Chapter 2

Emily's POV

A loud noise interrupted a story I was telling about the time when Hannah slapped Jenna Marshall when she hit on Caleb deliberately. The sound was getting louder. Almost like a rumbling.

" Is that Paige's car? She might want to get that checked" Hannah said.

" I don't know what that is" I said getting up for the door. Everyone followed me to the door. I stood outside as the noise got louder. I saw Paige's car pull around the corner followed by the cause of the noise. The black motorcycle parked behind Paige's car blocking her in.

" Damn she is attractive. I mean if I was gay. Well I'm straight and she is still hot" Hannah said fanning herself. We all watched as the girl removed her helmet handing it to Paige. She shook her hair out and flipped it back. She pushed Paige making her laugh because Paige is like a stone wall. Then she grabbed the brunette pulling her into a hug. They laughed about something as they approached us.

" Hey guys. This is Leslie. Leslie Rhodes. My best friend in the whole world" Paige said looking at the blonde girl.

" Hey" I said waving at her.

" Hi" Hannah said.

" Ok. Inside. Inside" Spencer herded us inside. We made our way back to the living room.

" Can we play strip poker now" I heard Caleb ask.

" I think he has had a little too much to drink" Ezra said. He did look a little red.

" No seriously lets do it" Hannah said excitedly.

" Guys calm down. We have a new person in the group. I think we should get to know her before we go asking her to take her clothes off" Spencer said making reference to Leslie. Even though she had asked every question in the book months ago.

I watched the blonde girl sit on the love seat. I waited for Paige to return to our earlier seat but instead she sat on the floor in front of Leslie. I just plopped down in the big recliner. It was the first time she had seen her in like 2 years. I could give her away for a night. Plus I had forever with her.

" This is Spencer, Hannah, Caleb, Emily, Aria, and Ezra." Paige said pointing at everyone respectively.

" So what is your story? Tell us about yourself?" Hannah said taking a sip of her drink.

" Well I am from Long Island, New York. I am 18. I am studying chemistry at Upenn. I met Paige in 9th grade. My favorite color is black. I am allergic to shrimp and coconut. I am single. My middle name is gail. Is that enough?"

" Now we can play strip poker?" Hannah asked looking at the group.

" How did you and Paige meet?" Spencer asked.

" I met Paige at our first school dance. I was sitting alone at a table and she came over starting a conversation with me. We spent the whole dance laughing and talking about lame the dance was."

I could see the smile on Paige's face. I couldn't imagine being away from my best friends for 2 years. I smiled at her as she looked up at Leslie telling the story.

" One more. Are you gay?" Spencer asked raising her eyebrow.

" I am."

" Can we play now?" Hannah said loudly.

" Fine. I'll go get the cards" Spencer said heading to the kitchen.

" I am going to step outside for a second" Leslie said standing and stepping over Paige. Paige didn't say anything but instead followed her out the glass doors.

" She seems pretty cool Em." Aria said cross the room.

" Oh yeah. I am sure I'll love her." I said watching them exit the house. I went to the kitchen to get another drink. When I came back to the living room everyone was looking out the patio door. I walked around and joined them squishing against the glass. I could now see that Leslie was on the diving board. She was wearing nothing but a sports bra and some boy shorts. She bounced up and down on the diving board. When she noticed the light come on she waved at us. We all waved back.

" That girl has got a nice bod. Not as nice as Paige's body but still nice" Hannah said slurping her drink.

" How do you know Paige has a nice body?" I asked looking at Hannah. She pointed over to the side of pool. I saw Paige slipping out her shorts. She already had her shirt off. She was wearing a black sports bra and black boy shorts. The boy shorts fit her athletic swimmer body perfect. Making the underwear look like they had been painted on. Her chiseled stomach forming a V before cutting down into the shorts. My girlfriend had an amazing body. She was usually much more shy about her body. I could see her laughing at something Leslie said giving her the middle finger. Leslie just stuck out her tongue at everyone. Paige climbed the stairs up on the diving board. Leslie bent over facing us. I could see Paige running towards her. I thought she was going to push her but instead dove over her. Leslie stood up clapping.

" I wanna go outside" Caleb complained.

" You just want to see that girl's body. Don't you?" Hannah said accusingly.

" No Han. I really just want to go outside. You guys are kind of making me sweat" he said pointing to our little huddle. He slid open the glass door and we all followed suit out onto the patio. I stood at the edge of the grass as I watched Paige pull herself out the pool. She shook her hair around before looking up at me.

