Hello! I'm sorry for the long wait time, but here's the next chapter!
Paige ran her hand through her hair. She trembled as she took a deep breath to calm herself. It was around 7:30 in evening and it was brisk outside already. She pulled her jacket closer to her. She wasn't sure if the weather was causing her to shake or the fact that she just ran into her ex-girlfriend.
Relax, her told her self.
Paige stopped and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to calm down.
She hated not being able to control her feelings whenever it came to the other girl and this moment has proven that. No matter how long Paige has tried to work on herself, it seems that Emily can appear and undo all of her efforts of the last couple of years.
Remember. Emily left you, Paige. She left without saying anything during a time you needed no one else beside her. You needed her and...
She. Left. You.
Paige exhaled, relieved when she slowly got a grip on her emotions.
She left you.
Paige exhaled one more time before looking around to see how far she got away from the Radley. It has seemed that Paige walked for a while because she was standing in front of where she needed to be anyways.
From the outside, the store had a cute façade. There were two white bay windows on each side of a teal door and the windows were not considered to be small either. It will bring in a lot of natural lighting for the business owner of this space. The space have been vacant for so many months, but when she found out that Kelly was interested in the space, Paige decided to help the other girl out and make it easier for the other girl by offering her a lower rent rate.
Peeking through the window, Paige could see a dim lighting illuminating the back room. Maybe Paige can find the other girl inside? Paige knocked on the glass and stepped back. She saw a figure approaching the front door, and when it turned out to be Kelly, Paige gave a wave.
Kelly opened the front door and sighed. "Hey! That was quick."
Paige nodded. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you're happy with the space."
"That's nice." Kelly smiled.
"Well, I'm a nice landlord." Paige replied. "Very accommodating."
"Come on in." Kelly waved. "Sorry it's a tad messy around here."
"No worries." Paige said. "It's been like two days. You can't possibly have everything done in that amount of time."
"Tell me about it." Kelly huffed; placing both hand on her hip and looked around.
Paige quietly observed the girl before her and then asked. "Ever own a business before?"
"Is it obvious?"
Paige nodded. "Yeah."
Kelly said, "I thought it was a good idea, you know, surprising my fiancé with the café of her dreams. But now I don't know where to beginning or what to do for that matter. It's picking up at the station and I have to split my time between there and here. I thought this was going to an easier process. Maybe I bit off more than what I can chew."
It didn't go missed by Paige. She was taken back by the pronoun her.
"I know. I made a big decision without her, but I thought this would be my gift to her. It was a spontaneous decision. I was walking around that one night and I found this space. Then you found me. So I thought that it was meant to be. This space was meant for us." Kelly exclaimed, stressed. "Oh god. What if I mess this up?"
"Okay." Paige said, amused by the other girl's rambling. "We'll take one step at a time. Tell me about her vision."
Kelly pondered for a while and tried to recall certain memories where her fiancée told her about her dream cafe. "Well...she wants an open floor plan."
"Okay." Paige said, encouraging the other girl to continue.
"She wants..."
"I would like an open floor plan. One side is the counter tops and the other side is lined to tables and chairs." Emily exclaimed excitedly, as they strolled downtown.
Paige watched as Emily described to her what her vision is for her business one day.
Paige squeezed their laced hand, and encouraged. "What else?"
"I would like white walls with white tile mosaic patterns on the lower half of the walls. I like the wooden cabinets with the concrete slate on top. I want a chalkboard menu with an aged wood frame that span the entire wall. I like glass! A lot of them. I want seating by the window so patrons can people-watch from within. I would like a lot of seating in the space, where people can enjoy their beverages and be comfortable."
Paige just smiled, thinking about the vision Emily was sharing with her. She would love to see Emily's dream come true one day and she hoped that she would be there, supporting Emily all the way.
"What do you think?" Emily asked quietly, peeking over to look at Paige. "It's silly, isn't it?"
Paige smirked and placed a kiss on the back of Emily's hand. "It sounds lovely. I can't wait to see it."
Emily fought back a smile as the words plucked at her heartstrings. Paige always had a talent of saying the perfect thing at the perfect time. She stopped the other girl and wrapped her hand behind Paige's neck, looking thoroughly at the auburn hair girl in front of her.
God, I love you. Emily thought and didn't say.
