Locum Tenens

by snowballs

Locum Tenens – place holder, substitute. Paige & Emily have been connected through only one girl. Jai has been Emily's girlfriend for almost 3 years & Paige's best friend for 7. When she died, the dynamic between the two drastically shifted. As Emily slowly comes to grips with her loss, she enters into a tentative relationship with Paige. But has Emily truly let go? Paily AU.

14. sic infit : chapter iv

DISCLAIMER: Pretty Little Liars and all its characters is the intellectual property of others. Some characters used in the writing of this fic belong to PLL. Events that transpire, will transpire and have transpired in this story are entirely of my own creation.

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Hey guys. *insert huge grin here* Thanks for the awesome reviews and über enthusiasm about this story.

Yeuchc22, sampledbeats, SevenSixteen and Nae10... Thanks for the PM.

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PART TWO: "Sic Infit"

~ So it begins. ~

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CHAPTER FOUR

Emily gingerly opened the door of the room she shared with Spencer, praying that her friend is already fast asleep. It was way past midnight but usually the girl is still awake at this time of night, either studying for a class or reading for pleasure. Emily slowly exhaled the breath she was holding in when she noticed that all of the lights were turned off and she cautiously stepped inside, gently closing the door behind her.

Once her eyes got accustomed to the darkness of the room, Emily went about changing into her cotton pajamas and loose shirt as silently as possible, not even bothering to use the bathroom for fear that Spencer would stir from her sleep and ask where she's been. She walked over to her side of the room and lied down on her bed, tucking herself under the warmth of her comforter. She was about to close her eyes and try to find sleep when she realized that she forgot to set her alarm clock so she got up into a sitting position and reached for the rectangular object from her bedside table.

Oct. 31. Emily felt lightheaded when she saw the date on the blue display of her digital alarm clock, the month and date seemingly glaring at her in the darkness of the room. I forgot. How could I have forgotten? She thought, her hand starting to tremble as she fought the urge to run to the bathroom and throw up.

Yesterday was supposed to be her 4th anniversary with Jai and she forgot. All because she was busy enjoying Paige's company, covering the girl's eyes and almost kissing Jai's best friend. She shouldn't have forgotten. Emily returned the alarm clock on her bedside table and reached for the photo of her and Jai this time. She stared at it for a few seconds, her other hand clasping the locket on her necklace before touching Jai's face miserably.

I'm so sorry, love. Emily thought, her eyes immediately burning with tears of guilt and shame. For forgetting. For the way I've been acting around Paige lately. For almost kissing your best friend last night. For almost cheating.

Emily curled up on the bed with her back turned to Spencer as she continued to stare at Jai's photo. The moonlight streaming in from the windows barely illuminated their room but it was enough for her to see her girlfriend's features clearly. I don't know what's wrong with me. What's going on. Emily admitted. I still love you. Of that I'm certain. There isn't a second I'm here that I didn't wish that you're here with me. But Paige... I'm so drawn to your best friend lately. And I don't know why. Emily gently wiped her tear-stained cheeks and bit her bottom lip to stifle her sobs.

I'm such a mess right now and I really miss you. I miss hearing you say to me that everything's going to be okay. I miss having you around and making everything okay. Emily thought, holding the frame close to her chest. Things would be so much simpler if you were here.

Emily buried herself deeper under the covers, overwhelmed by the loneliness she suddenly felt when she remembered the last time Jai was beside her. The last time she and Jai were physically together was when they fell asleep on the latter's bed before Jai had to leave for London the next day. That was also the last time she felt safe. Lying on that bed while being held for a few hours by the girl who made her feel that she's the most important person in her life for three years was comforting. Jai never made her feel confused about anything because the girl has always been upfront about her feelings for Emily.

But Paige. Being around Jai's best friend was disconcerting among other things. Emily knew she needed some time away from the girl. She needed to feel that sense of security again. She needed Jai to pull her back into orbit.

Emily suddenly remembered that she made plans to see another movie at the revival theatre tomorrow night with Paige. But after what happened last night the last thing she should be doing is spending more time alone with the girl. She didn't plan on going home to Rosewood for the weekend since she has exams everyday next week. But she needed to go to the one place she felt close to Jai since the tragedy. The one place where she feels safe. I have to go home. I can just study for my exams back in Rosewood. I need to talk to Jai.

With the thought of visiting her girlfriend's grave tomorrow afternoon soothing her, Emily finally closed her eyes, welcoming sleep. Even if she isn't around anymore, Jai still had a calming effect on her. She felt like she was losing her grasp on the feeling of certainty Jai's presence gave her and if she needed to travel to Rosewood repeatedly to get it back, she'll do just that.

---

Paige gradually slowed down her pace once she rounded the corner of 37th and Walnut Street on a Friday morning, stopping near the entrance of the Pottruck Center to end her second 6K run for the day. She took a deep breath and leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees for a few minutes before standing up straight again. After six weeks of cross country meets, next Friday she will be competing in her first cross country NCAA regionals championships and she needed to be in tiptop shape. She checked her stats on her sports watch and immediately felt disappointed. Reese showed her the stats of the participants in last year's regionals and she has been training to beat the shortest time in running 6K that was made by the first placer from Brown, 20 minutes and 24 seconds.

20:27. Still off by three. Paige thought as she reset the stats and checked the time. She was determined to run 6K around the campus several times today until she can bring her time closer than three seconds. Calm down. Paige told herself when she began feeling agitated. You still have a week to train. Don't be too hard on yourself. That won't accomplish anything. She lifted her damp hair off the back of her neck to wipe the sweat before crouching when she noticed that the laces of her running shoes were undone.

"Em!" Paige called out when she looked up briefly and saw the girl about to enter the building. She quickly tied her shoelaces and got up when Emily stopped walking to wait for her. "Hey!" She said in greeting as she jogged over to the girl.

"Hey." Emily repeated a little less enthusiastically and gave the girl a strained smile. Her day wasn't off to a good start.

Emily gripped the strap of her duffel bag tighter and pulled it closer to her body, casually swinging the bag into position in front of her like the object would create some sort of barrier between them and she'd be immune to Paige's irresistible pull. She didn't know why the girl has that effect on her but Paige standing in front of her all sweaty, out of breath and in a sleeveless shirt and track shorts instead of her usual running gear wasn't helping matters. Emily found her gaze wandering to Paige's long, shapely legs, admiring the girl's toned calves. She was starting to feel disconcerted again.

"Laps." Emily blurted out as she forced her eyes to meet Paige's confused ones. "I'm doing some laps in the Sheerr Pool this morning before I head to my first class." She clarified. "We have our first swim meet next Saturday against Cornell."

"O... kay." Paige said, struggling to keep a straight face. "Good to know. I guess I won't have to ask where you're headed and why. Thanks for volunteering that information." She added teasingly, making Emily realize that Paige didn't ask her anything yet.

"Yeah. Well I figured that's what you're going to ask me." Emily said defensively, feeling her cheeks redden in embarrassment.

Paige nodded, accepting Emily's explanation. "Actually I'm glad I ran into you. I wanted to apologize in person for what happened last night." She explained, tucking a wet strand of hair behind her ear before she raised her arms to tighten her ponytail, unaware of the effect her actions were having on Emily.

"What... happened?" Emily repeated, trying to figure out exactly which part of last night Paige was referring to while struggling to focus her gaze on the girl's eyes. The almost kiss? The conversation about 'Dominique' and how you've moved on from her?

"Yeah. I read your note when I woke up this morning on the couch. I'm sorry I fell asleep during the film." Paige said sheepishly.

Oh. That part of the night. "It's fine." Emily said reassuringly, hiding her disappointment. "I figured it was bound to happen considering the number of times I told you to close your eyes."

"I'll make it up to you!" Paige promised eagerly. "Tomorrow night. They're showing three classic horror movies at the revival theatre to celebrate Halloween this week. There's Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Take your pick. Or you can choose all three. I won't complain. I'll even bring my own throw pillow to muffle my screams." She volunteered. "And if I get too hysterical or faint when a scary scene comes on, I give you permission to leave me there or tell people you don't know me." Paige cajoled.

"That's not necessary." Emily said without any trace of amusement in her voice. "And I can't this Saturday. I'm going home to Rosewood this afternoon."

"What? But I thought we agreed to see a movie this Saturday?" Paige asked, giving the girl a confused look.

"I know we did. But I really need to go home this weekend." Emily explained, hoping she didn't sound distressed just now.

Paige studied Emily closely. "That's kinda sudden. Last time I checked our plan was still a go this weekend. Did something happen?" She asked, worried.

Emily shook her head adamantly. "I just want to spend more time with my dad. He's going to leave again soon for Afghanistan and I won't see him until next year." She said, admitting to the girl the other reason she decided to go home for the weekend so suddenly.

"Oh. Okay. I guess we'll just see another film some other time then." Paige said understandingly. "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah. Rain check on the revival theatre." Emily affirmed, hoping the conversation would finally end there so she can leave but Paige wasn't done.

"I told Kayla she can join us by the way. It's cool, right?" Paige asked hesitantly.

"Um." Emily uttered, not sure how she feels about that.

On the one hand, having Kayla around might be a good idea. That meant there won't be any awkward moments when they're alone in a darkened theatre. But on the other... a part of Emily still wanted to spend time with Paige alone. She just needed to find a way to stop liking the girl so much.

"Just once. I told her about that Mark of Zorro film we saw and she became interested. She said she wanted to see a silent film." Paige hurriedly explained.

"Why can't her friends come with her instead?" Emily asked, not knowing how to say 'no' without sounding like she was being selfish for not wanting to let someone else come to their revival theatre dates. "I mean, I'm sure if she asked them they'll see one with her. Did she try?"

Paige shook her head. "I don't think so. I didn't ask. I just thought it'd be nice to bring her along once." She admitted, still waiting for Emily to say yes.

