sparks fly~ paul lahote

ⅹⅶ. take two

There was a knock at the door. Diana's brows raised as she approached. The only person who came to her house, the only person who actually knocked, was Paul. And so, she was not surprised to see him when she opened the door.

"Take two?" she asked, not letting him inside.

"We can't- I can't live apart from you. We have got to be on civil terms, at least," he pleaded.

Diana agreed 100%, the last few days had been hell without him but still, she rolled her eyes when she let him in. She wanted to figure out a way to make things work, but part of her doubted it was even possible.

"So, what did you want to do, then? Play 20 questions?" she asked, smirking sarcastically.

He scoffed, "I see you really want this, don't you?"

Diana laughed dryly, "Hey, I have been trying! I've been trying for 50 fucking years, Paul! You can't lose your soulmate and recover as if it were nothing... You wouldn't understand it."

Paul sighed, "Then explain it to me! Why the hell can't you try?"

"I don't- I don't know how okay?" she collapsed onto the couch across from where Paul was standing. He hesitantly made his way over and knelt in front of her. She turned away from him and held her head in her hands.

"Look, this is as hard for me as it is for you, but I am trying. It sucks, and I hate that I even have to ask, but I need the same effort from you," he sighed. He wanted nothing more than to feel accepted. Diana's reluctance made his wolf restless, his soul was restless. He wanted nothing more than to make her happy.

So, when Diana looked up at him with a fiery glare his anger flared. Diana shook her head, "Effort? You think that this isn't effort? You being in my house, so close to me yet so painfully far, isn't effort? You sitting here, pleading, on your knees, still breathing, you think that's no effort from me?"

Paul stood abruptly, "I didn't say you weren't putting forth effort, I'm sure you are, but this," he gestured between the two of them, "-this, needs more than tolerable distances!" he shouted.

Diana stood as well, and now the two were nose to nose shouting in each other's faces, "Well I can't give you anything else right now! You want more? You think 'tolerable distances' is all I'm doing here? You will never understand just how much your scent kills me! The thought of your blood absolutely destroys me. Everything in me wants nothing more than a taste, just one little bite- but you'd be done for!"

She took a breath and laughed again, on the verge of tears, "I don't know how to be around you, I don't understand how I'm managing it, right now! I am never going to be used to you, I'm never gonna be used to this," she gestured between the two of them, and paused, letting out a whimper. Her anger simmered away and all that was left behind were the broken pieces of a broken girl.

"Just standing here, I am battling everything that has been ingrained in my brain, my instincts because I want your blood... but I could never do that because I've lived in the world without you and it wasn't worth it then."

Paul didn't say anything for a long moment, taking in the fact that the beauty across from him was indeed, fantasizing his murder... at her hands. He wasn't exactly disgusted, or, not as much as he had thought he'd be anyway, he was more, understanding. Her hesitation made sense, now. Her reasoning for the distance was similar to his own; his fear of getting angry and hurting her. He swallowed and backed up a few paces. Then he let out a growl and stormed out of the house.

Diana shivered and fell to her seat. She didn't really even understand what was wrong with her, why she felt the way she did. She could try all she might, but she would fail to lie to herself; it wasn't just the bloodlust stopping her. She knew she was still healing from losing Christopher, she was still healing from being alone for so long. She was still healing, but she did want to move on.

A sharp bark woke her from her thoughts. She raised a brow, stood, and made her way to the front door. She opened it and found Paul, in his wolf form, sitting in front of her porch with an expectant look on his face.

Diana glared at him, "What, now?"

His look turned somber and he let out a whine. When she made no move to do anything, he laid on his belly and crawled forward, still whining. Diana bit her lip, trying and failing to contain her smile. She let out a chuckle when he had reached her, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

"You have to know I can't understand wolf," she sighed, sitting on the porch step and running her hand through his fur. He toothed a wolfy grin, stood, and turned around, showing her his backside.

Diana scoffed, "What are you doing?"

He crouched, and whined, signaling that Diana should climb on. At first, Diana was ready to go back inside and ignore the wolf's antics, then it clicked.

"You can't be serious?" she asked, she was sure he was kidding. When the wolf made no move to insinuate that he was kidding, Diana sighed and ran her hands through her hair. She shrugged, slipped her shoes on, and closed the front door.

Paul hadn't moved when Diana approached. She hesitated, then ran her hand through his fur, again. The wolf shuddered at her touch and whined, signaling she should hurry up and climb on.

"What am I doing?" she whispered, before lifting herself onto his back. Once she had sat and was situated, Paul let out a bark, and took off, running through the forest.