Like natural instinct, Paige placed both hands on Emily's hips and pulled the
raven-haired girl in closer. They were wrapped up in each other in downtown, on the public streets, but Paige didn't care. She looked back at Emily and tucked a loose piece of hair behind the other girl's ear.
"What?" Paige asked after while. Emily hasn't said one word and it made Paige nervous.
Emily smiled coyly. "I...um..."
Paige furrowed her eyebrows, worried. "What's the matter?"
Emily tried again, "I...I'll make you a section in the café where you can come and hang out all day. It will only be for you."
"Well now." Paige ticked her head to one side and smirked. "It sounds like I have to come and visit you as often as I can."
"Everyday." Emily retorted.
"Everyday?" Paige frowned. "Isn't that too often?"
"So you don't want to see me everyday?" Emily challenged.
"No. That's not what I meant." Paige said with caution. "Would I be a distraction to your business?"
"No, not for my business. Only to me." Emily said with a smile. "But I don't mind. Beside what else would you be doing if not visiting me?"
"I'm not clingy, you know?" Paige forged being offended. "But I hate the feeling of being apart from you."
Emily rolled her eyes playfully. "I know."
Paige chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. It was the truth. Paige hated being apart from Emily. Every time, they're apart, Paige gets this void in her chest that arches and she hates it.
"You're so smart."
"I know."
"And you're not modest."
Emily shrugged.
"Now tell me your vision for this room that is mine."
"Well, I was thinking about wood palette wall...
"...and of course, wood palette walls for her office." Kelly said. "It would be in the back, tucked in the back so she can have her privacy."
Paige nodded, frowned on how similar this version is to the one from her memory.
"Does it sound impossible?" Kelly also frowned, as the auburn haired girl didn't response. "I knew it! I'm screwed!"
Paige smirked when an idea formed in her head. She mauled it over, debating if it was a smart move or a waste of time. What the hell? Paige thought. She needed the distraction anyways. Maybe this idea would take her mind off of Emily.
"No. You're not." Paige cleared her throat, dismissing the de jevu feeling in her guts and said. "You're in luck again. Interior design is also something else I'm good at. I will help you making this vision possible. Think of it as a gift from me to you and your fiancé's."
When Emily asked Steph to give her more hours, Emily didn't anticipate the
later-hours-of-the-night type of hours. She didn't mind it especially when it served its purpose, taking her mind off of wedding planning. However, it was also giving her more things to think about.
Not things...more time to think about one particular person: Paige McCullers.
Since that day, the encounter, Emily has been walking around without her brain. She went home that evening locked herself in her apartment and cried all night. For what reason, she couldn't explain. Was she mad at herself or the fact that Paige was being cold towards her? Emily had no idea. She knew that it started something and that scared her even more. Something deep down inside made her stirred and she was afraid of the effects.
Aria and Hanna stopped by the next morning to check up on her, but she told them to give her some time to process everything. Everything seems to be falling apart. It was dramatic for her to feel this way, but however she couldn't help it. Kelly and her just recently moved. Kelly has been more distant than ever, always spending time at the station. Emily was even questioning if they're ready to be married and now this. In the mist of everything, Paige happened. Really, Emily wasn't sure what to process or how to process.
Paige McCullers.
Up until recently, she has thought about that name.
Up until recently, Paige started showing up in her dreams.
Up until recently, she came face to face with the auburn girl and Emily realized that the other girl still have an effect on her. Seeing Paige's face made Emily feel uneasy. She can't really put her finger on it, but it made her feeling anxious. She felt paralyzed looking into those brown eyes again.
For the past couple of days, even Kelly noticed on how preoccupied Emily has been, but Emily just dismissed it. It was nothing, she would say. Kelly would reply with a smile and they both would carry on with their days.
Since moving back to Rosewood, Emily's schedule has been the same every single day. It was a little bit predictable for Emily's taste, but it was temporary. Emily would start her day with breakfast at her parents' house, casually chatting about her parents' friends and when their next trip is going to be. Then her mother and Emily would continue with the wedding planning for the next couple of hours. Emily would then return home and complete a couple of house chores here and there. She would then head into work around eight and remain there until closing hours.
It has been a couple of days since she has seen Paige. She tried to dismiss the feeling of wanting to see Paige again. Emily wasn't sure why. Maybe she wanted to talk things out? But why? Get closure? It was not a good idea, she told herself. Just stay distracted and the thought will go away. Paige will go always. The urge of wanting to reach out to Paige will go away. It was easier said than done. Every night, Emily couldn't seem to bury the thought, as she would see Paige walk by periodically. Emily knew that Paige was not entirely unavoidable, but she didn't think that she would see Paige almost every single night.