"Why? Are you getting bored of watching movies with me?" Emily asked, starting to get upset. She knows Paige is over her. But did the girl have to start spending less time alone with her?

"What? No. Of course not. Em, I love watching old movies with just you." Paige promised. "I guess I invited Kayla because I didn't think you'd mind."

"I don't." Emily insisted. "It's just that… what if she loved it and decided to come with us everytime we watch one? Are you still okay with that?"

Paige creased her eyebrows in confusion, wondering why Emily just won't tell her 'no'. She didn't know why but it was obvious that the girl was reluctant to let Kayla come with them. "You're probably right. I didn't think of it that way. Maybe she won't remember it if I never mention it again." She said offhandedly. "Oh. Hey. Don't forget about our meeting on Sunday night for our MGMT100 project." Paige suddenly reminded the girl in an effort to change the subject. "Eight o'clock. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't end up eating at A Mandarin Restaurant again."

Emily smiled faintly, relieved that Paige didn't push the issue of Kayla and silent films. "Yeah. I'll be back before eight on Sunday." She promised.

"Hi." Emily and Paige turned towards the direction of the voice and found themselves staring at a cute girl with cropped, blonde hair. "Sorry to interrupt." The girl said to Emily before focusing her attention on Paige. "It's just that... you're fifth row, third seat." She explained, like those words were supposed to make sense to the two girls.

"Um... ex...cuse me?" Paige uttered, looking at Emily then at the girl quizzically.

"I'm seventh row, fifth seat." The girl continued, confusing Paige further. "Sociology." She added.

Understanding finally dawned on Paige. "Oh. Um... okay. I'm sorry. I don't really pay close attention to my classmates." She said apologetically.

The girl shook her head. "It's cool. It's a big class. I recognized you just now and thought I'd come up to you and say hi before I lost my nerve." She admitted, giving Paige a timid smile. "We're diagonal. I meant my seat from yours in that lecture hall. We're elevated and diagonal so it's hard not to notice you."

Emily fought the urge to roll her eyes at the girl who was obviously about to ask out Paige and studied Jai's best friend instead, curious to see how Paige will handle this one.

"Uh... thanks." Paige replied, starting to feel uncomfortable with the attention especially with Emily standing there.

"Anyway, my name's Tessa." The girl said, finally introducing herself as she extended a hand.

Paige shook the girl's outstretched hand. "Paige." She reluctantly said. "And this is Emily." She added, gesturing to the girl standing in front of her to include Emily in the conversation.

"Nice to meet you." Tessa said, glancing at Emily thoughtfully before releasing Paige's hand. "Are you two...?"

"No. We're not." Emily answered hurriedly when she saw the look Tessa was giving them. "Feel free to ask her out. Pretend I'm not here." She added offhandedly, much to Paige's annoyance.

Tessa let out a relieved laugh. "That's good to hear." She admitted, focusing her attention on Paige again. "It's a Friday so I was wondering if you already have plans tonight? 'Coz if you don't there's this Halloween party in my college house. Gregory? It's not a Halloween party where you have to come in costume per se. But it's a party on Halloween night and we have a film showing of several horror movies if you're into those sorts of things. I just thought I might interest you in coming." She said hopefully.

"Oh. Thanks for the invite but I'm not sure I can make it." Paige replied while trying to rack her brain for some form of decent excuse. "I'm hanging out with a couple of friends and they're not really in the mood to go to a party tonight." She lied smoothly.

Tessa's smile faltered. "Oh. Okay. Well just in case you changed your mind and you and your friends decide to stop by... I'll give you my number." She offered, grabbing Paige's hand and removing the pen clipped on the cover of the notebook she was carrying. "I really hope to see you there." She told Paige when she was done writing and gave Emily a smile before walking away.

Emily watched Tessa round the corner of 38th Street before turning to face Paige. "I see you're still collecting numbers from girls." She commented, barely able to keep the irritation out of her voice despite knowing that she can't be attracted to Jai's best friend.

"What, this?" Paige said, indicating the number on her palm before rubbing her other thumb over it. "I don't plan on calling her. I'm not in the mood to go to some party tonight and... scary movies? Not really my thing. Why would I keep her number?" She continued as she focused on erasing the writing on her hand.

"Do you do this a lot? Not call girls back?" Emily asked, studying the girl closely.

Paige looked up and met Emily's gaze. "I don't know. Maybe? But I mean, if I'm not interested what am I supposed to do? Still call them? I don't like leading people on." She explained before checking to see if the number is gone.

"Then you just should've said that before she even wrote on your hand." Emily pointed out.

Paige smiled. "I barely had time to react, Em. What was I supposed to do? Pull my hand away? I may be rude but I'm not that rude." She explained as she rubbed her hand on the side of her track shorts. "Besides, it's not like I promised her I was going to show up. That's the reason she gave me her number in the first place."

"So if she comes up to you in your Sociology class and asks why you didn't call...?" Emily trailed off, waiting for Paige's answer.

"I washed my hands so I lost her number." Paige replied. "And if she tries to ask me out again, I'll tell her I'm not interested in seeing anybody right now."

"So you and Reese are finally exclusive?" Emily asked anxiously.

"What? No. I said I'm not interested in seeing anybody. Not seeing anybody else. Reese and I are just hanging out." Paige insisted. "Why do you keep focusing on me anyway? What about you?"

"What about me?" Emily shot back.

"Why aren't you seeing anyone?" Paige clarified, trying to see if Emily is ready to start dating again. "What happened to that girl you said you have a crush on? Do you plan on asking her out? Do you plan on dating any girl for that matter?"

"It's not like anyone's asking." Emily pointed out wryly.

Paige scoffed. "Are you kidding me?! What about that girl you spilled coffee on? Okay yeah she doesn't count." She hurriedly added when she saw Emily open her mouth to protest. "But she's proof that girls are interested. You just need to start paying more attention to the girls around you. It's you that's the problem." She finally blurted out before she could control herself.

"Meaning what?" Emily asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Meaning you practically have a sign that says taken or grieving or mourning." Paige replied, staring pointedly at the locket on Emily's necklace. "It's like you have this invisible barrier around you and you won't let anyone in."

"I do?" Emily asked hesitantly.

Paige nodded. "Yeah. You do." She repeated.

"Well I'm not." Emily protested. "Grieving or mourning. I think."

"Aha. So you're taken then. Who is it?" Paige asked, struggling to hide her disappointment.

"What?" Emily uttered, pretending she didn't understand what Paige was asking her.

"The girl who made you give off this taken vibe." Paige clarified. "Who is it?"

"There's no vibe." Emily insisted.

Paige rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Yes there is. You're into someone so spit it out. Do I know her?" She asked despite not wanting to hear the answer.

Emily bit her bottom lip, debating whether or not to admit the truth. "You do." She finally said, meeting Paige's gaze head on.

"Well are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" Paige asked teasingly when a minute passed and Emily didn't say anything.

"No. You don't. It's Jai." Emily answered, chickening out at the last second.

Of course. Why did I even ask? "Can't say I'm surprised." Paige said wryly. "Although with that answer you're technically still grieving and mourning, you know?" She added, giving Emily a small smile. "Well I won't keep you away from the pool much longer. I've gotten enough rest anyway." Paige suddenly said, now eager to put some distance between them.

"Yeah. I should really head inside." Emily agreed, gesturing to the building behind her.

Paige nodded. "Okay. I'll see you Sunday night. Have a safe trip to and from Rosewood." She said in farewell before breaking into a run.

Emily stayed rooted to the spot until Paige disappeared from her sight before turning to head inside the building. Why can't things be so simple? Out of sight, out of mind. Abracadabra. Why can't her attraction towards the girl just vanish the instant Paige leaves her sight? She wished that there was a way that she could hand over to Paige the part of her brain that kept thinking about the girl and tell Paige to run as far away as possible with it. Maybe if that happened she can forget about her.

It was useless. Going home to Rosewood would be futile. Emily realized that now. But she had to try. Even if Paige lingered in her mind wherever she went, she had to try.

---

"Ugh why do we always have to meet at A Mandarin?" Paige complained as she and Emily walked out of the restaurant on Sunday night. "I mean, the first two times were okay. But the fifth? I'm going to start turning into a Peking Duck in no time."

Emily laughed. "Why are you complaining? Between us I should be the one doing that. You practically hogged all the egg rolls. I had to remind you that I ordered those." She pointed out. "And if you hate Chinese food so much then why did you order takeout?"

Paige lifted the brown paper bag she was carrying. "This? This isn't for me." She revealed before making a face. "And I don't hate Chinese food. I just hate the fact that it's all we've eaten since we started having these meetings. After tonight I'm never eating Chinese food ever again." She promised. "The next time Vince decides to call for a meeting I swear I am telling our groupmates that I refuse to step inside a Chinese restaurant. I'm putting my foot down."

"Good luck with that." Emily muttered, shaking her head.

"I'm serious. Chinese food throws me off my game because it ruins my diet. I'm training hard as it is. I need to train thrice as hard if I plan on burning off those calories." Paige explained, fixing the strap of her backpack on her shoulder. "And on any other week I won't complain. But considering the week I'm going to have starting tomorrow I don't have time for that."

Emily felt the smile on her lips falter. Going home to Rosewood for the weekend did its thing. Everything in that place was familiar and it gave her a sense of security. It gave her a chance to go back to the days when things were so much simpler. Reminisce her life with Jai. She didn't get much studying done, but being back in Rosewood made her feel like her life in UPenn existed in a different reality and a part of her wanted to stay in Rosewood for good. Returning to UPenn scared her. This place is new and unfamiliar and there was one girl who constantly reminded her of that.

