So here is the next chapter.
Also, thanks for the reviews/faves/alerts, I really appreciate all of them. I can't believe this story has 55 reviews.
I also wrote a Christmas one-shot featuring Paul and Lily 3 years in the future if you would like to read it, it has already been posted.
To avoid any confusion, the text messages from Paul are italicized and the messages from Lily are bold.
…So I still don't own anything Twilight related or Tara Janzen created. I do own Harry Potter Scene It though!
Lily POV
It has been 2 days since Paul came over for dinner, and I must say that I am thankful for the time away. I can't believe how spastic I acted. I can only liken it to the time when Alyssa was 15 and her first boyfriend came over and they stared at each other for the entire dinner, hormones all over the place, and no interaction with the rest of the family.
At least I can say that I was able to somewhat function and respond to questions that were asked of me, and thank god that Paul was normal. Can I even say that he was normal? It's not like I know him at all, I guess I felt like I instantly recognized him, that something was luring me to him. This by the way was kind of weird in itself, because I have never felt such an instant attraction and rightness, which I guess would be the feeling, in a person.
So I am sitting here now, spazzing the fuck out because I want him to text me or call me, anything, but at the same time I am grateful for the distance so I can hopefully get myself back under control.
My mom has been asking if Paul will be coming around more often, and not just for dinner. AWKWARD! I love my mother and she truly is my best friend, but I am not desperate enough to share these obviously crazy thoughts after only meeting the guy 2 days ago. Honestly, who knows if he is even going to contact me.
So instead of moping any longer I decide to turn the music up, sending Led Zeppelin throughout my room. Cleaning was always helpful, so I attacked my collection of books, arranging all of my Nora Roberts, Katie MacAlister, Tara Janzen, and Harry Potter's into my library. You got to love the organization that takes my mind off of insane things like the tall, gorgeous man who has been occupying my thoughts constantly. Sigh I am such a nerd, oh well.
As I sat down on my bed basking in the knowledge of a job well done, I let the music wash over me and I lay there drifting. I guess the old adage about a watched pot never boils is true because I almost fell over when my phone rang.
The slow tones of the song 'Fade Into You' startled me into consciousness, signaling that someone had sent me a text message.
Looking at my phone I saw that it was from Paul. I felt the excitement start to build.
Hey Lily, what's up?
Nothing much, just organizing/cleaning up my room. You?
I know, bad form to text back 3 seconds later, but waiting 5 minutes or more to not appear eager pissed me off. If you have something to say, say it. I am also that person that uses proper grammar which I know irritates some people, whatever. My phone started ringing again.
I just got off of work. Still interested in that tour?
Sure, when did you want to get together?
Still interested in the tour? Yeah the one that took you 2 days to text me about. Let me tell you that I am proud of myself from keeping the sarcasm out of that last text. There is a definite difference between eager and desperate. I didn't realize I was holding my breath until my phone started ringing again. I'm so freaking lame.
I'm free the rest of the day, or tomorrow in the afternoon. Whenever is good for you.
Good for me? I'll tell you what's good for me. Seeing Paul again. But let's not come across like a total stalker.
Getting out of the house now would be good, I haven't set foot outside in a couple days (:
Sounds good. Do you want to meet in front of the library in 30 minutes?
The library? He wants to start there? Fantastic, I'm sure that will become my favorite place in La Push.
Sure I'll see you then.
Alright.
With Paul's last message confirming our plans, I rushed to the bathroom to slap on some makeup, because with my pale complexion and light eyelashes, I looked like a boy if I didn't have any mascara on.
Looking out the window I sighed, it looked perfectly clear with a few clouds, but it was in the high 60's and there was a chance of rain. After talking with my sister this morning, she gleefully informed me that it was 90 degrees and on the rise. A typical summer day in California, and although I complained about the heat, I definitely missed it. I hate being cold, but hopefully Paul would keep me warm if I got to cold.
