Promise? (A Paul Lahote x Female OC fanfiction)

7

"Then tell me something, was Sam this angsty and stupid when he first imprinted on you?"

Leah, despite having previously been in a relationship with Sam, guffawed.

Sam looked at her and scowled but said nothing while Emily spoke up, "...yeah."

Sam turned to Emily, "what?! I was nothing like Paul!"

Emily made a motion with her fingers that meant 'a little bit' while scrunching up her face.

Sam actually pouted.

I burst out laughing and so did Leah, she must have come to terms with Sam and Emily's relationship even if their public displays of affection still seem to make her slightly uncomfortable. It was absurd to see  how Sam went from being serious and intimidating to looking like a sad little puppy dog, "dude, your face!"

Sam looks at me with a little frown and I had to hold my stomach because I was laughing so hard.

"It's not that funny," Sam says.

"I'm sorry... I- it's just, I've never... I've never seen you so... upset about something this ridiculous before," I said between laughs as I tried to calm myself down, "your usually way too serious for your own good.

"So my pain causes you happiness," Sam said slightly amused.

I make the same gesture Emily had made just minutes before with the same exact face she made. as soon as Leah broke down laughing all the progress I had made to calm myself down was thrown out the window.

Me and Leah probably laughed for a solid two minutes, "ok ok ok,... sorry I'm good now... I think," I say slightly giggling

"That's the first time I've seen you laugh like that," Paul suddenly says with a small smile on his lips.

"And it was at yours and Sam's expense," I playfully tease.

He shrugs, "as long as you're happy."

That was all it took for my smile to fade, "that's the third time you've implied that you don't matter."

He didn't say anything. He only looked down and swallowed harshly.

"And don't think that I forgot that you need to tell me what you're keeping from me. Come on, I can handle it."

He sighs, "Promise?"

I smile and repeated what he had told me, "I promise, and I never ever break my promises."

He lets out a light laugh though his smile doesn't reach his eyes, "...the bond that formed when I imprinted is incredibly strong for wolf shifters. It's hard to stay away from our imprints. It... it hurts when our imprints are far from us."

My eyes widen slightly, "physically or emotionally?"

Paul grimaces and Jared answers for him, "both."

"So when I wasn't talking to you guys...," I hang my head, "I-...sorry..."

"you're here now, that's all that matters," Paul says quickly as if he was anticipating my apology.

I offer him a regretful smile before asking, "anything else I should know?"

He takes a deep breath, "the imprint bond can be broken by the imprintee."

I sit up straight and a bit more attentive at that, "it can?"

He nods yet lets out a depressive sigh, "look, I know you weren't exactly thrilled to find out I had imprinted on you but can you at least act a bit more disinterested..."