HONEYBEE| Sam Uley

four

Estella Clearwater frowned to herself, her warm wholemeal forehead denting in concentration as her glittering chocolate brown doe eyes assessed the aisle on either side, her head whipping back and forth as she looked over the rainbow assortment of products around her. She hadn't done this before, shop for herself all by herself. It felt oddly disconcerting, selecting the smallest option of each and everything purely because there was only one mouth to feed now. She hadn't gone far, only to the most local supermarket which contained only a fraction of the things one person needed to survive indefinitely.

The girl with the dark hair frowned as she looked down at the shopping list in her hand, it was her mother's list, faded around the edges and torn- six months old but it contained things that Estella forgot one person even needed to survive- such as sugar and washing detergent. She was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she didn't even look as she turned around the corner, carrying her basket calmly.

And she would now pay for her absentmindedness as she went slamming straight into a body, cringing as she did so and tightening her fist around the basket handle so to not drop everything it contained. Thankfully for her, the two people who crashed at the corner had been walking at turtle pace and so neither were flung to the floor by the force. She was, on the other hand, bounced back due to the sheer shock and harshness of the body in which she had collided.

"Sam," she blinked in shock, having looked forward to meet a toned chest. When her eyes trailed upwards she saw his face. He was just as she remembered him though somehow, still impossibly different. Everything about his features seemed perfected, perhaps through age though she couldn't be certain- his face seemed sharper, baby fat seeming to have vanished into oblivion to reveal a sharp jaw and tight cheeks. His eyes- on the other hand- were just the same, not that she had ever seen them so close up. They were a brilliant dark brown, barely coloured at all. Though that wasn't the most noticeable change. When he blinked down at her, his always stern expression melted into a soft smile... It was unnerving to she who had always seen him be nothing but serious.

He was incredibly handsome. Her mouth seemed to dry up instantly as she blinked up at him, waiting for him to say something... Anything. Her stomach seemed to twist sickeningly from guilt just by thinking that her cousin's boyfriend was good looking. But she couldn't help what was apparently obvious.

"Estella," he breathed and she couldn't stop a smile, dimples denting her cheeks involuntarily, one deeper than the other just as her lips quivered and Sam was hypnotised by the simple thing that he had never previously noticed. "How are you? My mom mentioned you were back in town."

"Only since yesterday," she smiled tightly, shifting her basket from one hand to the other and he felt his eyes drawn to the action. "I'm okay, thanks. How are you? I've been hearing around the rez that you were ill? I hope you're feeling better," her brow crinkled in worry and it seemed to warm him instantly.

"Better than ever." he grinned, shocking her again. Sam Uley was presenting expressions to Estella that in twenty years of life... She had never seen him use. And she was oddly fascinated with the new developments. "Mom sent me shopping, something about wanting to bake you a casserole. As if you hadn't had enough of her casserole," he scoffed and she giggled, oblivious to the way his eyes lit up when she did, the darkness melting away somewhat.

"A casserole would be great, truthfully, saves me from cooking," she grinned. "Mind, Auntie Sue has been baking me a conveyer belt of food since I saw her yesterday. I'm going to pop." Estella giggled, it seemed so easy to lapse into the ordinary conversation now. It was as if they knew one another- and they truly should. But they didn't because despite living opposite one another- their paths had never really crossed.

"Well, if you ever happen to have leftovers, you can always send them my way. Mom says I'm like a human garbage can these days," he chuckled, aware that they had just been aimlessly standing there in the centre of the supermarket for five minutes now.

"I can see why, look at you!" she teased, punching him lightly in the arm. "I don't know what's happened to you all recently. I walked passed Jared on the way here, wearing nothing but shorts, can you believe that? Shorts in La Push, he must want to catch hypothermia... You're not much better though," she laughed, pointing down at his cut off jeans and trainers, his top half covered only by a loose grey hoodie. She, on the other hand, had her thick winter coat, a scarf and a knitted hat seeing as though it was blowing a gale beyond the window of the store- the strange sunshine of the day before being long-gone.

"Did you walk here?" he frowned.

"Silly me, hey. I thought I would go for a nice stroll seeing as though I only have one bag of shopping and ended up almost getting blown away." she laughed and Sam found it so freeing to laugh along with her.

"Would you like a lift back? Once we finish up here, of course" he smiled, gesturing to the baskets that each of them held- both of which were pretty much full now.

"You wouldn't mind?" she asked awkwardly, her cheeks painted a faint red like blooming roses and his heart felt strangely warmed by it.

"No, of course not. It would just be cruel to let you walk back in this weather when I'm going the exact same way. Especially seeing as though you are at risk of being blown away" he teased, eyes widening slightly as he joked and she scoffed out a little laughter as she looked down at her list again.

"Well, I think I am done now."

"Cool, I've just got to pick up some bread but I'll meet you at the checkout?"

"Sure," she smiled warmly before their paths crossed and she was on her way away from him again. Only when away from his presence, did Estella notice how strangely warm her neck had become- she was flustered and she didn't know why... It was concerning. Though, she put it down to nervousness at talking to an almost-stranger...