Author's Note: Once again I find myself apologizing for the length of time between chapters. I'm sorry guys. Real life and computer issues kept me from writing. But, to make up for the wait, the chapter is a lot longer than most of the others. That's got to count for something, right? lol. Thank you for being patient with me. I hope that you enjoy.
Guest. I know right? The nerve. I've never thought of it that way before but you're right. Especially in their case. The first time around things developed quickly and they sort of fell into this, but this time they're taking it slow, really making sure it's right.
Guest: Same. Paige has always been one of my favorite characters. Not just on PLL but in general. And as much as I hate that she had to go and didn't get her girl, I do like that at least she went with dignity. Thank you. That means a lot.
Guest Yeah, even though they are not together there's a lot of history between them and they know each other and each others needs really well.
Chapter 9
"Here we are," Paige announced as she slowed the car and made the turn into a narrow driveway that was nearly hidden amongst the trees lining the highway. Pebbles pinged against the undercarriage as the car bumped and crunched along the well worn path through the woods. The trees towered in a canopy above them, the brush occasionally scraping against the side of the car. To Emily it felt more like a hiking trail than a passageway for vehicles.
She shifted in her seat, glancing warily around. The woods had never been her favorite place. That feeling of unease when she stepped away from the visible signs of civilation had only increased with everything that happened in high school. She knew her fears were, mostly, irrational. It's not like they were venturing deep into the backwoods, about to run into wolves or bears or an axe weilding mad-man at every turn. They couldn't be more than 20 feet from the road. She could still hear the whizz of cars passing behind them. More than that, she trusted Paige. Despite everything that had happened to them she felt safe with her. Even descending deeper and deeper into the trees.
That's not to say she wasn't relieved to see a break in the foilage, a clearing appearing at the end of the tunnel. They emerged into the daylight, Emily raising her hand to shade her eyes from the sun as it glared across the windshield. Paige reached over and pulled the visor down even as she turned the car, following the curve of the driveway. She pulled to stop and Emily blinked to clear her vision then glanced around. They were parked in front of a small, white clapboard house. On closer inspection, she could see that they weren't as isolated as she had originally thought. Through the tress surrounding them, she caught glilmpses of houses on either side, maybe 100 meters or so between the properties.
"It's not much, but..." Paige shrugged and climbed out of the car. Emily folllowed suit, scrambling out after her.
"No. Paige. This place, it's...amazing." The house wasn't anything spectacular. A squat, square building with a sagging front porch and siding in desperate need of a paint job. The lawn was overgrown, and the gardens were a messy tangle of weeds. But Emily could see the potential. With some landscaping and some repairs the place would really be something. And she could just imagine Paige being in her element out here, spending her evenings and weekends in the yard, mowing and tending to the garden, painting and fixing up the porch. She was willing to bet there was a fireplace, and somewhere for Paige to chop her own wood.
None of that was really her thing, but Emily allowed herself a moment to admit that she would be in her element out here as well, sitting on the front porch with a coffee, watching Paige work in the yard.
Paige shrugged again, her hands skimming along her hips in a gesture Emily knew to be one of discomfort. Paige's hands seeking out pockets that, thanks to her running attire, weren't there. "Come on, I'll give you the nickel tour."
Emily fell into step beside her as they made their way around the side of the house and into the backyard, a wide, empty expanse of grass ringed by trees. At the far end stood a shed and, sure enough, a few feet away there was a stack of firewood in front of a fire-pit.
"I'm thinking of putting in a pool," Paige said, making a broad gesture towards a section of the yard directly behind the house. "I miss having one, but I don't know. They're a lot of work."
Emily nodded, understanding both Paige's desire and her aversion. She didn't swim nearly as much as she used to, not because she didn't still love it, but because it was inconvenient to trek all the way back and forth to the city pool, and then hope that the lanes weren't too crowded and that there weren't lessons going on or the place wasn't teeming with kids. She wished that she had a private pool that she could swim in. Not that she had the space. But if she did operating it would be a huge undertaking.
The back porch was a long, narrow structure that ran the entire length of the back of the house. A grill and a couple chairs were set up in one corner, the other was stacked with flattened moving boxes.
