HONEYBEE| Sam Uley

five

The wind slammed into her like a wall the second she stepped out of the door, whipping her satin-smooth hair around her, sending it spinning and fluttering like a weathervane. And she was certain that her face would be bruised purely by the force of the assault that the wind provided. Estella couldn't even see where she was going as she tightened her fists around the bags in her hands and followed the body of Sam that was vaguely distinguishable through the battering wind.

"Here," his voice came out in laughter, telling her that he was amused as the bags suddenly disappeared from her grip and her fingers grappled in the air in confusion. The sound of a door guided her and a warm hand on her back that seemed to aid her upwards. Breathing in comfort once more, her eyes fluttered open, taking in the interior of Sam's truck as he appeared beside her in the driver's side. The man looked across at her... And laughed.

Estella blew outwards, attempting to remove the hair that clung all around her, tangling her entire head and it truly served her right for being that one girl who never ever wore their hair up. Sam laughed again at the pout on her face when she failed to clear her vision and with impeccable slowness, he reached across and flicked her hair back into place easily- leaving her smiling.

"Thanks," she beamed and he chuckled as he turned back to face the front once more.

"No problem," there was a vague smile on his face as he began to drive and it made him look so different. Mind, Estella did do her very best not to stare at her cousin's fiance. He had his elbow leant against the door as he drove smoothly, hand rubbing his chin with a look of concentration and she cast her eyes down to tangle her fingers together in a weirdly distracting dance.

Tension seemed to come slamming down around them, making her feel oddly suffocated in the vaguely warm vehicle. Absentmindedly, Estella pondered that perhaps having walked may have been a better idea. Though, as her mind scrambled in the suffocating awkwardness, the words of her mother returned to her. 'It's only awkward if you make it awkward'. And so, she vowed not to.

"I've heard that a congratulations is in order." she smiled and he frowned at her in confusion for a moment, cogs turning to attempt to fathom what she could possibly be congratulating him about. Being a werewolf? Imprinting?... Would she know either of those things? "Leah?" she reminded with a look of uncertain perplexment on her face. Though his eyes soon lit up in understanding, a soft smile returning.

"Oh, yes, of course," he scoffed, chuckling at his own stupidity and the tension seemed to melt away effortless, like a wall being bulldozed between them. "Thank you."

"I've heard Sue gushing about an engagement party, so you have that excitement coming your way," she teased, seeing the way he rolled his eyes in clear exasperation- that was nothing against Leah, Estella knew that... That was just him being socially shy and generally loathing of large gatherings. Strangely, that was one thing she did know about Sam Uley.

"Great, can't wait."

"You may have to reign Leah in a bit. I've never seen her so excited. She was acting all girly and excitable, discussing dresses and flowers." she frowned, slightly amused. It was completely against how Leah usually acted. And Sam found his eyes shifting across to the girl in the passenger seat- Painfully, it felt as though everything he had previously been so certain of, was now all wrong. Everything seemed to have been blown apart by the wolf inside of him. And speaking to Old Quil had not helped- the man had told him to break up with Leah at the nearest possible convenience and get closer to Estella.

Sam was conflicted.

A part of him, the rational, logical part of his brain that wanted control over his own destiny- was more than happy to stay with her, it even longed for her. Though the suddenly more prominent part of him- wanted to be with the girl sitting beside him, her smile vaguely absentminded, as though she hadn't consciously put it there. She was beautiful and he knew he could never fully be with anyone else, he could never truly be with someone when he had his heart set on providing Estella with whatever she needed in life. And that was agonising, the thought of breaking the heart of the person he had spent almost four years with and very recently given a glittery engagement ring to.

And it was all for her cousin, no less. Sam wouldn't be able to explain any of that to Leah... To her, it would just be her fiance leaving her for her own cousin. In the meantime, as he unknotted the pretzel that his brain had become, he would be to Estella exactly what she needed- A friend. Sam had never wanted anyone to get hurt, but of course, the ancestors had other plans for them and he knew that ignoring the bond he had with her was futile, he could already feel it consuming him as she looked out the window at the world beyond. It felt normal, having her there.

He wasn't panicked with her, the sense of uncertain nervousness when you spend time with someone you fancy, the feelings he had felt in the early years with Leah- No, he felt only utterly calm, warm and accepted as he sat in close proximity. Some said that over the history of imprinting tradition, that meeting your imprint was like meeting a very old, and very dear friend after an eternity of separation. Only, they had never been close friends. He only hoped that she would eventually grow to feel that calm too.