AN
This chapter is a long one, and drama alert! Things with the pack are starting to happen, and I'm loving it!
Also, this story has hit a thousand views! What?! How?! Thank you all so, so much! I really hope you're enjoying it so far, and I cannot wait to sprint some big surprises on you in future! I'm going to keep smashing them out and getting them uploaded as quickly as possible so we can all get to the yummy stuff, so stick with me!
If anyone pulls me up for any spelling mistakes, I try to write everything from Seth's perspective with American spelling and Daisy's is with Australian.
Please send me a review or message to let me know how you're finding it, I'd love to hear from you!
Daisy's POV
I took way too long to decide what I would be wearing to the bonfire. I knew it would be freezing, being outdoors instead of in a heated room like Seth and I usually were, and I didn't want to spend the night shivering like an idiot while everyone else seemed perfectly comfortable in the cold air, the way Seth always was.
I finally decided on a bright orange, long-sleeved blouse, with a high peter-pan collar and slightly puffed sleeves that tapered at my wrists. I pulled on the only pair of jeans I owned, high-waisted, pale blue denim, and grabbed a thick knitted, lavender jumper to wear over it all.
Seth had said the weather would be relatively nice for this time of year, and it wasn't expected to rain, but I tugged on a pair of thick socks, designed for hiking, and finished my outfit off with my most loved suede boots. They were flat and comfortable, and if the ground happened to be wet, would keep the water off my feet.
I did my usual light makeup, not wanting to look like I was trying. I tended to like how I looked more without applying too much to my face. I knew I was pretty, I'd always been told from a young age that I was one of the prettiest people anyone had ever seen, and I didn't feel the need to cover my features with something that made it look like I was trying to hide myself.
I did brush my hair, which was a rare occurrence now that it didn't reach my waist. I secured the top-half of my hair high on my head with a beige ribbon and stared at myself for too long in the bathroom mirror, trying to find a fault with which I'd convince myself to change.
I was never one hundred percent happy with my appearance, which I just accepted as a normal thing for a girl my age, but it was as good as I was going to get. I didn't have the option to show off my full chest and narrow waist in small amounts of clothing like I did back home, but I didn't necessarily feel the need to, either. I didn't have the feeling that I had to prove myself physically to these people, past looking tidy and relatively attractive. Outings back at home consisted of me and a group of my friends in heels and small outfits, because that was the standard thing to do when having casual drinks with friends or going to someone's house for a party. It was nice to be away from all of that, in a way.
Stacey was excited to be minding Hugo for the night. She had a spare key to my place, which I'd left in her letterbox this morning. I told her I wasn't sure what time I'd be home, and that she could have him for a sleepover. Poppy would be happy to have so much time with her best friend, and I knew it was all a plan for Stacey to convince Paula that it was time to get a second dog for their little family.
I folded the hoodie of Leah's I'd borrowed the day Seth and I had been caught in the rain, having forgotten to give it to him every time I'd seen him since. I grabbed my bag, making sure I had my keys, wallet, phone and lip balm and sent him a quick message to let him know I was on my way. It was only midday, but he'd told me to make my way over any time.
I gave Hugo a long kiss on his forehead, rubbing his ears gently and telling him I would miss him. It would be weird to come home to an empty bed tonight, and I worried that I would be scared in the house by myself, but I was just going to have to suck it up and be an adult. I'd done it before I'd adopted him, and I'd been fine.
I'd made my way to the front door before I turned around, walking back to the kitchen to grab the bottle of gin and soda water, putting them an old shopping bag and throwing it over my shoulder. I struggled with social anxiety at the best of times, and though Seth had become somewhat of a security blanket for me the last couple of weeks, I decided I should play it safe and take something to calm my nerves if I should need it. I'd only been drunk once before in my life, watching my parents resort to alcohol while growing up, and not wanting to rely on it. But I would take being slightly tipsy over shutting down, crying or struggling to breathe if my nerves got the better of me.
I'd all but memorised the drive to Seth's house, listening to quiet music that fit the overcast scenery so well. Leah's car was in the driveway when I pulled up, having the day off for the holiday. I was happy to be able to see her, wanting to get myself used to speaking to someone other than my new best friend before I was met with their huge extended family.
Their little house always felt so welcoming to me, and I almost let myself in without knocking, but the door was pulled open and Seth stared down at me with a wide smile on his lips.
I grinned up at him, suddenly feeling warmer inside myself, more at peace, as I'd experienced every time I caught up with him. It was stupid of me to think so, but it was like there was something connecting us, drawing me to him to make me spend as much time as possible with him. I knew it was probably just the way he looked physically. His kind, dark features and large frame were enough to make any girl want to spend time in his company, but his cheerful and accepting personality were the icing on the cake.
"Long time, no see."
