since0202

[since0202]

Taking Time—Fifty Four

Home is a person

Word Count: 12,959

Trigger Warning: Mentions of Abortion (I will bracket where it starts and ends in an obvious manner so you can avoid if needed <3).

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Every step home has felt right so far. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been away for so long, but it feels like something has changed or shifted. And as I get closer, that feeling only gets stronger. Now, as I sink into that undeniable warmth, it’s hard to think otherwise at all. Soft, warm breath spans gently across my hair and I reach for the warm body nestled next to me. It must be Paul. How he knew I was here, I’m not sure, but in the halfway point between sleep and wake, I’m not sure of much. The soft body grunts and rolls closer to me, making soft sounds that lull me deeper into sleep. I want it always to be like this: sleepy mornings, just peace, before the sun cracks me open like an egg and burns me from the inside out. 

Maya rolled toward the low rumbling groan coupled with that hardy warmth she’d come to know so well when she was home. Paul was so soft. She ran her hands up and down his sides to a pleasant smacking sound coming from his lips. She burrowed closer for warmth, still in that holy toss between dreaming and awake and felt his warm breath flow over her hair. It almost felt wet. Maya inhaled a deep breath savoring his smell only to be met with a warm mildewy scent of dried fur and the forest. He must have only just phased back from rounds and the smell of his wolf form simply clung to him. It didn’t matter. Maya leaned her head up and was met with the his soft, warm, wet lips. Really wet. He kissed and dampened her entire face with his mouth, his tongue. 

Maya leaned back and groaned her dissent, but the onslaught kept coming, possibly even more eagerly than before, until her entire face was coated in saliva. Paul really had it coming. Maya’s face twisted into a grimace as she opened her eyes, only to be met with the towering dark frame of Leah’s german shepherd. 

“Blegh!” Maya managed before the dog continued with vigor to her dismay. She braced her arms across his chest and tried to push, but the thumping of his tail wagging only seemed to make him stronger as he continue to cover Maya’s face in fervent licks with delight that she was awake. 

Maya heard a laugh from the door before Keye said,”Yodel, that’s enough. Come here!” Yodel immediately hopped off the bed and hurtled toward Keye, standing at attention at her feet with his tongue lolling to one side. Keye dropped her hand to stroke his head affectionately, “I thought we said no more kissing dogs after that trip to Seattle when Becks convinced that forty year old bouncer she was old enough to get in by her expertise?” 

Maya rubbed her dog-drenched face on the pillow before rolling over and beginning to rub her eyes, “I remember that being you, not Becks.” 

“Oh, yeah,” Keye replied lazily as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her until now.

“Come on, Leah’s making breakfast,” Keye stated from her place leaning up against the doorframe. As she plodded away softly, Maya heard Yodel following her dutifully down the small hallway to the kitchenette.

“Okay, but you still have a lot of explaining to do,” Maya called after her as she sat up and ran a hand through her disheveled hair. She didn’t even attempt a glance at her phone. The soft, gray morning light of Seattle pulled her eyes toward the window and Maya let out a soft sigh and let the day breathe her in.

Leah’s apartment was bright and airy. The kitchen and living room sat in a lofted space with high ceilings that allowed large industrial air ducts to span it. The bright beach wood of the rafters above seemed to capture light and sprinkle it down across the warm butcher block island where she was preparing another omelet, this time for herself, after making one for Keye and Maya. They tucked in around the island on carefully crafted wooden bar stools that Maya had a sneaking suspicion were the handiwork of her boyfriend. Maya peered over shoulder to look out the floor to ceiling narrow windows covered in a gauzy, white curtain. The living room was a collection of well loved, mismatched furniture pieces, all softened by time and use. 

Maya hadn’t fully recognized the neighborhood they were in when they drove in but she wondered how close they were to Paul’s workshop. Leah was laughing at Keye as she exclaimed how she’d never thought to add spinach to an omelet, or any vegetable to any dish for that matter, when Maya zoned back into the love fest unfolding before her. 

“You need to eat more vegetables, I keep telling you, or you’ll never be able to hold up a bike at a stop light. Even a little one,” Leah’s face was all sunshine. She tore off a piece off her omelet and handed it to a waiting Yodel at her feet. 

“She’s got a thing for bikes,” Keye hummed around a bite.

“I do not,” Leah tried to bemoan, but it only came out as soft embarrassment, her neck flushing with a hint of pink. That was hard to dispute considering Leah’s apartment was stationed above a bike shop. Her bike shop in fact. 

“Crotch rockets, some call them,” Keye quipped, shooting Maya a gleeful look.  

“Stop,” Leah replied breathlessly with a laugh, “They’re not called that.”

“She rode up on one to Seth’s wedding, what was I supposed to do? Not fall in love with her?” Keye goaded, shooting a bright smile in her direction. Maya lit up at this—she wanted to know everything about how Leah and Keye met, how the imprint happened. 

“So, it was at Seth’s wedding then?” Maya leaned onto the counter, trying to quell her excitement. Leah looked down at her omelet with a soft smile as if just recalling the memory overwhelmed her with joy. Keye blushed and shoved another bite of gooey omelet in her mouth. 

“Yeah, it was at Seth’s wedding,” Leah started softly, “Gah, I still can’t believe that little twerp is married. I swear I was helping him with his homework only last week,” she shook her head, still lost in her moment of nostalgia. 

“Uh, I’m pretty sure you were helping him with his homework last week, babe. You guys were debating the merit of classic authors still being considered the classic norm in a postmodern world in this very kitchen.” Maya giggled at that and Leah looked up at Keye with such soft eyes that Maya thought she’d explode on the spot. Keye held her gaze for as long as she could before blushing and looking back down at her omelet, playing coy while continuing to eat. 

Oh, so it was that kind of imprint. 

“Yes, we met at Seth’s wedding,” Keye continued for her after a few bites as Leah started cleaning up. Keye launched into the story like it was well known and been written down for years. 

She said it was instantaneous. Much like Maya and Paul had, Leah and Keye and locked eyes and that was it. But most of the guests had been distracted and the pack was thoroughly drunk on special Quileute brewed beer so no one was really paying them any attention. No one had even really realized, except for Keye and Leah. They had sat there and stared at each other, across the dance floor for a cool minute or two. It could have been eons for all Keye knew. 

Leah’s face, which had been schooled in a cool complacency for most of the night as she muscled through her baby brother’s wedding, had shifted to something bright and surprised. Breathless, she had strode across the dance floor in her pale cream suit, sparkling under the carefully hung lights as she weaved her way through couples. Her eyes never left Keye’s and Keye had stayed glued to the spot, her heart beating wildly. Nothing would stop Leah from getting to her, and as she startled to a stop in front of her, Keye let out a loud exhale as if breathing again for the first time. 

“It’s you,” Leah had said, so surprised yet relieved, “It’s you. Y-you…you are so…you’re my—,” 

“Keye,” she interjected, relieving the stuttering Leah. She held her hand out somewhat awkwardly, but it had felt like the only thing she could do. “I’m Keye,” she said again. 

Leah slipped her hand into Keye’s, not shaking it, but just holding it there for a moment before threading her fingers purposefully through hers and nodding. “Yes, you are.” Leah’s whole face brightened into one of incandescent happiness as light tears shone in her dark eyes. Keye was on the verge of losing it and letting this wave of joy rush over her and spill from her tear ducts. 

There she was.

Shortly after, Keye skipped town that night with Leah and sealed her fate. She just disappeared. No one even realized she was gone, and her parents just thought that she went back to campus early. Leah was prone to disappearing spells, so there was no connection made there either apparently. 

Maya’s head swum up out of the story and looked over at Leah who was leaning against the sink with her hands outstretched next to her, smiling softly at Keye. 

“And after I moved in, I took this semester off—” Keye continued after a moment.

“Wait what?!” Maya snapped out of it and jerked her head toward Keye, her eyes wide with shock.  

“My, come on,” Keye groaned, “What is it with you and school? It’s not that big a deal.” Keye said half heartedly. 

Just because Maya had a vice grip on school didn’t mean everyone else needed to maintain that level of intensity to make school an important part of their lives. Just look at what it did to her and Paul. She willed her body to relax as she shook her head, glancing quickly at Leah for any back up and finding none.

“No, no,” Maya tried backpedaling, controlling the features on her face to remain impassive, “I just mean, I didn’t realize! I should have realized.” 

Keye leveled her with an expectant stare, a small smile on her face. Maya was trying to keep her lips clamped shut so she didn’t ask the question she really wanted to ask. 

After about thirty seconds though, Maya burst: “But why though?!” 

So much for self control.

Keye couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh. Leah looked on with a bit of concern on her face. 

“Sometimes, things just work out that way, My. But don’t worry, I’ll go back and finish up,” Keye proclaimed, “Just for you.” 

Maya smiled and shook her head. That soft concerned look was still pulling at Leah’s features as she continued to watch Keye carefully. 

Maya spent the day putzing around Seattle with Leah and Keye visiting some of their favorite local haunts. They even stopped in a few local bookshops and let Maya wander for as long as she liked. She discovered some old chemistry books that she fell in love with and was thoroughly brightened despite the low hanging clouds over Seattle as they walked down hidden side streets. 

The three grabbed lunch at a little sandwich shop not far from Leah’s bike shop. When Keye got up to use the bathroom, Maya casually stayed behind to Keye’s chagrin. Leah was trying to stuff the butt end of her meatball sub fully into her mouth, sauce dripping down her chin in an endearing way as she hunched her shoulders over the low table. 

Leah had been pretty tight lipped about her estrangement from the pack but now that Maya had her alone, she wondered if without Keye’s constant frown whenever the pack was brought up, she could ask her about it. 

“What?” Leah said around her mouthful. Maya hadn’t realized she had been staring, marveling even at this intensely, wonderful woman who had captured Keye’s heart and taken care of her best friend so completely. 

“Nothing, sorry, I—” Maya stumbled and ran a hand through her shaggy hair, frizzed by the gentle rain they had walked through to get here. Maya exhaled through her nose trying to gather her thoughts about how to ask but instead, Leah spoke: 

“You’re sure you want to go back?” Leah chewed valiantly and Maya couldn’t help but let her mouth hang open a bit in surprise. That wasn’t…. “No offense, but you seem torn. And I never try to make hard decisions when I’m on the fence.”

Maya closed her mouth abruptly and shook her head to try and clear any confusion that Leah could see in her eyes, “No, I…I need to go home. It’s time to go home. Not forever, but..just for now.” 

“Tortured him enough, then?” 

Maya’s eyes shot up to meet Leah’s in shock, but that feeling quickly faded when she saw that gleam of mischief in Leah’s eyes. She hadn’t meant it the way everyone else would have. 

“I guess,” Maya shrugged. “I do miss him, though.” That was an understatement.

“Of course you do,” Leah tucked back into the table scavenging chips from Keye’s plate. “Regardless of what you know, and regardless of what you feel, the imprint should always show you true north,” the sound of crunching chips perforated Maya’s concentration, “Or so they say.” 

“What do you think then? About the imprint, I mean, now that you have it?” Maya challenged. Leah took a moment, always thoughtful, never rash in her conversation. Just clear and true and decided. 

“I think the imprint is different for everyone. So if anyone tries to tell you what to do with it, you should take that with a grain of salt. Listen to what it says to you, trust that,” Leah shrugged. 

Maya paused at that and really tried to let that sink in. Everyone had tried to tell her what the imprint was meant to do, what it was based on legend. But it had been hard between her and Paul since the beginning. Some parts were easy, when they were just together and there was nothing else, but most other things were hard—harder than the other imprints at least. So much so, that Maya and Paul had wondered for a while if there was something wrong with them. 

“I will say though,” Leah’s voice suddenly turned serious. Maya met her eyes and was taken aback by the sheer intensity at which they bored into her, “While I don’t know how your imprint works, I do know Paul.” Maya gulped, “And I can say without a doubt in my mind that he loves you with every cell in his body.” 

Maya let out a sigh. She knew that of course and so she could only say as much, “I know.” Her voice came out hoarse. 

“But he’s also a bit of an idiot. Emotionally, I mean. The guy was abandoned by everyone when he was a kid and then was swallowed by anger for most of his adult life. He’s only found his way through in maybe the past five years. That’s still no excuse for how he’s been with you, but still. That man comes with baggage and I do not envy you that task of unpacking it all,” Leah brushed her hands together to get off the excess crumbs. 

There wasn’t enough that Maya knew about Paul’s past. He’d told her the basics, but she’d gotten more information about Paul’s dad from her own mother and that was a wobbly source. 

“Speaking of members of the pack,” Maya said quickly, “do you think you’ll ever come back to the rez?”

Leah let out a gentle laugh and shook her head, “Not unless they need me.” 

“Do they not need you now?” Maya quirked an eyebrow. Leah once again leveled her with that intense stare.

“Cute girls are always too brave for their own good,” Leah leaned back and stretched her arms behind Keye’s chair just as she slid back into it. 

“You guys can stop talking about me now,” Keye said dramatically as she shook her hair away from her face. She shot Maya a knowing look to which she rolled her eyes. 

Leah leaned forward just enough to kiss Keye’s shoulder and said softly, “Never, babe.” 

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—-<<Trigger warning: mentions of abortion in this next section>>---

Maya and Keye cuddled up in the guest bed that Maya was sleeping in with a laptop between them that night watching an old 90’s vampire movie. Leah had disappeared downstairs into her shop to get some work done. 

As one of the main vampires looked out over a burning city, Keye readjusted her head on Maya’s shoulder as Yodel let out a soft sigh at the end of the bed. Somehow, it had felt like no time had passed at all. 

“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” Keye asked softly. Maya stared at the screen as she tried to reconcile her worry into something else. 

“I think so,” she breathed in and about before continuing, “It feels like the right time to go back. I don’t know how to explain it.” 

“True north,” Keye muttered softly. 

“Jesus, you guys really are in deep, huh?” Maya joked and Keye giggled. 

“I don’t know, probably. She was there for me when everyone was either busy or gone. I don’t think that was the imprint either, she just…knew I needed her and she stayed,” Keye was quiet. Maya’s heart rate picked up as she realized her mistake in shutting everyone out. Even if Keye had said that she had understood why Maya did it, she knew she had hurt people who didn’t deserve it for the sake of her own peace. Keye, and a lot of others deserved more than that. 

“Keye, I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I should have stayed in contact, I know that. It all just felt hard and this was easier. But I shouldn’t have done the easy thing….not when it comes to you or Becks,” Maya scrunched in closer to Keye. 

“It really is okay, My. I get it. I disappeared too, you know. Just…tell us next time.” 

“I promise,” Maya breathed. “But I don’t plan on disappearing again. I didn’t even mean to fully disappear before, it was just….easier that way. But it wasn’t fair to your or Becks, so I promise.”

The vampire on screen looked wide eyed at the little girl who was drinking from an older woman. She looked so small, so innocent. Her too-young youth, eternally frozen in time. 

“I have to tell you something,” Keye breathed, her voice hitching at the end as if she was unsure. 

“What?” Maya said softly, looking down at the side of her face. Keye sat up and Maya turned toward her, realizing that her face was pulled tight with pain. “What is it?” she reached for Keye’s hands that were clasped tightly in her lap but pulled back when she flinched slightly as if being touched might be too much at the moment. “Are you okay?” 

“I am..I am. I really am. I need you to know that I am okay going into this,” Keye’s voice wobbled slightly as she sat up straight, before leaning back against the headboard. 

“You’re kind of scaring me, Keye,” Maya said slowly as she pressed pause on the movie and sat up too, crossing her legs in front of her and turning her whole body to face Keye. The looks that flitted across her face were hard to read but as Keye bit her lip, Maya knew this was something more. 

“I…” Keye began slowly, her eyes on her hands that fidgeted in her lap. Maya leaned over and covered both of her hands with her own. Keye swallowed hard, tears forming at the corner of her eyes but never falling before looking up at Maya. 

There was silence, strong and solid between them, and Maya just let it hang there to give her the space to say what it was she needed to say. 

“I left the rez because something h-happened,” Keye’s voice was quieter now and Maya listened carefully as soft rain started to patter on the windows above the bed. It was another few moments before Keye continued, “Colin and I were still dating and we were…things were going okay.” 

A cold feeling slid into Maya’s stomach, but she held her breath to keep from thinking the worst. 

“He and I were…well it doesn’t really matter, but things were going well and it was like…four days before Seth and Sadie’s wedding and I wasn’t really feeling good. Just kind of off you know?” Keye took in a breath and Maya heard the sound shudder through her, “And I…I thought that maybe I was…Fuck,” Keye wiped the tear that had escaped from the corner of her eyes and coasted down her cheek. 

“You were what?” Maya asked softly, concern laid plainly on her face. Keye tilted her head and gave Maya a knowing look as she frowned. Maya waited. 

“That I was pregnant,” Keye hiccuped softly and Maya let loose the breath. 

“Oh.” The word came out small and barely there. Just above a whisper. Keye stared down at her hands again, playing with the tips of Maya’s fingers. “Were you?” Maya prompted gently, leaning her head down to capture Keye’s eyes. 

Keye shut them tightly and the tears fiercely rolled now as she nodded. 

“Okay, okay,” Maya looked over her shoulder toward the door wondering if Leah knew…if she knew Keye was… Her gaze flitted over Keye’s body to try and discern how far along she was, but she looked entirely the same. “How far along are—”

Maya was cut off by Keye shaking her head slowly, as hot tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Maya furrowed her brow, confused. Everything was coming at her so fast and she was just trying to piece every part of the puzzle together but felt like she was missing information. When realization dawned on her, her eyes widened with sadness, “You lost it…” she breathed. “Oh, Keye—” Maya reached out to stroke her shoulder, scooting closer but Keye stopped her. 

“Not exactly.” Keye said, wetly. She swallowed hard and forced herself to sit up straight. Her eyes were harder now, and through the tears Maya thought she saw Keye watching her carefully for any reaction that would make her shutter completely. Maya’s mouth hung open again in momentary confusion before she said even softer, her breath barely a whisper, “Oh.”

She blinked rapidly as it all sank in. Of course. Maya kept her face neutral, soft, and open as she watched Keye watching her. Keye’s eyes flicked all around her face, trying to scan for any disapproval, or upset, and that made Maya worry that she had encountered some judgment from her circle. 

Maya reached out and grasped Keye’s hand softly in hers and gave her a soft nod, “It’s okay, Keye. That’s totally your decision.”

But Keye was silent, watching her as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maya let the air hang between them a moment longer before she said, “Do you want to tell me about it?” Keye grimaced. “Or tell me why?” Keye crumbled slightly at that. “Let’s start with an easier question… And you don’t have to answer anything at all if you don’t want to. But, I want you to know that any answer you do give is enough reason and enough justification for the decision you made.” Maya dipped her head to meet Keye’s eyes. Only then did she see her gaze soften with trust again. “It’s enough,” she reinforced. Maya tried to emphasize that love with her eyes as well and held Keye’s gaze. 

When Keye finally nodded, sagging with relief, Maya scooted closer so that their knees were touching, “When did you find out?” She wiped gently at Keye’s tears. 

“Just after I met Leah…Like I said, I hadn’t been feeling great up until Seth and Sadie’s wedding, but after I met Leah, it was like I needed to know, you know?” Maya nodded and just let Keye go. 

“I drove out of town to get a pregnancy test. That whole fucking tribe has eyes everywhere you know and I didn’t want to risk it getting back to…well, I bought three and I was in a fucking gas station bathroom in Beaverton with a full bottle of gatorade just…waiting for what felt like forever,” Keye stopped then and gulped down air. 

Maya was pushing her hair out of her face and stroking her thumb over her hand. “And then it was like…everything stopped you know. It was real…three times it was real. And I….I panicked,” Keye was looking around the room now, the guilt just absolutely pulling her in different directions. “I didn’t want anyone to find out. At least until I could just think for a bit you know. You know how they are about babies, if they had gotten wind that I…and it was Colin’s? No way, game over.” 

