Paige can see Alex's face coming closer and closer to hers and she has to hold her breath. The rational part of her wants to turn away, run way, leave the room and just forget about what she's feeling right now. But the other part desperately wants to find out what kissing Alex is going to be like. How her lips are gonna feel or what it will be like to run her hand through Alex's hair. God she wants this. She wants to feel Alex and even though her head is screaming no, her heart says a completely different thing.
And when Alex's lips finally connect with hers, she shivers, because she had no idea that such a gentle kiss could make her come this undone. That a simple touch of someone's lips on hers could send her heart racing and her palms sweaty. But it does and she is almost terrified of how amazing it makes her feel. And Alex tastes like sweat and sugar and tears and Paige cannot help but feel that this is the most exquisite thing that she has ever tasted.
Alex slowly parts her lips from Paige's and waits for Paige's reaction, but when she sees the blonde looking at her absolutely amazed, she dares close the gap between them once again, this time realizing that Paige is definitely kissing her back. She can feel the blonde's hand on the back of her neck and she can feel the blonde pulling her closer. She realizes that this is not the reaction she expected. As many times as she has imagined kissing Paige, her rational mind would always tell her that Paige does not feel the same way, that she would freak out and send her to hell. But she doesn't. Instead she is running her hand through Alex's hair and Alex can't help but feel that this has got to be a dream and that she is going to wake up soon. But then she sees a weak smile in the corner of Paige's mouth, she thinks that maybe it's not a dream after all.
"Paige?" Alex asks and looks at her intently. She would give anything to know what the blonde is thinking right now. Though she takes it as a good sign that she didn't run away. "Are you OK?"
"I'm scared." She whispers, her heart racing, as she's trying to make sense of the situation she has found herself in. Two hours ago they were just friends letting off some steam and they're… whatever they are.
"Of what? Me?" Alex asks half confused, but half sure of what Paige means.
"Yeah." Paige sighs and can see Alex chuckle.
"Well, I have kicked some butt back in the day, but there's really nothing that scary about me." Alex jokes, desperately trying to ease the tension between her and Paige. It's getting a little harder to breathe, but she kind of likes the feeling.
"Well not you you." Paige tries to clarify, but she's not really sure if she's making any sense. "I'm scared of how I feel when I'm around you. I'm scared of the way I'm feeling right now."
"Don't be." Alex takes Paige's hand in hers and looks into her eyes. "It's nothing you should be scared of."
"But I've never…" Paige starts, but needs to take a deep breath before she continues. "I've never felt this way about a girl."
"Well it's not like I have either." Alex points out and Paige can't help but smile.
"It's terrifying." Paige closes her eyes for a moment. "And exhilarating and amazing at the same time. You have no idea what you make me feel, Alex. It's really scary, this power that you have over me. The one that makes me wanna be around you all the time. I don't know what to do with this."
"I do." Alex whispers and once again leans in to plant a soft kiss on Paige's lips. The blonde doesn't object, as she opens her mouth a little bit to taste more and more of Alex. When they pull apart, they can't stop gazing at each other.
"When did this happen, Alex?" Paige looks at the brunette with pleading eyes, hoping that she knows the answer. "Or how… "
"Paige, who knows how those things happen." Alex smiles gently stroking Paige's cheek. "They just do and there is nothing that you can do about it."
"But how did I go from hating you and learning to tolerate you to being your friend and to feeling… this?"
"Probably the same way I went from thinking you're the biggest bitch at Degrassi to having to try really hard not to kiss you every time we would bump into each other at work." Alex points out and Paige can't help but laugh.
"And just how long have you been wanting to kiss me?" Paige asked curious, with a little smirk on her face.
"You don't wanna know." Alex laughs. "Trust me, the last couple of days have been absolutely unbearable. And when we were dancing earlier tonight, it took everything that I am not to grab you and plant a wet one on you right there and then."
"Alex!" Paige feigns indignation, but the truth is that she's quite amused by Alex's confession. "To be honest, I spent the entire evening trying to figure out whether that little dance of ours actually meant something or was it just a heat of the moment kind of thing."
"And what did you conclude?"
"I think I made it kind of clear a few moments ago." Paige grins.
"I guess you did." Alex returns the blonde's smile and leans in closer to bring her and Paige's foreheads together. For a moment they just stay silent enjoying each other's company and the sweet sensation that feeling each other's breaths creates.
