✔ | 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍, jasper hale

twenty-eight

"Anyway, who are you with?"

"Sam, Paul, Jared, and I. Maybe Emily will come too."

"Emily? That girl you mentioned to me a few weeks ago?"

Madelline hummed in reply as she gently drummed her fingertips against his chest. "Alright, just be safe and update me via text, okay?"

"Got you," she replied, pulling away to walk toward her room.

She grabbed Paul's wrist along the way and tugged him along. The latter seemed hesitant, seeing how her father may get the wrong idea, but when he turned his head, he saw Elijah burrowing in his work again.

As soon as Madelline entered her room, Paul stood by the doorway, shifting back and forth on the balls of his feet while his eyes were busy looking around in mild discomfort.

Madelline chuckled, finding him amusing. It was a rare sight for her since he was always confident and brash, ever since they met. "What are you doing?"

"It's weird," he hissed. "What would Jasper think if I entered your room?"

Madelline snorted and pulled his wrist inside. "Jasper's not like that. Besides, we're best friends, so you have a free pass here," she said, tapping the back of her swivel chair. "You can sit here," she told him.

Paul hesitantly walked near the chair and sat up straight, his back not touching even the slightest bit of the chair. Madelline walked away so that she could change, leaving Paul to scan her room quietly.

"Stop sitting like that, Lahote! No one's coming for your ass, so be comfy, and I'll be back!" she yelled out and left the room.

Paul dusted off his pants, stood up from his place, and walked around her room. It wasn't that he expected her room to be extremely girlish, but he assumed something else than what he was seeing.

Her room looked classy and modern, with a hint of vintage. The vinyl player sat in the corner with her collections piled in an organized manner. His interest was piqued when he saw familiar ones and decided to walk there. An immediate nod of approval was given when he saw her choice of songs.

He looked away from her collection and continued looking around, only to stop by her window sill, where a lone photo frame sat. As he walked closer to it, only then did he notice who was in the picture.

With a careful hand, he gently picked up the frame and saw both a film and a picture of Madelline and Jasper putting on a goofy pose. He almost forgot his distaste for the Cullen when he felt a smile creep up to his lips at the sight of genuine happiness painted across their faces.

"It's cute, right?"

The sudden voice almost made him drop the frame, clutching it dearly against his chest before turning around. Madelline stood a few feet away from him, placing her used clothes in a covered basket.

Paul placed the frame back where it was and sat once again on the swivel chair. "You two look good together," he commented.

"I know."

"When he comes back, do you want me to talk to him? You know, the best friend and boyfriend type of bond." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

She almost snorted at how silly he looked. "Only if you want to," she replied. "I'm aware of your hatred toward their family."

Paul shrugged before standing up from his seat and walking over toward where she was. "If it's for you, then maybe I can try. You're my best friend, and I doubt the girl you're friends with interrogated him, seeing as she's too focused on Jasper's brother."