Visiting her girlfriend's grave didn't make up for forgetting their anniversary and for almost kissing Paige that night. But talking to Jai there, without anyone listening, Emily felt she had a better grasp of things. On why she's so drawn to Jai's best friend lately. Or so she thought. Seeing Paige tonight made her feel like she didn't go home at all. Like she was still out of orbit. Even if she decided not to say anything despite her attraction towards the girl, she was still struggling to fight it and Paige saying things like she needed to run more or train harder wasn't helping matters at all.

"Yeah I have my plate full this week too." Emily finally said. "This is my first official hell week since we started going here in UPenn." She admitted as they walked towards the bus stop. "I have exams everyday."

"I only have two exams this week but I have that cross country championship on Friday so I have to train everyday aside from having to study." Paige explained, starting to feel exhausted just thinking about it.

"I never thought I would say this but I'm actually jealous of you right now." Emily admitted, laughing lightly. "You have it easy. Just two exams? You don't get to call this your hell week just yet."

Paige gave the girl a faint smile. "I guess you're right." She agreed weakly. She couldn't possibly explain to the girl why two exams were hard for her. Not without telling her everything. She grabbed her phone from the back pocket of her jeans when she felt it vibrate and hurriedly answered the call when she saw who was calling. "Hey. I'm on my way."

Reese. Emily thought, immediately getting jealous. That's why Paige is walking in the same direction as her. Just when she thought that the girl was doing something sweet for her, like walking her to the bus stop, Paige was actually walking with her because she was headed to Harrison too.

"Yeah. Chow Mein noodles and dumplings like you ordered." Paige said into the phone, unaware of Emily's disappointment.

The Chinese takeout. Of course it's for Reese. Emily felt faint. Paige is really over her. The girl kept saying that she and Reese are just hanging out. But Paige isn't interested in going out with other girls. She probably just didn't want to make a big deal out of it but she's serious about Reese. The attractive junior could very well be Paige's first girlfriend and Emily didn't know how she felt about that. It's not like she wanted to be Paige's girlfriend. After all, she still loves Jai. She just knows she's attracted to the girl and Paige being with someone made her jealous.

"Yeah I'm on my way. 1605." Paige repeated, nodding her head. "Yeah. Yeah. I'll be there in thirty. Okay, bye."

"You're meeting Reese tonight?" Emily asked once the girl returned her phone in the back pocket of her jeans, trying to seem indifferent.

Paige nodded. "She asked me to buy her these when she found out that we're having dinner at A Mandarin." She explained. "We made plans yesterday."

"Oh. And how does her roommate feel about that?" Emily asked as they stopped walking once they reached the bus stop. "I mean, I'm assuming you're staying over since it's really late." She added when she checked the time on her watch and saw that it was already past ten.

"Reese doesn't have a roommate." Paige revealed, making Emily's stomach turn.

They're going to be alone. "So you're really staying over? Spending the night there?" Emily asked hoarsely, glancing at the backpack the girl is carrying.

"That's the plan." Paige admitted. "She said her room has a couch so I could probably just crash there if I'm too tired to go home."

Too tired? "Why are you coming over to her place anyway?" Emily asked, relieved to hear that Paige planned to sleep nowhere near Reese tonight but confused as to what the two girls would be doing that would make Paige tired.

"To hang out." Paige answered vaguely. The truth is, Reese is going to help her pull an all-nighter for her Econ10 exam tomorrow night.

"Is that supposed to be code for something?" Emily asked, looking at the girl suspiciously. "Whenever I ask about you and Reese you keep saying that the two of you are just hanging out."

"Because we are. It's not code for anything. It's just plain hanging out." Paige lied. "Bus is here." She blurted out before Emily could ask any more questions.

Emily threw Paige a confused look, wondering why the girl is lying to her. She didn't get it before but now she did. Paige wasn't telling her something. She didn't know what was going on but the two girls weren't just 'hanging out.'

---

"And then I just add the mushrooms and the onions I sautéed earlier before I add the sour cream." Kayla explained as she continued stirring the ingredients of the Beef Stroganoff she was cooking. "Season it with salt and pepper of course. Then I just let it cook until the sauce is hot. Not boiling. Just hot. Then I'm done."

"That smells amazing." Emily admitted as she watched Kayla slowly stir the sauce in the pan. "Thanks for helping me out with this."

Kayla nodded. "I prefer not mixing the sauce with the egg noodles. I tend to pour it over the pasta when I'm about to eat. That way it doesn't end up all soggy and the noodles don't absorb the sauce." She explained as she tasted the dish with a clean spoon. "I didn't know your dad loves Beef Stroganoff."

"He does. I tried searching for recipes off the Internet but when I tasted your cooking I figured I'd rather ask for your help." Emily admitted as she watched Kayla add a pinch of salt before stirring the sauce again. "I really want this farewell party for him to be perfect. I won't see him until next year so I want to be able to cook for him all of his favorite dishes."

"When's he leaving again?" Kayla asked as she finally turned off the stove.

"Day before Thanksgiving. But he isn't going to leave for Afghanistan yet. He just needs to be at the base a week earlier." Emily explained. "So technically this going away party is sort of our Thanksgiving dinner with him as well. Only with a few more people around and the food not the ones we usually cook on Thanksgiving."

"If you want I can help you prepare for the party. I know it's a school day but I'm sure I can miss one day of school." Kayla offered.

"I'm tempted to say yes but I don't want to get you in trouble." Emily said, looking at Kayla uncertainly.

"You won't. My dad won't find out. And even if he does, you and I both know how much our parents get along." Kayla reminded the girl.

"I don't know. It's still a few weeks away so I can't say yes right now. But in case I do need your help, I'll call you the day before." Emily decided.

Kayla grinned. "Deal." She said, washing her hands on the kitchen sink and drying them before heading to the living room and sitting on the couch. "So I've been meaning to ask. Have you had a chance to talk to Paige since that awkward hallway meeting?"

Emily shook her head. "I was at her place Thursday night but when I tried to broach the subject of Dominique she shut me out." She confessed, the words Paige said to her that night coming back. "Well she didn't shut me out immediately. But she said she doesn't want to be with me anymore and then she asked that we don't talk about it ever." She continued, taking a seat next to the girl.

"What? That's not true!" Kayla protested.

"She doesn't know that I know there's no Dominique, Kayla. Why would she lie about it? She thinks I believe that Dominique is a different girl so it was like she was confiding in me. She said Dominique will always be special to her but she likes someone else." Emily explained. Despite not knowing what she wanted, repeating the words Paige said to her last Thursday night still made her feel disappointed. "But it's probably better this way. It's less complicated."

"Em, I swear Paige still likes you." Kayla insisted.

"Are you sure about that? Because I'm starting to think that Paige is just being sweet." Emily said, finally sharing her thoughts to someone who's alive. "Ever since Jai died Paige has been sweet to me. It's not like her behavior now is any different from then. I think that's why I've been so confused. Because she's really sweet."

"You don't like that?" Kayla asked quizzically. "That's one of the best things about Paige."

"I know. And I do like it. A lot." Emily admitted. "But that's the problem. Because her being really sweet makes me so confused. I don't know if she's doing it because she likes me as something more or because she's just that way when it came to people she cares about. She goes out of her way to do these things for me and just when I think she might feel the same way about me she says and does something that makes me realize that I'm just reading too much into things."

Kayla smiled at Emily understandingly. She knew that if she just kept talking she'd eventually convince Emily that Paige really likes her. But that meant telling everything Paige said to her in confidence and to some extent, telling Emily everything about Paige and the girl won't forgive her if she did that. She's doing this for Paige but she had to remind herself that there should be boundaries as well.

"Yeah I've been there. It's hard when you have a friend who's sweet to you and you feel something for them. It makes you start assuming and second guessing everything when you're around them. I felt like that around Paige the more time we spent together. Until one day she told me that I was the younger sister she never had. That's why she's that sweet and protective of me." Kayla admitted. "That was like, the day she broke my heart."

"Can we please just talk about something else?" Emily pleaded, realizing that apart from the whole heart being broken thing, she and Kayla are in the same situation now. Except Paige saw Kayla as her younger sister while she was the girl her best friend left behind. Paige was making sure both of them are doing okay.

"Sure. How about that dinner here on Wednesday night with my dad?" Kayla reminded the girl.

"Right." Emily almost forgot about that. "What's the occasion again?" She asked, giving Kayla a curious look.

"No occasion. He just wanted to check in on me and he thought he'd invite you and Paige over for dinner since he's here. He said it's been a while since he's seen you." Kayla explained. "You'll be here, right? You know how much my dad loves having you over."

"Yeah. I can make it. I have exams this week but the one on Wednesday is in the morning so I won't be late. What time is it?" Emily asked, checking the time on her watch too. "The dinner." She clarified when she saw Kayla's confusion.

"Oh. It's at eight." Kayla replied, smiling.

"Okay. I'll be here." Emily promised, grabbing her shoulder bag from the coffee table before getting up. "I have to go. I'm meeting Spencer and some of our floormates for dinner."

"Say hi to Spencer for me." Kayla said as she followed Emily towards the front door. "We haven't gotten a chance to talk since that dinner we had in August."

"I'll tell her that." Emily said, giving Kayla a brief hug before the girl closed the door behind her.

---

Once she was alone in the hallway, Emily took out her phone from the pocket of the denim jacket she was wearing and started to blindly make her way towards the bank of elevators, pressing the down button while typing a message to Spencer that she'll be there soon. "Hey." Emily looked up when she heard Paige's voice in front of her, surprised to see the girl when the elevator doors opened.

"Hey." Emily repeated when she finally found her voice. Paige looked worn out. She glanced at the brown paper bag that Paige was holding in her left hand and the dripping umbrella in the other and made a guess. "You're just getting home?" She asked, checking the time on her watch again. It was almost nine.

Paige nodded. "Yeah. Came from my exam in Econ10." She explained as she got off the elevator, glancing at the floor and grimacing when she saw the water droplets.

