(Hello! Here is my next update. I had a lot of fun writing about the birthday stuff and having Dani be excited and happy about it while Bella is of course not haha. It's a bit all over the place, but I hope you enjoy this! I own nothing but my OC.)
...
Paul L.
Hey! Sorry, I know it's super early, but I'm about to go on patrol. Happy Birthday though, Baby! See you later today at the party.
Dani smiled reading the text and checked the time before sending a response. Then she rolled over and tossed a pillow down into the bottom bunk.
"Hey! Wake up Sleepy! It's the day!" She crowed, biting back a giggle when she heard her sister groan after the pillow made impact.
"Ugh! Cut that out! You know how I feel about this day!" Bella grumbled, attempting to throw the pillow back up at her sister, but only succeeding in throwing it across the room.
Dani sighed and moved to climb down from her bunk.
"Aww come on! Lighten up, will you? We're eighteen now and we get to celebrate together this year! For the first time in like...forever! Remember? Our party in La Push?" Dani enthused as she bounded over to sit on the edge of her sister's bed.
Groaning at the sudden intrusion of pale sunlight through the window blinders, Bella rubbed her eyes before sitting up on her bed.
"But that's exactly why I hate it, Dani! I'm eighteen now! A whole year older than...than him." Frowning, she pulled her lower lip between her teeth. Dani arched an eyebrow at her.
"It's just one year. What's the big deal?" She asked, genuinely curious and concerned to the point of her initial enthusiasm fading a bit.
Shaking her head, Bella moved to get out of bed. "Nothing. It's nothing. I'm going to go brush my teeth." She started to head to the door until Dani grabbed her by the arm stopping her.
"Hey! Whatever it is, you know you can tell me right? It's our birthday and I want it to be special for both of us. It's no fun having a Twin Birthday without my Twin having fun too." She said sincerely.
SIghing, Bella started to nod, a half smile appearing on her face when there was a knock on their bedroom door.
"Hey!" Charlie stuck his head in the doorway a bit sheepishly before throwing the door open to reveal the packages he was holding in one arm.
"Happy Birthday, Girls! Your Mom sent presents. Well!...they're actually joint gifts from both of us." He shrugged before handing the parcel wrapped in purple wrapping paper to Bella and the one wrapped in pink to Dani.
"Aww! Thanks Daddy!" Danielle immediately bounded up to accept her present as Bella did the same, giving her Dad a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before going to sit in the desk chair to open her package.
"Yeah! Thanks!" Bella did her best to sound cheerful as she slowly pulled at the ribbon on her gift.
Charlie grunted a bit at the suddenness of the hug Dani gave him before smiling warmly at both his daughters. "Well you're both welcome. Come downstairs after you open your presents. I've got breakfast for you guys."
Turning, he left the room as a soft chorus of "Thanks Dad!" followed his announcement.
"Oh wow!...A photo scrapbook!" Dani enthused after pulling away the last of the wrapping paper. She looked up to see Bella holding an album of her own along with a camera.
"Yeah. I guess Renee wants us each to make a senior year album or something." Bella shrugged, fiddling with the camera a bit. "Sounds like her."
Dani grinned and hopped up from the chair. "Well, we can start today at our birthday party after school in La Push! Paul planned most of it. Jake, Quill and Embry will be there. Angela, Jess and our other friends from school are coming too, and Sue Clearwater is making us a twin cake!" Beaming she plopped back down on Bella's bed.
Bella sighed and offered her a half smile. "Yeah. Sounds great." Setting the scrapbook aside, she slid out of bed and headed for the door. Dani got up and headed for the dresser.
"Cheer up!" She called after her sister just before the door swung shut after Bella. "It's going to be great!"
...
"Hey Dani! Bella!" Jessica was almost hopping up and down when the Swan Sisters jumped out of the truck to meet the brisk air in the school parking lot.
Dani waved back while Bella offered a smile, fiddling with her new camera in her hands.
"Hey Jess! Hey Guys!" Dani greeted their friends, reciprocating the hug Jessica and Angela gave her while high fiving Mike and Eric who were standing nearby.
"Hey! If it isn't the birthday twins! Gonna be a rockin party tonight, huh?" Mike crowed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his letterman jacket.