"I kind of want to tear down the porch and put up a deck," Paige said as they made their way up the rickety steps and into the house through the back door. They stepped into a small, airy kitchen. The entire out facing wall was windows that let in the early afternoon light and made the room feel larger than it was. A butcherblock table was tucked into one corner with two chairs pressed tightly against it. A microwave, coffee maker, blender and strainer vyed for space on the counter along with a double sink. There was a lot of cupboard space, and a large pantry. Most of which Emily knew without looking were empty at the moment.
The kitchen opened into the living room, dining room. As Emily had predicted, there was a fireplace on one wall. The dining room area was empty for the moment, though Emily guessed it would easily fit a table for at least six as well as a hutch. The living room was a little more furnished, with sectional shaped sofa and a matching arm chair arranged around a large flat screen television with an elaborate looking gaming system. Emily recogized the coffee table as having belonged to Paige's parents, the heavy wooden monstrosity previously residing in their basement rec room. Her dislike of the item having less to do with how it looked-it was actually quite beautiful, an intricately carved antique made of cherrywood-and more to do with the number of bruises she had acquired from it while attempting to make out with Paige on the uncomfortable couch that had been much too small to accomodate them. She had never been entirely convinced that Paige's parents had designed the room like that on purpose, to deter the two of them from going down there, and to alert them if anything was going on if they did.
Just off the living room was a long, narrow hallway, in one direction was a small foyer leading towards the front door, in the other the bedrooms and bathrooms.
"This one's going to be the guest bedroom," Paige gestured into the open doorway of the first room. Emily peeked inside to find a mostly empty room. A metal bed frame lay in pieces in the floor, the mattress still wrapped in plastic propped against the wall. "And I'm going to use this one as my office," Paige said as they continued down the hall. The second room was small, barely larger than a closet. But Paige had managed to squeeze in a desk and an armchair and the stack of books in the far corner indicated that she intended to install some kind of bookcase.
At the end of the hall was the guest bathroom, a small, square space with just enough room for a toilet, vanity and shower.
"Last but not least, the master bedroom," Paige pushed open a door on the left side of the hallway. Emily was hesitant to step inside. The act of entering Paige's bedroom, even at her invitation felt odly intimate. She stood on the edge of the threshold and glanced around.
"It has an ensuite," Paige added. A kind size bed took up most of the space. The wood frame and headboard looking solid, sturdy. The tangled mess of covers and pile of pillows inviting. Emily forced her gaze to skip over it, taking in the details of the rest of the room, but not before she was hit with an image of slipping beneath those sheets, of messing them up. She hoped that Paige didn't notice the blush that heat her cheeks A long, low dresser sat opposite the bed, a slightly smaller flatscreen tv propped upon it. There were two closets on the near wall and a third door, presumably to the ensuit bathroom was propped partially open. Most interesting however was the large bay window that took up most of the far way.
"You have a window seat." Before she had even realized she was moving, she had made her way across the room to stand in front of it, peering out the window at the backyard.
"Yeah." Paige shuffled up next to her. "You know how much I've always liked them."
Emily nodded. She remembered how enamored Paige had been with the one in her bedroom, how much time they had spent sitting or laying together on the window seat.
"It's a nice place. Small, but cozy. It suits you."
It was the perfect size for one person. Or two. A starter home, she believed the term was. A bit of a fixer upper, but nothing too extreme. Though she now understood what Paige meant, about having things, but needing stuff. She had everything she needed for a functional house. But nothing that made it a home.
The walls were a uniform beige, with no pictures or artwork to brigthen therm up.
She had furniture to sit on and appliances and, Emily was assuming, utensils and dishes, but nothing personal. No pictures, no knicknacks, no momentos. Nothing that said anything about who she was.
Paige dipped her head, smiling slightly the compliment.
A silence fell and Emily cleared her throat, trying to think of something to say to break it. They'd been doing so well since the diner. She didn't want to feel uncomfortable around Paige. It was too much like taking a step backwards. But this was unchartered territory for them.
"Can I offer you anything to drink? Or eat?" Paige, ever the hostess offered, apparently just as desperate as Emily to not have them lapse into the unease that had lingered around them for the last couple days.
