REALLY long chapter, I forgot to upload one the other day so you have two tonight, meaning be extra kind with reviews ? :D I love this chapter, I think I am finally getting into their relationship so yep, enjoy!
The pack were in full blown wedding mode, the house was covered in plans and fabrics, magazines and print outs. The guys were being told they had to get themselves measured for suits, Emily was going crazy trying to find her dress, she had two months to plan her wedding and so far they had a venue. Kim and I were told we could choose our own dresses which was only agreed to after Emily tried putting us in lime green floor length gowns that would have made me look like a fruit, I managed to get Sam on my side and in the end Emily got so stressed out she told us to choose our own dresses, which we hadn't done. We couldn't agree on anything.
Everyday consisted of wedding plans and tonight was no different, only a week after they announced the wedding everything was going crazy and Sam and Emily had gone for dinner with Emily's sister and her husband to discuss more plans and so I was stuck babysitting Claire, who so far had managed to paint my face with Emily's lipstick, pour chocolate milk on the cream cushions and broke the DVD player by jamming the Little Mermaid in there. I couldn't handle kids. I didn't have the patience.
"AHHHHHHHH" Her little voice screamed as her footsteps pattered along the floor upstairs making the floorboards creak. She was supposed to be going for a potty but she obviously wasn't.
"Claire get undressed and go for a potty" I called up again and attempted to chop a pepper, I was trying to make my dinner but every time I tried she did something. I waited for her response but nothing came, instead the silent house became full of booming music and the floorboards for my room began pounding. "CLAIRE" I yelled and ran for the stairs, the music hurting my ears as I climbed two steps at a time until I reached the top.
She had turned my Ipod on and Pink was playing, I barely got to the off button before the word Slut was sang out at an alarming volume. Claire kept spinning and jumping around, it was like I had fed her drugs or something, she was like the energiser bunny and it wasn't wearing out.
"LA LA LA LA LA"
"Claire, you need to have a bath" I whimpered pathetically as I collapsed on the floor by my bed, I couldn't do this. I couldn't handle kids.
"NO NO NO NO NO NO NO" She jumped around more and as she hit my dressing able my make up brushes came out and she started painting the walls with my blusher. I hated children, I was going to get her. I stood up determined and picked her up, she was heavy for her size. She instantly started kicking out and giggling as if I were playing a game when I really wasn't.
"Claire, come on you need a bath" I groaned and as we walked through my doorway her kicking stopped, she was listening to me. Maybe I could do this.
"NO NO NO NO NO" She started again and my body was jerked back toward the door, her hands gripping at the door frame so tightly they were turning white.
"Claire" I warned but she just shook her head, holding to the doorframe as I attempted to pull, I couldn't use all my strength, I would hurt her. "Claire, please"
"Teach me to be a ballerina" She tried bribing. Little shit.
"No, just come have a bath"
"NO NO NO NO" She started again and I let her go, her little body hopping to the floor and she began jumping again. I give up.
"CLAIRE" A loud voice barked from somewhere beside me and both mine and the little girls bodies jumped, startled by the sudden sound. I looked to the stairs and saw Paul stood there, his stern face staring down the little girl now hovering by my legs. "Go get in the bath" He spoke again but quieter and the little girl glanced up at me with wide eyes before back at Paul and her semi naked body went flying toward the bathroom.
She listened to him. I mean, I would have to because he's scary as shit but she actually did what he told her to.
"Looked like you needed some help" Paul commented quieter as I stared at the bathroom door, I could hear her going for a wee on the potty and then the water in the bath splashing as she got in.
"Thank you" I whispered still in shock at both his sudden appearance and that she had listened.
"No problem, she can be a handful"
I nodded as he spoke, my eyes darting across his handsome face as he stood there watching me equally as unsure of what to do.
"I have another package so I'm just gonna go open it" He spoke first and my body jumped not expecting it, I nodded and he turned to leave without another look at me. It shouldn't feel this awkward but whenever he was around it seemed tense, like something wasn't being said.
"Savannah" A little voice called from the bathroom and I realised I had left her in there. I hurried in and she smiled up at me, her chubby cheeks creating dimples as she gave me the cheesiest grin I had ever seen. "You gots to wash my hair" She was sort of cute, I nodded and went about washing her. She was the chubbiest kid I had ever seen.
"I think uncle Paul and you will get married" She suddenly piped up as I finished drying her off. My heart skidded and I simply look at her, we weren't getting married. We had only just become friends. "He likes you, he looks at your butt and that's what my Uncle Sam does to Emily and they are getting married"
"He doesn't look at my butt" I snapped too quickly and the little girl gave a smirk so evil she obviously learnt it from Quil.