A fresh sob broke through Keye’s chest. She opened her mouth a couple of times to speak and couldn’t so Maya let her breathe through it, allowing her the space to continue or stop. But she carried on as if she needed to say it out loud, “I knew I didn’t want it, My. And I just felt….bad. I felt bad because, I don’t know…fuck I don’t know why should I feel bad, you know?” Maya just nodded. She understood guilt like that. “I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I couldn’t go back to the rez. And so I…I called Leah and she came and got me, no questions asked.” 

Thank god, Maya thought. Thank god for Leah, because Maya could just see herself so clearly mirrored in this same situation. She was so grateful that her best friend had someone like Leah to come and protect her the way she needed to be protected. 

“It took me a week to tell her. And she was just…ugh,” Keye reached for a tissue next to the bed and blew her nose before saying, “She was just perfect, you know? She knew just what to say and what to do and…” Keye’s eyes sparkled for a moment as she looked at Maya. Maya couldn’t help but give her a sad, knowing smile back. 

“Yeah, yeah, imprints are great,” she joked, rolling her eyes before squeezing her hand. Keye smiled sadly, looking down at their joined hands. 

“She told me that whatever I wanted to do, it was the right decision. And that I didn’t need to tell anyone if I didn’t want to, because it was my body. She was just…there. All the time for me. I-I don’t know if I could have done all this without her but…she held my hand through it all and I…” Keye looked up at Maya, her eyes sure and firm now, “I don’t regret it.” 

Maya shook her head, “You shouldn’t. That was your decision, and I still love you just as you are.” Keye smiled, bigger this time and nodded. 

“Still fucks with me though,” she said, resigned. 

“Yeah well, they never said being a woman would be easy,” Maya pulled her into a tight hug. Keye held on so hard, she thought her ribs popped, “I love you.” Maya breathed into her hair. 

For a while they just sat there, hugging, listening to each other breathe. Maya hoped her decisions 

— << end trigger warning>> ---

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November, 1 year ago….

Go see the elders. 

Jacob’s voice echoed and roiled in Paul’s ears as he worked away at the lower deck in the back garden. The cool November air whipped round Paul as he worked at setting wood planks on his foundation. The chill did nothing to bring down his temperature though. Paul was running more than hot these days—he was constantly burning up, as if an unbreakable fever clung to him since Maya left. 

Left him. 

Paul stalled, his hands stilling on the wood as he closed his eyes tightly against his last memory of her, tear stricken and shaking her head at him. I won’t. She had said to him that she wouldn’t stay. Not for anyone, not even for him. And that tore him to pieces and set him on fire. And ever since, he’d been burning. 

Paul forced his eyes back open and worked to refocus them on that task at hand. Work on the house always gave him some temporary peace, but he could never truly escape that hollowness that deepened and ached, threatening to drive him mad before the first snow would melt. 

He couldn’t even bring himself to go on rounds at this point. But no one blamed him. No one even came looking for him. He chalked that up to Jacob, citing space, citing time, citing…whatever it was Paul was supposed to find during his time of abandonment. 

Because that’s what it was, anyway you shook it out, he was simply abandoned. Again. 

Go see the elders. 

Jacob’s voice persisted in his head, sounding firmer, angrier each time that Paul refused whether internally or externally. What would the elders do for him exactly? They got him into this mess in the first place. Setting unrealistic expectations, putting pressure on them, coaxing them along with arbitrary milestones. They wouldn’t let up with their pleading eyes and knowing conversations until Maya was pregnant. Jesus. Paul skated quickly away from that thought and continued working on the deck. 

Plus, what could the elders say to him now? Maya was gone, and all he could do was hope that she’d come back. A ripple of anger ran down Paul’s spine as he gritted his teeth. Suddenly he felt like he was six years old again, sitting on the stoop of his dad’s double wide as thunder promised rain overhead. Waiting for someone who might never return. He hated that feeling. And what he hated more was how that anger that he once thought was well and truly tempered began to roil viciously within him again. 

Go see the elders. 

Jacob’s tone turned into a rough growl in his head and Paul couldn’t stand it anymore. The hammer that had gone so still in his hand now shook and he reared back before hurling it with all his might without a care of where it landed. It connected with something far off, a tree perhaps, that shook its occupants free and had them flying off in a hurry. 

Paul let out a harsh breath as he tried to swallow the well of emotion building in him. If he was being honest, he hadn’t done so well since Maya had left. To be fair, that might actually be an understatement. As hot, unshed tears brimmed his dark eyes, he stood with his hands lightly rested on his hips. 

“Fine,” he said to no one in particular, “I’ll go see the elders.” Paul headed off in the direction of his lost hammer.

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The next morning, Maya and Keye stumbled into the kitchen together after having fallen asleep, exhausted from their conversation the night before. 

Today was the day Maya planned to return to La Push and she would be lying if she wasn’t a bit nervous. 

But, even more nerve wracking was Keye’s request to drive her into the rez. After last night, Keye had woken up feeling better, but she had told Maya sleepily that she needed to go home to fix some things too. 

It only made sense that she would come with her, but still, the thought of Keye having another conversation last night made Maya ache, especially if she wouldn’t be as accepted by the others—least of all the council. 

But Keye had assured her that Leah and her had talked about this and that she felt ready after unloading a little on Maya last night. She could do it and even more so, she felt like she needed to, to continue to heal and grow past it. 

Now, hunched over their individual bowls of cereal as Leah watched from her place leaned up against the counter, both women held an air of dread about them. 

Leah took a bite of cereal and said suddenly to Maya: “You know he’s going to know you’re there as soon as you cross the boundary, right?” 

At this, Maya couldn’t help a small shiver run through her. He’d know she was there, but what he would do about it was still up in the air. 

A few hours later, Keye pulled up the familiar, neatly paved driveway to the house. If it wasn’t for the familiar blue stone, Maya might not have even clocked that they were at her house. There’s been so much work done to it, almost as if someone frantically decided to build with unbridled purpose and determination.

“Holy shit,” Keye breathed as she looked through her windshield of Leah’s Subaru. They both sat in stunned silence for a moment, mouths slightly agape. Then Maya replied weakly, 

“Yeah.” 

The little blue house wasn’t so little anymore. 

“Did you know he was—uh,” Keye faltered to complete her sentence so Maya just answered:

“No. This is…” Maya was lost for words. 

“Yeah,” Keye breathed. Finally, she tore her eyes away from the house and looked over at Maya. “So, are you ready?” 

“Are you?” Maya said back just as hesitantly. Keye considered it for a moment and then just shrugged. 

“Yeah, why not?” She answered with a small smile. Maya exhaled a breath through her nose and nodded. Why not. 

She pushed open the door and stood slowly on the dark paved driveway that was dotted with solar lights that would guide her in at night. She grabbed her duffel bag and backpack from the backseat and shut both doors with purpose. 

Keye only pulled back up the driveway once Maya had opened the front door. But Maya stayed frozen on the threshold for a moment, marveling at what lay within. 

The quaint front entryway had been completely opened and transformed into a wide open expansive living room that wrapped around the staircase that was now exposed on either side. Off to the right of the living room where there had only been a stone wall before, Paul had put in a cozy office, the entryway was arched and held two driftwood french doors, the glass mingling perfectly with the hand carved wood. 

Maya peeked in, her eyes coasting over the back wall behind the raw edged desk that was packed books in the floor to ceiling bookshelves. An oversized, plush chair was nestled neatly next to the bookshelves and the bay window that looked out into the woods. A small iron fireplace had been installed in a free corner. It was…perfect for lack of a better word. 

Maya spun on her heel and carried on toward the back of the house. The kitchen had been further expanded, a large warm wood island stretched across the expansive green tile. New appliances had been installed, the cabinets fitted and hand carved with intricate designs to heighten the simplicity of the sleek and soft kitchen around it.

Someone had been busy. Maya wrapped her arms around herself and glanced across the space. It was all so beautiful and different. But it still somehow felt like her home. It held the exact warmth and memory as before, just opened more to welcome new memories. 

Outside the sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky into the late afternoon. She pushed aside the long sliding glass door and stepped out onto the deck. A hanging bed flocked in white gossamer curtains and shaded by a partially covered pergola hung seductively off to the side. The deck had been expanded to include three levels, each holding a different space to gather with cozy chairs, firepits, and hand carved weather-proofed wooden tables. 

The most impressive thing that she had seen thus far though was the renovated workshop. Paul had completely rebuilt it, expanded it, and settled it a little further back onto the neighboring property. It almost looked the size of his studio in Seattle now, but he had built the entire front with reclaimed antique windows so that she could easily see into the intricate workspace within.The beveled glass glittered in the winter sun and made the entire backyard sparkle. It even held a second story loft that looked out toward the ocean. 

The cold November breeze rolled over Maya and she took a deep breath. She knew the kind of frenzied state he must have been in when he started building all of this. As a distraction. To keep him from feeling that hollowing pain that she herself felt almost every day when she had left. It was heartbreaking what they’d done to each other. But there was no getting around it now. 

Still, the most surprising thing was, he wasn’t here. Maya looked over her shoulder back into the house. Maybe she could find the keys to her Jeep, now neatly tucked away in the newly built two-car garage in the adjacent lot that Paul must have purchased to make all of these renovations. 

With Paul nowhere in sight, she let out a long breath. She guessed she could go to Emily and Sam’s and look for him there. That’s what she needed to do—she needed to find him. 

------------------------------------------------

February, 9 months ago…

Paul stood on the aging and worn steps of the last elder front porch in the icy rain that was oscillating annoyingly into sleet. As he looked around the front porch, shirtless and drenched in cold rain that steamed off of him, he noticed the wood rot close to the house where the porch met and made a mental note to come back and repair it once the weather cleared. 

After a few more seconds, Elder Ti’Hal slowly pulled open the door, a wool woven shawl hanging heavy over her shoulders. Her bright white hair was braiding neatly into two plaits. 

Elder Ti’Hal was truly ancient. And Paul didn’t mean that in a negative way at all. She radiated the distilled essence and teachings of their tribe. She was an elder before Paul was even born and he’d never known her without her bright white hair framing her wrinkled, warm face. 

She still managed to move fairly quickly and with agility that wouldn’t normally be attributed to someone of her age, but that was the mystery of elder Ti’Hal. She also never attended council meetings or bonfires anymore, and instead preferred to stay in her quiet cottage in the forest that she had shared with her husband before his passing over two decades ago. 

“Paul Lahote,” she said softly. “To what do I owe this very wet appearance?” 

Paul scowled off to the side, his jaw clenching so hard he thought his teeth might crack. He hadn’t realized it, but he was breathing heavily, his shoulders rising and falling with the effort of it. When he didn’t answer she just nodded gravely. 

“Come in,” she walked back into her small, warm, wooden home and Paul only hesitated for a second in the cold rain before he ducked under the tiny threshold and entered. “Let me get you a towel,” she grumbled. 

“Don’t bother,” he said, his tone coming out harsher than he intended. 

“For my couch then,” she was already digging in the small linen closet and produced a worn, threadbare towel that she draped across her couch for gesturing to it. “Sit.” she commanded. 

Paul had forgotten how bossy the elders were. He trudged across the living room, careful not to trip on the woven Quileute rug before he slumped down onto the couch in a huff. A warm fire crackled off to his left and Elder Ti’Hal had disappeared around a corner into her tiny kitchen and was clanging around with a kettle. 

“Do you want to start or should I?” Elder Ti’Hal called from the kitchen. Paul was still breathing heavily, the ache in his stomach crescendoing to a harsh beat. He may have groaned painfully in response, but he was too distracted by the unrelenting pain the imprint was causing him. “Right,” Elder Ti’Hal came around the corner with two hand thrown mugs in her hand steaming with what Paul hoped was something stronger than tea. 

She handed him his mug and when he took a whiff, he nearly threw it begrudgingly into the fire. 

“What pains you today, Paul Lahote?” she began. Paul shook his head, trying to find the right place to start, but nothing came to him, so instead he said, 

“Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?” she sipped slowly from her mug. 

“Call me by my first and last name. It’s not like you haven’t known me before I was born. Both names seem overkill don’t you think?” 

He shifted uncomfortably on the warm, plush couch as she leveled him with her gaze and took her time answering. 

“It’s more to remind you than me,” she said cryptically. Paul scoffed: 

“Oh believe me, I know who I am.” 

“Do you?” she replied quickly. Paul glared at her full on now and leaned forward, his mug still cradled between both hands. 

“She didn’t come home for Christmas. She didn’t come home for Seth and Sadie’s wedding. Nothing. Not a fucking peep from her,” he could feel the tension in his body snap, the anger flowing through his veins freely now. He trembled slightly—this wasn’t his first time having to channel unchecked rage through himself and he doubted Ti’Hal would appreciate him exploding into a giant wolf and shredding her comfortable living room to pieces. 

Instead, Paul glued his eyes to the fire, trying to let the anger move through him and then out of him to be consumed and burned away by the fire. But every time he breathed in, it felt like ash flooding his mouth, the embers of that anger still hotter than anything else within him. 

“What does one do with so much anger?” she posed the question suddenly. Paul looked up at her wide-eyed as if shocked by the fact that she could see it on him. He was naive to think that much anger wouldn’t still be palpable to someone as attuned as her. Paul rolled his jaw and sat staring at her, waiting for the anger to ebb, but it wouldn’t. 

Fuck. 

Elder Ti’Hal settled back into her large armchair covered in different soft, worn blankets. When it was clear he wasn’t going to respond, she glanced out the window, watching the rain settle into a gentle drizzle. 

“What do you think the imprint is, Paul?” her voice was warm with a gentle thrum to it like dried maize kernels pouring into a stone bowl. Comforting, consistent. It was maddening to say the least, so Paul continued in his aggravated tone, feeling the heat rise on his skin. 

“An anchor for packmates. A promise for imprints. It’s a reason to stay.” 

“Hmm,” she breathed, her eyes still on the window watching the rain make trails to the muddied window ledge. Paul huffed, rubbing his hands against his knees with impatience. A fucking waste of time, he thought as he clenched his jaw. “But it wasn’t reason enough for her to stay?” 

When her eyes slowly drifted back toward him, Paul looked ready to burst into flames. 

“Clearly not. I can’t go get her because I’ve been ordered to stay away, but also….she doesn’t want me to come,” his voice was quiet. He waited for her to speak again but she just stared at him sadly. A deathly calm rolled over him and he thought that if Ti’Hal didn’t say something soon, he might just give up and collapse in on himself like a dying star.

“What is it then? The imprint?” Paul asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. 

Ti’Hal smiled slowly, warmth creeping into her eyes as she tilted her head to the side and surveyed Paul thoroughly. She took her time before she finally said: 

“A choice.” 

Paul tried to quiet the tremors radiating through his body. If the imprint was a choice, then Maya had clearly not chosen him. Never. Not even from the start. The thought of it made his blood boil. His face twisted in rage before he spat out. 

“What the fuck does that mean? How is it a fucking choice when it’s supposedly pre-ordained from the ancestors? That makes no fucking sense, you know that right?” Paul was on his feet without remembering when exactly he stood up. His hands were curled into fists and his chest was rising and falling quickly. He needed to calm down. If he could just calm down he could…

Ti’Hal just watched him with that serene look on her face, as if nothing fazed her anymore and the anger of a full blown werewolf couldn’t even shake her. Paul tried breathing, closing his eyes, counting to ten, but nothing could quell this desperate anger that spiraled and felt like lead dropping into the bottom of his stomach. 

Why was it always like this? This anger? It was like a tide that he couldn’t escape. Like clockwork it would just rush over him and pull him under in seconds and there was nothing he felt like he could do about it. It was an exposed wire in his veins just ticking and twitching with so much heat and sharpness that he felt his skin would burn away and leave him exposed and vulnerable. 

 “Have you given her a choice?” Ti’Hal’s voice cut through the raging quiet like a whip, but her voice still remained calm. He tried to focus on that—that there was calm to be achieved and he could reach it. He could reach the shore if he just stayed calm. He was panting, losing his breath every moment he kept himself solid and here. 

“I thought I did…but I wasn’t given one either,” he thought back to the moment the imprint had happened. Seeing her there across the fire. It was like an instant salve to a long forgotten pain. And then in the next moment, he was all resistance and rage again. Nothing felt like a choice when it came to the imprint. “We…we didn’t have time to make that choice,” Paul tried to slow his breathing. Calm, in and out, just like the waves. Not sinking but drifting.

“Some see the imprint as a gift, but that’s also just a choice wrapped up in a nice bow, in my opinion. It is a choice, Paul Lahote. You’ve made plenty in your very short life so far, but it is one that you give to her and wait until she makes it. It’s a question, and not a command and it can take many forms. You’re part is making sure you ask her the right one,” she watched his body language shift ever so slightly. “Miss Sunriviere was told that you were her imprint, told that there was to be in a relationship, and then told what her life would most likely be, in so many words.” Paul opened his mouth to retort but she continued anyway, “You are her choice. So ask the question and be patient for once. And most importantly, be vulnerable to her answer,” Ti’Hal took a moment to sip her tea. Paul tried to let those words sink in. 

He was vulnerable with her. Her absence had nearly destroyed him, was that not vulnerable enough? 

“No, not that,” Ti’Hal responded as if she could hear his thoughts. Paul’s eyes widened. 

“What’s the question, then? The one I should ask?” Paul said desperately, his voice rasping as he realized he had been holding his body tensely throughout Ti’Hal’s speech. 

“Start with the answer you want and work your way back from there,” she gave a cryptic smile and stood, disappearing behind her kitchen door and singing softly to herself, unceremoniously excusing him. 

Paul stood there for a while longer, rapidly breathing, and listening to Ti’Hal singing the songs of his childhood in her kitchen, muffled and sweet.  ------------------------------------------

The door to her Jeep shut with a sharp click as Maya shrugged on her cropped puffy jacket. Much as she had suspected, the keys to Maya’s Jeep were in the sun visor, as if waiting for her. The whole drive to Sam and Emily’s felt…calm. As if she were driving toward something rather than into something. There was no sweeping dread, no overwhelming nervousness—she just felt ready. She chocked that up to just time. The time away had made her ready for home, refreshed her.

Sam and Emily’s looked the same as it always did—warm and inviting with a steady stream of smoke coming from the chimney. It was familiar and as she took in a deep breath, the cold November air spiced with pine and fallen leaves, with a hint of the salty Pacific sent a pleasant reassuring thrum through her body. 

Maya stood by her Jeep for a moment just taking it in, before the potential chaos—whether it would be angry or joyful—would be wrought on her. Just the quiet creak of the forest, a distant river rushing toward the sea, and muffled laughter booming from within the home. 

Maya took a deep breath and took a couple of steps forward, her feet crunching on the wet gravel. She hadn’t made it more than a few steps when the screen door opened and Paul walked out slowly onto the porch, hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. Maya halted, her breath caught in her throat as her eyes met his. 

She braced herself for whatever awaited her, but still that pulsing calm spread through her. It all felt…alright. And she hadn’t felt that way in so long. She watched in for just a moment as he stood on the top step of the porch, his face neutral before it broke into an earth shattering smile. 

Maya could have sobbed at the sight of it. He sauntered down the steps toward and it took all of her self control not to break into a full on sprint to quickly close the distance between them. Somehow she managed a quick walk and nearly crashed into his body, but he held her fast, one arm coming out to wrap around her waist as his other hand cupped her jaw. He peered down at her, that warm smile still spilling sunshine in every direction and she stared up at him, eyes glittering with unshed tears. 

He shook his head lightly and smiled, as his thumb reached up to gently brush across her lower lip, parting them softly. 

“You came home,” he said gently, the emotion clearly wavering in his deep voice. Maya nearly crumbled at his touch. She was home. 

“Yes,” she said simply, her voice barely above a whisper. “I thought it was…time,” she paused when he raised his eyebrows at her, a hint of humor and warmth in his eyes then quickly clarified: “For a visit.”

But this didn’t seem to faze him. He just nodded gently, humming in acceptance with that warm, pleased look on his face as he took her all in. There was a palpable vibration happening between them, what Maya could only assume was a physical manifestation of the imprint’s tension. 

