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Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars.


Emily's POV

I was still lost in a trance even after Paige had left with Sammie. A part of me felt utterly relieved that she was only best friends with the blonde beauty. I was about to burst out of my little bubble over here from all of that…intimate interaction I witnessed taking place on the other side of the room. Paige and Sammie had appeared to be incredibly close though, and if I didn't know any better, I could've easily mistaken them for a couple just like Hanna had if nobody had forewarned me about them. I then let out a sigh from the comfort of knowing that Sammie was straight and had a boyfriend. If that wasn't a good enough reason to let out a big exhale, I really don't know what is at this point.

"Earth to Emily, are you still in there?" Hanna waved a hand back and forth in front of my face. I mentally slapped myself as I let my eyes focus in on Hanna's face.

"What?" I asked, snapping out of my daze.

"Don't what me! How can you keep a secret like that from us? Secrets don't make friends, Emily. Wait, you know what? That's not a secret; it's a bombshell, like a nuclear." Hanna pouted, and for a moment there, I felt guilt-ridden and wondered if my initial intention about saving the announcement until the end of summer was such a brilliant idea after all. Not that it matters now, because it's out. Whatever else happens, I've already said what I wanted to say, even as unprepared as I was about how I did it just now and who was present for the news. Of course Paige had to be here of all the scenarios that could've played out. Well done, Fields. This day just could not get any more eventful than it already had.

"So…have you told your mom yet, Em?" Aria raised a very good question.

"Yeah, I have. I told her on the first day that I got back here after you guys left. She's really happy that I'll be closer to home. I'm happy, too." I confessed.

"You know, I'm still trying to figure out what all of this means. And here I was, feeling all sappy and blue that you might feel left out being so far out at Danby while I transfer to U Penn." Spencer exclaimed and folded her arms over her chest. I reached across the table and placed a hand on one of her arms, smiling adoringly at her.

"Thank you for always caring about me, even when we're far away from each other, all of you. It means more than you'll ever know. Even though I never expressed my pain, never whimpered, never let you watch me suffer, never showed you how weak I believed I was, never stood on your doorsteps and told you in half-breaths of what I felt, you protected me in silence. You wrapped your understanding around me like a blanket, and it helped me sleep with warmth at night knowing that you're always going to be there no matter where I am. You have to remember that to bleed is human. But you are every reason," I conveyed and looked at Spencer, "every hope," I moved my gaze to Aria, "and every wonderment" I finally stared at Hanna, "of why I'm sitting here and still anchored to this special friendship that I can always turn to when in need of strength. …Because in such moments of lucidity, I'd always wish that I could tell you all the words I'm too afraid to say, and even if I don't utter a single word, I know that you'll always understand."

I was on the qui vive when I watched the myriad of emotions changed and settled on their features. They all looked like they were on the brink of tears. I slightly shifted in my seat to the right and looked back at Hanna, in good time to see a tear escape and slide down her face as she wipes it away quickly with the back of her hand. I smiled tenderheartedly, pulling her into my arms as I felt her quivering for a short time as she hung onto me tightly. Before I saw it coming, I felt arms wrapped around the both of us.

"Emily Fields, you are such a sentimentalist." Hanna's voice was muffled as she spoke into the side of my neck, but it was audible enough for me to hear. I laughed a bit at her choice of word that would only befall on rare occasions like these.

"You know, I feel as though this had led us to a whole new level of closeness, guys," Spencer said before she pulled away from the group hug.

"Come back here, Spence! You spend too much time trying to figure out what things mean. That needs to stop." Hanna extended one of her arms to reach out and pull Spencer back into our little cuddling session. Spencer rolled her eyes and came back to us, "You know Aria, it's really convenient that you're tiny sometimes, especially in moments like these." Aria jabbed her in the ribs and she yelped, "OW! I meant you're really tiny and I love you!"

Somehow, that suddenly reminded me of all of our initial dynamics and the earlier stages of our friendship. It's amusing how we all had different stories, we all had gone through divergent paths, and we all had changed, but we had found our way back together in the end. Right back here with each other.


After I drove the girls back to their individual homes, I made my way over to Spencer's. Aria had made plans with Ezra to go visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art, so she had to go back to their apartment and get ready before Ezra got off work to pick her up for the one-hour drive to Philly. Hanna, on the other hand, was going to meet up with her parents for family counseling. Tom Marin had really been trying to put in the effort to connect with his daughter after they had a deep conversation one night when they were out to dinner. Hanna had confessed that she no longer felt connected to him and didn't think that it was necessary to meet up with him every other week any more, and I guess he panicked and is now trying to fix things between them. I think Hanna's happy to see him try so hard to make it work, because she cares about him and wants a healthy relationship with her father too.

