The right time never presents itself conveniently. And more times than not, I find that the right moment when I know exactly what to say and exactly when to say it passes me by. I so desperately want to be the girl that has the comeback, that's quick to the punchline and can walk away after they drop their verbal grenade. But I'm too easily taken by surprise. Too easily caught up in the moment, in eyes and mouth, in the breath caught in my throat turned dry and tight. When Keye came along, she was my back up. The one swift to action. Becks was the closer, and me? I was the tight lipped, anger just bubbling under the surface girl that tried to wind her way out of a situation where no one would be pleased.
The inside of Janelle and Clark's house was aglow with candles and warm lamplight. Not a single overhead light was turned on, which gave the home a cozy private speakeasy vibe. Paul gripped Maya's hip possessively as they made their way down the wide hallway with sparkling tile to the low lit living room. Laughter could be heard beyond the french doors that led out onto a stone veranda. A stone staircase to the left led down to a sprawling, damp garden lush with weeping willows, roses, and large ferns.
Maya had the distinct feeling that most of the eyes in the room were sweeping across her and Paul.
"Evening," Paul said politely to the raucous group of middle aged men and women sprawling across couches and clutching martini glasses. They were all clearly into their third or fourth drinks, their mouths open in laughter and as they nodded in joyous greeting. Their eyes scanned over Maya and Paul pulled her closer instinctually even though there was clearly no threat.
"Should we get a drink?" Paul looked down at her. Maya looked up at him and smiled with a nod. Janelle had devolved into light hearted conversation with someone on one of the sunken couches and Paul led the way outside and down the stone steps to an outdoor bar. Maya scanned the lawn for any sign of Rachel automatically even though she promised herself she wouldn't let her presence dictate the evening as much as possible. Paul leaned into the bar sliding his hand into Maya's as he ordered them drinks. When he turned to look back at Maya she gave him a reassuring smile.
"You okay?" he said, quirking an eyebrow. Immediately she slumped and rolled her eyes, almost annoyed to have been found out.
"Fine," she looked over his shoulder where the drinks were placed and reached around him to grab hers. It was a light gin with lavender syrup and a sprig of rosemary. It was delicious and her brows perked up in surprise as she took a sip. "Mmm! This is so good."
"I know. It's like I know you," he grinned and grabbed his whiskey before wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing the top of her head. He nodded over the top of her head toward a group of people chatting around a fire pit. "Come on, I want you to meet some people." He steered her toward the group who welcomed her heartily.
The group was a mix of young twenty somethings and rich Seattle middle-aged art enthusiasts. They all were excited to meet her and asked her genuine questions about her excitement to go to Columbia and study Engineering. Paul beamed down at her with admiration as he trailed his hand easily up and down her back as he talked with a woman named Serena in conversation about his latest work. As she conversed with this group of kind, eccentric people, Maya felt like she did fit into this life with Paul. Her pulse raced at this realization and she felt Paul's hand stall on her back as he leaned over, midconversation with Serena, to kiss Maya's temple. She smiled at him and he smiled back before continuing his tirad with Serena about the soaring cost of certain wood.
The night progressed without much incident and to Maya's delight, Rachel was nowhere to be seen. Paul made the rounds with Maya, introducing her to current and previous clients as well as some other craftsmen and artists he knew. When Janelle hustled them all into the grand dining room for dinner, Maya gratefully sat next to Paul who leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Are you having a good time?"
She pulled back and smiled sweetly before nodding, "I am. These people are wonderful."
"Good," Paul said, clearly elated. Janelle and Clark stood at the head of the table, poised to make a speech.