"And his cheeks go pink like you" Her chubby finger pressed against my flaming cheek and I blushed all over again. Paul didn't look at my ass. He didn't even really like me, he was probably gone by now and he didn't say goodbye so he obviously didn't like me. She said nothing else; she just gave me an evil grin and went about pulling her pyjamas on.
She was way too old for her age, she shouldn't be aware of things like that she should be still pronouncing her R's as W's and calling boys smelly. Kids these days grew up to fast. I dried her hair off with the towel but before I could get her to a hair dryer she ran downstairs.
"Claire, I need to dry your hair" I called out but all I got in reply was a giggle. I let out another sigh and dropped her wet towel into the laundry basket. "I so am not a kid person" I grumbled and made my way for the stairs half expecting her to yell out again about breaking something but as I rounded on the final few steps I heard nothing. "Claire?"
"Yes" She called back to me and I found her curled up on the armchair in front of the TV, Paul was bent over fiddling with the DVD player. He was still here.
"It's broke" I warned as he reached for the control and he shook his head, the screen lit up and the Little Mermaid began playing.
"I fixed it" He turned and grinned at me, his grin so bright and cute it made my stomach flutter like a million tiny butterflies. He made me crush out like a little girl, he was too good looking, it wasn't natural. I didn't go to the living room instead I walked for the kitchen still needing to cook my food but as I reached the counter my half chopped vegetables were gone, replaced by fully chopped vegetables and little jars of measured out spices. I was making a vegetable chilli, the recipe was on the side, he obviously followed it. "I did that too, thought it would be easier if you didn't have to take ages chopping it especially with Claire here"
"You didn't have to do that, thank you" I was shocked, I could barely move from my spot at the edge of the kitchen and I simply looked back at Paul as he picked the package up from the table.
"You could stay if you wanted" I offered before thinking about it and Paul expression went blank, his mouth stumbling trying to find words. "I mean, you don't have to it's just that maybe if you wanted to then you could, I mean you probably have plans or something so it's ok I have Claire here"
"I don't have plans" He spoke back quickly his dark tanned cheeks growing darker as he hovered on the spot passing the item between his two thick hands. "I can stay, if you don't mind that is" His voice trembled as if nervous and I found myself smiling at him, he came across sweet sometimes.
"I wouldn't have asked if I minded Paul, I'm not a kid person so it would be nice to have someone other than a three year old jumping in my face all night" I smiled more and his blushing cheeks rose up in his own smile, the package lowered back down to the table and he slid his torn up sneakers off before fluttering toward the kitchen still unsure of what to do with himself.
I went about grabbing pots and pans and throwing the ingredients of the chilli in one and the rice in the other. I loved chilli, it was possibly one of my favourite meals.
"So you don't like kids yet you're babysitting?" Paul asked after ten minutes of him only speaking to Claire who was whining about the DVD not being loud enough even though I was sure the closest house to us which was five minutes down the road could hear it.
I shook my head and glanced behind me as I stirred the sauce into the vegetables and spices. "I didn't have a choice, I literally got told by Sam that I was babysitting and they were going out for food. Quil is apparently patrolling so he can't do it tonight which I bet he threw a major tantrum about, so I got stuck with it, her I mean" I corrected myself and blushed; I called her an 'it'. Paul started laughing but at what comment I wasn't sure.
"Don't worry; 'it' can be a pain in the ass sometimes as can Quil"
"She's not that bad she's just hyper and like I said, me and kids aren't on great terms, I used to help teach them at my dance school on a Sunday and I left covered in snot and shit, not attractive" I turned back to the pot as it sizzled and the air behind me went silent, the scraping of a chair offered the only noise and I thought I had said something wrong.
"I highly doubt that" His words mumbled and my head snapped around to look at him as he grabbed a can of soda from the fridge and one for me. He saw me looking and his face went red all over again. "You not being attractive I meant, I'm just gonna go check on Claire" He grumbled again stuttering over himself as he slammed the soda's down too harshly on the counter and stumbled toward the living room, he could see Claire perfectly from in here but he kept going until he reached the sofa and just hovered over her, his arms flaring about as if hitting himself.
My stomach was swirling and my skin grew hotter as his words relayed in my head. Attractive, he thought I was attractive. Ok, Paul is getting more confusing by the day. I forced myself to look away, to ignore the comment as simply a friendly statement that a friend would say, I would ensure my friends all felt pretty so that was obviously what he was doing, making sure I had good self esteem. I just kept with that reasoning and went about tasting the rice that was bubbling over in its pan.