Emily knew she was running late. She should just ride the elevator before its doors closed, tell Paige she'll talk to her some other time since she was trying to make a conscious effort to avoid being alone with the girl as much as possible but instead she found herself lingering.

"How was it?" Emily asked, her eyebrows creasing in concern.

Paige groaned. "Brutal." She confessed, letting out an exhausted sigh. "I left the McNeil building with my stomach growling so I thought I was hungry. But now I realized I wasn't hungry at all. I was anxious." She said wryly. "I think I pretty much failed that exam. Anyway, have you had dinner yet?"

Emily shook her head. "No. Why?" She asked despite knowing the answer to the question.

Paige lifted the brown paper bag she was holding to show it to Emily. "I ordered way too much food from A Mandarin." She revealed.

"That's weird. I seem to remember you told me yesterday that you will never eat Chinese food ever again. What happened?" Emily asked, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice.

"Econ10 happened." Paige answered. She was so exhausted that she didn't have the energy to defend herself to Emily right now. "I was thinking of drowning my sorrows in comfort food tonight the second I submitted my answer sheet to my professor. But as soon as I paid for these I realized that I wasn't in the mood to have a pity party for one after all and it's going to haunt me in the morning. So I could really use the company. What do you say?" She asked, giving Emily a hopeful look.

"Um... I don't know." Emily uttered, reluctant to be alone with the girl in her apartment again.

"Come on. It's raining hard outside. It's best if you just wait for it to stop. Join me for dinner. I have egg rolls." Paige revealed, trying to bribe Emily. Ever since she almost kissed the girl last Thursday night, Emily has been distant and she was trying to get things to return to normal.

Emily bit her bottom lip. Say no. Come on. You can do it. It's a simple word. One syllable, two letters. N-O. No. "Sure. How could I possibly turn those down?" She answered, making Paige grin. Nice. You'll so be over her in no time.

"Great. Come on." Paige said as she led the way to her apartment, taking out the keys from inside her messenger bag. "So I take it you just came from Kayla's?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah. I was asking for her help in cooking some of the food I plan on serving for my dad's going away party. I want it to be perfect." She admitted as she followed Paige inside.

"Well you came to the right person to ask for help. Kayla's so good at what she does that I avoid having dinner with her as much as possible. She knows only to serve salad greens and fish if she wanted me to join her for dinner." Paige said as she closed the door behind Emily.

"And yet you bought Chinese food tonight." Emily pointed out, starting to laugh.

Paige glared at the girl. "Hey come find me after your exam in Econ10. Then we'll talk." She shot back, making the girl laugh harder.

Emily headed straight for the living room and deposited her shoulder bag on the couch while Paige placed her messenger bag and the brown paper bag on the island kitchen counter. The girl then grabbed two plates and busied herself with taking out the boxes from inside the paper bag while Emily took the opportunity to change the message she was going to send to Spencer, telling her friend that she won't be able to make it to dinner after all since Kayla insisted on teaching her how to cook a recipe that would go well with the pasta. She felt guilty as soon as she hit the send button. But for some reason she wanted to keep the fact that she was having dinner with Paige a secret. She looked up just in time to see Paige walking towards her with the cartons of food and the plates and Emily pocketed her phone to help the girl.

"Thanks." Paige said, giving Emily a grateful smile. She placed the takeout boxes on the coffee table and sat down, moving to her right to give Emily space to sit next to her.

"At least your exam in Econ10 is over." Emily said as she handed Paige one of the plates. "Mine's on Thursday night and I haven't gotten the chance to study for it yet because I have that Calculus exam tomorrow night at the Cohen Hall."

"Speaking of. Kayla told you about that dinner on Wednesday night with Logan, right?" Paige asked as she started opening the cartons of food.

"Yeah. I told her I'll be there since my Chemistry exam on Wednesday is in the morning." Emily replied, looking around for the chopsticks. "Our prof wanted us to take the exam during our lecture class which happens to be at nine in the morning." She added wryly. "That means I have to make my way from my Econ10 class in the McNeil building to the nineteen seventy three wing of the Chemistry laboratory in thirty minutes. I told you it's my hell week."

Paige gave the girl a sympathetic smile. "At least you can make it to the dinner on time. I told Kayla I might be running late."
She said as she counted the egg rolls inside one of the takeout boxes. "My Sociology exam on Wednesday is at night." Paige continued, taking two egg rolls with a fork and transferring the rest on the other girl's plate.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked, staring at the egg rolls then at Paige.

"You like egg rolls, right?" Paige said, giving Emily a smile that made the girl's eyes crinkle on the corners.

Wow you're cute. "Yeah. But so do you." Emily pointed out, suddenly getting flustered.

Paige shrugged. "You love them more. There's crispy noodles and orange chicken anyway." She said, pointing to the other takeout boxes on the coffee table.

"You really were planning on having a pity party for one, huh?" Emily asked teasingly.

"Yeah. That's how brutal that exam was." Paige pointed out as she continued dividing the food she bought into their plates.

Emily bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling. Scooting closer to Paige, she grabbed the fork from the girl's hand and split the third egg roll in her plate into two before transferring half of it to Paige's. The girl looked at Emily and shook her head in amusement before taking back the fork.

"Remember when we used to fight over food?" Emily said quietly as she studied Paige from the corner of her eye. When things used to be so simple?

Paige smiled wryly. "Sitting across from you in that dining table every Saturday morning? How could I forget? You know I was just trying to get a rise out of you, right? I don't even like bacon that much." She admitted, hit with a sudden wave of remorse when she remembered the lengths she went to just to make Emily despise her in the past. And what she would give to take all of those times back.

"I know." Emily replied, realizing how much their relationship has changed in the few months that they began spending time together. It was like she was seeing the girl for the first time and she liked it. A lot. "Paige?"

"Yeah?" Paige said, stopping from transferring some of the noodles to Emily's plate to look at the girl.

"I wish we didn't fight all the time back then." Emily admitted, looking away.

Yeah. Me too. "Why?" Paige asked, focusing on transferring the rest of the noodles on her plate.

"No reason." Emily answered, grabbing her plate to start eating her dinner.

"What do you say to having dinner with me again tomorrow night after your Calc exam?" Paige asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice. She really wanted to spend more time alone with the girl despite what almost happened last Thursday. "I can wait for you outside Cohen Hall." She offered.

"Let's see how dinner goes tonight first." Emily said, trying to gauge if she can now function like a normal human being who doesn't blush everytime the girl she likes is around.

"Okay." Paige said before leaning forward to grab her plate from the coffee table, her movement causing a strand of hair to make its way to her face.

Emily fought the urge to tuck it back. Instead, she watched Paige tuck the strand of hair behind her ear as she continued to fix her plate and Emily felt her pulse race. She let her gaze wander across Paige's features, from the girl's long eyelashes to her cheekbones, to her perfect nose and soft, red lips. She stared at Paige's long slender neck and studied the girl's creamy complexion.

I'm so stupid. Emily thought, frustrated that she didn't notice sooner how beautiful Paige is. And now she felt like it was catching up to her. Paige is, in a word, stunning. She said that when they were in high school but she didn't think much of it. But now, sitting beside the girl, she realized how much she had been blind.

Emily sighed. I wish we never fought in high school. It would make things a little easier now. She wouldn't have to hide her growing feelings for the girl because she knew she would have an actual shot at making Paige feel the same way about her. But because they constantly fought, Paige will never see her the same way again and she felt scared because right now, sitting here beside Paige, she had a feeling that her attraction towards the girl isn't going to go away anytime soon. And she didn't know what to do.

---

Paige hurriedly crossed Walnut street from the Franklin building, aware that she's running late meeting Emily for dinner. Last night before the girl left her apartment, she was finally able to convince Emily to have dinner with her again tonight. But because she decided to stay behind to do more laps in the Franklin Field this afternoon, she lost track of time and when she was done freshening up and cleaning her apartment, she was running late.

Breaking into a run, Paige went past Locust Walk and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the Cohen Hall in the distance. Maybe Emily won't get mad at her. After all, she's just ten minutes late. She kept her fingers crossed as she continued running, ready to ramble on and on about the reason why she's late when she saw that the front of the building was void of people.

Didn't she wait for me? Paige thought, confused. She took out her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and checked to see if Emily sent her any messages but the only message she got was from Reese. Telling her to meet the girl in Harrison around ten o'clock so Reese could help her study for her Sociology exam tomorrow night. Paige hurriedly sent a reply before pocketing her phone once again. She looked around before studying the building in front of her. Despite things still being a little awkward between them, she knows Emily will tell her that she didn't want to have dinner with her. The girl won't say yes then abandon her. Paige checked the time on her watch and saw that it was almost nine fifteen. Emily said her exam was until nine. She can't have gotten that far. So where is she? Actually, come to think of it... where's everybody?!

Proving a hunch, Paige decided to make her way up the stone steps of Cohen Hall and pulled the door handle to see if it was locked, smiling when she saw that it wasn't. She didn't know exactly where Emily's Calculus exam was so she went to sit on the top step of the stairs and took out her phone to send a message to the girl.

---

Emily closed her eyes in frustration and cradled her head in her hands, praying that once she opened them, the answer to the problem she's been trying to solve for the past 45 minutes will come to her. She would gladly yell 'Eureka!' in the middle of the lecture hall so long as she came to a solution. She took a deep breath and finally opened her eyes, her gaze immediately focusing on the open book on the table next to hers. They were required to sit two chairs apart in the spacious room and the exam was open book. Something she felt excited about before the exam started. Now she wished she didn't bother bringing the thick book with her since it was useless anyway. She reluctantly turned the pages of the book for what felt like the hundredth time, trying to find a formula that was close to the one she knew she needed and started when she felt her phone vibrate. Emily checked the time on her watch and groaned inwardly when she realized that she lost track of time. She was supposed to meet Paige for dinner afterwards but she was so focused on taking the exam that she forgot to text the girl. She took out her phone from the front pocket of her jeans and hurriedly opened the message, aware that the butterflies in her stomach right now weren't caused by the exam in front of her.

