"But there's nothing to be afraid of, even when the night changes..."

Night Changes; One Direction


Jacob doesn't come to school the rest week. As a matter of fact, we don't see hide nor hair of him at all—no one does, not even his own father, according to Quil, who'd taken to slumming outside Billy Black's house after school in order to confront our friend about his sudden departure from all of our lives.

It's weird and I know that something is up, but we can't find Jake in order to see what the problem is. Billy assures Quil and I that Jacob hasn't gone missing when the two of us bang on his door late one evening, and just tells us that we'll know in time. I nearly snap at hearing that because I think the man has gone a little off his rocker (and because that's all anyone around here can seem to say lately).

In the back of my mind, as I sit behind the steering wheel of my car and navigate the road to Kim's house, I wonder if we're all just in denial about Jake. His behavior is almost exactly like the kind Embry displayed before he ran off with Uley and the rest of that gang. He stopped coming to school, then seemed to just completely disappear, and finally, on that day when Paul Lahote had seemingly made a permanent residence in my life, he'd appeared as someone completely different; new hair, new clothes, and a new attitude to go along with his new friends.

The idea that Jacob would do something even remotely similar to what Embry has done makes me feel physically sick. I mean, he was Jake, for Christ's Sake! He likes motorcycles and dirt bikes and anything that will run, really, and he always smells faintly of the grease and dirt that smokes up his garage. And he's the person who's been there for me through everything. When I broke up with my first boyfriend, when my older brother, Mason, went off to college, all those times my dad left on an assignment… Jacob was one of my best friends and for him to just vanish like he's done makes me a lot more upset than I'd first realized.

"Blair, you're going to miss the turn."

Sadie's voice jolts me out of my thinking and I startle back to the present, quickly hitting my break in order to veer to the left. I send out a muffled apology to my friend as I come to a stop in Kim's drive way. She says nothing, though, just offers me a comforting smile when I glance over at her.

That's when I realize that Jacob was only one of my best friends and that I still had Sadie and Quil—that I'd always have those two love birds. It doesn't soothe the ache I can feel starting to build low in my chest, but it silences the worry about being left completely alone.

"Remember what I told you, Sade," I whisper as she and I start the short trek up to Kim's front door. "Don't bombard her or anything. She's new to you."

Sadie scoffs. "I'm not going to bombard her! We're going dress shopping, Blair, and I'm just going to help her find a pretty dress."

"No, you're going to find the dress for her and make her buy it."

"I will not!"

I snicker, give Sadie a playful shove, and then rap my knuckles against the wood of the oak door. It's not even a full second after the sound rasps out into the quiet night that it's swung open.

"Hey."

That voice resonates clearly with me before my brain even registers the tall, broad figure of the person standing in Kim's doorway; it doesn't make much sense, because I've only heard him speak just a handful of times, but I just know that voice and am nearly melting before I even pick up his burning stare.

Paul Lahote is standing in the threshold of the front entrance, trying to smile but not quite managing it as he sweeps me with a look that lights me on fire. I shiver against the feel of his orbs licking up my body and unconsciously lean forward a little when I feel his own familiar heat wrapping around my frigid skin.

God, he was so… so…

"Whoa, Blair," murmurs Sadie. "You almost fell over."

A thick blush spreads across my cheeks as Sadie tugs me away from the open door and I shuffle back even more as I draw in a steady breath.

"Hey Blair, Sadie!"

That's Kim and she sounds excited, but I'm too mortified to look up at her. Sadie nudges me, then starts for the other girl who'd pushed into this awkward bubble; I, meanwhile, try to think of a way that I can scoot past this hulk of a boy still lingering in the doorway.

I hadn't seen him since the incident on Monday. He'd been out the rest of the week (just like Jake, but I was ignoring that for now) so I hadn't ever had to confront the fact that I'd blurted out that I might have a crush on him; now, though, when I can practically feel his warm eyes on my figure, I realize that my avoidance of the whole thing was a mistake because I have no idea what to do.

"Blair, do you wanna come inside?" asks Kim.

Quickly, I nod and then hurry through the fog of tempting heat that always seems to be hanging around Paul's big body. I nearly knock Sadie over I get in such a rush to breeze past the boy and she sends me a frustrated look from over her shoulder as she steadies herself.