Bella shrugged while Dani beamed. "That's the idea! You guys are all still going to come to the party right?" She asked.
Angela and Jess exchanged glances at this with a laugh. "Duh! Of course!" "We wouldn't miss it for anything!" Angela reassured excitedly.
"How about you, Bella? I bet you're excited to celebrate your birthday with Dani this year." Bella gave her a strained smile in return. "Uhhh...I guess." She let out a weak chuckle.
Seeing the confusion cross Angela's face, Dani mouthed a quick "Later." at her just as Jessica poked her in the arm. "So! Did your boyfriend call you this morning? I bet he's picking you up tonight, right?"
Dani felt her cheeks turn warm. "Well...actually, Bella and I will be going down to the Rez together with our Dad. But he did send me a text." She pulled out her phone to show her friends when Bella cleared her throat.
"Umm...my Mom wants us to make a photo scrapbook. Could I uhh...get a picture of you guys to start?" Bella asked a bit awkwardly.
"Oh yeah! Cool!" Mike, Jessica and Eric eagerly leaned in to oblige while Angela attempted to duck out. Dani giggled when Eric playfully pulled her back into the frame.
"Did you want me in the photo too or just our friends, Bella?" She asked her sister who just shrugged. "You can stay." Hastily, she snapped the shot then started to put the camera away just as the sound of a car pulling in to the school parking lot
Mike's earlier enthusiasm fell a bit as both he and Eric's gazes followed a familiar shiny volvo until it parked a little further back from the front curb. Angela and Jess exchanged wide-eyed glances.
"Oh Goodie. Cullen is here." Mike muttered.
"One guess, who for." Eric chimed in.
"Oh Good Grief..." Dani groaned softly when the driver's side door opened and Edward hopped out as lithely as if he were a movie star stepping out onto the red carpet.
He wore his freshly pressed blue button up shirt open over a blazingly bright white t-shirt in combination with a pair of dark denims that looked new.
Dani turned away to keep herself from laughing at how intense his facial expression was as he made his way over towards the group. Bella on stark contrast was mesmerized.
"Well, I guess we'll go now. Happy Birthday Bella! Dani!" Jess chimed in before turning to go, Angela, Eric and Mike close behind.
Dani lingered a bit and whispered to Bella as Edward drew near. "So, are you going to let Edward wish you a happy birthday?" Bella turned and gave her a look.
"Hey ladies. Happy Twin Birthday." Edward greeted with a soft smile, causing both girls to turn simulataneously towards him.
"Thanks." They said at the same time, making Edward laugh before his gaze settled on Danielle. "Dani, mind if I borrow your other half for a moment?"
Dani shook her head, readjusting the strap of her violin case on her shoulder before turning to follow the others to class.
"Not at all. I'll see you in class." She nodded at her sister before bounding away, catching up to Angela who had waited for her in the breezeway since they had their first class together.
"So, is there something your sister has against birthdays or...am I missing something?" Angela asked sincerely.
Dani sighed. "As far as I was able to get out of her, it's something of a mix between birthdays meaning getting older and not wanting extra attention. I don't know. She was being real weird about it and I couldn't even get much out of her." She frowned.
Angela nodded. "Well, hopefully she'll come around a bit more once it's time for the party. I mean how often do you get to celebrate turning 18 as Twins?" She grinned as they reached their home room.
Dani nodded back. "Yeah. Hopefully. Maybe Edward can talk some sense into her." She hoped, glancing towards the clock as she found her usual seat.
"I bet he will. Bella is head over heels for that boy. I think she'd do almost anything for him." Dani gave her an agreeing look. "You know, you're probably right."
...
"Hey! I hope I'm not calling at a bad time. Are you out of school?" Paul asked almost in one breath as Dani answered his call. She shook her head, grinning as she followed the rest of the student body out towards the parking lot.
"Hi! Nah, we just got out. How was your day, Paul?" She asked, glancing around herself to see if Bella was nearby.
"Oh, it was fine. Nothing much going on today, but I guess that's a good thing. I've more been busy getting things ready for your party tonight." Dani's smile widened even more at that.
"Cool. I can't wait to come down and kick your butt at Mario Kart again." She giggled and Paul laughed dryly in response.
"Yeah you wish, Baby Girl. But I can't wait to see you either. I believe it's your turn to ask questions today."