Okay let's delete that last thought from the record, its things like that that get me in trouble. This will only be the second time I have met Paul and I'm coming up with this shit. I shook my head in disgust; I could practically picture myself twirling my hair, staring up adoringly at Paul like the main character in some bad high school movie. Awfulness.
With my long-sleeve black shirt, jeans, and grey converses, I looked completely casual and ready for a tour of the town. For those of you laughing at my long-sleeve shirt I must again remind you that I am a native of Southern California and it being 65 degrees in the summer is definitely not something I was used to.
Making my way downstairs I called out to my mother, "Mom? You here? Mom?" Calling mom several times in a row insured her annoyance but it also brought her to us quickly.
Rounding the corner to go into the kitchen I almost knocked my mom down; thankfully I was able to catch her. "Oh hey mom, sorry about that," I began meekly, "I was looking for you to tell you that I'm going out to get a tour of La Push."
All annoyance and anger disappeared as her eyes suddenly took on a rather devious shine, "Is your tour guide tall, dark, and a Red Sox fan by any chance?"
"Haha mother, I'm glad you're getting a good laugh out of this, but yes, Paul offered to be my tour guide and I decided to take him up on it." I tried to keep a straight face so that my mother wouldn't pick up on any of these thoughts I was having about Paul.
I apparently failed as she looked at me knowingly, "Well it sure doesn't hurt that he is pretty hot. Have fun dear, and call if you are going to be home late." With that parting statement, she swung passed me and breezed on up the stairs.
I just shook my head. My mother would be rooting for me to somehow keep Paul coming around or for me to be meeting up with him, even for things like tours of La Push. I think she is secretly hoping that we will somehow be so attracted to each other that we will just fall into bed and I will be late coming home. Honestly, that woman kills me. Trust me; I am not one that would fall into bed with any guy after only meeting him once, even if it was Paul Prade.
I swung up into my truck, after grabbing a jacket and making my way outside. As I started driving I was thinking aimlessly, almost missing the turnoff for the library. I managed to park my car and get out with out killing myself or any innocent pedestrians.
I was focused on not tripping over any cracks in the pavement or getting hit by a car, so I didn't notice Paul until I was almost to the front of the library.
My breath caught in my chest as I looked at him, every bit as hot as my mother pointed him out to be. I felt that thing, as I don't know what else to call it, inviting me in and towards him. I took a deep breath to calm myself as I reached him.
With a smile on my face I greeted Paul, "Hey Paul." So eloquent I know.
"Hi Lily, I'm glad you could make it. Are you ready to tour the booming metropolis that is La Push?" His deep voice practically sending shivers down my spine.
"Booming metropolis huh? I guess I was delirious from the driving when we first got here if I missed that much of La Push." I couldn't help but tease back.
"I think if you blink you could miss La Push, but there is enough of it for a tour, starting here with the library." He raised his arm as if he was showcasing the library, which I suppose he was.
"Aww how did you know I would want to start here? I love to read, so it's good to know where the library is." I really was happy to start here, seeing that I have already shared my love of books.
"So you're a reader huh" He said this as a statement, and continued with "What's your favorite book?"
I had to think this one through, but I decided to be truthful, so with a sigh I said, "The Harry Potter series is my favorite, I love all of them except the second book, although I admire that Rowling was able to plot out things in that book that were necessary for the last book. I also read romance novels." I said the last part with a bit of a mumble, and I could feel my face turning red.
"Romance novels? Interesting." As I looked up at him I saw his smirk.
"Whatever, read a Nora Roberts or Katie MacAlister and then we can talk." I said this knowing full well that he would probably not follow through.
"You know I might just surprise you one day. Now don't tell anyone I said this, but Harry Potter is my favorite too." He looked a little sheepish at admitting this.
I was quick to reassure him, "Hey don't worry about it, your secret is safe with me. Although be warned that you could be forced into a game of Harry Potter Scene It. Now what else is there to see in this 'booming metropolis'?" I smiled up at him waiting for the response.
"I might have to take you on the game. And I thought we would just walk through what everyone thinks of as main street, by the school, and then down to the beach, if that's alright with you." Actually asking my opinion? I couldn't help but comment on that.
