Hello! So, thank you again for the lovely comments that have ben left, they've left me smiling like a moron. In exchange, I've sewn two chapters together to make this one a little longer! It's still not super long, but hopefully it's all good. Also, check me out, updating relatively quickly and shit!

As ever, enjoy!

Chapter Seven

She felt him before she saw him. Paul. Part of her had wondered why he hadn't come to see her yet, why he hadn't once visited her hospital room, but she had to remind herself that they'd shared a few kisses. They weren't dating. Hell, there was still a possibility that he was just trying to get into her pants, so the whole thing of her having a broken wrist, two fractured ribs, a badly sprained ankle and a fractured eye socket among other things? Well, even she didn't want to get into her pants, so she didn't blame him.

Still, sitting outside around the firepit, watching the stars in the sky, she felt him. She didn't turn though, instead letting him approach from behind. He stopped just in her line of sight, dressed in a pair of shorts and a simple t-shirt.

Wordlessly, he set down a basket that he'd been carrying and sat by her side, placing a firm hand on her back and drawing her gently into his side.

She wasn't sure if it was the heat coming from him, but instantly, her pain lessened. She couldn't help but breathe out a deep sigh at the contact, thankful that her parents and Brooke were inside.

"I'm sorry." He spoke into the night, resting his chin so very softly on the top of her head for a second. It was about as close to a hug as she could realistically get at that point.

River didn't respond, instead leaning deeper into him, taking more of the weight from her sore side. She wanted to ask where he'd been, but she wasn't sure that she wanted the answer. "What's the basket, Red? On your way to Granny's house?" She asked instead, glad to feel a slight rumble of his chest as he chuckled.

Smiling, he hooked his foot into the handle of the basket, dragging it over to avoid standing to get it. He opened it with one of his hands, keeping the other cradling River as he tipped the basket a little to show inside. "Food." He answered simply, though it was entirely an understatement.

"For what, an army?" River laughed, wincing as her ribs throbbed, shocked when Paul quickly, without thought, pressed a reassuring hand to her midsection. It was surprisingly nice, comforting even. She almost jumped away, expecting it to hurt, but he seemed to know exactly what she needed even if she didn't.

One look into his eyes showed his concern for her, but he spoke as if nothing at all was different. She was thankful for that. "Good food helps recovery. Some of the guys tried to chip in, so I'd avoid the sandwiches at the bottom unless you want whatever fungus Embry's got, but the muffins are pretty solid. Oh, Sue made a stew, too. Deer, I think. Couple of fish in there, too. Harry's rub, of course. I, uh, I made a cake, too, but it looked kinda sad." As Paul spoke, not treating her like she was broken, River's heart swelled.

"Why?" She asked, curious.

Paul cocked his head. "I don't know. I guess I baked it wrong?"

She smiled, trying not to laugh. "I meant, why did they do all this?" She clarified, watching him chuckle.

He nodded, understanding. "Well, I told them that you're... important, you know, to me. They're kinda my family, you know? Since my folks left, they're all I've had. So yeah, I was a bit of a mess, they wanted to help."

It was truly the sweetest gesture. River made sure to tell him, watching his face light up. She knew that the polite thing to do would have been to take him inside and to introduce him to everyone, but she was quite enjoying having him all to herself. She wasn't too sure how long they sat out there, holed up by the fire, but it was bliss.

It wasn't until she finally shivered from the night's ever close chill that Paul stood and offered her his hands. "Let me help you in?" He asked, smiling softly down at her. Thankful for the help, she reached up and braced herself for the pain to come as she began contemplating how exactly to place her weight on her bad foot. Shocking her though, Paul used his grip on her good hand to sweep her up just enough that his other quickly wrapped around her waist. He took what felt like her entire weight, not even so much as grunting from the strain.

Wait, was she kinda turned on? Oh god. She blushed a little, feeling the length of their bodies touching as he carefully set her down on her good foot, keeping the cutest look of concentration on his face as he positioned himself properly beside her, still holding her almost entirely up by her waist. "This okay?" He asked her, shocking her from her thoughts.

