CHAPTER 3

Paige POV

I walked in the apartment closing the door with force behind me. "What the fuck Paige?" Kat came running from her bedroom scared by the noise. "I'm such an idiot Kat! I'm so fucking stupid!" I was pacing up and down the living room like crazy. "What have you done? I saw how you two were after your bathroom meeting. What did you tell her?" I stopped and glared at her. "She tried to kiss me!" I yelled! "She tried to kiss me and I pulled away and left her!" I couldn't believe how stupid that move was. I replayed the scene in my head and every time I got more and more upset. "Oh my God Paige! Are you serious? How can you do such thing? Everyone can see that you like her. You look at her like she's the most precious thing in the whole world!" She was screaming at the top of her lungs. She looked really pissed at me and she had every right to be. Why am I such a coward? "I'm sick of this thing Paige! I'm sick of watching you destroy every opportunity life throws at you! Find a fucking way to fix this before it's too late." She was right in the last part. But what could I do?

I woke up with a terrible headache. I couldn't stop crying last night. I fell asleep from the exhaustion. I hardly had any strength to get up. I had a shower and went to the kitchen. Kat was having breakfast with Tom. She didn't say a word to me. She was upset with my behavior and she was right. I was upset with me too. I had two classes that morning both of them with Emily. She was late for our first one. She might have done it on purpose just to have an excuse to sit away from me. Why would she want to sit near me? I had to find a way to win her back even as a friend. I need to prove her how much I want her in my life.

Emily POV

I headed to the cafeteria to meet up with Liam, Alex and Jerry. We decided to have lunch together. "So what should we do today?" Jerry asked with his mouth full of salad. We all laughed at him. "Easy babe! Don't die like this! It'd be so embarrassing!" Alex mocked him with a silly voice. We were trying to find a good way to spend our evening when a girl from the swim team approached us. "Hey Emily! How are you?" I looked behind me "Hey Jess! I'm good! Can I help you with something?" she was really good looking and cute. I think she has a crush on me or something. If only I wasn't waiting for Paige. "Well, my parents are out of town so I planned a party. I invited the girls from the team and some other people from our classes. I was thinking, maybe you want to come? You can bring your friends too if you'd like." She smiled waiting for my answer like her life was depending on it. I turned around and saw 3 pairs of eyes looking at me like puppies. It was really amusing to me watching them begging without saying a thing! "Yeah, sure Jess! It would be fun! Should we bring something over?" I asked politely. "Just your pretty face" she told me and then waved and left. Of course Alex had a comment for that "two birds with one stone Em! A party and a hot chick! Nice!" I couldn't bring myself to answer. Maybe Alex was right! What if I tried with Jess? She is a nice girl after all.

"Em, are you ready?" Liam was waiting for me downstairs for half an hour, clearly becoming upset. "In a minute!" I tried my best to look good. Not because there was a chance to see Paige at the party! Ok maybe that was the reason. But I promised to see where things will go with Jess so I had to make a good impression. "Wow! You look stunning Em! Girls will throw themselves at you!" he smiled at me and offered me his hand pretending to be my date. "What a charmer Liam!" We got in the car and went to pick up the others. "Look at us! We should be on the cover of a magazine or something" Alex said fixing her hair. She was partially right. We all put a lot of effort in our image. After a 10 minute drive we reached our destination. The house was huge and full of people. We looked at each other and said together "Project X! GO!" and with that we jumped out of the car and headed for the house.

People were going crazy! I mean really crazy! Some of them were diving in the pool wearing their clothes in the middle of November. Some others were so drunk that they were passed out on the floor. Others were dancing and singing their hearts out while others were dry humping pretending they're dancing. In about thirty minutes we were on the same condition. I always had a full cup in my hand. I told myself to get crazy like the others. I was having the time of my life until I saw Paige. She was having a conversation with a guy. He was looking at her like she was naked. How can Paige keep a conversation with a guy like him, I don't know. The alcohol in me made the next move. I walked beside her just for her to notice me and then I went straight to Jess and grabbed her hand. I took her where the others were dancing and I started swinging my hips really sexy at her. She lost it! The poor girl! I came out of nowhere to play with her hormones. I felt her hands on my hips and we started moving to the beat. I was looking Paige in the eye the whole time. She was looking at me with her dark eyes trying to understand what I was trying to prove. Next thing I know, she left that guy alone and headed for the kitchen.