"I must say it's refreshing that you actually asked if I was okay with that. That being said I am more than okay with it, let's go!" I said, hoping that he would question me about this.
He stared at me questioningly for a minute, shook his head a bit, and merely said, "Well I'll be sure to continue asking in the future."
With that being said, we walked in companionable silence down the street, only broken by Paul pointing out a few things or people here and there.
We reached what Paul termed Main Street, and as I looked at the few shops and places that lined the street I was charmed.
I would occasionally ask Paul questions, but he never commented on the randomness until this one, "Hey do they decorate the street around Christmas time?"
He looked at me a bit incredulously and said, "You are thinking of Christmas now? It's not even the end of August."
I was used to the weird looks I would get from even mentioning Christmas outside of the season. "What can I say? I love the holiday season, especially the decorations. So do they decorate or not?"
He just shook his head at my words, but humored me, "Yeah they decorate, garlands, lights, and Embry's mom puts out a reindeer light up scene on the roof of her diner. A tree is also put up, but I won't even try and describe that seeing that I would do it no justice."
"Thanks for humoring me Paul, I know my Christmas decorating obsession gets a little weird." A little weird is an understatement but he doesn't need to know that.
"No problem, I like getting to know the quirks about you" He replied. He looked up and winced. "I am going to apologize in advance now. I didn't know my friends were going to be here and they can be a little, a little overwhelming sometimes." He stumbled over the word overwhelming, almost as if that wasn't enough to describe his friends.
We continued walking until we reached Vi's Diner, Vi being Embry's mom, whoever Embry was anyways.
"Hey Paul! What are you doing? Who's the girl?" Various forms of those were shouted at him as we approached the diner.
We walked up to the group of 5 people, and Paul stopped and I just stood there, awkwardly I'm sure.
"Hey guys, this is Lily Hawkins. She's the Younger's granddaughter, and she just moved here with her family from California. Lily this is Leah, Creed, Embry, Quil, and Claire. Claire is the one that will be going to La Push Middle School." As he said everyone's name he pointed to them.
Leah had long dark hair, brown eyes, russet skin, most interestingly she was taller than me by about 5 inches which put her at about 6 foot, and she was holding hands with the guy that Paul said was named Creed, and he was taller than Leah by about 4 inches, and he had blonde hair and green eyes. Embry looked like Paul's brother, with the dark hair, dark eyes, and general tallness. He was a bit skinnier and lankier than Paul however. Quil looked like Embry and Paul, was a bit shorter, but more muscled than Embry. He had kind eyes that looked down upon Claire often seemingly just to reassure that she was okay. Claire was a short girl of 12 or 13, who had long hair that was caught in a ponytail that still went down to her waist. She had light brown eyes and the golden skin, a generally normal pre-teen/teenager.
They all said their hellos after Paul said their names, their eyes appraising me. I internally sighed, might as well get used to it with being new in town.
"It's nice to meet you all." I said with a smile. "Especially you Claire, Paul said that you are going to be in 8th grade?"
She seemed shy, but looked up and said, "Yeah I am. Why?"
Naturally curious, I will definitely have to encourage that, "Well I am going to be teaching 7th and 8th grade math at La Push Middle School starting next month." As I told her this she just nodded her head while the rest of the group exchanged looks and smiled. Odd.
"Well as fun as this has been, we have a tour to finish so we will see you guys later." Paul stated. He grabbed my hand and started leading me down the street.
"Nice to meet you all, hope to see you again in class Claire." I called over my shoulder as I lengthened my steps to keep up with Paul. He didn't let go of my hand as we continued to walk down the street, another internal sigh as I hoped he wouldn't let go anytime soon.
As we continued towards the school Paul starting asking me random questions, much like I did to him earlier, however these all dealt with my likes/dislikes/interests.
It started with "So Lily, what's your favorite color?"
"Red, what's yours?"
"Blue, probably more of a dark blue. You played softball in college right?" He asked.
"Yeah, I pitched. What position do you play for baseball?" I asked curiously.
