Leah
Leah Clearwater might not be the most intuitive person in the world, but the second Seth walked in with Carlisle in tow, she knew something was off.
Carlisle avoided her gaze and conscientiously put the groceries in the kitchen. Her mother was, as always with Charlie, and Leah was amazed at how quickly Carlisle had taken on the role of provider.
He had also started to cook. It was strange because for someone who hadn't needed food in over 3 decades, he had an odd amount of joy working with food. And he had a talent for it, she had to give him that.
Seth quickly became his guinea pig, and since he was already shoveling everything that was in the remotest sense of the word edible into his mouth and was far too good-natured to criticize, the motivation in Carlisle grew more and more.
Leah watched as he effortlessly stored everything with fluid movements and was suddenly plagued by a guilty conscience. She could see how hard he was trying, and she was still offended by one comment.
If only it had been her pride that had gotten hurt, she would be easier. But she was still not really at peace with her feelings.
Finally Carlisle turned around and wasn't surprised to see her. He'd probably already heard her heartbeat in the car. His eyes lit up briefly, as always when he looked at her and Leah felt disgruntled how her pulse increased.
He leaned back slowly and put his hands on the kitchen counter. His white skin was in contrast to the dark work surface and in general he looked a bit out of place in the normal, chaotic kitchen with his light, wrinkle-free, tailored shirt, his blond hair that fit perfectly and his face. Like an angel who fell from heaven in the middle of your kitchen.
Presumably she looked the same at his side. He the radiant prince, who always looked a bit tired but was still beaming with beauty and .. her.
A throat clearing tore her from her thoughts and Leah realized that she had been staring at him. Again. Embarrassed, she turned around and was about to disappear into her room to at least retain a little dignity when she heard his voice.
Out of his mouth came a swirl and Leah could not understand a single word. She looked at him questioningly and was surprised to see how he avoided her gaze. He stood petrified in front of her and stared at the ground.
"Excuse me?"
Slowly he raised his head and his eyes flickered unsure over her face.
Now she had confirmation.
He was indeed nervous.
Uncertain, he ran his hand through his thick blonde locks and let his gaze wander around the room.
And how nervous he was.
Dr. Carlisle Cullen was nervous.
Now her curiosity peaked and waitingly she crossed her hands in front of her chest. Her gesture caught his attention and she was pleased to see his gaze slid to the center of her body for a split second. A human eye would never have seen this, but Leah felt once again blessed with her sharpened senses.
"Would you like to see a movie?"
His voice was forced to be calm and his gaze rested on her. His eyes shone like honey and she couldn't help but see hope in them. Indecisive, she stepped from one leg to the other.
Her first impulse was to say yes. No, her first impulse was to attack an sexually harrass him, but that really wasn't appropriate. Especially since Seth was in the next room and he would probably never forgive her for that trauma.
But her own insecurity demanded more. She wanted to know that it was what she hoped it was.
She also thought he could fidget a little. After all, she'd been wriggling for weeks.
"Now?"
He looked at her uncertainly, she could see that he was taking her seriously - which was his first mistake - and wasn't exactly sure what to say. Finally he swallowed and Leah watched the movement in his throat.
The skin on his neck was even softer than the rest, she already knew that much, and it was almost an effort not to reach out her hand and touch him.
"I was thinking more about tonight. We could go out for dinner afterwards, if you want?"
She almost agreed, but something in his voice was still too innocuous. He made it sound like it was her decision, or rather, like it was her idea.
Leah took a deep breath. It was typical Carlisle.
Cautious and passive as he was, he would never make it seem like he was pushing her to do anything. She pretended to be thinking.
"I don't know, let's see if Seth are free."
Her voice sounded too serious for him to ever hear the humor in it and his face fell suddenly. When she saw how dejected he looked and how he slowly nodded, she suddenly felt bad. Annoyed, she rolled her eyes and took a step towards him.
"I was kidding Carlisle. But if you want to ask me out on a date, how about you just do it?"
Immediately his shoulders sank and he blew out a breath of relief. He shook his head slowly and looked at her with shining eyes. The light color evaporated as she took a step towards him.
He cleared his throat again and took a deep breath as if he were doing an important announcement.
"Very well. Miss Leah Cleawater, would you allow me the honor of going out with me."
When she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"On a date. As a couple."
Leah couldn't help but laugh and his red lips twisted into a happy smile.
Playfully thoughtful, she patted her chin with her index finger and pressed her lips to one another.
"Phew .."
"LEAH!"
Seth's exasperated voice echoed through the house and Leah had to laugh out loud.
"Yes of course."
What spread on Carlisle's face was sheer happiness and Leah felt a tug in her stomach, knowing that this was what she had triggered. She only noticed marginally how her body approached his and his scent surrounded her more and more.
Automatically she licked her lips and saw through her half-closed eyelids how her gesture had fixed his gaze on her lips. His eyes were now black as coal and his cool breath slipped over her face. Her heartbeat was so loud that it pounded in her ears and she was surprised at how her whole body reacted to his presence.
"When is dinner ready?"
If you wanted to destroy a situation, you could easily trust Seth.
Embarrassed, she went into her room and took a deep breath. It was hard to seem independent and strong when your own body gave you away. And your own mind. It wasn't that she hadn't imagined various situations with Carlisle often enough. Once again she was grateful that he couldn't read minds like his creepy son.
