I didn't realize I hadn't posted in a while. I finally got a job – a job that sucks – so I've been pretty focused on that. This is a short update but I thought it was appropriate since the events afterward flow differently.

Thanks for your patience. :D

DAY SEVEN – DENVER

"I really don't see what the big deal is, Paige," says Liam through a mouthful of Frosted Flakes. He crunches away staring at his cousin in a mix of curiosity and frustration.

Mornings have always come very early for the pair as their mutual need to release energy is a family joke amongst the McCullers clan. As kids it drove their parents nuts but as adults it's viewed as an asset. This morning was ushered in at dawn by Paige hacking away on her laptop while sitting on the couch with a glass of orange juice. She has no particular task in mind this morning, just checking emails and reading the news. Soon Liam joins her with a mixing bowl full of cereal and a half gallon of milk. His statement breaks the silence in the room that before had only been broken by mouse clicks and the occasional poking at laptop keys.

Paige looks at Liam as he inhales his cereal. She knows exactly what he's talking about and as the evening before bore out she was sick of dodging the questions.

"I don't know, Liam, it is going to change everything," she says.

Liam shrugs and views Paige skeptically. "Don't you think it's time things change, no matter the end result? Whether I agree with your motives in leaving her is inconsequential. The truth has to come out. Aren't you tired of hiding it?"

"Yeah, I am," she sighs.

"Well, be honest with her. She's gonna be pissed off and hurt but she still loves you. She'll get over it hopefully," Liam says. "But you have to admit it was pretty stupid."

"It didn't seem like it at the time," Paige replies.

"You were a moron then and you're a moron now," says Liam before he slurps down his milk. "Losing your scholarship wasn't a huge deal. They have things called student loans."

"It's not that simple. Getting hurt wasn't part of the deal. Having my scholarship taken away wasn't part of the deal. She worked so hard to come back and I didn't want to wreck that. And if you look at it, things turned out okay," Paige insists.

Liam shakes his head. "Only because your father is a stubborn man who loves Emily almost more than her own father. You know this trip was put together for the sheer purpose of getting the both of you in the same zip code again. Your dad is in on it, your mom is, her mom, blah, blah, blah."

Paige rolls her eyes. "Duh, Liam."

"Then I don't get the hesitation. You're in a truck for hours at a time, it's not like the opportunity hasn't presented itself." Liam walks to the hallway and peeks in on Emily who is still snoring away and thankfully unable to eavesdrop on their conversation. "It's gotten out of hand, Paige, and waiting this long has only made it more pointlessly scary, like when you get so excited for a show or movie, you watch it and at the end you say, 'That was it?' This has the potential to drive her away for good."

"And that's why I haven't told her!"

Liam sighs in exasperation. He knows Paige is desperate but there is absolutely nothing she can do except make the situation bad by leveling with Emily or worse by not. He feels for her yet she put herself in this position so his sympathy only goes so far.

"You're gonna lose her, Paige."

Paige gives Liam a desperate look and tears quickly well in her eyes. She's trapped. Always has been – all because of her stupid pride and determination to protect Emily. She slumps in defeat knowing Liam is right – she is going to lose the love of her life if she doesn't suck it up.

Their conversation ends when Liam turns to put his cereal bowl in the sink. "What are your plans for the day?" he says.

Paige wipes away her tears grateful for the change in subject. "Not sure. I'm gonna head up to Boulder and rent a storage unit, try and get rid of some of the junk in the truck so we can downsize for the rest of the trip. Pretty open after that."

"You should show Em around a bit. I think she'd like it up there."

Paige rises to her feet and walks to the window. Cars are starting to clog the streets below them taking their occupants to work, school, anywhere really. She envies those commuters. They have things to do, they have a routine. They're normal. Try as she might Paige has never been able to see her life as normal. It's been laden with drama since she was sixteen years old and unfortunately it doesn't show any signs of letting up. As a teenager life with Emily seemed inevitable despite the mess she and her friends were constantly consumed by. Being together was natural, it felt real and it felt permanent. She learned pretty quickly how naive she was.

She hasn't allowed herself to imagine a future with Emily for a long time, especially since she left San Jose State their freshman year. It was always in the back of her mind but she was very, very good at ignoring the tingle of recognition every time she passed by a pool or saw a girl with perfect raven hair. Three years of compartmentalizing her past crashed to the ground the moment Emily stepped out of her apartment just a week ago. Has it only been a week? Paige feels like time has gone so fast yet agonizingly slow and the pressure to own up to what she did presses down on her more than it ever has. She feels sick.

"Nowhere to run," Paige murmurs.