"Excuse me! Just a moment of your time before we dig into this fabulous fare," Janelle shouted over the collective bustle of conversation and laughter. People immediately quieted down and looked toward her. Paul draped his arm across the back of Maya's chair. "Clark and I just wanted to think each and every one of you for joining us this evening. It's not often that we get this many fantastic, creatives in a space and we are so thankful that you trusted us as your incredibly good looking hosts," Laughter rang out down the table and Clark leaned in to kiss Janelle's cheek. "To old faces and new," Janelle nodded toward Maya who blushed but still felt grateful just to be here, "A votre sante!" she cried. Everyone raised their glasses in unison and took a swig. And with that, a flurry of wait staff were around the table delivering food. As Maya and Paul dug into the delicious lamb and vegetable medley on their plates, they talked to their nearest table mates. Maya was laughing over something Katrina, a short, plump blonde woman who was an art contractor for the Seattle Museum of Art had said about Janelle's last party where the entertainment was fire dancers who accidentally set the low hanging ferns on the veranda on fire when she saw a flicker of gold catch her eye. Over Katrina's shoulder and about eight seats down the grand table was Rachel.
Maya's eyes, trained to the sight of her now, caught her eye. Rachel gave her a knowing look before continuing to talk to the person in front of her. Maya swallowed hard and looked back to Serena who hadn't noticed the temporary lapse in Maya's concentration as she made eye contact with Rachel. Paul's hand was on her thigh but she didn't turn to meet his gaze just in case he would see the worry plainly in her eyes.
She felt reassured in her place with Paul after their conversation and their clear attempt to lean into the imprint, but something about Rachel always set Maya ill at ease. Once the plates from dinner were cleared and dessert was set before them, Maya stood to excuse herself to the bathroom. She used the hand she placed on Paul's shoulder to steady herself as she rose from the chair and he watched her go.
As Maya walked back down the grand hall in search of the bathroom, she felt her heart race. Why was she so panicked? She believed Paul when he said he no longer had feelings for Rachel, but Maya couldn't shake this undeniable feeling roiling in her stomach.
She found a spare bathroom in the hallway closer to the front door and slipped inside. Maya stood before the large gilded mirror and took some deep breaths. So what? Rachel was here. Paul had said that was possibility and Maya had said she would deal with it. And here she was, not dealing with it. She had to get a hold of herself. But first, Maya tried to figure out the feeling that was plaguing her. The sick, roiling pain that twisted in her stomach and made her heart cinch every time she saw Rachel was a feeling she wasn't familiar with before she had met Paul, but now after seeing her own eyes in the mirror, she knew what it was plain as day—jealousy. Maya was jealous of Rachel.
Just the knowledge of knowing Rachel and Paul had slept together after he had imprinted made Maya feel sick and fiercely protective over her bond with him. Rachel had no right, no claim to him and yet, even after Paul knew what had happened once the imprint had occurred, he still slept with Rachel. Maya closed her eyes tight and turned toward the toilet feeling suddenly as if she was going to throw up. As she sank down next to the toilet, her phone buzzed in her bag.
Maya opened it to see it was Keye.
"Hello?" she answered, her voice thick with spit as she felt nauseous.
"Woah, are you okay? You sound like you're about to vom," Keye said aptly.
"Rachel's here at this dinner party I'm at with Paul and I just...I can't fucking handle it. I don't know why," Maya admitted freely. Before, Maya may have played her feelings more close to the chest, but right now in this moment where she felt entirely helpless, she didn't feel like holding back.
"Ugh. I'm so sorry My. I know this is no consolation whatsoever, but she seriously means nothing in the broad scheme of things." Again, Keye said this all very simply. Maya let that sink in and when she didn't speak, Keye continued, "You know she's just jealous right? Jealous of the imprint? Jealous of you? This weird game she's playing is just her way of digging the knife in a little longer, but My….you've already won, so you have nothing to worry about."
"I know, I just—"
"No My. No 'I just blah blah blah'. I know I haven't been entirely supportive of this weird ass relationship from the beginning because it honestly creeped me out. But the more I see you with Paul, the more I see what everyone else sees. You guys just...fit. He moves, you move. It's wild ot watch, but Maya, if you saw what I saw, you wouldn't give two shits about whatever Rachel thinks she has with Paul. There is no way that that boy feels any other ways about you than everlasting, heart stopping, jaw dropping, eternal fucking love for you. And that's coming from a cynic."