I parked my car next to Spencer's in the driveway and then got out of the car. I locked it with the car remote, then went to the side door of the house and gave it a few knocks. After a moment or two, Spencer opened the door and let me in.

"Hey," she said closing the door behind me as I walked in.

"Hey yourself," I replied. I followed her into the kitchen and she went over to pour herself a cup of coffee. I set down my purse and keys on the kitchen counter and watched her take a sip from the cup.

"Do you want some?" she had turned around and asked me.

"I do, but can I make my own? The way you like to make your coffee always gives me a sour stomach. I'd prefer not to be reminded of that stomach ulcer I once had a few years back," I scrunched up my face a bit as I said this.

"Amateur," Spencer muttered audibly while rolling her eyes, and I laughed heartily at how she can sneak in such a snarky comment over little things like these. She turned off the coffeemaker and took out the coffee pot she had just made. She then reached over for the empty coffee pot on the vinyl placemat near the stove and lifted it up, then setting it aside near the coffeemaker while replacing the pot she had just made onto the woven placemat. "It's all yours," she said gesturing to the coffeemaker.

"Thanks," I said as I walked over to where she was and reached up to open the cabinet above my head. I pulled out an 8.8 oz. bag of Lavazza Crema e Gusto coffee grounds and then reached for a coffee filter while I was at it. I set them down on the kitchen granite countertop and then took the tablespoon Spencer handed to me. I added the new coffee filter in the filter basket after throwing away the old one in it, measured out two tablespoons of the coffee grounds, and put it in the coffee filter. Next, I poured about six ounces of water into the compartment behind the filter basket of the coffeemaker and then placed the coffee pot back on the warming plate. I turned on the coffeemaker so that it would start brewing coffee and then turned around to see Spencer sitting over at the couch on her smartphone.

"Spence?" I said as my mind reeled back to what had happened earlier at the Apple Rose Grille. She looked up from her phone and stared at me from across the room, "Yeah?" she responded.

"What was that earlier?" I paused and then continued, "I mean, when Paige seemed quite ecstatic, yet bewildered, when she found out you're transferring to U Penn. It's almost as if…you guys were…friends. Acquainted even… Like she was closer to you than to me, and how is that even conceivable…with me dating her back then and you wanting to destroy her at every possible opportunity that were presented. What was that?" I said without taking a breath. At least I felt like I was being sensible with my inquiries. It had really made me feel uncomfortable earlier at how…Paige was more concerned about Spence's transfer to U Penn. than mine. I was the ex-girlfriend here. The one she was once intimate with. The one she had said she loved with all of her heart. The one that loved her more than anybody else ever could. The one that whispered to her words of encouragement to swim for herself. The one who told her that she couldn't just dream and wish that luck would get her to U Penn. The one who assured her that she would swim there because I had believed in her. What was Spencer to Paige? Spencer never even cared for her for all that I knew. Spencer never loved her the way I did. Spencer never watched her break down when she said she was gay out loud for the very first time. How was it feasible for her to care more for Spencer than for me? Do I not mean anything to her any more? Was what we had… Wasn't I… How can this be?

Spencer's facial expression had told me that her thoughts were in disarray and she seemed to organize her thoughts before speaking, "I don't know how to tell you this without risking your feelings to be hurt…" she lifted the cup of coffee to her lips and swallowed a large amount of hydrochloric acid from it nervously, "First of all, I just want you to know that I'm really, really sorry for what I'm about to tell you. I…didn't know how to… Maybe you'll even disregard my apologies after you hear this, but I just want you to remember to keep in mind and know how sorry I am that I've kept this from you." She let out a breath and took another sip of her coffee before continuing, "Paige and I have been keeping in touch over the past two years after high school ended. We… I don't know exactly how to explain it…"

I felt my heart stopped. Are they…? How could this…have happened? A million thoughts ran through my head, and I had finally put two and two together. More like, putting Spencer and Paige together and it all suddenly made sense. The way Spencer looked over to Paige's table. How hesitant Spencer was to walk over to our table at the Grille earlier. Why…Paige came over to our table. How Paige seem to be more affected by Spencer's news than mine even though it was of one and the same. When did this happen? How did it happen? Why did it happen? I felt my heart break into millions of pieces a thousand times over. I couldn't breathe, and I felt my eyes brimmed with tears. How could Spencer do this to me? I… My god, she was keeping this from me the entire time.

