Paige is having a great time. She really wasn't expecting to have fun tonight but Alex is effortlessly making her laugh all night.
Alex is a midfielder for Rosewood High's soccer team, hence her muscular yet slim body built. She's got cropped blonde hair and hypnotizing ocean blue eyes. Paige can see a lot of similarities between herself and Alex, from her athletic background to her sarcastic sense of humor, and she thinks that maybe this can turn into something more.
It also doesn't hurt that Paige is on the receiving end of this date. Alex picked her up from her house at exactly 6pm, opened the car door for her and insisted on paying for their dinner at a fancy restaurant located on the outskirt of the city. If she's being honest, she's enjoying and is flattered by the attention Alex is giving her. She plans on getting even with the girl by planning and taking the lead for their next date. Huh. Second date. Paige thinks she might be more than a little hooked on the blonde girl.
"Ready to go?" Alex asked, pulling the brunette out of her thoughts. She smiled and nodded. The drive home was comfortably quiet and relaxed until Paige felt her phone vibrate. She got a text from Emily. Emily. The olive-skinned girl hasn't plagued her thoughts tonight unlike most of her nights...and days. Maybe it's because of Alex. Deciding to check the message Emily left, she opened her inbox. "Can you come over tonight at The Brew? I'm really hoping we could talk."
Debating with herself, Paige relented. "Hey Alex, would it be alright if you drop me off at The Brew, a friend of mine asked me to meet her there." Emily and her were friends now, right? Alex gave her a curious look but nodded anyway. When they were near the coffee shop, Alex asked, "Do you have a ride back to your house?" Paige nodded then said, "Yeah, I think I can hitch a ride with my friend. If not, I can walk. It's just a few blocks away from here anyway."
"Walking on those heels would make it feel like your house is a thousand miles away. Believe me. Make sure you get a ride home. If not, text me." Alex light-heartedly laughed knowing perfectly well the inconvenience of wearing high heels. Paige's heart fluttered as she laughed with the blonde. She thanked Alex for the wonderful date and wished her goodnight. Alex lightly kissed her cheek before she got out of the car, blushing and a little out of sorts.
As Paige walked towards The Brew, the giddiness she felt earlier slowly turned to uneasiness. Her palms are now sweaty as she anticipated her talk with Emily. In all honesty, she had no idea what they're going to talk about. Perhaps it was about Mona, A, Ali, Sydney, the rat or the phone call. She really doesn't know.
Emily, on the other hand, has been readying her speech to Paige all night. She really wanted to apologize to Paige for hurting her, not trusting her and putting a target on her back when she revealed the names of those involved with Mona. She has no idea what she hopes will come out of their conversation. But at the very least, she wishes that Paige can forgive her and hang out with her again. She really had missed the girl. A part of her hopes that maybe they can start over but she knows that apologizing isn't enough and she'd need to put in a lot of effort if she wants Paige back.
The sound of the bell on the door rang through the empty coffee shop. Emily's breath got caught in her throat as she saw Paige wearing a black dress accentuating her collarbones, toned arms and legs. Paige was unsurely smiling at Emily as she blatantly gawked at her. The tanned girl has never seen Paige wear anything remotely similar to the one she's got on right now and was wondering what on earth made Paige wear it. As she was enumerating all the possibilities in her head, Paige cleared her throat, pulling Emily out of her thoughts.
"Hey," Paige shyly said with an awkward wave. Emily, unable to help herself, asked "Why are you wearing that?" Paige stared at her for a moment having been caught off guard by the question. Emily backtracked realizing her awkward greeting. "I mean...you look really beautiful. But it's just... it's the first time I've seen you in a dress."
The brunette smiled, "You don't look bad yourself. It's just...well as I've told you this afternoon, I had umm...a thing tonight...and well you texted me just when I was about to get home so..." Paige stuttered, unsure of how to answer the smaller girl. Emily's head was swirling. She can't help but think that the thing Paige was talking about was a date. She didn't dare ask though. Instead, she just nodded and smiled. Still, she can't help the coiling of her stomach at the thought of Paige going out with someone else.
"So...what did you want to talk about?" Paige asked feeling awkward against the other girl's silence. The question seems to bring back Emily's thoughts as she led the taller girl to a booth located at the corner of the shop.
"Paige..." Emily started when they have comfortably settled in to the booth. "I really just want to apologize for everything that had happened since Ali's return. I know that I've hurt you... a lot. And I'm really sorry for dragging you into this mess and putting you in the middle especially when I asked you to give me the names of Mona's army. I know that I've been blinded by my want to protect Ali from the people that are trying to hurt her..."
The brunette stopped her, "Emily, it's fine. I do understand. I've been there. My desire to protect you cost me a lot of things...including you. But I won't apologize for what I did. I did it to protect you and I hope you'll finally see that. I'll always be here for you, no matter what."
Emily smiled at Paige's words. She wasn't expecting Paige to forgive her so easily. It makes her wonder if maybe Paige is willing to give them another chance. She decided to make some coffee as she thinks it through. By the time she's done preparing their drinks, it was raining pretty hard outside.
On the other side of town, Alex has already changed her clothes and is currently browsing through the internet. Noticing the heavy rain, she remembered that Paige didn't have a ride home. Without much thought, Alex picked up her keys and raced to her car. It was only halfway through her drive that she thought of texting Paige that she'll come pick her up because of the heavy rain. That is if she's still at The Brew.
The brunette received Alex's text and can't help but smile because of the girl's caring nature. The girl's action might have been a little impulsive but Paige really appreciated her concern.
Emily watched Paige as a small smile lit up her face when she read the text. She wonders who Paige's texting but really didn't have the heart to ask. They drank their coffees and continued with their conversation on swimming and how the olive-skinned girl is adjusting as an assistant coach for the team. They kept the topics light so as not to dampen the cheery mood they had going after apologizing to one another. Emily, however, was hoping to find an opening to discuss their current relationship and perhaps a possible reconciliation.
She didn't get a chance though. Paige's phone chimed again. "Hey Em, would it be alright if I leave first?"
Not wanting to end their conversation, Emily hopefully asked, "Why don't you stay for a while? At least until the rain stops? I can drop you off at your house?"
Paige was torn. She really wanted to spend more time with Emily. However, she had to decline the offer. "It's fine. Thanks for the offer. Alex came back and is just outside to pick me up." "I'll see you around?" Paige asked unsure of how to say goodbye. She gave Emily a small smile and headed for the door.
Emily felt like she was hit by a ton of bricks. She'd been avoiding it all night, and yet it still caught up with her. The way Paige had said Alex's name answered all of Emily's unasked questions. She wanted to stop Paige from leaving. She really wanted to ask her to give them another chance.
"Paige…." Emily softly called after the brunette. Paige hummed in response as she turned back around. Emily forced a smile and instead continued with, "..have a good night."
A/N: My first fanfic! Apologies for the spelling/grammar mistakes. English isn't my first language. Can't wait for tomorrow's episode!:)