"Hi," I chuckled as he stood back to let me in. Leah was seated at the dining room table, reading over something on a laptop, and I greeted her as I stood at the kitchen counter, dropping my handbag and the bag full of drinks on the countertop. "Leah, I borrowed your jumper a couple of weeks ago, and I kept forgetting to bring it back or give it to Seth. I've washed it," I walked over and sat it down on the table beside her.
"Oh," she raised her eyebrows. "I hadn't even noticed it was missing. Thanks, Daisy,"
"You excited for tonight?" Seth asked, wandering into the kitchen and opening the fridge door. He had a couple of large serving plates pulled out on the counter, but they were currently cleared of food.
I half-shrugged, smiling shyly. "Excited, nervous," I let out an anxious breath. "I'm worried about them thinking I'm a weirdo. I brought some gin in case I need to calm my nerves."
"You'll be fine," he insisted, but he moved to the bag I'd brought and took out both bottles, preparing me a weak drink before putting the bottles into the fridge to keep cool.
Both he and Leah were dressed in sleeveless shirts and shorts, but the heater was on, filling the spall space with enough warm air that I pulled my jumper over my head and left it on top of my handbag. I drank the gin and soda slowly, offering to help with his food preparations. He left me in charge of making a platter of sandwiches, laying out a heap of sliced meat, tomatoes, lettuce and various sauces. There was enough there to feed an army, and I wondered if he was the only one supplying food, though he'd told me everyone tended to bring something along.
"How many should I make?" I asked, unwrapping the first loaf of bread and laying two slices out on the wooden cutting board he'd handed me.
"Go through all four loaves, if you want. I can finish it up if you get bored. Once the plate's covered, just pile them on top of each other."
"What are you making?" I watched him fiddling with the oven, a mess of pastry and various ingredients squished into the little corner he'd given himself.
"Pies," he told me, grinning when my eyes lit up. We shared a sweet tooth, and he'd told me I had to wait to try his creations. He hadn't done any baking for me before, but apparently he and his cousin, Emily, were the greatest bakers of all time, or so he said.
Leah stayed at her place at the table, but spoke to me as I went to work. I made ten or so of each combination of sandwiches, keeping some vegetarian to apply to everyone's tastes, though I didn't know if anyone who would be there avoided meat or not. Seth, of course, had a fancy collection of knives and I concentrated very hard on not embarrassing myself by losing a finger while slicing through the tomatoes. I was concentrating too hard apparently, because when I went to answer something Leah had said, gesturing with a wave of my right hand, I didn't notice Seth had crept up beside me. I felt it collide with his skin, my stomach twisting in a sickening way as he gasped and grabbed his hand, blood on the blade of the knife as I dropped it to the bench and turned to him in one quick movement.
"Oh my god! Seth, I'm so sorry!" I reached for his hand, my cheeks burning with embarrassment and guilt, but he wrapped his other hand around the deep slice as my eyes fell to it and backed out of my reach.
"It's fine," he assured me quickly, walking to the bathroom, throwing me a reassuring smile over his shoulder, because he was way too nice to me.
"It's not," I insisted, following him. I was okay with the sight of blood. It was my job to take care of this, seeing as I'd been the reason to cause it. "I almost cut your thumb off! Come here, I'll wash it and wrap it for you!"
Leah stood from the table for the first time since I'd arrived, grabbing me gently by the wrist and tugging me back. There was a worried look on her face, but it seemed to be directed to me instead of her little brother, and I thought it was odd that she wouldn't be following him to help.
"He's a big boy, he'll be alright," she told me sternly. "He's had more than his fair share of accidents with his line of work."
I felt embarrassed tears sting in my eyes, and I looked at her, more panic in my eyes than really needed to be there. "I'm the freaking worst! He invites me out to meet his friends, and I stab him!"
She chuckled, seeming a little too at ease with all of this, and lowered me into one of the chairs at the table, grabbing my drink off the counter and sitting it in front of me. "Seriously, don't worry about him. Seth's tough."
The man in question wandered into the room again, a white bandage wrapped tightly around his wrist and the back half of his hand. He and Leah shared a look I didn't really understand, and I frowned at him. "You'll bleed through that in no time."
"It's not bleeding anymore," he told me, looking so at ease it could be as if nothing had happened.
"Bullshit," I muttered, draining the rest of my glass in one long drink. Leah chuckled again under her breath, and I wondered if I'd feel better or worse if they acted accordingly to the situation, instead of treating it like it was no big deal. It was deep enough that I'd expected nerve damage to be present, at the very least. But Seth got straight back to work, making the pies, his hands working as they had been not too long before, as if he felt near to no pain. He took a break long enough to wash the knife and set it back on the cutting board.
When the pies were in the oven, he started on the sandwiches I'd left half-finished, getting through them quicker than I had been. I sighed and stood from my place, meeting him at the counter. "Sit down with your sister. This is my job."
