Hey! Sorry it took so long to update! Thanks for reading and reviewing, you barrel of monkeys and kindness.
[And thanks to the Guest who was up way too late reading this fic, your reviews were cracking me up.]
[You guys are the coolest.]
Outside it had started to drizzle. That phase between rain and not-rain that left Spencer slightly damp and unsure whether it was the weather or her own nervous sweat. This was upsetting. As was the fact that Emily hadn't gotten far. She was pacing in front of her Toyota, livid.
"Em," Spencer said, approaching the girl.
"What part of the idea that you shouldn't date my exes doesn't register with you, Spencer?" Emily launched into her tirade without looking up. "Is it the fact that Melissa is married. You can't steal people away from your sister, so you've moved to your friends?"
Spencer was momentarily speechless. She now knew that giving Emily a head start was a mistake. The girl had built herself up to a degree of viciousness that she never wanted to associate with the kindest of her friends. But that rage had been around since high school.
"You broke up with Paige. Three years ago," Spencer stated, trying to stay calm.
"And how could you do this to Toby with her?!" Emily yelled.
"Toby and I... we haven't really been together." Spencer was scratching the back of her neck. She'd already been dreading telling Emily about Toby, never in a million years did she think it would happen this way.
"'Haven't really' isn't 'are not," Emily shook her head. "Toby is a great guy. The best guy. You're just too full of shit to actually see it."
Spencer was practically shaking, "He's moved on, Em. And so have I," she said, sharply.
Emily let out a sardonic laugh in response and kept pacing the concrete. "So you choose Paige as your rebound? I loved her. You don't know the number of times I wanted her back."
The latter was news to Spencer, who was quickly climbing over repentance and reaching for anger. "How many times?!" she demanded. "She begged to have you back. You treated her like trash."
"She was getting out, going somewhere better, I had to-"
"Bullshit. You did not do some charity by breaking up with her," Spencer interjected, her voice dropping to a dangerous tone. She already felt horrible. They were talking about Paige like she was a thing not a person. A toy they were fighting over. She started pacing too, just to match her movement with the energy building inside her. Maybe that would help her reign it in.
"You're wrong," Emily sneered. "And I... I have been through too much to end up with the mushy squash,"
Spencer didn't miss a beat, she could cite the Ali-bullshit-wisdom Em was referencing, "Mushy squash?!" she exclaimed in disbelief, "I guess Paige isn't squash to either of us. But you can't keep her hanging on because you don't know if you can do better."
"That's not what-"
"And the thing is that Paige isn't even close to squash to me. She isn't on the vegetable table. She's... she's like an '05 Petrus- Wine that you sit on for 20 to 30 years. 100 point rating and people would kill to have it."
"SPENCER," Emily interjected, "I don't know what the hell you are talking about.
Spencer bit her lip, "I... I like her," she said, failing not to sound childish.
"This is stupid, stop comparing Paige to food," Emily huffed, throwing her hands up, her anger seeming to lose out to exhaustion.
"Yeah," Spencer closed her eyes and took a breath. "Emily. I didn't do this on purpose. I'm sorry."
"Sorry enough to end it?" Emily asked, already knowing the answer.
Spencer ignored her, "You know you're not going to end up with squash, Em. You're an incredible person..."
Emily rolled her eyes, "I'm not sure I've ever been this angry with you."
"I know," Spencer responded. Considering the wreck Spencer had been last time Emily was upset with her, she wasn't looking forward to this.
"I don't even know where to start."
"Me neither."
"But things have changed," Emily continued, "and the game has changed. You changed it. You torched the rules," she said through clenched teeth.
Spencer looked at her, pleading and Emily stared back. Once again, Spencer Hastings was at a loss for words.
"Bye, Spencer," Emily said, taking a breath and unlocking her car.
"Em..." Spencer called after her warily.
"You'd keep her for 20 years?" Emily asked, not looking back.
"Uh..." Spencer's mouth went dry. She wanted to say 'yes' and 'of course.' She knew that part of her really did feel those things for Paige.
"That's what I thought," Emily responded sharply before slamming the door and driving off.
Paige had been pacing. She quickly got in bed when she heard the front door open and shut. She tried to lay down and then, realizing it was unconvincing she started moving pillows to sit up and pretend to be up playing on her phone. But there was no phone within reach, so she simply grabbed something off Spencer's bedside table to read. Spencer entered the room looking drained.