The last time she had seen him on the rez  was over a year ago. And yet, time washed away and parted to let them stand there together again as if nothing had passed, as if this was any other day. Comfortable. 

Maya’s hands shook she gripped the sides of his abdomen. She’d come all this way to say….to say what exactly? Her mouth parted softly but nothing came out. She needed to say something, anything. The silence stretched between them and Maya just couldn’t let it hang there any longer. How could she? After he had left her in that hotel room, and how it had felt coming home again—she needed to tell him everything. 

He was tall, god so tall, he towered over her really, and yet she felt like his matching pair. 

“Welcome home,” he said gently, his nose nuzzling hers gently. 

Maya looked up at him curiously, her eyes slightly narrowed as she took him in. His dark beard was closely trimmed to his face, and his hair was a bit shorter than the last time she saw it. He looked good. Well, he always looked good, but this was different. 

His eyes seemed bright, not clouded with the anger or jealousy she had seen back in the spring. No, this Paul felt solid, for once. The light was shining on his face, his color back to its warm russet, flush with heat and health. Everything felt simpler. 

And with the confusion and despair that had once clung to that hollowness in her stomach from the imprint’s ache clearing completely, she felt like she could see clearly for the first time in awhile. She was worried momentarily that maybe it was just the trick of the imprint, beckoning her in—a salve to her burning anxiety. 

But staring up at Paul, there was an openness there that hadn’t been there before. Something that she wanted to discover and ask him about. For now though, as his hand slowly threaded into her hair and pulled her close, this was all that she needed. 

Finally, after watching her with such intensity, such heat, as if trying to rememorize every part of her face he lowered his head toward hers and crashed their lips together. It was like coming up for air after swimming beneath a current for too long. His kiss pressed new life into her and she arched her body fully into his, her curve slotting into the shape of his body just so as he held her against him. 

Paul moved his mouth over hers, slow and wanting, washing the ache of their absence away. There was no succumbing this time, just an equal measure of elation at being together again, and Maya felt that familiar sensation of something clicking into place and she saw it for what it was: being in the right place at the right time. 

She sighed into his mouth and heard him give a soft groan of pleasure before the air rang with the hoots and howls of his brothers. He pulled back gently, his eyes hooded and soft as he looked at her. Paul glanced over his shoulder at his pack crowded onto the porch and gave a gentle laugh before looking back, his eyes shining with something new as he said gruffly, “I guess they missed you too.” 

Maya swallowed thickly and laughed, not willing to let go of him first. But he took her cue and said, “Come inside, I’m sure they all have a million questions.” Paul kissed her forehead before turning and slotting her neatly into his side as they walked the short distance to the porch. 

“Hey, hey Ivy League!” Jared crooned. 

“Welcome back, My,” Seth said softly. 

“We needed a little more brains around here,” Colin laughed as Brady shoved him lightly. 

“Maya?!” a soft, female voice floated out from the front door as Maya and Paul climbed the porch steps. Becks pushed her way through the pack crowded on the porch and started sobbing instantly upon seeing her. She was heavily pregnant, and Jacob wasn’t far behind her as she nearly dropped into Maya’s arms in a hug, squeezing her so tightly she thought she cracked a rib. 

“Oh my god!” she cried into her shoulder. Maya chuckled and rubbed soft circles on her back as she looked over her shoulder at Jacob who shrugged and looked lovingly at his hormonally devastated wife. Becks pulled back to look at Maya, her face puffy and tear stricken, “You absolute JERK!” Maya barked a laugh at that and tried to wipe some tears away from Becks’ cheeks. “Don’t ever disappear on me like that again. I thought— I thought—,” 

“I know. I’m sorry,” Maya said, pulling her best friend back into a hug. “I should have texted.” Becks hiccuped a sound of disapproval, “Or called.” Maya corrected. When she pulled back, Becks nodded, seemingly trying to get herself calm as Jacob settled a hand on her lower back. Maya’s eyes widened as she took in just how pregnant she was. 

“Yeah, I know,” Becks said disappointed, “He’s like a week late.” She truly looked exhausted and the size of her belly stretched to almost painful extent. Jacob rubbed her back and leaned down to kiss her temple. 

“He’ll come soon, babe,” he promised. “Plus, Maya’s here. That’s literally all the good luck we need to induce your labor. Like last time.” 

Maya laughed again and shrugged, “Just no vampire delivery this time, right?” she quipped. Jacob rolled his eyes. 

“Jesus, I hope it doesn’t come to that. But, Carlisle is on standby if the water birth stalls or we need quick intervention,” Jacob said nonchalantly. 

“What the fuck is a water birth?” Brady whispered to no one in particular. 

“Come inside, come inside,” Becks waved a hand and with Paul’s hand on her waist gently, Maya let the warm, comforting Uley home swallow her up. 

They stayed at Sam and Emily’s until late in the evening, laughing and swapping stories. Paul stayed next to her, his presence relaxed and content, which was so unlike the tense and overwhelmingly protectiveness he had always exhibited before she left. 

She glanced over at him a couple times, and each time, he caught her eye and gave her a smile. One that promised nothing but exactly what he was in that moment. And it made her…happy. 

When she started to yawn, Paul took that as an opportunity to lean over and whisper softly against her ear, “Let’s go home.” 

Maya nodded immediately and they said their quick goodbyes to those remaining there, promising to come back tomorrow for lunch and babywatch. 

When they pulled up to the house in Maya’s Jeep, she couldn’t stifle her laughter quickly enough before Paul looked toward her amused and said:

“You don’t like it?” he asked, not even a little offended. If she didn’t know any better, there might be a slight teasing tone to his voice.

“No, no! It’s beautiful, I—,” she shut her eyes tightly to quell the rising emotion in her stomach from burning behind her eyes for too long. “It’s beautiful, Paul. You’ve clearly been busy, but I’m not sure why you did all this work.” Liar, the voice inside her quipped. 

The corner of Paul’s mouth pulled up in a smug grin beneath his closely trimmed beard, “Bullshit,” he replied, maybe to that voice in her head. Maya blushed and shook her head at the soft teasing tone. 

They hopped out of the car and came around the front into each other’s sides, arms weaving effortlessly over each other’s waists like magnets pulled them together, as they walked toward the house.

“Well, why else would you feel the need to renovate our entire house? It’s not like we needed to. The house was…fine, before,” she swallowed a gasp on the last two words as Paul confidently reached for her hip and tugged her closer, pulling her body flush with his. He stopped her, his other hand came up to rest on the side of her neck and threaded through her hair at the  nape of her neck.

He chuckled and Maya felt the warm rumbling vibration of it stumble through her body and land in her belly. “Shut up,” he said with a gentle smile. Maya couldn’t help her returning grin before she quickly wiped it from her face. 

“Seriously, if this is what happens every time I leave, I’m going to have to have someone confiscate your power tools,” his warm breath fanned across her face as he sighed, his eyes dancing around taking her all in in this light. How did he do that? Look at her like he was seeing the most incredible thing he’d ever laid eyes upon for the first time, and yet, the familiarity of his gaze said he’d known her forever, lifetimes before even. She let her hands rest on his chest now as she looked up at him. 

“I forgot how much of a little shit you are,” he teased.

“Me?! Really, you're a menace to homes everywhere—” Maya was cut off as she shrieked with delight as Paul growled, squeezing her hip and biting her neck, his rough stubble tickling beneath her chin as he backed her over the threshold of the house and kicked the door shut behind him. 

Once inside, he grabbed her under her thighs and carried her effortlessly up the stairs toward their bedroom, his mouth never leaving hers. Maya wrapped her arms around his neck, letting herself sink deeper into the kiss. Nothing was hurried—for once. 

When he lowered her gently onto the bed, his hands coasted across her thighs and unbuttoned her jeans. He peeled them off her slowly, kissing down her body and pausing to press an open mouthed kiss to delicate V between her thighs. Maya watched him, her eyes hooded with desire as he took his time kissing back up her bare legs once her jeans were discarded, pulling her shirt up now and peppering the expanse of her belly with warm pecks. 

Maya sighed, a small moan escaping as made his way up between her breasts, swiftly pulling her shirt up over her head and burying his face in her neck, the stubble scraping against the soft skin and making goosebumps rise across her breasts. 

Paul was slow and methodical in how he worshiped her, his hands touching every part of her, pausing to measure just how well she fit in his hands. Maya felt it too and an overwhelming sense of contentment rushed through her. The imprint bond that normally rang so clear through her during a time like this was completely silent. She didn’t pay it much mind though as Paul quickly unsnapped her bra and pulled back the delicate lace before encasing her nipple in his mouth. Maya’s back arched off the bed and Paul’s hand traced the shape of it. 

His thigh nestled neatly between her legs and Maya couldn’t help but seek friction desperately there, grinding down on him and rolling her hips as he tugged gently at her nipple with his teeth, biting softly across the swell of her chest to her other breast. 

Maya was panting with desire, rolling her hips as her eyes flutter shut to simply exist in this moment with him. She heard the soft swish of his t-shirt coming off and the familiar hum of his zipper. When she opened her eyes, he was standing and discarding his clothes, fully naked at the end of the bed and he simply looked—gorgeous. Maya’s breath caught in her throat as she leaned up to look at him. His throat bobbed in equal adoration as he leaned over her, his fingers ghosting across her hips and slowly slipping her panties down her thighs. He kissed her bent knee as he slipped the lacy garment over it and when she was fully naked beneath him, he let out a well deserved sigh. His eyes raked in every inch of her as if drinking her in. Maya was propped up on her elbows, her eyes softened as she slowly let her knees drop to either side, baring herself to him. 

She was already dripping—she knew that. Paul licked his lips and kneeled between her, not wasting anymore time as he bit gently on her thigh before leaning in to devour her. His tongue, flat and warm, seemed to touch every part between her thighs and Maya threw her head back, letting out a sharp moan. He let her settle on his tongue, tasting her, relishing her scent, as he held her there, his hands anchored firmly on her hips. His mouth sucked and pulled at her clit, his tongue darting into her opening, as a groan rumbled from his throat and through her body. 

Maya was cresting, light bursting behind her eyes as she whimpered through her release. She twitched against his tongue and only then did he lean up, his eyes glazed with lust and love so intertwined that she thought she’d melt into the mattress. 

Paul ran his hands over her body again, reverently, as if to prove something to himself and Maya shivered. The ache growing inside of her was present, persistent, but he leaned down slowly, taking her mouth over his and she sighed into it. Their breath mingled, mixing, and Maya felt like she was coming home all over again. 

He wrapped his arm down around her back and shifted her up the bed, but before she could settle onto the pillows, he whipped her over him and Maya straddled his abdomen. Her eyes sparkled, and she couldn’t help but smile. Paul almost always preferred to have her beneath him when he claimed her, but in this moment, his eyes shone with a desire to see her claim every part of him. 

Maya let her hands run down his chest, memorizing the hard expanse, the ripples and lines that made him strong and immovable. His chest rose and fell in quick breaths as if her fingertips were tracing some new pattern of love into his skin. Maya slowly traced over each dip and line of muscle, her eyes trained to each small freckle or scar, taking him all in. 

His hands gripped her hips tightly, kneading the soft flesh that creased between her hip and thigh and she smiled. “You are torturing me,” he rasped, his eyes dark and desperate. Maya glanced up at his face and just smiled softly. 

“I’m just remembering,” she replied barely above a whisper. Paul pressed his thumbs into that delicate crease where her hips met each of her thighs and pressed. A shot of lightning struck between her legs and a soft gasp fell from her lips. 

“Remembering what?” he asked, so soft, so gentle. A sweet juxtaposition to the hard bodied, giant man that lay wanting and ready beneath her. Maya’s fingers paused over where his heart lay thumping wildly in his chest. 

“What it feels like to come home,” she replied, as she lifted her hips and pressed him against her center. She slid down onto him slowly, feeling the warm stretch of him. A feral groan ripped from Paul as she sank onto his hilt, her hips neatly connected to his. She feel his hands flex as they gripped and loosened on her thighs. Maya braced herself on his stomach, taking in deep, stuttering breaths as she tried to get used to the sheer size of him again. As he twitched inside of her, she let out a soft “Ah!” as she clenched around him. She was so sensitive. Being fully in control had set her body alight and Paul waited for her to move, groaning each time she inadvertently squeezed him inside of her. 

When she lifted slightly, Paul braced her between his hands, helping to raise her hips. His eyes were glued to where they connected as the sheen of her slick coated every exposed inch of him. Maya raised herself halfway up his shaft before slowly settling back down onto him working herself into a slow and languid pace. 

Maya watched his eyes, sharp and dark as they took in every bit of movement. He was in absolute awe, completely taken by the shape of her and Maya felt completely in control. 

Her mouth hung open in unadulterated want as she quickened her pace on top of him. Rolling and sliding her hips against him. Paul’s hands tightened and loosened of their own accord as if he had to remind himself to let go a little so he wouldn’t bruise her. 

With each roll of her hips, that ache was replaced with warm relief and she felt a whole body shiver rush through her as Paul started chanting her name. She needed him closer, as she felt her tits swell and ache from her impending release. As if he heard her, Paul leaned up, connecting their bodies. His chest pressed flush against hers, but Maya didn’t stop bucking her hips against his. Paul wrapped his arms around her body, nipping along her collarbone, his moans echoing across the room as Maya threw her head back, panting and cursing. 

She felt him release first, and it took her over the edge. Paul’s eyes were closed tightly as he shuddered through his release and Maya curved in on herself as she let go, her body clenching to him tightly with wave after wave of pleasure as if she was trying to rinse herself through. 

Finally, she collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily into the crook of his neck. He placed a hand behind her head and stroked gently, kissing her temple as he tried to slow his breathing. 

Still, the imprint was silent. Maya wasn’t complaining, it was just…strange. 

“Welcome home,” he breathed. Maya chuckled and buried her head in his neck as she let sleep overtake her in one fell swoop

The next morning, Maya awoke slowly. She was keenly aware of Paul’s body behind hers, his arms wrapped lightly around her waist. Rain pattered gently on the windows and she had to admit that she hadn’t felt this content waking up in a long while. 

Paul stirred gently behind her, kissing her shoulder as Maya rubbed her hand over his forearm. They stretched into one another, Paul groaning sleepily as she turned in his arms. 

“Good morning,” he said gently, his eyes barely open. Maya bit her lower lip and smiled. 

“Morning.” 

“Do you have plans today?” he asked nonchalantly. Maya quirked an eyebrow and stifled a laugh. 

“No, I don’t think so. These are my plans, what about you?” she said in only a slightly teasing tone. 

“Yeah, I want to show you something,” he opened his eyes fully now, looking down at her and Maya looked at him carefully. Not a bit of hesitation in those eyes, she noticed. “Will you come?” 

“Sure,” Maya breathed. She didn’t know why but her stomach erupted with butterflies. He gave her a warm smile and closed his eyes again pulling her closer as he settled back into sleep. 

Later that afternoon, once the rain had stopped and Maya was bundled in her heavy winter coat and rain weathered hiking boots. Paul was dressed simply in jeans and a black t-shirt, his hair neatly coiffed to the side as if he had tried to tidy it up just a little bit. 

Paul drove them into the woods and parked in a clearing. He led her through the forest and they walked for nearly an hour along sloping pathways and fern covered earth. Paul carried her over fallen trees and helped her down rain slicked slopes until the pathways went decidedly up and up. 

“Where are we going?” Maya laughed as she breathed in the briney air, her cheeks flushed red with heat and exertion. Paul looked back at her over his shoulder and squeezed her hand. 

“Almost there,” he reassured her. 

Once they broke through the treeline, Maya knew where they were headed and her heart began to race. 

It was the cliff from her dream all those years ago. Where the wolf had beckoned her forward. 

“Paul what are we—” she began as they started up the slope of the cliff. 

“When you were gone, I went and saw the elders,” he began not looking at her. Maya stopped and her hand fell from his. 

“Oh?” she couldn’t say that that filled her with the reassurance she was hoping for. The elders had been incredibly intrusive throughout their relationship. “What for?” she probed. 

Paul took a few more steps forward toward the jutting edge of the cliff that pulled out over the water. “I was looking for advice and they didn’t really offer me much…until I saw Ti’Hal,” Maya’s eyes widened at that and she followed him a couple steps onto the cliff. 

“Ti’Hal?” She was shivering, not from the cold but from something else. Nerves? She couldn’t place it. No one ever went to Ti’Hal. She was the tribe’s oldest advisor, never came to council meetings anymore, and was a recluse for lack of a better term. Still, she was revered within her community and if you did seek her out, there needed to be a very good reason. She didn’t give away her time easily. 

Paul looked out over the cliffs, the wind whipping around him as he put a hand in his pocket. “I was trying to figure out what to do about us.” Maya’s stomach dropped at that. Paul still didn’t look at her and she felt like she was waiting for other shoe to drop, “I was miserable without you Maya, I think you know that.” 

“Paul—” Maya tried again. 

“No. Let me get this out,” he breathed harshly, turning to look at her finally, his eyes were burning. “Let me, please.” He nearly begged. Maya swallowed hard and nodded. He looked out again for a couple of heartbeats before he continued, turning to look back at her but staying close to the cliffs edge. 

“I was miserable without you. I had no idea what to do about the imprint, how to get you back. It was driving me insane. Actually insane. I didn’t phase back for a few months because I couldn’t handle being without you and lending myself to that animal side was simpler. But that started to make everything worse….I felt like..I was dying without you. And that terrified me.” 

Indeed his eyes were pained and dark and Maya thought the pain of it would reach out and shatter her. That the imprint would begin to tug her closer. But it didn’t. It was odd. 

“I just wanted it all to stop. If you wanted to stay away, be without me, I wanted you to have that and for me not to feel this way anymore. So, I tried to figure out the bond the imprint made. At one point I even asked…I even considered…trying to break it,” his voice was so defeated and Maya couldn’t help a soft sob from escaping her throat at the thought of it. “I was in so much pain, I just…” 

Maya took another small step forward and he continued, determined. “Still, the elders had no advice. The imprint would pull you back to me. There would be no other option but that. And then I saw Ti’Hal. I realized after talking with her that I got the imprint all wrong. I got us all wrong,” his eyes were hard now as they looked past her, through her. 

Was this some sort of sick joke? Fear shot through Maya as she thought the absolute worst. 

“Paul, wait,” Maya said, holding her hand out. 

“No, My,” he shook his head, “Let me finish.” 

“I don’t want you to,” she nearly had to yell over the wind, “Please, let’s just go home.” 

Paul shook his head, a smile now bursting over his face and Maya had to swallow her tears to keep from letting the panic sink in. 

“You have no idea how much I love you,” he said gently. Maya’s eyes widened and she took a step forward. Please don’t let it be bad. “I realized that because of the imprint and because of what everyone thought it meant, you were never given a choice in all this. I was never given a choice in all this.” Maya started to shake her head to stop him, to make him listen, he couldn’t leave her like this. It wasn’t fair. 

“Please,” she choked. 

“I decided I wanted to make a choice in all this. And you deserve one too,” his eyes on her were hard. And he took one step forward but then, he shrank from her eyeline getting onto both of his knees. He was actually kneeling before her, his hand now out of his pocket holding something. “I want you to choose me because it’s what you want. I want a life with you and I want us to create that together. Not because of the imprint or because of what is expected. But because you love me and I love you. I want…I want so bad to marry you, My. Will you marry me?” 

The shiny glimmer of tears caught in the corners of his eyes as he stared up at her. Maya took the last few steps toward him slowly, her mouth open in shock as tears flowed freely over her cheeks now. The ring glittered in his hands, a large oval shaped diamond set in a delicate gold band. Maya was crying completely now, the tears beginning to blur her vision and she couldn't quite catch her breath.

“Will you—” he tried again but Maya cut him off quickly. 

“Yes, yes I will! Yes, Paul. Yes,!” she sank to her knees before him and he tugged her forward, kissing her through her tears as the waves crashed and roiled below them. 