"I'm just helping," he chuckled. I grabbed his hand, feeling more confident than I normally would have, and studied the bandage silently. He was right, he hadn't bled through the fabric. He must have wrapped it with something else underneath, something waterproof, but he hadn't been in the bathroom long enough, in my opinion. Maybe Leah was right, and he'd experienced enough work-place injuries to be able to take care of them quickly and efficiently.
We both worked on the sandwiches, the three of us silent until we'd worked our way through all four loaves of bread, piling the quartered pieces high on the wide plate, before wrapping them all in cling film. Seth sat the huge plate on the opposite side of the counter one-handed, as if it wasn't heavy at all, and I rolled my eyes. Of course his muscular arms weren't just for show.
He made me a second drink without asking, grabbing a beer for himself and Leah. The three of us sat around the table until the oven chimed to let us know the first lot of pies were cooked and ready. I stood to get them, but he was quicker than me, pulling them out on their tray with a tea towel and sliding in the next lot.
"How much food are we taking?" I asked, eyeing the other two trays of pies waiting to be cooked.
"A lot," Seth answered, studying the food like a perfectionist trying to find the smallest fault with his work. "You haven't seen someone eat until you've met my brothers," Leah cleared her throat, and he looked toward us and grinned. "Or sister."
"I thought I ate a lot," I mumbled. He laughed loudly. "You keep up well enough, I'll give you that. I don't know where you hide all that food I've seen you eat."
"You can't exactly talk, Seth," I argued with a grin. His hand honestly didn't seem to be bothering him, and I felt a bit better for that.
By the time everything was cooked and cooling, it was almost time to leave. Seth and Leah wandered to their rooms at different times, Leah changing into a pair of jeans and a black singlet, Seth into a long-sleeved, buttoned shirt, which he pushed back past his elbows. Leah slipped on a pair of sandals, but Seth disregarded shoes altogether, which was normal. He had as much of a habit as going barefoot as I did, though I knew I wouldn't be able to tolerate it in the freezing weather around here.
"Do you drink beer?" Seth asked me, grabbing some out of the fridge and putting it in the bag I'd left on the counter.
"I'm Australian," I rolled my eyes at him. "It wouldn't be right if I didn't."
We loaded Seth's car with the plates of food and bags of drinks. Leah ignored me when I insisted on taking the back seat, sliding in beside the platters and shutting her door with finality. I smiled when Seth opened the front passenger door for me, waiting for me to take my seat and fix my seatbelt before he closed it gently.
I was in a bit of a gin-induced haze, but not enough to lose myself to it. I felt the easy confidence it had given me, and decided not to drink anything else until after I'd met everyone, not wanting to embarrass myself or appear different to how I normally would have.
The drive wasn't long enough for my nerves, and we parked our car in a large group of others, my anxiety starting to get the better of me. I played with my fingers anxiously, and Seth lowered his hand to them, squeezing both of mine in his reassuringly as he turned off the engine. He offered me a comforting smile, and I tried my best to return it.
"You're okay," he said gently, and I nodded. He'd told me too many times that they were good people, but it wasn't them I was worried about. It was me being so anxious I wasn't able to speak, and embarrassing myself, and Seth in the process. I knew I wasn't his girlfriend or anything, but he was still letting me into such an important part of his life, and I didn't want to screw this up for him.
They let me carry a plate of pies, the smallest thing we'd brought, and I was grateful my hands were full so I wouldn't have to stand awkwardly with introductions. I knew I had no hope of remembering everyone's names, or even trying to remember who was who, but I was going to try.
We wandered down onto the beach, the sounds of laughter and jokes getting louder and louder as the large group of dark-haired people came into view. The wind was still, and the sky had clear patches among light clouds, looking as though we were definitely not going to get caught in the rain any time soon. But, this was La Push, so I wasn't completely sold on the idea.
A few of his friends saw us coming, and waved over their heads, calling out greetings, but they were still too far away for me to be able to make out their faces or what it was they were saying. Seth was grinning widely the entire time, looking down to check up on me every few seconds or so. He was sweet. He shouldn't be distracted with making sure I was okay when we were here to celebrate with his friends.
There was a head of odd, bronze-coloured curls amongst the sea of black, pale shoulders standing out against the group of tanned skin, and I knew who it was immediately. Ness seemed to be completely immune to the cold, as were all of Seth's friends. My eyes were fixed on her as she laughed happily, looking up into the eyes of who was, without a doubt, the biggest guy here. If I thought Seth was muscular, he had nothing on this guy. It was Jake, if I wasn't mistaken. He towered over everyone else, his shoulders way too wide, his arms thicker than my waist. He was looking down into the eyes of his companion with nothing but complete adoration, in a way I've never seen anyone look at someone before. Ness was talking animatedly to him, lost in their own little world, but as I watched her body became rigid and she turned directly to me, staring me down with the scariest look I'd ever seen in my life.