I'm outside Cohen Hall. What time's your exam gonna end?

Emily discreetly checked to see if her Calculus professor was looking towards her direction before typing a reply to Paige.

Got an extension. Maybe around 11 or 12? You don't have to wait. Rain check on dinner.

Emily hit the send button and bit back a groan when her phone suddenly died. Damn it. Now she can't tell Paige that the professor just extended the exam until midnight. She glanced at her watch to check the time. 9:25. She tried to look behind her to see if Paige was lurking just outside the door but the guy sitting behind her gave her a dirty look.

Please. I'm not going to copy off you. Like I can even see your answer from here. Emily thought indignantly before facing forward once again. This was one of those times that she wouldn't mind if Paige didn't hang around to wait for her. She actually hoped that Paige would go home after the girl waits for a reply and doesn't get any. It's not like we're dating or anything. She has no reason to wait for me. She thought, trying to convince herself that it was okay yet still feeling disappointed.

---

Paige fidgeted as she sat on the top step of the stairs outside Cohen Hall, swatting insects that landed on her arms every few seconds. She sent that text to Emily more than an hour ago but she didn't get any reply. Either the girl was busy taking her exam that she didn't notice the message, the girl was busy taking her exam that she couldn't reply, or Emily's phone died. She wanted to call the girl to try her last guess but if that wasn't the case and Emily's phone rang in the middle of her exam, she wouldn't hear the end of it. Paige studied her surroundings, trying to look for something. It was already past ten and there aren't that many stores open around campus at this time of night. If Emily's exam was going to take longer, by the time it ends the entire campus would be almost deserted and she wasn't going to risk letting Emily walk home by herself. She hurriedly typed another message and sent it to Emily before standing up and dusting the back of her jeans.

Walking down a few steps, Paige then dialed Reese's number, dreading having to tell the girl that she won't be coming over. She walked down the rest of the steps and reached solid ground just as Reese answered her call.

"Hey. Yeah. I know I'm running late. But as it turns out I can't make it tonight. I know. I'm sorry but something came up. No it's fine. I'll figure it out. I've studied most of the terms anyway. I can just review in the morning. After training? Are you sure? Yeah. Okay. Thanks. Bye." Paige said before ending the call. She quickly pocketed her phone and glanced at her watch before breaking into a run, hoping she could return before Emily's exam is over.

---

"Finally." Emily muttered and closed her eyes for a brief moment when she finished her exam, uttering a silent prayer of thanks while resting her eyes. Her brain stopped functioning around eleven and she's not even sure her solutions to the last Calculus problem made any sense.

Standing up, Emily made her way to her professor's desk, managing to give the old man a smile before slowly making her way towards the exit. She was thirsty, hungry and she felt like she was going to collapse any second now from sheer exhaustion. She barely stifled a groan when she realized that Harrison was a few blocks away from here.

As she followed the other students exiting the building, Emily caught sight of a familiar long, brown hair and gorgeous smile just outside the main entrance that instantly made her exhaustion disappear. It was instead replaced by happiness and disbelief and Emily fought to keep her expression neutral.

She's still here. Emily thought, the butterflies in her stomach doing somersaults. Paige didn't have to wait for her. But the girl did. And she didn't know what to think of it. She likes Paige so much that a part of her wanted to believe the girl felt the same way about her that's why she was doing this. But like she told Kayla, in the months that followed after Jai died, Paige changed her behavior and attitude towards Emily. This didn't happen overnight. It wasn't just recently that the girl became this attentive and sweet to her. That's why Emily had to hide her feelings. Paige was just... unbelievably sweet. It wasn't because the girl liked her romantically. At least not anymore. That's just the way Paige is. And it was starting to make Emily feel confused.

"You waited?" Emily said once she and Paige were standing in front of each other.

Paige nodded. "I know you had a good reason for not replying to any of my messages. I was ten minutes late." She admitted. "But when I got here I didn't see anyone so I checked to see if the building was still open. I figured the professor must have given you guys an extension so I decided to wait. I wasn't going to let you walk back to Harrison by yourself. It's past midnight." She pointed out.

"Thanks." Emily said while reminding herself that Paige is over her. She's just being nice to you because of Jai.

"Oh. Um. Here. I almost forgot." Paige said, rummaging inside the brown paper bag she was carrying which Emily didn't notice until now. "I risked making a quick run to the nearest store I could find that was still open earlier. I thought you might be thirsty and hungry after your exam and it's really late. I doubt there are that many stores open at this hour. Not near here." She added as she handed a bottle of water and a sandwich to Emily. "And I got a bag of chips." She continued, waving the food in front of the girl.

Emily couldn't fight the smile that tore across her lips anymore. Paige thought of everything and now she wished that the girl was doing this because Paige still has feelings for her. By now, the area they were in was completely deserted. It was just the two of them standing outside the darkened building. Stepping forward, Emily gave Paige a quick kiss on the cheek to thank the girl without saying anything this time.

"We can walk while you eat or you can eat here." Paige heard herself say despite the pounding of her heart. "I think you'd be more comfortable eating while sitting down instead of walking though."

"I think so too." Emily admitted, grateful for the excuse to spend more time with Paige.

Paige gestured for Emily to sit on the cold top step of the stairs and sat a few spaces beside the girl before opening the bag of chips and facing it towards Emily. She grabbed the bottled water from the girl's hand and opened it as well before setting it down next to the chips.

"Here. Let me get that." Paige offered, transferring the thick book Emily was cradling on her lap to hers so the girl will be comfortable eating her dinner. "Dig in." She said as she nodded her head towards the sandwich Emily was holding. "I didn't know what kind of sandwich you wanted so I bought one of each. I think you're holding a roast beef. But I also have tuna, chicken and pork if you want something else. There's also a vegan sandwich." She added, studying the contents of the paper bag.

"Roast beef is fine." Emily told Paige reassuringly. "Have you eaten?"

Paige nodded. "While waiting for you." She admitted sheepishly. "Sorry."

Emily laughed. "Paige you don't have to apologize. I'm not going to get mad at you for having dinner without me. I was actually going to send you a message telling you not to wait for me but my phone died." She explained as she unwrapped the sandwich Paige bought her.

"So how was it?" Paige asked, tilting her head to the side to look at Emily. "The exam." She clarified.

"I think that exam turned my brain into ooze." Emily answered wryly as she got one chip from the bag and ate it.

"That bad, huh? I'm dreading taking my exam next week." Paige admitted, making a mental note to ask for Reese's help again when they see each other tomorrow.

"You still have exams next week?" Emily asked, giving Paige a consoling smile when the girl nodded. "I don't have much going on next week. I just have this seminar on Philanthropy and Capitalism that I have to attend on Friday night. It's for my Critical Writing class."

"Philanthropy and Capitalism?" Paige repeated, giving Emily a wry smile. "You chose a topic that's way too serious for me."

"What? It's interesting for me." Emily said defensively. "It's all about the possibilities of using corporate philanthropy to solve social problems."

"And now I'm sleepy." Paige said, pretending to yawn. "Please tell me the venue is at least somewhere that's vibrant."

"It's in the auditorium at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology." Emily admitted reluctantly.

"And what time is the seminar if you don't mind my asking?" Paige continued, trying hard not to laugh.

"It's usually in the mornings but just this once our professor scheduled it from seven thirty until nine. He's conducting another seminar outside of UPenn." Emily explained.

"I don't know which is worse. Me attending your seminar or taking my Calculus exam." Paige said thoughtfully.

"The Calculus exam." Emily replied without hesitation. "Definitely. Ours was open book."

"Then the seminar is worse." Paige concluded.

Emily shook her head. "You say that now. When I heard my prof announce that it was open book I felt relieved. But tonight I realized that is something students should never be excited about." She confessed before she finally took a small bite off the roast beef sandwich she was holding in her hands.

"Why's that?" Paige asked, studying the girl closely.

Emily swallowed her food before answering. "Because it meant that the answers aren't there." She explained, letting out an infectious laughter that made Paige smile. "I spent almost an hour trying to find anything related to the problem I was trying to solve only to realize that I had to derive the formula I needed from one of the formulas in the book."

"Well at least you had a starting point." Paige said consolingly. "And if you were able to derive the formula you're officially a geek."

"I'm not a geek!" Emily protested. She could barely make Paige like her again, now the girl was calling her a geek.

"What's wrong with being a geek? I think it's hot." Paige admitted, making Emily stare at her in surprise. "I mean, just look at Kayla. That girl has been into comic books since I've known her. And I don't mean this to be offensive or anything but girls who look like Kayla shouldn't be into comic books. That would make them the perfect combination of beauty and geek. Makes them more desirable to guys or in Kayla's case, girls. That's why girls who look like Kayla are supposed to be into Vogue or Cosmopolitan or something. Although Kayla should be in the cover of Vogue." She added wryly.

Emily felt a tinge of jealousy. "So you think Kayla's hot?" She asked, trying to swallow the portion of sandwich she just started chewing despite her mouth suddenly running dry. She placed the sandwich on her lap and grabbed the bottle of water to take a sip from it.

Paige shrugged. "I'm not blind. Kayla's definitely a looker." She affirmed, oblivious to the other girl's feelings.

"So why aren't you trying to pursue her? I told you she likes you." Emily reminded the girl as she began playing with the foil of her sandwich.

"And you know she's not my type." Paige pointed out, confused as to why Emily is bringing this up again.

"What's your type then?" Emily asked before she could help herself.

Paige gave the girl a quizzical look. "Why do you ask?" She replied, starting to grin teasingly. "Don't tell me..."