Next > >

#twilight fanfiction #taking time #paul lahote pairing #paul lahote #paul lahote x oc #twilight fanfic #the twilight saga #twilight wolf pack #trigger warning #maya and paul #chapter fifty four #jacob black #leah clearwater #twilight

[since0202]

pls come back to us 😭

Mmmmmm, Okay.

#taking time #chapter 54 #dropping tonight at 6pm CT #paul lahote #paul lahote smut #paul lahote fanfic #twilight fanfiction

[since0202]

Hello! I just wanted to check in and see how you are as you’ve been quiet recently💕

Thanks for the check-in (and thank you to everyone else who checked in). Life just got a little busy. I started school up again to get a certificate in UX/UI design, went on a bunch of trips, and my sister moved out of state, so it's been a busy few months. Writing kind of went to the back burner during all of it.

Sorry to go MIA on you all. But we're back and writing again and I hope to post the next chapter soon. In Chapter 54 we'll see if Maya is brave enough to go back to the rez and see Paul.

We'll also learn more about Leah and Keye's relationship. Also, I know someone sent me an ask about that way back when and I said that wasn't the reason she disappeared--which technically it still isn't and we'll learn why in Chapter 54. But I sat with the idea of Leah imprinting on Keye for months and it just made sense to my long-term story arc. So thank you to that person for the hard read on that situation!

Happy to be back and happy to see all of you in the notes and inbox.

#answered anon #taking time #leah and keye #maya and paul #twilight fanfiction

[since0202]

Taking Time: Fifty-Three

Missed calls

Word count: 6,443

There’s always a crushing weight that settles around my shoulders when she looks at me like that. I never know what’s exactly going on in her head, what she’ll say next. And that’s what I’ve loved about her. She’s always kept me guessing, kept me paying attention and focused. It was one of the easiest ways I found to temper my anger when it flared up around anyone else. Even if she didn’t know it, she helped keep me on solid ground when I’d felt like I’d been adrift for so long. But now, I’d give anything to know what was going on in her head. She was furious with me about enrolling her in UW, I know, but I couldn’t risk losing her. It felt like there was danger all around us and the only way I felt like I could keep her safe was here with me. I knew she wouldn’t like it. I knew she would fight against it. But if I could just make her see that I wasn’t trying to ruin her life and that it was actually temporary, just until the danger died down, and she could go back to New York soon, she’d understand. But then she wasn’t there when I came back this time. And in the next second, I felt the earth fall out from under me. 

The soft click of the hotel door behind him was the only thing that reminded him his feet were on solid ground. Paul staggered down the hallway only a few steps before his mouth burst open taking gasping breaths. 

It felt as if someone was hollowing out the pit of his stomach with a jagged edged spoon, ripping and tearing at everything inside of him until he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. His hand shot out to grip the wall and keep from sinking to his knees. 

It’ll pass. It’ll pass. It’ll pass. He chanted to himself in his head. 

This undeniable pain of the imprint felt just as raw as it did when she first left him. She’d not broken the bond when she’d left, but still nearly cleaved it in two. The only thing holding the bond together was a dangerously thin connection that reacted like an exposed nerve whenever disturbed by simply the thought of her. Which for Paul, was all of the time. 

And right now, that nerve was being ground with sandpaper as he walked further away from the door. This earth shattering ache was something that always echoed within him, to the point where it had nearly driven him crazy back on the reservation. 

Maya had disappeared from his life that night and every day since. The imprint had been begging for him to get her back even if he knew what she needed—space and time away…from him. Paul tried to catch his breath, his hand coming to wind around his abdomen as he was reminded of the night she left him—the pain so acutely similar to that first night: 

A little over a year ago…

Paul’s feet pounded on the forest floor, his breath huffing from his mouth in great bursts. All he could hear replaying in his head on repeat was her refusal, pushing him away, and he couldn’t stand it anymore. Paul knew he should have stayed to talk it through, to reassure her that the plan he’d made for them would work if she’d just tried it, but deep down he knew it all felt wrong—making her stay, holding her to him like this. And so, when she refused, he let himself fall into the familiar rush of the phase. 

Soon enough, the weight of his mounting anger would be easily channeled into each  limb as he dashed through the dense forest. There would be nothing left to feel once he was there and when he came back, she’d be there to talk it through and they’d figure it out together. But right now, his mind was a mess and he couldn’t see anything past the resounding anger that swelled and grew and wanted to rip every part of him to shreds. 

Paul didn’t know how long he ran for, but the air grew cooler as he made his way further north, scaling mountains and focusing on anything but the anger pulsing in his chest. If he could just get some distance, it would subside. That’s how it always worked in the past. He remembered distinctly when he first phased and how that visceral anger he’d felt every day as a kid suddenly subsided as he would wind his way through the forest. He had finally found relief from the pain of that anger all these years. Through his mother’s absence, his father’s violence, and the falling away of every family he’d ever come to know before he was left all alone the one thing that remained was that anger. Like a companion, an old friend. But when the phase hit him, he realized there was something else for him to do. And Sam made sure that he made use of that anger, channeled it in a way that could help the pack rather than hurt them. He’d still slip up sometimes though, barking commands at his brothers, taking one too many risks when they were hunting down bloodsuckers. But it didn’t matter. Paul was all at once freed from himself when he phased and he truly had nothing to lose. 

He went through a similar period as Jacob and Leah where he simply didn’t phase back for awhile. The relief from the anger was just too much and so he had leaned into it. But when you phase for too long, the world starts to get wobbly. You lose touch with your human senses and the wild can pull you under faster than you realize. When Sam had to pull him out after a Quil phased, he felt more feral and angry as ever when he was human. But he worked through it. Made a name for himself, put more energy into his work and his pack. And that anger stabilized. 

But then came Maya. His Maya. The world stopped, no ground to a startling halt when he saw her and that anger took a new shape, seemingly it evaporated. But something happened as they grew closer. That anger swelled into jealousy, possessiveness, and the imprint took hold of a brand new side of him. One he didn’t quite feel in control of. 

As he wound his way through the forest, crossing the border into Canada and sliding to a halt as he overlooked a stark cliff off of Britannia Beach, he felt lost. For the first time since Maya, he felt well and truly lost within himself. Paul stayed that way, gazing out over the cliffside into the dark swirling ocean below, waiting for some clarity, some reprieve from that mutated anger, but none came. He just felt exhausted. Night turned into day as he ran and now it had descended again. He watched the moon grow and change across the sky. 

When the sun rose over the horizon, Paul felt stiff from his lack of movement. He hadn’t even laid down to rest, just let himself stare endlessly trying to find out where that anger ended and where he began again. A soft crunch behind him set him on high alert though and he growled and bared his teeth before whipping around. 

He was faced with a towering russet brown alpha—Jacob. Paul slowly relaxed and waited for Jacob to say something, but it felt like he was trying to assess the situation. Figure out what part of Paul he was dealing with. But he was lost to himself, so he had no idea what Jacob would find. 

I know what you’re going through. Jacob’s voice buzzed through Paul’s brain. He never minded his brothers communicating with him this way. Their overlapping voices made him feel much less alone in those early days. Still, the voice in Paul’s head growled in response. Jacob sighed and took a moment before carrying on. Paul tried to gather what the images flickering through Jacob’s head meant, but it was all moving too quickly it blurred and he couldn’t make anything out clearly. There’s never going to be a good time to let go, he continued. You’ll never want to truly let go. But this is how you lose her, Paul. 

Paul felt his chest rumble with pain. But there were no words that came to mind. Just Maya’s face, broken and crying as he told her again and again that she couldn’t leave. Not like this. 

She’s gone. Jacob said suddenly in response to that image. That got Paul’s attention. He whipped around to face Jacob, a sudden feral rage coursing through him. Uncontrolled, as usual. She went back to New York. With protection. You will not interfere with that. The last sentence was an order, an alpha command. And a carefully phrased one at that. 

Jacob knew he was unable to order any of his brothers to stay away from their imprints. It was the one thing his commands couldn’t touch. But this was different. 

Interfere? Paul seethed, his teeth bared, shoulders squared and his feet spread wide as if he was about to lunge. Jacob bared his teeth in response and mirrored Paul’s stance. 

That’s right. You’re not in control right now and that puts your imprint at risk. This is for your own good and for her safety. Jacob continued firmly. 

Her safety? Paul felt his entire body tremble with rage. He felt like he was going to explode out of his skin any moment, his fur rippled in waves down his back. If she’s not safe with me, then who is she safe with? 

An image flashed in Jacob’s mind, just briefly, but Paul caught it. Golden eyes, blonde hair, and the tall stocky build of the blood sucker he knew all too well after a close call so many years ago. This was too much though. 

Paul snapped, lunging for his alpha in one quick moment, his jaws clamping around Jacob’s throat as they tumbled backwards into the forest, crashing through trees and undergrowth. Jacob responded in kind, and quickly twisted away from his grip before pinning him between two broad paws. Paul writhed and snapped at Jacob, but he held fast, the blood from his gushing wound closing quickly. 

TRAITOR! Paul bellowed at him. But Jacob held strong, holding his writhing form beneath him. 

Listen to me!  Jacob begged. It wasn’t an order, but a plea. But Paul was too far gone to hear much beyond the rushing rage blocking out all sound. She will be safe. You need to figure this out. Whatever this is Paul, it won’t work. You can’t keep her like this. It’s not fair to her or you. If you have any hope of her staying with you, you need to change whatever this is. This fucking monster inside of you. Get a fucking grip! 

Paul snarled, snapped his jaws and found an opening. Jacob slipped and Paul righted himself quickly before bashing headfirst into Jacob’s chest. Jacob howled, thrown back by the sheer force of it and crashed a hundred feet away into a tree. Paul steadied himself, the blood pumping in his ears. He had to get back to Maya. Had to get to her, make her stay, keep her safe. 

She’s gone! Jacob responded again to the flurry of thoughts rushing through Paul. He whipped his head back and howled in agony as a fresh pain ripped through him. He could feel it now, that absence, her absence, growing and pulling him apart from the inside. And so he did the only thing he thought he could do. He charged toward Jacob in the forest, blind with fury, thirsty for revenge, for blood, for sending her off with those fucking bloodsuckers. 

Jacob was ready for him though and when Paul crashed into him a second time, he remained like a stone wall. Paul rammed against his frame again and again and again, feeling the bones breaking in his body. But with each slam against Jacob, he was losing ground. Jacob edged him closer to the cliffside. He wouldn’t win, but it didn’t matter. There was nothing left for him. 

Go see the elders. Jacob said calmly. And with that, Jacob rammed at him, making him topple over the cliff and hurdle into the crashing water below, limp and broken. 

Paul tried to catch his breath now outside of the hotel room door. He could do this. He could walk away and let her come to him. He’d practiced this for he didn’t know how long at this point, but it always seemed to get harder leaving and now that they had come back to together, the ache of the imprint seared through every part of his brain. 

He turned toward the door, his hand hovering over the knob as he reached for the key card. Maybe he could just go back inside and explain everything and she would understand. 

But he knew he couldn’t do that. It’s not what the elders had advised. And they had gotten him this far. When he heard Maya talking on the other side of the door into her phone, it solidified his resolve to leave, however agonizing it felt, and he walked off down the hallway toward the elevator. 

-----------

The soft buzz of Maya’s phone rumbled beneath her. It must be Rose, or Emmett, trying to find out where she was. She hadn’t exactly planned on not coming home last night. 

Without looking at her phone, Maya answered.

“Hello?” Her voice was low from her general disorientation and the best sleep she’d had in a year. 

“Well, well, well, look who decided to come crawling back into my DMs,” the voice on the other line drawled conspiratorially. 

“Keye?!” Maya let out a huff of surprised breath and tears immediately pricked the back of her eyes. 

“Now, I thought that when we all watched Gone Girl that one time, we decided that if we ever had to fake our own disappearance, we would at least send a signal of some kind to one of the group. You know, to remind them that ‘hey! I’m not actually dead, just disappearing for a while’ kind of thing,” Keye continued rambling sarcastically. A sob broke through Maya’s throat and she put a hand over her eyes at hearing her best friend’s voice for the first time in a year. “Or, did you forget the moral of that story?” 

“Keye,” was all Maya could get out as the tears fell in earnest. But Keye wasn’t even listening as she carried on, making Maya start to giggle. 

“You know I can keep a secret. I never told anyone about that time Ashley Halliweth took me and the two Lake brothers to skinny dip at the rec center and Ashley gave Joey Lake a blowjob on top of the noodles that the elders use to do their swim aerobics.” Keye was talking a mile a minute and all Maya could think about was how good it felt to hear her voice. 

“Keye, you literally told half our spanish class in ninth grade and Mrs. Gostavos,” Maya scoffed, still shaking with comforting laughter. 

“No! She wasn’t there, I’m pretty sure,” Keye deflected and carried on rambling. Maya settled into the warmth of relief she felt at just hearing Keye’s voice and wondered if she had made a mistake cutting everyone out for so long. Especially Keye and Becks. 

She glanced toward the closed door of the room and felt a pit drop in the center of her stomach. Had she made a mistake there too? He really just fucking left? The voice inside her head spat. Maya tried to drop back in and focused on Keye’s rambling before she took a huge breath and said, 

“Anyway, what’s up with you?” 

Maya burst into laughter and stared up at the ceiling. 

“Honestly, babe. Nothing,” she replied nonchalantly. That made Keye erupt with laughter and for a few minutes, they just devolved into complete happiness, easy in their comfort with one another. Once they finally settled, a comfortable silence fell between them. 

“Paul’s an idiot,” Keye said sighed. Maya nodded even though Keye couldn’t see her.  

“I’ll say. He just one-night-stand-ghosted me,” Maya admitted, petting her own hair back against the pillow. 

“What?!” Keye shouted. Maya shifted the phone away from her ear from the screech and then hummed in affirmation.

“I’m currently butt ass naked in a hotel bed. He just left after thanking me for the lovely evening,” Maya groaned, “I’m such an idiot. I folded like a road map.” 

“No, you didn’t,” Keye interjected with a tone of annoyance.

“Yes, I did, ugh, I just fucking slept with him because I couldn’t help it and now he probably thinks—”

“No, My, you fucking didn’t. He’s being an asshole and you reacting to the imprint is not you being an idiot. You didn’t fold or fall for anything. Honestly, babe, it’s a little manipulative what he’s doing to you,” Keye said harshly. Maya stared at the ceiling in confusion. 

“Wait, what do you mean?” How was Paul manipulating her? They were coming back together and he was…what was he doing? All of it made Maya’s head spin—the imprint, Paul, all of it. 

“He’s blaming you for a decision he forced you to make!” Keye nearly screeched. Maya scrunched her forehead in confusion. 

“Keye he…” Maya paused and really thought about it for a moment. She could feel Keye nearly boiling across the line as she thought through her last few interactions with Paul. 

The chance encounter at the art museum, the meeting at the club, the lunch, and now her pseudo one-night-stand. He was mad sure, but manipulative? Maya couldn’t quite piece it together. 

“Keye, he’s just mad and reacting to the imprint. It’s fucking driving me crazy too,” Maya defended. Why was she defending him again? As the words came out of her mouth, they even tasted wrong. 

“Jesus…christ, Maya. I thought you were the smart one in our group. Listen, he literally forced you to run from your home because he was going to keep you here under some insane idea that he was protecting you. Then, he shows up in New York to ‘work’ and now he’s making you feel like a one-night stand?” Keye exclaimed. “Tell me how that’s not manipulative.” 

“I—,” Maya paused again, trying again to piece it together, Maya really sat and thought for a moment. Paul loved her—she knew that as much as she knew how to breathe air. But sometimes, the things he said and did didn’t feel like love at all. 

She hadn’t liked how the last year had gone between them. And when she really thought about it, while being around him these last few times had been like a welcomed salve to the raw emotions from the imprint, after she had just felt…empty. And confused. Most of her relationship had felt like a tug of war with him and her mind flashed back to when Paul had admitted that things were not this difficult between his brothers and the other imprints. That proclamation had always worried Maya and now it hit her full force in the chest. 

Maya scrunched up her face in irritation and let out a huff of breath. She knew what she wanted with Paul, but this hadn’t been it. And now she wasn’t entirely sure how to fix it. 

But she was determined to fix it. Whatever it took. 

“Fuck,” she let out with an exasperated sigh. “I know. I know, Keye. Fuck. I just get so wrapped up in this shit and I can’t think straight when he’s around, sometimes. I thought the space would help, I really did.” 

“It’s okay,” Keye said softly, “But babe, this can’t be your life. Running from home whenever Paul does something stupid. Break him so he doesn’t break you,” she said fiercely. Maya laughed at that. She didn’t think it would take that, not to mention, she didn’t want or even mean to break Paul. She just wanted to find the rhythm again. A rhythm with boundaries that they had never quite managed before. 

“Okay, okay, I hear you. I’ll work on it,” she breathed out and then said swiftly, “What’s been going on with you?” Maya asked. Keye clammed up suddenly, and was completely silent to the point where Maya thought the line had gone dead, “Keye?” she said, pulling her phone back from her face to check and make sure the call hadn’t dropped. 

Keye cleared her throat and then said in a rushed voice, “ Everything's good on my end. You know me.” Her voice sounded strained.

“You okay?” Maya asked slowly, “Is someone there with you?” Maya sat up in bed suddenly worrying about what Keye may have gotten herself into. 

“No, no of course not. I’m at my apartment and I just—,” she cut herself off. Maya listened intently and thought she heard sniffling on the other end. But before she could point it out, Keye piped up, “I need to get some stuff done for this stupid class. And I just miss you. Any chance you’ll be coming this way soon?” A hopeful lilt in her voice put pressure on Maya’s heart. 

“I—,” Maya choked. She always choked. Shutting her eyes tight with a hand to her head she took a deep breath. 

“You can’t stay away forever, you know,” Keye laughed a little, but it sounded hollow. Maya’s suspicion piqued again. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Keye was always so straight with her, but now, it felt like the distance between them was hiding something else. 

“Yes, My. Just think about coming home. Not a trap. You can even come stay with me in Seattle if you want,” Keye’s voice was clipped, but wrought with so much emotion that Maya thought she could hear the strain in the back of Keye’s throat trying to hold back a sob. 

“Okay, yeah. I’ll think about it,” Maya said with a soft smile in her voice. 

“Good. Good,” Keye said, her voice thick with spit. 

-------

Two months later…

Maya watched the rain come down from her spot in Arden’s office. She was perched on the couch with a stack of papers to grade. Arden sat dutifully at his desk, answering emails and outlining his next lecture that Maya had already sent him her thoughts on for updating. 

A soft fog rolled over campus, uncommon in the heated heart of the city. It made Maya ache for home more than ever. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t drag her eyes away from the window as she let herself get lost in the feeling of being home. 

She and Keye had talked a bit more after that initial conversation and Maya knew now more than ever what she needed to do. Ever since she had made her decision though, she had begun craving her home, the beach, her family in La Push with new fervor. And this weather really didn’t help. 

Maya blew out a soft breath and hadn’t realized she had been absently tapping the uncapped tip of her red pen on an unsuspecting student’s paper until her had nearly covered the cover page in marks. 

“Everything okay?” Arden’s voice, usually so calm and soothing, jolted Maya from her reverie, causing her to jump and papers to slide from her lap onto the floor. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed. Arden kneeled down in front of her to gather the papers, setting them neatly back on her lap and resting his warm palm on her denim clad thigh. Maya sucked in a sharp breath as she watched the look in his eyes change from concern to something darker. “Sorry, I…I was lost in thought,” Maya explained, shifting her legs and moving them under her body so that Arden was forced to drop his hand. 

Arden stayed kneeled in front of her, not letting her out of it that easy. “You sure you’re okay?” 

Maya gave him a small smile and nodded after a beat before patting her hand on the papers. “Just trying to get everything squared away before fall break. Plus, I have that interview coming up. I don’t know, it might just be getting to me,” she was trying to come across as reassuring, but Arden’s gaze tugged at something deeper she wasn’t willing to admit. 