Her eyes were dark as she locked her eyes with my own, narrowing at me while her lips parted over her perfect, white teeth. Her head craned in my direction, though I was too far from her for anything to be happening.
I halted in my tracks at her gaze, my body telling me not to move any further, and my heart picked up even heavier in my chest. I felt completely frozen, as though my body was trying to camouflage itself. Seth stopped short beside me, before taking half a step in front of me, as if trying to shield me from his best friend. Somewhere in the back of my mind I wondered what, exactly, was going on, but everything was moving very quickly.
Jake had said something I couldn't hear, leaning into his girlfriend, who finally blinked, swallowed noticeably, and raised her hand to his arm. He looked down at her for a short moment before grabbing her hand and pulling her in the opposite direction, disappearing from view in the cover of the trees.
Leah had stopped walking and turned to face us, her eyes confused and worried, looking at Seth, who hadn't said anything. I finally looked around to their friends, a couple of whom were watching us curiously.
"Hey," Seth finally said warmly, though there was a nervous edge to his voice I hadn't heard before. "Sorry we're a bit late."
"Seth went overboard with his cooking, again," Leah said loudly. She lowered the plates she was holding to one of a few fold-out tables, trying to find room on the already crowded surface. Whether this group of people could eat a lot or not, I knew there was no way in the world they would be able to get through the spread of food that was here.
Seth looked down at me with a small smile, though his eyes were strained, and I followed his lead as he started walking again. He didn't seem himself, but I wasn't in the right state of mind to ask if everything was okay. It clearly wasn't, and for some reason I had upset a girl I'd never met in my life.
We reached the tables, and Seth set his plates down, lowering the drinks into the sand, before reaching out and taking the single thing I was holding. His warm fingers brushed my frozen ones for a moment, and I swallowed at the contact. He was distracting me very easily.
"This is Daisy," he said as he turned and pulled me alongside him to speak to three men, one with his arm around a small, dark-haired woman who looked to be very pregnant. "Daisy, this is Embry, Brady, Kim and Jared,"
"Nice to meet all of you," I said politely, offering them as much of a smile as I could manage.
"Nice to meet you, Daisy," Kim was the one who spoke, the hand that was not attached to her partner resting on her round stomach. She, at least, was dressed for the weather. She had a thick cardigan on that fell to her knees, and she was leaning into Jared, as though trying to soak up his warmth. "We were excited to hear Seth was bringing someone tonight."
"I've heard a lot about all of you," I grinned. A couple of other people made their way to us, and I recognised their faces from the photos in Seth's room, though I couldn't remember their names. One of them was a young girl, maybe a bit younger than me, and she greeted me with a gentle hug.
"Hi Daisy! I'm Claire, this is Quil," Quil offered me a handshake, and I frowned at the warmth. He was about Seth's height, but built similarly to the way Jake had been, thick muscles.
"Nice to meet you," I said again.
Seth wrapped an arm around my shoulders, which he hadn't done before, and I immediately felt more at ease with my situation, though my stomach filled with butterflies. Quil smirked at the two of us, his eyes moving from me to Seth suggestively, and I saw Seth shake his head the smallest of amounts.
"Did Jacob have to head out early?"
"Seems so," Quil looked over his shoulder casually, in the direction they'd taken off. "Nessie might have had a family emergency, or something."
Claire was watching me silently, and she tugged on Quil's arm, telling him she wanted to grab one of Seth's pies before they were all gone. The original group we'd been talking to dispersed to chat to other people, and I cleared my throat, looking around uncomfortably at everyone I didn't know.
"Are you feeling okay?" Seth's arm fell from my shoulders and he moved to stand in front of me, looking down with concern. "If you're not, we'll leave straight away. Everyone will understand."
"I'm okay," I half-lied. I sighed heavily. "Ness hates me,"
He chuckled, a little uncomfortably. "She doesn't hate you. She doesn't even know you."
"She looked like she hated me," I said quietly. "She looked like she wanted to tear my head off, quite frankly." Seth had insisted that there was nothing between the two of them, apart from a close friendship, but what other explanation was there for the way she'd seemed so angry to have me here? Seth and I were nothing more than friends, and if it upset her so much that I'd come as his platonic guest, I couldn't see why she was so happy to be immersed in whatever was going on with Jake.
"Don't worry about Nessie," Seth said quietly. He frowned to himself. "Leah's trying to call Jake at the moment, I'm sure Ness just wasn't feeling well or something."
"I feel like you're just being nice," I said weakly.