"No, thank you." Emily almost wanted to accept the offer, just to give Paige something to do, to bridge the distance between them, but she was still full from breakfast.
"Right. Um..." Paige clasped her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels. "Oh. I guess you want to shower, get cleaned up."
She sprang into action, crossing the room first to her dresser, then changing directions and heading towards the closet. "Everything you need for a shower is in the bathroom. Towels. Shampoo. All that. Let me just grab you something to change into."
She returned a moment later and thrust a pile of clothes in Emily's direction. Emily thanked her with a soft smile and retreated from the bedroom, backtracking down the hallway to the guest bath. The door shut behind her with a soft click and she leaned against it for a moment, trying to gain her bearings. This whole morning had been so surreal. FIrst running, then breakfast and now this. Touring Paige's new house. Paige even having a house in the first place.
Try as she might not to think about it, she couldn't help but compare it to their first apartment together, a tiny little flat off campus. Cramped and dingy, not in the best neighborhood, but cozy and just right for the two of them. And she couldn't keep herself from thinking that this place would be just the same. A little small, a little run down, but they would find ways to make it work. A coat of paint, a few repairs, some carefully selected and placed furnishings and they could make it a home.
Shaking her head clear of such thoughts Emily pushed herself off the door and crossed the brief distance to the shower. She fiddled with the knob a moment, trying to find the right setting, the pressure going from a faint trickle to a full blast with just the tiniest flick of her wrist. Once she had it going at a steady, but not overpowering stream she dropped her bundle of clothes on the rack beside the tub and shed her running clothes. She stepped under the spray and let out a soft sigh of contentment as it beat down over her, soothing the tired, aching muscles that had resulted from her run. Though, despite the lingering soreness, it had felt good to be out there, to be moving. Something she hadn't been doing as much of lately as she should've.
Maybe with Paige back in town the two of them could go back to running together like they used to. Well, not exactly like they used to, she ammended with a wry grin, but like they had this morning. It would be a good way to reforge their friendship.
After a few minutes of simply standing under the warm spray, letting the water roll over her, she reached for the bottle of body wash resting on the little shelf. As soon as she popped the cap off she was hit with the scent of oatmeal and shea butter, the combination automatically taking her back to another time. To the days when she and Paige had been living together. And not because the scent was Paige's, and it reminded Emily of her, but because the scent had been Emily's. And whenever money got tight, which was pretty much all the time, Emily always chose her bodywash over Paige's, and Paige always complained about it. She tried not to take it as a sign that Paige had chosen this wash. Tried not to think about Paige picking it out for the express purpose of having Emily use it.
Even though she did her best to supress such thoughts, she couldn't help but feel a surge of...something, she didn't even know what exactly. But it was a giddy, breathless sort of sensation. She washed quickly, and stepped out of the shower, wrapping one of the big, fluffy towels hanging on the rack around her body as she did so, trying not to think too hard about the idea of Paige wrapping the same towel around herself as she finished showering.
Once she had dried herself off, Emily reached for the clothing that Paige had loaned her. They hadn't shared clothes often when they were together, their styles were quite different. But that hadn't stopped Emily from occasionally snatching one of Paige's t-shirts or jerseys. Especially to sleep in. She found comfort in pulling them on, imagining that she could smell Paige's scent on them, even when they were freshly laundered. It was like pulling a piece of Paige over her, taking her with her wherever she went. Today was no different.
She pulled on the jeans, feeling the soft, well worn denim settle on her hips, taking that same comfort and warmth from knowing that they belonged to Paige. It wasn't until she had pulled the shirt over her head and was pulling her hair from beneath the collar that she got a glimpse of what, exactly she was wearing. The design on the front was one she was very familiar with. The shirt had come from a concert the two of them had gone to see. Years ago now. Emily had gotten Paige the tickets for her birthday, the trip their first one together as a couple. It had been a magical weekend. And t-shirt that Paige had bough had been the object of a continous tug of war between them over the next few years. Emily was constantly stealing it, and Paige was always stealing it back. She hadn't thought about it in years though.
