The Inevitable Fanfiction

Chapter 4
Simon can’t help but stare. He had found her pretty and rather attractive ever since he saw her music videos, but his attraction for her had heightened since their encounter yesterday. He is hoping to see more of that Paula; the teasing, playful and extremely enticing Paula. He grins wolfishly when he sees her in the audition room, having arrived a few minutes prior to him. Randy comes up to shake his hand, and he is grateful for the booming voice if the older man, greeting him enthusiastically. Paula’s eyes shift quickly when she hears his name, before immediately looking back at Brian.
She is unfortunately, not about to give into his Englishman charm. She needs him to respect her and her opinion and not simply give in because he fancies her. So Paula decides to give him a small smile before sitting down in her place. At once she feels taller, and it takes a moment for Simon to see why: Her chair has been adorned with three plush cushions, one on top of the other, giving her the height she lacks beside the two men. He smirks, finding it extremely funny and also quite absurd. He loves that she is passively attempting to fight back, and mark her territory. He likes bratty girls and he is convinced she is an immense diva.
The day goes by surprisingly smooth, where, instead of another shouting match, Paula coolly informs Simon that she simple disagrees with the way he handles his criticism. When he says she is patronising the contestants, she fumes inwardly, but tells him calmly that she indeed is not demeaning them. He rolls his eyes in his typical manner, and points out that with the same amount of cushions on his chair, he and Randy are once again taller than her. Paula sulks.
After auditions are over with for the day, Randy suggests they all go grab a bite to eat and maybe a few drinks. Paula declines politely, disappointing him.
“Come on, P.A. Don’t be a spoilt sport!” He chuckles and pinches her arm warmly.
“Really, Randy, you guys have fun.” Her smile doesn’t fool him, having known her for twenty over years.
He lowers his voice to a whisper and asks, “Does this have to do with Cowell, baby? Do you want me to give him a punch or two?”
Paula sighs. “I don’t patronise anybody. I just wish he knew that.” She glances at Simon who is across the room, eyeing them suspiciously.
“Give it time. He’ll realise what you’re all about soon enough.” Paula nods and signals for a hug, which Randy returns tightly. “Now come on. You are coming out with the Dawg tonight, aiight?”
Paula follows him, giggling and holds his hand in a sisterly way. She loves the ‘Dawg’ dearly and is thankful for him on the panel. The other three men trail closely behind and they walk across the street where there are many fancy restaurants and a few clubs. At the entrance of an Italian place, Simon opens the door and gestures for Paula to go first, like a true gentleman. She does so hesitantly, unable to wrap her thoughts around this certain man. He seems to loathe her and her every thought, and yet does little things to contradict this. She convinces herself that it is all a game to him – as it simply cannot be anything else. He wants to confuse her, to fill her mind with the presence of him, and get her to react. If there is one thing she knows, it is that he likes when she reacts in any way to something he says or does. So she won’t respond, she won’t think of him, and then he’ll see who is winning.
He watches her with the other guys petulantly and sees she feels perfectly comfortable laying a hand on their shoulder or touching their hands. With him, other than one incident with the eyelash, she does not touch him. In fact, as long as they aren’t sitting at the judges’ table, she keeps at least a foot away. It irks him that he cannot get her attention the way he wants it, thus ends up acting like a misbehaving child, taking any reaction he can get from her, good or bad - usually bad.

***
They are given one break in which the whole group go back to their hometowns and take time away from each other and the contestants. The Idol journey of auditions was exhausting and ear-splitting. They all need to recover before they go permanently deaf. Paula takes the time to spend with her family and puppies, all of whom she has missed terribly. It is nice to be able to say something without having to look over her shoulder and wait for a snarky response. She is dreading the next city stop. However, she cannot deny she loves the attention she is being given ever since she has gotten back in the spotlight. Though the show has not aired yet, people inside the business have begun asking her to do titbits for them, including choreography, her ultimate niche. She knows a lot of this credit goes to Simon but cannot bring herself to admit this.