He stayed rooted to his spot awkwardly as I dished up two bowls of chilli and rice and some rice for Claire, she had already eaten but she was insisting on more food. Paul brought the two cans to the table and offered me one as we sat down opposite one another and started nibbling at our food. It was good, it was spicy but it was good.
Paul gave a little rumble of noise, almost like the growls the others give off when they eat food and I glanced up at him as he shovelled a large forkful into his mouth, he started nodding at me with a pleased look in his eyes and swallowed at the lump of food. "This is good, you're a good cook"
"My mom taught me" I shook his comment off and his hand paused as he went to take more food, my stomach jolted and I realised I had mentioned my mom again, I never was able to without tears springing to my eyes and as I stared at the table in front of me I felt the lump growing but no stinging hit my eyes.
"My mom was an awful cook" Paul broke the uncomfortable silence and I glanced back to him, he too looked like he was swallowing a painful lump and with a large gulp of his soda he offered me a smile, a knowing smile. Maybe we did have something in common, we both knew how this felt. "She would always try so hard but it always got burnt or just tasted like shit" He lowered his voice as he swore so that Claire who was dropping rice all over the armchair couldn't hear him. "She gave me and my sister food poisoning once, right before our thanksgiving show at school and I was supposed to play the turkey, I have never been more pissed off in my whole life, I wanted to be that damn turkey so badly" I could tell he was joking because he was smirking, but his words also rung truth and as he spoke I imagine a little Paul running around in a turkey costume and that was all it took for the lump in my throat to fade and laughter to choke out.
"Poor you, I bet you were distraught"
"You bet I was, the turkey is the best part of those shows and Sam got the part instead. He has never let me forget it either, never did get to be that turkey thanks to my mom"
"I need to see pictures of Sam as a turkey" I laughed all over again as the image of a gangly younger Sam being the turkey, he had never told me he was the turkey. "But seriously, she could not have been that bad?" I questioned and Paul's laughing face turned serious, I guess she was.
"I am convinced she killed my grandma"
"What?" I choked out over his words and dropped my fork down with a clatter which received a 'sshh' from Claire. "She killed your grandma?"
Paul shrugged and wiggled his nose around before speaking. "Well, she would never admit to it but for my tenth birthday my grandma, my dad's mom came over for dinner and my mom never liked her. Anyway, my mom made this awful chicken dish and my grandma was the only one to eat all of it, two days later she dropped dead at bingo"
I laughed but slapped my hand over my mouth, he had a straight face but I couldn't help but laugh. "At bingo? Oh I'm sorry I shouldn't laugh" I squealed as I tried containing my laughter and Paul's face stayed straight, maybe he really liked his grandma. "Sorry" I added in again still biting at my laughter and Paul's composure fell, his straight face fell into a smile before he chuckled and shook his head.
"Don't worry, she was a bitch anyway"
"Paul, you can't say that about your dead grandmother" I leant over the table slightly and he shrugged still chuckling.
"Well she was, she used to give me two dollars in my card at Christmas and Birthdays while my sister got like twenty, she also made me drink prune juice at her house because apparently she didn't keep soda but whenever my sister went over she always had coke. The woman was a bitch, sad that she died at bingo though, had she stayed alive for another five minutes she would have got a full house"
I laughed again, I couldn't handle that story. "Ok, remind me never to let you cook for me" I giggled out and gripped at my stomach as it started cramping from my laughter.
"Hey, I'm a good cook thank you"
Paul argued back and I raised one eyebrow at him. I didn't see him as the cooking type. "My mom was awful I admit that but I can cook, I used to give my dinner to the dog and then after my parents went to bed I would sneak down and make my own"
"Did the dog die too?" I giggled again ignoring him making his own dinner comment and his head lulled to the side as if not being impressed by my amusement.
"Yes, but she was old" He spoke seriously but as he sat there he started thinking and a smirk broke out. "Ok, she died when she was five and the vet said it was because she was overfed and her heart couldn't take it"
"So you killed your dog" I pointed out and he chuckled again.
"I guess I did, but you would have done the same had someone presented those meals to you every night. The woman was amazing but shit me she should not have been allowed in the kitchen" He shook his head again and my laughter sizzled to a smile. "Just be glad you had a mom who could cook, I was wasting away thanks to mine and I could never have friends over in fear they would drop dead during gym class the next day"
He wasn't meaning to upset me but the words 'had' a mom made my chest ache again, had a mom, not have a mom. It should be have a mom, at 17 I shouldn't have had a mom she should still be here. I gulped again and swallowed some cold chilli. Offering him a small smile I knew he could sense my mood change, he pushed his bowl away and sat back in his chair, breathing out as if he had eaten so much he could pop.