In all honesty she was suprised that Paige still had it. After everything that Emily had put her through, she would've thought that she wouldn't want the reminder. Even if things had been really good, right up until the end, they had fallen apart rather spectacularly. She wouldn't have blamed Paige one bit if she'd gotten rid of all the momentos and keepsakes that marked their time together. She was heartened by the fact that she hadn't.
It couldn't be a coincidence that Paige had chosen this shirt, out of all of the ones that she owned. She had to have picked it for a reason. But, what reason? Emily didn't want to be presumptious but she couldn't help but think it had to be a subtle hint that things weren't as over between them as Paige kept insisting they were.
She knew that her thoughts were mostly a biproduct of being in Paige's space, of adjusting to the idea that Paige even had her own space. That she was putting roots down in Rosewood. It was giving her mind incentive to wander places that she had firmly refused to let it wander for a very long time. She had shut the door on the possibility of her and Paige. She had done her best to move on. And now Paige was back again and she could see the door was open a crack.
It was bound to stir up old feelings. She just had to remind herself not to get caught up in them. At the moment, they were working on their friendship. It wouldn't do either of them any good for her to dwell on the past, to compare what was with how things had been. Those days were gone, and they would never get them back.
The thought wasn't as dishearteneing as she'd expected it to be. The past was in the past. They could only hope to build something better. Something lasting.
There was no sign of Paige when Emily emerged from the bathroom. She wandered from room to room while she waited for her to finish getting ready, telling herself it wasn't snooping, that she was trying to get a feel for the place, having been charged with decorating it and all. It only made sense to take in the details of each room. Well, almost each room. She gave Paige's bedroom a wide berth, knowing that not-snooping rationale wouldn't hold up in that case. Instead she roamed from the office to the guest bedroom and into the living room, taking in the details. It struck her how utterly impersonal the house felt. Not at all like the warmth and comfort she would have expected from any place that Paige resided.
"Hey. You ready to go?"
Paige's voice broke through her musings and she jumped, startled. She spun around, ready with her excuses only to find that Paige didn't appear to be upset to find her wandering around. She leaned against the doorway leading into the living room, hands shoved casually into the back pockets of her jeans, an amused grin playing on her lips.
Her hair was still wet from the shower, dampening the collar of her light grey t-shirt and her skin had that ruddy, fresh scrubbed look to it. Emily was struck dumb for a moment by how simply beautiful she looked.
"Yeah." She winced at the way her voice broke on the word and cleared her throat. "Yeah," she repeated, more firmly this time as she closed the distance between them.
"Did you want to borrow a jacket?" Paige asked as she pushed herself off the doorway and stepped into the hallway.
Emily didn't think she'd need on. Even if it got chilly, they would be in the car or the stores most of the time, but she nodded anyway." Sure. Yeah," she accepted the offer, eager to have another layer of Paige engulfing her.
Paige pulled a dark brown leather jacket out of the closet and held it up for her, helping her into it. An old, familiar gesture. One of many that Paige had done when they were together, small simple things that made Emily feel loved, cherished.
Emily shrugged her shoulders, settling the jacket over them. A shiver ran up her spine as Paige's hands brushed lightly over them, lingering against her upper arms before falling away. She pulled a jacket out of the closet for herself and shrugged it on.
"All set?" She turned and pulled open the front door without waiting for an answer and stepped aside to let Emily pass through. Her rested lightly against the small of Emily's back as they made her way down the porch steps, guiding her over the buckling and broken slats.
Unlike last night, when they reached her car this time Paige opened the door for her, carefully ushering her into it before closing the door gently and striding around to the other side to climb in herself. Emily her lip, supressing a broad grin from breaking out across her features. She knew rationally that Paige was just falling into old patterns because they were familiar and that's just who Paige was. Polite. Chivalrous. But it still didn't stop a gentle warmth from rising in her chest. It was hard not to feel the stir of old emotions when Paige treated her like she was special. Precious.
The short ride to the outlet malls was made in mostly silence, the hum of the tires and the rush of air through the partially open window the only sounds inside the car.. It was a comfortable silence though. Emily was glad to find that the two of them could be around each other now without having to force small talk to fill the space between them. As much as she enjoyed talking to Paige, what she had always loved the fact that they could also just be with one another, but lost in their own little worlds. She knew that this wasn't that, it wasn't exactly like when they'd been together. But it was a step. She had to believe that it was a step in the right direction.