"No way!" Emily exclaimed before Paige could finish her sentence.

"Seriously?" Paige asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I mean, like I'd ever." Emily shot back, wishing she could stop her cheeks from blushing. Good thing it was really dark.

"Okay. I guess I'll just ask for Kayla's help then." Paige said, shrugging. "It's not like it's a big deal."

"Wait. What were you trying to say?" Emily asked, starting to get anxious. If Paige talked to Kayla, there was a big chance that the girl would find out how she's been feeling around her lately and she couldn't let that happen.

"I don't know. What were you trying to say?" Paige repeated, giving Emily a puzzled look.

"I thought..." Emily trailed off. "I mean... what were you going to say earlier?" She asked again, feeling like an idiot.

"I thought you wanted to know what my type is because you wanted to set me up with someone. What did you think I was going to say?" Paige asked cautiously.

"That. That's why I said no way." Emily said, relieved that the girl gave her an excuse.

"Okay. Then like I said, I'm just going to ask for help from Kayla." Paige repeated slowly. "No harm done."

"Why do you want to see other girls anyway?" Emily asked, biting her bottom lip anxiously.

"Other girls?" Paige repeated, smiling wryly. "Em, in case you haven't noticed I'm not seeing anyone right now."

"What about Reese?" Emily reminded Paige.

Paige furrowed her eyebrows. "Reese? We're just..."

"Hanging out. Right." Emily said, finishing Paige's infamous response everytime she asks about what she's doing with the attractive junior team captain. "Okay. Why do you want to see a girl? Are you getting tired of hanging out with me?"

"What? Of course not." Paige said firmly. "But unless I get to kiss you, I want to be with a different girl for that reason. Are you saying I can kiss you?" She asked, her pulse starting to race when she thought back to what almost happened last Thursday night. She could've sworn those few seconds when she leaned in closer to the girl and her eyes almost drifted close, Emily wanted the same thing she did but then the girl pulled away from her.

Emily felt her stomach flutter. She wanted to say yes. Definitely. But she felt like Paige was teasing her right now.

"That's what I thought." Paige said, hiding her disappointment when she mistook Emily's silence to mean no.

Emily cleared her throat awkwardly. "It's getting late." She said, deciding not to finish eating her sandwich. She just lost her appetite anyway. "We should probably start walking home."

"Uh, okay." Paige said, confused by Emily's sudden desire to head back to her college house. "Are you okay? You barely ate that sandwich."

Emily nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just really tired." She explained, grabbing her Calculus book from Paige's lap before getting up. "And I have that Chem exam tomorrow morning."

"Gotcha." Paige replied, reaching for the open bag of chips and placing it inside the paper bag. "Hey, Em." She called out, grabbing Emily on the arm before the girl could descend the steps. "I'm sorry." She uttered, deciding to play on a hunch.

"For what?" Emily asked, giving the girl a confused look.

"If I made you feel like I crossed a line again just now. I don't want things to be awkward between us. I shouldn't have asked if I could kiss you. It won't happen again." Paige promised.

Again? When did she...? The almost kiss last Thursday. "It's fine." Emily said, not meeting Paige's eyes. Maybe she shouldn't have pulled away at the last second. Just let Paige kiss her. Now Paige thought she was being inappropriate. "I can take a joke. You've made fun of me for years. I'm used to it." She added, trying to sound upbeat before descending the steps.

"Right." Paige muttered before she followed Emily.

Paige didn't think much of it before but now she realized that Emily will probably never take anything that comes out of her mouth seriously if she decides to confess her feelings. The girl had a point. She made fun of Emily for years and she didn't know how to make the girl listen to her.

"Here. Let me get those." Paige offered when she finally fell into step beside the girl, grabbing the bottle of water and unfinished sandwich in Emily's hand and putting it inside the paper bag as well. "Maybe you can give once of these sandwiches to Spencer or something. I'll just take the pulled pork for Kayla."

Emily nodded wordlessly and continued making her way back to her college house. She wanted to tell the girl that what Paige asked wasn't the reason why she became upset. It was because she wanted Paige to stop talking and just kiss her because she would gladly kiss the girl back. She couldn't bring herself to make the first move because she couldn't take it if Paige pulled away. She would be humiliated. If Paige kissed her first, at least she would know that Paige felt the same way about her.

You're right. You shouldn't have asked, Paige. You should've just kissed me.

---

"I appreciate you joining us for dinner tonight." Logan said, giving Emily a warm smile as he cut into the baked salmon on his plate on Wednesday night. "Considering you have exams everyday this week it means a lot."

"I did miss sharing a meal with you and Kayla so it's no trouble at all." Emily replied, smiling at Logan in return. It really was no trouble even if she felt tired. Because although she is desperately lacking sleep for the past two days, having dinner with the Hayes was more important to her.

"What time is Paige arriving?" Logan asked, looking at his daughter who was seated next to her.

Kayla checked the time on her watch. "She's going to be here soon." She promised.

Emily casually reached for the glass of water in front of her and took a sip, trying to act normal despite the sudden racing of her pulse. She didn't know if she could act like nothing's changed once Paige enters the apartment. The last thing she needed was for Logan to ask why her cheeks are flushed. She won't know what to tell Jai's father. She almost choked when she heard the knock on the door and gracefully wiped her mouth with her table napkin as she steeled herself to seeing the girl.

"That must be Paige." Kayla said, giving Emily a knowing look before getting up.

Emily cleared her throat and smiled at Logan again before pretending to eat her dinner, cutting her fish into bite-sized pieces without actually eating them as she fought for composure. But it was no use.

"There she is!" Logan exclaimed jovially when he saw Paige enter the room behind Emily, making the girl drop her utensils.

"Sorry." Emily muttered, feeling her cheeks starting to grow warm when Logan and Kayla looked at her. Get it together.

"Sorry I'm late." Paige told Logan apologetically. "It took me a little longer to finish my essay and by the time I did it was raining hard." She admitted, pulling the chair beside Emily and taking a seat next to the girl. "I decided to wait until the rain let up a bit so I can make a dash for it. I forgot to bring my umbrella."

Emily took a sharp intake of breath when Paige's arm brushed against hers and she shifted in her seat, moving the chair slightly further from the girl as she tried to force her brain to trick her stomach into thinking she's starving. She watched from the corner of her eye as Paige ran a hand through her hair, wiping some of the water droplets from her skin before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear when she leaned forward to reach for the plate of fish in front of her.

"It's fine. We were just starting." Logan said as he handed Paige the plate of baked salmon. "So how are you two doing?" He asked, bringing his hands together in front of him and studying the two girls seated across the table.

"Fine."

"Okay."

Emily and Paige answered at the same time, making the two girls laugh nervously before sharing a glance.

"I'm fine." Paige clarified before pointing to Emily and giving the girl a grin. "She's okay. I think I'm better than her right now."

"Well I still have two more exams this week so I can't say I'm great." Emily managed to say in a normal voice.

Logan gazed at the two girls fondly before speaking. "Look at you two. No more bickering." He said, beaming at Paige and Emily. "I never thought this day would come. I wish Jasmine is here to see this." He said wistfully. "She would've been ecstatic if she could see you two now. The two most important people in her life next to me and Kayla finally getting along."

Paige transferred some steamed asparagus onto her plate and busied herself with trying to eat her dinner, feeling guilty as to the real reason why she and Emily didn't get along before.

"Remember when the two of you couldn't stand each other in front of breakfast?" Logan recalled, unaware of the two girls' discomfort. "Paige would always steal that last piece of bacon on the serving plate just when Emily is about to take it and Jasmine would have to interfere to fix things."

Emily smiled weakly and brought a forkful of salmon to her mouth. Logan was right. Jai had a way of making things better. She wished she could go back to that time. Things were so much simpler and the one person who made her feel safe was alive.

Unlike her father who seemed oblivious, Kayla saw the distress the two girls were in and she tried to put a stop to the conversation. "Dad..."

"Emily. It really means a lot that you're still spending time with us." Logan continued, giving the girl a strained smile. "Looking after Kayla, acting like her older sister now that Jasmine isn't here. Having you around makes me miss Jasmine a little less." He admitted. "In the three years that you spent time with us, you've been a huge part of the family. I hope that will never change."

Kayla was about to teasingly tell her father to tone it down a bit but one look at the man seated next to her made her realize that her father was barely holding it together. He was a professional at work. But at the end of the day he's a man who lost two women in his life and Kayla can't comfort him because her father was keeping her at a distance. She hasn't come to visit their house in Rosewood since she started her senior year at Girard because her dad wouldn't let her. So this is the first time she's noticed how much her sister's death has taken its toll on him. Maybe it was a good thing that Emily decided not to tell Paige for now.

"If the two of you wouldn't mind, I'd like to keep the tradition we have of having a post-Thanksgiving dinner even if Jasmine isn't around. If you girls don't have plans with your family, I would love for the both of you to join me and Kayla in Rosewood the day after." Logan said, making Kayla's eyes widen in surprise. "It's just so nice to see the two of you getting along. It'd be a nice change. It's the first time that we'd sit around that table since Jasmine..."

"My dad's going to be in California so I don't have any plans." Paige hurriedly said when she saw Logan's composure falter. "How about you Emily?" She asked, turning to face the girl seated next to her.

Emily nodded. "My mom's going to visit some of our relatives after Thanksgiving. I don't have any plans either." She admitted.

Kayla gave the girls a grateful smile. They didn't know it but the two girls just gave her a reason to come home for the Thanksgiving break. Not only that, they also gave her a chance to spend time with her father as well.

"Then it's settled. Kayla and I will be cooking for four." Logan declared, touching his daughter's arm briefly before eating the rest of his dinner.