"So will you let me?" He finally spoke quietly and I glanced back up at him as the lump in my throat began to build.
"Let you what?" I sounded like I was struggling to talk and I was, I needed a conversation changer.
"Let me cook for you"
My heart hammered and my body swooned into jelly, cook for me? He wanted to cook for me? What did that mean, a date or as friends?
"I promise I won't kill you" He added in sweetly and I heard the nerves leaking in his voice as he watched me. The lump in my throat began to dissolve and I managed to giggle at his words but he still stared at me waiting for an answer. He wanted to cook for me, that was nice, that was what friends did. Kyle and Kerry always used to have me over for dinner or come to mine and we would make food, it was normal.
"Yes, but if I so much as cough the next day I'm getting Sam to beat you up for poisoning me"
"I don't think he needs a reason" He glanced at the table and mumbled but I caught every word, he wasn't good at being quiet and he noticed that I heard him, his eyes snapped up to meet mine again and he gave a small smile. "I won't kill you, I'll wash up" He reached out for my plate as I went to move with it and I stopped, letting him take it. He was shocking me tonight, he was actually decent.
"Savannah look I'm temporyry" Claire squealed and I looked over at her, my skin hot from blushing at Paul. She was spinning in circles and falling into the coffee table as she went. Temporyry was apparently Contemporary, she had kept going on about me being a ballerina until one of the guys told her I wasn't, they hadn't a clue what I danced but Seth was adamant it was 'temporary' and so now she said that. I did dance ballet as well so I didn't mind being called a ballerina. "Can you come show me?" She asked sweetly, her big round eyes fluttering at me until even I, who had a fear of children, couldn't say no.
I nodded and walked over with a full belly to where she stood, the music was playing off the TV and Paul was busy running water over the dirty dishes. I could probably show her a few moves before my body decided it wouldn't dance anymore.
"Put your feet like this" I stood in front of her and she watched my feet as I put my heels together and pointed them out, hers copied and she nearly stumbled over, her legs were too chubby to be able to do it properly. "And then bend your knees down, yep like that" I smiled at her as she looked up at me, her body bending down so her knees pointed out. "Slow it down though"
"And then, point your toes out like this" I showed her and she copied, her body wobbling whereas mine stayed deadly still as I lifted my leg and pointed it out in front of me. "See you can be a ballet dancer" I nudged her arm and she nodded at me before copying the two moves over and over.
"How do I spin around and around and around" She went on, her little face beaming as she bent up and down.
"It's hard on this floor, how about I show you to balance?" She nodded at me and I moved back, placing one of my legs in a firm position and pointing my foot out in a straight line I lifted my other one back until my body was perfectly bent and I balanced it so that I was still, she tried copying me but failed horribly and fell over. It was quite funny, I laughed but held my position while Claire picked herself up from the floor.
"I'm just going to twirl and twirl" She shrugged and went about twirling around in wobbly circles and so I let my position go. She was only a kid I suppose. As I turned to look back at the kitchen I was Paul leant against the sofa watching us, an amused look on his face. I hadn't noticed him come into the living room, my cheeks blushed as he continued to watch me and Claire started giggling all over again.
"I would have fallen over within a second of that" He commented and nodded as Claire tried the move again, I shrugged it off.
"I guess I'm just used to it, it's quite easy really"
"Yeah, ballet is easy isn't it? Dancing on your tip toes and shit must be a breeze" He chuckled sarcastically and shook his head as I continued to blush, it was honestly nothing but he looked impressed.
"I'm wiped" Claire piped up and flopped herself back on the rice covered arm chair, her body breathing heavily as she led there grinning at us.
"Then watch the film and quit screeching" Paul piped up and threw a blanket at her from the back of the sofa, she poked her tongue out at him but wrapped the blanket over herself anyway and her eyes drifted back to the cartoon.
I didn't want to talk about dancing so I said nothing and made my way for the sofa, it was the only chair left to sit on so it wasn't a surprise as Paul sat himself down, however the movement and closeness of our bodies made my heart beat pick up and I became more aware of myself and what I was doing. I sat upright, my hands screwed in balls on my lap and my eyes trained on the TV. I was sure he could hear every breath I took, every beat of my frantic heart and every creak my bones made if I moved them too slowly. We were completely silent, just staring at the screen until a small snore broke over the singing of Ariel; I looked at Claire and saw her slumped body curled on the seat, her mouth open and drool coming out of it as she snored away in soft huffs. She was not attractive when she slept.