The parking lot was suprisingly crowded for it being the middle of the week, but Paige managed to find a space fairly close to the doors of the home decor store. She shut the engine off and pulled the keys out of the ignition, but instead of climbing out of the car she sat there, breathing deeply and exhaling slowly.
"You okay?" Emily reached out, laying a hand on Paige's knee. She had meant the gesture to be comforting, but it didn't stop the little spark that skittered up her arm at the contact.
"Yeah. Fine." Paige turned to her, expression utterly serious. "Just psyching myself up. Shopping. With you..." she trailed off and pulled a face.
"You're ridiculous." Emily swatted her arm then climbed out of the car without waiting for a response. Paige followed suit more slowly, but her long strides had her catching up to Emily as they reached the doors. Predictably she pulled one open for Emily, stepping aside to let her pass. Offering a smile of thanks, Emily squeezed Paige's arm as she entered, the gesture coming just as naturally to her as the door holding did to Paige. It was nice to be able to not overthink things like that anymore.
Paige grabbed a cart from the row by the door and fell into step beside Emily as she entered the nearest department, which just happened to be bathroom decor. She stood for a moment, studying the selection before moving towards the bathtowels trying to find the softest feeling ones.
"Em, I have towels," Paige said, leaning heavily against the cart as she waited beside her.
"You have beach towels. These are bath towels."
She glanced back at Paige, who opened her mouth and then let it fall shut again. She shrugged. "Whatever you say."
"I'm thinking...blue for the guest bathroom and green for yours." She said, settling on a dark navy and a seafoam. She picked out a couple in each color, before moving along the line towards the hand towels and face cloths, Paige dutifully following behind, though not without a soft sigh. Emily continued through the small department, picking out soap dishes and toothbursh holders and shower caddies and hooks for the doors. Once she had the basics down she stopped to take a look at the selection of prints and decorations.
"Art work, for the bathroom?"
Emily ignored Paige's question as she selected a couple of pieces of wall art, a sea horse and sea shell print for the main bedroom and one of a ship and another of a lighthouse for the guest bath.
"Wait." Paige took the lighthouse print from her hand before she could drop it into the cart and put it back into the bin. But instead of arguing about the picture itself, Paige picked up another one and held it up. "This one."
Emily couldn't help but smile when she saw that it was of an anchor. Paige's lips turned up in an ansering smile as she placed it into the cart.
From bathroom decore they moved into linens. Emily decided to keep the color scheme going and picked out sheets, throw pillows, shams and comforters in complimentary shades of blues and greens.
For all that shopping had been Paige's idea, she wasn't exactly a enthusiast participant. Not that Emily had really expected her to be. She knew that it was not her favorite activiity. And that their approaches to it were very different. Where Emily loved to browse and could spend hours in her favorite stores without ever buying a thing, Paige only went shopping when she needed something, and unless it was books or video games, she was in and out in the minimum amount of time possible.
As they weaved their way through the departments Emily noticed the store was full of couples just like them, girlfriends or wives eagerly selecting items while their husbands or boyfriends (and the occasional girlfriend) followed along with the cart, wearily agreeing or no-ing the selection while most of their attention was on their cell phone or their shoes. Emily at least knew enough not to bother asking Paige her opinion. As long as it wasn't frilly or floral, she really didn't care. They had dated for nearly a decade and lived together for years. She was familiar enough with Paige's tastes to feel confident in her selections.
Unlike some of the couples around them. Ahead of them she spotted one young woman and her boyfriend or husband in a heat debate over pillow shams. Or rather, she was getting heated, he just looked panicked. Chuckling, Emily elbowed Paige and nodded in their direction when she looked up from playing Angry Birds on her phone.
"Poor schmuck," Paige muttered, shaking her head and giving a soft tsk.
"Amateurs," Emily agreed, leading Paige past the couple and and into the next section.
For Paige's sake, she tried to keep the trip as brief as possible though in the interest of not having to drag Paige to several stores or make more than one trip, she tried to be thorough. All told they spend a little under two hours shopping, and as they made their way to the checkouts, Emily was certain that she had everything she needed to make Paige's house feel more like a home.