When it was busy at the bar, it would get so busy and Emily's shift will breeze by without Emily realizing what time it was. However, when it's slow, it would drag and there were only so many glasses Emily could polish before she got bored. And tonight was one of those nights.
After putting away all the glasses, Emily decided to wipe all the alcohol bottles down and placed them back on the shelves. She wiped down the counter and replaced all new candles in each section of the bar area. Placing the last candle, in it's jar on the table, Emily looked up at the sound of the elevator.
Paige was always dressed to the nine, every time Emily gets a glimpse. Emily has only seen the other girl in a business wear, not once in casual attire. Paige always wore her hair up and always wore the same pair of Chelsea boots. Emily noted.
Maybe they were Paige's favorite?
As Emily has a predictable routine so did Paige.
When Emily begins her shift, Paige would be coming out of the elevator with contractors or vendors. An hour later, Paige would come down and greet more people and head back up to the ninth floor. After shaking their hands and ending the meeting, Paige will go back into the elevator and go back up. When it gets closer to 8 or 9pm, Paige will come down and making her way over to the restaurant for dinner. Some nights, Paige ate alone. Other nights, she had company.
Tonight, Paige had company. Emily couldn't help herself but continued to watch the pair from across the space. Paige smiled as she approached the other girl. She was tall and petite. She had blonde hair and large blue eyes that Emily could see from where she was standing. She was wearing a dark grey dress. It was long, but revealing in the front. The girl was pretty, Emily thought, but obviously desperate.
She wondered how they knew each other.
Emily notices the body language, as both people seemed to be deep in conversation. Paige kept her distance, but she was not guarded. Leaving it vulnerable for the other girl to move into position and placed her hand on Paige's upper arm, leaning more into Paige's space. Emily furrowed.
Wow! The girl is pathetic.
Emily saw Paige smiled politely and whispered something into the other girl's ear, causing the other girl to grin. Emily felt a ping. She wasn't sure if it's because she felt uncomfortable or what. But when she felt her face burning up, she had to look away.
Breathe, Emily. What's wrong with you?
Emily frowned even more. This was not okay. She was just observing a couple, nothing odd about it. But yet, she felt somewhat uncomfortable knowing that the couple was Paige and another girl.
Ahem.
Emily looked up and stopped. She was going to greet the customer, but when she saw that that customer was no other than Paige, she froze.
"Hey." She managed to say.
Paige surveyed the raven-haired girl and smiled thin. She didn't want to come all the way to the bar to grab drinks, but since her date and her were standing in the lobby, this was her closest option.
"Can I get a martini?" Paige said, acting cool as much as possible. "And I'll have a scotch, please."
Emily smiled politely, but awkwardly. "Of course."
Emily grabbed a glass and set it on the bar. She grabbed a shaker and put some ice in it. She looked at Paige's date, who was standing idly in the lobby, and then back at Paige. Paige took out her phone and was preoccupied by it. Maybe she was checking on something. Maybe she was just pretending, Emily suspected. Paige was so close, yet Emily could feel the other girl's cold wall still there since their first encounter.
Paige tucked her phone away, curious by Emily's behavior. "Can I have the scotch first, please?"
Emily nodded. "Yes, of course."
Emily stopped what she was doing and grabbed a short glass, placed it on the bar. She briefly glanced at Paige as she turned around to grab the bottle of scotch. Paige was leaning against the bar coolly, but she looked distracted as she stared into the lobby with a frown on her face.
Emily turned around with a bottle. She also felt like she should say something to ease the awkwardness that was hanging around them in the air so she asked. "Is there a specific brand you care for?"
Paige sighed and turned to look at Emily. "Whatever you have is fine."
Emily nodded, smiling back at Paige even though she felt the annoyance behind Paige's response. She poured Johnny Walker into the glass and gently pushed it towards Paige.
"Thanks." Paige muttered and took it.
In one swift drink, Paige downed the drink, causing Emily to watch her closely. Paige held the liquid in her mouth before swallowed it, letting it burn while traveling down her chest. She breathed in deeply, enjoy the oak notes that were left on her tongue. It made her feel more at ease, more relaxed. Her mind was less overwhelmed with thoughts and Paige began feeling better.