I didn't notice that Spencer had rushed over and had held onto both my arms, "Oh my god, Emily! No, it's not what you're thinking. Please, listen to me!" she said and tried to take me into her arms. I struggled against her and tried to fight her off me, but I felt almost too weak when I thought couldn't, and as I finally exerted the last strength in myself to push her off me, I started screaming. "Listen to you?! Are you kidding me? I thought we were friends! How could you do this to me?! You and Paige…? Really?! Of all people you had to do behind my back, you went to her?! You know how much she means to me!" I spat the words out at her. She looked completely stunned and at a loss for words. Confusion loomed over her features.

She re-collected herself and I backed away from her as she took a step towards me, "Me and Paige? What the hell are you talking about, Em? I'm not – whatever you think we're doing – with her, Emily, we're just friends. That's what I was trying to tell you. We contact each other every once in a while. There's nothing more to that. We're just friends. I mean, what the hell, you of all people accusing me of a lesbian love affair with your ex-girlfriend? And with Paige? Seriously? Are you going out of your mind?"

I tried to make sense of what she had said, and when it had finally registered in my head, I ran into her arms and began apologizing and telling her how sorry I was for all the tumultuous commotion I just caused as I cried, "I'm so sorry, Spence. I thought… Oh god, what's wrong with me? I'm so sorry… It's just…seeing her again, I feel like I'm all over the place now. "

She held me in her arms and comforted me by telling me that she had forgiven me, while rocking us back and forth. I was overly sentimental at this point and my emotions had reached a height I couldn't just climb down from straightaway, so I just let myself be consoled by her. After about five minutes, I remembered that the coffee must've been completely brewed, so I stepped away from her and went back over to the coffeemaker to turn it off. I tried to pull myself together and took a mug out of one of the cabinets and slowly poured myself a cup. Afterwards, I tossed the paper coffee filter away. I added some French vanilla creamer and Splenda to my coffee before I went over and settled down next to Spencer at the kitchen island.

I felt awfully embarrassed about the entire situation so I just sat there quietly until Spencer decided to break the silence, "So am I forgiven for keeping my friendship with Paige hidden from you…?"

"After my little outburst there…I suppose you are. I really thought…" I trailed off.

"I know, and I don't know why you did, but that will never ever happen, Emily." she reassured me before adding, "And here everybody thought that I was the scary one… I feel so unreasonably misunderstood now that I've seen this fierce side of you. You definitely deserve to win the scary award now, killer." I blushed, and then the rest of my afternoon with Spence was history.


After I left Spencer's place around six in the evening, I went home and changed into my workout clothes, black spandex shorts and a matching sports bra, before I set out to go on an outdoor run. I just felt like I had to get rid of all the tensions and de-stress somehow, and what better way was there than doing some physical activity, right?

I stretched for ten minutes prior to the run and after about fifteen minutes into it, I had already gotten in two miles. I had jogged from my house down to the trail on the east side of town. When I finally saw the opening to the Big Tree trail, I just went on running. It's always hard during the first half an hour of the run, because you're always pushing yourself to keep on going. After that, it gets slightly easier because you're used to your fast beating heart, you stop feeling the intensity of the burn in your legs, and you've build a nice momentum you just don't want to lose. Time slows and whatever that keeps you going are in your thoughts.

As I ran past the giant Sequoias and further into the Big Tree trail, it began to open up and soon, the Lake Meadow was in sight. I kept running towards the bright light that had made it through the space between the timbers, and after about half a mile, I was rewarded with the view of the meadow and the lake in its entirety just as the sun was setting. The Lake Meadow was encompassed in greens and set in a picturesque setting surrounded by a field of wildflowers and a body of water that saturated the meadow with a scenic reflection. It had to be one of the most beautiful hidden places in Rosewood, and in fact, it was my favorite place to be when I'm not in the water. I had already slowed down and began walking over to the edge of the lake to admire the beauty of the water up-close. I sat down at a leisurely pace, stretched out my legs, and leaned back on both my hands to settle in a comfortable position for gazing at the panoramic view. The faint hint of wildflowers colored the air with such a beautiful scent that I couldn't help but closed my eyes to deeply breathe in the magical wonders of this setting. I opened my eyes and my mind was put to rest as I noticed that the sun had long disappeared, and in place were the moon and the stars. The sky was exquisitely clear, and I knew that once the moon would set later, the view of the stars anywhere else would not get any better than this. The night was punctuated with a light breeze that rippled the lake and I began to fall into a deep trance, getting lost in my own moonlit reflection in the water.