" Hi" she said shyly.

" Your such a goofball" I said jokingly. She turned to Leslie still bouncing up and down.

" Go or I am going to come up there and push you" Paige said making a shoving motion.

" Ok Ok. Pushy." Leslie turned and faced the end of diving board. She lifted her hands into the air. She lunged forward doing a cartwheel then managed to turn around where she back flipped off the board.

The group behind me erupted into cheers.

" Yes. Yes." Paige yelled jumping up and down. She walked to the edge of the pool helping Leslie get out. Her body was glistening as the sun reflected off her body.

" That was so good. You have gotten way better than me. I kind of let my tricks go to hell once I starting doing competitive swimming." Paige said rubbing her head.

" It's ok. Just show me something" the blonde said pushing Paige back to the board. Paige reluctantly climbed up the stairs. She looked over at me. I just nodded showing her my support. She lifted her hands into the air.

" Go big or go home Mars" I heard Leslie say to Paige.

" If I pull this off we get the bedroom with the garden tub. Deal?" Paige said winking at me.

" Fine. Fine, but it has to be worth MY garden tub" Leslie said slapping Paige's foot.

" Alright. How about a inward tuck somersault." Paige said lifting her eyebrow. I knew that Paige loved swimming but I didn't know she used to dive. I had no idea what they were talking about but I really wanted that room. It had a door that led out onto a small balcony. The bathroom was the biggest of the three. Had a stand up glass shower connected to a large garden tub with double sink setup. It was the master bedroom. We had drawn straws for it months before and unfortunately got stuck with the bedroom with no windows or anything.

" You can't do it. The diving board is way too low" Leslie said putting her hands on her hip.

" What about a backward inward twist?" Paige asked.

" It's your funeral" Leslie said. I watched Paige line her toes up with the diving board facing away from the pool. She edged back as far as she could go before leaning forward. She sprung her body back into a ball. Once over the pool she spread her legs out twirling until she straightened out diving into the water. I clapped as she pulled herself out the water. She smiled wiping all the water away from her face.

" Damn it. I thought you were rusty" Leslie said giving Paige a light shove.

" Yea V. I'm rusty not handicap." Paige joked. Spencer who had already thought ahead brought over 2 towels.

" Thanks Spence" Paige said drying off.

" Can we please go play a game? It doesn't even have to be strip poker. Right now I will settle for uno." Hannah said before going back into the house.

" That was really good Paige. I didn't know you dived" I said to her.

" Oh yeah. That is how I got into competitive swimming. I loved to dive but I was way too tall and muscular." she said wringing her hair dry. After the girls had put their clothes on the rest of us made our way back to the living room.

" So were going to play never have I ever" Aria said once everyone was settled in.

" Ok. I'll start. Never have I ever had sex on school grounds" Hannah said excitedly. Spencer immediately took a sip knowing that question was geared towards her. She had sex with Connor in the limo while we were still inside the school She didn't tell us about it until later that night after we all sat on the seat on the ride home.

" Ok my turn. Ummm never have I ever dated someone with longer hair than me." Spencer added quickly. I watched Paige and Leslie take a gulp of their drinks. Hannah also took a sip of her drink.

" Let's see. Never have I ever dated the same sex" Aria said.

" What a cheap shot" Paige said before taking a sip of her drink. Of course I took a sip along with Leslie.

" Never have I ever liked the same sex" Caleb chimed in.

" Really? Are you trying to get me drunk" I joked. Out the corner of my eye I watched Spencer take a quick sip of her drink.

" Ohhhh" Caleb said pointing at her Spencer.

" It was a long time ago. It is irrelevant now" Spencer said nonchalantly.

" I know who it is" Hannah said loudly. We all looked at her waiting for her to blab.

" It was Ali. Right? Right?" Hannah asked poking fun at Spencer.

" No. Never." she answered scrunching her face in disgust.

" Never have I ever like Paige Mccullers" Ezra said pointing at Spencer as if he was answering a question on a game show. We all looked at Spencer as her face reddened and she looked straight to the ground. I slid to the edge of my seat. Everyone was looking at me then back to Spencer when she finally spoke.

" It was when she first moved here. I didn't even know her. I just thought she was attractive and really good at sports. That's it." She looked at me finishing her sentence. I had already known. She told me a while back when Paige and I first started dating. She said she liked her because she reminded her a lot of herself but hated her because of her involvement to me. We were a very close knit group. We had always been. Brought together by Ali, an old friend of ours who kind of ran our group into the ground at times. Even after she moved away with no warning we stayed close. Something so small as her crushing on Paige two years ago didn't bother me.