Paige POV

Of course she wouldn't wait for you Paige. She's a catch! Every girl wants her! And when you had your fucking chance you fucked it up! I was so upset with myself. I was torn inside. I didn't know what to do. So I just acted on impulse. I got back to the living room where everyone was dancing. She was still dancing and Jess was touching her with no shame. When I saw her hands going lower I lost it. I went over there and grabbed Emily by the hand. "What the hell? Paige what are you doing?" she looked at me really upset. I didn't answer her. I glared at Jess "Keep your hands to yourself, if you want to keep them at all". What was I doing? Emily wasn't mine but I couldn't stop myself from saying those things. Jess huffed and turned to leave "You are so gay McCullers."

We were outside now and she was really mad at me "What are you doing Paige? Who gave you the right to say those things? Who do you think you are? Playing with my feelings all this time. I can't keep up with you! One moment you're sweet to me and the other you push me away. What do you want from me? Are we friends? Are we something more? You have to let me know!" She was drunk and also right. But I couldn't make a decision like this. "Em you're drunk. Please let me take you home and we'll talk about it tomorrow. Please." She was still angry with me, I could feel it. She huffed and walked away from me.

Fortunately she ended up with her friends sitting on a couch talking. At least she wasn't alone. As the night went by everyone ended up on a circle playing truth or dare. Everyone was laughing and having fun except me. I was constantly looking at her trying to figure out what she was thinking. When Emily's turn came I was shocked with what I heard. "Paige, truth or dare?" she looked at me with such intensity. I was screwed. "Dare!" I said not thinking twice. Then she got up and came to me. She motioned me to stand up and face her. "I dare you to kiss me!" I was frozen in my spot. I couldn't move or speak. We had everyone's attention that's for sure. She kept looking at me waiting for my move. "Em, why are you doing this? You are drunk! You don't really want this!" she huffed "Stop telling me what I want Paige. Stop pretending that there's nothing between us and just accept it." She started crying "Why is it so difficult for you to admit it?" and with that she turned around and run to the bathroom.

I couldn't follow her. Everyone was whispering things and I panicked. I decided to go home and think about what she said. She was right. I had to decide what I wanted. I shouldn't play with her feeling. I tried to sleep but I couldn't. I didn't know if she was alright or how she was feeling and that made me even more upset. I decided to text her hoping to see her tomorrow. "I hope you're alright. Please call me tomorrow. We have to talk about what happened. Goodnight."

Emily POV

"WHAT?" I screamed after Liam told me what happened at the party. "Oh my God! How much did I drink?" I was freaking out and the headache I had wasn't helping at all. My head was buzzing and the only thing I tried to think about was Paige. "Calm down! You can't change the past." Liam was trying to reason with me "And it's not exactly your fault. She is flirting with you constantly and you are always together doing stuff. She was even jealous yesterday when you were dancing with Jess. She made an actual scene! She doesn't have the right to do this to you. She has to come clean and make a decision." He was right. I wasn't on my best behavior at the party but I couldn't take all the blame.

I looked at my phone and saw a text from Paige. I have to talk to her sooner or later. "I'm gonna see her today to talk about the party." Liam looked worried. "So soon? She's feeling guilty" it wouldn't be strange. "I have to apologize to her, you know. I shouldn't have said all those things in front of everyone." It was true. "You know what? Just go and talk to her. Don't push her too much though. She'll come around. And tell her about the trip we're making on Christmas. It'll be good for both of you to do something different." I hope he's right about her. I just have to try and save our friendship for now.