"Come and meet Sam and Emily," he found my hand, his bandage reminding me of earlier in the day, and tugged me toward another small group of people. "Hey, guys," he greeted warmly as ever, sitting down on an unoccupied chair and pulling me into the one beside him. The four people we were with now were coupled up, watching a group of children digging in the sand as they talked loudly amongst themselves. "This is my friend Daisy,"
I knew who Sam and Emily were out of the four of them. I'd seen the photos, noting the large scars that covered one half of Emily's face. They hadn't appeared anywhere near as bad as they did in person, drawing her expression down toward her chin permanently. I glanced at her quickly before looking to everyone else, not wanting to stare and be rude. "Hi," I replied hopelessly to their welcome.
"This is Sam, Emily, Rachel and Paul," Seth pointed each of them out individually. "Emily is our cousin, and Rachel is Jacob's sister. And four of the six kids over there belong to these guys."
"Levi! Don't throw sand at your sister!" Emily scolded on cue. I giggled, and she smiled at me, her expression as warm as her cousin's.
"It is so nice to finally meet you, Daisy. Seth's told me so much about you. He said you're an artist."
"Of sorts," I said modestly, smiling at her, looking into her eyes instead of the scars on her face and neck. "He said you teach traditional crafts."
"I do, it would be nice to see another set of hands if you're ever interested."
"Definitely," I agreed, feeling a little more at ease with her welcome. It was nice, to be so accepted by people I hadn't met before. I felt more comfortable than I had ever meeting new people at home, probably because I didn't know anyone in the area at all and felt as though I could change myself accordingly.
"You'll have to bring her to dinner one Thursday, it hasn't been the same without you the last couple of weeks." Sam said.
I frowned up at Seth, who gave me a gentle smile. I didn't know he'd been bailing on his family to catch up with me. I wouldn't have kept him for dinner myself if I'd known he had other arrangements. It was odd, though, to be invited over to his cousin's house for dinner. As if I was a greater part of his life than just a friend he'd known for a few weeks. I wondered if everyone here thought I was more involved with him than I actually was, but I wasn't about to question him in front of everyone.
I felt more and more comfortable as the night continued. It got dark, and the large fire was lit, everyone dragging their chairs around it or sitting on a couple of large pieces of driftwood. The children sat quietly with their families, keeping their voices low. A couple of them looked at me curiously, and I offered them smiles, but they kept a distance otherwise.
Seth was right about his pies, they were amazing. I went through two of them quickly, washing them down with the beer he'd provided me. I had a plate piled with various foods, wondering how I was going to get through it all. Seth always tried to overfeed me, and I was used to giving him what I couldn't get through myself. He hadn't lied about Emily's baking, either. I got halfway through a muffin that was almost the size of my head before I reluctantly set it down on the plate and handed it to Seth, who seemed to be waiting.
He also wasn't wrong about his friends getting through the massive amount of food on the table. It was cleared quicker than I would have thought possible, most of the guys circling back four or five times to refill their plates. The girls ate far less than their partners, enjoying the food much more respectably.
Leah had tried getting in contact with Jake a few times, but Seth told her not to worry about it when she said he hadn't answered and asked if he wanted her to go to Nessie's house and make sure everything was okay. I felt guilty for making them leave, though I told myself I personally hadn't done anything to cause their departure.
Seth's mother and step-father arrived an hour or so after we had. Seth's mother was absolutely stunning, dark hair streaked with silver and kind eyes that creased at the corners, and I felt my nerves increase when she took my hand and held it gently, telling me how happy she was to meet me. It seemed as though she knew exactly who I was and had been waiting to meet me. Her husband was a quiet man, but greeted me kindly, asking Seth where Renesmee was. It was the first time I'd ever heard her full name, but I knew immediately who they were talking about. Seth dismissed his question quickly, and he and his mother fell into an easy conversation about what they'd missed in each other's lives the past week or so.
Claire was very friendly, and she sat on my other side, speaking to me and Seth, asking details about where I was from and what my home town was like. She told me she'd always wanted to visit Australia, and would be talking Quil into a trip if he ever stopped work long enough to take a holiday. They were obviously in a very committed relationship, and my thoughts fell to the picture on Seth's wall, of Claire and Nessie as young children. Looking at her and Quil together now, and even Nessie and Jacob earlier, I was confused by the entire dynamic of either of their relationships. The age difference between each of the couples didn't look great enough to raise any questions in their pairing. Hell, if Claire had grown up since that photo had been taken, I had more than enough to think about. Seth looked almost just as he did in the photo had been taken, perhaps not as skinny, but his face was still the same; youthful, with an absence of creases someone at thirty-one years of age should expect.
The third beer I was sitting on pushed it all from my mind, and the easy conversation and loving jokes fell to silence when Jacob's father, Billy, who Seth had introduced me to a little earlier in the night, sat in his wheelchair in our circle, looking around as he waited to start speaking. Quil joined our little trio and sat where Claire had been, pulling her into his lap and resting his head on her shoulder, sighing lovingly into her hair.