"What's with you?" she asks, tone low, so only I can hear.

I can't tell her, no matter how desperately I want to. Sadie didn't hate the Uley boys as much as Quil did, but I didn't think she'd take too lightly to me—maybe—developing a crush on one of them. I could practically recite her response and it wasn't anything pleasant.

"Nothing," I murmur in reply.

She studies me for a quick second but then Kim comes barreling in from the kitchen, tugging a sheepish Jared after her.

"Hey, uhm… Well, Jared wants to go with us too. Would that be alright?"

"Jared wants to go dress shopping with us?" Sadie says in disbelief (she's ticked him down into her bad book after that incident at the diner).

"Won't he get bored?" I question.

"Oh, no," Kim begins. "Paul could come too and keep him company."

It's at that moment that I know the universe is punishing me for something horrible I'd done; I can't think of any other reason as to why Jared Cameron and Paul Lahote would be coming dress shopping with us.

"Why do you want to go?" Sadie asks Jared.

"Well, Kim wanted my opinion on a dress and I thought that I could get my tux too. Kill two birds with one stone, and all that," he says.

I'm too busy internally combusting over the fact that Paul was coming too in order to care about Jared tagging along because I know, should I be put in close quarters with the big brute of a boy, that my actions will become something completely lost to my control. More than likely, I'll get lost in him like I so often do and breach a line that I should never cross, which will just make things worse for the Uley gang and my group of friends.

Why is he even coming?

"And Paul is… He's going to do what?" I manage out, stuttering over my words and increasing my blush.

"I'm going to help Jared pick out his tux. You know, offer the better second opinion."

My head instinctively turns at the sound of his voice and my eyes widen as I almost get lost in his pretty array of features once more. When his gaze snaps down to me, I gasp and whirl around, taking to staring down at the floor again.

"Oh, well…" starts Sadie.

I feel as she nudges me and I know it's an urge for me to let her know my opinion, but I have no idea what I really want to happen here.

If I was being honest, I didn't give a damn if Jared came; he could even sit shotgun, for all I care. As for Paul, though… I was flip-flopping back and forth between desperately wanting him to come and not wanting to have to sit through so many hours full of confusion, which is always something that the boys hulking presence always bring me.

When Sadie nudges me again, this time rather harshly, I begin to grow frustrated and whirl around on my heel, growling out a response to her as I head for Kim's car (the vehicle we'd designated to take on Thursday).

"Doesn't matter to me," I mutter while sweeping past Paul.

I catch a flare of heat that is always rolling off his muscled frame and nearly retrace my steps so I could sink down into the comforting warmth; it's only when I notice that he was turning to follow me out that I continue to scatter forward.

Kim's car is small—only able to seat four comfortably—so I'm not sure what the transportation is going to be now; that is the thought I'm looped around in when a deep voice resonates from beside me.

"You could ride with me, if you want."

My head snaps over to him, my eyes widen, and I gulp as I stare up at Paul's soft expression. He appears as if he's a little unsure about what he's just said and I think for a second to turn him down immediately; I think it's probably best, considering who he is, exactly, and the people he's affiliated with. However, the longer I drown in the golden depths of his eyes, the more that I think riding in his truck with him is the best idea I've heard in a while.

I'm just about to agree with a timid smile when Sadie, Kim, and Jared come out, all of them in conversation on the new car situation.

"Well, Blair can drive me and her," suggests Sadie.

"And I can ride with Jared and Paul," says Kim.

Quickly, I glance over at Paul to check his reaction to the new plan and instantly notice his furrowed brows as he peers over his shoulder at the three of them. I pick up on the tendons in his hands, too, noticing how much the stand out as he practically growls lowly at the small group joining us on the trip to Port Angeles.

I frown at his discomfort (which unsettles me when I realize how much I try to soothe him when I think he's upset) and am opening my mouth before I can truly think about what I'm going to say.

"I'm going to ride with Paul."

Silence engulfs us all. Paul quickly turns to face me, his eyes wide as he stares down at my smaller frame, and Sadie peers at us both with a quizzical look on her face.

"What?" my friend asks.

I sigh. "I'm going to ride with Paul. We can take his truck, and the three of you can take Kim's car. It all works out that way."

