The Inevitable Fanfiction

Chapter 3
“Would you like an ice-cream, Paula?” Simon asks, pleasantly.
They are in the airport, waiting for their flight, and have been wandering around aimlessly for the past half hour. Simon has been in a surprisingly good mood that day, and had tried talking to Paula on several occasions.
“No thank-you,” Paula says tersely, through gritted teeth. Simon cringes, looking at the others helplessly. The two hosts look at him kindly, while Randy says nothing. He is the sort of guy who, if hasn’t anything nice to say, keeps mum.
“If you’re sure.” Simon shrugs with a small smile. She turns away without a response this time.
She had spoken to her shrink in the time that they weren’t judging, and she was told that she should never give out a sense of inferiority. Human beings, much like other animals, can smell fear if presented it, and the only way Paula would get through the year is if she proved to Simon she wasn’t afraid of him. This of course doesn’t mean fighting with him for no rhyme or reason, but should a situation occur, she must handle things right.
The flight to Miami, while only about two hours long, feels like an eternity to them all. In the Business Class sector of the plane their seats are all close together, and Simon seated diagonally behind Paula, leaving her more than grateful that she’s sat with Ryan. He is very friendly and good company to have. Of course, she would say that about anyone who isn’t Simon, right now.
About 15 minutes into the flight, Paula hears some of the men talking from nearby.
“They just scream tension, don’t they?” Fuller asks, whispering excitedly.
“Let’s lock them in a closet for a day,” Brian suggests.
“One of them would die - I guarantee it.” Nigel sniggers.
Paula rolls her eyes and looks behind at Simon, to see if he is listening to their senseless chatter. She expects his smug grin and mischievous eyes looking back at her, but what she sees knocks the wind out of her in surprise. She can’t decide if it is the surprise itself, or the way her body reacts to it. There, beside Randy’s lightly snoring form, Simon is reclined in his chair. His eyes are shut and his head is tilted slightly to the left, chin tucked into his chest. Paula watches, enthralled as his stomach rises and falls evenly and his long dark lashes makes shadows on his cheeks. She can’t help but be fixated; it is a full 180 degrees from what she usually sees him as, and for whatever reason, it makes him more human in her eyes. The word ‘adorable’ plays in her mind, over and over, scaring her out of her wits.
When he stirs slightly, Paula immediately turns back to the front, cheeks hot. Ryan looks up from a magazine and raises an eyebrow at her, questioningly. “You okay?” He asks.
“I’m fine. Just thinking...” Paula trails off, fiddling with her fingers. Ryan simply nods and looks down again.
One and a half hours later, they reach their destination, and pile into a limousine to head to their hotel. This time Paula has no choice but to be sat beside Simon. Luckily for her, he is busy rubbing the sleep from his eyes and flattening his now tussled hair. As he rubs his face, groggily, Paula notices an eyelash falling to his cheek, and her hand automatically rises to pick it up. Simon looks at her questioningly as her fingers brush his face and pinch the eyelash between them. She places it on the back of his hand.
“Make a wish,” she says, much to his amazement.
He smiles to himself, finding the innocence of her words endearing. He closes his eyes and mumbles something before blowing at the lash. It flies out of sight and he meets Paula’s eyes again.
“Granted.” She smiles.
Was it his own childlike display that had made her momentarily soft with him? Something in her heart had melted at the sight of him, and now she is afraid she might already be losing their game. Yet when his eyes twinkle down at her, with that bottomless hazel, she feels nothing at all like a loser. In fact, she might have just won something.
They reach the hotel in the early evening, all tired and hungry. Simon walks closely to Paula, drawn like a moth to a flame. He watches her carefully, trying to understand the change of heart. Did she suddenly realise beneath his shield, he is a feeling human being? Did the rest of the gang discuss this issue while he was sleeping soundly on the plane? Whatever it was, he is thankful. He rather likes Paula, and her charisma, even though they don’t see eye to eye.