I'd expected, from the look of the guys Seth spent his time with, something other than the absolute devotion each of them showed their partners. There were quite a few of them who were alone, but they made no snide comments about their friends being so wrapped up in their other halves, as I'd come to acknowledge men typically did.
Billy started with their tribe's legends, and I leaned toward him as he spoke. His voice dripped with authority and power, and his words held my attention so deeply there was no chance I could be distracted from his story.
The men around the circle nodded their heads at certain parts, and I could tell these stories were more to them than just legends, though I couldn't be certain which parts. They were stretched versions of history, planting the wolf at the centre of their tribe, laying respect to the animal as though it was a part of them.
There were parts of the story I didn't understand, and instead of breaking the flow of Billy's story, I catalogued my questions in the back of my mind to ask Seth at a later date. He smiled at me throughout the legends, grinning as if he were the happiest person in the world to have me here, hearing the things that meant so much to him and his family.
Sue's eyes moved from listening to Billy, to watching her son, her eyes falling to me a few times. When I'd caught her watching us, she smiled across the circle of people at me, and I smiled back despite myself. I wondered what Seth had told her about me, and if he were hopeful for something else in our relationship, though he'd never voiced it in my presence. I couldn't think of another explanation to the way his friends and family members seemed to refer to us as one unit as they spoke, or look at us with something in their eyes I didn't quite recognise.
The legends ended, and Billy acknowledged the young men in our party as warriors of their tribe, smiling at them as though they were all his sons. I shivered in the cold air, Seth wrapping his arm around me immediately, and, unable to help myself, I leaned into his side, resting his head on my chest, the way I would if he was my boyfriend. His heartbeat thumped loudly against my ear, and I grinned to myself. Apparently I wasn't the only one having confusing feelings toward this man who had quickly become my best friend.
The large group of people sat in silence for a few moments, before the chatter started up organically, as if it had never left. Jared and Kim's young children spoke loudly, seeming on the verge of tired tears, and they both stood, Jared hoisting the two boys into his arms as if they were nothing, and bending to kiss his wife's head as she struggled to stand.
Emily and Sam, Sue and Charlie, seemed to be saying their goodbyes, as well. Each couple singled me and Seth out, telling me again how nice it was to meet me, and saying they hoped they'd see me again soon. Sue took my hand, the same way she had when I'd met her earlier in the evening, and told me to take care of myself.
Paul and Rachel left not long after, though Paul had seemed more inclined to argue playfully with their identical twin daughters about wanting to stay instead of taking them home to bed. The toddlers were almost giving into tears before their farther grabbed both of their hands in his, tugging them along, saying goodbye to the crowd as a whole.
And then, the party continued into the night. Seth and I were alone again, seated on one of the long pieces of driftwood as most of other stood and chatted amongst themselves.
"What did you think?" Seth asked me, grinning expectantly, his eyes bright with curiosity as he watched me finish my third beer. I really shouldn't have any more, but he fished out another, opening it and handing it to me and then reaching for his own.
"Very interesting history," I smiled. My eyes were struggling to keep up with what was happening around me, but I attempted to stay completely focused on him through the alcohol-induced haze I was feeling. It had certainly helped me feel more relaxed throughout the evening, and as I looked back at him, I realised I was completely at ease, even surrounded by people I barely knew. "I have some questions, though."
"Shoot," he seemed more than happy to answer anything I could come up with.
"So…your ancestors were, like…wolf-people,"
"Shape shifters," he offered with a smirk.
"Shape shifters," I corrected myself with a nod. "And they protected everyone from the cold ones," I frowned at him, though my mouth was stretched into a wide grin, my teeth cold against my lips in the night air. "What are 'cold ones', exactly?"
"Vampires," he said immediately. He was still smiling, but his eyes were looking at me as if this was all very important.
"Huh," I hadn't been expecting that. It seemed a little too out of place in their culture.
"What?"
"I don't know…" I filtered through my jumbled thoughts. "I didn't think ancient Quileute's would have made up stories about vampires, I guess. It seems to be more of a European thing, than something that could have reached you guys that long before settlers came."
"What?" he leaned toward me. "You don't think they could have been telling the truth? Don't you think, with all of the legends of such a similar thing, from all over the world, it could have actually happened?"
"It could have," I agreed, twisting the glass bottle between my hands as I thought about it. "Do you believe it happened?"
"I do," he told me, no doubt in his expression.
"And the shape shifting? Do you believe in that, too?'
"Yes," he replied, his smile wider than before. "I guess you think it's all a bunch of nonsense?"
"No," I pursed my lips and looked down at my hands. I wasn't here to make fun of his culture by any means, and there'd always been a part of me that believed, back in the day, things other than humans could have roamed the earth. Witches and mermaids, and maybe even vampires and shape shifting men two transformed to wolves. But it was 2022, and if they were still out there now, someone would have known about it.
