Midnight Ocean 》P. Lahote

c. 8

Paul's P.O.V.

Paul for the life of him couldn't figure out what Sumati Beauchêne saw in him. He was angry all the time, loud, obnoxious as hell.

The complete opposite of her.

Yet she somehow still met him at La Push beach every night, spent hours with him just to stare out at the water and bask in each other's presence.

He stood in the guest bedroom of Emily Young's home, in front of a long mirror, long enough that it showed up to his chin, while he held two flannels in front of him, both gifts from Emily herself. One was a plaid orange color, reminding him of the pumpkins his father and he would hang outside their porch when Paul was younger. The other was a dark blue patterned flannel, reminding him of the waters of La Push beach. He swapped the two between him, staring at the mirror in front of him, unsure of which to wear.

'You okay Paul?' He turned to his left, an amused Emily leaning against the door. Her chocolate brown hair had been pulled to a braid, she sporting a cream-colored sweater and jeans as she nudged her head at the flannels in his head. 'Need some help?'

'Fuck yes.' She grinned as she took a few steps forward, taking the two from his hands. Taking a step back, she held the plaid orange flannel in front of Paul's naked torso, biting her lip.

'This orange would look nice.'

'It won't make me look like a pumpkin?' Emily laughed, shaking her head as she push the blue flannel towards him.

'Guess we have a winner.' Paul smiled, as her threw on the flannel while Emily placed the orange flannel back into Paul's make-shift closet. After months of back and forth fights with his father, sneaking into Emily's home to catch a few hours of sleep on her couch, and many, many talks with Sam and his father, the guest bedroom in their home became Paul's second bedroom. It was a solution to the many late nights of guarding as well as much needed space between the father and son duo. 'Excited for tonight?'

'Nervous.' Emily grinned, as she sat on the end of the bed, staring up at Paul who nervously ran his hair through his locks. 'I don't understand what the hell she even sees in me.'

'What do you mean? You're Paul freaking Lahote. What is there not to see in you?' Paul smiled softly as he sat down next to Emily, the two staring at the light green colored wall in front of them, decorated with pictures of the boys and Emily. Paul wondered if one day Sumati would also be on the wall.

'She doesn't know about who I really am.'

'And who really are you, Paul?' Paul frowned, closing his eyes.

'A fucking mon-'

'-A good guy who was forced to become something he really never considered becoming.' Emily interrupted.

'Em, no I'm not.'

'Yes you are Paul. You're not a bad person.' Paul sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. 'Why are you suddenly thinking this way?'

'It's her. She's just so perfect and so innocent. Fuck, it makes me feel so evil when I remember who I am. She's so human, Em.' The two sat quietly next to each other before Emily spoke.

'When are you going to tell her?'

'I'm scared to tell her. I don't think she's going to handle it very well.' Emily smiled softly as she wrapped her hand around Paul's, giving it a soft squeeze.

'None of us do. But here we are.'

After giving himself a small pep talk, and receiving a text from Sumati with her address and a 'I can't wait to see you,' Paul left the house, driving in his old black pickup over to Sumati's. He played the radio, the soft melody calming his nerves as he left La Push, making his way into Forks. Sumati lived only a few minutes into Forks, on a secluded street that was surrounded by tall oak trees. The houses themselves were fairly old, yet large enough to hold an entire house party. He stopped in front of a light blue house, that stood two stories high. The house itself was fairly simple, with wide windows, an open porch, and rose bushes sitting at the edges of the home. The sidewalk was lined with pebbles and every few inches sat a lantern, glowing the path to and from the home.