CHAPTER NINETEEN:
LAST MAN STANDING

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MAGGIE DIDN'T WANT TO sound rude but dinner at the diner where her sister worked was not what she expected when Paul said he was taking her on a date. To be frank, Maggie didn't know what she'd imagined for this night but having Dakota's cat-like eyes staring at them for most of the evening definitely wasn't her idea of romance. Nor was walking in holding Paul's hand only to come face-to-face with Zeke sitting at the counter. Connor sat at his side while Zeke chatted with his twin.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else," Paul said just as Zeke spied them standing at the entrance. Instinctively, Maggie turned her back on him, refusing to catch the eyes of someone she knew would be glowering with resentment. Instead, she shot Paul her biggest smile, trying her best to seem content despite the sudden tension. Paul had never been good with romance, that much was painfully obvious. But he was making an effort for her so she'd go along with whatever he wanted. Well, she'd try, at least... "I'm sorry, I didn't think—"

"It's okay." In an unusual display of embarrassment, his face had flushed a vibrant shade of red. Maggie smiled and cupped his jaw, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. "Do you want to sit at a table or a booth?"

The kiss did nothing to help with Paul's nerves. If anything, his blush bloomed even brighter, creeping down his neck and up to the tips of his ears. Struggling to compose himself, he blurted out, "I should be asking you that."

"Well, I asked you first."

"Fine. A booth then."

It wasn't long before a red-haired waiter dressed in the diner's black-and-white checked button-up shirt approached them. He wasn't much older than Vera and looked very unhappy to be put on the dinner shift. Smiling at them thinly, he introduced himself as Ethan and led them over to the table of their choosing. Fortunately for Maggie, the only available booth was tucked up in the corner far enough away that Zeke couldn't openly stare at them without being obvious to Connor. Maggie knew Connor was completely in the dark about everything; the supernatural, imprints, his boyfriend's connection to one of the wolves in particular...

Of course, Dakota had the perfect view of them but she was more caught up in laughing at something that Connor said to make Zeke blush. She didn't really have the attention span for her sister and her boyfriend.

Maggie couldn't help frowning as she watched Dakota smirk at Zeke and Connor's intertwined hands. Slowly, Paul's voice faded into the background, drowned out by Dakota's laughter. Maggie hadn't known that Zeke told anyone else about his relationship. She was happy for him, of course, she would be heartless if she wasn't, but she was also torn between being happy that Connor was slowly integrating himself into the family and missing Zeke's presence in her own life. This was a big step for him, something he would've shared with her had the past few weeks been different. It hurt Maggie a lot. If she wasn't on a date, the confident part of her — the part that rarely ever reared its head — would've dragged Zeke out onto the docks and demanded some kind of truce, a rebuild of burnt bridges.

But of course, Maggie wasn't confident, and Paul was right there.

"So what do you want?" he asked, narrowed eyes locked on the side of his girlfriend's face.

The question was sharp, cutting through the pounding of Maggie's heart, through every whisper of doubt that slowly wore her down. Startled, she turned her attention back to Paul. At some point, he'd reached across the table to grab her hand, the menu open in front of him; worst of all, he was looking at her with that suspicious stare of his. Like he was the mind reader instead of Edward Cullen. He spun around to follow her gaze but was distracted by Maggie bringing their hands up to her lips where she pressed a kiss to his knuckles. Immediately, that familiar blush warmed his cheeks, rendering him momentarily speechless.

"Maybe a cheese burger," she said, because she didn't want him to think she was deliberately ignoring him. "What about you?"

Don't get her wrong, the date Paul had planned would've been perfect was there not the issue of her family sitting just a couple metres away. The diner looked nice inside with its seaside green booths and laminate tables. Hanging on the walls were photographs of beaches and those cheesy wooden signs with sayings like 'beach this way' and 'I live, laugh, love the beach' on the front. Not to mention the view from their window was the ocean shimmering beneath the setting sun. Maggie knew firsthand that the food was good, so really, it couldn't have gotten any better.