The rippling water surface had created concentric circles that rippled out from the center, which was caused by some sort of impact as far as I knew. I tried to trace my way back to where the origin was through each of the ring of perfect waves on the smooth surface of the amazingly calm lake. As I did, my eyes fell upon the tall hourglass silhouette in the dark. The figure had emerged from the lake, water dripping tantalizingly off their body, head thrown back, with little clothing clung tight to the contour of their form, and I had only just made out the faint but heavy breaths coming from the shadow I saw before my eyes.

"You're staring," the gentle voice was directed at me. I couldn't look away, not from the breathtaking sight before me.

"Come here," I said and beckoned her towards me. Even with her graceful movements, the lacustrine ripples overwhelmed the body of water's entire surface area. We had been swimming lazily in the moonlit lagoon after the long day we both had. After a few moments, she had finally settled before me. We were both neck-deep in the water. My hands reached up and pushed back the strands of her hair that had clung to her face, and I began lightly tracing the outlines of her jaw with my fingers. She stared at me with a spirit of inquiry, unconsciously tilting her head a bit to the right, and I let my eyes wander over her lovely features. I lowered my hands from her jawline and delicately wrapped them around the nape of her neck. She encircled my waist with her arms and gently pulled me closer, closing the distance between us. The feeling of her hands on the skin of my lower back sent a burning sensation through every part of my body, and I willed my eyes to return to hers and held her closer to me, more intimately.

"You are so beautiful." I confessed, baring my soul to her.

"That is my line." she countered and a smile crept upon her face.

I trailed my gaze down to her lips and then looked back up to see her staring at me with so much adoration in her eyes. I slowly leaned in and kissed her sweetly, grazing the wet skin that was exposed on the back of her neck as I did so. She leaned into my touch and I slowly let my hands wander down her form. I softly moaned at how amazing she felt against me, how her velvety skin felt against the pad of my fingers, and I felt her whimper in response. I began a trail of kisses down to her neck, taking my sweet time to search for her pulse, and kissing it softly when I had finally found it. Her hands ran through my wet hair and drew me closer against her neck, almost desperately. I brushed my lips against her skin one last time, before trailing kisses back up to her lips. I felt her sigh into the kiss and I pulled back, smiling goofily like a little kid.

"Can we go lie down on the patch of grass?" I had asked.

"Sure," she said and we both began paddling towards the edge of the lake. We both got out and she headed over to one of our bags and took out two towels and two blankets. She tossed a towel my way and I began to dry myself, while she set up the blanket on the grass. After she was done, she began to dry herself too and got a shirt out of her bag and quickly threw it on.

"Do you want a shirt to put on?" she asked and I shook my head, "It's a warm summer night, and I'm feeling all right." She smiled and we both went over to lie down on the blanket as she draped the other one over our bodies. She was lying on her back with her left hand behind her head, and her right arm had wrapped around my shoulder as I had positioned almost half of my body on top of hers. I was lying on my left side, my head on her chest, my right arm around her midsection, and our legs were intricately entangled together. We gazed at the stars under the vast sky of possibilities, and I heard her softly humming a tune I couldn't put a name to.

"Can you sing to me?" I said softly. I felt her looked down at me and responded, "What song?"

"The one you were humming just now. It sounds nice and soothing."

"Okay," she said and started singing softly.

"Heart beats fast,

Colors and promises,

How to be brave,

How can I love when [you're] afraid to fall,

But watching [me] stand alone,

All of [your] doubt suddenly goes away somehow,

One step closer…

I have [lived] everyday waiting for you,

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years,

I'll love you for a thousand more…"

She had changed some lyrics of the song. For me, time had somehow stopped and everything was perfect just the way they were in this world. I knew in that moment I'd love her forever if she'd let me.

I was jolted out of my trance when I heard my phone ringing, and I looked at it to see that it was a text message alert from my mom telling me that dinner will be ready at 7:30PM. I realized that I hadn't been here for long, probably a little over half an hour, as I looked around to see that tonight was exactly that of the one I had relived in my head. I sighed and then stood up, taking one last look at the mystical place before I started running three miles back home.