On the last day of her break, she spends time with her friends, Taylor, Jennifer and Daniel, shopping. They have a great time the whole afternoon before Paula has to leave for a dinner date with her sister. Wendy has been at her little sister’s throat, insisting on details of Paula’s mental and physical state, immensely worried. Paula has tried avoiding the conversation she knows will come up, but now can no longer push it back. So she heads to Wendy’s house, where her nephews greet her at the front door. They haven’t seen Aunt Paula in forever, and are ecstatic when she hands them some new games for their PlayStation. They each kiss her cheek before escaping to their rooms, eager to play right away. The sisters have a long chat, catching up and surprisingly, it is not as bad as Paula expected it to be.
Quite unlike Paula and her busy social life, Simon spends the days shut up in his home, relishing the quiet. He is all for the peace and serenity that comes with closed doors and a phone which he switches off at leisure. He works on some plans to renovate the house once he has bought it. Right now, he is renting it, but he does like the feel of the place and wants it to display its full potential. His housekeeper keeps well out of his way, cooking him meals and cleaning the house in her silent manner. Simon doesn’t mind, quite absorbed in his planning and his latest guilty pleasure: watching Paula Abdul videos.
He still isn’t sure what has possessed him to do it, but he managed to navigate the internet – after many failed attempts – and found a Paula Abdul tribute website. He had watched some of her videos when she had been really famous, and while it wasn’t ultimately his sort of music, he did love her dancing. He still does. He has watched Straight Up, Forever Your Girl and Cold Hearted Snake, right from the music videos to the live performances. He quite likes the last one, he admits. Now he clicks on Promise of a New Day and waits expectantly for it to load...
Jaw hanging, and eyes bulging, Simon realises he has stopped breathing. While the graphics are mediocre, as the 80’s and 90’s were, the choreography is almost as outstanding as she looks. Her hair is dark and curly, blowing in the wind as Paula dances slowly, gracefully. And though her shirt is a little gaudy, he appreciates the mini-skirt. He watches transfixed as the water flows down her body, drenching her hair and clothes, making her look more gorgeous then he ever imagined possible. Sexy. Stunning. The way she arches her back, the way she spins elegantly on the seashore, it makes him gulp down an imaginary lump in his throat.
When he meets her next, in Seattle, the images of her past float in his mind; haunting him to find her even more beautiful than ever. He tries not to let it show, but as a huge fan of Paula’s comes through the door, her blushing face and shy smile is difficult to ignore. Though Michael manages to screw up his song, getting not one note in tune, Simon is positively kind towards him. Or rather, to Paula.
“Can I say something?” asks Simon. “Can I thank you for something by the way? Because I haven’t seen this girl smile in two weeks and – ”
“I used to worship her,” Michael explains. Paula looks down at her lap, flattered at both him and Simon.
“Whatever you did, thank-you.” Simon grins.
He tells Paula to hug Michael and she does so, smiling broadly in her nervousness. For those few seconds Simon does not see the diva he thought he knew. He sees a timid, happy-to-please gem of a woman, surprising him greatly. And he smiles a smile of true contentment while Randy gushes over how perfect the moment it.
Yet again he has seen another side of this complicated woman. Yet again, he finds himself wanting to see more.
***
On their last evening in Seattle, after the auditions are over with, everyone is collecting their things, ready for their flight to Los Angeles, where the last auditions will be held. At 5:30, Simon has finished packing and wants very much to see Paula again. He knows that she doesn’t want anything to do with him – he knows it well – and yet this seems to be the exact thing that draws her to him, like a moth to a flame. He could accept a woman obviously trying to deny her attraction towards him. It’s rare, but it has happened. However, a lady who seems completely indifferent to his charm, who only seems to despise him more by the day, is something he has no experience with. Perhaps he just needs to prove it to himself, that he can indeed make her fall for him. It’s a challenge, a chase, and he is more than game for it.
