Rayonnante - Paul Lahote

Chapter 11

She'd woken up before her alarm clock that morning. The reason wasn't very difficult to figure out. She knew that Paul was coming back to school today and she was excited to see him again. They'd parted ways Saturday afternoon with a promise to see each other soon. He'd explained to her that he'd be working on Sunday but that he'd come pick her up Monday so they could head to school together. She'd actually had time to miss him, which surprised her. This wasn't a feeling that she was very used to, having been accustomed at a young age to being alone. She enjoyed her own company and didn't feel very lonely. And yet, the second she'd seen Paul drive away, she'd started feeling a bit hollow.

She'd decided to wear a lavender plaid skirt, a white sweater and tights, secretly hoping that Paul would notice her legs. While she'd always tried her best to be nice to everyone she met, she'd never felt very self-conscious about what others thought of her. It was different with him, however. She wanted him to like what he saw and to approve of what she did. She didn't think it was a bad thing, per se. It's not as if she felt controlled by him or anything of the sort. From what she knew about him, she was pretty certain he'd never stop her from doing anything she wanted. She wasn't scared of his disapproval either. She just wanted to make him happy, to get him to want to spend as much time with her as she did with him.

She grinned brightly when she heard a honk, hurrying to grab her backpack and slip on her shoes. She almost forgot to lock her door, doing so quickly and running towards the guy who was waiting outside of his truck with a warm smile on his face. She didn't even slow down, plummeting into him and wrapping her arms around his torso. He laughed, hugging her tighter.

"Good morning", she said, voice muffled by his chest.

He kissed the top of her head, almost purring at the feeling of having his imprint in his arms. They'd only been separated for a few hours but he'd still felt the pain that the distance created. He hated not being with her, just like Sam and Jared with their soulmates. Their instincts were just begging them to stay close at all times.

"Good morning, gorgeous."

She pulled back a bit so she could look up at his face, almost melting at the tenderness in his gaze. He looked like he'd seen the sun for the first time, which made her feel more beautiful than ever.

They reluctantly pulled apart, Paul helping her get into his truck before sitting down in the driver's seat. They started talking about their weekends. Hers had been pretty uneventful. She told him she'd done some laundry and finished the book she'd been reading. He'd spent all of his time patrolling with his pack mates, trying to catch the red-headed bloodsucker who kept coming back to the reservation. In fact, even when he wasn't actively supposed to be doing rounds, he'd still found himself in wolf form in the woods near Lena's house, making sure that no vampire would take her on his watch. That meant that he was a bit sleep-deprived. Of course, he didn't tell her that, just mumbling something about working hard with Sam.

"What do you guys do, exactly?"

He winced. He absolutely hated lying to her, but he also knew that now wasn't the time to confess that he could turn into a giant werewolf and fought Cold Ones fort a living. Sighing, he fixated his eyes on the road, hoping that not looking her in the eyes would make the lie easier.

"A lot of stuff, mostly security. We just try to make sure everyone is safe. Anyway, tell me more about that book you were reading?"

Lena immediately sensed that there was more to the story. But it was also pretty easy to tell that Paul desperately wanted to change the subject. She did feel a little hurt that he didn't trust her, but she had to remind herself that they'd only known each other for a few weeks and that, while she already felt incredibly comfortable with him, that didn't mean that he was obligated to reveal all of his secrets to her. So she mentally agreed to drop it for now, still promising herself that she'd one day try to figure it out on her own.