Paige pushed the glass down towards Emily and said. "Another one, please."
Ever since being back to Rosewood, Paige found it hard not to let her mind wander back to familiarities. She did a couple times toy with nostalgia. It was great, remembering all her favorite places years ago. It brought her smiles throughout her morning jogs. However, since running into Emily, her mind has done nothing but haunt her with memories of her past relationship.
Paige knew that there was a chance she couldn't have escaped encountering Emily. Eventually they will have to meet, but Paige didn't anticipate how much Emily affected her. Paige didn't like it. In fact, she hated it. She frowned when Emily pushed another scotch towards her.
Paige said, low. "Thank you"
Emily just nodded. She didn't know what else to say. By the mannerisms of Paige and how the auburn hair girl has been avoiding her eye contact with her, Emily could tell that Paige didn't want to engage in a conversation with her. She didn't want to push so she returned to her next drink, the martini.
While Emily was busy making the other drink, Paige debated to look up at the
raven-haired girl. Paige tapped on her glass, toying with the idea. What will that do? Paige thought. It's going to do nothing for Paige, but make her out to be a creepy ex gawking at her ex-girlfriend from a close distance. Paige took a sip of her drink and set it down gently in front of her. With the drink in her system, she decided to go for it. With Emily standing so close, Paige just wanted to see if time changed that girl in front of her.
Emily still has the long luscious hair Paige remembered, always loosely curls. The girl was a tad skinny than when she was in high school. Her face still looked the same, but some of her features are finer. Paige also noticed a little frown appearing on the other girl's forehead every time Emily looked down. It looked as if Emily was mad, however maybe it was her concentration look. Maybe it was a habit Emily possibly could have developed, as Paige didn't remember Emily ever doing that before. She let her eye rake down Emily's feature slowly, taking in all the features that haunted her in many of her dreams. Emily is just beautiful. Paige concluded. She was when she was eighteen. And now years later, she is still the most beautiful woman Paige has ever seen.
"Hey. What is taking so long?" A hand snaked up behind Paige's neck and stay there, forcing Paige turn towards the person.
Paige smirked and lied for not returning to her date as soon as possible. She stalled and she knew it. "Sorry. I had to answer some emails."
Emily quickly finished up the drink and placed it on the bar. She looked up at the couple and felt awkwardness flush over her as she observed the blonde girl standing really close to Paige, draping her arm over Paige's shoulder.
"Always working hard and no play with you." The blonde said with a sly smile. "No wonder why my father likes you very much."
Paige slid the martini towards her date, but the blonde girl ignored, whispering into Paige's ear.
There it is again. The ping sensation returns in her chest, making her turning away quickly. Emily forced herself to contain her coolness, refusing to be a nerves wreck in front of Paige and her date.
"Can we get out of here?"
Emily didn't turn around as she tried to look really busy. She quickly grabbed another glass to wipe so she can distract herself from eavesdropping on their conversation.
"What's the rush?" Paige answered. "The show doesn't start until one more hour."
"I think...we should skip the show."
Paige smirked slowly as the blonde flashed her a seductive grin, pulling her out of her seat.
Emily still didn't turn around. She could feel her ears turning red and the feeling of uncomfortable was beginning to become unbearable. Her heart was beating hard, as she suddenly became irritated. She could see her knuckles turning white from holding the glass too tight. She swallowed and shut her eyes. Why are you so worked up? Emily thought. This has nothing to do with you!
Paige knocked on the bar. "Can you just add these drinks to my room?"
Emily didn't turn around. She just nodded and waved dismissively. "Will do."
When Emily could hear the couple laughing from across the lobby, she had enough courage to turn around. She looked at the drinks. Paige finished hers, but the martini was still there, untouched. She looked up and watched the couple, realizing that maybe she was irritated. But why? Paige barely said anything to her, nothing that would have offended her. But Emily couldn't shake this feeling.
The elevator dinged as the couple embraced and fell into the opened doors. She looked up again, seeing Paige pushing the blonde girl against the wall before the doors closed. Emily sighed, realizing what it was in her chest.
Fuck. I'm jealous.
The next few days were awkward for Paige. She knew that heading over to the bar, that one night, and casually ordered drinks from Emily, was going to be a bad idea. But she dared herself to. She wanted to see push her limits. In order for Paige to know that there is nothing left, she has to feel nothing when being that close to Emily.
