Without Love

Alanya was dancing around her room in a short denim shorts and a pink corset bra. She was dancing to a song by Scouting for Girls called ‘Goodtime Girl’. Someone knocked on her open door and Alanya turned without turning the music off.

Embry tried to say something to her but the music was to loud. He motioned for her to turn it down. Alanya did, but still hummed the song.

“I’m leaving now,” he said to her.

Alanya waved at him, “Have fun,” she didn’t even know where he was going. “When will you be back?”

“Sometime tomorrow,” he answered and eyed her suspiciously. “Please tell me you are wearing a sweater over that.”

She laughed and pulled a blouse over her head. “Of course dad,” but the blouse was almost transparent and didn’t leave much to the imagination.

Embry rolled his eyes at her. “Paul’s here,” he said just as they heard a knock on the front door.

“How did you-“ she broke off with a shrug. “Tell him I’ll be right out.”

Embry walked away with a shake off his head and Alanya searched through her shoes for something she could wear. She made her way to the front room when satisfied. Paul was studying a picture on the wall and didn’t turn to greet her.

“I never noticed this before,” he said with a chuckle.

Alanya peered around his shoulder and came face to face with a school picture of herself in her preteens with braces and pig-tails. She noted to herself that she had to get rid of it later.

“I wonder who she is,” Alanya mused and stood beside him.

Paul laughed loudly and looked at her for the first time that evening. His eyes widened slightly but he recovered quickly and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Nice shorts,” he said and eyed her ass.

“I know,” she smiled and headed for the door.

Paul followed the way a dog followed the smell off food.

“This isn’t a date,” she said as they walked side by side. “I just brought you to get Embry off my back.”

“Of course. And he made some rules; no alcohol and no boys,” Paul said sternly.

She laughed. “I’ll try and control myself.”

>X<

The beach was filled with teenagers. Alanya guessed, judged by their pasty skin that most of them were from Forks.

“Don’t you feel lucky that we are blessed with dark, beautiful skin?” Alanya asked Paul out of the corner of her mouth as the girl from earlier, Jessica walked up to them.

“You came!” Jessica grinned. “And brought a friend…” she trailed off and glanced at Paul.

“Just to get my brother off my back,” she smiled at her. “Paul’s my babysitter.”

“How old were you?” Jessica wondered and linked her arm with Alanya.

“Eighteen,” Alanya lied and was led to a bonfire were already drunk people were singing.

Paul trailed after them, but ended up sitting far from Alanya at the improvised drive wood benches. He was squeezed between two girls, both hitting at him. He didn’t mind, but he always kept an eye on Alanya.

She sat with Jessica and some of her friends, chatting about how boring La Push and Forks were. They were asking her questions about New York City, looking at her as if she was a star. Jessica left with a boy, Mike, but placed a beer in Alanya’s hand before she walked away.

Alanya turned to the girl beside her, a girl with long honey brown hair. She wore glasses – a little outdated, but they suited her. She had a kind smile on her lips as she stared into the blue drive wood flames.

“Alanya Call,” Alanya introduced herself and extended her hand.

The girl shook it. “I’m Angela. Angela Weber. You’re the new girl?”

Alanya nodded. “Yeah, I just got here.”

“Embry Call’s sister?” she questioned.

Alanya nodded again. “Yeah, do you know him?” she took a sip off the cheap beer.

“Not exactly; I think he’s the best friend of my friend’s best friend. Jacob Black,” Angela said and furrowed her brows before she laughed. “Something like that.”

“That Bella girl?” Alanya said with obvious venom.

“Yes, Bella Swan,” she said. “Don’t you like her?”

“She broke poor Jacob’s heart,” Alanya answered.

“Why did you move here?” Angela asked and changed the subject.

“My dad and his husband are moving to Europe; I’m spending the summer here to see if I want to take my senior year here.”

“Husband?” Angela whispered in shock.

“His gay,” she chuckled. The uncertainty was well hidden; she didn’t always blurt out about her father’s orientation to people she just met.

“I’m not homophobic, but some of the other around here is. You should be careful who you tell it to,” Angela warned her with real care in her voice.