He knocks at her hotel door, hoping she has already finished packing. There is some shuffling inside and then the sound of padding feet coming closer. The door swings open to an out-of-breath Paula, holding two shoes of different pairs, wide-eyed. She stands, stunned, and blinks a few times.
“I was wondering if you’d like to go for a walk with me?” Simon asks, softly.
“Um...Okay, give me a minute,” she mutters, pushing the shoes in a small bag and grabbing her jacket. Seattle, even when it wasn’t raining, still had a chill in the air.
When Paula turns around again, Simon is inside her room, leaning against the wall watching her. It makes her feel self-conscious and she isn’t sure if she really wants to walk with him. He gives her a one-sided smile that makes his boyish features more prominent, marking him as ‘dangerous’ in her mind. There is a danger about him, thrilling and blood-boiling, something she loves almost as much as she hates.
He lets her out the door first and closes it behind him. His hand as if by instinct places itself on her back, leading her to the elevator, but she tenses under his touch, causing him to remove it without a word. As they walk out of the lobby, she puts her cream coloured jacket on and crosses her arms tightly over her chest, making Simon wonder if it is the weather or just the awkwardness that causes her to take this position.
“Do you think it’s been a good season so far?” He asks as they tread on the pavement.
It is a pathetic question really, one she has answered many times to many different people, but he isn’t sure if anything else would work. Still, he expects a cliché remark, one with fluff and sugar coating, but Paula simply raises an eyebrow at him, as if saying ‘Are you kidding me?’
He chuckles throatily. “Okay, fine. What would you like to talk about?” He inquires. She thinks for a moment as he fishes out his cigarettes from his pocket and lights one. Paula cringes but does not comment.
“Well I was thinking…” Paula starts, but is interrupted by the shrill sound of a phone ringing. Simon gives her an apologetic look as he digs into his pocket for it. He glances at the screen only to smile widely, before putting it to his ear.
“Hello, sweetheart,” he greets. He takes a step forward and gestures for Paula to continue walking beside him. “We’re leaving for L.A. tomorrow – I’ll be back in London in a few days… Yes, thanks – Darling, I’m rather busy right now. I’ll call you soon, though… Bye.” He hangs up and clears his throat uncomfortably.
“Your girlfriend?” asks Paula curiously.
“My best friend,” Simon corrects, blowing smoke into the air. Paula nods, trying not to breathe. They seem awfully close for best friends. “Jackie.” He says her name as if he feels he owes the woman beside him an explanation.
“Okay,” She replies uneasily. What more is there to say?
“So, um, you were saying?” He rubs the back of his neck.
“I – uh – It doesn’t matter… Simon, it’s really cold out here, can we go back to the hotel?”
He didn’t want it to end so soon; they had barely spoken. Nevertheless, her cheeks, pink from the cold and hunched form has him obliging.
“Alright.”
They tread back the way they came from and into the warmth of the lobby, in totally silence. Simon has placed a warm hand on the middle of her back, which Paula would have shrugged off if she weren’t feeling so cold. He doesn’t release his hand until they are out of the lift and in front of her door.
“You’re okay?” He asks. She nods, not mentioning that the cold affects her neck pain considerably.
“Thanks,” She says. Her fingers fiddle nervously with the key-card.
They stand awkwardly in front of each other, both trying to find common ground, but neither willing to put themselves out there and reveal something. It is too much of a risk in the game that they have begun to play. Yet, not one to be at a loss for words, Simon speaks up.
“You’re different, you know that?” He says, just because.
“A good different?” She asks, slightly amused.
He pretends to think for a moment. “I’ll have to get back to you on that one.” She chuckles.
A moment passes before anyone speaks. “Goodnight, Simon,” Paula says, eventually.
“Goodnight, Paula.”
His lips aim for her cheek and she tilts her head just slightly to allow the contact. He lingers for a second longer than appropriate, embracing her scent and soft skin. Her eyes meet his eyes as he pulls away, the endless hazel colour still as captivating as ever. With that same one sided grin, he watches her disappear
into her room before walking back to his own.