"Mind if I change it?" Paul asked moving forward from his side of the sofa and I shook my head, he crawled across the floor and leant over the DVD player, his ass staring me right in the face. The fabric of his shorts was stretching and I could see every twitching muscle beneath this thighs and ass cheeks as he hovered there, balancing whilst taking the film out. I had to stop, he was my brothers friend, an attractive guy I was bound to crush on him but I had to remember that he was unpredictable and older than me, I couldn't crush on him. I forced myself to look away but as the TV came back on the noise of the show playing caught my attention, Dirty Dancing was on. I loved this film.
Paul reached for the remote on the coffee table but I shook my head and reached for it with my own hand.
"What?" Paul huffed out and I shook my head at him again.
"I like this film"
"It's a chick flick" He groaned as he crawled back toward the sofa, he did not look impressed.
"It's a classic and it is not a chick flick, Kyle used to watch it with me all the time and he never complained" I argued and as Paul sat himself beside me his body went rigid again, his jaw clenched and he looked angry.
"Well, I guess he really was the perfect boy" He stopped himself and shook his body as if fighting against something. The perfect what? "You can watch it, but if I sucks I'm putting the wrestling on" He shot me a smile but it was forced, he didn't like Kyle. Every time I mentioned him or spoke on the phone to him in front of Paul we went funny. Almost jealous, but why would he be jealous? Kyle was my best friend. Unless, maybe, maybe Paul thought he was more than that to me? But that still didn't mean he had to get jealous over it.
"Ok, Kyle is perfect by the way, a perfect friend who happened to be a boy" I spoke slowly going on my instinct that Paul disliked Kyle and his body went rigid again before his head turned to look at me.
"A friend?" I nodded and his set jaw relaxed a little, his jaw muscles stopped twitching and he frowned. "Oh, but you talk to him a lot"
"He's my best friend, I met him when I was three and I first started dance then he happened to go to my high school so we grew closer. He was also my dance partner but I've never dated him, he's definitely not my type"
"He's gay?" Paul was too excited as he talked and I snorted out a laugh, everyone thought Kyle was gay because he was a dancer but he wasn't.
"No, no and no. Just because he dances does not mean he's gay, I mean he's in touch with his feminine side but he's not gay. He's actually just started dating someone, he keeps ringing me to get tips on what to say and do" I smiled as I remembered my last conversation with a very nervous Kyle, he was going on a date and had no idea what to say so he rang me while the girl waited out on his front porch. He was an ass sometimes.
Paul let out a long breath, his body relaxing and he gave a smile again but this time not forced, maybe he was jealous. I wasn't about to ask though.
"What is your type then?"
I looked at him, not sure how to answer or why he cared. You. My automatic response was you, him, a strong guy who could protect me, a guy who could make me laugh, a guy who made me blush and gave me butterflies. But he was only that guy half the time, the other half of the time he was angry and mean. I didn't like that guy. I shrugged and he nodded slowly, still eyeing me up.
"I guess I don't have one, just someone who makes me feel special and who I can talk to. What about you?" I was pushing it now; I was always worried to ask him personal questions.
He gave a brief smile before shrugging his shoulders like I had.
"The same I guess, somebody who I can talk to without feeling judged or having them look at me with sympathy, I hate sympathy or pity. Just someone who I can be around"
"Like Rachel" I didn't mean it to come out and as it did Paul's angry face came back, he frowned at me and his fists clenched. "I meant, it's good you have her because I guess you can umm talk to her right? Sorry"
"No, she isn't mine nor do I talk to her about anything, she has a big mouth and" He stopped and eyed me up before letting his body relax. "No, Rachel knows nothing about me she's just" He stopped again looking for something to describe her, I knew what she was, she was his 'fuck buddy' and the thought of it made me feel sick but that's what she was. "She's just someone I know, she doesn't mean anything to me" He sounded calmer as he spoke and his eyes kept eyeing me up before he settled himself back in the pillows.
My body relaxed too, the sickness wore off as I heard his words. She was nothing to him. I was smug about that, too smug. Maybe I was the jealous one; this crush was making me crazy.
"You remind me of Jonny" I blurted out after a few minutes of watching the film.
"Who?"
"Jonny, him, Patrick Swayzee the hunk on the screen" I pointed, he had so not been paying attention. He finally looked at the screen and made a face at the guy dancing.
"I don't dance, nor are my clothes that tight"
"Yes they are" I giggled out before realising what I said and I blushed as he made a face at me.
"You've been checking me out in my tight clothes I see" He grinned and his own cheeks flamed darker.
"No, it's just hard to miss" I was making this worse. He started chuckling beside me, the couch began shaking and I buried my face in my hand. This was so awkward. Now he knew I stared at his ass most days.