They are all booked on the same floor, and when everyone else escapes to their rooms, Simon hangs a foot away from Paula, eyes intent upon her. She is well aware of his fixation, but does not know how to acknowledge him. So instead, she fakes oblivion. That is, until he touches her shoulder. Her breath catches as she turns to him, his hand warm on her skin, through her shirt.
“I’d like to start over,” Simon says. “I don’t want us to be enemies.”
Paula’s eyes search his, and this time she isn’t the only one to be captivated. He looks into her sincere dark pools, looking for a spark of hope.
“Me neither.”
“We got off on the wrong foot.”
To the contrary, Paula thinks they had gotten off on the right foot, but had tripped over each other’s feet and treaded on the others’ toes immediately after. However, she simply nods in agreement.
“One of us will have to change their views on the show, if we are ever going to get along,” Paula tells him.
“Can’t we agree to disagree?” Simon questions hopefully.
“Maybe.” Paula shrugs, clearly disbelieving.
“Listen, Paula. Whatever happens on the show is not personal. Nothing is meant to personally attack you, and it’s strictly business, alright?”
She nods slowly. “Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference, you know?”
“Mm, I suppose you have a point.” He agrees, but says nothing more.
They stand in front of each other, slightly awkwardly, until Simon breaks the silence.
“Have a nice evening, darling.”
Paula bites on her bottom lip at the affectionate term. She likes being called things like darling and sweetheart, but it is strange coming from a person she has barely known three days.
“You too.” She gives him a smile, which is interrupted as he begins leaning into her.
He smells distinctively of cigarettes, which Paula hates, and cologne, which she likes. She isn’t sure which is more powerful in her senses as his lips brush her cheek. It is soft, and barely there, but Paula gets chills. She knows that it is a European thing for people to kiss on the cheek, but still, she finds it forward and oddly appealing. She smiles embarrassedly when he pulls away and escapes to her room.

***
Paula walks in the audition room with a bagel and a cup of steaming coffee. She had found a Starbucks close by to the hotel when she took a walk earlier in the morning, and is very appreciative of the caffeine boost it gives her. Randy and Brian are already there and she greets them both warmly. When Simon and Ryan walk in, minutes later, they are laughing amongst themselves, sharing a joke. Paula hopes that this joyful mood will continue, because she likes when everyone gets along. She also likes the shocked look on everyone’s faces when Simon drops a kiss to Paula’s cheek, much like the night before.
The crew are amazed and extremely relieved to see the two co-judges get along, but the producers aren’t so certain it will last. They know that both Simon and Paula are good people, and have their hearts in the right place, but this show seems to bring out the worst in them, leaving everyone on edge. And surely enough, they are right.
After many normal auditions, with average singers, there is one in particular that outrages Simon. He does not attempt to bite his tongue, and hopes that Paula will not take it personally.
“I’m not trying to be rude –” Simon says, and looks at Paula through the corner of his eye. “But that was just appalling.”
“Um, excuse me?” Paula retaliates.
“Paula – Remember what I – ” He is cut off abruptly.
“Simon, no. You cannot call someone dreadful.” She stands up.
He takes her hands that make a grab for him, holding them away from his face.
“Paula - shush. Nothing personal, remember?” He tries to say while she shouts at him.
“Maybe not to me, but you’re breaking their spirits.You have no right. ”
“I have every right. I’m even being paid to do it.”
She snatches her hands back from his and stares deeply into his eyes for one moment. She is full of fire and a deep hatred for him, expecting the same in return. Yet his eyes display nothing that could convince her of loathing and this only infuriates her more.
“Simon, just – ” Paula starts, but Simon stands and she forgets what she is about to say.
“I’m not going to argue with you,” Simon says softly, silencing everyone in the room.