"Want to come over? Kat is out with Tom. We can talk if you want." That's what the text said. I got ready and drove my car. I parked in front of her house and walked to the door. I couldn't find the courage to move. I tried not to faint. I took each step slowly, trying to calm my nerves until I reached her floor. She was there, waiting at her door. "Hey! Come in!" she said like nothing had happened. "Hey!" I said and walked in. Her apartment was really nice and warm. It had a fireplace too. What caught my attention was a guitar near the fireplace. "Is it yours?" I was curious. She never mentioned it. She looked at me and then down at her feet "Um, yeah! Kat and I took lessons when we were little." She is full of surprises I guess.

We sat on the couch and she brought two cups of hot chocolate. "Thanks! I need something to keep me warm." I regretted it the minute I said it, thinking about the double meaning. She smiled at me and took a sip from her cup. "Look Paige, I'm sorry about the party. I was really drunk and I couldn't control myself. I said some stupid things and I wish I could take them back but I can't. I'm really sorry." She was sad after that. Like she was trying to forget about it and I reminded her. "Em, it's ok. I'm sorry too. About the way I acted with Jess and about my behavior all this time. I don't know what is happening to me when I'm with you. I haven't felt anything like it before. I don't know what to do with my feelings. The only thing I know is that I don't want to lose you." She had tears in her eyes. Her voice was full of sincerity. How could I be mad at her? I got closer to her and hugged her. I breathed her scent. I was feeling tipsy again but not from alcohol. "I don't want to lose you either" I whispered in her ear. She held me even tighter than before. "Can we forget about it and move on, please?" she asked me like a little child. I smiled at her and took her hand "yeah, let's do that."

I opened my eyes trying to get used to the sunlight. Last night Paige and I put on a film and we ended up cuddling and holding hands. She was sleeping and I could feel her breath on my neck. She had her arm around my waist holding me tight. I turned around and looked at her. She was so beautiful. I kissed her cheek and she started waking up. When she opened her eyes and looked at me she didn't freak out. She just smiled and moved her face on the crook of my neck, breathing deeply. I was trying not to see it as something sexual but she was driving me crazy. "I love the way you smell" she whispered and held me tighter. She was trying to kill me. I couldn't stop myself. I started playing with her hair to busy my hands with something. "We have to get up!" I said without really wanting it. I had to go home. I looked at the window and couldn't believe my eyes. It was snowing. I couldn't drive in such condition. She looked out too and a smile appeared in her face. She knew very well that I couldn't leave right away. "Looks like you're stuck here Fields! At least let me make you breakfast!" she kissed my cheek and got up, heading to the kitchen. She made pancakes with syrup and she served them with hot coffee. She placed them in front of me and smiled. "Oh, I almost forgot!" she said running back to the kitchen. She came back holding a flower. "That, I did not expect!" I laughed and took it. It smelled really nice. We sat there and enjoyed our breakfast watching the snow outside.

Paige POV

The snow made us stay in all day. We watched a couple of movies cuddled under the covers. The only thing that filled the air was her scent and the smell of burnt wood from the fireplace. I was totally relaxed having her in my arms. I didn't want this to end. Kat couldn't come home because of the weather. She stayed with Tom all day. As the movie came to end she turned her face and looked at me. "I forgot to tell you! We're organizing a trip around Christmas. Jerry has a cabin in the woods and it'll be perfect with all the snow and stuff. He asked me to invite you. Kat and Tom too. The more, the better. Those were his exact words!" It would be really nice going on a trip although I don't know her friends well enough. She saw me hesitating and tried to convince me "Come on! They want to meet you! They've heard so much about you!" I panicked even more after that. "Only good things" she said laughing at my face! "Okay! I'll ask Kat and Tom if they want to come along". She clapped her hands and hugged me. "It'll be great. You'll see!" she whispered near my face. "It will be, as long as I'm with you." I whispered back.

