Beauty & the Brit -Chapter 13: Paige's Predicament (Patreon)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: PAIGE'S PREDICAMENT

“So England hey?! Tell me what did you say was it: OH YES or was it OH YES!” Rae laughed.

“I-I didn’t say anything. I said I need time to think about it,” Paige exhaled nervously.

“Wait what!? You didn’t say yes!? Why?!” Rae exclaimed in shock.

“Rae you’re the spontaneous one! You take your paint or your medium and you put it on the canvas and you take risks every single day and almost every time it works out for you! But I’m not that way; you know that! I never have been! I need to think things over, I need time to make a decision and to know the options and variables and calculate my moves like...like chess or something. It’s weird for me to just move in a way my piece isn’t normally allowed to move!”

“Oh my God girl! I realize that. But if you don’t go now you’re going to spend the rest of your life looking back at that chess square or whatever and being like oh my God why didn’t I go? What if-? It’s not worth it to look back with regret. And hey if you get over there and it’s totally stupid or it’s a bad situation you know I have money saved up to get you a ticket back or me a ticket there to murder his ass if everything isn’t what he said it was or if things aren’t perfect for you! He claims to be a rich mo-fo well he better treat you better than he’d treat The Queen and his own grandma!” Rae exclaimed passionately then the two laughed. “And if he tries to traffic you or murder you he’s gonna be the one that’s murdered. I’ll paint a new canvas with his blood and entrails!” she went on and Paige cringed.

“Oh God no I hope that’s… I hope you don’t have to—” she muttered nervously.

“I won’t because he’s going to know in advance and he won’t be taking any risk except to make sure everything is prim and proper and perfect for you over there.”

Paige smiled and nodded gently. “Okay. You’re...you’re right. I just...can’t imagine going off to London like tomorrow! I woulda never dreamed!” she gushed anxiously with bubbling excitement below the surface.

“If I could go with you, I would. But like I told Derick, it’s…”

“It’s fine,” Paige reassured, “I know you’d come if you could. I just… Oh gosh! Like the idea of doing this is just...crazy but amazing at the same time! It feels like a dream or something!”

“It’s a good dream,” Rae reassured, “Now c’mon don’t waste another second and tell the man you’re going!”

“Oh! Oh right!” Paige hesitated as she pulled out her phone. Was she making the right decision?

“Pay.”

Brown eyes looked up at her friend.

“Call him. Or text. Just tell him you’re coming,” Rae spoke calmly.

“This is insane,” Paige muttered.

“Insane is different than crazy is different than bonkers is different than barking mad. Some people who were described this way were also geniuses in their fields. So just...go with it. It’s going to be fine.” Rae smiled gently but Paige didn’t move. “I won’t go anywhere until you’ve let him know,” her friend added on as a small push.

Paige closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. ‘Okay’ she told herself, ‘This is it.’ A moment later she opened her eyes and dialled Derick.

He picked up almost immediately.

“Derick? I accept your offer. I’m coming to England.”