" Never have I ever did drugs" Ezra added looking around curiously. I watched Paige drink again.

" Oh spill. Paige. Now" Hannah said hastily.

" You tell them" Paige said tapping Leslie's leg.

" Alright so me and Paige. We go to this like super secret underground party. It is in like this shabby old warehouse and you have to get a special invite to come. So we get there and I show the guy at the door our invite. The place is packed. There is people everywhere. Flashing lights. The whole shabang. We meet up with some friends from school who invite us to their VIP section. Our friend Kyle pulls out a bag of mushrooms. Paige is like hell yeah and grabs a few trying to impress me. The whole night she is walking around the party telling everyone she doesn't have legs. Telling me she cant feel her lips we kiss. And then we got home she threw up all night long. It was crazy."

We all just sat and stared at her. I wasn't sure I heard her right. The bashful look on Paige's face and her hesitation said everything.

" I need some fresh air" I said booking it for the back door.

" Emily wait" Paige said following me out.

" Really Paige?" I said shaking my head once we were outside.

" Emily. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to freak out when I asked you about her moving in." Paige said reaching for me. I stepped back away from her.

" So you think it is better that I found out now? In front of my friends who also didn't know you two used to date. My friends who know were moving in together tomorrow with your ex!"

" Emily. I'm sorry. I guess I didn't think this far ahead. I just know that when we heard that our apartment complex was all out of two bedrooms I was just excited because I had the perfect third roommate. I just didn't want to give you a reason to say no. She is my best friend."

" Who you dated Paige. Then lied to me about it" I turned away from her.

" I know it sounds bad but it is not what it seems like. I didn't want her to have to live in a dorm or apartment with someone she didn't know when I was right there. She is a really great person if you just give her a chance."

" That isn't the point. The point is you lied to me. You hid the fact that you two dated from me so that she could move in. Now that I know and I can't do anything about her moving in because it is too late I feel stupid. Like you played me"

" Em I'm sorry. I did not mean for you to feel like this. I guess I was hoping it wouldn't come out and everybody could just be chill."

" Let's just try to enjoy the rest of the night" I said walking past her to the glass door. When I opened it only Leslie sat in the living room.

" They are in the kitchen" the blonde said reading my mind. I gave her a small smile and made my way to the kitchen. They all stopped talking when I walked in.

" What the hell Em? Did you know that they used to date?" Hannah said bluntly.

" No I didn't. I really don't want to talk about it" I said dryly. They were all looking at me with pitiful eyes.

" Ok well how about we just turn on a movie then. No more questions" Spencer smiled at me.

" Thanks" I said hugging myself.

I took a seat next to Spencer. I could see Paige through the glass door. Her head bowed as the little blonde yelled. I couldn't hear words but just sounds. I could see her hands flying as she spoke. Paige barely getting a word in. She just stood there. Next thing I know they are coming back inside. We all shifted our attention to the TV like we hadn't been trying to listen in. The blonde stepped in front of the TV with Paige standing to the side.

" I am really sorry. I had no idea that Paige hadn't told you guys we dated. That was over two years ago and there is absolutely nothing between us anymore. I am literally just really happy to have her back in my life as a friend." she said throwing her hands up as if to surrender.

" It's ok. Not your fault" was all I could manage to say.

" Hey were just going to call it a night" Aria added breaking the tension.

" But it's only 8" Spencer said jumping out her seat.

" I know but I told my parents I would have one last dinner with them before I left" Aria added tugging on Ezra shirt.

" We will see you in the morning though? The Brew at 10?" Spencer said anxiously.

" We will be there" she said hugging her and leaving. The place was way too awkward for me now.

" I am going to head out too Spence. I will see you at 10 though."

" Since everyone is leaving, I guess I will go too. Can you throw those cups away and turn off those lights?" she said to the group. I made my way to the patio flipping off the switch. I saw Paige grab some cups off the table and walk off to the kitchen. After some quick tidying we were all ready to head home.

" How long did you date?" I asked Paige after driving 10 minutes in silence.

" Like 6 or 7 months." she answered.

" Were you in love with her?" I asked not being able to stop myself from digging deeper.

" I thought I was. Until I met you. Now I know it was nothing but a little high school relationship. Before you ask no, we were not dating when I moved here. We broke up months before I moved."