Paige is the first one to break the silence. "So what happens now?" She asks, hoping that Alex would be the smart one here and offer some sort of magic solution.
"I honestly have no idea." Alex answers truthfully. "But how about we just take it one day at a time? No plans, no expectations, just see where it takes us… How does that sound?"
"That sounds like something I would like to try." Paige agrees and Alex offers her the biggest smile the blonde has ever seen.
"Good." Alex sighs with relief as she one more time captures Paige's lips with hers. And once again she can feel the blonde trying to pull her closer and closer, a feeling she knows she could definitely get used to. When they finally break apart, she can't help but run her hand through the blonde hair. "It's been a rough night, for many reasons." She laughs and Paige can't help but smile back at her. "So how about we just get some rest now?"
"Yeah." Paige agrees and as she looks into Alex's eyes, she knows that the whole little accident back at her apartment got to her more than she's willing to admit. But it's OK, because Paige is just happy she can be there for her.
They lay back on the bed and they instinctively search for each other's hands. And as their fingers intertwine, they both smile without even looking at each other. They both know it's not necessary.
"How is your hand?" Paige asks after a moment, suddenly remembering Alex's injury.
"It's OK. I'm fine." Alex replies and realizes how happy she is that she's not lying. Her life sure isn't perfect and it probably never will be, but maybe it's not going to totally suck if she has Paige by her side.
Paige wakes up to the first rays of light trying to sneak into the room. For a second she is about to freak out when she realizes that there's someone in bed with her, but she soon remembers what happened the previous night and her lips curl into a weak smile. It surprises her how good it feels to be waking up next to Alex. And how much better the world looks in the morning when there's a certain beautiful brunette sharing her bed. And Paige just cannot stop staring at Alex and wondering how in the world it can be that this amazing girl has any sort of feelings for her. After everything she has done and the way she has treated her in the past, how can Alex be this way with her. Paige is not sure she will ever know the answer to that, but she knows that she must have done something right.
Suddenly Paige notices Alex begin to stir, so she looks away, so that Alex won't notice how intently she has been staring at her.
Alex is almost scared to open her eyes, because as clearly as she remembers kissing Paige the previous night, a part of her thinks that maybe it was a just a dream. But when she finally opens one eye and catches a glimpse of blond hair, she is relieved to find out that it wasn't just a dream.
"Hey sleepyhead." Paige speaks a little hesitantly, not really sure how she's supposed to act or what they're supposed to do now. Alex only smiles, because she thinks that she could definitely get used to Paige Michalchuk's voice being the first thing she hears in the morning.
"Hi." She replies, still a little sleepily and a little bit in awe over waking up to find Paige next to her. And even though they didn't do anything, simply fell asleep, they both can't help but feel a sense of intimacy between them that they've never felt with anyone else before. And it both scares and amazes them.
"Are you OK?" Paige asks, still a little worried that the events of last night might have had a bit more impact on Alex that she's willing to share.
"I'm good. Thank you for letting me stay here." Alex says as she intertwines her fingers with Paige's and is glad to realize that Paige is letting her. "It made me feel…"
"Safe?" Paige finishes her thought, not only guessing what Alex was about to say, but also expressing how she herself felt.
"Yeah."
"You're welcome." Paige smiles and Alex thinks that she could get lost in that smile forever. "You do know that I'm here for you, right?" Paige looks at Alex with a more serious expression on her face. She needs Alex to know that she can count on her no matter what.
"I do now." A smile spreads across Alex's face and Paige can't help but feel that the girl is the most exquisite thing she has ever seen. "It's funny though."
"What?" Paige asks curious.
"You're the last person I ever thought would be helping me through this." Alex explains with a small laugh.
"Trust me, you're the last person I would ever expect I would wake up to." Paige replies, a hint of amazement still in her voice. "But when I opened my eyes and saw you lying next to me, it felt… right, you know?" She finally admits and looks into Alex's eyes, her heart beginning to beat faster.
"It did, didn't it?" Alex grins at the realization that the spell that Paige has on her is a lot stronger than she initially thought. Not that she minds, because it makes her feel like maybe life is not all shit after all.
All Paige can do following Alex's words is lean in and close the gap between them in a gentle kiss, one that surprises both her and Alex, but neither dares to complain. And when they break apart, they can't help but silently gaze into each other's eyes. No words necessary, nothing has to be said, because they both know this morning is a start of something new. They don't really know what yet, but they're both willing to find out.