she turned and saw it was Paddy.
"So this is what you and Scott had planned for tonight, huh? A little romantic walk on the beach." He turned and pretended to talk to an imaginary person next to Agnes. "So you're the famous Scott! I've heard so much about you!"
"You're not funny."
"I know. But at least I try to be. So what happened to those big plans you had?"
"Scott had to work later than he expected. It happens" she said quickly, shrugging nonchalantly when she noticed his smug expression.
"It seems to be happening an awful lot, though. Haven't you done anything exciting here yet? Anything different? Or just because Scott's not with you means you have to miss out on it all?"
Paddy's comments had been out of sincere concern, but Agnes became defensive, still not able to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Why are you here alone?" She shot back, purposefully avoiding his inquiries. "Thought you had an infinite number of bimbos lined up for tonight."
"I only had three" he corrected, sitting down beside her. "Vicki for dinner, Amanda at the club and then I was supposed to meet Michelle here at 10:30." He looked at his watch. "It's 11:00. Guess she stood me up."
Agnes feigned shock at his admittance.
"Paddy Kelly actually got stood up!? OH, the horror!"
"It happens… not often of course, but sometimes it does."
"And when it does, I'm sure it bruises that poor, sensitive ego of yours, huh?" she asked, pretending to pity him.
"Not really. Lots of people get stood up every day, and I see I'm not the only one who it happened to tonight. Looks like you and I have been ditched tonight, babe."
"Hey, I did not get stood up" Agnes argued. "Scott called me to explain."
"But he still cancelled which is just the same as being stood up."
"Not it's not. They're two completely different things. Scott cared enough to call but Miss Bimbo left you hanging out to dry. Guess she found a taller, buffer, bleacher blonde guy than you. Welcome to the real world, kid."
"Ok. You wanna talk real world? How about Scott only pretending he had to work late but he's really out with some woman from the office right now?"
Agnes only laughed bitterly but didn't respond.
"And stop referring to me as kid" he added sourly. "I don't like being talked down to like you're so superior."
"And I didn't like being talked down to the other day like I was some object or piece of meat."
"I apologized for that."
"So did I."
"Fine. We're even then" He studied her for a second and then asked curiously "How old are you anyway?"
"21."
"That's all?"
Agnes was shocked at his surprise.
"I've never got that response before. People usually tell me I look like a little kid."
"You do. You just act like you're 31"
"Wow. Two insults in one breath."
"I didn't mean it like that. I just see that you're always so serious and cynical all the time. You're 21! You should be partying, having fun and living it up!"
"There's a lot of things I should be doing" she mumbled quietly to herself.
"Like what?" Paddy asked curiously, remembering Jimmy's advice to dig deeper below the surface.
"Like… " Agnes's voice trailed off as she turned to look at his silhouette in the moonlight. "Why am I having this conversation with you of all people?" she asked in exasperation.
"Because I'm here… you're here… we both got stood up…"
"I did not get stood up" she corrected him again. "In fact, Scott should be returning soon so I should head back." She moved to get up but Paddy stopped her.
"I can't go back so soon and let the guys know I got stood up. Just hang here a little longer with me. Please?"
"Why would you want my company?"
"Because I suppose you're better than no company at all" he joked lightly.
She didn't respond and he looked over at her to see that she was staring blankly across the ocean, her troublesome expression a tell-tale cry for help. "That was a joke" he teased. "You were supposed to laugh."
"Gee, not everyone can be as happy-go-lucky as spoiled rich little you."
"Why not? Aren't you ever happy? Even just once in a while?"
"Of course I'm happy. I'm not the cold, emotionless rock that you seem to think I am. I just have a lot on my mind."
"Like?" he prodded again.
"Like I said I didn't want to discuss it with you."
"Problems with Scott?" Paddy persisted.
"No."
"Problems with family?"
"No."
"Problems with brothers?"
"No."
"Problems with your job?"
"Don't have one."
"Gee. Now look at this! The girl who accuses me of being spoiled and not working doesn't even have a job or make her own money! Ironic, isn't it?"
Agnes turned to him angrily.
"Spoiled is the one thing I'm certainly not. I've been working ever since I started high school. I just quit my job two weeks ago because I'll be starting medical school next month and I'll have no time to work."
"Med school!?" Paddy regarded her in admiration. "That's awesome! You must be so psyched!" He noticed Agnes's long face and frowned. "Or… maybe not. What's wrong?"
"Everything… nothing. Look. It's been an honor to talk to you and all but I've gotta head back." She abruptly jumped stood up and brushed the sand off her skirt. "Goodnight."