" Why did you break up?" I asked not missing a beat.

" We were better as friends. Happier as friends. Emily I am so sorry I didn't tell you. I haven't seen her in two years. The thought of living with my best friend and being around her all the time like before I moved just got the best of me. I didn't want to give you and Spencer any reason to say no. I see you with the girls and I realize I used to have that. I thought I could have it again. I just wanted to live with my girlfriend and our two best friends. It was a vision I didn't want to see crushed. I'm sorry" I could hear the regret in her voice.

" I guess I get it. I would have done the same thing had it been one of my friends." I said quietly. She didn't say anything as we drove to her house. We parked as Leslie put her bike up. I watched as she jogged to the car.

" Are you sure you wanna stay in a hotel? You can stay at my house in the guest room." Paige offered.

" No it's fine. Really. I kind of don't want to come face to face with your dad. The last time I saw him I was kind of in a compromising position. I'll see you in the morning" she said crossing the street to her moving van. I eyed Paige as we drove back to my house.

" You really wanna know? Paige asked reaching for my hand.

" It is going to bother me if I don't know" I said.

" Ok. So this is when we were just friends. My dad was supposed to have been gone overnight so we had the bright idea of throwing a party. A bunch of people showed up. Completely trashed the house. I was so wasted I didn't know what was going on. Leslie is laying on the kitchen island, no top on and a shot of tequila in her belly button. I lick some salt off her stomach, sip the shot out her belly button, and chomp down on a piece of lime. Everybody is cheering when I look up and see my dad slowly clapping. It was terrible"

" You guys sound pretty wild" I said warily.

" To be honest. We were. We went to school, dived, and partied. She is part of the reason my family moved me to a small town like Rosewood. They wanted me away from her" Paige explained.

" Is she really that bad?" I asked.

" She is a bit of a dare devil. She is not a bad person at all. She is just headstrong. One time we sneaked into a brand new hotel. It wasn't even open yet. Slept there for two days before the cops got a call reporting movement in the one of the windows. We got chased out the hotel. She pushed me down into a ditch while she led them away and took the blame."

" Wow. She must really care about you?" I asked squeezing her hand

" Yea. And vice versa but she is like a little sister to me now. Nothing more" she said reassuringly.

" Why does she keep calling you Mars?" I asked remembering back to the cabin.

" We used to really be into Greek and Roman Mythology. Mars is the roman name for Ares, god of war. He was arrogant, competitive, and bold. It just kind of stuck after we took the class together."

" Sounds just like you" I teased. We pulled up to a parking lot near a line of woods. Just past the parking lot was our favorite running trail. We had basically ran it all summer and I knew it by heart. I was in great shape but Paige was a born athlete. I think it mostly had to do with the fact that I swam for fun while Paige originally did it only for the competitive nature brought on by her dad. He pushed her in everything she did. Her grades, field hockey, swimming, and even me. I liked Paige's dad. He was a little rough on her at times but had really came around once she got accepted to Upenn. Like he realized she was leaving, like she had a choice to never come back. It scared him. He started being way more active in her life. Accepting our relationship and inviting me around more. It was nice for the both of us.

Paige went to the trunk returning with a blanket and a flashlight. She opened my door for me taking my hand and leading me to the trail. I held her hand tightly as we followed the glow of the flashlight on the ground. Finally we reached a nice grassy area under a huge tree. She fanned out the blanket on the grass and patted the ground beside her. I quickly took my spot crooked in her arms. I laid on her chest as it fell and rose.

" I thought this day would never come. I didn't think I was going to survive high school" she said lightly.

" Yea. It really was a challenge. I am so glad I met you. I can't imagine not meeting you now that your in my life" I said rubbing my hand up and down her stomach.

" Emily you saved me" she said in a serious tone. I avoided her eyes. I knew exactly what she was talking about. I didn't want to think about it. Paige was my everything next to the girls and my parents. I thought I was the luckiest person in the world when she asked me out. She is sweet, considerate, educated, beautiful, and mine. I couldn't think of it any other way. I never wanted to. Her hand reached down cupping my chin. She lifted my chin until our lips met. Both wet and anxious. It was a gentle kiss.

" Emily, I love you." she said softly.

" I love you too. More than you know" I said laying my head back on her chest. We laid in silence for a while until I fell asleep listening to her heartbeat. The heartbeat of an Angel.