It was Maggie who was the problem here, and her siblings. At some point, even Vera had shown up, waltzing through the open door dressed in her work clothes with a new haircut to match. Oblivious to her little sister in the corner, she hurried over to introduce herself to Connor then dragged a stool over to sit beside him. What struck Maggie the most was her relaxed grin, how content they seemed without her, Dakota making Vera her usual coffee while teasing her for how similar their haircuts were. Zeke holding his boyfriend's hand, uncaring of who looked their way. All they'd need to complete the picture was Wren and Everett, and Scooby of course. They didn't need Maggie dragging them down and she knew it.

Maggie sighed as Paul's grip tightened on her hand, his dark eyes scanning the tables for a second before focusing on her siblings. She couldn't read his expression but the frown that formed told her she'd messed up. They'd been together for almost a month, which was a new record for Maggie Sullivan and Paul Lahote, but a month in the grand scheme of things was nothing for a boy unused to settling for someone else and a girl who'd never even been kissed before meeting the boy. The best word to describe them and their so-called relationship was rocky; the seas were calm one moment, then absolutely treacherous the next.

"Look, why don't I just take you home?" Paul grumbled. He wasn't embarrassed now, but caught somewhere between anger and disappointment. Still, he tried to be understanding, continuing on with that detached tone of his that Maggie despised so  much. "I get it, you're not up for a date right now, it's okay."

Maggie made it a point not to glance down at their hands as Paul snatched his away from her. Instead, she let out a sigh, feeling terribly foolish and disappointed in herself. Why couldn't she just ignore them, ignore the sliver of doubt that crept in like a sickness she couldn't shake? Why did she have to be like this, hurting not just herself but the ones she lo — cared about?

"Paul..."

She was so excited when he made an effort to plan a date for them. She hated that her head had to ruin it, that he was putting in more effort than she was, that everything could change in a matter of seconds.

"Look, I just don't think I can sit here while they're over there. I'm only going to be distracted and that's not fair on you." The least Maggie could do was be honest with him. Once, she'd made him promise not to keep her in the dark. Sure, she'd meant a supernatural kind of honesty but relationship honesty worked too. He needed to know where her head was at. Otherwise, this relationship was pointless. "But I don't want to go home. Maybe we could order our food to go and eat on the beach instead?"

Watching Paul's stone-cold expression crack into a smile made everything suddenly worth it. He reached for her hand again, eagerly calling over a nearby waitress with a whole new level of enthusiasm.

"We'll have two cheeseburgers to go, thanks," he said before she could've even considered introducing herself. Maggie vaguely recognised her as someone from the grade below them at school. Her dyed blonde hair was fading brown at the roots and the name-tag on her chest reading Taylor. Like the guy from before, she looked sullen, as if she was dreading the long shift ahead of her. It didn't help that guys like Paul were ordering the whole menu. "And a large fries. Oh! Actually, make that three, won't you? Also a large chocolate milkshake, and — hey, Maggie, what do you want to drink?"

At least he remembered her. Maggie tried not to laugh as Paul and an affronted Taylor turned to look her way. She knew Paul loved his food and why but Taylor definitely didn't. To give her credit, she managed to remain blank-faced despite his ramblings, though Maggie noticed the befuddled glint in her eye as she hastily scrawled down his order in her notebook. Once the girl was done, Maggie spoke, "Just a vanilla milkshake, please. Medium size."

"And that's to go?" Taylor clarified with a glance over the edge of her book.

"Yeah."

Once she repeated their order (not without Paul adding two extra cheese burgers) and collected their menus, Taylor turned and hurried off to the counter before Paul could change his mind again. Finally, Maggie allowed herself to openly laugh, smiling when her boyfriend shot her a frown of confusion.

"What?" he asked, which only made her laugh harder. "Maggie, what?"

"I think that poor girl broke her wrist trying to write down your order." Paul rolled his eyes but smiled nevertheless at the sight of Maggie giggling. At least she wasn't anxious anymore, which he supposed was something.