Maya laughed, the nausea washing away from her as she listened to Keye.
"Thanks Keye."
"You're welcome. Now go out there and prove that shit to yourself."
"Okay," she breathed. "Oh wait, fuck why are you calling?"
"Oh, I was calling because you know that lost pack member Paul was telling you about? He's in town!"
"Oh shit! Have you met him yet?" Maya asked, getting up and scrunching up her dress and pulling down her underwear to pee.
"Not yet. Sounds like an absolute melon if you ask me. But Becks is curious, so we're going to go to Emily's for dinner this Thursday. Will you and Paul be back by then?"
"Yeah, we're flying back tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure we'll be there," Maya said, cleaning herself up and washing her hands in the sink.
"Okay. Text me when you're home. I still need to come over and see where you live now. So weird that you're not with your parents anymore."
"Tell me about it. I'll text you. Love you."
"Love you too babe." Keye said affectionately before disconnecting. With one last look at herself, Maya, bolstered with the talk Keye had given her, left the bathroom and headed back to the dining room. Paul's seat was empty, his dessert half eaten. Maya instinctively looked down the table where Rachel had been and noticed she was absent as well. Her heart hammered in her chest, but as she reminded herself of who she and Paul were and who Keye knew them to be, she stalked off to find them.
Maya beelined it for the garden, letting her impulse lead the way. As she crossed the grass into the back area, her eyes scanning for any sign of them, she heard muffled laughter in the trees and a hushed voice. Maya drew closer, steeling herself for what she might see. Even with the understanding that Paul was hers without question, her mind went wild with scenarios of finding them tied up together in a dark part of the garden, their lips smashed together in a heated exchange. As Maya rounded a tree she was met with two people from the party, clearly very drunk and wrapped around one another giggling. Maya slipped away somehow unnoticed and continued down past a thicket of trees into an opening that revealed a sprawling patch of grass and a small pond at the bottom.
Two dark figures stood next to the pond under a tree. Maya felt her throat get tight as she immediately recognized Paul's broad frame towering over Rachel's who was standing with her hands tucked behind her back, chest pushed up and leaning forward. Maya made her way down the grass, not even trying to hide her presence and Paul noticed her almost immediately as she came out from the dark trees.
"Maya!" Paul said, his eyes somewhat frantic with a hint of anger. Maya worked to keep her face calm—she wasn't going to let Rachel get a rise out of her. "This is honestly not what it looks like." He said firmly.
"I know." Maya said, coming to a stop next to him and threading her hand into his. He looked relieved and Maya turned to Rachel who was smirking, drunk and wavering on the spot. "Rachel," she started but Rachel rolled her eyes and let out a groan.
"Oh jesus, back to highschool. What is it little bird?" Rachel mocked. Maya's mouth hung open slightly as she was taken off guard but she shifted to the other foot, closer to Paul's side and gave her a soft look.
"I just wanted to say that...I'm sorry," Maya said genuinely.
"What?!" Rachel said with a laugh.
"Yeah, what?" Paul said confused.
"I'm sorry that things didn't work out the way you planned with Paul. Neither of us planned for the imprint to happen, but it did. And as a Quileute woman yourself, I know you understand the need to respect that bond not just for us, but for the tribe." Maya said calmly. She was watching as Rachel swayed in front of her, a sneer rolling over her face and then a look of shocking calm wash over it. "I'm sorry, but Paul is never going to pursue something with you and while I respect that you two are close, I hope that you give me the same courtesy and respect that my relationship deserves that I give your continued relationship."
"I—" Rachel said before rolling into stunned silence.
"Rachel." Maya said a little more firmly, "I need to know you understand." Her eyes were strong with a fire flickering underneath. After another moment of swaying, Rachel gave a nod.
"I understand," she said somewhat sad and annoyed, and then the swaying became dangerous and she lost her balance. Both Maya and Paul lunged for her so she didn't fall into the small pond. Maya grabbed her arm and Paul slipped somewhat behind her to brace her back with his hand.
