"He thought of the chances he had and cursed himself. Why did he forget how every night he wished she could be near him. Now she is nowhere within reach."
—Unknown | Hushed words
• • •
Day thirteen:
1 missed call. 1 voicemail message. 2:14 a.m.
"Hey." His voice greeted quietly, gruffly, as if coated in a thick resignation. "It's Paul-" he cleared his throat, "-Paul Lahote." Said boy paused. "I was calling because... well..." he sighed long and deep, and then seemingly stole himself with a sharp exhale. "Look," he stated, and Bailey's heart throbbed at the familiarity of it. "I never wanted you; not really. But then I saw you standing there in that little white dress with the grass stains on the hem and suddenly you became the most precious thing in the world to me," he admitted. "When I first shifted, I promised myself that if I ever met you, I would ignore you —ignore the connection, ignore the imprint. If it was the last thing I did, I wouldn't drag you into this god-forsaken mess I was born a part of because by-god if there's one thing I can do right it's push people away. So that's what I did. I carried you back to Bella's truck and walked off and continued on like we had never met. But then you came out on that porch looking so small and so sweet and like everything I never knew I wanted, and I realized that if I didn't do what I promised myself then, I would end up hurting you even worse than I have now. And I'm sorry for that. I'm so sorry," he said. "But I'm tired of pushing." He sighed once more then, though this time it was longer and deeper; and when he spoke next, his voice adopted a tone Bailey had never heard it take before. "I'm tired of tucking my tail between my legs and running for the hills," he told her quietly. "So from hereon out, I'm done. I know we barely know each other, but I want to change that," he said. "And when I look into your pretty blue eyes next, if you'll let me, I want to lose myself in them." Then the line grew silent as the dial tone took the place of his voice.
YOU ARE READING
Between the Perennial Blooms || Paul Lahote
Fanfiction"I never wanted you; not really. But then I saw you standing there in that little white dress with the grass stains on the hem and suddenly you became the most precious thing in the world to me. When I first shifted I promised myself that if I ever...
