A/N: This was a really hard chapter for me to write, I had awful writers block! Cheer me up guys...review!
"You're The Songs I've Heard My Whole Life"
(KPOV)
The new house was amazing. I had never seen an apartment like that. It had three bedrooms, a kitchen, and two and a half baths. My room was decorated in blues and browns that I loved. It was so relaxing and that was just what I needed. Collin had helped me move in the new furniture that I had bought and now we were laying on my floor together listening to the sounds of Embry, Chalee, Raine, and Seth moving around in the house, setting up the other bedrooms and moving things around in the living room.
"I love you, you know that honey?" Collin said, smiling at me.
"I love you too."
"Then why do you look so solemn? You look like you're thinking about something really serious."
"Oh, well I guess I am. I hope Embry's doing right by my sister. I mean, I understand that he can't let his mom boss him around, but I mean him moving in here with us is changing everything. I feel like maybe he's coming in between her friendship with Raine, and her being my sister. It's like we never have time for girl things anymore."
Collin looked thoughtful for a moment. He knew where I was coming from. Embry's situation with his mom had caused a rift in the pack also. Between having to spend time with Danielle and trying to spend time with Chalee, he hardly ever ran and when Sam forced him to run his mind was all over the place. It strained everyone.
"I know that, but maybe it will be better, him living here. He'll get to spend time here with Chay and then he won't be stressed to hang out with Dani so he'll actually be able to get back on the regular running schedule. I think maybe you'll have more time with Chalee too. Just wait and see how it works out, only time will tell."
I smiled at his positivity. He always new how to make me happy when things didn't look good and maybe that's why I love him so much, I could defiantly get used to this imprinting business.
I heard a giant crash in the next room that was Raine's. I jumped up and rushed out of the room with Collin right on my heels.
"Raine, is everything okay?"
I heard more bumping and all of a sudden I fell down in the hall laughing, pulling down Collin along with me.
Raine wouldn't reply, and I didn't want her to, because I knew what was going on. Collin pulled me into his lap and started kissing me, his hot mouth was making me melt into him and I smiled as we kissed.
He pulled back and said, "What's so funny, love?"
I smiled again, "Just this, the fact that we're kissing in the hall and the fact that your mouth is so hot and it feels so good. I love you being a shape-shifter. It makes everything so good, you can protect me and you'll always love me, it's so special that we have this and it's something that no one else can have. It's just so…perfect."
He laughed and pulled me up close to him.
"I think maybe we should go make your bed you know…"
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(EPOV)
"Shit."
I dropped the bookshelf on my foot; it's not so much that it hurt, because it didn't. It was just the fact that I was slowing down the process of us moving into the house. Mom had allowed Jake to come get all of my stuff, so I had my own things to move in. We used Chalee's money to furnish the living room since I had most of my furniture for our bedroom. Billy didn't look very happy about me moving in with the girls, but I knew that I couldn't stay with him and Jake. That would be too stressful.
"Chay can you please come get this door, I can't keep putting this damn thing down."
She struggled past me with a box of pictures and she turned the knob opening the door to the largest room with an attached bathroom. It was originally going to be Raine's, but she fore-went it for me and Embry so that we could have more privacy. I felt bad asking her to do that, but technically she volunteered.
"Baby, I'm sorry things have been so stressful lately. It's been all on me, but now that we're living together, things might be easier. I know I'm going to have to get a job, but with that and running, living with you will give me more time with you. I missed us being free to be together baby girl. You're my best friend and you're so special. Don't ever forget how special you are."
(CPOV)
I had never been more stressed in my entire life, following Embry down that long hall. He dropped the book shelf and I could tell he was getting frustrated. I rushed to open the door when he barked at me. I was almost scared that he would burst into fur.
He began his apology, slowly, starting off by calling me baby. I knew he never meant to lose his temper with me, but sometimes he just got pushed to the limit. Maybe now that we would be staying together all the time, I could take some stress off of him.
Just the thought of that made a smile play at the corners of my mouth. He kissed me gently as he sat the bookshelf down in the floor. I laid my box of pictures on the top of the shelf.
He pulled me close to him and I rested my head against his chest.
"You know I start school next week right, honey?"
He replied, "I know baby girl, but we'll make it. I'll try to find jobs where I can work the hours you're at school. I know you only go on Tuesday's and Thursday's and only in the afternoons, so I'll have to work more than you'll have school, so we'll work it out."
I knew that we would find a way to be together, but he couldn't keep turning down running with the boys. Even if he worked during the day to help out with the rent and food payments, we still wouldn't be able to get together during the night because he would have to run. It was going to be complicated. If only running paid.
(RPOV)
"Ugh this stupid house is a complete mess."
Seth looked at me with a grin. He had been working on arranging the new living room furniture all day. We had a dark brown love seat that was positioned under a big window, a larger sofa created a small hall way between the living room and the bar that was in the kitchen.
There was a big dark brown Otto-man in the middle, which functioned as a coffee-table. Then the crowning part of our living room was a 52' plasma-screened TV that had our Wii and iPod system on it. Overall the living room was really comfortable, which was the one upside to Embry moving in with us. Chay didn't have to buy all new bedroom furniture; she got to spend her saved up cash to buy a living room suit.
I had actually asked Kendall if she wanted to help me buy a dining room table so we had gone in together to buy a six-seating, dark wooded dining room table.
Overall the house was really beginning to take shape. It was going to be a good place to start a life. We would all be close to school and Kendall would be close to her new job as a councilor at La Push High School. And mostly we would all be close to our shape-shifters. Leah had been spending a lot of time here which was actually getting more comfortable, since she had begun dating a guy named Clark. He was pretty cute, and although she hadn't had the ground-breaking, earth-shattering, imprinting experience we'd all had, she was very happy to be with someone that actually liked her.