“Jessica?” Alanya asked and raised her left eyebrow.

Angela nodded quickly.

Alanya would take her advice. Being bullied was something she would steer free from if possible. She talked to Angela, feeling comfortable in the kind girl’s company. She was introduced to her boyfriend as well, Ben, a nerdy boy who liked comic books – Alanya didn’t judge.

“Hey!” she snapped and turned around when someone snatched her nearly empty beer.

“No alcohol?” Paul asked her and sat down beside her.

Alanya pushed his shoulder playfully. “You’re just scared I’ll be too wasted to fuck you later.”

Paul stared at her with an open mouth, surprised by her bluntness.

She gave him an alluring smile. She could see him swallow, he was nervous but that was the effect she usually had on boys. Paul’s head snapped in the direction of someone yelling and spotted a fight in the starting between two gangly-looking, drunk teenage boys.

Paul groan, knowing he should break it up.

Alanya leaned over and kissed the side of his mouth. “Hurry back,” she murmured to him.

She stood up and walked to the cooler containing the beers and grabbed new one. She wasn’t big at drinking, but when someone offered for free she wasn’t going to say no.

A boy approached her with a smirk on his lips and his eyes locked with hers. He wasn’t looking half bad.

“I’m Tyler, want to go for a walk with me?” he questioned.

Alanya eyed him up. “Sure,” she smiled at him and let him wrap an arm around her waist.

He didn’t ask for her name, nor did she tell him. Tyler led her away from the party and to a rocky path. He stopped when he reached the top off the cliffs and pointed out at the sea.

“It’s a great view from here to James Island,” he said and made her see the silhouette of the rocky island rising from the water.

“Beautiful,” she mumbled and leaned against him, forgetting who he was for a moment.

“But not as beautiful as you,” Tyler said cheekily.

Alanya couldn’t help but laugh at the lame pick-up line. It wasn’t the first time she heard it.

Without a warning Tyler pulled her lips to his in a forced saliva filled kiss. Alanya felt like he was trying to strangle her with his tongue.

>X<

Paul searched the benches around the bonfire for her pretty smile, searched the group that had entered the water for her shining eyes. Alanya was out of his reach and he started panicking.

He spotted Angela Weber in an embrace with her short boyfriend and walked over; remembering Alanya had talked to her before.

“Angela,” he said in a careful voice. “Do you know where Alanya went?”

She searched her head for a split second. “I think I saw her walking with Tyler Crowley up the pathway to the cliffs.”

Paul growled under his breath and took off running – first it was just a jog, but as soon as he was out of sight he ran faster than any human could. He spotted her in Tyler’s arms, with their lips locked and walked straight over and ripped the bastard off her.

“What the fuck, man!” Tyler exclaimed and glared accusingly at Paul.

“Alanya,” he barked. “Your bother said no boys.”

She rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest. He noticed her blouse was missing and spotted it on the ground.

“You’re her boyfriend?” Tyler asked him.

“Got that right,” Paul growled. “Now get away before I smash your face.”

“You should put a leash on her,” Tyler grumbled and walked away.

Paul turned his glare to the girl standing only in her bra and shorts.

“Sorry?” she said and raised her hands. “I was just messing around.”

Paul took off his jacket and handed it to her when he noticed her shiver.

“No, you’ll freeze,” she argued.

Paul sighed and softened. “I’m hot, remember.”

She laughed lightly and took it. Alanya found the smell and warmth coming from the jacket strangely comforting.

The fact that she’d just been lip-locking with another boy, and the way she stared at the ground and wrapped her arms around herself that triggered the caring, yet dominant side off him.

Paul walked close to her and cupped her face. He pressed his lips against hers carefully, biting her lower lip to seek entrance. Alanya worked hard to refuse and stay on her feet, but at the end she let his tongue explore her mouth, removing the bad taste Tyler had left, and his arms support her back.

“What happened to no boys?” she asked him a little out of breath.

Paul kissed down her neck. “I’m a man,” he smirked before he kissed her lips again, rougher this time. His hand knotted in her long flowing hair.

Alanya sighed into the kiss and let him sweep her off her feet.