He hummed in acknowledgement, his eyes dropping to her mouth for a moment as if considering the last time they were this close on this couch in his office before rising back to his feet. “Well, be sure to get those graded before the week ends. I’ve got another batch of quizzes to give you once you’re finished and I don’t want it cutting into your coursework too much.” His tone was kind, if not a bit firm. Maya nodded and made a show of getting back to work. 

But after a few minutes, once Arden had settled back at his desk, Maya’s gaze lifted to the shadowy gloom outside as she dipped back into her thoughts of home, her friends, her family, and most of all…of Paul. 

------

“MY!” a sharp knock sounded on her bedroom door. Maya snapped her attention to the door and away from the long floor to ceiling windows that were streaked with rain in the warm lamp glow of the street below. 

“Yeah?!” Maya called out just as Rosalie entered her room, eyes glued to her phone. 

“Emmett was going to swing by that Thai place that you liked to check in on Bastion, do you want anything?” she glanced up quickly at Maya before letting her eyes fall to the massive fan of papers across her bed. “Still grading? Do you want my help?” 

“Ah, no I think I can handle it. Thanks though, I’m just having a hard time focusing with the rain and all,” Maya explained, not quite sounding like herself even to her own ears. 

“Okay,” Rosalie replied with a hint of skepticism. “So, Thai?” 

“Yes! B4, spicy noodles, extra sauce please,” Maya stated matter of factly before looking diligently back at the papers on her bed. Rosalie shot off a text to Emmett and quietly exited her room, closing the door behind her. Letting out a deep sigh, she glanced at her phone, the screen inactive on her bed. 

It had been a month and a half since she’d heard from Paul. And the text exchange that she had attempted made her feel…unsatisfied. She had written:

Hey. 

To which he nonchalantly responded:

Hi. Everything okay?

Everything’s fine. 

Maya hadn’t known what to say. Why had she texted him again? It was late and she had been sinking into herself, lost in that feeling he had left in her that night after the Met. And suddenly, she was in bed, texting him.  She watched as the typing bubbles appeared and disappeared on Paul’s end a couple of times before a text finally popped up that read: 

What can I do for you, baby? 

Maya bit her lip as an aching need pulsed between her thighs. She couldn’t let him get to her like that with just a simple, seemingly benign text and promised herself that she’d have to work on that. So, she promptly turned off the screen on her phone and tried to sleep. 

A few weeks later, Maya was in her room grading papers, a glass of wine in her hand, and clad in just her Columbia t-shirt and some black panties. 

The unanswered text from Paul laid open on her phone, and Maya bit her lip. She had been contemplating texting him back but had no idea what to say. What did she need? For him to talk to her? For him to lure her back to the reservation? No. 

But she did miss him. And that ache had steadily grown with every silent second he let tick by. She was used to Paul being ever present, almost overwhelming so, and this past year was a testament to how much he had let her be. Maybe he was finally getting it. 

Or maybe it was a trick. The thought had crossed her mind a few times. That maybe he was doing this all as some elaborate way to get her to come back. But she couldn’t see the end of the game. If things were just as they would be before, she knew she’d leave again. She’d done it before. 

But this somehow felt different. So, maybe it was different. 

Maya grabbed her phone after downing her wine and setting the empty glass on her nightstand. She stared at the text: What can I do for you baby? 

The longer she stared at it, reread it, heard it in his voice, warm and deep, the more that thrumming, tingling sensation welled up in her chest. She wanted him to feel that unsatisfying end as much as she felt it now from those seven little words on the screen. 

Maya leaned back on the bed, tapping open the camera and twisted her body so that her ass jutted out and her waist twisted. She thumbed at her jutted bottom lip and quickly snapped the picture, sending it before she even had a second to reconsider. 

And then she waited. Five. Ten. Fifteen minutes. He hadn’t even opened the text. Maybe he was on patrol. Maya’s eyes flitted to the clock on her nightstand but it felt too early for rounds even with the time difference. When the realization set in of what she just did—basically an open invitation to come and get her—Maya quickly hit unsend on the text. 

He hadn’t seen it. She was sure of that. But still, she turned off her phone to avoid any further temptation and swallowed hard as the feeling of rejection swirled loosely in her stomach. 

----

“I think I want to go home for fall break,” Maya said without any pretense, “To visit.” She rushed to clarify. 

Emmett looked at her with a teasing smile and glanced nearly imperceptibly at Rosalie. 

“Are you sure?” Rose asked gently, setting down her book. 

Maya took a deep breath, still clutching her phone in her hand, “Yes,” she said firmly and nodded. “I want to visit my parents and…I’m going to have to go home eventually. Why not break the ice now?” Maya prompted. Rose watched her skeptically as Emmett began to shake with silent laughter. 

Maya’s gaze fell to him and her eyes narrowed into a glare. Doesn’t mention Keye and what she suspects might be wrong. 

“What?!” she finally prompted. 

“Are you sure this isn’t a dick visit?” he joked. Maya let out a groan and Rosalie shot Emmett a glare. 

“Emmett,” she whined in annoyance. 

“What?!” Emmett feigned innocence. “All of the sudden she wants to go home on a whim? We know you and Paul had a little rendezvous after the Met thing, don’t lie,” that sly teasing grin fell across his face. 

“That’s not it, it’s something else,” Rosalie said with a knowing, pointed look, “What’s going on Maya?” 

Maya sighs and shakes her head, “Nothing that you two should be worried about. I’m mostly going on a hunch, but if I need a way out to get back here, will you help me again?” 

“I don’t think it will come to that. Paul could have easily taken you back during any of the times that you’ve spent with him recently. Plus, Alice hasn’t mentioned the Volturri coming to visit in months, I think we’re in the clear in terms of danger for now,” Emmett said. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea…for you?” Rosalie said gently. Maya pondered that for a moment, clutching her phone tightly. 

“It’s important for me to see my family. And I’ve stayed away long enough,” Maya paused and let out a soft breath. Rosalie smiled gently and gave Maya’s arm a reassuring squeeze. She could feel the ice cold of her elegant fingers through her thick wool sweater. After a beat, Maya said softly, “I’ll be careful.” 

To which Rosalie nodded and glanced at Emmett who had his arms crossed, leaning against the kitchen island. 

“Then, we’re in,” Emmett confirmed. Maya sighed in relief and smiled. 

She was finally going home. Maya could already feel a small part inside of her sag with relief. However, another larger part cinched anxiously around her heart. Home.

-------

Maya crossed her legs as she waited at the gate for her plane to start boarding. She had decided to forgo the private jet route that Rosalie insisted on to stay a few extra days and wrap up some last minute grading and planning projects with Arden. 

Fall break felt different this year—gloomier somehow. Her cohort was in a tizzy regarding a new vetting process for landing internships affiliated with the university. Students had brought up the potential for favoritism to play a role, which had led to increased requests for office hours. Arden had been swamped with student meetings to reassure them that that wasn’t the case, but still, the last month had been stressful. 

The need for additional meetings also meant that Maya had spent much less time alone in Arden’s office and more time at the library or at Noah’s. It had kind of been a relief if she was being honest with herself. Arden was picking up on Maya’s shifting mood as she got closer to heading home for the first time in over a year. Unfortunately for Maya, she couldn’t say she particularly enjoyed Arden’s increased perceptiveness. 

She was nervous, sure, but mostly, she was just…excited. For what, she wasn’t sure. Because if there was one thing she knew it was that she was returning to the same, old complicated situation, if not worse. At least before she had people on her side. Now? She wasn’t sure considering she had iced everyone out for over a year. 

Still, Arden’s attention to her had grown more invested and more affectionate. Before, it probably wouldn’t have even fazed her, but now, with the promise of her home on the horizon, she was feeling boxed in. How ironic, she thought to herself. 

The intercom buzzed with a soft announcement and Maya lifted her head to listen carefully before her eyes settled back to the screen on her phone. The last text from Arden received just moments ago had shifted in tone rather quickly and Maya was still mulling over exactly how to tackle it:

Arden: Are you sure you can’t stay over fall break? There’s so much to get done before finals.

And then..

Arden: Plus, I miss seeing you in my office. 

Maya bit her lower lip and turned off her phone before gathering her things hurriedly and walking toward the gate. She’d have to deal with that later. Right now, her biggest focus was getting to Keye and then getting home. 

With a heavy sigh, Maya boarded the plane and said under her breath: “Here goes nothing.” 

------

SeaTac airport was a well loved airport for Maya. She wove confidently through the throngs of tourists looking around confused about where to head as she made her way to the arrivals pick up area. She knew who she was looking for. 

Maya let out a loud breath when she exited the airport, breathing in the briney, cool Seattle air. Nothing quite smelled like home like La Push but this would do for now. She let her eyes coast along the line of cars waiting to pick up their passengers. And no sooner had she reached in her bag for her phone did she hear a familiar squeal. 

Keye hurtled toward her at a break neck speed, her face cheery and bright, her hair tied off in two braids down over her shoulder. She leapt at Maya when she was close enough and Maya caught her, the tears already coming. 

“OH!” Keye screamed as she hugged Maya tightly. “You’re here! You’re real! You did it!” When Keye finally pulled back to look at her, Maya was sure she looked a mess with her puffy eyes and tears streaming down her cheeks. Keye was crying too and as she cupped her cheeks and smiled, she said in that bright, way of hers: “Welcome home, Maya.” 

This wracked Maya with renewed sobs and Keye let out a wet laugh as she reach on Maya’s shoulder for her backpack. 

“Come on, we’re holding up traffic.” Maya nodded and gripped tightly to Keye’s hand as she wove through crowds toward the light blue Subaru parked a little ways down. The trunk popped open and Maya heard a reassuring, warm voice coming from the driverside. 

“Everything okay?” the strange, soft voice asked. 

Maya wiped her eyes quickly. Keye hadn’t told her she’d bring someone else to come and get her and she was mortified at the thought of embarrassing Keye in front of one of her roommates. 

“She’s fine. Just a little homecoming breakdown, you know how it is,” Keye quipped. Maya laughed and raised her eyes to the owner of the voice who had now come around the Subaru to help put Maya’s bags in the trunk. 

“Sorry I—,” Maya said before swallowing, “It’s been awhile since I’ve been home.” 

“It’s okay, I get it,” the woman looked familiar and her mere presence felt a little more like home to her. 

“I’m sorry, who are—” Maya began slowly. 

“Oh god, sorry!” Keye cried, “I forgot! Maya, this is Leah. Leah Clearwater.” 

Maya’s eyes went wide as the name registered in her foggy, tired brain. Leah Clearwater? As in Seth Clearwater’s older estranged sister? As in the one pack mate who had left and not returned? 

“Leah?” Maya said incredulously. 

“The one and only,” Leah said almost begrudgingly. 

“My girlfriend,” Keye said proudly. Maya nearly fell over. 

“Oh!” she gasped as she looked from Keye to Leah and back again. Leah rolled her eyes as she slammed the trunk of the hatchback shut. 

“Come on. Seems like we have a bit of explaining to do,” Leah said as she climbed into the car, the ghost of a smile on her face. 

Maya remained frozen on the pavement for a second before looking hard at Keye. 

“Is she?” Maya couldn’t bring herself to say it, but Keye’s face said it all. 

Imprint. 

Next > >

#taking time #paul lahote x oc #paul lahote smut #twilight wolf pack #twilight fanfiction #paul lahote #twilight #paul lahote pairing #twilight fanfic #maya and paul #the twilight saga #chapter fifty three

[since0202]

do you have a pinterest for

maya and paul?

I love the pinterest board idea. I've just recently gotten back into pinterest and have been character planning for some other stories/character ideas.

Here's what I have so far for Maya and Paul!

#taking time pinterest board #maya and paul #taking time #answered anon #paul lahote mood board #maya sunriviere mood board #paul lahote pairing #paul lahote #twilight #twilight fanfiction #paul lahote x oc #twilight fanfic #pinterest board #moodboard #paul lahote moodboard #maya moodboard

[since0202]

I’m just wondering if the Volturi are still important. I literally just remembered they’re the reason Paul tried to force Maya to stay in the first place lol

So, this is a more complicated answer, but the short answer is yes, they're still important to the long-term story arc.

Is Maya in immediate danger? No.

I'm going with the original Volturi canon mentioned in New Moon that it takes the Volturi quite a long time to act since they perceive time differently.

The Volturi will become a more direct threat later in the story, but as of right now, Maya is not actively being hunted, nor are the wolves.

#answered anon #taking time #chapter 53 coming soon #twilight fanfiction #volturri

[since0202]

Random question and sorry if it’s already been asked- do you picture movie actor Alex meraz as Paul, or someone else?

Love Taking Time!!

Love this ask.

So, I have kind of a hodge-podge of inspiration for Paul and sometimes Maya. There's no one specific person I draw inspiration from but here's kind of what I imagine them to look like generally (click for higher resolution):

Most of Maya's aesthetic/look inspiration comes from Liza Soberano.

Paul's look is a blend of young Alex Meraz, young Rick Mora, and Steven Strait:

#paul lahote #taking time #twilight moodboards #my moodboards #maya sunriviere #paul lahote pairing #twilight fanfiction #twilight #paul lahote inspo #maya inspo

[since0202]

New fanart just dropped from @shewandersinthesun!!! I

ABSOLUTELY ADORE IT.

Look at this fresh, fly-as-fuck Maya with her short do! You totally nailed it, bestie! She absolutely had a very common awakening that we all do where we change the easiest thing to start a deeper change in ourselves. Maya is no different. She chopped that shit right off and said "New hair, new me."

Once again, you have just completely blown me away with your attention to detail in capturing her! Thank you so, so much!

It’s been a while, but I finally rendered Miss Maya again! Taking Time is legit my favorite story ever! I don’t know how to describe it, but I find such comfort in rereading it. It truly is a masterpiece. I am so grateful to @since0202 for her hard work and dedication to her story. 

Now to the art (Click for better resolution) …call me a freak, but I was rereading the story for like the third time and I caught this in Chapter 4:

… “Her hair was so heavy that it gave her headaches. She toyed with the idea of cutting it short like Becks’ but hadn’t mustered the courage yet.”…

And girl did she find her courage, because clearly in the time skip we see that Maya cut her hair. Lol and I love it! Because as women when we go through shit the first thing that changes in our appearance is our hair. 

Anywho here you have Miss Maya giving a little over the shoulder moment with her shorter hair in the baby blue floral dress from Chapter 52. 

Sending @since0202 lots of creative/good vibes!

#lets go maya #chapter 53 is in the works #just finished Paul's POV #paul and maya live in my head rent free #keye where are you? #You alright girl? #Shewandersinthesun #taking time #original art #hint about keye: in one of the earlier chapters paul says “I'm pretty sure keye is sleeping her way through the pack” #And suddenly #my girl disappears? #that's suspicious! #scorned love? #exile? #more imprints? #is keye an imprint? #And she's running like maya? #Or is it something else? #ANSWERS TO ALL THIS AND MORE SUPER SOON

[since0202]

im a messy bitch so my first thought went to keye and paul hooking up out of spite lmao

HUH?

I think you guys would actually fucking murder me if I made Paul any more unlikable.

Keye is a wildcard but she'd deffo never DOUBLE DIP on her best friend's man.

And despite Paul's transgressions in lying about meeting up with Rachel, he is obsessed, nay would DIE for Maya. So cheating is not really in his wheelhouse (at this time—never say never I guess).

I AM LOVING THESE THEORIES THOUGH! Could you fucking IMAGINE?! COULD IMAGINE THE ABSOLUTE devastation if Paul cheated? I would never forgive myself. You're not the only one who thought this though! So clearly, it's on people's mind. Good guess!

But it is angst that Keye goes through. So, you guys are getting close.

#Keye is a wildcard #Paul cheating would mean Maya would DEFINITELY fuck Arden #because she is that bitch #paul lahote #taking time #twilight fanfiction #answered anon

[since0202]

I know it’s not gonna happen but keye being Leah imprint would be iconic

Bestie, I am LOVING this take!

I mean, I read this and started screaming/crying/throwing up because that is so..god damn...SWEET.

But, ya girl loves angst soooooo....it's not that. Unfortunately. Tragically.

#didn't even CONSIDER THAT #but it makes SO MUCH SENSE #with my timeline for Keye and when she drops off the map #maybe you should write this story #twilight fanfiction #taking time #spoiler: of course Leah gets a happy ending in this story though. #Leah deserves the WORLD #answered anon

[since0202]

is keye being distant from the pack as important as it seems 👀👀

I LOVE this question. The answer is without a doubt, Yes! It is important.

You get a gold star for picking up on that very very very small detail my friend. Congrats!

More to come on Keye and what she's up to in the next couple of chapters.

#taking time #the return of keye #maya's ally #answered anon #this is a great question #did you guys pick up on that? #twilight fanfiction

[since0202]

Eeeeeee I’m REELING from ch 52! What game is Paul playing? Is he just giving her space or is he tricking her back into the imprint?? What do Rose and Emmett really think of Maya spending time with him again??? I’m so hooked on this story, thank you so much for sharing it with us.

What game is he playing at indeed. 😉

Also, I love that you're interested in knowing what Rose and Emmett think! So far, we've kept Emmett pretty much on the back burner and Rose is vibing and enjoying her friendship with Maya. Maybe we can explore their reaction a bit more in chapter 53 with the big moment we have coming up.

I feel like I say that every time I'm teasing a new chapter, but we're going to see how Maya deals with perceived rejection in this next chapter. And it's kind of big leap.

So glad you like it!! And thank you for reaching out! Excited to share more with you all soon.

Nobody asked for this, but this is me writing chapter 53 for ya'll.

#answered anon #taking time #Maya is independent #and capable of making good decisions #Will she make that good decision? #Come on Maya #paul lahote #twilight fanfiction

[since0202]

the way i would NEVER look at Paul again If i was Maya. I'd fuck the whole town, marry someone, ruin his whole life if he left me like that. IM SHOCKED

But also, fucking the whole town kind of sounds legit, bestie. 😉

You're not the only one who's had this reaction, so I don't blame you. But if you've been reading Taking Time for as long as I've been posting, you know our man's Paul is doing something either on purpose or because he's trying to figure his own shit out.

I've even gotten comments that are mad at Maya. They're both idiots in love finding their way back to each other after something traumatic. They're bound to make mistakes, and they're destined to hopefully come out stronger.

Next chapter will be a unique Paul POV so you all can tell what the hell is going through this gorgeous man's head.

Feel free to lean into that feeling of wanting to throat punch the absolute shit out of him. But I will say this: just like when you dyed your hair an absolute batshit crazy color in the middle of night in your bathroom, repeat the mantra "Trust the process."

Thanks for commenting! <3

#taking time #answered anon #spicy anon #i get it #but also they both need a reality check #paul lahote #twilight fanfiction #paul lahote x oc

[since0202]

Taking Time—Fifty-Two

Not that easy

Word count: 11,599 (oops)

There have only been a handful of times where I’ve woken up with a true hangover. Most were spent with Becks and Keye in our high school days after staying out a tad too late at a local house party and drinking the latest concoction of Quileute kid punch. One was after a truly raucous night at Sam and Emily’s a few months after meeting the pack for the first time and Paul opted for us to just sleep at their place rather than drag me home. The only other time I can remember before that though, was the day after the imprint. I had felt groggy, lightheaded, and like I was going to pass out all day. There was never a point where I didn’t feel actively nauseous and at the time, it felt like a warning. Now I know exactly what it was: the universe shifting and locking into place. Destiny taking hold with her vice grip and squeezing me clean of my senses. 

Maya woke up with a splitting headache and nearly naked in her soft bed. She hadn’t bothered to change into proper pajamas, and had unceremoniously stripped off her dress and thrown on a Columbia university t-shirt as she listened to each voicemail from home like they were episodes of a riveting podcast. 

Becks was indeed pregnant again and had called Maya back at the end of April to let her know through a wet, wonderful, tearful voicemail:

“Listen, Maya. Something amazing has happened and I know you’re busy and all, but I just wanted to tell you that…that I’m pregnant again. God….” There was a long pause as Maya heard her sniffling and trying to get her tears under control, “I know it seems like a lot. I mean Ephy isn’t even one yet, but I’m so happy and I just….I just wish you were here. And I get it, I really do. You had to do what you needed to to be happy, just like I did what I did to be happy. But, My…I just…Nevermind… I just love you and I wish you were here, you know? Ugh, sorry it’s probably the hormones.” A deep, sounding voice called out to Becks from way off. Probably Jacob coming home. “I gotta go, but I love you and I hope you’re okay. And I hope…I hope I can see you soon.”