Dani shook her head. "We can take a break from that if you want for the party. After all, I'm sure you must be getting bored at this point with this game."
"No way, Dani. I love getting to know you and I know you have more questions for me. We haven't even covered the coolest parts about being a wolf yet." Paul enthused. Dani imagined him smirking on the other end of the phone.
"What? Besides that you're really fast and really hot?" She teased and laughed when she got a playful growl in response.
"I guess you'll have to wait till tonight to find out. Speaking of which, what time are you guys going to get to La Push?" Paul asked.
Dani paused a second as she caught sight of her sister talking to Edward by his Volvo. "We plan to get there by 6. By the way, guess what Alice Cullen gave me for my birthday?"
She heard Paul heave a sigh. "What? A coffin keychain?" He asked sarcastically. Dani snorted a laugh. "No! A party dress. She asked me to wear it to the birthday party the Cullens wanted to give to us tonight, but I told her we already had plans."
Biting her lip, she looked back at her sister, knowing that Bella would have definitely received the same invitation and wondering yet again since her conversation with Alice what Bella had decided.
"Good! We'll be a lot more fun than the bloodsuckers anyway. Still can't believe your sister is dating one of them." Paul grumbled.
Now it was Dani's turn to sigh. "Babe, you promised not to talk about them like that. Alice actually is pretty nice and their Dad is the one who took care of mine and Bella's injuries earlier this year. Plus, like it or not, Edward is my sister's boyfriend and until that status changes I'm going to stand by her." She pouted.
"I know! I'm sorry! It's just...they give me the creeps sometimes and the smell..." He took a long deep breath as if to calm himself.
Dani bit her lip. "Yeah, but the Cullens don't want to hurt people...Are you going to be okay?" She asked when Paul remained quiet, looking back at Bella again and knowing it was highly possible she'll arrive at the party in La Push smelling a little like vampires.
She grimaced thinking back to how some of the Cullens had reacted sometimes when she'd see them after spending time with Paul despite their best efforts to be polite. Rosalie of course, never made any effort to hide her disgust.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry about it, Dani. I promise I'll behave myself tonight when you guys get here." Paul promised, still breathing kind of loud, but sounding a little calmer.
Dani smiled slightly. "Okay. I trust you." She said, pausing as she got to the steps that led down to the school parking lot.
"Hey! I really am trying, okay? I'm really trying to stop being like that. It's just...so hard." Paul seemed a mix of strained and sad.
Dani felt her heart move with sympathy at how sad he sounded. "I know. It's okay. It means a lot that you're willing to try to get along."
Another sigh. "Thank you, Baby. I uh...I really appreciate your patience with me too. Can't wait to see you tonight." Paul responded.
Dani nodded in agreement and paused when she noticed Bella giving her a meaningful look while Edward's expression was unreadable.
"Me too. I'll see you in a few hours then."
"Yeah. See ya." Hanging up the phone, Dani hurried over to the truck where her sister still stood with her boyfriend.
"Hey! Sorry! Paul called. Are we good to go?" She asked, looking from Bella to Edward and back again.
Sighing, Bella nodded. "Yeah, it's just..." She hesitated and Dani waited with bated breath.
"I would really like to celebrate part of Bella's birthday with her if it won't upset you too much. We could take the truck over to my place and then Bella could drive down to join you afterwards. Plus my parents and sister worked hard on the party. It would be a shame to let it go to waste." Edward spoke up gently, sending an apologetic smile Dani's way.
Dani felt her throat constrict. "Oh..." She looked at Bella who seemed guilty. "Well...I guess that would be okay. About...how long do you think until Bella can to be at La Push?" She asked.
Edward swallowed hard. "Uhhh...maybe about forty minutes after seven?"
Dani's face fell briefly, but then she put on a brave smile and nodded acceptingly. "Okay. That should be fine. I guess." She glanced at Bella again and noticed she seemed a bit more relaxed though the expression on her face was still conflicted.
Edward smiled back, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks for being understanding, Dani. I know this isn't ideal." Looking back at Bella, he leaned forward to give her a parting kiss on the forehead.
Dani shrugged. "Sure. I mean, I guess I can't deny you guys a chance to celebrate together." She gnawed on her lip.