"So why do I remind you of this Jonny guy? You haven't even seen my dance moves yet, I could be terrible"
"Not the dancing or the clothes, his character" I recovered from my blushing and adjusted myself so I was sat cross legged and looking at Paul. He looked amused waiting for me to speak but he said nothing in reply. "He's just very, I don't know, hard"
"Hard" Paul repeated and a smirk broke out over his lips. "You think I'm hard" I blushed all over again as he said it, god I was such a dick.
"No, that is not what I mean. I guess he's a really multi-levelled character and so are you, you have a lot of different sides to you but you don't let anyone see them, or the real you, not unless you want them too and even then I don't think you like doing it. I guess it's not a bad thing, being guarded but it has to be lonely sometimes not talking to anyone about things" I was really over stepping my line but I kept going, he wasn't getting angry he was just watching me, taking my words in blank faced. He assessed me, I could have sworn he was about to explode at me but he didn't, he smiled and shifted in his seat.
"It helps that I'm such a hunk" He joked and I felt myself rolling my eyes, he was avoiding what I was saying. "I'm not guarded, I just I don't talk about my life. There are people out there that have it far worse than me so why would I bore them with my problems" He shrugged but I saw emotion flash his eyes, I don't think that was true.
"If someone cares about you then they will listen to your problems and help you regardless of what goes on in their lives, that's what friends are for, to talk to and be real with. Hell, when my mom died I must have had Kerry and Kyle up for three nights solid just talking and crying but they didn't complain because that's what I needed" My chest ached again, those nights were a blur to me now but I know it had been three days before I slept or ate after her death. "I'm not trying to turn this into a pity fest Paul, I was just making a comparison between two people" I added in realising I sounded like I was pressuring him.
"Yeah well I don't like the other character, he's far too cheesy and complicated for me" Paul joked again and again I rolled my eyes, he was stubborn. "Fine, fine, what do you want to know about me?"
I looked back at him, he was being serious. What did I want to know? It wasn't my place to know anything personal, not yet. "I don't know, favourite hobby, TV shows, I hardly know you yet you know my favourite dinner, my favourite movie and about my best friends back home, you have the upper hand in this friendship" I tried playing cool, being playful and he smirked, I guess it worked.
"Ok then, 21 questions I see. Ok, so my favourite dinner after tasting that chilli is probably that chilli, but other than that I tend to stick to pizza or steak and potatoes. I'm a growing guy I need my meat" He smirked again before twisting in his chair and facing me. "favourite movie, probably any scary one I don't have a favourite I just watch whatever, as a kid I loved Bambi though, I watched it so many times that my parents had to replace the tape every few months"
I found myself smiling at that, Bambi, that was cute. I didn't even like Bambi and I was a girl. The scary film bit was a no no for me though, I hate scary films.
"My best friends are Sam and Jared, Sam I knew from school and Jared because he's my second cousin so I grew up with him. There isn't much else to tell, I patrol most nights, sleep most days, sometimes I'll go for a run if I can be bothered, I visit my dad and I eat. Oh and I cliff dive, that's pretty cool but apart from that my life is pretty boring"
"What's cliff diving?" I ignored the other comments and focused on that, I hadn't seen them do that.
"The cliffs, we dive off them"
The cliffs I ran to? The ones I sat on? They were huge. "That's dangerous" I gasped out and he laughed a little.
"Wolf remember, not much can hurt me. It's a total rush, and no you aren't trying it" He added in as I opened my mouth.
"I wasn't going to say that, I was going to say just because you are a wolf you are not invincible, you can still get hurt"
His smile faded and his eyes sharpened in on me, boring through me and the stare burnt a little. "Not physically" He mumbled again and looked away, I had no idea what that meant.
"And you collect snow globes" I added in ignoring his comment, his smiled a little at this and nodded.
"I collect snow globes, although they aren't actually for me" He paused and I cocked my head to the side. "They are for my dad, my sister sends them for him every month, she finds new ones and if she can't find new snow globes she gets something else that is similar" He was smiling but he sounded sad.
"How come she sends them here?" She could send them to his house, his dad was there. He went stiff again but not angrily, this time he was sad and I wanted to take my question back.
"We don't talk, we fell out after my mom died and she left town, we haven't talked since and so Emily sorts it out with her for me" He didn't seem uncomfortable and so I let him carry on talking.
"She doesn't talk to your dad either?"
His eye contact dropped and he shook his head shortly. "No, it's kind of hard to get hold of him. He doesn't respond very well, he's umm he's difficult to communicate with. He likes snow globes though so she sends them for him from wherever she is, I have no idea, I thought she was in New York because of a snow globe she sent but then she sent one from Arizona so I'm a little thrown on where she actually is"
"You don't know where she's gone?" I blurted it out and he shook his head, he was getting sadder by the minute.