"Yea, but—" starts Sadie.

"That sounds great to me," cuts in Jared, who seems as if he's trying to hide a big grin while he stares over at Paul.

"Me too. That way we won't have to take Blair's car and we can take mine like we originally planned," quips Kim, who smiles brightly at us all.

Sadie peers at me for a little while longer, as if she's trying to see if I'm serious, and when she seems to have determined that I'd meant what I'd said, she deflates a little.

"Alright…Guess that's fine," she says slowly.

After sending a long look to Paul, who I swear starts to smirk the longer my best friend stares at him, she asks me for my car keys and says she'll lock it up after getting both our bags.

"Lets head out, then," speaks up Jared, who sends a wink to Kim before he lumbers over to Paul and I. "Hey, you two behave, alright? Last thing we need is a car wreck because you couldn't keep your hands off each other."

"Fuck you, man," hisses Paul.

I duck my head, murmur an 'Oh My God', and then spin on my heel in order to head for the truck that I think to be Paul's; I'm halfway to the vehicle before I feel a warm hand on the small of my back and the ghost of hot breath on my left ear.

"My truck's over here—the black one."

Paul steers me over into the right direction (and away from the one I'd taken to be his) just as Sadie hollers that I forgot my bag.

"Oh," I say softly.

In an attempt to turn around so I could head over to her, I sink further into Paul's touch and nearly sigh out loud at how good it feels to have a part of him touching me. And as I try to fight through the fog clouding my mind suddenly, I realize that, though this feel has a slight sexual underlining, the majority of it is composed of comfort and ease.

When I reach Sadie, she looks like someone has just strangled her and I instantly know why.

I sigh as I pull my purse from her hands.

"Blair, what the hell is going on? I thought you hated the Uley gang and now you're riding in a truck with one of them?" she screeches in a muted whisper.

"Paul is…."

"Do you like him?"

"No! … Maybe! I don't know, okay? I don't know."

"What?"

Another ragged sigh rattles out from my chest and I grumble in frustration as I rake a hand through my wind-tangled hair.

I don't have time to explain to Sadie; we have to start heading to Port Angeles now or all the stores will have closed by the time we get there. But I know later on, when we're back and going over our purchases, that she'll demand every little detail out of me (if not try to while we're shopping).

"I'll tell you later," I mutter.

"And don't think I'll forget!" she says as she starts to head for Kim's car.

After exhale of a long breath, I head for Paul's truck and when I see him waiting beside the passenger side in order to open my door, perk up a little. When I reach him, he sends me an unsure smile, but his entire face lights up with a handsome grin when I beam up at him.

"Thank you," I murmur softly as I ease into the cool leather seat of the cab.

He gives a nod of his head. "Welcome."

Jared hollers something else out as Paul jogs around the front of his truck in order to get to the drivers side and he merely flicks him off, which results in his friend bursting into a loud laughing fit.

I decide I don't even want to ask what Jared said.

(&)

At first, neither of us says anything. Quiet drapes the inside of the cab like a steel blanket that neither of us seemingly can cut through. A few times I think to mention something, but then decide against it just as I open my mouth. I know I must look ridiculous, with my mouth flopping open and then snapping closed like that, but the useless movements continue till I resign myself to shuffling down further in the seat.

Minutes later, gooseflesh pricks up onto my forearms and I feel around beside me before I realize that I'd left my jacket in my car. A frustrated sigh rattles out and I start to grumble underneath my breath, huddling farther down in the leather seats of the cab.

"Something wrong?"

His voice is deep, resonating clearly from low within his chest, and I nearly forget to respond to him; it's only when his pretty, warm eyes narrow a little in concern that I snap back.

"Oh, erm… I just forgot to bring my jacket."

"You can wear mine," he says.

My eyes widen a little at hearing his solution to my chilled skin, but then a slow, small smile slips onto my lips and I nod.

"Okay," I murmur. "Thank you."

He smiles, too, and hands me the thick piece of constructed fabric.

The sleeves are much too long when I slide it on, flopping over my hands when I get it settled on me, and quite a bit of the warming material pools around where I sit. It's massive on me, his jacket is, but it's warm from having been squished so close to his hot body and I can smell his cologne as the fabric swaths around my form.