Now it was Bella's turn to smile gratefully at her. "Thanks so much, Dani." She turned to give Edward a quick goodbye hug, which quickly turned into a more lingering embrace.
Nodding, Dani turned to get into the front passenger seat of the truck. No problem. Absolutely no problem at all...
...
"You're absolutely sure you're not mad at us?" Bella asked for what felt like the tenth time since she called Dani on the road.
Dani sighed and shook her head. "I'm positive. I mean I'm disappointed we won't get to enjoy the whole party together, but I know the Cullens wanted to surprise you and after all Edward is your boyfriend so...you know, I'm cool with it." She waved her hand expansively and missing the look her Dad briefly gave her as they entered the main area of the Rez.
"If you're sure." Bella replied. "Save a piece of that Twin cake for me." She added on, making Dani laugh. "For sure. I'll even take a picture of it before they cut it so you can see. Have fun with Edward though." She said as the sights of the Lahote property came into view and she saw the lights and silhouettes of the party set up glow against the darkening evening.
"Thanks. You have fun too. With Paul I mean." Bella chuckled and Dani laughed with her. "Thanks. See you in forty minutes."
"Yeah. See ya." The line clicked off and Dani hung up the phone, sighing again as Chief Swan pulled the patrol car to a stop in front of the house and turned to face her.
"You ready, Hon?"
Dani shrugged "Yeah I guess." Charlie raised an eyebrow. " You guess? Come on, it's your eighteenth birthday and all your friends and your...boyfriend...are waiting out there to celebrate with you. Weren't you looking forward to this?"
Dani shook her head, smiling a bit at how much her Dad still choked on the word boyfriend. "I guess so. I mean yeah! I was! I am!" She fumbled a bit with her words.
"Well then...let's go out there and have a great time, okay? Bella will be here before you know it." Charlie tried to be encouraging and Dani decided to give in. "Okay."
Reaching for the door handle she stepped out of the car and grinned seeing a familiar group of silhouettes approaching.
"Hey Jake! Hey Guys!" She rushed forward to greet her friends, giving them each a hug as her Dad walked past her to where Billy and Harry were likely gathered a little ways away from the main area of the party.
"Hey yourself, Dani Girl! Happy Birthday! Where's the other Birthday Girl?" Jake asked, peering around for a bit over Dani's shoulder.
"She'll be here later." Dani replied almost instantly. "Anyway, you guys came! Thanks so much!"
Jake shrugged. "Of course! Wasn't going to flake out on one of my best friends! Even if her boyfriend freaks me out a little." He gave her a friendly nudge on the shoulder which Dani returned by playfully smacking him in the stomach with her arm.
"Yeah totally! Besides, Sue Clearwater really outdid herself on the Twin Birthday Cakes! You should see it before someone tries to take some frosting out." Embry chimed in with a smirk.
"Yeah! Someone like Quil." Jacob joked and he and Embry chortled together while Quil narrowed his eyes at them.
"Haha. But first! You got to see your present, Dani!" Quil enthused and Jacob eagerly put his hand on Dani's back to guide her towards the left.
"Oh yeah! Come this way, Dani! This is a long time coming actually and I'm glad we got it finished in time for today." Jacob added, grinning as he let his hand fall away from her back and grabbed her by the elbow to continue pulling her along.
Dani chuckled. "Okay, well I'm sure whatever it is I'll li..." The words died on her lips and she trailed off, feeling her jaw drop to her toes when the silhouette of a car came into view.
With a grin, Quil and Embry pulled the sheet off to reveal a light blue old style volkswagon beetle.
"OH my Gosh!...Oh my Gosh! Are you guys serious?...Is this the thing you've been hiding from me all this time?" Dani asked, her enthusiasm and excitement growing as she ran around inspecting the car.
"For sure!" Quil answered.
"Yeah! Now you have a much better way of getting around than your bike and you don't have to always get rides off your sister either." Jake added.
Dani continued to bounce a bit on her toes as she finished admiring the beetle. "It's so cool! Is it...old fashioned?" She asked, turning to meet Jake's eyes briefly.
Jake shrugged, sticking his hands into his pocket. "It's a 1970. It was headed for the junkyard, but we fixed it up and even gave it a fresh paint job. What do you think? Think Paul will be able to top this?" He joked until Embry poked him in the ribs.