"So you believe it, then?"
"I believe your legends had to have come from somewhere," I told him, my voice high and playful in my current almost-drunk state. "I think that maybe, a long time ago, there was magic in the world and it created things we can't imagine today. But I think legends also get twisted, and emphasised, and exaggerated until they're so out of this world they couldn't be completely true."
He thought on that for a long moment. "So, what would you do if I was magic? If I could turn into a wolf?"
I giggled, and he chuckled back at me. "It would be a good trick for parties." I looked around the large group of people, noticing a couple of his friends were watching us with amused expressions, as if they could hear our conversation over the music and talk and distance. "So, I guess all of your 'brothers' are wolf-people, too?"
"And Leah," he grinned.
"What? Not Claire, and Emily and Rachel?"
"Nah, they're not cool enough." He chuckled. His hands were fidgeting nervously on the neck of his beer bottle, and I looked down to them. He had beautiful hands. Wide palms, and long fingers. I frowned at the deep red-tan of his skin, something tugging at my thoughts. "Where is your bandage?"
"Oh," he looked down, pulling his hands away, into his lap. "I took it off earlier."
"You need to keep it covered," I scolded him. I grabbed his hand and pulled it toward me, frowning further when I studied the skin there. There was a long, raised scar where I'd thought I'd caught him with the knife, but no open wound. I grabbed his other hand, and he let me, releasing a long sigh. Nothing to see.
"Did you want to go find Leah?" he was trying to distract me.
"Where is your cut?" I asked him sternly. I hadn't talked to him like this before, but I was very tipsy, and confused, and he pulled his hands away from me again, picking his drink up off the sand.
"I told you, it wasn't as bad as you thought it was."
"Yes, it was," I insisted. "There was blood on the knife! I saw it, Seth,"
"I promise, it was nothing," he said with finality.
I sighed in frustration, dropping it. I was obviously going to get no answers, and for all I knew, I was drunk and imagining things. Funny, how alcohol can make you so carefree and ignorant.
It was past one in the morning by the time everything started wrapping up. A couple of the guys folded up the tables, carrying them over one arm up the track we'd taken to their cars. Seth helped throw all the disposables in a garbage bag, stacking the plates left behind to wash and return to their owners. Leah had said she was going to walk home, leaving as the first few couples or individuals said their goodbyes and wandered off. It was only me and Seth and a few others, including Claire and Quil and another couple who I now knew to be Collin and Samantha who were left sitting around the dwindling fire, speaking quietly about the night and laughing at inside jokes.
The couples of our group seemed to be so involved in each other, Samantha sitting on the sand, leaning against Collin's chest as he played with her hair. Claire had had a bit more to drink than I had, and she was seated on Quil's lap, throwing funny insults in a way that was so loving it contradicted her words, to her friends. Her boyfriend's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, and he chuckled along with her as she laughed and took up the majority of the conversation, leaning his face into her neck as if he wanted to breathe her in instead of the fresh air of the beach.
I tried to remember the rest of their names as best I could, figuring now was as good a time as any, with the lesser numbers. Jackson was the shortest of the group, Cooper was the one who seemed a bit slower than the others, Zeke was outspoken and quick to disagree with things his friends had to say.
They all spoke like family, as if they had been raised together from birth, and it was easy to see why Seth referred to them as his brothers.
He was more inclined to touch me tonight than usual, and I had no objections. I liked the way he would put his arm around my shoulders when I shivered, squeeze my hand in encouragement when I spoke up in the conversation. Something resembling a growl grew in his chest when Zeke told me arrogantly I was wrong about keeping chickens for eggs, which I wasn't, and I looked at him curiously at the sound, noticing Zeke backed down in a way he hadn't for his other friends.
The smaller group all stood at the same time, and Seth helped me to my feet. He'd moved my final beer away from me when I was half-done, bringing me back a cup of water which I hadn't asked for, but had taken obediently. I'd had more than I had planned, anyway.
He said he was fine to drive, though he'd had a few beers himself, and I went along with him because he seemed fine. It was only when he pulled up at his house that my eyes fell to my little yellow car and I frowned. I hadn't thought about getting home.
He was watching me when I turned back to face him, my mouth open to talk, though I had nothing to say. "Did you want me to drive you home? I can pick you up in the morning before work and bring you out to get your car. It will be early, but I'm not letting you drive home like this."
"I'm not letting you drive all the way to Forks and back after drinking so much," I retaliated gently.
He was silent, chewing on the inside of his lips as he watched me. "Do you want to stay? Our guest room is full of crap, but you could have mine. I can fit on the couch."
"Your bed is big enough for the both of us," I said quietly. My pulse quickened with nerves, hoping he wouldn't disagree with me.
He didn't. He didn't say anything at all, actually. He turned off his car and opened the door, meeting me quicker than I expected to help me out, onto the ground.