It smells like… Like…

The thought of what I'm smelling won't form correctly in my mind, rendered incapable because I'm wearing Paul's jacket and Paul is sitting directly beside me and Paul is coming along on a trip that is sure to stretch on for a few hours, which would be the most time I'd ever spent with him (never mind that we'll be with a group of other people). It's a little overwhelming and I know that I should be a little miffed at him and Jared for shoving in on our shopping trip, but, strangely, as I sit beside his burly figure and am draped in his warm jacket, I don't care anymore.

"You okay?"

I startle a little at hearing his deep voice, snapping my head around to peer at him, and have to swallow before I'm able to manage even the smallest nod. Paul frowns a little at me but flashes his amber colored irises back to the road.

But the frown makes something uncomfortable rumble in the pit of my stomach, as if the mere expression on this handsome boys face disturbs me; I find that I have to say something in an effort to push it from his pretty features.

"I'm sorry about Monday… About what I said. I know that was… Well, it was awkward," I mumble, glancing down to where my hands rest in my lap.

"Oh, uhm, well… I didn't really mind," he says.

My eyebrows shoot up at this. "You didn't?"

Paul shifts in his seat and sends me a look I can't quite read out of the corner of his eye. He looks a bit uncomfortable, like this topic is something he'd rather we'd just swept under the rug, and I regret bringing it up.

I scoot away from him a little bit as the heat of embarrassment trickles through my body. In my mind, I question why I chose this to be the thing I'd use to run that frown off his pretty face—I question what could possibly had made me think that this, a topic I'd deliberately been running away from all week, would work in dissolving that rather distressed looking expression he'd been wearing.

Sighing, I card a hand through my tangled hair, chewing down on my lip for a second as the idea to ride back with Kim and Sadie while making Jared hop shotgun with Paul blazes quickly through my mind.

It would save us both all the awkwardness.

But just as I go to fumble around in my bag in order to text Sadie an S.O.S., Paul speaks up again.

"I'm not good with, you know… Talking about things like that. S'not really something I do a lot of. But if you want to, I don't mind. It just mind take me a few tries to get it right…"

I'm shocked—completely at a loss for what to do because it takes me a few proper seconds to register what this hulking boy has just said.

He was willing to try…

I don't know what's happening between him and I or if anything really is transpiring whatsoever; but what I do know is that I feel like I could sit in the cab of his truck for days and wait if he needed me to, so long as he kept talking (whether it be about what color the sky is or how he felt about me, I don't really care). So, with another slow smile spreading across my lips, I inch just a little bit closer to him, and nod.

"I can be patient," I murmur.

And when he chances a quick glance away from the road, his eyes are shining with something I'd never seen in them before; it's something I can't quite place, but I decide that I like the way it lights up his beautiful face.


Authors Note:

'Ello there, my beauties! How're you all? I hope your splendid and enjoyed this (long overdue) chapter! To be honest, I feel a little iffy about the ending... That's one of the reasons it took me so long to update. This story is one of the first that I've ever put so much effort into and I honestly want it to be outstanding, so a mediocre ending like the one I think I provided you lot is not sitting well with me right now. Nevertheless, as I mentioned before, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

As for my long absence: I got a new job that ended up sucking up all my free time, which I used to write, and I also go to college full time, so that leaves me very little time to sit down and properly give this story the time and attention it needs. I don't feel right with just plopping something down and spinning it out for all of you wonderful daisies; like I said before, this story means a lot to me and I want it to be good. I thought it was best that I wait to update when I feel quite settled with what I've come up with rather than feel crummy about a chapter I got up quickly. (And hopefully you feel the same way!)

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of the lovely people who've let lots of support and helpful insight in the past few weeks. It's helped a great deal in battling writers block and overcoming plot hurdles. :)

Oh! An updates are still going to be on Tuesday, it just might not be every week because of my job. I'm off on winter break now, though, so maybe I'll get back to updating regularly! Fingers crossed!

QUESTIONS:

[-] Will Blair and Paul actually get to talk about their feelings in the next chapter?

[-] How is Quil going to feel after he finds out who Sadie and Blair have hung out with?

[-] There's a winter dance coming up; who do you think will be Sadie and Blair's date?