"Hey speaking of the boyfriend..." He motioned over his shoulder and Jacob quickly caught the drift.
"Ah! It seems our time is run out. Happy Birthday again, Dani. Guess we'll see you at the fire pit later." Jake patted Dani's arm and hurried to leave as a taller silhouette rapidly approached from across the yard.
Quil and Embry quickly followed his head, echoing their own well wishes before leaving Dani alone to greet the newcomer.
A wide grin spread across her cheeks as Paul approached and she eagerly bounded forward to greet him, jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck as he caught her around the waist and spun her around.
"So! I had hoped to be the first to greet you and tell you Happy Birthday when you arrived, but...it seems those runts managed to beat me to it." Paul grumbled good-naturedly as he continued to hold Dani for a little longer and put his nose into her hair.
Laughing, Dani shook her head, laying her head just under Paul's shoulder. "Well you can still tell me now." Lifting her head, she looked up into his dark brown eyes, not moving her arms despite the near searing heat of his skin which she could feel even through the shirt Paul was wearing.
Paul grinned back at her and moved his hands to touch her shoulders. "True. Happy Birthday, Danielle." He murmured, still smiling as he leaned forward, shifting his right hand to touch her cheek.
When his index finger brushed up against her forehead, Dani blinked and Paul paused as a sudden nervousness took over him.
"Uh...may I uhh...? I-is it okay if I...if I kiss you?...Here?" Paul stammered, gently stroking the pad of his finger over the middle of her forehead as he asked.
Dani froze for a moment, feeling her heart rate pick up a bit at what he was asking. Then she smiled and nodded her assent, averting her eyes as she felt her cheeks grow warm.
"S-sure."
Paul laughed out a relieved sigh and bent forward, pressing his lips softly and tenderly to the very middle of her forehead just between her eyebrows.
Dani felt his chest expand against her body as he inhaled, tightening his grip on her shoulder a bit before he released her and stepped back with a smile.
"There. There's part of my birthday present for you. Was that okay?" He asked, reaching a still slightly trembling hand to scratch the back of his head.
Still smiling, Dani nodded lightly. "It was...nice. I didn't know you could be so very gentle, Paul." She giggled, only partially teasing him.
Paul chuckled, seeming to blush. "Well...I don't want make you uncomfortable, Dani. Especially not on your birthday." He replied, still maintaining his distance from her.
Dani softly toed at the ground under her feet. "Aww, well thank you. You'd be the first boy I went out with to care about what I'm comfortable with. Although if I'm honest you're my first real boyfriend. The other two guys, one of my friends tried to set me up with two separate times so I'd have a date to a couple school dances so they don't really count I guess...and they were both disasters." She lightly rolled her eyes though Paul grimaced at this revelation.
"Ahh man, I'm sorry. Did they...? I mean..." He trailed off and shoved his hands into the pockets of his cargo shorts as Dani looked up at him.
"Nah, I mean...the first boy Tony Rice kind of kept trying to get handsy, but I wasn't having it. Actually I think I got lucky because Jessica and Angela showed up at one point and I was able to make up an excuse to escape with them."
Paul's frown deepened at this revelation and his right hand clenched into a tight fist. "That's not right..." He began to shake a little, though his expression seemed more distressed than angry.
Dani looked up to meet his gaze at the tone of his voice. "Hey, it's not your fault and like I said, I was lucky my friends were around. Besides you're usually so cautious and considerate with me, I've never felt that uncomfortable with you." She said sincerely before catching sight of her two friends coming up from across the yard.
"Speaking of whom..."
Following her gaze briefly, Paul seemed to calm a bit at that. "Well...I'm glad. I hope you know I'd never do anything like that you, Dani. Ever. You deserve much better."
Dani smiled. "Thank you." She turned again when Angela and Jessica had reached her side.
"Hey! Umm...everyone's looking for you, Dani. They're about to start the dinner and everything." Jessica began a bit awkwardly glancing quickly from Dani to Paul and back again.
"Yeah and your friend Leah's Mom is about to bring out the Twin Cake. Come on!" Angela chimed in.
Beaming, Dani looked down to check the time on her phone, sighing and glancing over the still gravel roads though she knew there was still some time before Bella could be expected to arrive.
