Chapter 5: Tease
"Is it really already three in the morning?" Paul asked, stretching his arms above his head.
"I guess it is," I said. We'd found a quiet place to sit on the beach after we'd walked and chatted for a few hours. "You should get some rest."
He laughed. "I'm used to staying out all night, but you're right. I should probably head home."
"I'll walk you," I said.
"Scared I won't make it home on my own?" he asked.
"You never know what could be lurking in the shadows," I teased, standing and pulling him to his feet.
He didn't let go of my hand as we left the beach and began to walk to where he lived. The evening with him had been so lovely and I was shocked at how comfortable I was with him so quickly. He seemed to be just as comfortable with me as I was with him and it made my stomach flutter slightly. It felt like he was genuinely enjoying spending time with me instead of being forced to out of the obligation of the imprint.
"Can I ask you something?" he asked.
"Of course."
"Out of all the places you've travelled to, which was your favourite?"
I was quiet for a few moments while I thought. I'd spent so many of my years travelling either on the run or hunting someone down that it wasn't often that I got to enjoy the places that I was visiting.
At least…not until I'd met Will and he'd encouraged me to relax a little bit.
The memories of all the places we'd visited flooded into my mind, but one in particular stood out for me.
"Paris," I said. "I know it might be a little cliché, but there's just something magical about that city."
"The city of love," he noted with a teasing lilt to his voice. "What did you like about it?"
"The elegance and the history," I said. "There's nothing like wandering through the streets and taking in the beauty of the city. When I was there, I climbed the Eiffel Tower at one in the morning and had the best view of the city and the stars."
"That sounds amazing."
"Maybe I'll take you one day and we'll climb it again," I said. "If you can keep up, that is."
"Oh, those are fighting words," he teased.
"What about you?" I asked. "I know you said you haven't traveled much, but have you gone on any memorable trips?"
"When I was a kid, my dad would take me on hiking trips," he said. "My favourite was when I was fourteen, we went to Alaska and we took a detour on the way there to drive through the Rockies. It was one of the last times we actually spent quality time together before I started phasing."
"That's really sweet," I said.
He laughed humourlessly. "Yeah, and then after that pretty much everything went to shit."
"I'm sure things will get better with your parents eventually," I tried.
"Don't hold your breath," he muttered.
"Well, since I don't have to actually breathe, that's not a problem for me," I said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"You don't have to breathe?" he asked.
"It's not necessary for us to breathe, but it's more comfortable for us to take breaths," I explained.
"What's the longest you've gone without breathing?" he asked.
Another question that caused me to revisit painful memories. It felt like I was back in Italy, trapped in the Volturi's fortress with no means of escape…
"Three days," I said, bringing myself back to the present.
"Three whole days?" he repeated. "Why would you go that long without breathing?"
"One day I'll tell you about it," I said as lightly as I could. I felt anxiety creeping up my spine as I thought about the Volturi like it always did. "I can't tell you all my secrets on the first date."
"Is that what this was?" he asked, teasing clear in his tone. We'd reached his apartment by then and I felt extremely reluctant to part ways with him.
"What would you call it, then?" I asked.
"I guess you're right," he allowed. "But usually I'd do more than just that."
"Like what?"
"Like this."
He leaned forward, grasping my face in his hands and capturing my lips with his. He'd caught me off guard, so I stiffened slightly, causing him to break away from me far too soon.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"
I cut him off by knotting my hands in his hair and pulling his face back to mine, crushing my icy lips against his scorching ones. His body heat enveloped me in a way that felt both comforting and exhilarating. I pressed myself flush against him, trying to get as close to him as possible as our mouths moved together.
He shifted us and pressed me against the wall of the building, his hands roaming my body. He broke away from my mouth to kiss my neck and I found myself melting against his touch, feeling desire burn through me.
When he broke away from my neck, he was breathing heavily. He cupped my chin in his hand and brushed his lips against mine again.
"Goodnight, Natalie," he whispered. He made a move to step away from me but I held onto him, reluctant to lose the physical connection between us. "I'd invite you upstairs but Jared's home and I don't think he'd take too kindly to it."
"I just…I don't want to let go of you yet," I admitted, brushing a piece of hair away from his face.
He chuckled. "You're the one who said I should get some rest."
"I'm quickly regretting that suggestion."
"Don't worry," he said. "We'll have plenty of time to spend together."
"A little bit of forever," I said. "Are you sure you're willing to be stuck with this face for that long?"
He pressed another kiss to my cheek. "It's not a bad face to be stuck with."
"I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked.
"Sure," he said. "Sam doesn't have me patrolling until the weekend so I have a tonne of free time." He reached down, pulling his phone out of his pocket and handing it to me so I could put my number into it. "This'll stop you from wandering around La Push looking for me."
"I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for me to sniff you out."
"I think I was the one who sniffed you out today," he teased. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you," I said, pressing a final kiss to his lips.
He stepped away from me and retreated into his apartment building. I took a deep breath, feeling like I needed to clear my head. What was it about him that drew these unfamiliar feelings to the surface? The way I felt about Paul reminded me so much of when I'd met Will, but with Paul it was even more intense than it had been with Will, which was something I never thought would be possible.
I began to walk through the streets of La Push again, thinking about how well my day with Paul had gone. I couldn't believe how quickly I felt at ease with him. The day had been so good and so easy; I hadn't felt like I had to be on guard around him. Even when I'd first met Will, it had taken me a couple weeks to fully feel comfortable with him.
I ended up back at First Beach and sat on the same driftwood tree that I'd sat on with Paul, gazing out at the murky ocean water. It was a rare occasion in my vampiric life when I felt completely at ease and calm, no fear of the Volturi finding me. I knew that I wasn't exactly hidden, but I felt safe in La Push. Something about the air here was different—I felt protected.
Of course, it helped knowing that there was someone nearby who'd know if I was in any sort of danger.
Dawn broke the horizon and I watched as the sun began to rise, my skin looking like it was made of thousands of tiny diamonds—the near-constant reminder that I wasn't human. As beautiful as it was, it made me feel like a monster. Everything about me, from my teeth to my shimmering skin to my facial features reminded me that I was a predator.
I shoved my hands in my pockets, not wanting to have to look at them any longer.
The beach was completely deserted, so I was fine to sit there for at least a little while longer as I watched the sunrise. The beauty and serenity of First Beach was soothing and I relished in the calm quiet.
I sat on the beach for a few hours, watching as residents of La Push filtered onto the beach, either enjoying the slightly warm—but now gloomy and overcast—weather or getting in their morning workout by running along the shore.
At around noon, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket and felt my stomach flutter in excitement as I looked at the caller ID.
Paul was calling.