Loca, Spider Monkey

44. Seth Clearwater - Imprinting

https://wolfpack-imagines.tumblr.com/

---

You and Seth Clearwater had never been close. The Clearwaters were family friends but you'd only hung out with their son a few times, and it hadn't been enough to form a strong bond. He was too young for you; you were a year older and had other priorities.

But when Harry Clearwater, Seth's father, passed away, your family was always there to comfort the rest of the family, which meant started to see Seth a lot more often.

"The Clearwaters are coming over for dinner," your mother told you one morning at breakfast. A feeling of disappointment washed over you.

"But, Mom, I'm supposed to go to Port Angeles with my friends."

She shook her head. "Next week, okay? Right now, they need us."

No, they didn't need you. Your mom was there for Sue Clearwater, and Seth and Leah had each other. You were little short of a stranger.

Still, you didn't dare disobey. Hoping your mother would make good on the promise to let you go out the following week, you went to your room to change out of your pj's.

After spending most of the day helping out with dinner, you waited in your room for the Clearwaters to arrive. It didn't take long; only a few minutes had passed when you heard their car pull up in the driveway. You hurried to the window to look down below into the front yard.

Sue Clearwater looked tired. She had dark circles under her eyes and her usual thin face was even thinner. Beside her was Leah, who was as sullen as ever and looked just as unwilling to be here as you did.

And then Seth got out of the car, and you couldn't help but stare. He'd grown. His frame was still lean but far more muscular, and there was a certain unasserted strength to him that you couldn't help but notice. He didn't look as young anymore, and the change had been almost instantaneous. He smiled when your mom hugged him — a pure, kind, grateful smile that seemed to warm you up from the inside.

As everyone gathered inside the house, you heard your mother call out your name from downstairs.

You took one last look in the mirror. You were wearing your favourite sweater — the softest you owned — and a pair of jeans, and though you'd thought you looked fine that morning, you were beginning to feel very self-conscious, and for no apparent reason. It certainly couldn't be because of Seth.

Could it?

You slowly made your way downstairs, and as you arrived in the foyer, everyone's eyes turned to you. You glanced from Sue — who smiled — to Leah — who glared — to Seth — whose mouth fell open. His breathing quickened, like was gasping for air but could never get enough.

It dawned on you that he was beautiful. With black hair and dark eyes and deep russet skin, he looked almost godly, like something out of a myth.

Sue nudged him and he seemed to snap out of his trance. Luckily enough, your mother and father hadn't noticed the slight change in Seth's behaviour. You wordlessly followed everyone to the dining room, with Seth close behind you.

It scared you how you were suddenly so aware of him. During dinner and even after, every time he moved or shifted — even ever so slightly — you noticed. The way his smiles reached his eyes made your breath hitch painfully in your throat, like a knot you couldn't swallow down.

Why hadn't you noticed how perfect he was sooner? He wasn't too young for you. He was just right.

When the Clearwaters left, you cleaned up in silence. You continued to think about Seth, afraid that if you stopped, his happy smile would start fading away from your memories. You desperately wanted to see him again, though you couldn't explain why. Nothing made sense to you anymore, except that being around him that evening had made you the happiest you'd been in a long time.