Paige's POV

I bounded up the stairs of my front porch. I looked back at Emily one more time in the car before opening the door and stepping in.

" Dad. Were getting ready to head out" I yelled slowly closing the door. The house was humming with sound. Slow jazz played on the stereo. I rounded the corner into the kitchen. At the sink was my dad's new girlfriend. They had been seeing each other for a few months. She was always cooking us dinner since dad couldn't cook. She was a nice lady from the next town over. Her name was Lena and she made my dad happy. I think she is part of the reason he let up on me dating Emily once he realized how happy someone made him.

" Hi Paige" she said softly when she turned around.

" Hey Lena. Have you seen my dad?" I asked leaning on the counter.

" He is out back. He is kind of having a hard time with today. He is outside draining the pool like your never going to come home."

" Oh gosh. I guess I will go talk to him" I said grabbing an apple off the table. I didn't really think today would be a bid deal. My dad didn't like to make a fuss over things. He liked simple and quiet. I made me way to the back door. I could see him through the blinds mowing the grass. He had sunglasses on so I couldn't tell his emotions by his face. I stepped out the door and onto the deck. He noticed me immediately. He cut the lawn mower off before walking up on the deck.

" To my office, Paige" he said not even acknowledging my presence. I followed behind him with my head down. I took a seat in front of his desk. My hands became sweaty as I began to fidget.

" Stop fidgeting." he said abruptly causing me to throw my hands to my sides. He pulled a gift bag from behind his chair setting it on top of the desk.

" It is a going away present" he said dodging my eyes. I slowly reached for the bag. I dug into the bag grabbing an envelope. Inside was a piece of paper listing all my expenses. Tuition, Meal Plan, Books, Lab fees, parking pass, and other miscellaneous . It had all been completely paid for in full. My amount due was 0. I knew that my sports scholarship had paid for most of it but I still had to take out some loans at the beginning of the summer. I had no loans on the payment sheet, just a cash amount totaling in 2,000 dollars which I assumed my dad had paid. Their was something else in the envelope. A debit card with my name on it. The picture on the card was a picture of me and Emily after our swim team had won a huge swim meet at the end of senior year. The one where a scout came up to me announcing his interest in us, the happy duo. Both us smiling at the camera wet as can be. A small sticky note read 1,000$. My eyes began to tear when I realized what he had done.

" Hey no. Don't you start crying. Keep digging" he said rigidly pushing the bag closer. I stuck my arm down in the bag. I pulled out a square object laying it on the table. A photo of me when I was just a kid. My mom and I floating in the pool on our backs. It was one of the only photos I have of the both us. My dad had blown it up to a 11x 14 and put it in a frame. I put my hand back down in the bag feeling for another object. A long silver box sat at the bottom. I pulled it out sitting it on the desk. I opened it. A thin silver chain laid on the soft velvet cushion inside the box. A single charm along with it. It was an anchor.

" Look under the lining" he said. I lifted up the corner of the lining to find an exact copy of the necklace above it.

" I figured you could give one to Emily. A good luck charm for the both of you" he said looking everywhere but at me.

" Dad I... Thank you" was all I could manage to say. This was way more than I had ever expected.

" Your welcome. You deserve it for all your hard work" he said stoically. I put everything back in the bag before standing up. I walked around the desk and gave him a hug. He patted me on the back.

" You better get going. You don't want to get stuck in traffic" his way of saying this was awkward. I grabbed hold of my bag and made my way to the kitchen to say bye to Lena.

" Getting ready to head out Lena. I hope I see you for Christmas" I said watching her making pancakes.

" I hope you come home before that Paige. Your dad would really like that I am sure." she said not taking her eyes off the cabbage.

" I'm just glad he met someone like you. Who treats him good" I said. She just smiled at me.

" Oh I almost forgot" she said skipping to the fridge. She pulled out a few plastic containers setting them on the counter. She reached in one of the cabinets grabbing a shopping bag.

" I made you some food to get you started. Just some basic stuff to stick in your new fridge. Macaroni and cheese, potato salad, baked beans, and salad fixings. Something to eat until you go grocery shopping. You can keep the containers for your apartment. I bought them just for you" she said as she arranged the items nicely in the bag.

" Wow. Thank you Lena. That is great. I would have never thought of something so nice" She handed me the bag and walked me to the door. Giving me a half hug as she held open the door for me. I smiled at her was I made my way to the car. I put the two bags in the backseat so I wouldn't forget their was food that needed to be refrigerated.

