A/N: This piece was inspired by the song "Just Breathe" by Ana Nalick. :)
Just Breathe
The road that Paul's life had been traveling had been long and rough, but he was beginning to see the light at the end of that proverbial tunnel. When she told him that she was leaving him for good, Paul thought his world would come crashing down around him. However, his pack brothers were quick to remind him that his wolf would be whatever She wanted him to be. If she wanted nothing from him, why not accept this end game? As far as they were concerned, he was free of the imprint. Through their eyes, he had been given the blessing of choosing who he loved.
Paul never regretted becoming a shifter. The night of his first phase, his life was turned around, given something that he had never had in his life, support, care and a family that would do anything for him. His life up until that point had been filled with abuse and neglect so joining the pack was the thing he needed to pull him out of that hell. When he imprinted on Rachel, Paul was sure that he was on his way to having what he always wanted, a wife, maybe some kids, a house on a hill. However, after trying for over a year with Rachel, she left him one night with not much more than a "See you, Lahote. We're done.", and tail lights fading off in the distance. He knew all along there was a very strong chance that Rachel would not allow herself to be "stuck on the res" as she called it. Her love of her career and the Big City were too strong. At first, the man was confused and distraught, convinced that his life was at an end. However with time, he came to understand that his wolf was ok with how things turned out with Rachel. They were giving her what she wanted.
Her freedom.
Almost six months after Rachel's departure, there he was out on La Push, walking along the beach as the sun set, trying to figure out how to approach his newly regained bachelorhood. The one thing that he knew for sure was that Lady's Man Lahote would not be making a comeback. Now, he wanted more out of his life. His feet kicked at the waves with his hand stuffed into his pockets, lost in thought. Out of nowhere, poignant lyrics floated through his mind like leaves blown by the wind. Unable to stop himself, his feet carried him to the source of the singing, but what he found stopped him in his tracks.
May he turned 21 on the base at Fort Bliss
"Just a day" he said down to the flask in his fist,
"Ain't been sober, since maybe October of last year."
Here in town you can tell he's been down for a while,
But, my God, it's so beautiful when the boy smiles,
Wanna hold him. Maybe I'll just sing about it.
Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table.
No one can find the rewind button, boys,
So cradle your head in your hands,
And breathe... just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe
His nose caught her scent as his eyes roamed over her features. She sat with her back to him, her wavy chestnut hair lifted by the occasional breeze. Her eyes were closed as she sang along with the song playing on her Ipod. Given what she had been through, she had every right to sing a soul wrenching song,
In the month that Rachel left him for good, Bella's world was also turned upside down when Jake came back from work that afternoon with a goofy look on his face. As he walked through the door, he totally ignored Bella who was standing in the living room to greet him. Finally he stopped in front of his dad, Jake smiled brightly before he explained to his dad that he had imprinted on a girl from Forks named Angela. Heartbroken, Bella flew out of the house, knowing her relationship with Jake was over. She ran deep into the woods to hide her pain and misery, to lose herself to her tears.
It was that day that Paul truly saw her for the first time when he found her after finishing up his patrol. As he watched her cry her heart out, his opinion of Bella Swan changed. Unfortunately, he had to admit he had originally misread Bella. Not so long ago, Paul was convinced that she would once again betray Jake to return to Eddie's cold embrace, but she never did. Through her tears, he saw that she only wanted to be loved, just like he always had. How could he be such a hypocrite? Making more noise than usual so as not to startle her, he walked over to where she sat, curled up at the base of a tree with her knees pulled up to her chest. He spoke softly. "Bella?...are you ok?"
With the slightest shake of her head, Bella buried her head in her arms, resting her forehead on her knees. "No." He recognized the fact that she couldn't share the pain she was experiencing. Paul knew what it was like to bottle up all of that emotion inside. It ate at your soul.
"Come here then." Slowly, he put his arms around her, gently pulling into his chest. "Just breathe, honey. It's going to be ok." After several long minutes, the tension eased in her shoulders and her heavy sobs turned to quiet sniffles. Paul sat on the forest floor with her as the shadows lengthened around them, finding solace in the silence. After that day, a budding friendship began. Somehow, they gravitated towards each other whenever they were having a hard day. She had a knack for finding him on the cliffs when his emotions threatened to boil over. Paul knew she would watch the waves whenever she was hurting. At least once or twice a week, they would spend an hour or so in silence, making no demands of the other, finding peace in their quiet companionship. Each time, they became more comfortable in the other's presence.
Silently, Paul watched her as she belted out the lyrics to this song as he leaned against the boulder behind him. It was obvious she was pouring out her soul as she sang to the wind as the waves crashed in front of her. An occasional tear slid down her cheek. As with him, he could tell that she was hurting less, almost ready to move on. Almost…
The song must have ended because her hand reached up to wipe her cheeks. Taking that opportunity, Paul approached to sit down beside her, giving her a half smile. "Rough day?" His hand reached up to catch a tear that she had missed. His thumb gently brushed the corner of her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess so." Bella nodded as she returned his smile. "Some days, I feel like my heart is going to rip in half. I learned quickly I could alleviate the pain a bit by singing out here, especially at sunset. I feel like I'm letting all the stuff pent up inside of me free."
Leaning back against the large driftwood log behind them, he slipped his arm over her shoulders. Once again, they let the serenity of the ocean's waves, soothe their hearts and minds. As the sun was starting to set, she gasped at the beauty of the sunset as the colors swirled through the clouds above. He shifted slightly to look at her, feeling like he was finally seeing the true Bella for the first time. His fingers brushed through her hair as they had many times before. However this time, Paul realized he was no longer touching her not out of the need for comfort, but the need of Her. The time we spent together had slowly turned into more than commiseration. He felt in his soul that he needed to be with her, touching her, talking to her, holding her. Loving her would be a simple as breathing.
Insecurities wrapped around his new emotions as he watched her lips lift in a beautiful smile as she watched the setting of the sun. No longer wanting to deny his feelings as he had in the past, Paul leaned closer to her, his face mere inches from hers. When she realized that he had moved closer to her, her eyes went wide, unsure of what was happening between them.
"Breathe Bella…just breathe." Closing the distance between them, Paul kissed her gently. His hands cupped her face, holding her loosely to give her the ability to back away. Fully expecting her to stop at any second, he was surprised when she opened up to him, moving closer still with a soft sigh.
There at that moment, their souls meshed as their kiss continued. With this bold move, they both stepped away from their painful past to start a new journey, together.