Kat and Tom were more than happy to have Christmas with me and the others. That way they could spend the holidays together without having to stay with their families for many days. Last week Emily and I invited everyone for coffee to have a chance to get to know each other. Everyone seemed to get along great and Emily's friends seemed to like me even though they knew what happened at Jess' party. The day of our trip arrived. I packed my stuff and waited with Kat and Tom in our apartment. Emily and her friends rented two Jeeps so we won't have any problem with the snow. Emily was driving the one and Liam the other. So it was Emily, me, Kat and Tom in the first car and Jerry, Alex, Liam and his girlfriend Ellie in the second one.

The trip was something else. We were driving for hours but it was worth it. There were trees everywhere, covered in snow. The landscape was magical. Like the pictures you see in magazines. By the time we reached our destination, it was getting dark. The cabin was bigger than I imagined. Four bedrooms! It seemed perfect considering we were eight. It's not hard to imagine that Em and I ended up on the same room. I liked the idea but I was scared thinking that there was only one bed. It was a double bed but still, one for two! We put our bags in the rooms and gathered on the living room. We decided that Alex, Kat and Ellie would prepare dinner, Tom and Jerry would bring wood and set up the fire, Emily would decorate the place for Christmas and Liam and I would clean up the place.

We sat on the table for dinner really exhausted. Well, Emily was fine considering was she had to do. She was good in decorating that's true. That's why we let her have her way with the Christmas tree. Later that night we decided to play a game. We decided to play "I've never". So we went to the living room and sat on the couches and on the floor. I ended up sitting on the floor, in front of Emily's legs who was sitting on the couch. We all knew that this game was trouble but we were ready to be humiliated.

"I've never smoked weed." Alex said and everyone except Jerry and Emily took a shot. "Interesting" Alex was laughing. "I've never got drunk" it was Liam's turn. All of us took a shot. It was true though. That guy is impossible to get drunk. We kept playing until we were tipsy. Even Liam was laughing without reason for once! It was my turn to play "I've never had a lap dance" I was shocked as everyone took a shot. "Seriously now?" Emily bent a little and looked at me "you've never had a lap dance?" Why is it so strange? "How come you've had a lap dance?" I asked Kat curiously. She blushed a little "Well, let's say that some nights I get naughty!" she smirked and winked at me. We kept on drinking and then I felt a hand massaging my scalp. Emily was getting a little touchy after all those shots. I couldn't care less though. I sat there enjoying myself. "I've never fallen in love with a girl" Kat said and I took a shot without even thinking. Emily's hand stopped and I could feel her eyes on me. I closed my eyes and cursed myself for being so stupid. The game continued without a comment but I knew that sooner or later someone would ask me about it. I only hoped for one thing, to not be asked by the one I was in love with.

Emily POV

I couldn't stop thinking about what happened. Paige took a shot. She admitted being in love with a girl at some point in her life. She walked in the room wearing her pajamas. She was adorable. "You're a dork you know, walking around in these!" she looked confused "What? Batman is the best FYI" I laughed and threw a pillow that landed on her face. "Hey! You'll pay for that" she took the pillow in her hand and started chasing me around the room. I laughed so hard trying to get away from her.

I don't know how it happened but I was pinned on the bed and she was hovering above me. Her face only inches away from mine. The atmosphere was suddenly different. She looked me in the eyes. My heart was beating so fast that I was sure she could hear it. I couldn't take it anymore "Truth or dare?" I asked her and then it happened. She closed the distance between us. Her soft lips met mine and I felt like I was in a dream. It was even better than I've even imagined. She took my bottom lip between hers and I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my mouth. It was like pulling a trigger in her. She deepened the kiss and her hand grabbed my hip. I was afraid to open my eyes. I realized I was out of breath when she moved to kiss my neck. She started sucking making sure to mark the spot. I ran my hands down her back and she made the sexiest noise I've ever heard. I wanted her so much but I knew that we had to stop. She stopped for a moment and looked at me. "Em, please open your eyes." I was scared that if I did she would disappear or something. She pecked my lips again "please" she whispered. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at her. "Don't regret this" I whispered, as tears were forming on the corners of my eyes. She kissed me again but softer. She held me like I was fragile. Then she whispered in my ear "Dare Em, a thousand times dare!" and she kept kissing me until we fell asleep.