" How was it" Emily asked once I got my seat belt on.

" Better than expected" I said holding her hand. Now all we needed was to pick up the trailer and head to The Brew to say our goodbyes. I held her hand all the way to her house thinking of ways to give her the necklace. I wanted it to be special. We pulled up at her house.

" Are you sure there is nothing that you need in the house?" I asked backing my Jeep up to the trailer.

" No. I have everything I need" she said smiling. I smiled back at her. I leaned over waiting for her to meet me half way. Her lips tasted like honey. Honey with just a hint of mint. A burning sensation on my lips. Something about kissing her. She always wore Burt's bees. Leaving me wanting more. I pulled away licking my lips.

" You like?" she asked.

" Yes. You taste very good" I said. Once I hooked the trailer to the Jeep we made our way downtown to our favorite coffee spot. I parked on the street away from other cars. I noticed Hannah and Aria's U-haul parked behind their Honda. We made our way across the street and into the building. Everyone was there but Leslie sitting in our favorite spot past the counter.

" Morning" Spencer said loudly as we approached the group.

" Hey guys" I heard Emily says next to me.

" I got everyone's coffee order and there is a bunch of food. Take whatever you want" she said pointing to the table filled with varieties of pastries. We took our seat on the couch.

" So this is it. You guys excited?" Ezra asked sitting on the arm of a chair.

" I am so ready. Can not wait to get out of here." Hannah answered quickly.

" Same here. If it wasn't for my parents still living here, I would never come back" Aria added. Just then my phone began to ring. It was Leslie.

" Hey Les. Are you lost?" I said.

" No I see your trailer but can you come outside?" she sounded worried.

" Yea. I'm coming" I said hopping from my seat. I exited the door to see her pulling down the street behind our trailer. I jogged down the sidewalk and looked before I crossed.

" Is everything alright?" I asked.

" No. I told my mom were not going to be there until 3. She thought I said 10 so she is already there at the new apartment. She just called me asking me where I was. She starting yelling saying I told her 10 and when I tried to tell her I think she misunderstood, of course she flipped on me. I just need to get on the road like now before she drives back to New York. I just wanted to let you know. Have fun with your friends though."

" Damn that sucks. I was hoping we could all follow each other. It's all good. Tell your mom I said hey. Drive safe please" I said hitting the side of the moving van. I made my way back to the coffee shop. They were all laughing about something when I joined the group again.

" I can't help that I am so attractive" Hannah gloated. We all snickered.

" Paige. Tell them. Tell them I am H.O.T. She is like the girl whisperer. She knows." Hannah said looking at me. She was right. When I moved here two years ago it seemed every lesbian came out the wood works of Rosewood. Their was Shana. She really liked me and let everyone know it. Jenna Marshall who pursued me the moment I arrived until I was officially dating Emily. Then of course Spencer had her little crush but never acted on it. Emily had told me a while back. I just laughed it off. The only girl I wanted was Emily. She had turned my whole world around. Once we moved out the big city my dad focused all his attention on me. Pushing me into school and athletics. Making sure I didn't get off track like I had before. It was really hard on me and he didn't seem to notice the toll his methods were putting on me. Emily gave me hope again. She set me back on track with swimming. With her by my side my times were unbeatable. The idea of moving out of Rosewood and going to college along with the love of my life geared me to work hard on my grades. I succeeded at both mostly because of Emily not because of my dad.

" Hannah is very attractive. And do not forget it" I said lightly to the group. I saw Spencer roll her eyes putting her head down as if in defeat.

" Of course I have a soft spot for the dark haired girls. Maybe you should dye your hair Hannah" I said trying to cheer her up. She looked up giggling at me.

" You four are the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. Each of you have something amazing to offer. Hannah, you have a wicked sense of humor and fashion sense. Aria is a romantic and loyal as can be. Spencer is protective, smart, and down right intimidating. And well we all know how I feel about Emily" I said smiling.

" Tell me anyway" She said squeezing my leg. Everyone's eyes on me. Out of the group I was the most open about my love for my partner. Ezra was quiet. He never really talked about his relationship with us. Probably had something to do with us being his students or the fact that he had to hide it for so long . Caleb and Hannah were so in tuned with each other, they often spoke with looks and secret signs.

" Your sweet. Caring. Brave. Always putting others needs above your own. You have a beautiful soul that no one can match. You are gorgeous and don't even know it. You are mine" I said looking away sheepishly.