"Jesus, Rachel," Paul said tired.
"We should make sure she gets home. She's toast," Maya said under her breath. Paul nodded and scooped Rachel up under her legs. Rachel laughed in triumph.
"See, he does like me!" she said to no one in particular. Maya rolled her eyes as she followed them and then she heard Rachel's quiet, slurred follow up, "Just kidding," before her eyes fluttered closed.
Once safely tucked in the back of a town car, Maya crossed her arms and watched the car pull down the drive and out of sight. Paul turned to her with his hands in his pockets. His eyes were difficult to read in the darkness but Maya thought there was a look of curiosity in them.
"What?" Maya said.
"Nothing you just...Well, back there you sounded like—" he began.
"What? I sounded like some stranger?" Maya gibed.
"No you sounded like me," he laughed. Maya slapped his chest and he took his hands out of his pockets to wrap her up in his arms.
"Oh please, don't be so full of yourself," Maya said, smiling up at him.
"No, you did. Especially the part where you were all 'Tell me you understand.' That's Lahote language right there," he teased, swaying her in his arms. Maya hummed appreciatively and he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. "I love you." He said softly, dusting his nose across hers.
"I love you too," she replied, her eyes full of want.
"Can we kick off from this place? I'd really like to get you out of that dress now," he said in her ear and Maya shivered.
When their car pulled around and they slid into the backseat, Paul leaned over to kiss her neck and Maya let out a gasp. His hand slid between her thighs, gently pushing them apart.
"Paul we're in car," Maya's eyes flickered to the thin tinted glass partition between them and the driver of the town car.
"So?" he breathed as he traced his lips down her shoulder removing the thin strap. Maya closed her eyes at the sensation.
"While I'm totally convinced you can get me out of this dress in the back of this car, I am not sure I'll be able to get it back on once we're done," Maya said before letting out a laugh.
"I don't see the problem," Paul muttered letting one finger slide against her slit as she gasped.
"The problem," Maya said before letting out a moan and receiving a gentle nip to her neck, "Is that while you seeing me naked is a given, I'm not sure I want the driver to see me naked."
"This all seems like a future us problem." He said as he deftly slid two fingers inside of her, using his thumb to rub at her nub. Maya let out another moan, louder this time and she felt Paul's mouth stretch into a smile, "Plus, I'm pretty sure he has a good idea of what we're doing back here. You're not a quiet fuck." He slid his fingers in and out of her and she threw her head back against the seat trying to stifle her moans. Paul grinned at her and Maya, burning red, laughed.
His other hand wound around to her side, unzipping the dress. He pulled his fingers out so that he could yank the dress hungrily off of her body. Maya's breasts were illuminated every so often as they passing lamplight from the street splashed light across them. His hands were on her again, coaxing more from her center as she let herself moan freely. When he ripped the lace holding her panties around her hips, Maya gasped. His eyes were fire and he grabbed her roughly around the waist to pull her on top of him. He unzipped his pants and pulled himself out and Maya sank happily down onto him. Something about him being fully clothed and Maya being completely naked on top of him sent her reeling. He lowered his head to suck her taut nipple into his mouth, letting his teeth gently nibble at it sending shockwaves down her body.
Maya bounced quickly on top of him, his hands on her ass helping to move her quickly up and down his length. Maya wound her arms around his neck and pulled Paul's face to hers. They rested their foreheads against one another, panting and thrusting in unison as Maya cried out.
"You're so fucking beautiful, My," he moaned and Maya let out a loud moan in recognition as she threw her head back pushing her chest toward his face. Paul's grunts began to increase as she felt him start to twitch inside of her and with one final, "Fuck!" he exploded inside of her. Maya let out a sigh of release and slammed down onto him, her body responding to his orgasm. She collapsed forward onto his chest, completely limp and he wrapped his hands around her back as they both caught their breath.