Coming back to reality, she shrugged and nodded. "Great." She answered a little hoarsely. She watched something in his eyes change as he seemed to realise what his display of strength had done to her, standing a little prouder all of a sudden.

"Great?" He teased lightly, leaning down toward her just a little.

Blushing, she chuckled, feeling the heat tickle her cheeks as she tried to hide her face. "Great." She repeated, looking back up into his eyes and finding herself immediately lost in them. How had she, for all these years, not noticed how damn cute he was? Gods, she must have been insane, or was it now that she was going crazy? She didn't know, nor did she care. If this was madness, then she welcomed it with open arms.

Dutifully, Paul helped her inside with slow, relatively pain free steps. Her parents were sitting at the table when they passed through the door, leaving Brooke sprawled across one of the couches, quickly straightening herself up at looking at Paul with wide eyes. It was almost as if she hadn't believed a single word out of River's mouth about them having made out, not that River blamed her for that, but there he was, in the flesh.

Just as quickly as Paul deposited her onto the other couch, he stood back straight up and approached where her father was quick to stand, holding his hand out. "Good evening, Sir." He quickly addressed her father, giving him little time to say much before they clasped hands and shook firmly.

River was, to say the least, a little mortified. She wasn't sure how she expected Paul helping her inside to go, but she had clearly left out this part in her head.

"Paul Lahote." Her father said dryly, holding the boy's hand for a second longer than was typically polite. "Care to explain why my daughter came home wearing your clothes in the middle of the night?"

"Dad!" River barked out, mortified but unable to stand and get between them.

Paul had the decency to look a little embarrassed, but he smiled good-naturedly nonetheless. "She came to apologise, Sir. We talked about things, agreed that we'd both done wrong. I didn't want her to walk home in wet clothes, so I offered her my sweats-"

"And then she got blood on them. Rookie move." Brooke chimed in for no good reason, looking mortally embarrassed when everyone turned to look at her. "I'll be quiet."

Paul didn't skip a beat though, talking again as soon as the silence fell. "If it's alright with both of you, I'd like to come back tomorrow at a more sociable hour. I'd like to check that River's okay." River watched, stunned, as the boy that she'd been fantasizing about for weeks stood toe to toe with her father. Was this a dream? If it was, she'd strangle whoever woke her.

Sighing, River's father shook his head. "I've heard about you, Lahote. Now, as I'm sure you've heard, River is grounded-"

"What my husband is saying," River's mother stood, shocking the rest of the family as she cut her husband short in her ever-happy tone, not looking at his as she reached out across the table and took one of Paul's hands in a loving, motherly gesture. "is that River is currently injured and unable to leave the house, so company here would be a lovely idea." River could feel how wide her eyes were as she and Brooke, mouths agape, caught one another's gazes. "Oh, and Paul?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"We have heard what people have said when your name comes up, but we allow people to make their own impressions on our family, okay?"

When Paul left no more than five minutes later, River could still feel her jaw on the floor.

"Alma?" Dick's voice was low, still seemingly shocked, coated in disbelief.

Smiling sweetly, Alma placed her hands on her husband's shoulders and straightened his shirt, glancing up at him. "We can talk when the girls have gone to bed, honey." She told him in no uncertain terms, daring him to oppose her. "River?" She then turned, cutting Dick from the new conversation just as quickly as she'd started it.

The eldest daughter, still shocked, sat as straight as she could, looking at her mother over the back of the couch. "Uh, yeah?" She asked uncertainly, feeling Brooke's eyes flitting between them both.

"Your grounding. It's still a thing, but your cell? Well, I'll charge it on the counter tonight and you can have it back after breakfast in the morning, okay? Now, Brooke, honey, can you help your sister to bed? Then get yourself tucked in, too. I think this family needs a good, early night and fresh start in the morning."

Who the hell was this new, assertive woman? Whoever she was, River hoped that she was there to stay.

.

.

.

.