" Paige..." Emily said softly. I looked up. Everyone was still looking at me. I realized now would be a perfect time for my present.

" I will be right back" I said hopping over the arm of the chair heading for the door. I zipped across the street not wanting to miss the moment. I dug in the bottom of the gift bag my dad had gave me. Pulling our the silver box I ran back to the coffee shop. They were all looking at me worriedly when I returned.

" I kind of got you a little something. A going away present." I said handing her the box. She stood up facing me. The others girls gathered behind her looking over her shoulder.

" Paige. It is beautiful" she said touching the chain.

" Here let me put it on" I said taking the box. She turned around holding her hair out the way. I put the necklace around her neck clasping it in the back. She touched it against her chest.

" Way to go Paige. Way to make the rest of look terrible" Caleb said sitting back down.

" It was kind of last minute" I said shyly.

" Baby it is perfect. Thank you love" she said. She leaned up kissing me on the lips. I could taste the salt from her salted caramel mocha. I leaned back smiling at her. After the girls got done giggling and pining over the necklace we continued reminiscing about high school. All laughing and throwing in our two cents. Time passed quickly and it was already 2 in the afternoon.

" Aria we should really hit the road if we want to miss traffic" Ezra said standing up. New York was only 2 and half hours away from Rosewood but traffic at 4 in the city was ridiculous. Luckily for us our drive was less than an hour.

" Yea we should be going too" I heard Emily say. Out on the sidewalk we all said our goodbyes. The girls took longer of course. They were all crying in a circle hugging each other over and over. Finally about 30 minutes later we were pulling out of Rosewood. We followed Spencer's car to the highway and out of Rosewood. I saw the sign that said "Thanks for visiting Rosewood. Please come again". Even though it was only about 45 minutes away, I just didn't see myself coming back here very often. We crossed the city limits holding hands with hopeful hearts.

Emily's POV

After the short drive we arrived at our brand new townhouse. We were on a end unit so we only had neighbors on one side. We picked up our keys and spent the rest of the day unpacking. Spencer had her things delivered that morning by movers. Leslie was nowhere to be found when we arrived. The biggest things we owned were our bed and two dressers. We got all the boxes out first pushing them to the corner of the room.

" This is going to be hard" I said looking at the heavy items still left in the trailer. I turned away to see a guy walking down the sidewalk.

" Do you ladies need help with those? I'm Dan." he said shaking my hand.

" Hi I'm Emily. This is Paige. We are moving right here" I said pointing to our open door.

" I live right there. I could grab my roommates to help?" He said already jogging off. Paige lifted her eyebrow at me. I just bit my lip acting oblivious. Dan returned with two guys and a dolly.

" This is Rich and Devin. We live next door to you guys." They both waved at me before walking right into the trailer. The rest of the items were moved in the apartment quickly.

" Thanks guys. It would have taken us forever" I said leaning on the doorway.

" No problem. If you need help with anything else, let me know" Dan said dusting his hands off.

" I'll keep you in mind when I pick up my 10 books from the library" I joked.

" Or you could do me the honor of going out to dinner with me? To pay me back for all my hard work" he said eying me up and down.

" Oh. I'm sorry Dan. I'm taken. Paige is my girlfriend" I said pointing back into the house.

" I should have known. Your way too pretty to be single" he said smiling. I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting him to say something rude about me being gay.

" Don't hesitate asking for anything if you guys need help with anything. Paige is very lucky" he said walking backwards down the sidewalk. At that moment Spencer pulled up from checking out the fitness center. She strutted right past Dan into the apartment.

" Please tell me your not dating her too" he whispered. I laughed.

" Ha. No" I said. He winked at me and went into his apartment. I locked up the trailer and Paige's car. Inside I saw Paige putting the bed set we had bought on the bed. It was nice and mature. A far cry from my floral bed spread. She smiled when I entered the room. I started on a box of personal items. Setting all our, deodorants, sprays, lotions, and other items on our dresser. The rest of the toiletries I put in our nice huge bathroom. I got all out clothes hung up in the walk in closet. Our shoe boxes set on the shelves. We each had a nightstand on the side of our bed. I kept a photo of us along with a photo of mom and dad.

" Is that your mom?" I asked looking at the photo on her nightstand

" Yea." she said unpacking another box.