She was wrong.
There was something. It was something that nagged at her since that night. Paige did everything in her power to dismiss it, but she couldn't do it. When Paige woke up the next morning and the blonde girl was in her bed, she couldn't help by wonder what this feeling meant and why she just can't seem to get a grip on her thoughts.
Emily left you.
Remember that.
Emily left.
Granted, having a gorgeous blonde in her bed did distract her for the night, but she felt like an ass when she woke up the next day. Paige did what she does best, charmed the girl and brought her breakfast in bed. After all, Lucy's father is one of Paige's most reliable investors. So if Lucy is happy, then Paige was sure Lucy's father is happy and Paige was going to make sure Lucy stayed happy. Paige knew that she was leading Lucy on and she felt bad, but Paige did, somewhat, enjoyed the blonde girl's company, after hours of course.
Out of obligation, Paige agreed to take Lucy out again, two more time. Both times, the night would end the same way, Lucy spending the night in Paige's suite. Paige didn't mind, but she was getting the feeling that perhaps Lucy was becoming attached and Paige didn't need that. She didn't want that. Paige only liked the distraction part of relationship and nothing more.
With Lucy still in her bed, Paige plugged her buds into her ears as she waited patiently for the elevator doors to open. She looked down on her watch.
4:55 am.
Perfect she thought. Paige always tried to fit in a run before starting her business meetings and 5 am has been her favorite time to do that. At early hours in the morning, the streets in Rosewood didn't get lively until 9 to 9:30 so it gave Paige plenty of privacy as she would run through the town.
Ding.
Paige breathed in deeply as she walked out of the elevator, only to stop in her tracks when she saw a familiar pair of eyes, glared at her as he approaches her. Paige gulped as she pulled the buds out of her ear.
"Mr. Fields." Paige said in a low whisper.
Wayne looked the same as Paige remembered. The only difference was that Emily's father has aged significantly. He looked a lot skinnier and his hair was fully grey. He had the same pair of intense beady eyes that terrified her every time she would look into them. Wayne Fields has always been one person Paige didn't want to cross when she was younger and now it seems that it hasn't changed. Paige was still intimidated by the older man.
"So it's true?" Wayne said as he got closer to Paige. "You're really back?"
Paige just stood still. She didn't know what to make of it. The last time, Paige ever talk to Wayne was when he told her that Emily has left for Haiti. She wasn't sure why Wayne looked so upset, but she can only assume that it might have to do with protecting Emily.
"I..." Paige started, but then only to be cut off by Wayne.
"When Fred told me that he and his wife saw you here, I didn't believe him. I thought to myself, the McCullers has moved on and out of this town of ours. There was no way Paige would come back especially after everything she has done to this town. And here you are."
"Mr. Field, I..."
"I really don't want to hear what you have to say, Paige. I really gave you the benefit of the doubt when I first learned that my daughter was dating you, but then you just proved why I had my reservations about you. And now after everything, you're back. For what? Why did you come back? Haven't you done enough? Why don't you just move on? Somewhere else where you can't cause anymore harm to people."
Paige nodded, clenching her jaw. She knew that coming back to Rosewood might cause some backlash and people might gossip about her behind her back. She was ready for that. However, she never thought that people would be seeking her out and telling her to leave straight to her face. Especially people, she once knew. She was not prepared for this confrontation.
"I will once I finish my business here." Paige said, seriously. "I have no intention of sticking around."
"I think you need to leave town as soon as possible." Wayne said, standing his ground.
"I will." Paige said again, not wavering. "Once I finish what I need to do."
Wayne shook his head. "I want you out of here."
The elevator dinged, interrupting the intensity of their stare down. It made Wayne wavered as he took a small step back away from Paige.
Paige swallowed and looked at Wayne straight in the eyes. "You should be careful with your words, Mr. Field. You don't want people to over hear and think that you're threaten me."
Wayne shifted and Paige knew that her words strike him. She knew that he knew what she said was right. Any stranger can hear his words and conclude that his words sounded threaten.
They continue to stay in their position for a couple more minutes. Paige waited for Wayne to say something. She was curious what he has left to say to her.
"Get your business done and leave." Wayne cleared his throat as he moved away from Paige, toward the exit doors. "One more thing. Stay away from Emily. I don't want you near my daughter."
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Until next time...cheers