Paddy started to follow her.
"I'll walk you."
"No thanks."
"But I'm going in that direction, too. My room is on the same street, same hotel, even same floor as yours! Talk about a coincidence! So, I could walk behind you, which might make you uncomfortable, especially if I compliment you on how awesome you look in that skirt, or I could walk in front of you, which would make me uncomfortable, being how girls have a tendency to admire by butt."
Agnes stopped walking and turned to face him, shaking her head.
"You are so arrogant." She said it half-jokingly and Paddy could have sworn he saw a hidden smile.
"Or" he continued, smiling innocently "we could walk side by side in silence and not say a word to each other. Or, your last option is a one minute head start, but in that case I'd still end up behind you, so you're back to the uncomfortable situation again. It's your call."
Agnes sighed dramatically. This kid was too much.
"Let's go" she said reluctantly.
"So I'm granted the privilege of walking beside you then?" he teased.
"I guess I have no choice. I certainly don't wanna look at your butt and I definitely don't want you looking at mine."
He flashed her a victorious smile and fell into step beside her.
"So let's get back to this med school thing."
"No, let's not! I said I didn't want to talk about it with you, so stop pushing it. If you must talk, brag about how your other two bimbo dates went tonight."
"You seem nervous about it… scared almost."
"Paddy! I said drop it!"
"That's it, isn't it? I'm right?"
Agnes responded with silence, unable to conceal her apprehension. It had been nagging at her more and more each day and was quickly becoming overwhelmingly suffocating. Yes, she was scared. Yes, she was nervous. Yes, it was a huge step in her future.
"Have you spoken to Scott about it?" Paddy inquired quietly.
'Yeah, and he just cruelly shrugs it off, laughing at how ridiculous I'm being.' Agnes thought.
"How is this any of your business?" Agnes shot back sarcastically.
Paddy held up his hands in defense.
"Fine. You're right. It's not my business. I just thought maybe you'd want to talk about it. I'm a good listener."
She laughed coldly.
"I'll bet you are. I'm sure that's how you get all the girls. They naively pour out their hearts to you and you take advantage of their vulnerability."
"Oh no! My secret is out! Now I'm doomed forever!"
Agnes scowled at his jesting and quickened her pace once they reached the hotel. She hurried to the elevator, repeating pushing the button because she didn't think she could survive another minute with him.
"That won't make the elevator come any quicker" Paddy commented in amusement.
"I know that" Agnes seethed. "It's just a habit, that's all."
"Well, try and break it, because you look silly doing it."
"And you look silly with that long brown hair of yours" she shot back quickly.
Paddy's hand flew defensively to his hair.
"The long brown hair have become my trademark" he said proudly. "The ladies love it."
"Yeah. Don't you guys see? They love the hype you represent and they definitely love your money, but that's about it. They don't care who you are or what you're all about. Why don't you try being yourself for a change?"
"This is who I am!"
"No it's not. As much as I loathe to admit it, you were such a sweet charming little kid. Now look at you-corrupted by fame and wealth."
"It's called show business. Sacrifices have to be made."
"Not sacrifices of self-respect."
The elevator doors opened to their level and they stepped out, continuing down the hall. Paddy had fallen silent, disturbed by Agnes's words. 
"This is the first time" Agnes said, amused. "I've actually silenced the loquacious Paddy Kelly."
"No you haven't" he replied quickly. "I was just stuck trying to come up with a really good comeback. I can't think of one, so my response is, 'Whatever'."
"How creative."
"Thank you."

They had reached Agnes's room and she unlocked the door, only to find the suite still dark. She frowned in disappointment, seeing Scott had still not returned.
"Goodnight" she mumbled to Paddy before stepping inside.
Paddy noticed her crestfallen expression and felt a pang of sympathy for her.
"Sure you'll be okay alone? Cause you could hang with us next door if you'd like" he offered sincerely.
"Thanks, but I've grown up, unlike some people, who I hear still sleep with a nightlight."
Paddy's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"And where did you hear that from?"
"I have my ways" she answered elusively.
"You actually read those teenybopper magazines?" he asked, eyes shining.
"Try Viva instead. You'd be surprised the sort of things we learn."
"Oh… I better have a little talk with them then. Can't have them spreading career-shattering rumors about me" he joked.
Agnes smiled faintly, shaking her head at his antics.
He pointed at her in shock.
"Uh, is that a laugh I see? Oh my god! It can't be! Can it?"
Agnes pushed his hand away, quickly transforming her smile into a smirk.