.

A text, sending a vibration through her entire nightstand, woke River. With a glance, she immediately knew that it was still night time, so she almost ignored it and drifted back off into her amazing dream, but that all too familiar tingle in her spine, tickling something in her belly, wouldn't let her.

Upon checking it, she grinned as her eyes adjusted. It was Paul.

Even now, a few weeks later, her ribs were still insanely sore as she turned and shuffled to prop herself up on her back, holding herself on her good elbow to drag her cell onto her bed.

She knew that Paul wasn't a wordsmith, but the simple "you up?" felt like a romantic declaration to her still sleepy brain.

"I am now, Lahote. What do you want?"

She texted back, smiling down at her phone. Then, for a single second, she panicked. Oh god, would he know that she was happy? Christ, she forgot tht tone didn't come through sometimes. Just as she, in her panic, began to draft a further message, another one pinged through from him.

"Open your window ;)"

Oh god, a winky face? Okay her tone had definitely followed- wait, open her window?

Straining, she sat up, hissing her pain out one breath at a time, gasping aloud when she saw Paul, clad in nothing but shorts, standing the other side of her window. Her eyes flew open wide at the sight, so much so that he had to give her a look after a few seconds to remind her when she was meant to be doing. Right, the window.

She managed to get up onto her hands and knees, then braced herself against the window's sill, working the latch with her one good hand after dropping her cell onto the bed beneath her.

As soon as she opened the window, Paul began to climb through it, silent as a mouse in spite of his huge frame.

Giggling, she placed a gentle hand on him as he passed over her, shutting her window on his way in. "What are you doing here?" She whisper-yelled. "You know you only left like two hours ago, right?" It was true. His visits, as well as being frequent, had been stretching well past the time that River could keep pretending that they were just friends. As per the new rules, they weren't allowed to be alone in her room together with the door closed, so they simply spent all of their time together in River's living room, making eyes at one another as if no one could see.

Smirking, Paul stood in the middle of her room, just beside her bed, looking down at her with a raised brow. "Boy shorts?" He asked teasingly, clearly referencing what she was wearing.

Blushing a little, she rolled her eyes. "You've seen the rest of me, yet the boxer shorts shock you?" She shot back quietly.

"Touche." He shrugged. "Scoot over?" He asked sheepishly, grabbing the corner of the otherwise discarded covers.

It seemed to be that moment in which River realised, really realised, that she was alone in her room, wearing next to nothing, in bed, with Paul. Scoot over? Oh shit, he was going to get in. That thought alone lit something in her, making her breath come a little heavier. She did as he asked quickly, almost not believing her eyes when his hands fell to the button on his shorts, undoing them, trailing the zipper down where she was careful to never let her eyes stray.

She was almost a little disheartened when she saw the hem of his boxers showing when he dropped his shorts. "This okay?" He asked seriously, stilling over her to wait for her permission.

She almost laughed. "More than." She answered honestly as he smiled back and continued to clamber in beside her.

Feeling him beside her, the skin of their stomachs and legs touching, it was almost too much. She almost reached out and grabbed him. Alas, he had other plans. "Roll over." He told her, nodding to the window, urging her to face it.

Unsure, she raised a brow, but did as he told her all the same. What was he up to? She wondered briefly if he was looking to cop a feel but was too embarrassed to start anything, but was pleasantly surprised when he settled behind her, gently pushing his arm under her head, placing his other hand on her still tender ribs. She found herself gently moaning at the relief, not having the energy to be mortified for too long. "Don't make noises like that." He told her sternly, swallowing roughly behind her. She blushed. "I'm doing my best to be good." He breathed into her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

Part of her, an evil part, contemplated telling him about the dream that she'd just had, but the rest of her, to more moral part, wanted to wait before she jumped him. She wasn't one of those archaic morons who thought that virginity was sacred or anything like that, but if their first time really was Paul's first time, then she wanted for it to at least be more than them just being horny and having to keep quiet with only a wall between them and her sister.