" You look like her" I said picking up the photo. Paige didn't really talk about her mom. She had died when Paige was 10. She smiled weakly at me continuing on her current box. The rest of the evening we spent unpacking. Hannah and Aria called to tell us about their amazing apartment. Our kitchen was small but nice. It had plenty of cabinet space along with a pantry. The living room had been furnished by Spencer mostly. Her mom had let her take some furniture from her family's cabin.

" We really need to go food shopping" Spencer said plopping down on the sofa.

" Yea. Might as well get it over with." I said going to get my purse.

" Were going to go grocery shopping if you want to come" I said to Paige.

" Yea sounds good" We made our way to a local grocery store. All throwing stuff into the basket. We all ate pretty healthy so we ate a lot of the same things. Back at the apartment we unpacked everything deciding along the way where things would go We decided to grill some pork chops on our mini grill along with baked potatoes and salad.

" Hey" Leslie said walking into the kitchen.

" Where have you been?" Paige asked the small girl.

" Just out. Just looking around." she said sitting at the kitchen table.

" I talked to your mom" I heard Paige say.

" What did she want?" Leslie said.

" Wanted to make sure you were settling in well. Just asked me to keep an eye out for you"

" That is so nice of her" Leslie said sarcastically. We all continued to help with dinner. Leslie didn't join us after Paige told her she made enough for her. Paige was the cook. Spencer and I were just little helpers. After dinner everyone settled down in their respective rooms. I laid on the bed full from dinner. I felt the bed sink in when Paige laid next to me.

" Thank you for dinner" I said looking at the ceiling.

" Your welcome beautiful" We laid in silence for a while.

" Em" Paige said softly.

" Hmmm"

" Will you take a shower with me?"

" Yes" I said confidently. I was actually very nervous. Paige and I had never taken a shower together other than at school with other girls. Next month would mark our one year anniversary. We had been intimate before but I feel like we never really let go. Always in fear of someone barging in or being found out. Now that we had a place to call our own with no adults maybe things could progress. I watched as she pull off her top dropping it on the floor. Unbuttoning her pants letting them fall to the floor. She kicked them aside before making her way to the bathroom. I heard the water start and finally came back to reality. I hurriedly took my clothes off before entering the bathroom. She was already in the shower. I could see her body through the glass door. I stepped in slowly keeping to the back of the shower. She stood under the water with her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes she was smiling at me. She reached her hands out pulling me closer to her. She wrapped them around me as she came from under the water. She leaned in quickly smashing our lips together. On instinct I put my arms around her neck. I could feel her hands on my waist. Our lips matching the others.

" We could do this everyday" she said against my lips. My mouth automatically went into a smile. I let my hands travel down her body. On her hips I could feel the slight bumps of old scars. I ran my finger along the thin line.

" Promise me you will never do that again" I said quietly.

" I promise Em." she said taking my hands in hers. She kissed my fingers before intertwining them with hers. I knew Paige had it hard in high school and that her old ways of helping herself were dangerous. When I had first found out I didn't understand and became angry at her. She explained about how she used to feel at her old school. She had a very small group of friends but was bullied throughout high school. Partying and self harm had become remedies to escape from the pain. She had gotten better since she moved, no longer resorting to those things.

I felt myself slowly being walked back against the glass wall. Her nails digging into my sides. Her lips traveled down my neck kissing along my collar bone. I felt her mouth suction on my neck.

"Paige. No" I breathed lightly. She immediately stopped smiling a evil grin. She was always trying to leave marks on me. Whenever we messed around she always found bruises or hickeys on her but I never got them because of my darker skin. She made it a point to try every time. I pushed my lips into hers. One of my hands finding its way to her breast. I lifted it in my hand bringing my lips down to the nipple. I heard her gasp when I began to suck on it. After a few seconds I let it pop out with a "plop". Still kneading it in my hand I returned to her mouth. This time I let my tongue travel the insides of her mouth. A small moan escaped from her lips. We continued to make out until I felt the water get cold.

" Paige we should wash up now" I said breathless. She didn't say anything but turned to grab her wash cloth. We washed in silence hurrying to get all the warm water we could. 20 minutes later we were both in bed. I had opted for a tank top and a pair of undies. I looked around our new room. I looked over at Paige who was on her phone. Her hair a little curly from the shower.

" What" she said realizing I had been staring.

" Nothing sweetie. Ready for bed?" I said yawning. She put her phone on her nightstand. I laid down on my side. I felt her body slide in behind me. Wrapping her arms around me. I felt safe as she planted little kisses on my ear and neck from behind. I could definitely get used to this.