paulmccartney via Instagram:

The second she heard that familiar voice, Alycia’s head snapped around all her brunette straight locks following after. The joy of seeing him is physical. Her jaw dropping from the surprise of it all, the joyful surprise of it all, before a radiant smile took over her entire face. Brought out by just seeing him. Gone was the exhaustion of the long flight, replaced by the sheer, dizzying rush of seeing him standing right there in front of her. Without even a thought of the crowd or who might be observing them, she let out a delighted laugh and immediately stepped into the warmth of his space. Dropping her carryon so she could wrap both her arms around his neck, holding onto him like life very much depended on it but the action filled with jolting excitement. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, she lingered there for a moment, breathing him in and letting the warmth of his embrace finally ground her.

"My god," she whispered it right into his skin, a soft chuckle would soon follow and it would vibrate from her throat. As she got the intimate sensation of smelling his familiar cologne, have the sensational feeling of every bit of him brushing against her. Slowly and eventually she would pull back her green eyes seeking out the ocean's depth in his. Pulling back just to have his whole face in her view sight. Her hands briefly landed on his cheeks till taking to his shoulders and would slid all the way down to rest on his chest, her fingers playfully smoothing over his shirt "You absolute menace. Are you trying to give me a surprise in the middle of arrivals?" Her eyes shined so bright and incredibly soft for just him Soon she was scanning his face, taking in every single detail she'd missed—the crinkle around his eyes, the exact shape of his nose and well of course curve of his lips she adored. She leaned in a little closer, her tone dropping into something sweet and undeniably flirting.

When she pulled back enough for him to see her face, a fresh wave of emotion swelled in his chest. Her eyes were bright, her smile was dazzling. Every feature seemed lit from within, and Paul knew instantly that this was exactly the reaction he'd hoped for when he'd decided to wait for her at arrivals like some lovestruck fool. And he'd do it again in a heartbeat. A grin spread across his face, equal parts smug and adoring. "Surprised you, did I?" he murmured, his hands still resting at her waist, his thumbs rubbing soft, lingering circles against her sides. "Had to make sure you didn't forget what I look like." His tone was teasing, but there was too much tenderness in his gaze for the joke to fully land as one. Paul studied Alycia's face shamelessly, drinking in every detail he'd missed - the brilliant green of her eyes, the familiar curve of her mouth and the expression that softened whenever she looked at him. The way she lit up just because he was standing there. It melted him completely, every time.

He laughed quietly when she told him it would be in his best interest to stay close to her for the entire weekend. His eyes sparkled, and a slow, knowing smirk tugged at his lips. "That," he said, squeezing her hand and leaning in to brush a kiss to her forehead, "is exactly the plan."

And it was, it was exactly what Paul did. Over the next couple of days, he stayed as close to her as circumstances allowed. He sat beside her during long lunches under the California sun, their knees brushing beneath linen tablecloths. He wandered through vineyards with her hand tucked securely in his, pausing to steal kisses between rows of vines heavy with grapes. Tasted wine with her, laughing softly whenever she leaned in to share her thoughts, more intoxicated by the sound of her voice than anything in his glass. Every activity became sweeter simply because she was there. The scenic drives. The candlelit dinners. The lazy mornings stolen together before the rest of the world woke. And because fate, or perhaps a slightly sadistic event planner, had assigned them different rooms, Paul became remarkably inventive. A secluded terrace overlooking the valley after midnight. A quiet corner of the wine cellar where the air smelled of oak and aged cabernet. A locked bathroom during one particularly lively party. The back seat of the SUV beneath a sky strewn with stars. Anywhere he could get her alone, even for a few precious minutes. Anywhere he could kiss her until neither of them remembered what they'd been talking about. Anywhere he could press her close and reacquaint himself with the feel of her body against his, with the soft sounds she drew from him, with the dizzying relief of finally having her within reach again. He had missed her with an ache that bordered on physical, and touching her felt like satisfying a hunger he'd been carrying for over a month. Not rushed or careless, just desperate in the most loving sense of the word. Each stolen moment, whether it ended in breathless laughter or in her lipstick smudged against his mouth, only made him more certain of what he already knew. There was nowhere in the world he would rather be than beside her.