That night, much to her elation, she had the first entirely painless night of sleep in weeks. When she woke to Paul gently removing himself from behind her, she briefly considered asking him to come over every night, but she wasn't sure that they'd be able to hold off on having sex for long if she made that offer. She may have been clueless in the world of sex with guys and penises in general, but she knew that feeling him against her all night had left her feeling some kind of way.

They shared a hushed moment full of brief kisses and promises to see one another later that day before Paul left the same way he'd come in, throwing a quiet, casual, "Leave the window unlocked later." with a wink before he turned and literally jogged off into the woods, leaving River's stomach doing flips as she flopped back onto her bed, giddy.

Later on in the morning, when she'd finally gotten up, River found herself across the breakfast table from a smirking Brooke. "What, nerd?" She growled through a mouthful of eggs.

Her sister, in response, simply shrugged, but her grin never faltered. Then River's cell buzzed. Suspicious, she glanced at Brooke a little closer and realised that one of her hands was under the table. Shit. She grabbed her cell and read the message that popped up, feeling her heart sink. Brooke had seen Paul leaving. Oh god.

River pleaded silently with her sister not to say a word, shooting her a bunch of texts, watching as she didn't look at a single one for the rest of breakfast.

"So, River." Their mother's voice cut in, seemingly oblivious to the conflict happening across her coffee pot. "Today's the big day."

"Huh?" Big day? She raised a brow, turning and looking away from her sister.

Alma shook her head with a smile. "Freedom. Your grounding ended last night. Though, it's good to know that your punishment made you think about your actions so much so that you forgot about it."

Oh! "Right, no, I knew that!" She chimed back, feeling her mind suddenly racing at the possibilities only to sink again when she realised that, even with her freedom, she couldn't ride her bike ever again, especially since it was missing a whole damn wheel and engine. "Yea, big day."

A gentle hand from her mother on her good arm was reassuring, but the hole in her chest still ached. The freedom, while welcome, was a little daunting. "So, what are you going to do with yourself?" Her mother asked, smiling a little sadly, clearly seeing where her mind had gone to.

River, truly stuck for thought, shrugged. "No idea. I guess I should try and find a new bike I can afford. Or, I guess, maybe a car. Might be better for my ankle?" Her mom nodded understandingly, neither of them looking at Brooke anymore. "I still haven't spoken to Skylar. I sent her that text last week, you know, asking if I could explain everything, but she didn't reply." Maybe Skylar would be her first visit with this newfound freedom. After all, she wanted to set things right, even if she didn't think that was possible.

Brooke scoffed. "You cheated on your lesbian girlfriend with a dude, came home in his clothes, then told her and laughed in her face while you were high. Good luck, dude."

"Thanks, asswipe."

"Real mature-"

"Girls!" Alma's voice, while not angry, was stern and more than enough to stop them both in their tracks. "Brooke, don't antagonize your sister. River, don't just show up on Skylar's doorstep, let her know when you'll drop by. At the end of the day, sweetheart, you were in the wrong, she doesn't owe you any kind of closure, okay? Your actions hurt her, so if she doesn't want to talk about it and doesn't want to talk to you, then you have to put a line under it and walk away."

And there it was. The truth. River could coat things however she wanted in her own mind, but when push came to shove, she'd hurt someone who had meant a lot to her. She owed Skylar a real apology, but Skylar didn't owe her listening to it.

With the truth bomb dropped, Brooke announced that she and her friends were going to the mall. River had half a mind to ask if she could go, too, but she really didn't feel like being around Brooke's insufferable friend group just to get out of the house. Then, shocking her, her mother asked if she wanted to lend a hand at the Uley house. Apparently they'd loved her work so much that they wanted her back to paint their garage.

Without so much as thinking, River agreed. Something inside her, upon being presented with the idea, knew that it was the place for her to be. Of course, it could have been the fact that she knew that Paul was close with Sam, but she ignored that fact for the time being.