It took the workers about twenty minutes to throw together the four burgers, three large fries and the drinks they wanted. Knowing Maggie's amusement wouldn't last long as Dakota made her way out from behind the counter to serve nearby tables, Paul was quick to guide her outside where they walked up and down the docks to pass the time, Paul with his arm around her shoulder to shield her from the wind. Maggie's siblings and Connor were long forgotten even when they went inside and had to pay at the register where they were crowded. Vera acknowledged them but Zeke and Connor refused, Zeke for his reasons and Connor in support of his boyfriend. 

"You alright?" Paul asked once they left the diner behind in his truck.

Maggie only nodded, squeezing the hand that rested on her thigh.

They were silent for the rest of the way, stopping in as they passed Maggie's house to grab Scooby. Fortunately, neither her aunt or uncle were home, meaning Maggie and Paul were able to leave just as quickly as they arrived. Soon enough, they were stretched out across an old blanket Paul had found in the back of his truck and Scooby was sniffing at their feet for scraps that Paul, like a sucker, gave to him. The wind wasn't as strong as the sun dipped beneath the horizon but Maggie still stayed close to Paul's side, the heat of his skin seeping through her denim jacket.

"This is nice," she commented, eyes locked on the shoreline where a group of children were kicking a ball in and out of the waves.

Paul smirked, feeding the last bit of his burger to Scooby before saying, "What? Being close to me or the view?"

Maggie scoffed, nudging his ribs with her elbow. "Obviously the view."

"Oh, obviously."

They went quiet for a moment, just listening to the sound of crashing waves, to Scooby sniffing around in the sand. His leash was wrapped firmly around Maggie's wrist but he didn't try to stray too far away, eventually getting comfortable at their feet where he watched passers-by with curious eyes. Maggie smiled and reached out to scratch behind his ears, using this as a distraction as she said, "I'm sorry again about earlier." No matter how many times she said it, it didn't feel like enough. Paul heaved a joking sigh of disbelief.

"I told you it's fine," he insisted between sips of his milkshake. "You ended up having fun anyways, didn't you?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"But nothing," he shut her down with a pointed frown. "Look, I... I care about you, Maggie. You know that. I really didn't mind where we went as long as I got to take you out somewhere."

And there it was, the butterflies. Maggie was yet to get used to them. No matter how many unusually sweet or flirty things Paul said, she always blushed and giggled like it was the first time all over again. Maggie hated it but Paul always grinned with pride, and now was no exception.

It was dark by the time they decided to head home. Maggie could've stayed out there for hours if Paul had asked but she knew he had patrol in a few hours and that he was running on barely any sleep.

For the second time that evening, they pulled into her driveway; this time, there were several cars parked out front, indicating that the rest of her family were home. Maggie let out a sigh, sitting there for a moment. Part of her expected the lights to switch on and off, just like the last time she and Paul had sat there for too long, but Maggie knew deep down it wouldn't happen. Zeke was nothing if not committed when it came to the silent treatment.

"Well, goodnight," she said, then leaned over the console to press her lips to his. The kiss was soft, sweet, and very unlike Paul Lahote. But Maggie Sullivan liked the soft, romantic kind of kisses, so Paul had decided he would have to like them too. "I had a really good time."

"Yeah?" He just had to give her his best suggestive smirk, to which Maggie scoffed and left their kiss hanging. "Hey, wait, I was kidding."

"Hm. Sure you were."

With one last kiss, she pulled back and opened the passenger door to let both her and Scooby out. There was nothing stopping her sisters from embarrassing her — or even worse, Wren and Everett. She could already see the blinds moving in the living room. One of her nosey family members peered out before quickly disappearing when they spotted her staring back. Maggie rolled her eyes, calling out one last goodbye to Paul as he reversed out of the driveway.

All too soon, he was gone. All too soon, Maggie's reality had come crashing back down.

"Come on, Scooby," she mumbled, tugging at his leash when he paused to growl at the empty street. "Come on, buddy, inside where it's warm."

Maggie made her way up to the porch where Vera had flung open the door to tease her, both of the sisters entirely oblivious to the vampire that stood at the end of the road, waiting.

Victoria lingered until the door closed, until the sound of a fearsome howl echoed in the wind. Only then did she run, leaving behind a promise Maggie Sullivan would unknowingly keep.