"I'm laughing at you, not with you. There's a difference." Then she waved sweetly, said goodnight again and shut the door in his face.
"That was a genuine laugh!" Paddy shouted happily through the door. "I saw it! Don't deny it!"
"Grow up, Kelly!" she called back. She was standing with her back to the door and still smiling, in spite of herself.

"Wow. Is that Paddy? Home before midnight? I don't believe it!" Maite commented dramatically when Paddy returned.
"And he's smiling" Johnny added curiously. "I don't get it."
Jimmy looked up from where he was laying on the couch.
"Your 5 dates went well, I presume?"
"Not 5. Only 3" Paddy corrected him. "But the last one stood me up, so technically, it was only 2."
"So why are you cheery?" Johnny persisted. "You usually come home whining and pouting when that happens."
"I didn't like her anyway" Paddy said, casually dismissing their questions. "Why are ya'll home so early anyway? I thought you were going out."
"We did" Joey told him. "We tried out that new club but it was dead, so we left."
"Besides, I wanted everyone home early because I signed us up for a tour tomorrow" Johnny answered. "Bus leaves at 8 AM."
A muffled groan was heard from over in Jimmy's direction.
"I'm still curious as to why you're so happy" Maite said warily.
"Hmmm… maybe because of a certain little three letter word…" Paddy said, smiling secretly as he joined Jimmy on the couch.
"No way!" Joey exclaimed, eyes bulging out in surprise. "You got some tonight!?!? That's so unfair! One of those girls was supposed to be mine" he wined.
"You didn't Paddy" Jimmy reprimanded sternly. "Please tell me you didn't."
"You all have a one track mind, you know that?" Paddy laughed at his brothers' reactions.
"Well, what other three letter word could make you so happy?" Joey asked in confusion, while they all breathed sighs of relief.
"The bet. B-E-T. Three letter word. 500 bucks at stake… is any of this ringing a bell?"
"You saw Agnes tonight?" Jimmy asked, relaxing back down to his original position.
"Yep. I ran into her on the beach while I waited for Michelle. Her boyfriend ditched her and had to work late again."
"So what happened?" Johnny inquired.
"Not much. We talked, she let me walk her back here… and she even smiled a half smile at me before saying goodnight. Now that, boys is a major improvement. I can smell victory already."
"You've still got a long way to go, Paddy. Don't count your chickens before they hatch." Joey said.
"Five days exactly" Johnny added smugly. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"It's plenty of time" Paddy answered confidently. "Now that the hard part is out of the way, it'll be smooth sailing from here on out. Just you wait and see."
"Baby believe in meeeeee" Joey sang, picking up on the song cue.
All others groaned and attacked him with couch pillows, except for Paddy, who had begun thinking about Agnes's comment again.
"Hey Joey?" he called distractedly, still deep in thought.
Joey dug himself out of the pile of pillows.
"Yeah?"
"Do you really think the ladies like your hair that color?"
Joey appeared puzzled by the question.
"I don't know. But I don't wear it like this to impress them anyway. I wear it for me. Gives me a sense of individuality, you know?"
Paddy nodded slowly, admiring his friend's honesty. He turned to Jimmy and asked.
"How bout you?"
Jimmy shrugged flippantly, too enthralled in channel surfing.
"I only wear it like this to annoy my fans. Naa. I'm just kidding. I've always wanted to have short hair. What's with the weird questions?"
"I don't know… I'm just sick of hair, I guess" he scoffed, getting up and walking over to the mirror. "I look like a clown, don't I?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.
"Just remember you said it-we didn't" Jimmy chuckled.
"Are you drunk?" Johnny asked, trying to be serious.
"No" Paddy mumbled, still frowning at his reflection.
"Then why the mood swing all of a sudden?"
"I don't know… I just don't think I like this look on me anymore. I don't care how many girls love it… Because… I don't… so why should I have to compromise for them?"
"You know! I think that is the first sensible thing I've ever heard you say!" Maite joked. "Paddy has a brain after all!!! Praise the Lord!!"
"This has to do with Agnes, doesn't it?" Jimmy asked smugly. "She must have insulted your look and now you think by changing it, you'll have a better chance with her."
Paddy laughed at his friend's absurdity.
"First of all, Jimmy, I would never change to impress her, because that would show I surrendered, letting her win. Second of all, she would never even admit to liking my hair even if I did change it. And third of all, why can't I just do something for myself for a change?"
"Because nothing you do is ever about yourself. All you're ever concerned about is impressing other people, namely the ladies."
"Well, I'm changing my hair and I'm doing it for me this time, okay?"