It didn't take her long to get ready and get into the car with her mom, nor did it take them long to get there, but gods, the silence between them was deafening. "I can guess what Brooke was texting you about under the table this morning." Was where the conversation began though.

River, not wanting to out herself in case this was just a tactic to get her to spill, played dumb. "Huh?" Okay, a little too dumb.

Chuckling, her mother shook her head whilst pulling onto the driveway. "Honey, I remember being your age-"

"Mom-"

"This isn't a lecture, don't worry." She assured her as she turned off the engine, looking across the small space between them. "I remember being your age. I remember sneaking around with your father."

"Gross."

"I also remember that I thought I was being so very sneaky. Do you want to bet who knew that he was coming over to see me every night?"

She sat a little higher, mildly intrigued. "Who?" She asked, quizzical.

"Your grandma." Alma nodded, smiling as she relived her younger years. "She told me that if she caught him sneaking in, she'd tell your grandpa. She also told me that what she didn't see didn't concern her. My point being, my love, that I'm not stupid. I was your age once and I know that nothing I can say will stop you from having sex, if that's what you want-"

"Mom!"

"All I ask is that you're safe, that it doesn't happen while we're home, or better yet that it doesn't happen in our house. Alright? Gosh, I know that I would have given anything to have had a boyfriend who lived alone-"

"Mom, I swear, I'm gonna find the car that hit me and see if they want to finish the job if you don't stop." The blush that River found herself consumed in was so red that she worried that perhaps all of her blood was too close to the surface and would simply fall out. "Also, not that you need to know, we're not... he's come over once and he was a gentleman, okay? Clothes stayed on. Nothing happened." Her face burned as she spoke, but she got the words out and all but bolted from the car.

Granted, she couldn't exactly bolt anywhere. Her ankle wasn't bandaged anymore, but it wasn't exactly ready to be running from anything, especially in the woods.

Emily, thankfully, had the door swung open before Alma could embarrass River further, though she doubted the blush would leave her cheeks anytime soon.

It seemed, upon meeting her, that Alma's account of how lovely Emily was wasn't a word of a lie. Before River could even comprehend getting out a greeting, the young woman swept her into a tight, warm embrace. "River! Oh, I've heard all about you! How are you, sweetie? Paul told us all about that horrible accident you got into. Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry that we didn't come over and check in, we didn't want to impose. I hope the basket made it to you full, though? I know what that boy's stomach is like, I wouldn't be shocked if it never even saw you."

For a moment, River was too stunned to speak, but thankfully, her mother was good at this sort of thing.

"Emily Young, those muffins were to die for!" She came over as River was released from the hug, the two woman whirling around like a pair of hurricanes, leaving River to trail behind them in the clouds of positivity that they both seemed to leave floating around them. River could hear as her mother spoke about how thoughtful the food basket was and as they spoke in quick voices about the accident.

River followed them into a living room just as Sam Uley entered it from the other side, two others in tow. Paul and Jacob. Oh.

Everything seemed to freeze for a moment when she and Paul locked eyes across the room. She wasn't sure if the others felt time slow too, but she sure did. She felt each breath come and go, each second of the clock tick by, each beat of her heart as it sped, excited to see him.

She honestly couldn't have told you much about what happened for the rest of the day or how she ended up not helping her mom, all she knew was that, when her mom eventually drove away at the end of the day, she found herself walking through the woods with Paul who lived a mere mile away. Of course, that mile hadn't sounded so far to a fitter, less injured River, but she would have been lying if she'd said that she wasn't thrilled when they stepped into the small clearing and his house came into view.

At one point, he had offered to carry her, but she laughed it off, assuming he was joking.

For one reason or another, as they approached his front door, she couldn't think of her aching ankle, nor the pain in her ribs, only the fact that they were about to be alone in his home for the second time. If it was looking to be anything like the first time, she was in luck.

So, not too bad? I really hope you're all enjoying so far, I know for sure that I'm loving writing this, so please let me know your thoughts! Also feel free to PM me if you have any questions/feelings etc, I'm always happy to chat and/or set minds at ease!