Better Man (P.L.)

Nine.

Olivia moved sluggishly slow after she saw Paul for the first time in days, the look on his face enough to make her blood run cold. She had never seen him so tired and worried, the boy always being boisterous and confident to the point of being cocky. Paul didn't even move from his spot, his eyes locked on the ground, almost as if in a trance. If Olivia hadn't seen the way his shoulders tensed further upon hearing her car pull up, she would've thought that he hadn't noticed her presence at all.

She opened the car door and stepped out, slowly shutting it before beginning to walk up the steps. She half expected Paul to say something, anything, but he didn't, remaining silent until Olivia was by his side on the porch.

He lifted his head slowly, meeting her eyes and sighing in relief. He looked her over, his relief being momentary when he noticed the puffiness of her eyes and the pale tint of her skin. "They didn't hurt you?"

"I didn't even see them." She assured, half-heartedly. "Jacob didn't even let me step into the house."

"Hmm." Paul turned away, opening the front door and holding it out for Olivia to go in. She did, although hesitant, the tension between them quite frankly frightening her. Paul was so eerily calm, yet so clearly rigid. She didn't know what to think of it.

The door closed behind him, Olivia setting down her keys and bag on the nearby table before turning to face him. She took a deep breath before meeting his expectant gaze, raising an eyebrow herself. "What's wrong, Paul?"

"Are you on my side?"

Olivia's eyebrows furrowed, the girl left confused by the question. "What?"

"Are you on my side?" He repeated, his voice louder. "In all of this? Whatever ends up happening, are you on my side?"

"Of course I am, Paul. You're what truly matters to me in all of this, you know that."

"No, I don't, Livs." He confessed, shaking his head. "Yesterday, when I went to Emily's to get the pack something to eat, I heard her. She was crying to Sue, saying how she wasn't sure if she could ever look at Sam the same way if he killed Bella. She said that she was trying to be on his side, that she loved him so much but she couldn't be, not in this case, no matter what he believed."

He stopped, looking away from Olivia and walking to their couch with a sigh. "And it got me thinking. You say you love me and you're on my side, but I see the look on your face when you visit the Cullen house and when you think about everything. You're on Bella's side too. You don't want us to go through with it. So, I'm asking you, Olivia, are you on my side? Will you still love me if I follow Sam's orders, even if I don't want to do it myself?"

"Why does that change anything?"

"It changes everything, Olivia!" Paul shouted, Olivia jumping at his tone. She then noticed the tears in his eyes, the way Paul was breaking down in a way that he never had before. "If you won't see me the same anymore, if it changes everything, it isn't worth it. I can't live without you, Livs. So if it comes down to it, I'll walk away. I can't lose you too."

Olivia didn't respond right away, crossing over the couch where Paul put his head in his hands. She kneeled before him, her right hand on his knee and her left going to his face, gently lifting it and wiping his tears. Their eyes met as if for the first time again, though this time both were in tears.

"Tell me, Olivia, please. Before it's too late to fix it."

"Paul." Olivia leaned closer to him, smiling despite everything. "You're right. I am on Bella's side and I don't agree with your plan of murdering her. But I love you, over everything and I know you. From the moment this all started, you've been uneasy with it too. I won't hold it against you if it comes down to it because I know why you would do it. And that loyalty, that love you have for your brothers and your tribe, that's what I love most about you."

She leaned her forehead against his, her smile widening. "And I'd be a hypocrite to punish you for doing what I fell in love with you for."

Paul connected their lips before Olivia could say anything else, lifting her off the floor and onto his lap. Olivia melted into the kiss, her arms going around his neck and pulling him closer for the first time in days. The stubble that had grown on his jaw tickled her slightly, but she didn't care, kissing him harder and harder.

He pulled away first, his hands going to her face and rubbing his thumb over her cheek. "I don't deserve you. You've been through so much because of me. I mean, look at you, you look worried wick and all because I exposed you to this world."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way, because it's your world, Paul. If being in this world means I get you, then I'll do it a million times over. I mean, you've saved me so much since we met, remember?"

He smiled slightly, nuzzling his face into her neck and taking in her scent. He was silent for a moment before he spoke again, this time his voice stronger. "When this is all over, we're getting out of here. I don't care where, we'll figure that out. But I can't keep you here, not when so much can go wrong."

"Paul-"

"No, Livs, listen to me." He cut her off, pulling away and meeting her eyes again. "If we don't leave, the Cullen's will keep causing problems that we'll keep getting pulled into until one of us gets killed. I can't risk that and I can't put you through that anymore. Even if it's just for a little, we have to go. Sam will understand, hell, he'll support it. Jacob's alpha now, anyways, I'm not that needed anymore."

Olivia thought for a moment. There wasn't anything tying them down as they could easily sell the house. Paul had nothing to lose and her dad would understand, especially if she said it was for colle or something. Paul was right, they had to go before either one of them died.

"Okay." She gave in, nodding slowly. "When this is over, we'll leave."