"She wouldn't tell me, I asked but she just left, she really hates me. All I know is she took her inheritance and went to college, I have no idea where or what she majors in, she sends flowers to moms grave once a month and that for dad but"
"Nothing to you" I whispered and he nodded, that was horrible. My chest ached for him and he blinked rapidly as if trying to get rid of any emotion laying there. He looked so sad, I had to do something. His eyes glossed over with tears and I felt like reaching out for him. I had to change the subject. "Want to make cupcakes?" I was such a kid. Of all the things to do I said let's make cupcakes.
It worked though, Paul's sad face turned into a smiling one and he nodded following me as I stood up and skipped to the kitchen, cupcakes would make him happy. They made anyone happy. I grabbed the ingredients out whilst Paul got the equipment, his face was happy again and as I grabbed the coco powder he licked his lips, chocolate cupcakes, the way to these guys hearts.
"You are drooling as bad as Claire" I laughed as he continued to do it and he shot me an unimpressed look before both of us glanced at the armchair here Claire was still out of it, dribble soaking the seat beneath her. "Maybe not quite as bad, who dribbles that much?"
"Quil" Paul answered immediately and I glanced up at him, he was being serious. "No seriously, he stayed on my sofa once and the next morning it was soaking wet where his head had been. Imagine their bed when she's older"
"That is so wrong, she's three" I cringed, I was ok with their imprint but the future details freaked me out.
"I know but just imagine, it will be ringing with drool every morning" Paul scrunched his face in disgust and I joined him.
"Will they definitely be together then now that he imprinted on her?" I asked as I poured the flour into the mixing bowl, Paul cracked the eggs in and nodded before shrugging. That didn't answer it. "Vanilla, two spoons" I commented as he tried thinking of his answer and he set about doing it.
"Umm I guess they will, I mean they are meant to be together and it's not a bond you can ignore but if she finds someone else then they can stay friends, it would kill him but the bond isn't just romantic, it's what she needs so if she needs a brother he will be a brother figure, a friend, or a partner"
"And if she doesn't want him at all" As I spoke Paul's mouth clamped shut and the off look fell over him again.
"Then he would be nothing at all to her but he wouldn't be able to cope away from her, I don't know but it wouldn't be nice. It won't happen with them though; she's already attached herself to him"
I glanced at the little girl as she snored, she loved Quil so much already, I don't think she could ever not want him in her life.
"You can mix it" I offered turning my attention back to the cupcakes and Paul grabbed the electric mixer and flicked it on, he set it off too powerful though and the mixture went flying out in all directions, a flick of it hit my cheek and Paul turned to me, a smile taking over his face as he saw the chocolate mix running down my cheek. He just got me with mixture. "That's not funny" I tried keeping a straight face but I couldn't, Paul was turning red trying not to laugh.
"It's in your eyebrow" He burst out and his finger came up, scooping it from my face before his eyes assessed the tip of his finger. I knew what he wanted to do but I didn't expect him to do it, he licked the batter off his finger.
"That is so gross" I nudged his arm and he dropped the mixer to the counter with a loud clang sending more flecks of mixture over my white top.
"Shut up shrimp" He nudged me back his laughter rumbling through him, the sight of him being this playful was enough to make me laugh and I fell forward as the nudge made me lose my balance, I grabbed out and caught the mixing bowl he was holding in his arms and it tipped sending the runny chocolate all over his top and shorts. "You are going to get it now" He nodded to himself and looked back up at me, he was going to kill me.
"No, I'm sorry" I laughed but he flicked his shirt up sending more of it over my legs and the floor, I knew if Emily came in she would flip and if I laughed any louder Claire would wake up but as I reached out and ran my hand over his drenched shirt I laughed harder. He joined in but his hands reached for my wrists and I aimed the mix for his face and he attempted to hold me off, he could do it but he wasn't using full force. "Ahhh stop I can't breathe" I squealed as he held me off more and I got pushed back against the counter.
His footing slipped on the mixture covered floor sending him tripping into me, his body pinning me into place and both of our laughs faded to heavy breaths. He was close, I could feel every inch of his mixture drenched body against mine; his breath was hitting my face harshly as he tried catching his breath and I could see every speck of silver in his brown eyes. He was close, closer than he had ever been to me. My eyes focused on his lips, plump and wet from his previous licking of them, his rough stubble covered his jaw and my stomach began flipping. He was close to me and it didn't feel wrong.