"Cake time already? I was really hoping Bella and I would get to do this part together for our birthday." She couldn't help saying wistfully.
"Well I'm sure she'll get here soon. Don't worry so much." Angela tried to be reassuring. Paul nodded in agreement.
"She's right. It wouldn't be a Twin Birthday Party without both the Swan Twins. She'll definitely be here." He chimed in confidently.
Sighing, Dani turned to face her two friends before looking over at Paul and tentatively holding out her hand.
"Yeah I guess so. Come on! Let's go and save a piece for Bella before Jacob or somebody inhales it all." She joked.
Everyone laughed and Dani lightly startled when Paul carefully entwined his hand with hers. Together they all headed off to join the rest of the party.
"Wait!" Paul tugged lightly on her hand before they could get too far across the grass. Dani stopped, shooting Paul a curious glance before noticing that her friends had stopped walking too to see what was going on.
Grinning nervously, Paul started to fish around his left hand pocket for something before pulling out a little gray pouch.
"Uhh, I uh...I got you an actual birthday present too, Dani. It's nothing too much, but uhh...I hope you'll like it." He stammered, holding out the pouch for Dani to take.
Dani's eyes softened first at how nervous Paul sounded then at the gift. "Aww how sweet!" She enthused, taking the pouch and opening it carefully.
A gasp fell from her lips when she reached inside and pulled out a little necklace. Jess and Angela circled around to admire it with her while Paul's smile widened.
"It's got a dreamcatcher on it. Supposedly it will catch bad dreams and only leave the good ones. And look!..." Taking the necklace from her hands, he pointed out a little wooden gray wolf shaped charm that was also hanging off the chain.
"And I carved this myself. It's a bit rough looking, but I-."
"It's beautiful!" Dani interrupted, reaching for the necklace again. "Thank you so much, Paul!" She looked up at him adoringly.
Paul smiled back at her. "You're welcome. Want me to put it on for you?" He asked, undoing the clasp. Still smiling, Dani gently pulled her hair up from her neck and turned so that Paul could put the necklace around her neck.
Jess and Angela exchanged glances and giggled quietly until Dani turned back around now wearing her new necklace. Paul leaned back as if to admire the shine of the necklace as it sat against her collarbone.
"It looks good on you." He shrugged.
Gently, Dani touched the dreamcatcher pendant with her index finger. "I like it. Thanks Paul." She reached forward to hug him.
"Paul!" A new voice suddenly called out and Paul visibly tensed before turning around. "Sam, I told you. I'm taking tonight off so I can spend Dani's birthday with her. That's why I traded with Jared for the early morning shift."
"No, I know. This won't take long." Sam assured, his eyes falling briefly on Dani and the other girls before looking back at Paul.
Paul let out a heavy sigh. "Fine!...Dani, I'm so sorry. This will only be a second, I promise. You know Sam, right?" He gestured to the newcomer. Dani nodded.
"Y-yeah No problem. Umm...my Dad's mentioned him. Hi." She waved at Sam a little awkwardly. Sam nodded back at her. "Hi. Don't worry. I won't keep him long." He promised.
Nodding Dani turned to follow after her friends who were both looking at her as if looking for an explanation.
"Okay. I'll meet you over at the party, Paul." Paul nodded back at her. "Yeah. See ya!"
Dani felt Jess grab her by the arm as they turned to go join the rest of the party. "Dude! What was that all about? Who's that guy?" She asked with an astonished giggle.
Dani shrugged. "Sam Uley. He's kind of the leader of the Reservation's neighborhood watch group that Paul is in. I'm guessing something happened while they were on patrol or something." She looked back down at her dreamcatcher necklace and smiled again.
"Wow! That's kind of cool." Angela looked equally as impressed. She grinned and Dani grinned back, turning a little pink in the cheeks again.
"Yeah I guess." She looked up just in time to see Mike and Eric racing across the grass to them next. "Hey! Come on! They said we can't start without at least one of the birthday girls!" Mike announced. "Yeah and the food smells amazing! I think it's barbecue!" Eric chimed in.
Exchanging glances with her friends, Dani, Jess and Angela giggled together at this. "Okay! We're coming, Guys!" Taking one last glance at the two tall shadowy silhouettes behind her, Dani took off with the rest of her friends towards the welcoming glow of the cookout fire.