I held Seth's hand as we slid down onto the love seat; something about us was very special. He turned on the TV and we lost ourselves in Fuse's top hits of 2009. That was how comfortable we were with one another, we didn't always have to be all over each other and I didn't need him to constantly tell me that I was gorgeous, just simply being was good enough.
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(CPOV)
The next morning I was going to an orientation for one of my classes, Embry was going to a job interview at Fork's Tire and Repair, a job that Billy had found for him, and we were both very excited. The girl's didn't have anything to do really, so Kendall was going to go shopping for some new councilor-worthy clothes, and Raine was spending some time with Seth.
I got out of Kendall's Audi and stepped into a different world in Port Angeles. It was so much bigger than La Push, and although I loved La Push, sometimes I just needed to get out and breathe. As I locked the car I heard a whistle behind me. Whereas normally I would be annoyed and just walk away, my new sense of happiness caused me to look around. There leaning up against a Range Rover parked a few feet away from the Audi was possibly the most beautiful man I had ever seen.
"Nice car you got there, as an aspiring actress, well I'm assuming its acting, and you must have gotten that from "daddy"."
I looked at him, thinking "what a jerk". Then I said, "No sir, I didn't get it from "daddy". This is my sisters' car, which she purchased with graduation money from our grandparents. She thought she deserved a treat after working her ass off to get a degree in psychology. I don't know who you think you are, but I don't act either, I'm much to honest for that. I dance thank you, thank you very much."
"Woo-hoo, pardon me mistress. I'll remember to respect the next "dancer" I see. Although, I can't really picture you sliding down any poles, you look too "honest" for that."
He grinned and I rolled my eyes. I asked, "Was there a particular reason why you stopped me just now?"
"Well normally, I don't have to stop pretty girls like you; they just look at me in awe wherever I go."
His cocky grin told me that he was playing, but part of me did believe him, he honestly was one of the most gorgeous people I'd ever seen.
"The name's Storm, I'm from Seattle."
"Ah, my name's Chalee, I live in La Push."
"Wow, you don't exactly look…"Native American"?
I could tell by the way he said "Native American" that he was unsure about what to call the Pack and all. To me they were just like everyone else; skin tone was about the only difference…except for the whole shape-shifting deal.
"I'm not…from there. One of my good girlfriends lives there."
Why didn't I mention that I live with Embry, the best boyfriend in the entire world? Ugh, cute guys get me in too much trouble.
"Well Miss Chalee, it looks like I should be a nice gentleman and walk you to your orientation. Unless you wanted to skip with me and go for coffee, they show you to your classes, they give you stale cookies and cold coffee. Not exactly rocket science, it's nothing you really need for your classes, so please do me the honor?"
Oh well, maybe it would be nice to have a really good guy friend to be hanging out with. Embry's going to be working an awful lot here soon, so I really should find someone to hang out with.
"What do you say Chalee, please?"
I couldn't resist, his voice drew me into him and moments later I found myself getting into his Range Rover and driving with a man I barely knew to a coffee shop, that for all I knew didn't even exist.
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(CPOV)
"So, do you like it?"
The coffee place was so quaint and tiny, just right down the street from campus.
"I live right down the road, I'm living with my cousin until I can find a new place to live, it's hard on the budget I have."
He said all that with a straight face, and as he saw my eyes flutter out the window in the direction of his car he lost his façade.
"Okay you caught me, my parents have money. But really, I do try to support myself. I'm going to the school to learn directing, so it's really hard to get work right now, before I really know what I'm doing. I don't exactly have any other trades going for me either."
I smiled and suddenly one of my favorite songs came on over a small radio in the corner of the shop.
I know a girl
She puts the color inside of my world
She's just like a maze
Where all of the walls all continually change
And I've done all I can
To stand on her steps with my heart in my hands
Now I'm starting to see
Maybe it's got nothing to do with me
He smiled and stood up, our coffees still stood barely touched on the café table we were sitting at.
"Dance with me Chalee, show me what I'm missing, with a dancer as beautiful as you."
I took his hands, and what beautiful hands they were. All the men I knew had "work-hands". My daddy had been working different jobs, but they all had a reoccurring theme, he had to work with his hands. And Embry and all the boys, they had calluses from running and from fixing things. I didn't dislike them, they were actually a turn-on for me, but Storm's hands they were so soothing as they touched the bare skin on my shoulders.
Our bodies molded together and I felt amazing touching him, Embry wouldn't dance with me like this, he said he felt sissy.
So fathers be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers be good to your daughters, too
So mothers be good to your daughters, too
So mothers be good to your daughters, too
As the songs last chorus finished we broke apart and as Storm pulled away, his face lingered next to mine. His lips grazed mine and I actually didn't pull away. Honestly, I deepened it.
Then I realized what I was doing. I was kissing someone other than my boyfriend. How could I do something like that to Embry?
"Storm, I'm so sorry, but I have to go. I just thought of something that I have to go do."
"Chalee, I already told you, that orientation is nothing you're missing. Stay with me, I really want to get to know you."
"I'm really sorry Storm, I just can't. Believe me, I would if I could."
I ran out the door as fast as I could, and I looked around, his Range Rover was the only transportation to my car. I could always walk, but in this heat there was no way I wanted to be walking anywhere.
He followed me outside and said, "If you just don't want to be here I understand. I'm sorry for pushing you into coming. I'll take you to your car now."
"Storm, stop for a second. Just wait."
I took a deep breath and jumped into my story.
"Storm, I'm dating someone. It's serious and now I have to find a way to tell him that I kissed someone new. I love my boyfriend; he's the best thing that's ever happened to me. How do I tell him that not only did I kiss another guy but….I felt something?"