Maya had listened to that one a couple of times, tearing up herself. She had missed so much. Her phone was filled with messages and photos from her family: 

Ephriam’s first birthday. Seth and Sadie’s wedding. Kim’s baby shower and delivery announcement. A bonfire night at Sam and Emily’s. The first Christmas at Jacob and Becks’ with the whole pack crammed into the wide open living room surrounded by piles of gifts. Maya noticed Paul was nowhere in sight in any of the photos and wondered if he had been the one to take them instead or if he was absent altogether. 

Keye was also noticeably absent from most of the photos, save for Seth and Sadie’s wedding. There was a beautiful one of her clutching a champagne glass and smiling to somewhere far off. Maya had opened the last and only text she had received from her when she had first skipped town. If anyone could keep quiet about her reaching out, it would be Keye, Maya thought. So she typed out a message in the early morning as the sun was beginning to break over the New York City skyline that simply said: 

“I miss you.” 

Now, as Maya rubbed her face and glanced toward the long, floor to ceiling windows that spanned an entire wall of her room, looking out over the street below, she considered if last night had been some strange dream. 

Late morning light poured through the windows and she groaned trying to clear her head, but the ache and pounding wouldn’t subside. She felt terrible, wrecked, as hungover as her first time drinking Quileute kid punch at Tommy Sutherland’s 16th birthday party on the beach. 

Maya threw the covers over her head, trying to get a grip. She felt awful. A soft buzzing to her right let her know that her phone was nearby. Maya groaned and slung an arm over her eyes as she pawed for her phone with the other. She had forgotten to plug it in last night and it was currently sitting around 20% battery as a result. Great. Maya squinted at her phone beneath the covers 

5 new messages from Arden

“Fuck,” Maya sighed as a fresh wave of nausea rolled through her body. Her teaching assistant orientation was today anyway, so she knew she’d probably catch him on campus. Dealing with it now via text felt like too much. So, she quickly opened the text thread, glanced at the last two messages that read: I just want to know that you’re alright. He looked like that guy from the art gallery, do you know him?

She shot off a quick “Hey! I’m so, so sorry about last night. I’ll explain everything when I see you today. I’m okay” and closed her phone again with a groan. 

Last night had most assuredly not been a dream. Her muscles felt tight and sore from the sheer tension between the two of them. Her lips felt like they had done battle. But the pain…aside from this cracking headache and the rolling wave of nausea, Maya had no signature hollow ache that she had lived with for the past year. 

When Paul had dropped her off last night with a soft kiss and his gentle goodbye, Maya felt like she had been slammed into a brick wall. She was so sure he would claim her last night and there would be nothing really she would have done to stop it. She had wanted him and the imprint had thrown her into such a state of disorientation that he could have probably gotten her all the way to the airport and on a plane before she would have realized what was happening. 

But he didn’t. 

For all the rage and upset that she knew was boiling inside of him, he had brought her back to her home, kissed her goodnight, and left her on the doorstep. Maya rubbed her forehead and cast the covers off of her before sitting up slowly. She ran a hand across her stomach as if to test for the ache that had accompanied her and sometimes crippled her, but none came. 

Maya glanced at her phone again and then dragged herself out of bed and toward the shower. Despite Paul tentatively re-entering her life, he had not reached out and the space felt monumental between them. Maya couldn’t figure out if that was a good thing or not just yet considering everything. Was this just the calm before the inevitable storm that was Paul Lahote? Or was it something different? 

Whatever it was, Maya knew she’d have to be careful and avoid slipping into the familiar rhythm of the imprint that would lull her right back into her old problems. 

----------------------------------------------

Maya quickened her pace across campus as her navy blue floral mini dress fluttered out around her upper thighs. The thin material clung to her hips and she had thrown on a light wash jean jacket over the delicately tied shoulder straps to prepare for the likely chill of the over air conditioned lecture hall. She had pulled her hair half up and tied a ribbon matching the color of her dress through it and it fluttered gently in the breeze past her shoulder-cropped hair. With the last sweltering days of summer clinging to New York, the less clothes the better, she thought. 

Maya readjusted her leather tote on her shoulder ladened down with notebooks and her laptop. She planned on getting some pre-semester work done after the orientation if she could. Her junior year was vitally important to the networking stage of her degree. She’d be busier than ever attending events and gladhanding. Luckily, she had Arden and now Dr. Bronnard in her corner singing her praises, but still, the thought of securing a high-value internship this year sent a nervous thrill through her. 

“Maya!” a familiar voice shouted across the quad. Maya slowed and turned to see Arden in a light t-shirt and some slacks. The heat was really getting to everyone. She paused and smiled waiting for him to jog up to her. “I thought that was you,” he said a little breathless, “Are you alright?” he readjusted his bag on his shoulder and reached out to gently graze her arm with his other hand. 

“I’m fine,” Maya shook her head, slightly embarrassed and looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry I disappeared on you last night, I—” she looked up to see Arden shaking his head gently. 

“You don’t have to apologize, it’s alright,” he said almost knowingly. Maya heaved a sigh of relief. 

“Really?”

“Really,” his smile was warm and kind as he brought his hand up to cup her cheek. 

And again, Maya wondered how no one had fallen in love with it yet. But maybe that was it, maybe someone had.

“I told you, I see you. I get it,” he promised. Maya nodded and couldn’t help leaning into his hand. “Are you ready?” he nodded over her shoulder toward the lecture hall letting his hand drop. 

Maya looked up at the double doors and then eagerly back toward him with a wide smile, “Absolutely.” Arden nodded his assent and wound his hand down her back and gripped her hip as they walked toward the front doors. He grabbed the door and held it open for her as she slipped through. 

The TA’ship was completely informal. Only Maya and two other undergrads were selected by professors to shadow their grad courses and grade papers. They wouldn’t be teaching anything, but it was a special opportunity to get a head start on some upper level material, work closer with grad students who were starting their research and even have the opportunity to work with their professors on their research. 

Arden of course had selected Maya for the position and she was thrilled to be sandwiched between two studious looking grad students in the lecture hall as head of the TA program droned on about expectations. Being Arden’s unofficial TA meant that she would most likely be spending more time in his office again with him. The thought made her chew her lip in worry and excitement. Without the dull ache present in her belly, Maya was able to consider a life of possibilities without the imprint tugging her attention away. 

But still, she was worried. If the ache was gone, that had to mean that Paul was nearby. But so far, he was keeping his distance. 

After the orientation, Maya laughed as Arden led her down the staircase from the front doors, regaling her with yet another story about a mishap that happened in his lab prep last week that had resulted in several thousands of dollars worth of regent test strips getting ruined. 

Maya leaned into Arden’s side as she held her stomach in laughter, her jean jacket hanging loosely from her hand as the sun washed over the bare skin of her shoulders and neck. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Maya lifted her head and wiped a stray tear that had escaped her eye from laughing so hard and was halted to a stop. 

Arden looked down at her, his hand resting on her lower back confused at her sudden stop and lifted his eyes to where she was staring. 

Standing off to the side against the brick wall of the adjacent building was Paul. His massive arms were folded across his chest clad in a black t-shirt. His face was pulled into a grimace as he watched Maya sway uncertainly. He didn’t move though. 

Maya looked up at Arden, her eyes swimming with confusion and a plea of understanding. He glanced at Paul and then smiled comfortingly down at Maya. “You going to be okay? Or should I wait for you?” 

Maya let out a solid breath and let a small smile break over her face. “Thank you,” she said softly, “I’ll be fine. I’m just going to see what he wants,” Maya said, her voice only slightly wavering. Arden watched her for a moment, not sure about leaving her but ultimately, after another glance in Paul’s direction he conceded and gave a brief nod. He squeezed her arm gently and said “I’ll be in my office. Text me if you need me,” before heading off across the quad toward the science building. 

Maya didn’t move for a moment, her eyes glued to Paul’s across the way. He looked furious, as he most often did now with each of their meetings, but Maya’s lips tingled with the remembrance of his mouth on hers last night. Resolved to not lose her way this time, she swallowed hard and walked purposefully toward Paul. His eyes watched her every movement: the soft sway of her hips, the soft fleshy tremble of her upper thighs that peaked out of from under the flimsy fabric of her dress as she walked, the subtle bounce of her breasts, the swing of her arms, and the curl of her fingers into gently fists. 

What he wouldn’t give to rip that dress off of her and remind her of who he was. 

Maya stopped a few paces away from him, her brain already fogging from his heady scent. She fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest, mirroring his position. 

“Hi,” she said gently, the wind blowing her hair across her shoulders. Paul’s intense gaze held her and he just gave her that wicked smile, one that promised he’d wreak havoc on her heart if she let him. When he didn’t say anything, she rolled her eyes and swore she heard a soft growl come from him in response, “What are you doing here?” she said with more impatience. 

Paul pushed off of the wall and walked a little closer to her. Maya stiffened. 

“I was going to take you to lunch,” he said, his voice a rumble of pure temptation, “If you were hungry.” Maya stayed stock still, worried that any movement would draw that lustful gaze and set her on fire. “Unless, you were busy with…something else,” he said the last part through gritted teeth as he glared pure malice over her shoulder where Arden had disappeared into the science building. 

She didn’t have plans…but, “Just lunch?” she asked tentatively. She desperately wanted her voice to come out stronger and not with that tinny undercurrent of need currently coating it. Paul’s eyes snapped back to her and he fought back a scowl at the distrust he found on her face. 

He gave her one solid nod and Maya relaxed, taking a deep breath. “Fine,” she said. “But I need to be back here by 2:30 for a meeting,” she lied. There was no meeting but at least it gave her a deadlined to adhere to. She worried if she didn’t set an end time for herself, she’d never leave his side with the imprint itching at her brain like this. 

He held out his hand to her in agreement and Maya hesitated only slightly before slipping her hand into his. His warm, reassuring palm sent an electric shock through her and she swallowed the gasp that fought up her throat. They started down the quad together and Paul reached around her to grab the bag off of her shoulder so he could carry it. Thankful for the lack of weight, she stepped closer to him, pressing her side against his arm as they walked toward one of the campus parking lots. 

Though they walked in silence, the tension buzzed through Maya’s body, tightening her nipples into hard peaks and swirled in agonizing lightning between her legs. When they reached the sleek black Mercedes, Maya hesitated again. He opened the passenger door for her and quickly walked around to the drivers side, depositing her bag into the backseat first. Maya bit her lip and hesitated at the open car door. 

“Paul,” she said quickly. He looked at her, that fire still brimming in his eyes. If looks could kill… “Just lunch, right?” she heard herself nearly beg. Paul openly scowled now and rolled his head back. 

“Maya, I’m not going to fucking kidnap you. Just get in the car,” he said harshly. Maya frowned. It was not outside of the realm of possibilities that he would placate her and then steal her away—he’d done it before. When she didn’t move, he placed both of his arms on the top of the car and leaned forward, “You already ran away once, what would be the point of me dragging you back to the rez if I know you’re just going to run from me again the first chance you get?” His voice dripped with anger but there was also regret. Maya pursed her lips and then nodded getting into the car without further protest and quickly snapped on her seatbelt. 

Paul sank into the driver’s seat and when he shut his door, Maya’s senses were once again flooded with the intoxicating scent of him. Immediately, she felt that ache thrum between her thighs and had to stifle a gasp. This was ridiculous—if she was going to have this reaction every time she was close to him, she didn’t stand a chance of maintaining control. When he turned on the car, she rolled down the window and ignored his look of curiosity as he navigated them toward their unknown lunch destination. 

They drove in comfortable silence. Maya leaned on her arm toward the window and tried not to react when she felt Paul’s hand rest gently on her upper thigh. His thumb stroked lazy circles on her skin and Maya ignored that heat that pooled between her legs quickly in response.

After about ten minutes of pure silence, Paul slid the car up to a valet who opened the door for Maya and helped her out. Paul was quick to come around and place his hand gently on her lower back, his fingertips just grazing her hip. The searing heat of his hand seemed to burn through the thin fabric of her dress as he led the way to the elevator. Maya shivered in the air conditioned hotel and slotted her body next to Paul’s to absorb some of his warmth. Paul’s hand slid to her hip and squeezed and Maya couldn’t help but look at their reflection in the mirrored elevator doors as they slid closed in front of them.

Paul was looking down at her as she stared straight ahead. When she leaned her head against his shoulder, he gently kissed the top of her head for a half second before straightening as the doors opened. A gleaming hostess stand stood just outside of the elevator. In a gruff tone, he checked them in for their reservation as if perturbed by their sudden lack of aloneness.

Maya smirked and let him lead her out onto the rooftop, following the hostess. He pulled out her chair and she sank down into it with a soft ‘thank you’. 

When he settled across from her, she trained her eyes on him and with humor said, “So, you were just so sure I would accept your invitation that you made a reservation, huh?” 

Paul raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head with a chuckle as he looked out over the glass partition that gave them a spectacular view of the upper east side. 

“I hoped,” he said before he looked back at her, “I didn’t know if you would accept, but I did hope.” 

“Mmm,” Maya hummed as she sipped some water. After a beat of silence where he just stared at her, she let out a huff and asked teasingly, “Sooo, how are things?”

The side of his mouth quirked up into a heartbreaking grin. His tight, trimmed beard covered that signature dimple she would so often press whenever she had made him laugh particularly hard. But she liked this look on Paul, albeit a bit darker, and more sinister. Before he could respond, the waitress came over and took their drink orders. Maya ordered a white wine to which Paul raised an eyebrow. 

“You sure you don’t want the lavender gin and tonic?” he asked curiously. Maya gave him a tight smile and shook her head, reaffirming to the halted waitress that she’d have the white wine. When she nodded and parted, Maya turned back to Paul and sank back into her chair. 

“You don’t know everything about me anymore,” she shot back quietly. Paul’s jaw ticked tightly and he looked off into the distance again. His knuckles were white as he gripped the arms of his chair and tried to calm himself. “So?” Maya prompted again. Paul let out a frustrated breath and looked back at her before shrugging. 

“Everything is fine. Business is good. I’ve expanded my client base out here and my work has gone over well.” He said everything so matter-of-factly, as if it didn’t please him to have been so successful. His body language was tight and his shoulders visibly tensed. Maya tilted her head to the side as she observed him. 

He was already irritated, maybe not with her, but just in general—she could see it coloring his face. The waitress dropped their drinks off and asked if they’d like to order lunch. Maya opened her mouth to order the seared scallops and risotto but Paul beat her to it. 

“She’ll have the scallops and risotto, side salad with arugula instead of spinach and the raspberry vinaigrette. I’ll take the steak salad,” he smiled at the waitress who glanced at Maya. Maya just nodded and she took off quickly. 

When she turned to level Paul with a look of incredulity, she was met with a teasing smile. One that begged her to say something. 

“Tell me again how I don’t know anything about you anymore?” he prompted after a short beat of silence. Maya brought the wine glass to her lips and took a soft sip, shaking her head and stifling a giggle. His eyes sparkled with amusement and she momentarily lost her breath. There was the Paul she knew, not this angry, sharp version he had been presenting thus far. She decided to take a chance with her next question seeing as she had successfully put him into better spirits. 

“So, how far along is Becks?” she said quickly, holding onto her wine glass. Paul’s face fell back into a grimace and he scoffed angrily. 

“You could just call and ask her, you know,” he said around his whiskey glass. 

“You don’t have to be a dick about it,” Maya shot back, her voice slightly rising. 

“And you don’t have to be this stubborn. For fuck’s sake, Maya. That’s your family, they just want to hear from you,” he kept his voice low but the rage coating his tongue was spitting fire in Maya’s direction.

“You know what,” Maya said abruptly as she set her wine glass down with a little too much force, sloshing wine over the edge, “I don’t have to listen to this,” she pushed away from the table, but Paul rose at the same time to meet her. 

“Wait,” he said, grabbing her arm harshly. Maya looked down at his hand squeezing her arm and frowned. 

“Let go of me,” she said as she tugged, but he wouldn’t. 

“I’m sorry,” he said between gritted teeth, “Please sit down.” Maya glared at him and shook him loose before sitting back down in her chair. 

Paul ran a hand through his black hair that had grown out long enough to curl a little at the ends by his ears. Before he sat back down, he clenched and unclenched his hands into fists a few times. 

“She’s about five months, give or take,” Paul finally said, his voice barely hiding the anger, “She’s doing well. No complications so far and Jacob has chilled out considerably since it’s their second and he feels more prepared.” 

Maya fought back the well of emotion gathering in her throat. She swallowed thickly and followed it with a strong gulp of wine before she said, “Hard to imagine Jacob being chill about anything, let alone his pregnant wife.” 

“How did you know they got married?” Paul asked innocently, genuine confusion on his face. Maya’s mouth suddenly dropped open and the sting of sadness poked at her belly. 

“Wha—” Maya began. 

“Seared scallops and risotto,” The waitress interrupted, “And a steak salad. Anything else I can get for you at the moment?” 

Maya was speechless, tears clearly pricking at the corner of her eyes now. Paul thanked the waitress and dismissed her politely as he leaned forward across the table to take Maya’s hand. Maya pulled in a sharp breath, fighting to steady the sob trying to claw its way out of her throat. 

“Hey, hey,” Paul said gently as he held onto her limp hand on the table. His thumb stroked the back of her hand softly as he said, “It’s okay. No one knew for a while and no one else was there. They just sort of…did it on a whim,” he soothed. Maya looked out over the skyline and nodded. 

“I shouldn’t be upset, I know,” she admitted, surprising herself. Paul shook his head. 

“That’s not…” Paul sighed and let Maya’s hand drop as he leaned back in his chair. “Maya, you can’t expect life on the rez to stop just because you left.” He didn’t mean it as an insult, but it shot Maya right through the heart to hear it. 

“I know that!” she snapped as she turned toward him, “Don’t you think I know that?” The tears were flowing freely now and she hated again how she had dissolved into a teary mess in front of him for the second time. She wiped at her cheeks angrily and took another drink of wine. 

“Let’s talk about something else,” he said firmly as he leaned forward to dig into his salad, “Tell me about your internship.” 

Maya sniffled and nodded, picking up her fork and taking a deep breath. She could talk about that. Anything to get her mind off of what she was missing, what she was sacrificing for a different kind of happiness she was chasing out here. 

For the next two hours, Maya and Paul talked about anything and everything as long as it didn’t touch on home. She forgot how easy it was to be around him, to hear the occasional chuckle (he refused to allow himself to laugh) and feel that warmth spread from her belly to every inch of her. She had missed him. Plain and simple. 

After lunch, he led her to the elevator and when the doors dinged shut, he turned toward her, pulling on her hip to set her flush against him as he leaned down, cradling the side of her neck with his other hand and bringing his lips down softly onto hers. Maya let out a soft whimper at the contact as a sizzling sensation burned pleasantly from her lips and down her spine. She opened her mouth to him and he greedily entered, letting his tongue swipe along her lower lip and into her mouth. 

Maya clutched at his bent shoulders, tugging him down more to bring him impossibly closer as the heat swirled and sank in her belly to her core. His hand moved from the bruising hold on her hip to knead the flesh of ass, slipping under her dress. He groaned into her mouth and when Maya took it as an invitation to bite gently down on his lip, she received a harsh slap to her ass cheek that made her yelp and dampen. 

She was hungry for more, but all too soon, he wrenched his hold off of her just as the elevator doors dinged open into the lobby of the hotel again. Maya was panting, her cheeks flush with heat as she allowed Paul to ferry her to the valet. He gave her ass one more pleasing squeeze before she sank into the passenger seat. 

Maya tucked some hair behind her ear and tried to quell her furiously thumping heart. She couldn’t concentrate on anything else on the car ride back and was thankful for Paul’s silence as she tried to get herself under control. 