Mom and I had to cut our dinner short when Dad had called and said that he was free to Skype with her. I finished eating alone at the dinner table and washed the dishes before heading upstairs to my room. I was still in my workout clothes and a Danby t-shirt I had threw on when I got home before having dinner, so I guess there's no better time than now to hit the shower. As I rummaged through my closet to look for another t-shirt to wear to sleep, my eye caught sight of the grey tank top I had once wore to the karaoke bar to meet up with Paige long ago. I don't believe I ever wore it again after that night. I think I recall not wanting to get the tank top tainted or something like that. I glanced over to the digital clock sitting on the nightstand, and it read 7:51PM. It is still early to turn in at this time… Fine, why not?


It was around 9:30PM as I walked into the Hungry Owl Tavern, and I headed straight for one of the open booths to the right once I set my foot inside the karaoke bar. It seems to be a little bit crowded tonight. People were chatting very loudly and laughing like old friends who haven't seen each other for a long time and couldn't wait to catch up with one another. The atmosphere is definitely more cheerful than I had remembered it to be the last time I was here. It still looks the same even after…what? Four years maybe?

My train of thoughts came abruptly to an end when a server came up and asked me if I wanted anything to drink, and I asked for the rum and coke with Bacardi white rum and diet coke. I glanced around the room after the waitress had left me alone, feeling less jumpy and fearful that she might just walk through the door. I wasn't sure if she still comes here, and…well, we never came back after that first time we were here.

Suddenly, the music stopped playing and a female's voice came over the speakers and the once reverberating bar quieted down, "Thanks folks! My name is Jane and I'll be your host tonight. Alright, so let's get this karaoke party started! Who would like to come up and open the night for us?" she said enthusiastically as she began to scan the room. When her eyes settled on mine, she began grinning from ear to ear. I started to panic and tried to dismiss the feeling. Maybe if I look away, she'll set her eyes on someone else, so I did just that. But the next thing I knew, I heard her saying "Hey there, youngin'! Why don't you come up and show us what you've got?" I looked up and realized that Jane was still glancing my way, and I began to fervently shake my head while mouthing "No thanks!" She didn't seem to get the message though, because I saw her begin making her way over towards me, and from the way she was beaming at me, I knew that I was going to be put on the spot. "Come on, sugar! We all want to hear this beautiful girl here sing, don't we?" Jane spoke into the microphone and looked around the room, and the entire bar erupted in cheers of encouragement and they all clapped their hands fervently. I just couldn't stop thinking about how this was not the right time. I mean, at least let me have my blood drown in alcohol first and then I'll be able to have the tiniest courage to go up onstage and sing in front of a crowd.

"They love you already! Come on!" she said as she took my hand and pulled me towards the stage. I guess I didn't have much of a choice after all.

"So what's your name, darlin'?" Jane asked and then gestured for me to speak into the microphone.

"Emily," I said nervously.

"Okay Emily, what song would you like to sing tonight?" she asked gleamingly.

"Um…" I thought about it and then answered "A Thousand Years by Christina Perri?"

"Hm," she pulled on a contemplative look before continuing, "That is an interesting song choice. Jack, you found the song yet? Okay, good. Let's give Emily a warm welcome, folks! Have fun, sweetie!" she smiled before giving me the microphone and walking downstage. It saddened me a bit that Paige wasn't the one that got me to go onstage this time around, because I think that's what I would've wanted…coming here tonight. Even after all this time… The tune started playing and I closed my eyes to remember the pair of brown eyes that I knew so well.

Heart beats fast,

Colors and promises,

How to be brave,

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall,

But watching you stand alone,

All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow…

One step closer…

I have died everyday waiting for you,

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years,

I'll love you for a thousand more…

Time stands still,

Beauty in all she is,

I will be brave,

I will not let anything take away,

What's standing in front of me,

Every breath,

Every hour has come to this,

One step closer…

I have died everyday waiting for you,

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years,

I'll love you for a thousand more,

And all along I believed I would find you,

Time has brought your heart to me,

I have loved you for a thousand years,

I'll love you for a thousand more…

One step closer…

One step closer…

I have died everyday waiting for you,

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years,

I'll love you for a thousand more…

And all along I believed I would find you,

Time has brought your heart to me,

I have loved you for a thousand years,

I'll love you for a thousand more…

Her eyes had blurred my vision because I was in tears by the time I had finished the song. The music kept on playing and the crowd erupted in applause and cheers, and Jane came up and put her arm around my shoulder, "Give it up for Emily! Girl, you poured your heart and soul out into that one. I've never heard anything so heartfelt before." The crowd brought the house down with cheers again and I finally stepped down the platform. I decided to go to the washroom to check that my make-up was still okay. As I stared in the mirror at my reflection, I found myself feeling better than I had all day after Paige had stepped into the Apple Rose Grille earlier today. It's only fair and appropriate that I begin to get used to seeing her around more now. We're going to be attending the same school and swim on the same team eventually. I let out a breath to calm myself and took a last look in the mirror before slipping back into the expectant boisterous room filled with lively patrons. The room was actually surprisingly quiet and a tune started playing.