"Okay. But if you get your kiss from Agnes as soon as you do, we'll know you were lying" Maite teased. "Cause that would be too much of a coincidence."

The infamous kiss.
Even though he had made a little progress tonight, Paddy knew he still had a long way to go until he reached the finish line. He had never given much thought to the actual kiss itself, but strangely enough, he was beginning to desire a taste of her sweet mouth. Of course he would die before admitting that to the guys, though.

Agnes was sprawled in one of the suite's armchairs, writing in her journal when Scott finally returned after midnight. She looked up and smiled at him.
"Hey you. Long day, huh?"
"Humph. That's an understatement" Scott muttered, throwing his jacket and tie on an empty chair and collapsing onto the couch across from Agnes.
"What was so important that they had to keep you there so late? Couldn't you just start early tomorrow and continue working on whatever it is you're working on?"
"I wish it was that easy" Scott said, rubbing his weary eyes and stifling a yawn. "To make a complicated story sound easy, the system's database crashed, so everything I was supposed to help them with is now on hold until the system is fixed. And the convention is Friday which is when we are expected to present our work. Ironic that we haven't even started any of that work yet, because we're too busy playing computer fix-it men. Hire some technical support and fix the damn problem. But no, that'd be too easy."
"You're gonna go gray before you're 30 from all this stressing" Agnes teased, walking over and sitting on his lap. She gave him a soft kiss and whispered "Leave your problems at the office. Don't drag them home with you."
"I can't help it" he said, softly caressing her arms. I'm just so worried we're not going to finish this project on time. "What will the boss think of me then?"
"Your boss loves you because you're the hardest working, most dedicated, reliable and intelligent employee he's got." She rewarded him with another kiss. "And you will finish the project. If it comes down to the wire, you'd even pull a few all-nighters if that's what it takes. I know you, Scott. You're a perfectionist to the bone. You'd never let any job remain unfinished."
Scott's pained expression finally broke into a faint smile.
"Thanks for the pep-talk" he teased. "I guess I need one once in a while." He tucked a strand of hair behind Agnes's ear and ran his finger across her cheek, over her chin and up to her lips, parting them slightly. Then his mouth possessed hers, devouring her with hungry kisses. Slowly, he lowered her backwards onto the couch and Agnes, already intoxicated by the sensation of his warm body pressed against hers, began unbuttoning his shirt. She finally managed to slip it off him, in between tongue-tangled kisses.
Scott's hands moved over her restlessly-up her legs, across her back, over her bare stomach-as he trailed kisses down her neck. He was about to pull off her tank top when the phone rang, jerking them back to reality.
"Let it ring" Scott murmured against her lips.
Agnes squirmed her way out from beneath him.
"It could be someone from the office. Maybe you better answer it."
Scott reluctantly went over to answer the phone, his eyes never leaving Agnes.
"Hello?" he asked with a hint of impatience.
Silence greeted him on the other end.
"Hello?" he asked again, and was rewarded with a dial tone.
"Figures it'd be the wrong number" he mumbled annoyed as he hung up the phone.
Agnes had returned to her chair to continue writing in her journal and Scott held up his hands questioningly.
"What?" Agnes asked innocently, giving him a puzzled look.
"What are you doing?"
"Finishing up this entry."
He pointed to the couch.
"But what about what we were doing before the interruption?"
Agnes blushed at the reminder, embarrassed for getting so carried away.
"Sorry about that."
"What are you apologizing for? You were doing great! He moved behind her chair and began massaging her shoulders. What do you say we finish what we started?"
"Not tonight, Scott. I'm kinda distracted. I've got a lot on my mind."
"So do I. It will help ease our minds."
"I can't." Agnes shook her head, smiling faintly.
"What's the problem? Med school again?"
The way he asked made it sound like worrying was a crime.
"I can't help it, Agnes admitted tentatively. I just…"
Scott broke her off in mid-sentence.
"You just worry too much, that's all." He gave her a quick reassuring kiss. "I'm gonna go take a shower. See you in bed?"
"Yep." Agnes watched him disappear into the bathroom and them broke down and cried. She had so much she wanted to get off her chest, but Scott just wouldn't take the time to listen. She needed advice, reassurance, but most of all, she needed some loving comfort. Why couldn't he see that? 
'Have you spoken to Scott about it?' Paddy's inquiry rang in her ears, a haunting reminder of what she longed for the most but didn't have.

The question was: Will Agnes break up with Scott??
Answer: 50% for 'Yes' and 50% for 'No'

{ PART 5 }