𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 ☾ 𝒑𝒂𝒖𝒍 𝒍𝒂𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒆

[10]

When Lizzie arrived home, she was shocked to see Paul standing on her doorstep, tapping his foot impatiently as he kept his arms folded across his chest. He was wearing a shirt, which seemed almost unusual to Lizzie.

"Paul?" She asked, climbing out of her car, making him look up. "What are you doing here?"

"Where were you?" Paul asked angrily, brow furrowed and coming closer. He froze as he sniffed the air, looking Lizzie up and down. He immediately rushed forward, gripping her arms tightly and surveying her for injuries. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no... Paul, what's going on?" She asked, frowning. Paul frowned back, still checking her over as if her word wasn't good enough.

"You smell like vampire." He stated, stepping backward a bit.

"O-oh, that's... Alice. She stopped by to check on Bella." Lizzie explained, making Paul relax a bit. He still looked upset, but Lizzie brushed it off. "Sorry for worrying you." He shook his head, relaxing more. All it took to calm him was a moment to take her in, to breathe in her scent. "Not to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

"I felt that you were sad. Or... I figured you might be. Because of Harry." Paul answered, correcting himself and scratching the back of his head. Lizzie's gaze softened and she gave him a small smile.

"I guess I am. He was a good friend. A good person." She said solemnly, looking down and taking a moment to remember Harry. She looked back up, finding Paul staring at her, his gaze soft, but somehow still penetrating. 

She felt exposed, like he ripped open and was staring at every piece of her soul. The weird thing was, she didn't really want to look away. 

"Do you... wanna come inside? I have tea, or coffee, or... beer?" She offered, smiling. He smiled back and bit his lip, as if he was trying to make a decision. He glanced back down at her and nodded slowly.

Lizzie led him inside, leading him to the couch before leaving to make them both some tea. She came back soon, the steaming mugs warming her hands as she placed them on the coffee table and sat next to him. He sent a grateful glance as he took a sip, letting the soothing liquid calm his nerves.

"So, explain to me why we never met before a few days ago." Lizzie asked, taking a long sip of her tea. Paul sat back, looking at the ceiling as he thought. To be honest, he didn't know. He supposed he and Jacob were never very close before he turned, and when he did, Sam was very adamant about the secrets they were to keep. They ran together, as a group.

"Well, Jacob and I never really got along before we phased. Since you were childhood friends, I guess you were more concerned with him than you were anyone else." He trailed off, the small bit of jealousy evident in the expression his face fell into.

"Well it didn't exactly end the way I thought it would." Lizzie replied, frowning. She felt her chest tighten at the recollection. She had no idea how to feel now about Jacob. She didn't like him anymore, at least not romantically, but she didn't want to abandon him. As Paul said, they used to be best friends. She had no idea what they were now.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to... bring it up." Paul said, frowning. He internally cursed himself for even mentioning the bastard's name. 

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean anything by it." She said, giving him a soft smile and patting his hand as it lay on the couch between them. "I was never really great at relationships, anyway." Paul smiled softly and shook his head.

"I seriously doubt that." He stated, raising an eyebrow at her as he grinned. Lizzie made a face. "I mean, you're beautiful, smart, passionate, I mean, Jacob is a fucking idiot for what he did to you." Lizzie's felt hot as her face went red. She'd heard words like that before, but coming from him... it was something else. He didn't hesitate or stutter once.