I began walking towards the booth I was sitting at…until I heard her sing. Am I dreaming again? My head had shot towards the stage, and there she was in all her entirety, eyes closed, hands grasping the microphone, and her voice so…mesmerizing.

Lyin' here with you so close to me,

It's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe.

Caught up in this moment,

Caught up in your smile…

I've never opened up to anyone,

So hard to hold back when I'm holding you in my arms.

We don't need to rush this,

Let's just take it slow…

Just a kiss

on your lips in the moonlight.

Just a touch

of the fire burning so bright.

No I don't want to mess this thing up,

I don't want to push too far.

Just a shot in the dark that you just might

Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life.

So baby I'm alright,

with just a kiss goodnight.

I know that if we give this a little time,

It'll only bring us closer to the love we wanna find.

It's never felt so real,

no it's never felt so right…

Just a kiss

on your lips in the moonlight.

Just a touch

of the fire burning so bright.

No I don't want to mess this thing up,

I don't want to push too far.

Just a shot in the dark that you just might,

Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life.

So baby I'm alright,

with just a kiss goodnight…

No I don't want to say goodnight…

I know it's time to leave,

but you'll be in my dreams

Tonight…

Tonight…

Tonight…

Just a kiss

on your lips in the moonlight.

Just a touch

of the fire burning so bright.

No I don't want to mess this thing up,

I don't want to push too far.

Just a shot in the dark that you just might

Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life.

So baby I'm alright,

oh, let's do this right,

with just a kiss goodnight…

With a kiss goodnight…

Kiss goodnight…

When she had finally opened up her eyes, she was staring right into my mine. It almost felt like she was singing to me, about me, but I knew that it couldn't be. Yet the insinuation of those words and the way she had sung it, it's almost like way she used to sing to me when we were alone. It was so raw, she sounded so earnest, and there was so much passion when she sang that made me feel confused, not knowing whether to melt at those touching words or feel brokenhearted. I suddenly felt disoriented not knowing if that was real at all… I headed towards the booth and sat down, my drink was already sitting on the table. I lifted up the drink to my lips, and took a sip, tasting all the flavors separately but enjoyed how they had blended nicely together. I tried to relax before I looked around the bar for her. There were so many people and it took me about two minutes before I spotted her sitting alone at a table behind the stage. Should I go over and say hi? Or should I maybe leave? I began mulling over the possibilities of what I should do, and I finally decided to just leave.

I lifted up the glass and put some cash under it before I set it back down and began to make my exit out of the karaoke bar. Once outside, I started making my way towards the car before I saw Paige bent over with her hands on the trunk of her own car. She had look like she was feeling a lot of discomfort because she appeared more pale than usual and I was able to discern it with the faint light in the dark. I rushed over to where she was and put a hand on her back, "Paige, are you all right?"

She looked up at me, squinting, almost as if she didn't recognize me. After a few seconds she finally spoke up, "Em… Hey... You're here..." her words slurred. Oh great, she's drunk. She was in no condition to drive home and there's no way that I'd let her do that.

"Where are your keys?" I asked straightaway.

"In my back…pocket…why-y?" she questioned even though she didn't look like she was expecting an answer.

"I'll drive you home," I said and began reaching into her back pockets to search for her car keys.

"Whoa-a..Em! Aren't we moving a bit…too fast?" she put forward. I found the keys and blushed at what she had just vocalized.

"Here, I'll help you get into the car," I said while I tried to help her stay balanced on her feet as we're moving to the passenger side of the car. I opened the door and helped her in, and then I walked over to the driver's side and got in too. Paige was trying to put on her seatbelt but seemed to be struggling with it, so I bent over and reached for the seatbelt and turned to look at where the buckle was, but then by accident, my face had hovered over hers, and our lips barely an inch apart. I gaped at her and she caught my stare, my face turning red. I'm not sure who made the move first, but the next thing I knew…

A/N: Thank you for reading! :) I really appreciate it. Sincerely, Gloria.