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CHAPTER SEVEN: THE FULL NAME
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THERE WAS SOMETHING STRANGELY peaceful about being outside at 10pm. An odd kind of silence had blanketed La Push, the cold air biting yet comforting against Maggie's skin. Sitting on the beach, the moonlight shining soft against the smooth surface of the water broken only by the tiniest of waves, she could almost forget the dark red eyes that haunted her dreams, joined by the new addition of two unfamiliar yet recognisable faces. Like old friends she couldn't remember the name of, they lingered in every thought. Only Maggie was certain they were not her friends.
It was stupid of her to be out alone, Maggie knew that, no matter how peaceful it was. If anyone got up to check on her while she was gone, something she knew they did even if they never addressed it, they'd panic at the sight of her empty bed with the sheets thrown around like someone had dragged her away. They wouldn't stop to notice the absence of her shoes or Scooby, they'd just see that fragile little Maggie had disappeared and nothing good could ever come from that. She hated it sometimes, no matter how much she loved them, that nothing was the same anymore because of her. They didn't know that, of course, but her counsellor did.
Breathing out a sigh, Maggie glanced down at the dog perched on her lap, tongue hanging from the side of his mouth as he stared out at the water with longing eyes. Maggie kept a tight hold on his leash, her other hand scratching the top of his head.
"Aunty Wren would kill me if I let you swim, Scooby," she chuckled to him, lips quirking in amusement as Scooby seemed to understand her and frown. "Sorry, buddy, maybe next time."
"You have a habit of talking to yourself, Sullivan?"
Maggie swore then and there that her heart fell out of her chest. For the fifteen minutes she'd sat there, Maggie was sure she was alone. But without her noticing, he'd snuck up behind her, standing atop the sand dunes with a raised eyebrow.
"Paul," she whined, both in annoyance and relief. "You scared me, dude, not cool."
Paul smirked, eyes flaring in amusement, before he hopped down from his place above her to toe the sand beside her with hesitance. "Should you be alone out here this late?"
"I'm not alone," she rolled her eyes. A rare tiny smile tugged at her lips as she gestured down to Scooby, who was growling lowly as he stared up at Paul with cautious yet curious eyes. "And you're one to talk, I don't see you here with anyone."
After a moment of contemplation, he sat down beside her, his close proximity showering her with heat to fight away the cold. His skin was practically a furnace with just a few inches between them, neither comfortable or uncomfortable for Maggie, who just raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Instead, she watched them, the way his face remained impassive but his eyes glinted bright, far too knowing yet brimming with mischief. "I'm coming home from work, what's your excuse?"