"Savannah" He whispered out, his hands letting my wrists go so that they naturally fell against his chest, I couldn't speak, I was watching him. My eyes darting between his and his lips, those lips that were making my stomach flip. His body hunched over bringing him closer and the tip of his nose brushed mine sending a series of hot shivers over my skin, he was coming closer and my neck lifted itself upwards so that my face was leaning into his. I was going to kiss him, he was going to kiss me and I wouldn't stop him. His lips were millimetres from mine, I could feel every sharp breath, smell every bit of chocolate that lingered on him and I was screaming for time to hurry up but as he took a final movement toward me a door slammed open and voices drifted in.
He leapt away from me as if burned by my skin and I saw Sam enter the room behind him, my body span so that I was facing the wall not Sam and Emily, I was blushing all over. My skin was hot and my heart was going crazy in my chest, my body throbbing all over from the closeness of what just happened. I had never felt that way; I had never wanted something or someone as much as I wanted him to kiss me which was crazy because it was Paul, unpredictable and unsafe Paul.
The voices behind us stopped and my hand lifted to smooth over my lips that were tingling in disappointment, his breath had made them hot and they still were.
"Paul" Sam's gruff voice cut through the silence and I jerked harder against the counter praying for it to swallow me.
"Sam" Paul wasn't a firm as Sam had been, his voice was trembling as he swung on the counter opposite me, nervous. "Emily, good night?" He was speaking too highly, his voice was guilty.
"Yes, thank you. Savannah, you ok?" Emily added to the stiff conversation, her voice was just as stiff as Sam's had been but I could tell she was smiling. I turned and smiled at her but I couldn't really smile, it was more of a guilty grimace. Sam's eyes looked me up and down, lingering on my stomach. I followed his gaze, my top had ridden up and my stomach was smeared in chocolate mixture from Paul's top. My hands flew to pull it down and I readjusted my shorts which had also gone somewhat lopsided.
"Why are you here?" Sam barked out at Paul, his eyes weren't friendly and I glanced at the guy still swinging back and forth on the other side of the kitchen, he had leapt quite far. His eyes looked at me but he dropped them instantly, he was nervous, I was nervous. Sam looked pissed.
"I umm came to get my package and Claire was playing up so I stayed to help"
"Help make a mess" Sam snapped and Emily put her hand on his arm trying to calm him down.
"That was me, I tipped it up by accident" I piped up and Sam shot his look at me, it softened a little but hardened just as quickly.
"So you cleaned it using your shirts" Sam went on, he was really angry. I think he had possibly seen us. He shot a glare at Paul, no he definitely saw.
"I'm going to go" Paul mumbled, his voice still shaking.
"I think that's probably the best idea you have had all evening" Sam followed his mumble and Emily snapped her hand harder on his arm.
Paul pushed himself from the counter and walked past me, he lingered for a minute and I looked up to meet his gaze. "Thank you for dinner, I had a nice night"
"Yeah I bet you did" Sam growled out obviously hearing Paul but Paul barely flinched. He just stared down at me his cheeks going redder as he did so, his eyes were on my lips and I had to fight from staring back at his.
"I did too, I'll see you around" I offered a smile that he returned with a nod and he left, he grabbed his shoes and the snow globe and walked past Sam who growled something lowly to him as he went that made Paul stiffen horribly. Sam was angry, more than angry; livid.
"What was that about?"
"Sam" Emily warned as Sam exploded as the door flew shut. She scowled up at him whilst I hovered uncomfortably in the kitchen, I was hot all over and I knew I was still blushing. I felt like I had just been caught by my dad having sex or something.
"He umm he just, I, he, well, he just helped with Claire and we talked" I stuttered out and Emily offered me a genuine smile.
"That's nice, they had a nice night Sam, its fine" She smiled at her fiancé but he didn't acknowledge it. He stared harder at me as if trying to see the night's events through my eyes.
"I don't like you being alone with him, he's unpredictable and I don't like it Sav" Sam growled out again and Emily shot her head around to glare back at him.
"He will not hurt her Sam, you're being ridiculous. They are just friends and it's nice that they are talking better now so stop it" She snapped and he let out an irritated huff.
"Well I still don't trust him"
"Sam, he's just my friend" I offered up not understanding what his issue was.
"Whatever, I'm taking Claire up, she can share your room tonight. Just clean that mess up" Sam snapped again before walking towards the sleeping Claire. I hovered waiting for him to leave as did Emily, when I heard the floor boards above us creaking I let out a long breath and turned to assess the mess we had left. It was a lot.
"I'll help you, you can tell me everything" Emily smiled kindly and walked toward me placing her bag and coat on the table. I must have frowned because she laughed and reached out for my shoulder. "Oh honey, I saw what I saw and you are blushing like a tomato, tell me everything"