Now, on the final night, Paul sat with her at a candlelit table as the farewell dinner unfolded around them in all its polished splendor. Crystal glasses caught the golden light, locally curated wines flowed as course after exquisite course arrived, and the atmosphere shimmered with the kind of effortless glamour only these absurd celebrity weekends seemed capable of producing. And yet Paul barely noticed any of it. His attention kept returning to the woman beside him, arm resting comfortably around her shoulders while his thumb traced absentminded strokes along her upper arm. Occasionally he glanced at her, and each time the same warm swell of affection rose in his chest. After the first course had been cleared and they were surrounded a pleasant hum of voices and conversations, he leaned in slightly, his voice low and intimate. "This has been my favourite weekend in a while." His fingers tightened gently against her shoulder. "Not because of the wine, though the wine certainly helped." He smiled softly, turning his head to look at her properly. "You just make everything better, you know that?" His gaze lingered on her face, full of quiet wonder. "It doesn't matter what we're doing. Sitting in traffic, tasting wine, sneaking off to find somewhere private so I can kiss you senseless," A small, crooked grin touched his mouth as he leaned closer to add words only meant for her ears, "and fuck you senseless... It all feels perfect because you're there." Emotion thickened his voice then, though his smile never faded. "I'm really looking forward to what comes next." For a moment, he let the words settle between them.

Seeing him there, in this digital state that was all grainy in a FaceTime call, while he looked both disheveled and perfect while being so incredibly him, was a sight for sore eyes. Eyes flashing between his eyes a moment ago now didn't need to look any further for a flicker of doubt in his eyes because there wasn't one. He was just being as steady in his choice telling her they were on the same damn page, nobody was being dragged to this choice. That was the simplest deduction here. He was bringing grounding heat that always made her feel like she’d finally coming home, as silly as that sounded that was where she was going now, that this was the next logical home for them both. "Ive never been more sure" and in that moment her heart spoke more than anything, all the weight off it cause it was now real with that confirmation.

"You’ve no idea how long I’ve been overthinking what your answer would be," she admitted, her voice dropping into the quiet, intimate hum that follows a massive release of tension. She leaned closer to the camera, her forehead nearly brushing the glass as if trying to bridge the thousands of miles of physical space between them. "How often I raked myself over the coals just trying to find the right way to say it."pursing her lips with her finger dancing on those soft pink lines. "And I'm sure, Paul. My thoughts were so much of the same. I’ve never been more sure of anything than this decision. So much so uprooting my life sounds like a massive thing on paper, but the truth of the matter is it feels like nothing when you say it like that. Sydney will always be there, like you said we can take every chance we can to come back and maybe even one day move here if it presents. But my family knows how I feel about you. let's be real they will probably just be relieved they don't have to hear me moping around the house. "

"It should be more concerning how all the pieces are fitting together. How willing it feels with just a flick of the wrist to all fit perfectly together. But I think people say that's when you know it's the best decision. When you know it be just a little complicated and messy but the feeling it rings even through that is lighter and lovelier" Her smile such a radiant thing that it now reached her eyes, reflecting back the same glow he was wearing. The mention of coffee in the kitchen and the end of those dreaded 'last days' made her heart ache in the best possible way. There would be a conclusion to those lonely, heart aching and breaking days. The pain would now lessen not intensify with every interaction and visit. She didn't know what would replace it. Perhaps a everlasting joy and happiness. But it was the mundane things she craved most to live without a countdown in the background, to be free to just enjoy each other in every manner all around his place. Yeah and for it to be as rated as that sounded if they wanted as often as they wanted. She didn't want a highlight reel, she wanted the messy, quiet, ordinary reality of him.

"When you know, you know. And we do know." The sight of her smile reaching all the way to her eyes made his heart leap in his chest. He knew, with absolute certainty, that this would become one of those memories he would carry with him forever. Moving in together was a huge step, and it should have felt daunting. Instead, it felt as natural as breathing, like the next page in a story they'd already been writing together for quite some time. By then, he had stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and stepped back inside from the balcony, locking the door behind him. His eyes remained fixed on the screen as he moved through the flat, setting his coffee cup in the sink before leaning against the kitchen counter.