Emily studied the three people seated around the table with her as they ate their dinners and tried to go back to eating hers as well but she ended up pushing the food around her plate instead. She stole a glance at the girl seated next to her and was surprised when she saw Paige meet her gaze. She gave the girl a strained smile before finally deciding to finish her dinner, desperate to head back to the room she shared with Spencer. She never wanted to lose touch with Jai's family. It was one of the things that she cherished most out of her relationship with the girl. That her family and the Hayes got along really well since their parents approved of their relationship. She needed to stay away from Paige. And that starts tonight.

---

Paige turned her back to the entrance of Harrison on a sunny Thursday morning, eager to get back to training but Reese was apparently taking her time upstairs. She and the girl had been running around campus since five o'clock in preparation for the regionals tomorrow. Paige managed to get her time to that of the student from Brown who came in first last year but she told Reese that it wasn't enough so the girl decided to train with her today.

Hurry up. Paige thought before checking for the time on her watch. It was almost seven o'clock. She was losing precious minutes because Reese insisted on returning to her room just to pee instead of just using one of the bathrooms in the buildings they passed. The girl said something about needing to pee in the comfort of her own bathroom whenever she ran around campus. Which to Paige made absolutely no sense at all.

Paige sighed and began doing some stretches to pass the time. She turned around when she heard the main door open, ready to give Reese a hard time for possessing a tiny bladder when her face lit up instead.

"Em." Paige said when she saw that the girl was busy rummaging inside her messenger bag to notice her.

"Hey." Emily replied when she finally looked up. "What are you doing here?" She asked when she saw Paige's attire.

"Waiting for Reese. We've been running around campus for hours. We have the regionals tomorrow." Paige explained. "You seem a little early getting to class."

"I'm headed to the Lippincott library." Emily answered. "Actually I'm running a little late so I have to go." She said, turning her back to leave.

"Whoa. Hey. Wait!" Paige called out as she grabbed Emily's arm to stop her. "What's the rush?" She asked, confused. Just now it felt like Emily was blowing her off.

"It's across campus, Paige. There's no rush. I just need to get there before my classes start." Emily pointed out.

Paige released her hold on Emily's arm. "Okay. Sorry. I just thought you were avoiding me or something." She admitted, studying Emily closely. "I mean you're not. Right?"

"Of course not. Why would I?" Emily lied. She glanced at her watch and frowned. "I really have to go. Say hi to Reese for me." She said before making her way to Locust Walk at a brisk pace.

"Say hi to Reese for me?!" Paige repeated incredulously as she watched Emily's retreating back. Now she knew something was definitely wrong.

---

Class dismissed. Upon hearing those two words, Emily quickly got up from the chair she was occupying in the front row of her MGMT100 class that afternoon, aware that Paige wanted to speak with her. The entire time she was trying to listen to the lecture, she was aware that Paige's eyes were trained on her. She made sure that she was late getting to class that the only seats left available were in the front row. She didn't mind sitting next to a complete stranger and being called for recitation several times. Right now that was better than sitting next to Paige. She quickened her pace, desperate to widen the distance between them before the girl caught up to her. But she wasn't fast enough.

"Hey." Paige said, tapping Emily on the shoulder lightly as she fell into step beside the girl.

"Hey." Emily repeated without so much as a glance at the girl, accelerating her pace as she headed towards Harrison. She had an Econ10 exam tonight and she told John that she won't be able to come to work today since she needed to cram for it.

"You headed to work?" Paige asked, trying to make conversation as she matched Emily's pace.

Emily shook her head. "Not today. No. I have my Econ10 exam tonight." She explained. "I really need to get back to Harrison so I can study. I'll see you around."

Paige stopped in her tracks. "Okay that's it. I give up. Did I do something wrong?" She asked anxiously, making the girl stop in her tracks as well.

Emily took a deep breath, struggling to keep her expression neutral before turning to face Paige. "Why would you ask me that?" She said in reply.

"I don't know. I feel as if you're avoiding me. This morning when I tried talking to you outside Harrison then this afternoon in class you ignored me when I tried telling you I saved you a seat." Paige explained, studying Emily closely.

"No. You didn't do anything wrong." Emily answered. "I'm just really busy. I told you it's my hell week. I'm sorry if you felt like I was avoiding you this morning but I have an exam tonight so my mind is preoccupied. I haven't done much studying for it." She added. The truth was, she did see Paige standing outside Harrison as she was about to head out. That's why she pretended she was busy looking for something inside her bag in the hopes of ignoring the girl. But Paige saw her.

"Right. Hell week." Paige said understandingly, starting to feel guilty for making a big deal out of things although Emily's answer still doesn't explain why the girl didn't sit next to her in class. She decided to try again. "So can we have that dinner we're supposed to have the other night? I can wait for you outside the McNeil building." She offered.

"I don't think so. I might be too tired afterwards and I just want to go to sleep." Emily said, relieved that she was able to say no this time.

"Oh. Okay. Rain check then?" Paige asked, smiling at the girl.

"I really have to go." Emily said without answering Paige's question. She turned her back to the girl and hurriedly crossed the street, praying Paige wouldn't follow her this time.

Paige frowned, studying Emily's retreating form. Okay. Emily is lying. She's really avoiding me. What's going on with her?

---

"Well did you ask her?" Reese said, looking up from the magazine she was browsing to stare at the girl seated beside her.

Paige nodded. "Yeah. I asked her if I did something wrong. She said no." She said, groaning before closing her eyes and falling backwards on Reese's bed.

"So what's the problem? She said no." Reese repeated, grabbing a small stuffed lion and throwing it at Paige to force the girl to open her eyes.

"Ow!" Paige exclaimed, rubbing her abdomen before getting up. "She said I didn't do anything wrong but I really feel like she's avoiding me." She admitted, handing the stuffed toy back to Reese.

"How come?" Reese asked as she took the stuffed lion and placed it next to a small stuffed elephant and a small stuffed hippo. Her girlfriend was slowly turning her bedroom into a stuffed zoo.

"Well this morning while I was waiting for you outside Harrison I saw her. I tried to strike up a conversation but she blew me off. She said she needed to get to the library at Wharton which is across campus so I didn't think anything of it. I mean I understand. But then she told me to say hi to you. No offense but when did she ever do that?!" She asked incredulously. "And then this afternoon in our MGMT100 class I saved her a seat but she ignored me and sat beside someone else."

Reese laughed. "And based on that you think she's avoiding you already?" She asked disbelievingly. "Paige, so what if she chose to sit somewhere else? Maybe she didn't see you."

"She saw me." Paige insisted. "We always sit together and we always occupy the middle seats in the third row. This afternoon she chose to sit beside a guy." She pointed out. "And yeah, maybe she just wants to sit beside a guy for a change but that's highly doubtful. And this is the same guy we were making fun of because he kept sitting beside girls who sat by themselves in class. The other girls noticed it too so they began sitting in groups. Emily and I call him Nomad. She chose to sit beside Nomad than sit next to me." She repeated, hurt.

"Ooh, yeah. That doesn't sound good." Reese admitted, grimacing.

Paige groaned. "See? She's avoiding me. So after class I caught up to her. I wanted to push the issue but she said she has that Econ10 exam tonight so I asked if we could have dinner after. She turned me down. Not even a rain check. She just ran away from me." She explained.

"Now this makes sense." Reese said, pointing to their place on her bed while shaking her head. "I was surprised when you asked if you could hang out in my room for a few hours. I thought spending time with me during track practice wasn't enough for you but apparently you're just waiting for her to get back so you can talk to her." She guessed.

Paige gave the girl a guilty look. "Sorry." She said sheepishly.

"You should be thankful I don't get offended easily." Reese said, smiling at Paige. "But she might get mad if you ambush her. After all, that Econ10 exam is not for the faint of heart. The last thing she needs is to come back to her room and see you standing outside waiting to pounce on her."

"Pounce? You couldn't have used a better term? You make it sound like I'm a stalker or a robber." Paige said wryly. "I just want to figure some things out. Maybe she's avoiding me because Kayla told her that I like her and she's not comfortable with it." She said dejectedly. "I saw them standing in the hallway outside Kayla's apartment a few days ago. Kayla looked guilty. I just know she said something to Emily. Maybe that's it. Maybe that's why Emily is so weird around me lately."

Reese shook her head. "Trust me. She's not gonna avoid you if this Kayla person told her that you like her." She said reassuringly. "Who's Kayla by the way?"

"She's my best friend's younger sister." Paige replied. "One of these days I'm going to introduce the two of you to each other. She's awesome. You'll like her."

"Why haven't I seen her around?" Reese asked. "Does she go here?"

Paige shook her head. "She's still a senior in Girard." She explained as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and brought her knees to her chest.

"Girard? Here in Philly? Small world. That's where my girlfriend studied before she transferred to our school in Pittsburgh." Reese admitted.

"It's about to get smaller because that's where I went too with my best friend before we transferred to Rosewood High." Paige said, laughing at Reese's shocked expression.

"I guess Girard prides itself with hot girls. Is Kayla hot too?" Reese asked curiously.

Paige nodded. "Yeah. She is. And she's an awesome cook." She added proudly.

"Then you should've introduced me to her sooner. I could've used her culinary skills two weeks ago." Reese admitted, sighing.

"So I'm guessing the anniversary surprise for your girlfriend didn't go as planned?" Paige asked, feeling guilty for talking about herself and her problems all the time.

"Well it didn't go bad. But it didn't go well either." Reese confessed. "We're working on it though so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we make it."

"Here's what I don't get. Why aren't you living with her?" Paige asked, giving Reese a puzzled look.

"Are you kidding me? What's not to get? You saw where I dropped off Brian. It's so far from campus." Reese complained.

"But she drives to and from Drexel." Paige pointed out.

"I can't afford to do that. I train every morning. I grab breakfast there whenever I can but other than that I don't spend the night there." Reese explained. "Besides, I can't exactly live with her family. It's just weird."

