tongue twister • paul lahote

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J A R E D  A N D  E M B R Y  weren't exactly pleased to have Bella in the house with them. Emily was always nice to people, no matter who they were, so she was the only welcoming one of the group. Santana refused to even look at her, and Jared just wanted his muffins, so he sat at the kitchen table. Santana stayed in the living room, watching out the windows for any sign of the two boys. Her legs were crossed over the other as she rested her head on the back of the couch, and her eyes were glued to the door.

When arguing and laughing could be heard in the yard, she jumped to her feet. Sam walked into the house followed by Paul and then Jacob. Paul turned to look at his friend with an apologetic look, and she just smiled and shook her head at him. Jacob stopped in his tracks and glanced at his old friend. "You okay?" Jacob asked, warmly. Santana narrowed her eyebrows at him and nodded slowly.

"Yeah, fine." She said, shortly. Paul took a seat at the table and she walked up and placed her hand on his bare shoulder gently. A jolt of electricity ran through him at her touch, and his heart sped.

"Sorry about that, Tana." He spoke gently and she just ran her hand through the back of his dark hair.

"Don't worry about it," she assured him. He leaned his head back, resting the top of his head on her stomach and looked up at her. She laughed at his goofiness, and he smiled at her. Just her being near him made things so much better. He wasn't thinking about Bella being there, or her knowing about them being wolves. He was just focused on her. His eyes sparkled and it caused Santana's cheeks to flush. He was such a beautiful boy, and she couldn't believe that he felt the way he did about her. She felt so guilty she couldn't return them at the moment, but she was damn sure that sometime soon things were going to change if he continued being the way he was with her.

"Are you two banging yet?" Jared asked out of nowhere. Paul's head snapped up, and Embry giggled. "I mean, everyone thinks it. Don't hate me because I was the one who said it." He justified his statement.

"No, Jared." Paul stated.

"I mean, you're imprints, it's bound to happen-"

"Quiet, Jared." Sam snapped, cutting him off. Santana stared at Paul quizzically, and he cursed his friend. Jared raised his hands in defence and sunk deeper into his chair.

"Oh, she doesn't know." Jared took a long intake of breath audible to everyone in the room.

"What don't I know? What the hell is he talking about?" Santana asked, causing Paul to lean forward and run a hand through his hair.

"We can talk about it later, okay?" He muttered.

"No, I want to know now." She demanded, causing him to groan.

"Fine, come on then." He stood up, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the house. They walked down Emily's driveway quickly, but slowed down when they made it out of sight of the house. They walked silently because neither wanted to be the first to speak. Paul finally cursed himself one last time, and took a deep breath. "Listen, I wanted to wait a little longer to tell you. I didn't want to scare you off, or whatever, and I'm sorry."

"Just tell me what's up, Paul. It's just me." She assured him. "Now what the hell was Jared talking about? What's an 'imprint'?" She asked.

"Well, imprinting is something wolves do. It's like... well, it practically means that you meet your soulmate. You see that person, and it's like the world stops spinning. Your life flips upside down and you finally learn the true meaning of love. You'd do anything for them to make and keep them happy. You'd be anything they needed you to be, a friend, a lover, a brother, and you'd wait as long as you had to for them. They become the centre of your universe and everything changes, but you never want it to go back to the way it was before." He tried his best to explain it in the sanest way possible. He was nervous as he spoke, and she could tell. With every word he said, she began to piece everything together a little easier.

"And... you imprinted... on me?" She guessed, and when he didn't answer she took it as a yes. It took her a second to process what he told her. When she finally came to terms with it, she grinned. "Well, okay then. What's the big deal?" She asked and he looked up, appalled.

"What do you mean? You're not freaked out? We've known each other a little longer than a month and you're just okay with us being soulmates?" He almost laughed he was so shocked. She shrugged and reached over to grab his hand again.

"I could've gotten someone so much worse as a soulmate. Besides, I knew there was something special about you when I first saw you." She said, cringing at the cliche of a sentence. "So is that why you stuck up for me when Jacob and I got into the argument on the beach that night?" She questioned him.

"Mostly," he nodded, agreeably. "On the other hand, I just didn't like how he was talking to you. And he claims I'm the hothead." Paul chuckled to himself, looking at the ground.

"He's only like that around me, now." She muttered.

"No—he's like that with us all now. When Sam said he couldn't speak to Bella, he lost it. He thought we were awful for making him stay away from her, but it was for his own benefit." Paul paused and glanced at her. "He also hates when anybody brings up your name. Especially Embry, or Quil. He hates hearing about how good you're doing without him. He knows what he did wrong, and he doesn't want to admit it."

"Well, 'good' is a loose term. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm doing that well without him. He screwed me over, and it kills me. He was my world for the majority of my life, and now that we don't speak, it's like a hole is missing. I love you, Embry and Quil and Jared, and everybody else. I don't know what I'd do without you guys, honestly, but-"

"We're not Jacob." Paul cut her off, and she nodded slowly. "I get it. He was your best friend. It's only right you feel that way. Who are we to say what you can and can't feel?" She smiled at his words. Only he could have made her feel better when she was at her worst. She felt her heart swell in her chest and she looked back up at him. "Will you stay with me again tonight? I know this sounds dumb, but I just don't want you to go home." He said slowly.

"What kind of question is that?" She gave a half-hearted laugh. He felt his cheeks heat up, thinking she thought he was ridiculous. When she realized that he thought the opposite intent of her rhetorical question, she jumped to speak again. "Of course I will, Paul." His shoulders loosened. His chest relaxed, and his head cleared. She was completely okay with everything. She was good with weird, and that suited him greatly.

The skies cleared a bit. Blue specks danced across their skin. Paul so badly wanted to kiss her, but he couldn't bring himself to. As much as he wanted it, he needed to respect her feelings. Little did he know she wanted it just as bad. Santana stopped walking in the middle of the paved road when Emily's house came back into view, and pulled Paul into an embrace. It shocked him, but he retaliated and buried his face into the top of her head. It felt so right, so perfect, to have her in his arms, and he never wanted to let go. She noticed how his heartbeat matched hers, and her stomach warmed with adoration. She closed her eyes and held him to her.

Behind her, the boys crowded in the window of Emily's living room, whooping and cheering Paul on. Telepathically, he told them to shove off as he enjoyed the moment of closeness he was sharing with his imprint. Her fingers drifted over the bare skin of his back, and it caused him to shiver under her touch. She breathed in his scent and went into a state of bliss. If this is what desire felt like, she never wanted to let it go. She never wanted to let him go.

A/N
Merry Christmas!!! I hope you're all having a lovely day whether you celebrate this holiday or not. Sorry it's been a while since I put a chapter up, things are a bit hectic lately, and sorry this isn't exactly my best work. Still, hope you enjoy!! Happy holidays xx