When he dropped her off at the main entrance to campus, Maya hastily exited the Mercedes with a quick goodbye. But he rolled down the window and called out to her and she couldn’t bring it in herself to resist. 

She leaned down through the open passenger window, breathless and still flush with desire. 

“Yes?” she breathed. He gave her that teasing smile again before he said gently. 

“Can I see you again?” So innocently, as if she even had a choice. But she appreciated the request, nonetheless. 

“When?” Maya asked, trying to sound cool. Paul grinned and looked away and for a brief moment, she thought he might be onto her. 

“There’s this event I need to go to on Thursday at the Met. A bunch of artists will be there, but it’s mostly a chance to network. These things are usually pretty boring, but the Met is cool and it would probably be more fun if you were there.” He said it all so nonchalantly. Maya rolled her eyes affectionately and echoed:

“Probably,” before nodding and saying with genuine excitement, “I’d love to.” 

“Great, then I’ll see you Thursday,” his voice wavered slightly and Maya wasn’t sure what to make of it. 

“See you Thursday,” she said softly as she backed away from the car and turned on her heel to jog toward the science building. She could still hear the soft rumble of his Mercedes even though she was a bit of distance away, so she called out over her shoulder, “Stop staring at my ass!” 

She heard that achingly wonderful laughter bubble out of him from far off and it made her heart thump wildly in her chest. 

Whatever this was that they were doing at the moment, she had to admit, she really liked it. 

----------------------------------------

Maya checked her outfit in the golden arched filigree mirror that towered over her in her room. Rosalie was lounging on her bed, flipping through a mechanics magazine with a bored look on her face. 

“I don’t know why you don’t just wear the vintage Valentino. It’s classic Met,” Rosalie said for the umpteenth time. 

Maya smiled and readjusted the thin straps of her deep magenta halter. The material was well made and tailored exactly to her curves. The top acted almost as a bustier and pushed her cleavage up spectacularly. The matching magenta wide-legged, pleated pants billowed out around her legs, giving the look an airy, elegant feel. Maya leaned down to adjust the strap of her strappy black heels. 

“I’m going for a different look. There’s going to be some artist-types there and I don’t want to look too stuffy,” Maya said as she crossed the room to don her gold bangle bracelets from Jeremy. 

“At least wear my teardrop diamond earrings. They’ll class up the place a bit,” she set down her magazine and gracefully slid out of the room before Maya could even protest. 

She fluffed at her black tousled hair that ended just above her shoulders. Maya swallowed hard to help quell that giddy feeling tumbling in her stomach. It felt like a first date with Paul all over again. The uncertainty, the thrill, the hope for his touch. Still, Maya would need to be careful to not let herself get too caught up too quickly in him. With the pull of the imprint, it was easier to get lost in chasing down your feelings and letting it all consume you. This time, Maya would have more going into it and she would try her best to actively manage those feelings so that everything felt like a choice, rather than a reflex. 

About fifteen minutes later, as Maya put on the finishing touches to her look (dark ruby red lipstick, her ring and woven bracelet from Paul, and the diamond earrings Rosalie insisted on), Emmett appeared in her doorway with his hands in his pockets. 

“Someone’s here for you,” he said gently with a teasing smile. Maya felt a rush of butterflies and her heart fluttered unexpectedly. 

She hurried past Emmett and down the darkened hallway to the front door. She grabbed her black leather clutch off the table and pulled open the door to echoes of laughter and “Have fun!” from down the hall. 

When she shut the door behind her, she was more readily able to focus her gaze on the man below. He leaned against the passenger door of the black Mercedes, one leg crossed in front of the other with his hands buried in his pockets. Maya let her eyes slowly take him in: he was dressed in an all black suit, with black leather shoes that shone in the overhead lamplight. His dark black jacket offset the cloth with black silk lapels that glinted subtly in the evening light. Maya finally let her gaze fall on his face. His dark, tight trimmed beard accentuated his sharp jaw and his hair was swept back effortlessly as if he had just run his hand through it. 

Maya hesitated at the top of the steps, stunned into actual silence as she felt the imprint pull at her to close the distance. Paul must have felt it too because he shifted his stance and stood taller, looking up at her and giving her a gentle smile. Maya returned it and slowly descended the stairs, reminding herself of her promise to herself. 

When she landed just in front of him, his warm citrus and spice scent washed over her and she fought to simply keep her balance. Even in her heels, she barely reached his chin, and she gazed up at him with a soft smile. 

“Hi,” she said gently. He let out a small chuckle as he replied, 

“Hi,” and brought his hand up softly to cup her cheek. His eyes were filled with warmth, but Maya could tell he was holding some emotion back, maybe also trying to temper the pull of the imprint to give him the space to just feel what he needed to. 

The hand that cupped her cheek fell away and he tugged lightly at the ends of her hair, “This is shorter,” he said in a gravelly tone. 

Maya shot him a teasing grimace, “I needed a change.”

“A lot of change, apparently,” he said in an even tone, his eyes still lovingly roving her face. 

“What? You don’t like it?” Maya shook her head playfully. 

“I didn’t say that,” he said gently, taking a step toward her. Maya shuffled back a bit and he took it as an opportunity to open the passenger door for her. “Come on, we’re going to be late.”

--------------------------- 

Maya had been to the Met a few times during her time at Columbia. Sometimes with friends and once for a civil engineering class where they got to tour some of the preservation rooms. But, she had never been here at night for an event of any kind, and the Met at night was something special. 

Maya took Paul’s hand as they ascended the staircase to the grand entrance. Once inside, the air was buzzing with the hushed and hurried voices of artists and socialites alike. Paul didn’t let go of her hand as he pulled her through the crowd, deeper into the museum as if he was in search of something. 

There were new, temporary exhibits erected throughout the main hall and Maya couldn’t help but gawk at the sheer beauty of some of the sculptures. Paul ferried her through them though, not pausing to let her look properly as he nodded to some people he knew. 

“Paul. Where are we going?” Maya said breathlessly as the crowd seemed to thicken. Paul was looking for someone and if Maya was being honest, she didn’t really care who it was as he continued tugging her mercilessly through the crowd. She just wanted to pause and take it all in for a second.

Just as Maya was about to tug her arm back, Paul halted and Maya nearly crashed into him. She steadied herself and glared up at him, but he hardly noticed as he said to the person in front of him. 

“I’m here, showing my face. Happy?” his tone was only somewhat annoyed with the fact that he needed to check in with someone at all. Maya let her gaze sweep down to the culprit and swallowed roughly, suddenly feeling like someone had dumped a bucket of sand down her throat. 

“Thank you, Paul. I never doubted you for a second,” Rachel Black raised her champagne glass in salute, surrounded by elaborately dressed people and then her gaze glanced next to him. Unexpectedly, her jaw went slack and her eyes lit up with shock and amusement, “Maya?!” she nearly screeched. 

“Uuuh,” Maya stuttered out, still clutching Paul’s hand. But a moment later, Rachel had flung her body toward hers in a bone crushing hug. 

“Oh my goodness, it’s so good to see you!” she said, truly elated. Maya let out a small laugh and hugged her back before letting Rachel pull her to arms length to get a good look at her. “My god, you look amazing! How is Columbia? How are things?” 

“Things are..things are…” she glanced up at Paul but he was a stone wall. Very helpful, “Things are good,” she breathed out and Rachel just kept smiling. 

“Good! Well you know this one, so tight lipped. I thought you had fallen off the face of the earth with how secret he was keeping you. We miss you around Seattle!” It didn’t seem like Rachel knew what had happened between them. Was that Paul’s doing? Maya played along, grabbing the champagne glass that Rachel plucked from a passing waiter and handed to her. “But, I mean of course, New York is just such a great transition for Paul’s work. Plus you’re here!” Rachel continued rambling and Maya sipped slowly. Paul had let go of her hand to shake someone else’s hand who had walked up to him. He was now in casual conversation, his hands shoved deep into his pockets and Maya tried her hardest to play it cool. 

Rachel talked Paul up for about ten minutes before he snaked his arm around Maya’s waist and tugged her away, stating that he needed to introduce some people to Maya. Rachel gave her a kiss on the cheek and promised to call her to get together for lunch soon. 

When Maya was whisked away, her head felt like it was spinning. She looked up at Paul, but he still maintained that determined, quiet demeanor that gave nothing away. Maya fought back an eye roll and he squeezed her hip in response as if answering some silent question she had posed to him. 

True to his word, Paul introduced her to some of his artist friends—sculptors, painters, and metalsmiths alike—all of whom were very much a part of the New York City art scene but still managed to be decently down to Earth. They were  polite and asked her thoughtful questions about her degree. One of the painters even wanted her insight on some common bi-products in industrial bioengineering that could be recycled into reusable materials for a piece she was working on. 

Maya was bubbling with excitement as she spoke about her life, her research, everything; but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Paul had moved away from her and was talking to another group of people in another corner of the room after awhile. 

Strange—the feeling of him not being glued to her side. It was all at once liberating and cold. She craved his warmth, but appreciated the space. Maya carried on talking, nodding, and smiling, trying to parse through the actions of this new Paul. 

Maya was so caught up in conversation as the evening carried on, that she startled when she felt his warm hand press to her lower back and slot back into her side. 

“Do you mind if I take her back? I want her to meet some people,” Paul announced. They all cheers’ed Maya before letting her be steered away by Paul toward another waiting group. 

Maya smiled up at Paul and wrapped her arm around his back as he led her into one of the smaller rooms of the museum, scattered with sculptures. They approached a group of important looking people and before she could even open her mouth to say hello, Paul introduced her: 

“This is Maya,” he paused and glanced down at her uncertainly before carrying on, “She’s my…uh, friend…studying bioengineering at Columbia.” 

Friend? 

Maya internally cringed and felt her arm slip from around his back and hang loosely at her side. They all greeted her happily, and Maya smiled back after a bit of a delay and tried to stay present in the conversation as Paul’s hand sat loosely on her waist as he carried on talking. 

She was introduced to a few more groups as Paul continued to make his rounds and each time, he seemed to hesitate in how to describe her. It bristled her, made her feel something deep in the pit of her belly that reminded her oddly of jealousy. But there was no one to be jealous of. Paul was standing at her side, hand wound around her as his thumb stroked lazily on her hip. 

Yet, here she was simmering with a subtle anger that pulsated with annoying precision in her belly at being called friend.

At a lull in the conversation, Maya excused herself to go to the bathroom to try and get a hold of herself. Her mind was still spinning at the fact that she was here with Paul, but now that he had seemingly distanced himself from her with the moniker of friend, her entire world felt a little upended. And the worst part was, she could hardly blame him. She had shamelessly flirted and kissed Arden while they were apart. Being called his friend was generous considering they’d had almost no contact for the past year. 

So why did Maya’s neck feel ungodly hot as she leaned over the sink and pressed a cold paper towel to her chest to cool down? 

After a few minutes of deep breathing in the bathroom and telling herself to get a grip in the mirror, Maya re-entered the main area. But instead of returning to Paul’s side, she wandered off up the grand staircase and leaned against the marble railing of one of the balconies that jutted out, overlooking the main area below. Maya leaned down and rested her forearms on the wide, cold stone railing and let her eyes sweep across the crowded floor. 

She didn’t know how long she stayed up there, watching and letting the voices rise up to echo around her, but it seemed no time had really passed at all before she felt familiar warmth next to her. Paul handed her a glass of champagne and leaned his back against the railing, looking in the opposite direction as he said, 

“Having any fun?” his tone was neutral, unreadable. She wasn’t sure if it was a genuine question or one that poked at her obvious distraction. Still, Maya couldn’t seem to burst that bubble of anger bouncing around inside of her. She shrugged and took a long sip from her champagne glass before standing upright. 

“Are you asking me as a friend or…?” She gave him an icy sidelong look. His eyebrows knit together in confusion for a moment before realization dawned on him. 

He chuckled looking down at his shoes as he nodded his head momentarily before saying, “So are we not friends?” 

“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” Maya said sharply back while begging herself to calm down. Why was she so upset? Paul stood straighter, squaring his shoulders and facing her with his hands in his pockets. If he was anyone else she might be a bit intimidated, but this was Paul. Nothing about him could scare her at this point. 

“Did that bother you? Me introducing you as just my friend?” Paul asked in a gentler tone. Maya took another sip from her champagne and kept her eyes glued to the throng of people below, unable to answer. Paul looked off to the side for a minute, his jaw ticking tightly as if he was considering something and then he said, “I’m just trying to give you some space. Without pressure. You’ve proven yourself a flight risk and I don’t want to push it.” 

Maya swallowed, still unable to meet his eyes as she said, “I know what I did hurt you. But I did it for me and I don’t regret it. I am sorry that I did hurt you, though. So if all you want to be is my friend from now on then that’s fine, but don’t kiss me in dark alleyways and make me think differently then. That’s not very just-friends-behavior of you.” 

She chanced a glance at him and saw the clear anger wash over his face before she looked away. Was she being silly? Maybe. But the fire erupting in her from the imprint felt oddly like rejection she had never known and it was making her dizzy and impulsive. There was a too long pause from Paul before she turned toward him and he shot back: 

“Last I checked, you had a couple of friends that you didn’t mind hanging on and fucking around with.” 

“Excuse me?” Maya shot back quickly, setting her champagne glass down with too much force. 

“Oh, or is that different? Tell me Maya, what is acceptable friend behavior to you? Because I’m lost,” he was leaning forward with clear aggression on his face and Maya grit her teeth in response. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said through her teeth. Paul popped his eyes open a little wider. 

“What about whatever the fuck his name is….Arden? Everytime I find you, his fucking hands are all over you. All over what’s mine. So excuse me if I was just treating you with the normal friend behavior I’ve seen other people use with you.” 

“Fuck you,” Maya said loud enough that it echoed quickly around them. She swung around to stomp off but he lunged and grabbed her upper arm, whirling her around and leaning down so his face was level with hers. The fire in her met the fire in him. 

“Try again,” he growled, his hand squeezing her upper arm lightly. Maya recovered quickly from being pulled around and narrowed her gaze to meet his before repeating with the full weight of her anger reddening her cheeks: 

“Fuck….you,” she seethed enunciating each word with venom. A sick smile pulled across Paul’s face for a moment before he yanked her forward and let his lips crash down upon hers, sweeping the breath from her lungs. Maya let out a startled moan, her hands clenched into tight fists as she tried to pull back away from him for a moment. 

But he snaked his arm around her waist and lifted her slightly, moving her across the floor until her back met with a cold marble pillar. Her mouth opened to his as if on instinct and she quickly dissolved into the mind numbing pleasure of his mouth moving across hers, his tongue pressing and tangling with hers. 

Paul’s hand dropped to her ass and squeezed harshly, causing another moan to escape Maya’s throat. He pressed her harder into the pillar, grinding his hips against hers as their kiss deepened and pulled Maya further under in the haze of her imprint’s dominating presence. He caged her in against the wall, but there was nowhere Maya wanted to run to. Her hands loosened from fists into soft open-faced palms that roved around his chest, his shoulders, his waist. She wanted to feel all of him around her. 

His steady, hot heat enveloped her senses, making her body hum with excitement. And her erratic heartbeat matched the excited shuddering of his body. There was nothing else but him in that moment and Maya let herself be momentarily swept away. 

When he tugged her body away from his and held the back of her neck tight in his grip, she almost whimpered at the absence of his mouth on hers. She was deranged, off the rails with desire and she knew there was only one way to wipe her mind clean of it. 

“Let’s get out of here,” he breathed, his voice husky and dark as his eyes held her gaze. Maya nodded without even realizing it and no sooner had she agreed than he was whisking her off down the stairs, tugging her along on the edge of the crowd and making as minimal eye contact as possible so they wouldn't be held up. 

The most excruciating wait was for the valet to bring Paul’s car around. Maya clenched her thighs together and silently willed him to look at her so she could capture his mouth again, but he kept his gaze hard and focused out on the road, his arm tightly gripped around her waist, his own pulse racing wildly. 

When the valet finally arrived with his Mercedes, Paul yanked the passenger door open and Maya climbed inside, suddenly realizing in the quiet of the car that she was still breathing hard. Once in, Paul quickly navigated them with unnerving precision onto the road and raced as reasonably as traffic allowed further down into Manhattan. 

The car ride back was silent, the air between them electrified with tension and the only sound that Maya could hear was her own heartbeat drumming in her ears. Paul kept his eyes on the road, his hands gripping the wheel dangerously tight. 

When Paul whipped the car into the drop off valet of a very fancy hotel, Maya’s eyes widened. She didn’t know exactly where he was taking her, but home was a pretty safe bet. Now she realized the error of her assumption. Before she could say anything, Paul had exited the car and handed the keys to the valet who nodded as if he recognized him. Shortly after, Maya’s door was opened and Paul was taking her hand and gently tugging her from the car. 

There was no conversation between them, and Maya was thankful for it. Conversation would have distracted her from the thrumming between her legs that she was keenly hoping he would take care of once they were locked away behind his hotel door. 

He steered her to the elevator and when the golden doors shut with a pleasing ping, Paul’s mouth found her neck. Maya instantly leaned her body into his, placing her hand on his chest as she leaned her head to the side to provide him more access. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as he worked at that familiar spot he knew so well in the crook of her neck and Maya gasped as she felt his fingers ghost beneath her breasts. 

The door pinged open a second later and Maya opened her eyes, clouded with lust. He didn��t meet her gaze before he pulled her along down the hall toward his room. He fished in his pocket for a half second before tapping the card against the reader and the soft beep was like music to Maya’s ears. 

The room within was dark and Maya followed closely behind Paul as he lightly gripped her hand now. The door clicked shut behind them and Maya’s heart raced. The soft intimacy of a darkened room was all at once overwhelming. Maya’s breath shuddered and the haze began to lift as she realized where she was. What she was about to do. Paul turned after a second as if steeling himself to stay in control. 

Maya’s pulse quickened as his gaze landed on her and she shifted in her heels. He took a solid step toward her and she fought back a tremble. His hands raised to rest on either side of her face and pressed his body softly against hers. Maya could feel his hardening excitement pressed against her stomach and she tried to quell the fluttering that responded in her belly. 

He leaned down gently and kissed her gently, once, before leaning back just far enough to make eye contact as he said, “The only thing I need is you.” 

Maya’s breath caught in her throat and in the next second, his mouth was on hers again, feverish and hurried, as his hands settled around the base of her throat and walked her back toward the bed. 

Paul’s hands slipped down again, working quickly to slip the straps off her shoulders and unhooking the magenta, boned, bodice from her body. He groaned as he pulled the top away to reveal her naked underneath and cupped the mounds of her breasts in his hands. 

A sharp gasp spilled from her mouth as he squeezed gently, moving his mouth down her neck, before kissing down her body and dropping to his knees. Maya rested her hands on top of his shoulders and looked down at him. He kissed between her breasts and unfastened her pants, pulling them down her hips and sighing in pure happiness. She couldn’t help but giggle softly as his kisses traced further down her stomach and he hooked his fingers beneath the flimsy white lace of her thong, before tugging them down her body. She stepped out and let him revel in her nakedness in the dark. 

Her breathing came fast and deep as the realization of being touched like this for the first time in a year dawned on her. He gripped her hip and grabbed underneath her left knee, placing it over his shoulder, exalting in the way she dripped for him. Steadying her between both his hands, Paul squeezed the soft curve of her hips before dipping down and licking one long strip along her seam. Maya threw her head back and let her jaw go slack as a moan burst forth from her throat. Paul groaned deeply as he descended upon her like a man starved, lapping at every inch between her thighs. Maya held on for dear life as she rocked her hips forward to meet his mouth and when he sucked her sensitive nub into his mouth, she held back a delighted scream. 

She was over the edge embarrassingly too soon, white pops of light bursting behind her closed eyes as she let herself go in a rush. Paul was eager to drink her down, dipping his tongue into her opening and feeling her pulse into his mouth. When her knees shook violently enough to lose her balance, Paul pushed gently against her hips and she fell back onto the bed with a soft thump. 