"But she spends nights here?" Paige asked, looking around Reese's bedroom. The unit Reese chose to live in has a living room, a bedroom and a kitchen. It was practically an apartment.

Reese nodded. "Whenever she can. That's why I opted not to have a roommate." She admitted.

"How did you two meet?" Paige asked, now curious to hear Reese's love story.

Reese gave Paige a wry smile. "It was hardly romantic, newbie. I'll tell you our story if you tell me how you met Emily." She bargained.

"You know what? You're right. It's probably a boring story so let's talk about something else." Paige suggested, reluctant to tell anyone how she and Emily met. That was something she wanted to keep to herself.

"Thought so." Reese said, laughing. "The Sigma Deltas are throwing a party next week."

"I'm not really big on sorority parties." Paige admitted, making a face.

"How would you know? Have you been to one before?" Reese asked. When Paige shook her head, she continued. "Well it's about time you attended one." She insisted. "It's part of the whole college experience plus it's Lori's sorority." Reese added, referring to one of their teammates.

"I don't know." Paige said hesitantly.

"Okay how about this? If the talk with Emily doesn't go as planned tonight, come with me to the party on Thursday. It'll help keep your mind off her." Reese promised.

Paige sighed. "Fine." She finally agreed, making Reese grin. Paige looked towards the windows when she suddenly heard the thunder.

"What's wrong?" Reese asked, looking towards the windows as well.

Paige hurriedly got up from Reese's bed and walked closer to one of the windows. "Do you have an umbrella?" She asked worriedly when she glanced at the time on her watch and saw the rain start pouring heavily outside.

"Yeah. It's over there." Reese said, pointing towards her study table.

Paige walked over to the table and grabbed the red umbrella. "You don't have anything bigger?" She asked when she saw that it was a folding umbrella.

Reese shook her head. "Sorry." She said, getting up as well. "I could borrow from one of my floormates if you want." She offered.

"No it's fine. I guess this'll do. Can I borrow it? I promise to return it to you tomorrow." Paige said, starting to get anxious.

"Yeah. That reminds me. Be sure you're at Franklin Field before five. Coach Steve said he wanted to talk to all of us before we head to State College." Reese explained to the girl whose mind was obviously elsewhere already.

Paige nodded. "Okay. Before five, Franklin Field. Got it. I won't be late. Thanks for this." She said, waving the umbrella before heading out.

---

Emily pocketed the pen and calculator she used for her exam inside her jacket pockets before following the rest of her classmates out of the lecture hall, ready to head home. She remembered Paige telling her a few days ago that the Econ10 exam was brutal and tonight she proved that Paige was right.

And of course you're still thinking about Paige. Emily thought, shaking her head. Her attempt to stay away from the girl all day didn't lessen the number of times Paige crossed her mind. Emily looked ahead and stopped in her tracks. It was fleeting but she could've sworn she saw Paige sitting just outside. But that's not possible. She made it clear that she didn't want to have dinner with the girl. It was just probably someone who looked like her. She gave her head a firm shake. It was bad enough that she can't stop thinking about Paige, now she's seeing the girl everywhere. Emily took a deep breath and finally stepped out of the lecture hall.

"Hey." Paige said in greeting as she stood up from one of the benches lining the hall outside the McNeil building.

Emily looked up. "Paige." She said, surprised. So she wasn't imagining things. "What are you doing here?" She asked, giving the girl a nervous smile.

Paige looked really good tonight in the leather jacket she wore when they stood under the rain on her birthday. The look gave off a sort of masculine air around the girl and Emily felt her heart skip a beat. Paige looked really hot and she doesn't seem to know it, which for Emily, added to the girl's appeal.

"Waiting for you." Paige admitted, smiling as she approached Emily.

"Why?" Emily asked, her pulse starting to race as the girl got closer to her, unable to take her eyes off Paige.

Paige's eyes crinkled as she grinned. "Do you happen to have an umbrella with you?" She asked as she looked past Emily.

"No." Emily answered before taking a look behind her and saw the heavy rain just outside the building. In her nervousness when she saw Paige, she didn't hear the sound of the heavy rain. "I see." She said, turning once again to face Paige.

"Yeah. Back in high school you told me you're not one to carry an umbrella unless it was already raining when you leave your house. This morning the sun was high." Paige explained.

"You remembered that?" Emily asked, surprised.

"It's not too long ago and you'd be surprised at the things I remember." Paige said, smiling mysteriously. "Anyway, come on. I'll walk you home." She said as she began to walk past Emily.

"You don't have to do that." Emily said, suddenly getting flustered at the thought of having to walk under the rain with Paige. That meant brushing arms, brushing hips, brushing shoulders and the thought of being that close to Paige made her feel lightheaded.

"Come on. This rain isn't about to let up anytime soon." Paige said above the sound of the downpour, the sky supporting Paige's argument when the rain intensified. "If you're not comfortable sharing an umbrella with me I'm sure I can borrow one from one of the maintenance workers." Paige volunteered as if reading Emily's mind. "Or I could wait with you until the rain stops. Either way I'm not leaving without you."

"No. Sharing an umbrella is fine." Emily said hurriedly.

"Okay then. Come on." Paige said as she took a few steps before opening the umbrella, waiting for Emily to join her.

Their progress was slow. It was almost zero visibility and they had to take small steps just to see the road ahead of them. Add to that Emily's consciousness of being so close to Paige and they had a hard time walking under the rain.

"Careful." Paige suddenly said when she spotted an open drain. "Here. You stay on this side of the pavement." She instructed as she moved to touch Emily's back while she changed places with the girl, the gesture sending a shiver down Emily's spine.

Emily forced herself to ignore the feeling. When Paige didn't remove her hand, she bit her bottom lip to keep from grinning. She liked the feel of Paige's hand on the small of her back.

"Watch it." Paige said as she guided Emily away from a puddle, her arm wrapping around Emily's waist tight.

Emily was sure that Paige heard the pounding of her heart despite the sound of the rain around them and she wished the other girl wouldn't see how flushed her face was getting.

"So are you going to tell me why you've been avoiding me?" Paige suddenly asked. Unless Emily was willing to get sick rather than answer her questions, the girl wasn't going anywhere and she realized that just now.

"I'm not avoiding you." Emily insisted.

"Yes you are." Paige said softly. "You've been avoiding me all day and I don't know why."

Emily heard the hurt in Paige's voice and glanced at the girl. "I'm sorry." She finally said. "I'm just trying to figure some things out."

"What does it have to do with avoiding me?" Paige asked, looking at Emily.

Emily's gaze traveled to Paige's lips and she looked away, scared that Paige would realize the truth. "Your shoelaces are untied." She pointed out when her eyes drifted to the ground and she saw Paige's sneakers. "You should probably tie it first before we keep walking. Wouldn't want you to trip."

Paige nodded when it became obvious that Emily didn't want to talk about the reason why she's avoiding the girl. She removed her arm from around Emily, much to the other girl's disappointment.

"Can you hold this for a sec?" Paige asked as she handed the umbrella to the girl.

"Sure." Emily replied, surprised that her brain was still functioning enough for her to form a reply. When her hand made contact with Paige's, the sensation almost made her drop the umbrella but she recovered quickly.

Emily watched as Paige crouched and began fixing her shoelaces, making sure that the tiny umbrella was covering the girl. She didn't mind getting a little rainwater on her arms so long as Paige stayed dry.

"Hey Paige?" Emily said quietly when she realized that in her surprise and anxiety she forgot to thank the girl earlier.

"Yeah?" Paige answered distractedly as she finally stood up. Note to self. Don't wear sneakers again unless it's summer or spring. Now I have to wash these when I get home. "I'll take that now." She said as she took from Emily's hand the umbrella once again. "You were saying something?" She asked when they stopped in front of an intersection.

"Yeah. I, uh... forgot to do something when you picked me up." Emily continued as she stared intently as Paige.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Paige asked as she looked at both ends of the street to see if they can cross it. Good thing Emily's class is just across the street from Harrison. At least she'll be home in no time.

"This." Emily said as she leaned forward to kiss Paige on the cheek.

Paige turned to face Emily. "Okay let's..."

The rest of Paige's words never made it out of her mouth the second she felt Emily's lips brush against hers and they both pulled back in surprise. Emily swallowed hard, the sensation taking her breath away yet wanting to feel it again.

Paige stared at the girl standing in front of her, silently asking what to do next. She didn't need to wait for an answer. Because just as quickly as she pulled back, Emily closed the distance between them and kissed Paige once again, one hand grabbing Paige by the waist to pull the girl closer to her while her other hand cupped Paige's cheek as Emily deepened the kiss. Paige knew this time it wasn't an accident. She knew it with absolute certainty that she dropped the umbrella she was holding in order to free both hands and pull the girl closer to her, letting herself get lost in the intensity of Emily's kisses.

Emily let herself be pulled into the kiss, her brain shutting down the second she felt Paige's soft lips move against hers urgently. Paige was kissing her back. Paige was kissing her back with so much passion that she felt her knees go weak. She definitely liked kissing Paige and Emily felt herself leaning in for more. She didn't mind that the rain was drenching them. All she wanted was for the kiss to last because kissing someone never felt this amazing and breathtaking. She never wanted to stop kissing Paige.

What are you doing? She's Jai's best friend.

Emily's eyes snapped open and she hastily pulled away from the other girl, bringing one hand to her mouth to try to erase the sensation of Paige's lips on hers but it was no use. She was shivering and she knew it wasn't from the cold.

Paige struggled to catch her breath, aware that she was trembling. "Em." She uttered breathlessly before she took a small step closer to the girl when she saw how confused and scared Emily seemed.

Emily took a step back from Paige when the girl reached out to touch her and shook her head. "This didn't happen." She whispered hoarsely, tears starting to blur her vision before running across the street away from Paige.

Running away as fast as her feet would allow her from the only girl who made her feel alive with just a kiss.