Her shame was quickly dispelled by the happiness she felt when she thought of them officially going on a date.
Friends didn't go on dates.
The evening came faster than expected and Leah was happy when Carlisle said goodbye to give her the privacy she needed in her room.
It was strange, she and Sam had been together very often, but everyone needed their space and was only too happy to give it away. Such frequent contact would undoubtedly have escalated into a dispute.
At least she could never have imagined living with Sam the way she is now with Carlisle.
That didn't mean she didn't love Sam, on the contrary, but it was just different.
Carlisle's presence, however, calmed and upset her at the same time. She sensed his absence and at the same time hated herself for it. Leah hated being dependent on something, especially when it came to someone else. But she couldn't fight the feeling either, which spread when he drove to work or to his family.
The wolf in her struggled, begged her to run after him, tortured her with fear that something might happen to him and didn't leave her in peace until he parked the black Mercedes in front of the door again. She wondered if he felt the same or if she was alone in her misery.
The feeling of dependency was not unfamiliar to her, she knew it from the pack. Paul, Sam, Quil and Jacob to some extent were all addicts. Their happiness, their well-being, their thoughts all depended on the person they were imprinted on. So why should Leah fare any differently?
She stared indecisively in the mirror.
Most of her clotes had been torn during various transformations and the others no longer fit her. Finally she dug out a pair of pantsl. The top was a different matter but finally she gave up and took the first thing she found. She put on little make-up so that she wouldn't look so out of place, but when she thought of his model face, it was also very unnecessary.
Carlisle was already waiting patiently in the kitchen, his eyes sparkling when he saw her. Her heartbeat responded again and she tried with all her might to regulate the reaction of her body again.
"You're looking beautiful."
His voice was velvety and had a rough tone and Leah thought briefly whether she should just skip her date and drag him back into the room immediately.
But there was Seth again. And her pride ... and Carlisle's reluctance.
The car ride was quiet and Leah glanced at him here and there. He didn't seem to be really focused on the street because their eyes met more than once. The situation was tense and it felt ridiculous to go on a date with someone you had shared your bed with for weeks.
"It's a bit strange."
Obviously he was thinking exactly the same thing and Leah laughed out loud. He looked at her smugly and grinned.
"You think?"
The sarcasm dripped from her words and Carlisle's grin widened. Leah breathed in and out noisily. They had to talk about something, they had to defuse the mood a little.
"Where did Edward and Bella go anyway?"
She chose the subject with the intention that he would surely like to talk about his son, but promptly his smile froze and he looked seriously at the street. Leah was confused. He was so happy at the wedding and he had mentioned more than once how relieved and satisfied he was that his first son had finally found his soul mate.
"Brazil."
His answer was so brief and forced that Leah was instantly curious. What was he hiding? As she continued to stare at him, he let out a loud breath. He seemed to struggle with himself.
"To our island. Esme Island."
Leah groaned loudly inwardly.
So much for a better mood.
The name gave her a pang but it wasn't as bad as she expected. Memories of the wedding fought their way through, but Leah pushed them back again. He was here with her, that was the only thing that mattered. And just because Sam wasn't a millionaire and couldn't buy her an island, that didn't make him any less part of her past. She was surprised by her maturity herself, but since she was surrounded by his scent in his car, the embossing probably played its part.
Carlilse threw an uncertain look at her and Leah saw the pain in his eyes, he didn't want to tell her and at the same time he didn't want to lie to her.
Leah could understand him and was even grateful that he wasn't lying to her. She didn't want to be spared these things, that would only reinforce her insecurity and, above all, her imagination. At least now she knows. And it was not perfectly unreasonable, Carlisle was after all generous, he liked to make gifts.. like islands.
She bravely reached over to his cool hand, which was resting on the center console.
The contact brought the promised relief and he sighs imperceptibly. His thumb ran over the back of her hand and Leah suppressed a shudder. His skin was velvety soft and again the wolf reared up inside her and begged for more. Leah tore her gaze from his profile and stared at the tangle of colors that passed by.
The evening would demand a lot of self-control from her.
For being the middle of the week, Port Angeles was bustling and crowded, which was just as amazing given the small size of the population. It had been a mild day, the sun had shown up more often than usual and people flocked outside to get at least a little vitamin D. The sun was however noe low enough that its rays no longer touch the ground and Carlisle parked a car in one smooth motion in the cinema parking lot.
Leah noticed that his car was probably the most expensive in the entire parking lot and quite a few heads, mostly male, turned to the sports car.
Carlisle got out and almost looked a little disappointed when Leah had found her way out of the car herself. He closed the door behind her and Leah lost himself in his eyes again. She didn't really know how to get through a whole movie around him.
Of course, she noticed his hand resting on the lower part of her back when they entered the building. His touch burned into her skin and Leah inevitably pressed herself against his hand.
"What do you want to see?"
"You."
Startled, she opened her eyes.
Had she said that out loud. A look at Carlisle's amused face and his loud barking laugh which surely surprised him too, confirmed her fear.
His question had pulled her out of her mind so much that she hadn't even thought about holding back. She felt her cheeks get hot and pretended to go through the list of films intently.
Subtle Leah. Very subtle.