"Whenever we play we all just fill in wherever. What's your favorite food?"
"Now I know this is a typical 'girl' response but I love chocolate and as for real food, I would have to say Mexican. You?" As I asked this his eyes light up in laughter which confused me.
"Oh I eat anything." He replied easily.
"Anything?" I couldn't help but question.
"Yep it takes a lot to keep me filled up. Who's your favorite Harry Potter character?" His questions were keeping me guessing.
"Luna Lovegood, but I am also a Hermione fan. I want the authentic Hermione Granger time turner necklace in silver, but I'm not sure how well that will go over if I wear it in public. Anyways who is you favorite?"
"Remus Lupin." As he said this he got that smirk on his face again and was internally laughing at some private joke.
"Hmm, gotta love the werewolves right?" I said a bit teasingly.
Paul looked oddly pleased with that, as he said "Damn straight."
He continued on with the questions as we toured the school, with questions ranging from favorite ice cream to movies to music to place in the world. I didn't know what classroom would be mine quite yet so we didn't really stop at the school and continued on towards the beach.
As we hit the sand, I realized that he hadn't let go of my hand, which was odd, but it felt so natural to have my hand nestled in his big one. Paul pointed out a few things like the cliffs he and some of his friends would cliff dive from, and he had me touch the water. Let me just state that no ocean on the West Coast should be that cold, especially during the summer. We stood in the companionable silence that had returned, and watched the sun set. After dark had descended, we started walking back to the library.
I decided to break the silence, "I haven't seen a sunset that beautiful in a long time. Thanks for bringing me here Paul."
I could hear the smile in his voice as he said, "No problem Lily, it was my pleasure. You think you have a handle on how to get around town now?"
"I do thank you, I'm not sure I could have done it without the tour though." Where this easy relationship and feeling that I get around Paul came from I will never know, but I decided to run with it for now.
Before I knew it we were back in front of the library, and I was reluctant to say goodbye to Paul.
"Well thanks again for the tour Paul, I appreciated it. Good scenery and someone my own age to talk to, great day all the way around." I blushed a bit at the last part, but that seemed to be a standard response that I have around Paul.
"Your welcome. I had fun too." He looked as if he wanted to say more, and I wasn't disappointed as he raised his hand to rub the back of his head, and finally opened his mouth, "I know we just met a couple of days ago but I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out sometime? Maybe get some dinner?"
I tried to control my breathing as to not show how excited I was, "Sure Paul that would be great." Almost completely achieving the casual tone I was striving for.
"Okay then, well how about I give you a call and we can set something up. Or maybe a text." He smiled at me.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes and respond sarcastically, "I think I can handle one phone call there Paul. If it gets too awkward I'll hang up and then you can text me."
"Well I am sorry for doubting you then Miss Hawkins." With that said he opened my door with a flourish, and he bent down to kiss my cheek, almost as if he couldn't help himself.
I managed to keep it together, and merely said, "Bye Paul." To which he replied with a normal bye Lily, and then shut the door.
I was in a bit of a daze on the ride home, my hand touching my cheek, where I could still feel the imprint of his lips.
I managed to get myself home, and walked inside, shutting the door and leaning against it as I tried to get my thoughts in order. Unfortunately I didn't hear my mother come down the hall.
"Looks like we have to make sure to get your birth control prescription filled. Tall, dark, and handsome apparently has you worked up." With that said I could only shake my head at my mother as she had already turned to walk upstairs. And damn if she wasn't right.
So there it is! I wanted to let everyone know that Lily and Ann's (her mom) relationship is based upon the relationship I have with my mother, I have put actual comments and events that have happened between us. I received a comment about it being kind of unnatural, and when mentioning this to my friend she laughed and said it is, and that my mom and I have a Gilmore Girls-esque relationship. I just wanted to let everyone in on that, as I don't really see it as being weird but I felt the need to clarify, so thanks for pointing that out.
Also, I fail at life whenever I say I'm going to post another chapter so I will no longer be doing that.
Lastly, please let me know what you think about this chapter! Thanks!