Paul Lahote's entire life shifts at the sight at Valentina Thurston. Her warmth and kindness effectively forces him to reconsider his bad boy persona he'd put on for so long. Though, she does have her own small, ever-growing, obstacles to overcome...
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Once the time hands on Val's watch showed 5:15, she hugged Leah goodbye.
"I'll see you tonight, I'll be at the bonfire," Leah chuckled as the other girl's arms wrapped tightly around her.
"It's a bonfire?! Paul didn't tell me that!"
Leah laughed again, "Does that change anything?"
"Well, no. Is this a tribe thing? I asked him if my sister could come but I don't have to ask her if it is," Val rushed the words out, nerves taking over once more.
"It is, but your sister's welcome to come, she sounds cool." Val nodded and bid Leah another goodbye, actually leaving this time.
When Val returned home, she apologized to Addy for the slight wait, as well as to Bella for making her tolerate her sister. Her arm received a gentle shove from the blonde.
"Weren't you and Charlie fishing?" Val asked as Addy set about curling her long brunette locks.
"Uh, yeah, he got called into the station. More animal attacks." Bella played with her hands, Val convinced she was worried about her father.
"Animal attacks? Great, mom picked a fantastic place," Addy said sarcastically.
Bella looked up suddenly, "It's nothing, really. Hikers go off the trails where they're not supposed to be and bears and mountain lions are just acting in self defense."
Val laughed, "Are you defending wild animals now?"
With a sheepish nod, Bella answered, "I guess I am. I've been known to do that apparently. Live here long enough and you will too."
"Speaking of wild animals, let's talk about this Paul guy."
Val maintained that she had no idea what he saw in her, noting that at the beginning of the party, he hadn't even noticed her. Bella and Addy were quick to reassure her that of course he noticed her, she was gorgeous. She told them about her strange burst of confidence on the way home, and Addy laughed when Bella said that she must be in love with him, she had forgotten her car!
"So you'll be at this party too, right?" Val nervously asked Bella as the clock drew nearer to Paul's pick up time.
"Of course, I'll be there with Jake, who I said could pick me up here, if that's alright."
"Of course, Paul is picking Addy and I up-"
"No he is not." Val gave a confused look to her sister. "If you think I am sitting in a small ass truck with two teenagers, you must have confused me with someone else. I'll drive myself, it's not that far." The made-up girl gave a sigh of relief, believing the original statement as one of backing out.
Once Val had dressed in an appropriate pair of jeans that Addy claimed made her ass look great and a simple green blouse that made her eyes stand out even more, it was 6:50 and a honk could be heard from the driveway. Val gave a nervous gasp and claimed she wasn't ready.
"First of all, you look perfect, second, it's Jake, he's here a few minutes early. Probably to miss Paul," Bella assured her friend. Val nodded and hugged Bella goodbye.
At 7:02, Paul's truck pulled into the driveway and Val ran to the door to greet him. While he didn't match her father's height, he certainly made up for it in muscle. She worried that he might crush Chris' hand if he wasn't careful. Paul was extremely polite to her parents and sister, even making the point that he was glad Val invited her. Even if she didn't know it, she was giving him a dopey smile. Her parents recognized it well and, even though it worried them, they were happy.
When she finally managed to pull him out of the house, he stopped, and finally got a look at her. "You look amazing." He smiled and she returned the gesture, thanking her sister silently.
"You look great too, for a first date," she teased, though she was serious about his looks. The button up he wore was about a size too small, which made his broad shoulders and muscular arms even larger while the black tee he wore stretched nicely across his chest. He helped her into his truck, even though she could have managed perfectly. On the drive over, she could tell he was contemplating on holding her hand, so she finalized the idea for him. Val took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. Paul smiled but kept his eyes on the road.
The sun had mostly set when they arrived on the reservation and the familiar aroma of burning wood soothed her. Her hand found Paul's once more as he helped her out. Her shoes met the freshly wet ground and she had a strange sense of home, even in such an unfamiliar place.
Leah noticed her first, all but running to give the girl a hug, then giving Paul a gentle shove. They work well together, Val noticed.
"Who's in the beamer?" Leah asked, pointing to the approaching set of headlights.
"That's Addy, my sister. She has a thing for foreign cars," Val mentioned, giving a slight giggle.
Leah smirked, "My kinda woman."
Adelina spoke before she was ever seen, "I'm not late to the party, am I?"
Paul assured her it would be a few minutes before everyone else would show up.
Addy had always had an air of confidence surrounding her, like nothing could ever touch her. It was something Val had always admired about her, effectively giving her the title as coolest big sister, something admonished on a coffee cup as a birthday present years ago. However, the moment her eyes met Leah Clearwater's, the facade had absolved, leaving a trembling girl in its wake.
"Nice, Lee." Paul laughed at something the girls must not have understood.