"Paige, I told you to relax," she berated, demanding, still too shaken up to deal with more anxiety.
"I... I am relaxing," Paige leaned back, her face warming with the lie.
"You still have your clothes on," Spencer yawned, starting to take her own shoes and cardigan off, "and you're 'reading' a writing style guide that I got during a law conference."
Paige rolled her eyes, throwing the book aside and getting back out of bed. "Fine, I was freaking out.".
"Well, stop," Spencer said.
"How'd it go?" Paige asked what she'd been dreading.
"Not good," Spencer sighted. Defeat and regret was finally settling in around her rage, filling all the open spaces, drowning it out. "I don't want to deal with that right now," Spencer bit her lip. What she wanted was to be laying down, her entire body held by Paige. Sooner then later. Now rather than sooner. She stepped forward and Paige grabbed her hand. "It'll be okay. We fight sometimes," Spencer said, almost convincing herself.
"Not over me," Paige said, squeezing her hand, knowing she should let it go.
"Sometimes over you," Spencer answered with a small laugh, realizing that two out of her five biggest fights with Emily were over Paige. "Can we talk about it later? I need a breather."
"Okay," Paige bent her knees to catch Spencer's down turned eyes. "But we'll talk about it?"
"Yes."
"Sooner than later?"
"Okay."
"I get crazy when things stew," Paige explained, breaking contact and tugging at her hair.
"Tomorrow. Noon," Spencer's mouth quirked into a small smile.
"But, you work..." Paige bit her lip.
"I already took a sick day. I used your dad's computer," Spencer blushed. She could have also used it to tell her friends where she was...
"Oh?"
"I wanted to be around you... I mean around for you," Spencer rarely stuttered, so when it happened, people tended to notice
"Oh," Paige let out a little chuckle. "11:30."
Spencer smiled, "11:45 and only if you keep touching me?" Spencer said, trying not to sound as desperate for the second item as she felt.
"Mmhm, deal," Paige mumbled, pulling Spencer into her arms. It felt like this was all she ever wanted to do. Paige realized that walking away from Spencer before the end of summer was unfathomable. She squeezed the girl harder. Now she wanted Spencer thoroughly, without condition or constraint. And she wanted her naked.
"Well in that case," Paige took a deep breath, letting her nervousness settle out of sight for the evening. "I don't think you'll be needing this," Paige said as she started slowly pulling Spencer's shirt over her head. Paige her fingertips lightly wander over skin, feeling goosebumps form in their wake. "Or these," she smirked, unbuttoning and pulling down the girl's jeans.
Paige was strong. Stronger than Spencer ever anticipated. One moment she was standing half naked in front of the girl and the next she was falling onto the bed. Spencer hit the soft covers on her back and propped herself up to watch Paige discard her clothes and climb on top of her. Feeling the girl's weight and her warmth against her body, Spencer took a deep breath, Finally.
"I wanted to say thank you again," Page said into her skin before she started kissing Spencer's neck and shoulders. "So, thank you."
Spencer could feel Paige's lips form a smile against her skin. Paige kissed in just that way, just hard and rough enough to make Spencer moan instead asking 'what for?'
Paige bit down on her lip, eliciting another gorgeous, raspy sound from Spencer. She pushed the girl down and kissed across her collarbone.
"Why is falling for you so easy?" Spencer asked, moving to capture Paige's lips in her mouth and bury her hands in the girl's hair.
"You don't have to if you don't want," Paige mumbled back between kisses, too caught up to take it personally.
"Believe me, I want," Spencer responded, out of breath.
Paige felt a surge of energy, deepening her kisses. She felt Spencer respond, scratching down her back while she touched and grabbed down her sides and to her ass. She slipped off Spencer's underwear, hooked the girl's knee into her elbow and pushed her stomach into her warmth and wetness. "God, Spencer," she whispered, unable to keep the words in. She took a deep breath and continued to kiss and bite Spencer's shoulders and down her side, "You sure? Even with all the trouble?" Paige asked. She allowed her hand to drift downward to gently play with Spencer's clit.
Spencer growled, "Yes," she answered sharply. "Jesus, Paige... Shut up and fuck me."
Paige smirked and complied.