Paula takes a deep breath, and nods but says nothing. She is uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of the auditions, which seem to go on forever. She feels small and ridiculed beside Simon, and already has a mental block to coming back tomorrow. It is like a roller coaster for all of them, sometimes they’re up, and sometimes down, and the loop-de-loops make everyone nauseous. No one is sure if they are about to reach level ground anytime soon, and this worries Paula to such an extent that she plans to call her therapist as soon as she gets back to the hotel.
***
“Okay, Paula, here’s some advice for you…” Dr. Rachel Miller, Paula’s therapist rattles out a list of ideas for Paula to try out, to feel more comfortable in her own skin beside Simon. Paula has known her for many years, but doesn’t visit all that often. Occasionally though, in times like these, she needs a professional’s advice and reassurance. And so she listens intently, the phone wedged between her ear and neck, as she busies herself by packing up her remaining clothes and accessories. They are headed for Austin next, and Paula is quite excited to see Simon’s reaction at the ‘new’ her. The new Paula would be witty and self-assured, holding her head high.
She thanks Dr. Miller before hanging up the phone, and calls home next. She asks her housekeeper how her dogs are doing, her three baby Chihuahuas, and if they’re missing their mother. She is assured that they are, and this leaves a smile on her face for the rest of the morning.
The plane ride on the way to Austin is slightly more energetic than the previous one. One of the reasons for this might be because of the thick tension between Simon and Paula, who are seated beside each other. Simon smirks to himself and sits comfortably beside Paula, who has stolen the window seat. She nods her head airily in acknowledgement, and he nods back. They sit in silence beside each other for a long while, quite unlike the rest of the crew who are chattering boisterously. Paula distracts herself by flipping through a magazine on her lap while Simon stares out of the window, seemingly unperturbed. They both want to say something, to maybe brush against the other, just to see each other’s reaction, but neither wants to make the first move.
Eventually Simon exhales noisily, sick of being ignored. He looks at Paula, who if she were any other woman, would be asking for his phone number by now, if not necking him. Paula, meanwhile, has been half-heartedly been skimming through the pages of the volume in her hands and instead has been scheming a way to show her ‘new’ self. She looks up at Simon when she hears his sigh, an eyebrow slightly raised.
“Simon?” She asks.
“Yes, Paula?” He grins, excited under his cool exterior. Finally, he thinks.
“Would you pass me that?” Paula points to another magazine tucked into the pouch of the seat in front of Simon.
“Oh, right. Yeah.” He hands it to her, letting their hands brush intentionally. She takes delight to see the fall in his face, his eyes masking his disappointment.
“Thank-you.” Her lips twitch upwards slightly, just off what could be considered a smile.
He is ticked off to say the least, closing his eyes and leaning back hoping to catch up on some sleep. It is difficult as his every cell is aware of the woman beside him, his ears pricking at the sound of the flipping pages and her even breathing.
“Hmm...” Simon hears from beside him and opens his eyes, peering at Paula. She is tapping a finger over a picture of some young model.
“Anything interesting?” Simon asks, examining over her shoulder.
“I like this dress. What do you think?” Paula tilts the magazine towards Simon and he takes one end of it, so he can look properly.
The dress that the model is wearing is lavender in colour, with many layers of cloth angled in different directions around the upper part, and tight around the hips, ending just before the knees. Simon takes this thought very seriously, his eyes scanning the picture and then Paula’s body, very obviously, making her jittery on the inside.
“It’s nice. It would suit a brunette better though, honestly.”
“I think so too.” Paula giggles and does something bold, something she isn’t sure why she does. She winks.
Simon chuckles a deep throaty chuckle, liking the momentary banter. It is a new side to Paula, one he has not seen before, but one he definitely wants to see more of. She on the other hand is quite taken aback by her actions. The purpose of this confident aura was to stand up to Simon, not to lead him on. However, she can’t deny that she enjoyed his compliments and the way he looks at her. Which woman didn’t like being appreciated by a man, after all? It is not like there should be anything different about Simon.