"Fuck," he whispered after a minute. Maya giggled and leaned back to look at him, her eyes half lidded in exhaustion that only came after they had a relentless release with one another.
"You realize the minute you pull out of me, there's going to be a huge mess back here right?" Maya looked around the car and Paul let out a hearty laugh. She felt him harden inside her again and she rotated her hips with a little moan in response.
"Fuck," he said again putting a hand to his forehead.
"Yeah," Maya said. Paul started to unbutton his shirt and Maya raised her eyebrow at him.
"Well, you said there was no way you're getting back in that dress, so you can wear this." He shrugged off his shirt and slipped back into his blazer. Maya looked at him, mouth open and let out an incredulous laugh. She threaded her arms through his shirt which she swam in and buttoned it up.
"And this?" she gestured down to their hips and Paul looked down at them pushing his hips forward a bit.
"Uhhh, yeah I got nothing for that." He said with an aggravating grin.
When the car pulled to a stop then next to Paul's studio, Maya's eyes went wide. "My, I'm sure this dude has seen it all. Me fucking my hot girlfriend in the back is probably the most tame thing he's seen." Paul tried to reassure her. "Come on," Paul nodded toward their hips again and Maya squealed with anxiety. The passenger door opened to her left and Maya looked at wide eyed, still perched on his lap with him very much still inside of her.
"Shit," she whispered. "Okay." She quickly swung her leg off of him and he pulled out quickly. As he fastened his pants, Maya grabbed her dress and stumbled out of the back holding the back of his shirt down over her ass. The driver gave her one look and then averted his eyes.
Maya went wide eyed and darted toward the door as Paul chuckled, "Thanks Gene." he said casually. Maya looked over her shoulder seeing Paul hand him a bill before she pushed open the door and darted through and up the stairs as he dripped out of her.
Maya drifted in and out of a lazy haze in the oversized bathtub at her and Paul's house. It had been a particularly rainy few days since they got home and Maya and spent most of it reading, napping, making love with Paul, and browsing the course catalogue for her first semester. Now, in the warm water of the bath, with the rain smattering against the long window that spanned across the wall, only revealing just the top of the bathtub so she could look out over the backyard and into the ocean, Maya sunk into the serene feeling that her life gave her at this moment.
When they had returned home, Maya and Paul had worked on falling into step with one another and when they allowed the imprint to guide them, that compelling feeling that drew them together, made them want each other, they found things came a little bit easier. They weren't perfect, but Paul was trying harder to clue Maya in on the pack's whereabouts when he went out on rounds and had even talked to her more about the lost member—Jacob. He was indeed back in town and had been hanging around Emily's. Paul said he had looked worse but something felt off with him.
Jacob was technically not a part of Sam's pack having split off into his own one man pack when he protected the girl and the vampire coven. Seth and Leah had temporarily joined him but when he decided to leave La Push to stay with the Cullen's, he'd ordered them to stay behind with Sam's pack. Leah hadn't really abided by that order according to Paul and had skipped off across the country in search of something else. She'd popped back into La Push a few times, but for the most part, she played the lone wolf card, seeking freedom.
Maya was temporarily roused by a quiet knock to the bathroom door and as it slowly opened, she looked over her shoulder at the man who infiltrated her dreams.
"Hey," he said with a soft smile.
"Hi," Maya said sleepily. Paul was holding his phone in his hand and looking down at it.
"I'm heading out on rounds, do you need anything before I go?" He said pocketing his phone and kneeling next to the tub. Maya sloshed over to him and kissed his lips roughly before pulling away, her hand running across the stubble of his chin.
"No, I'm okay." she replied quietly.
"Okay. Is Keye still coming by tonight?"
"Yessss," Maya replied happily. They were planning a girls night in filled with pizza and popcorn and cake. Paul kissed her again running his hand down the side of her face.
"Text me if you need me," he said softly.
"I always need you," Maya teased biting her lower lip. Paul gave her a warm look and kissed her forehead before standing and leaving. Maya sunk back into her bath and watched the clouds roll by.