"Coconut Shy"

I bite my lip and nod. It's like I'm in a movie. I'm the leading lady being wooed by the world's most handsome and romantic man. This couldn't be true... Could it?

“Great!” Paul grins, “I knew you couldn't resist big hazel eyes.”

“The bear has black eyes...” I smiled.

“I was talking about me!” Paul teased, taking my hand and pulling me over to the Coconut Shy. There, sitting proudly on a shelf, was the most adorable (absolutely huge!) teddy bear. According to the brown parcel tag stuck neatly to his shoulder, his name was Bernard and we could win him for knocking down just two coconuts... Paul couldn't resist the challenge.

“Three goes please, mister,” Paul grinned.

“Think you can win 'im with just three?” the stall holder smirked, pointing at Bernard.

“I can always buy more,” Paul countered with a chuckle.

“True,” the man handed over three small wooden balls.

“Thanks,” Paul limbered up. “Ya might want to get outta the way,” he joked.

The man seemed to have sense as he stepped out to the side of the stall and motioned for Paul to carry on. Paul steadied himself.

“Good luck,” I giggled.

“Thanks, love,” he smirked, aiming and throwing the first ball.

He hit it! I cheered and clapped, making Paul blush through his smug expression.

“One more and you've won 'im,” the man announced, quite unnecessarily.

Paul readied himself, took a breath and closed his eyes a moment. Opening them, he took his second shot... He missed.

“Aw,” I sighed, patting him on the back. “You can do this!” I teasingly coached.

“I can do this!” he laughingly chanted. “I can do this!”

He aimed again and as the wooden ball left his hand, it was obvious... He'd missed again.

“Oh, you have got to be-” he started.

I giggled, “Relax. It doesn't matter.”

He looked into my eyes and decided something. He looked at Bernard and nodded. Looking confidently at the stall man, he said, “Another three, mate. And keep 'em coming 'till I get him, right?”

“Paulie...” I mumbled, “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Paul assured firmly. “This is for you. I won't give up.”

*

Two hours later and he'd finally hit another one down. “One more!” He grinned.

“It's all yours, Paulie,” I smiled. “Just one more.”

He grinned and corrected me, “Just one more, and he's all yours!”

I giggled, “All this for me?”

“For you,” he smiled.

He aimed, took a breath and paused.

“What is it?”

“I need your luck.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Wish me luck!”

“Good luck!”

“And again!”

“Good luck Paul!”

“I need something more!”

I looked around and then blushed madly before leaning up and kissing his cheek, “Good luck Paulie.”

He smirked and threw the wooden ball immediately. Smack! Right on target!

I squealed with excitement as the man applauded and announced, “We have a winner! Two out of three means you win a prize. Which one do you want?” He asked, though he knew the answer.

“Bernard, please mister,” Paul grinned, pointing at the adorable bear.

“Yay!” I was visibly extremely excitable.

The man handed Paul the bear with a wink. Paul held Bernard out to me and I pulled both the bear and Paul into a hug. “Thank you!”

Paul chuckled and hugged back, “Bear hug!”

I laughed and pulled away, admiring my new furry friend. “He's so cute!”

“Hey, how come you never say that about me?” Paul teased, giving the coconut man a grateful wave as we walked across the fair.

I looked at him and smiled, “Aw, you're so cute! Thank you!” Again, I reached up and kissed his cheek pleasantly.

“That's more like it!” he joked. “Those kisses are magic,” he added playfully.

“What d'ya mean?”

“You're my good luck charm.”

“Aw,” I smiled – that was cute too, “It took you I-don't-know-how-many goes though!”

“But it was the kiss that did it,” he chuckled. “Hey, I'm... um... I'm going to need some luck at our gig tonight... Wanna come along?”

I beamed, “Of course! Can I bring Bernard?”

“Yeah,” Paul laughed, “Wouldn't be the same without him.”

*

I knocked on the dressing room door of the old Community Centre and Paul called, “Come in!”

I opened the door slowly and pushed Bernard into the room first.

“Bernard!” Paul exclaimed, laughing, “How are ya, mate?”

I could feel Paul shake Bernard's paw and I laughed at the sound of confusion coming from, Nathan, Paul's bandmate.

“What the 'ell are you doing?” Nathan asked.

“Nathan, this is Bernard. We met today at the fair. Bernard,” he continued, “Is there anyone else waiting to come in?”

Paul tugged Bernard's paw a little and I playfully stumbled into the room.

“Hello!” I giggled.

“Hi, love,” Paul chuckled, hugging me.

“'Ello,” Nathan nodded from the chair. “What was all that about?”

“Paul won him earlier.”

“Ooh, he won it for you?”

“Not 'it' – he's a him... Or is it he's a he? Anyway, whatever, yeah, he won him for me!”

“Well, I'd better leave you two alone then, hadn't I?” Nathan chuckled.

“What do you mean?” Paul smirked.

“Well, it's one thing to take a girl to the fair, but to win something for her?! God, you two'll be married by the end of the week at this rate!”

Nathan, laughing to himself, left the room.

“What's he talking about?” Paul and I said at the same time, then fell into fits of laughter ourselves.

*

“Time for me to go on now, love,” Paul said eventually, sipping his water.

“Aw, okay. I'll be watching from the side, alright?”

Paul smiled gratefully. “How about my luck?”

“Good luck Paulie,” I smiled, leaning up and kissing his cheek.

“I need more luck than that!” he teased.

I kissed his cheek again.

“No! Still not enough!”

So, as I reached up to kiss his cheek for the third time, he placed his hands on my cheeks and brought my lips cleverly to his own. As our lips touched, gently at first, then more firmly, I felt a sensation new to me. It was all I could do to stay standing, in Paul's arms. I could only describe it as a perfect moment – like everything in life finally felt like it fit. Like nothing was wrong. Like the good luck would never run out.

As we parted, Paul chuckled. I blushed.

“Good luck,” I giggled.

“I only wanted luck for that, ya know,” he smirked. “Now, hopefully, if the luck is still with me, you'll say yes... Be mine?”

I smiled and pecked his lips, pulling away slightly, I pulled Bernard into view and, laughing, made him nod my answer. Paul laughed too, pulling both myself and the bear in the best hug in the world.