Maya focused on finding her breath again as she brought a hand up to her forehead. He’d made her come undone in mere minutes—and now she was terrified of how he’d make her feel once he got inside of her. Maya opened her eyes and leaned up slightly to watch as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off onto the chair. Maya squirmed impatiently on the bed and bit her lip when he smirked at her, taking his time. 

She was fit to explode again and here he was, unbuckling his belt slowly, the soft clink of the metal sending shockwaves through every nerve ending in her body. When he finally shed his pants and briefs, Maya could finally see just how hard he was for her. Her mouth watered and acting on instinct, she lifted herself up onto her knees and shuffled across the bed. Reaching her hands out, she grabbed him by the hips and tugged him closer before dipping her head without hesitation and taking his tip into her mouth, spreading the warm bead of precum across her tongue before hollowing her cheeks and urging him further into her mouth. 

Paul let out a warning growl above her and placed his hand on the back of her head as he pushed his hips forward with controlled care, fucking into her mouth. Maya was lost in the sensations flooding her body, feeling him heavy and warm on her tongue, gliding past her lips as she tried to reach his base. There was no way she could manage all of him, but she tried, swallowing him down enough that his hand tightened into a fist in her hair and his moans blessed her ears with increased frequency. 

The warm, velvety taste of him thrummed a terrifyingly pleasant response in her brain, throwing her into a plane of neediness that had her legs shaking. She squeaked out a small moan around his cock and Paul’s eyes widened as if hearing the answer to a question he’d been asking all his life. 

Paul pulled Maya off of his cock in one swift movement and she gasped, looking up at him in heady confusion. He held her in place for just a moment, staring down at her in awe before leaning down, circling his hand around her waist and tugging her body across the bed quickly. 

Maya yelped in surprise as her head hit the pillow and the controlled weight of Paul sunk onto her and pressed against her form for a moment. His skin sliding across hers felt like reigniting a brand of belonging between them and Paul lowered his face to kiss her with a need she echoed, arching her body between them. 

Paul slid his thick thigh between her legs, urging her apart before sliding his hand down and letting his thumb tease her clit. Maya’s head flew back deeper into the pillow as she let out a whine and Paul took the opportunity to press soft bites and kisses to her neck. 

She was still a wanting, gushing mess for him and heat flamed into her face once more as she rolled her hips against his thumb, grinding down, desperate for more. 

“Paul!” she gasped as he touched just the right tempo against her, causing her to crest again. Paul groaned and bit down against her shoulder. Maya, in the waves of another orgasm, pressed against his shoulders, in an attempt to release the tension in her body that the heat of his body were exacerbating. With his other hand, Paul grabbed both of Maya’s wrists and slammed them down on the bed above her head as she keened and cried out again, her orgasm rinsing through her. 

Just as her release was washing through her, Paul lined himself up to her opening and pushed in swiftly. Her eyes shot wide in surprise and a visceral pulse rocketed through her body, ending in a scream of relief. 

Paul let out a feral groan that sent chills down Maya’s spine and she watched as his face melted into pure bliss as he slid to the hilt. The scream now spent, Maya’s mouth hung open as her breath came out in sharp bursts. Paul’s gaze finally lowered to meet hers and she felt every nerve ending buzz as he grinned that wolfish, possessive smile down at her. 

“You okay?” he whispered breathlessly. Maya felt a quick tear rush down into her hair as she nodded, her mouth still open in shock and relief. Paul stayed buried in her and looked down at the space between them where they connected, letting out another moan that set Maya on edge. She’d never been this wound up before, as if she’d snap and dissolve right into the mattress at any moment. 

Paul still gripped her wrists tightly above her head, keeping her place and Maya was thankful for the anchor. He used his other hand to grab her thigh and pull it up to wrap around his back. Then, with one last dark grin, Paul slid out to the tip and in one long languid stroke, he rushed back into her. Maya arched up in response as he dipped his head low to take her taut nipple into his mouth. 

Every place his mouth touched was like an explosion of firework-like sensation, burning through her and causing her to spiral. He began to pump into her at a quick pace, blinding her with pleasure and squeezing her hip, her ass, her breast. Maya couldn’t move from his ironclad grip if she tried, but it didn’t matter. Every one of her senses was lost in him. Each guttural groan, the slap of his hips against hers, the huff of hard breath across her face as he worked in her sent Maya higher and higher. 

And then, he shifted his angle, brushing against that spot within her that made her arch and whine with a sound she’d never heard come from her lips before. She clamped her lips shut around the sound of relief that erupted out of her throat as she felt her walls clamp down around him and try to pull him in deeper. 

“That’s my girl,” Paul moaned, his eyes glued to where they met, watching as he disappeared into her again and again. “Give me another, baby.” His voice was warm, but commanding. Maya felt another scream come clawing out of her throat as his mouth bit gently around her breasts and he hammered into that sweet, sensitive spot in her again and again. 

She’d die like this, happily. But it was almost too much, the pain of him stretching her open after a year apart without pause and the sweet coaxing of his hand, mouth, and hips pulling sounds and feelings that Maya didn’t think she was capable of. 

His hand slid underneath her waist and lifted her hips up as he sank deeper into her. His thrusts were controlled, precise, and Maya was simply a mess. She rolled her head from side to side, her cheeks bright and flush with warmth as she teetered. Her nipples were hard and sore from Paul’s mouth tugging and nibbling at them, and a thin sheen of sweat covered her whole body making it easier for him to slide her body against him any way he pleased. 

There was nothing Maya could do except take what he was giving her and give what she could back to him. She was babbling at this point: his name, curse words, promises, pleadings. All of it brought her crashing down again, her walls fluttering around him. He groaned in appreciation, kissing up her neck and across her face to her lips as she shuddered with release, her thighs a slick, sticky example of her uncontrollable lust for this man. 

Paul's thrusts began to falter in their control as he slammed into her faster, deeper, angling her for his needs. Neither of them were in control and it didn’t matter anymore. 

Maya’s hands had gone numb as he held her wrists tightly to the bed, but the tingling in her fingertips was nothing compared to the overwhelming drag of him sliding in and out of her at a brutal, finishing pace. 

He leaned his head up to look into her eyes, letting out another moan of pure exaltation as he said in a low voice: “You’re still on birth control, right?” The slapping sounds of his hips almost drowned out the question. 

Maya, lost in her glow, let out a soft laugh that made Paul grunt as she squeezed him. “Like you care,” she got out around a breath. Paul shook his head, letting a laugh roll from him now too as he looked between them again. 

“You’re right. I don’t,” he admitted casually, before wrenching Maya’s body up and spinning her around so she laid on her stomach. He let go of her wrists and Maya felt the soft rush of blood return to her hands. Instead he pulled her hips up and slid into her fast from behind without bothering to spread her. Maya let out a low moan into the pillow and felt his hand land firmly on her shoulder, holding her in place against the mattress. 

His thrusts found every soft, sensitive spot within her and the white lights that burst behind Maya’s eyes as her brain buzzed pleasantly, wiping all thoughts from her head except the feeling of him between her legs, was all that was keeping her present. His hips stuttered again, getting sloppier as he lost control and Maya reveled in the thought that it was her that caused him to lose it like this.

Another few hard pumps and he let out a loud moan, her name on the tail end of it, as he splashed inside of her. Maya screamed into the pillow as she felt him cum, her senses heightened by the shuddering tension wracking his body. 

His grunts became more deliberate as he continued to pump into her after he was spent, slowing down only after his body sank over the top of hers. 

“Fuck,” he breathed out as he pressed a line of kisses across her shoulder blades. Maya couldn’t open her eyes, exhaustion set deep within her, and the relief of her release pulling her under. She was circling the drain of her own contentment. Paul’s searing hot body sandwiched her gently into the mattress and nothing could have felt better in that moment. 

She felt him slowly slide off of her to the side as he pulled out. Immediate warmth pooled between her legs as his load spilled out of her. Maya didn’t care—she couldn’t move, her entire body humming with electricity as if a switch in her had been turned on again after being out for far too long. Paul gently caressed her naked back, leaning to kiss the bite marks against her shoulder and neck he had left in his need to reclaim her. He swept her hair off of her shoulder and massaged the back of her neck tenderly. 

It was all Maya remembered before she was pulled under into blissful darkness. 

------------------------

Maya woke to sunlight filtering softly through the window. She blinked blearily, her brain not quite catching up with her body just yet as she tried to remember how it was she got home. If she was home, then last night must have been a tortuously delightful dream. Maya rubbed her eyes and leaned up onto her forearms, but a sharp pain pulsed through her, fading into a dull ache. Not a dream. 

A soft shuffling next to her alerted her to the fact that she wasn’t alone. Maya turned her head over on the pillow and found Paul, fully dressed with his oversized leather weekender bag on the bed by Maya’s feet. 

“Good morning,” he said softly, his low voice music to her ears. Maya hummed in acknowledgement as she took in her surroundings. She was still in his hotel room, and she was most definitely naked. Maya sat up no, wincing at the soreness in her lower body. She yawned and saw Paul chuckle. 

“Where are you going?” Maya finally managed, her voice hoarse. “Jesus,” she whispered, holding the soft white linen sheet against her breasts. Paul looked up at her as he packed his iPad and chargers into his bag. 

“I have to head back to La Push today,” he said it as if they did this song and dance all the time—as if she should know where he was headed. Maya blinked a few times, clearing the rest of the sleep from her brain. 

“O-oh,” she stuttered. 

“I arranged a late check out already, so feel free to hang out as long as you need,” he zipped up his bag and the sound of it seemed to ricochet loudly across the room. 

“Okay,” Maya tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. Paul slung his bag over his shoulder and leaned on the bed to kiss her softly. Maya tentatively placed her hand on his jaw, feeling the soft bristle of his beard against her fingertips. When he pulled away, Maya felt the imprint in her wilt with disappointment. 

“I’ll be back in the city in a few weeks,” he said softly, letting his eyes search hers for a moment. But Maya didn’t know what he was looking for in her. After another beat, he stood up abruptly and walked toward the door without another word. “Thanks again for coming with me last night,” he said mischievously as he turned around to look at her, “And for attending the event last night.” He winked at her before pulling open the door. 

Maya heard the soft click of the hotel door close as her mouth hung open in shock. 

“Bye?” she said aloud to no one. Maya placed a hand to her head to steady the dizzying effect of the emotional whiplash she just encountered. 

What the fuck was that? 

Next > >

#taking time #twilight fanfiction #twilight saga #twilight renaissance #the twilight saga #rosalie cullen #emmett cullen #the wolf pack #paul lahote smut #paul lahote x oc #paul lahote fanfiction #paul lahote #jacob black

[since0202]

Posting tonight: Chapter Fifty Two

Not that easy.

-------

Posting tonight at 4 p.m. PST.

Got predictions for what's about to go down in this chapter?

I've got a few for you to mull over:

Paul is going to do something unexpected.

Maya is going to get angry (again).

Paul isn't going to give up that easy.

What happens in the friendzone, stays in the friendzone.

See you all tonight!

#taking time #chapter fifty two #predictions #paul lahote smut #paul lahote fanfiction #oh maya #stay strong

[since0202]

Sneak Peek—Fifty Two

Not that easy

Sneak preview below the cut...

Maya quickened her pace across campus as her navy blue floral mini dress. The thin material clung to her hips and she had thrown on a light wash jean jacket over the delicate tied shoulder straps to prepare for the likely chill of the over air conditioned lecture hall. She had pulled her hair half up and tied a ribbon matching the color of her dress. With the last sweltering days of summer clinging to New York, the less clothes the better. 

Maya readjusted her leather tote on her shoulder ladened down with notebooks and her laptop. She planned on getting some pre-semester work done after the orientation if she could. Her junior year was vitally important to the networking stage of her degree. She’d be busier than ever attending events and gladhanding. Luckily, she had Arden and now Dr. Bronnard in her corner singing her praises, but still, the thought of securing a high-value internship this year sent a nervous thrill through her. 

“Maya!” a familiar voice shouted across the quad. Maya slowed and turned to see Arden in a light t-shirt and some slacks. The heat was really getting to everyone. She paused and smiled waiting for him to jog up to her. “I thought that was you,” he said a little breathless, “Are you alright?” he readjusted his bag on his shoulder and reached out to gently graze her arm with his other hand. 

“I’m fine,” Maya shook her head, slightly embarrassed and looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry I disappeared on you last night, I—” she looked up to see Arden shaking his head gently. 

“You don’t have to apologize, it’s alright,” he said almost knowingly. Maya heaved a sigh of relief. 

“Really?”

“Really,” his smile was warm and kind. And again, Maya wondered how no one had fallen in love with it yet. But maybe that was it, maybe someone had, “I told you, I see you. I get it,” he promised. Maya nodded and couldn’t help leaning into his hand when it cupped her cheek. “Are you ready?” he nodded over her shoulder toward the lecture hall letting his hand drop. 

Maya looked over her shoulder and then turned eagerly back toward him with a wide smile, “Absolutely.” Arden nodded his assent and wound his hand down her back and gripped her hip as they walked toward the front doors. He grabbed the door and held it open for her as she slipped through. 

The TA’ship was completely informal. Only her and two other undergrads were selected by professors to shadow their grad courses and grade papers. They wouldn’t be teaching anything, but it was a special opportunity to get a head start on some upper level material, work closer with grad students who were starting their research and even have the opportunity to work with their professors on their research. 

Arden of course had selected Maya for the position and she was thrilled to be sandwiched between two studious looking grad students in the lecture hall as head of the TA program droned on about expectations. Being Arden’s unofficial TA meant that she would most likely be spending more time in his office again with him. The thought made her chew her lip in worry and excitement. Without the dull ache present in her belly, Maya was able to consider a life of possibilities without the imprint tugging her attention away. 

But still, she was worried. If the ache was gone, that had to mean that Paul was nearby. But so far, he was keeping his distance. 

After the orientation, Maya laughed as Arden led her down the staircase from the front doors, regaling her with yet another story about a mishap that happened in his lab prep last week that had resulted in several thousands of dollars worth of regent test strips getting ruined. 

Maya leaned into Arden’s side as she held her side in laughter, her jean jacket hanging loosely from her hand as the sun washed over the bare skin of her shoulders and neck. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Maya lifted her head and wiped a stray tear that had escaped her eye from laughing so hard and was halted to a stop. 

Arden looked down at her, his hand resting on her lower back confused at her sudden stop and lifted his eyes to where she was staring. 

Standing off to the side against the brick wall of the adjacent building was Paul. His massive arms were folded across his chest clad in a black t-shirt. His face was pulled into a grimace as he watched Maya sway uncertainly. He didn’t move though. 

Maya looked up at Arden, her eyes swimming with confusion and a plea of understanding. He glanced at Paul and then smiled comfortingly down at Maya. “You going to be okay? Or should I wait for you?” 

Maya let out a solid breath and let a small smile break over her face. “Thank you,” she said softly, “I’ll be fine. I’m just going to see what he wants,” Maya said, her voice only slightly wavering. Arden watched her for a moment, not sure about leaving her but ultimately, after another glance in Paul’s direction he conceded and gave a brief nod. He squeezed her arm gently and said “I’ll be in my office. Text me if you need me,” before heading off across the quad toward the science building. 

Maya didn’t move for a moment, her eyes glued to Paul’s across the way. He looked furious, as he most often did now with each of their meetings, but Maya’s lips tingled with the remembrance of his mouth on hers last night. Resolved to not lose her way this time, she swallowed hard and walked purposefully toward Paul. His eyes watched her every movement: the soft sway of her hips, the soft fleshy tremble of her upper thighs that peaked out of from under the flimsy fabric of her dress as she walked, the subtle bounce of her breasts, the swing of her arms, and the curl of her fingers into gently fists. 

What he wouldn’t give to rip that dress off of her and remind her of who he was. 

Maya stopped a few paces away from him, her brain already fogging from his heady scent. She fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest, mirroring his position. 

“Hi,” she said gently, the wind blowing her hair across her shoulders. Paul’s intense gaze held her and he just gave her that wicked smile, one that promised he’d wreak havoc on her heart if she let him. When he didn’t say anything, she rolled her eyes and swore she heard a soft growl come from him in response, “What are you doing here?” she said with more impatience. 

Paul pushed off of the wall and walked a little closer to her. Maya stiffened. 

“I was going to take you to lunch,” he said, his voice a rumble of pure temptation, “If you were hungry.” Maya stayed stock still, worried that any movement would draw that lustful gaze and set her on fire. “Unless, you were busy with…something else,” he said the last part through gritted teeth as he glared pure malice over her shoulder where Arden had disappeared into the science building. 

She didn’t have plans…but, “Just lunch?” she asked tentatively. She desperately wanted her voice to come out stronger and not with that tinny undercurrent of need currently coating it. Paul’s eyes snapped back to her and he fought back a scowl at the distrust he found on her face. 

He gave her one solid nod and Maya relaxed, taking a deep breath. “Fine,” she said. “But I need to be back here by 2:30 for a meeting,” she lied. There was no meeting but at least it gave her a deadlined to adhere to. She worried if she didn’t set an end time for herself, she’d never leave his side with the imprint itching at her brain like this. 

He held out his hand to her in agreement and Maya hesitated only slightly before slipping her hand into his. His warm, reassuring palm sent an electric shock through her and she swallowed the gasp that fought up her throat. They started down the quad together and Paul reached around her to grab the bag off of her shoulder so he could carry it. Thankful for the lack of weight, she stepped closer to him, pressing her side against his arm as they walked toward one of the campus parking lots. 

Though they walked in silence, the tension buzzed through Maya’s body, tightening her nipples into hard peaks and swirled in agonizing lightning between her legs. When they reached the sleek black Mercedes, Maya hesitated again. He opened the passenger door for her and quickly walked around to the drivers side, depositing her bag into the backseat first. Maya bit her lip and hesitated at the open car door. 

“Paul,” she said quickly. He looked at her, that fire still brimming in his eyes. If looks could kill… “Just lunch, right?” she heard herself nearly beg. Paul openly scowled now and rolled his head back. 

“Maya, I’m not going to fucking kidnap you. Just get in the car,” he said harshly. Maya frowned. It was not outside of the realm of possibilities that he would placate her and then steal her away—he’d done it before.

When she didn’t move, he placed both of his arms on the top of the car and leaned forward, “You already ran away once, what would be the point of me dragging you back to the rez if I know you’re just going to run from me again the first chance you get?” His voice dripped with anger but there was also regret. Maya pursed her lips and then nodded getting into the car without further protest and quickly snapped on her seatbelt.

Guess she'd just have to trust him.

#taking time #chapter 52 sneak peek #6k words into chapter 52 #brace yourselves for some HOT HOT HOT AND HEAVY stuff #paul lahote #paul lahote smut #the sexy tension will be resolved in chapter 52 #if you know what i mean #the blue dress is important #idk why #but i spent an hour looking for that inspo #so you're welcome?

[since0202]

Hi! I just wanted to take the time to say I really love your writing so much! I think Taking Time in particular is so great because it doesn’t follow the normal fanfic tropes. By now Maya normally would’ve fallen at Paul’s feet, given up her dreams to stay in Washington and probably gotten pregnant. I love that she is so determined to reach her goals and she won’t let anyone control her life. I can’t wait to see how her and Paul find their way back to each other and I can’t wait for more chapters! Thank you for being amazing!!

This is...so nice? Thank you. Believe me, this story could have gone a lot of different ways and I contemplated them all.

It just didn't make sense to me to build Maya's character up, have her take all of these risks and basically shirk the imprint and sacrifice everything to go back on it now.

I'm sure you all know Paul is end game at this point and we'll get there, but my biggest goal for this story was to show a nontraditional imprint relationship and really have the imprint fight back the only way she really could—which is literally just her trying to live a normal life in the most abnormal foundation.

A lot more surprises to come besties. Thank you for being an amazing reader and thank you for the comment. It's always nice to hear from you guys and hear your thoughts on things!

#3.5k words into chapter 52 #answered anon #thank you for reading! #taking time #this was such a kind message #i literally read it outloud to my partner and squealed #so like #you did it #you made my night. #twilight fanfiction