Youth ✿ Paul Lahote [1]

xvii. vulnerability

   "I don't think I have ever been in your house before."

   Paul stated this as he walked through the door to Alex's home. Alex was close behind the boy as she shut the door.

   "That's a lie," Alex gave the boy beside her a funny look at his mistake. She wanted to smile at the slight brush of their shoulders as the two walked down her hallway. "You have been in my room plenty of times."

   Paul rolled his eyes at this retort. His arm came around to tug Alex's tiny frame against him with the pull of her shoulders. "Fine, I haven't been in your house except for in your room. And even then, I sneak through the window."

   "Minor details," Alex mumbled at the logistics of the relationship they currently held.

   It wasn't that Alex was hiding Paul from her parents—in fact both of them knew about the boy. Due to the horrible timing of all the events recently, the girl hadn't actually had the chance to introduce Paul to her parents. Whenever the two got a free moment together it was usually late at night, or Alex simply wanted Paul to herself. They didn't see each other much, she wanted it to count.

   Alex had realised that she could be very selfish when it came to Paul Lahote. And she wasn't exactly sorry about it.

   Even tonight, despite the pair hanging out at Alex's place her parents weren't even in. They were out at a work dinner for Alex's father.

   But Jordan was home—something that Alex was very grateful for. She didn't want him going back to Ohio, not when the situation with his peers was as bad as Jordan had said. Alex was still trying to work out a plan in which he could stay in La Push—so far she had come up with nothing plausible.

   Jordan was allowed to stay back home for another week though, thanks to a glowing review from his Coach in Ohio. But after that he would have to go back, which was something Alex had been avoiding even the thought of.

   "What do you want to do tonight?" Alex asked Paul as the two strolled into the living room. Alex plopped down on the sofa and Paul easily slid onto it next to her.

   Paul's hand gripped her side and slid her over so that Alex was pushed up against his side. His warmth instantly bled through to Alex, the brunette already snuggled closer to get more of Paul's heat on her. "I could think of a million things."

   Alex smirked at the boy before her fingers came to pinch his side. Paul let out a tiny noise of pain. "Jeez, Lex. You were the one that asked."

   "I'm about to walk into the room," A voice spoke from the hallway which Paul and Alex had just walked through. Alex knew it was Jordan instantly—not just because he was the only one home, but because it was a voice she could recognize from a mile away. "Stop all fondling and funny business so that I don't have to vomit in my own home."

   Alex rolled her eyes at the dramatic nature of her slightly older brother. Paul was chuckling from beside Alex, she could feel the laughter move off him as his body shook underneath where her's sat.

   "I wouldn't come in if I was you," Paul managed to speak through his laughter, he gently squeezed Alex's side so that the girl's attention moved back to him. She watched as his smirk grew bigger. "We're both naked."

   "We are not!" Alex's cheeks flamed red at the insinuation. Her instincts made her head dive deeper into Paul's chest, hiding as she knew Jordan would stumble through the door with means for more teasing.

   Alex realized quickly how much Paul and Jordan would get on—the two both found teasing Alex to be the most amusing thing in the world.

   "You dirty dog, Lexi," Jordan's voice was closer now, yet Alex couldn't see anything from where her head was buried in both the couch and Paul's chest. She felt Paul's chest rumble with laughter again, only adding to the burning feeling that crept up her face. "I leave you alone for two minutes and this is what you get up to."