TEN. TRYING

The house was silent when Eli stepped inside. She removed her soaked coat and hung it up at the door, shivering as she did so. All she wanted was to change into warm clothes, possibly replace the pyjama pants she had given Paul. 

Rubbing her hands together, she thought she was alone in the living room, but looked up to see Sam waiting in the kitchen, Nick and her mother behind him. Eli jumped a little at the sight, and she exhaled softly, trying to force a smile. "What's going on?"

Sam was the only one who smiled back. He straightened his posture and took a step towards her, holding his hand out to place on her shoulder. He was intensely warm, just like Paul had been. Eli tensed slightly, trying to envision how Sam was capable of shape-shifting into a gigantic wolf -- it didn't exactly set her at ease. "Can I speak with you in private?"

"I don't think that's necessary-" Grace piped up, but Sam didn't seem too care at all. The mother looked over at Eli with a sharp expression. "How do we even know that she's an imprint?"

So her mother knew about them all as well. 

Sam looked deep into Eli's eyes, and she cleared her throat, tucking a piece of wet hair behind her ear. "I heard it happen, Nick did too. And clearly Elise has seen something she can't explain."

"So that means she can finally get rid of that ridiculous car," Nick grumbled, and Eli pulled a face. 

"What does any of this have to do with my car?" she shook Sam's hand off her shoulder and stepped back, crossing her arms. She was frozen to the bone, but there was far too much going on to concentrate on her body temperature. "Paul's a shapeshifter, so are you, so is Nick and so is Jared. What's so important about the Mustang?"

"You're so fucking stupid," Nick rolled his eyes, stepping forward. Eli flinched a little at his aggression, but Sam held his arm out protectively in front of her. Nick glared at her harshly. "One of those blood-sucking Cullens gave it to you. They're our natural enemy, and you decide to become best friends with that blonde-haired bitch."

"Her name is Rosalie," Eli snapped defensively in response. "And a blood-sucker? What, like a vampire?"

Nick narrowed his eyes and Sam exhaled through his nose, so she assumed she was right. 

"God, what's next?" she scoffed. "Unless a leprechaun is gonna shoot out my ass, I think I've heard enough. I don't have the energy to think about what Rosalie Hale likes to do in her spare time; all I know is that she has been nothing but kind to me, and has treated me like an actual person instead of a waste of space like my mother and brother have all my life."

"Don't be so ungrateful," Grace spoke up once more. "I gave you a home when that idiot father of yours decided to dump you on my doorstep. I put a roof over your head and a bed for you to sleep on, and you've never thanked me once! Now you have the audacity to talk about me like that? You're a disgrace."

Eli clenched her jaw and tried to force down the tears that threatened to rise. "Dad didn't dump me here. You don't know the half of it. Besides, you never cared about me, or him. You care about your reputation and your perfect son. But fine. Thank you. Thank you for putting a roof over my head and giving me a bed, as if that isn't your job to do as a mother. I shouldn't have to be thankful for getting basic needs from the woman who gave birth to me!"

Grace launched forward and struck Eli across the face. The room went deadly silent. Everyone stared at Eli, waiting for her to explode. The tension was so thick if could be cut with a butter knife, though no one would have dared in that moment. 

Eli looked up at her mother, whose eyes flashed with a twinge of guilt at the realisation of what she had just done. The teen's cheek was burning furiously from the slap, and her tears didn't help the stinging sensation go away. 

She could have lashed out. She could have started to scream and tell her mother how much she hated her. But instead, she took a deep breath and turned back around, marching out the door once more and climbing back into her car. She stuck her keys in the ignition, and without a word, pulled out of the driveway and left the property. 

★☆ 

Ten minutes later, Eli found herself outside Paul's house. She didn't realise where she had taken herself until she saw the Lahote letterbox through the pouring rain. She had stopped for a moment, thinking to herself; why would she go to his house? In truth, she had taken herself there without sparing a single thought. It was as if she was supposed to be there. She should have gone to the Clearwater house, or Embry, Jacob or Quil. But, for some reason, she knew that it was here that she was meant to be. 

Before she could even step out of the car, she saw Paul's silhouette by the front door. He looked confused, but relieved at the same time. He ran over to her to bring her out of the rain, pulling her under the porch roof. He looked her up and down, his eyebrows knitted together when he noticed she hadn't changed her clothes in the past hour. "What-"

"Can I stay with you tonight?" she cut him off, refusing to look him in the eye. She sniffled, wanting nothing more than to be embraced. Paul seemed to have read her thoughts, reaching forward and pulling her tightly towards his warm body. Eli choked out a sob and curled into his arms, her knees shaking from her lack of strength. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come."

"Don't apologise," Paul replied, lifting his hand to her cheek so that she could look at him. "You wanna talk about it?"

Eli shook her head, burying her face in his neck. "I know it sounds weird, but I think this is where I'm supposed to be."

Paul ran his hands through her soaked hair. He held her so tight it made her feel like maybe, she was important. "You don't know how much that means to me, Eli."

Eli pulled back slightly and looked at him, trying to act like her regular self. "Well, don't get the wrong idea."

Paul grinned and kissed the top of her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

★☆ 

After a warm shower and a change of clothes, Eli sat on the edge of Paul's bed, braiding her dark hair. Paul stepped inside the bedroom with two mugs of hot chocolate, kicking the door shut with his foot. He placed them on his bedside table, and looked down at the girl. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of her in his clothes, enrobed in his scent. "I didn't think there'd ever be a day I'd be so happy to see Eli Stutfield in my bed."

Eli stuck her tongue out, though she couldn't help feeling the butterflies in her stomach. "Shut up."

Paul chuckled and sat down on the mattress, pushing himself up against the headboard. It fell silent between them, and it didn't feel uncomfortable. A soulmate thing, perhaps. "Did something happen with your mom?"

Eli's fingers stopped weaving her hair, and she swallowed. "I guess you could say that."

Paul pursed his lips and scooted forward, reaching for her hair. "Can I?"

Eli nodded. He continued to plait her soft strands, getting closer and closer. She didn't say anything, because for some reason, she didn't mind. 

"You're still freezing, Tiny," he muttered, picking up the elastic from the bed and finishing the braid. It wasn't greatest but he had tried his best. Eli turned to face him, and he smiled across at her. "Listen, I'm really sorry about everything. I know this isn't exactly ideal for you, but I want you to know that I want you to be happy. I'm yours, okay? A protector, a friend..."

He trailed off, but Eli knew what he was getting at. "Thank you."

Paul leaned forward and kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger for a second. "I'm glad you came here tonight."

"Me too," Eli responded, her voice quiet yet filled with honesty. She paused for a second, before looking up at Paul. "That night, when you pulled me out of the water...was it really Embry who saw me leave?"

His cheeks flushed a little. Eli chuckled at the thought that she had made Paul Lahote blush. He cleared his throat. "I saw you go. I'd been staring at you since you got to the campfire, if I'm honest. I thought you looked beautiful; you'd finally filled into those big ears of yours."

Eli laughed, which made him laugh too. This...the two of them. It felt right. 

★☆