They were well and truly matching each other's sweetness now. Every word she spoke landed directly in his heart, and he let out a soft chuckle, unable to contain the happiness bubbling up inside him. The thought of sharing a home with her filled him with a giddy kind of excitement. He couldn't wait for all the little moments they were imagining to become their everyday reality. Even the mundane parts thrilled him. The paperwork, the boxes, the assembling of shelves and wardrobes, all of it felt strangely exciting because it meant building a life with her.

"You look so handsome," she murmured, yeah that was important to say and could not be skipped over. A small, fragile smile finally breaking all the nerves and showing how unfailingly in love with this man she was. She let her gaze linger on him in this time, committing to memory how he looked in this specific light. Everything was telling her this was the moment. There was no turning back now. She knew how it could sound coming out of her. She knew the logistics of which could be a utter nightmare and the distance was an ocean, maybe three. However when she thought about spending another month, another week, or even another day this far apart she knew it had to be done.

"Okay, if I say this you can not laugh, and don't tell me I’m losing my mind," her voice was more soft than an actual threat. She was being earnest as he was the best to know now. She restated herself and became in a calmer state of mind. "I’ve been giving some thought to the whole way we can fix it. Not for something temporary like a trip we have done a lot of them, I mean more permanent. And I realized.with where we are in the relationship I don't want to find just a plant to name after you, Paul. And it may be incredibly selfish but I don't think a phone call is enough to sustain me when I am this deep in love with you. It won't. I want to wake up and see you there, I want to have days with you, not waiting all day for a simple phone notification." The breeze of the plant focused wind turbines blowing across her hot neck in all this waiting on his reaction.

But when her tone turned serious and she asked him not to laugh at what she was about to say, he immediately matched her seriousness. He nodded gently, silently encouraging her to continue. What she said struck him right in the chest because he felt it too. The constant longing to build a real life together, one that wasn't mostly lived through screens and stitched together with temporary fixes, had become harder and harder to ignore. Maybe they were growing impatient, but Paul had never claimed to be particularly good at waiting. And he certainly wasn't about to start pretending he was now, not when the woman he loved so clearly wanted the same thing.

A soft, reassuring smile spread across his face as she hesitated. There was no fear or uncertainty in his expression, only the excited thud of his heart against his ribs at the thought of what she was suggesting. The cigarette in his other hand was nearly forgotten, the last drag taken moments earlier when she'd begun speaking and when she finally continued, he felt a brief flicker of surprise. Not because she wanted to move in with him, that part didn't surprise him at all. He'd sensed it coming, and if he was honest, the thought had been circling in his own mind for weeks. In quiet moments, he had caught himself imagining her things in his flat, her skincare products lining the bathroom sink, her favourite food in the fridge, her laugh drifting through rooms that had felt a little too empty before her. He knew living together would take work. There would be adjustments, compromises, and inevitable growing pains. Sharing a home wasn't just about romantic mornings and falling asleep tangled together. It meant building routines, navigating each other's habits, and choosing each other every day in all the ordinary moments. But none of that scared him. If anything, it thrilled him. The idea of facing those challenges with her felt less like a risk and more like the beginning of the life he'd been hoping for.

What did surprise him was how certain she already sounded that she would be the one to move. And, realistically, it was the only arrangement that made sense for the next couple of years. His work kept him anchored in London, and relocating to Sydney wasn't an option any time soon. The fact that she'd thought this through so carefully, and was willing to make such a significant change for them, filled him with a mixture of awe and tenderness. But he didn't want to leave her hanging for even a second, didn't want her to mistake his silence for hesitation or doubt. So he quickly refocused on the screen, meeting her eyes, and shook his head with a soft smile. "The only mad thing would be if I said no to that," he said warmly. "I'd love to have you here. Honestly, I think it'd make me the happiest lad in the world." His expression softened further, his voice gentler now. "I just need to know… are you absolutely sure you're ready to uproot your life in Sydney for me?"