We didn't talk as he led me inside. The living room light was on, but it was cold in the little house, and Leah had obviously gone to bed a while before we made it back.
"Do you want to have a shower?"
I nodded silently, and he led me to the bathroom, stopping at the entrance to grab a folded towel out of the linen closet. "I don't want to wake Leah up, she'd kill me, but I'll grab you something of mine to wear to bed."
"Okay," I agreed quietly. He left me, and I shut the door to the bathroom, turning on the hot water and letting it warm as I pulled off my jumper, top and jeans, struggling with my socks as my head spun dizzily. I got them all off and stepped under the water, standing under it for a moment to warm myself up.
There was a quiet knock at the door, and I looked around the shower curtain as Seth opened it just enough to let me know he was leaving a shirt for me to wear out.
The soap smelled like him, and I held it to my face to breathe it in before lathering my body, washing myself even more thoroughly than I normally would have. I'd undergone laser hair removal for the last five years or so, and I didn't have to worry about shaving or keeping up with unwanted body hair. I told myself nothing was happening with Seth tonight, but the idea that I didn't have to panic about not having a razor, just incase, was comforting.
I pulled on the shirt he'd left me. It was about three times as wide as any of my t-shirts, and fell to my knees. I could have gotten away with wearing it as a dress, and not worried about showing anything I didn't want people to see. I was a little disappointed I wasn't showing more thigh tonight, and I internally yelled at myself for being such a drunk hoe.
I tugged on my underwear from earlier and folded my bra, top, jumper and jeans in a neat pile, carrying those and my used towel to Seth's bedroom, where I found him laying a couple of blankets on the left side of his bed.
"I'll take that," he said, pulling the towel out of my hands. "I'm just going to have a shower, and I'll be right back. There's a bottle of water there for you,"
I eyed the huge bottle of water he'd left on the left bedside table and walked to it immediately, dropping my clothes on the floor beside it. I took a few large sips and set it back, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand. My hair smelled like the bonfire, but it wasn't strong enough to cover Seth's comforting scent that filled the room.
There were excited nerves that I hadn't felt in a long time as I sat on the edge of the bed, tucking my legs under the sheets and blankets he'd set out on the one side. I wondered if he was right and that he didn't get cold during the night. Just the walk from the bathroom to his bedroom was enough to make my toes feel like ice after my hot shower.
He wandered back into his room not long after leaving, and I swallowed as I took him in. He was in a pair of shorts, made of tracksuit material and tied on his hips, and nothing else. I hadn't seen him without a shirt before, and I was right about the muscles I'd suspected on his shoulders and chest. His upper body was huge, but not in an overly intimidating way like some of his friends. He was well built, with solid lines defining the muscles that looked so deep I could lose my finger between them. His waist was narrow and tapered, and as muscled as his shoulders. I locked my fingers together and looked toward the wall when he caught me staring.
"Are you comfortable? Are you warm enough?" he asked. His usual grin was gone, his eyes tight with worry, or nerves. I wondered if he felt the same way I did.
"I'm good," I assured him. The drunk amusement I'd had for the latter part of our night was subdued now as I sat in his bed, wondering if he was going to try anything.
He climbed in beside me, and I lay back on the pillow, noting how much it smelled like him. He did the same, facing me, watching me silently. I stared right back at him, daring him to make a move, but he never did.
"Do you want some of the blankets?" I asked him politely.
He finally smiled and shook his head against his pillow. "I won't get cold."
"Okay," I said unsurely. I reached my frozen toes out to press against his shins, and he flinched. I laughed. "Sorry," but I kept them there, enjoying how his ever-hot skin felt as it warmed me up.
"Feel free to stay as long as you like in the morning," he told me. "Leah leaves around eight. If you need to sleep in, take all the time you want."
"I'll probably just leave when you do," I admitted, yawning and stretching against the mattress, rolling onto my right side to look at him closer. "Thank you for letting me stay,"
"You can stay whenever you want."
"And thank you for inviting me tonight. I had a really good time. I feel more comfortable with your friends than I do around most people."
"They liked you," he told me with a small smile. I wanted to keep the conversation going, talk to him all night, because I knew I could never get sick of talking to him, but he had to work in the morning, and another huge yawn fell out of my mouth. He smiled, a little sadly, and reached his hand out to turn off the lamp beside him.
"Get some sleep, little girl. I'll see you in the morning."
I smiled in his direction, knowing he wouldn't be able to see him, my eyes wide as I sort out his figure in the darkness. I wanted so badly to be brave enough to reach out to him, touch his shoulders and arms and feel the muscles there that had captivated me when he walked into the room, but I was a coward and I'd never been able to make the first move in my life so far.
I sighed to myself and closed my eyes, nestling my face into his pillow, breathing in his smell, falling into a very, very deep sleep beside my best friend.