The air was cool, the scents of flowers and grass filled her nose as she inhaled the morning air. She stood on the dock overlooking the lake. The dock was just outside her aunt's lake house.
There was a light breeze blowing and gentle waves were moving along the surface of the lake. Paige McCullers stood, her hands buried deep in her jacket's pockets, looking out over the water.
The breeze was blowing her hair slightly. She felt it as her hair moved freely, unencumbered by anything. She watched the water's surface, lost in thought.
She'd always loved it here, her Aunt's lake house. It was nice and quiet here. There was a peaceful simplicity to the quiet. It always served to calm Paige when she found her nerves being rattled.
And that was how she was now. She in an emotional upheaval. So many things had brought her to this point.
She was waiting. At one o'clock, her taxi would arrive. She would put her two suitcases in it and be on her way to the airport. She would then fly away from here.
Away from Rosewood, away from Pennsylvania and Paige knew that this time, she wouldn't be back. The last time she'd boarded a plane and left Rosewood, she'd been seventeen and it had been because her parents were worried for her safety.
She was 23 now. Her own woman and no longer needing her parents approval for anything. Checking the time on her phone, Paige saw the time. It was twelve forty. Twenty minutes and the taxi would be here.
Paige sat down on one of the benches near the edge of the dock. Letting her mind wander, her thoughts drifted as they always do, to Emily. More importantly, to the last conversation she'd had with Emily.
It had been two days ago, when everything had happened. Since coming back to Rosewood after graduating college at Stanford, a new -A had surfaced and began terrorizing everyone in Rosewood.
The problem was that this new -A had first shown up just after Paige had returned. That, coupled with other things that happened, led to Paige being accused of it and the police even believing that Paige was this new -A.
That wasn't the worst part for Paige. She could've handled that. No, the worst part about being framed were the people she considered her friends no longer believing in her.
As this new -A slowly began planting more seeds incriminating her, more of the people she thought would never believe the setup were starting to doubt her. As Spencer hastings had said it: Sometimes a lie can be so convincing that the truth loses its credibility.
But then, there had been Emily. As Hanna, Aria, and Spencer had begun doubting Paige's innocence, Emily had refused to. She had been adamant about Paige not being capable of being this new, more violent -A.
Paige laced her fingers together, recalling the moment when the police had put her in cuffs and taken her to the police station for interrogation. She remembered looking at Emily, swearing her innocence.
But it had been the doubt in Emily's own face which had nearly broke Paige. Even when the others had faltered, Emily's belief in her had been the one thing Paige had counted on.
But Paige had seen the doubt in Emily's eyes. Had seen that belief began to falter like a crack in a window. Paige always knew Emily would be her undoing.
The real -A had shown himself, of course. He'd wanted everyone to believe it was her before he struck. And in the end, Jason DeLaurentis had been discovered to be -A.
He'd kidnapped Alison and Emily and the police had no choice but to release Paige. Paige had then aided Spencer, Aria, and Hanna in finding them. Together, they'd rescued the two of them and unmasked -A.
It wasn't until after it was all over that Paige understood a fundamental truth she'd been denying herself all this time. One way or another, it would always come back to Alison. Paige had come back, years before, when a different -A had locked the girls in a dollhouse.
As the girls had been rescued, Paige had stood nearby, unseen, as the girls embraced their boyfriends in comfort. And she'd seen Emily share an intimate embrace with Alison. No one had known Paige had returned then as she hasn't told anyone.
And seeing Emily in the arms of the one person who bullied her relentlessly, it had broke Paige's heart. She'd simple left again and returned to California.
But now, five years later, a different -A had been stopped and it was happening again. This time, however, Paige at least got to have her say with Emily. She hasn't meant to give Emily the ultimatum, but when it happened, she refused to take it back. She remembered that moment, two days prior, when they'd last spoken:
"It always comes back to Alison, doesn't it." Paige had said with sadness. Not bitter, but she'd been resolute.
"It's not like that Paige." Emily had told her. They'd stood in Emily's hotel room in Philadelphia. Emily herself had a few cuts and bruises from the ordeal, but nothing serious. "Jason was her brother and you saw what he did. What he put her through."
"Alison is a grown woman, Emily. She can take care of herself. You don't always have to bend yourself backwards to take care of her. I know you still have feelings for her, but-"
"This isn't about that," Emily had argued.
"Yes, it is. Emily, do you know why I came back to Rosewood?"
Emily had nodded.
"I left Rosewood behind five years ago, but not you. I've never forgotten you. I came back because I wanted to see if there was a chance for us. We had so many dreams back then." Paige had said to her. "I know her brother doing that to her is traumatic. That's what therapists are for. Let her get help."
"I need to be here for her, Paige. I'm sorry." Emily had said, the tears in her eyes spilling over.
"And what about us? That's it?"
"What do you mean?" Emily had asked.
"Em, they want me to compete in the Triathlons in Europe. They offered me one of the spots a few months ago, but I put it off because I'm still in love with you. And if there's any chance of a future with you, I can't go."
It had stunned Emily speechless for several seconds. But then, Emily had replied to her. "I can't abandon Ali right now, Paige. She needs me."
"I need you! But I guess I don't matter enough to you." Paige had replied, her voice subdued.
"Paige..." Emily's voice had sounded hollow, broken.
"Tell you what Emily. You go be there for Alison. I'm going to go to my Aunt's lake house for a couple days. After that, I'll catch a plan to Europe to start training." Paige had to stop before she broke down. She d8d manage to finish, though. "I'll be at the lake house until Friday at one. If you want me, just show up before then. If not, then this is goodbye."
She had kissed Emily on the cheek then. She'd left without another word.
Paige watched the lake for a few more moments. Then, she reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Looking at her phone, she saw that no texts or calls had come. And, it was now twelve fifty six. She heard tires on the ground and she turned around, hopeful.
But it was the taxi, which came to a stop. Her suitcases were on her porch and now, Paige stood. She knew this wasn't a fairytale or romantic movie. This wasn't the moment when Emily would pop up. This was real life and Paige wasn't going to have her happy ending.
As she started walking up the dock to the house, she finally acknowledged that this was the end of her and Emily. The end of her waiting for Emily. She knew that one day, she would love again. The odds against it were too large.
She would meet somebody one day and date again. She would love again. But, there would always be a huge hole in her heart that only Emily could fill. She'd spent so long waiting for Emily.
As she settled into the taxi seat and the vehicle pulled away, she realized that perhaps, she would always be waiting for Emily Fields.