...
"Okay sooo...pineapples on pizza. Nay or yay?" Dani asked, tentatively staring at the marshmallow she was roasting at the fire while waiting for Paul to answer.
She glanced over when she heard a scoff. "Are you kidding me? Nay! Who was it who thought pineapple pizza was a good idea anyway?" Paul muttered, grabbing a graham cracker and attempting to break it in half to make a smore with his marshmallow.
Dani just raised an eyebrow at him. "Well..what would you say if I told you I love pineapples on pizza?" She asked a little slowly. Paul looked over at her then took a bite of his smore.
"Ummm...note to self. Do not let Dani order the pizzas on our first pizza date?" Paul replied with his mouth still full.
Dani stared at him for a moment incredulous until she saw the smirk Paul was failing to hide which quickly turned into a laugh.
"Oh very funny." She muttered good naturedly, laughing with him as Paul struggled to not spew out his food everywhere.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! But seriously, if we ever do, do a pizza and movie night date then I'm definitely ordering separate pizzas for both of us. No offense." Dani shrugged, plucking up her own marshmallow and turning to make herself a smore.
"Fair enough. My Dad's not fond of pineapple pizza either so he'll probably thank you." She sighed as she broke off a square of chocolate to add to her snack and glanced towards the road where her Dad's patrol car and Jessica's van was still parked when she got a text notification on her phone.
Bella S.
Hey. I'm so sorry, but something happened and I don't think I can make it to the Rez anymore. I promise I'm okay, it's just, like usual my clumsiness ruined everything. I'm really sorry, Dani. Save me a piece of our cake, okay?
"Ugh!" Dani groaned, putting her plate down. Paul looked up from his own smore. "What?"
"Oh!...It's just Bella's not coming. Apparently she can't even go to a birthday party without tripping over the floor." She muttered under her breath. Paul stifled a laugh.
"Awww...I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe we should save some more food for her then. You know, more than just the cake." He suggested and already moving to grab another marshmallow.
Dani nodded. "Yeah. I'll go grab her some barbecue. That is, if you and Jacob left any." She jokingly grumbled. Paul pretended to be offended.
"Hey! I think I controlled myself pretty well, excuse you!" He joked back, pelting her with another marshmallow. Dani squealed when the sugary treat hit her in the cheek.
"Oh yeah?" She retorted, throwing a potato chip back at him with a large grin on her face. Paul tried to deflect the chip with his arm and wound up knocking it into the grass.
"Oh it's on now!" He grinned back mischievously, grabbing up a handful of marshmallows.
"Noooooo!" Dani shrieked, attempting to block the barrage of marshmallows coming her way while firing back with more chips.
"Awww come on Guys! That's a waste of perfectly good food! Besides everyone's waiting for you guys so we can start the Mario Kart tournament." Leah grumbled, getting their attention just as Paul had started chasing Dani around the coolers.
Dani gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry. We're coming just as soon as I fix my sister up a plate to take home to her." Taking the marshmallows from Paul she put them away with the chips and reached to grab a paper plate.
"What? She's not coming to her own birthday party?" Leah asked incredulously. Dani shrugged. "She said something happened. Knowing her, she fell over something and somehow managed to do more damage than should be possible. Don't worry though, I'll make sure she wears your gift at least once." Dani grinned earning an amused eye roll from her friend in return.
"All right. Whatever, just come on! You're missing your own party, Dani!" Picking up a cookie from a package, Leah placed it on the plate Dani was filling up.
"Yeah yeah! I'm coming!" Laughing Dani quickly wrapped up the plate with some foil then turned to where Paul stood munching on some fries. "You playing, Paul?"
Paul swallowed quickly. "You kidding me? I have a title to uphold, Babe." He grinned accidentally spitting out a bit of food onto the ground.
Dani smothered a giggle. "Classy." "Ugh! Gross." Leah disagreed, turning to go back towards the house where the rest of the party guests were heading.
Dani picked up Bella's plate and moved to follow, Paul quickly dashing up to her side. "Hey! Don't think just cause it's your birthday that I'll go easier on you today, Swan." He teased.
Dani shot him a grin. "Wouldn't dream of it, Lahote."
...
