Between (Paul Lahote)

Part 5

"I hope you don't mind Italian, this is one of my favorite places," Paul said as we pulled into the parking lot of a quaint restaurant near the main street of Port Angeles.

"Italian is my favorite," I said, causing Paul to grin back in response. He parked the car, then jumped out to get my door. As we walked into the restaurant, Paul kept a hand on my lower back, carefully guiding me through the entrance and to our table once we were seated. The entire time, I could feel the heat of his skin through the layers of my overshirt and tank. I felt myself craving the warmth once he removed his hand to sit across the table from me. "Do you come here often?"

"Yeah, mostly when I was younger. My mom moved down to Tacoma after my parents divorced. We would stop here to eat here after driving to visit her." I went quiet, which caused Paul to look over curiously at me.

"I'm sorry..." I murmured, not knowing about Paul's childhood.

"Don't be. They're happier now. Plus, I got to eat my favorite spaghetti and meatballs once a month," he smiled softly at me, just in time for our two plates of pasta to arrive.

After lunch, we walked around Port Angeles for a bit before going to the theatres. The only movie showing tonight was called "The Dead Come Back".

"I knew I should've checked what movie was playing tonight," Paul grumbled to himself as we stood in line to buy tickets. "Are you sure you're alright watching this?" Paul asked for what seemed like the tenth time. "We can do something else instead."

"Don't worry, I love horror movies. Jake made me watch a ton when I was little." Paul let out a breath of relief.

"I was worried I ruined our date-" he paused, looking over anxiously at me.

"So this is a date?" I smiled up at Paul. He looked at me for a moment, a faint blush forming on his tanned cheeks, before turning away and walking to the concession stand to get a drink and popcorn.

The movie turned out to be quite interesting. The first half of the movie was filled with zombies and gore. I was completely engrossed, while Paul devoured his tub of popcorn. Once Paul finished, he sat quietly for a few minutes before casually yawning, throwing his right arm in the air and behind my seat.

"Smooth Lahote," I whispered to him. Paul grinned, moving his arm down so it was wrapped around my shoulders. He was so warm; I couldn't help but nuzzle my head into the crook of his neck, taking in a deep breath of his pine and musk scent.

The second half of the movie was over faster than I expected. As the lights flickered on in the theatre, Paul slowly withdrew his arm as we stood up to exit the building. It was already dark outside. I checked the clock on my phone, the movie had been almost three hours long.

"Come here doll, we've got beer, and bikes," a man whistled to a pair of girls before me. He gunned his motorcycle. The brunette took a few steps towards the men, before stepping back to her friend. She looked dazed for a second, before walking back towards the group of men with motorcycles, getting on the back of one of the bikes.

"Bella?" I called out, taking a step towards the group after recognizing the girl on the bike. Paul's hand was immediately on my arm, stopping me from going any further.

"You can come along too, Princess." Another man in the group yelled out to me. "Leave that boy for a real man."

"Stay away from her," Paul snarled, his body was shaking slightly, as he glared at the men down the road.

"Paul, I'm sorry, I have to make sure she's ok."

"She can handle herself. I won't let them touch you," he growled, the shaking only intensifying. I didn't know what to do at this point, but I had a gut instinct that I decided to follow. I moved my hand down to cover his, entwining our fingers. Paul's shaking suddenly stopped. He looked down at our hands, and back at my face, our eyes instantly locked as he moved his free hand to my cheek. We had moved close enough for our noses to touch and I could feel his warm breath against my lips.

"Bella, what is wrong with you??" A girl yelled, breaking Paul and I apart. I looked up to see Bella turning the corner, only to be yelled at by her blonde companion. "You are insane, actually. Or suicidal. That homeboy could've been a psycho."

"Bella, are you ok?" I yelled, rushing over to my friend. Bella's friend rolled her eyes at me.

"Is she ok? We were about to end up in an FBI interview room. You would've been a witness too, you know," her friend continued to complain. I just tuned her out. 

"That was such a rush," Bella murmured to me, running her hand through her hair. "I saw him," her eyes look glazed, but finally had a tiny spark of life back in them.

"Oh Bella," I pulled her into a quick hug. "Come down to the Rez, Jake has been worried about you. Maybe some time away from Forks will do you good."