Tall/short | Making a last-minute costume to impress your crush but fail miserably
Happy Halloween, Ash! Sorry, no angst lol call it payback from Christmas, love you!
Bella Swan was at her wit's end. She didn't know why she thought it was a good idea to make her own costume, or why she thought it was going to impress anyone—let alone her crush—and now, she was doomed.
"You aren't doomed, you just need a little more time," Emily said, trying to help her friend, but grimacing at the disaster in front of her. "What have you tried to do?"
Sighing, Bella grabbed what was supposed to be a red cloak. "I tried to make Little Red Riding Hood, but I clearly failed. And your party starts in half an hour!"
She didn't know why she thought making her costume from scratch would make Paul notice her. He never looked at her before, so why would he look at her now? He was like the man of every girl's dream in either La Push or Forks, and pathetic little Bella Swan would never get under his radar.
"I don't have a costume, so I probably should just go back home and swallow in self-pity," Bella said, trying not to cry over something so silly like a ruined costume. "I don't want to ruin your party, Em, so I'll just go."
Bella grabbed the scratches of the fabric, and started walking towards the door. She was so out of it, that she didn't realise someone was at the door, making her exit a little difficult.
"Swan? Everything alright?" a voice asked, and Bella groaned internally. Of course she was going to run straight into Paul when she was trying to leave.
Bella looked up at him—why he must be so tall?—and saw for once, he wasn't looking with a scowl on his face, but actually, with concern. Bella tried not to let it melt her heart, but it was hard; her heart chose Paul a long time ago.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just leaving, actually," Bella replied in a small voice, not looking at Paul. "If you excuse me, you're kinda in my way."
Paul didn't move, just stared at her with an unreadable look on his face. Sighing, Bella hugged her destroyed costume closer, as if she could protect herself in a way.
"So? Can you move or I'll have to move you myself?" Bella said, trying not to blush at the idea of touching Paul.
"Where are you going? I thought you were excited for the party?" Paul asked with a raised eyebrow, and Bella wanted to kiss him for sounding concerned; she was a lost cause when it came for her crush. "You can't leave."
"Last time I checked, Paul, this still was a free country and I could go wherever I wanted to," Bella said, avoiding his eyes. "Now, if you excuse me, I will—"
Bella stopped mid sentence, her brain freezing over the fact that Paul was touching her arm. He never touched her before, and she couldn't understand why he would do it now.
"What if I tell you I don't want you to go?" Paul asked in a soft voice, so uncharacteristic of him that Bella had to stop and look at him.
"What?" Bella shrieked, losing her cool for a moment, before gathering her wits. "I mean…what?"
Paul smirked and Bella felt herself blushing under his stare. Bella knew he knew the effect he had on people, she just never imagined he was going to give her one of his looks.
"I mean, it's a party, a costume party—something that I know that you like—and you're leaving? Before even starting?" Paul frowned, his hand caressing Bella's arm and making her brain turn into mush. "Something happened?"
Biting her lip, Bella looked at him. "I was trying to make a costume to impress you, but everything went to hell, because I don't know how to sew and you're never going to notice me now—not that you have before, I mean, why would you?" Bella said in a breath, before slapping her hand over her mouth. "Oh my lord, forget anything I said, okay? I need to go."
Bella pulled her arm from Paul's grasp and started to run towards her truck, but before she could enter, Paul was at her side.
'Stupid long legs,' Bella thought when Paul was right next to her in no time at all.
"Swan, can you stop and breathe for a minute?" Paul asked, putting his hands on Bella's shoulders, and she had to stop and try not to faint. "I always noticed you, it was you who never realised."
Bella stood there, just looking at Paul without blinking. He couldn't be saying what she thought he was saying, could he? She was probably hallucinating.
"You didn't need an elaborate costume for me to notice you, Bella, when you were just being you captured my attention from the start." Paul was looking at Bella with a soft smile on his face. "Nothing to say, Swan?"
Instead of answering, Bella decided to take action. She grabbed Paul's shirt and kissed his mouth with all the unrequited lust—not so unrequited now—and poured her feelings into the kiss.
Paul's arms were soon around her waist, bringing her closer to his body, and Bella was almost dizzy with the feeling of Paul being completely around her.
"If I knew you reciprocated my feelings, I would have acted sooner," Bella murmured, when oxygen was needed.
Paul chuckled, and warmed Bella's insides. "You just needed to ask, Bella. What do you say about us coming back to the party? Who needs a costume when you're with me?"
Nodding, Bella smiled at him, before grabbing his hand and walking back to Emily's house. In the end, all she needed was to be herself.
