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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PART TWO: "Sic Infit"
~ So it begins. ~
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Kayla's right. It is easier to do this here." Paige mumbled before kissing Emily again, leaning closer when the girl slightly parted her lips.
Paige moved her hand to lightly rest on top of Emily's left thigh as the girl shifted from her position of resting both her legs on Paige's lap. Emily wrapped her arms tighter around the girl's neck and Paige leaned even closer as they deepened their kiss again.
"No gear shift." Paige continued, slowly moving her lips to the crook of Emily's neck. "No steering wheel." She added, making her way to Emily's ear while leaving a trail of soft kisses on the girl's warm skin. "More space. And I am partial to you sitting on my lap while doing this." She whispered, nibbling Emily's earlobe playfully. "We really should've done this sooner." Paige said, meeting Emily's eyes for a second before kissing the girl on the lips again.
"Stop talking." Emily ordered before thrusting her tongue into Paige's mouth when the girl parted her lips.
It was a cold Wednesday morning in January and the two girls were in the backseat of Paige's car, making out in a secluded area somewhere inside Kaskey Park. Paige picked up Emily from Harrison an hour before their class with the intention of grabbing breakfast with the girl but once Emily was inside her car, Paige's plan changed. They didn't get a chance to spend time together yesterday so she wanted to make the most out of today before they officially start the semester. Emily decided to catch a ride back to UPenn last night with Spencer and Connor so her mom won't give her a hard time about spending time with Paige and by the time she arrived in Philly, she was too tired to meet the girl.
"Sorry I made you miss breakfast." Paige said when they finally came up for air, brushing a strand of hair away from the girl's eyes.
Emily shook her head. "I wasn't hungry anyway." She answered, smiling.
"I'll make it up to you." Paige promised before kissing the girl's already swollen lips again.
Paige kissed Emily slowly this time, savoring the feel of the girl's soft lips mimicking hers. She felt that desire to feel Emily's smooth skin against her palm and began to slowly move her hand from Emily's thighs towards the hem of the girl's top, pausing every few seconds just to give Emily a chance to say stop. When her hand reached the hem, she slowly lifted it as she deepened their kiss, her pulse racing when Emily seemed okay with it. Paige imperceptibly moved her hand past the waistband of Emily's jeans and rested her palm on Emily's flat stomach, the feel of the girl's warm skin against hers increasing her desire. She began to caress Emily's skin, slowly traveling her hand upward, nearing the girl's chest.
"Paige." Emily uttered, panicked when she became aware of where the girl's hand was. She moved one arm from around Paige's neck to stop the girl's hand from going further up.
Paige slowly removed her hand from under Emily's shirt and kissed the girl on the cheek. "Sorry." She whispered, forcing her mind to wander to something else as she tried to quell her desire for the girl. After all, even if they were in a secluded spot, it was broad daylight.
Emily moved from her position on Paige's lap, lowering her feet on the floor before fixing her top. "What time is it?" She asked even though she was wearing a watch, aware that her cheeks were flushed.
Paige glanced at the dashboard clock in front. "Almost seven." She answered as she studied Emily. "Which means we should probably get going. We don't want to be late for class." She added, making the girl look at her in surprise. "What?" Paige asked, amused by Emily's stunned expression.
"Nothing. I just thought you'd suggest skipping our class to make out in your apartment instead." Emily admitted.
Paige laughed lightly. "I'm not entirely opposed to that idea but I'm trying something new this semester." She explained, bringing her hand to Emily's neck to fix the collar of the girl's quill heather fleece jacket.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Emily asked, her skin tingling when Paige's cool fingers grazed her neck. She pulled up the zipper of her jacket just below her throat and lifted her hair from underneath the material before running her hand through her hair once to comb it.
"Focusing on my studies." Paige answered, to Emily's confusion. She got out of her car to transfer to the driver's seat before the girl could ask her anymore questions. "Ready to go?" She asked once she got inside and saw that Emily managed to transfer to the passenger seat without getting out of the vehicle.
"Yeah." Emily replied after buckling her seatbelt. She looked up and met Paige's eyes. "Just so you know, I prefer making out in the front seat. It might be cramped but at least you don't have to keep getting out of the car."
Paige nodded. "Noted. From now on we will only make out in front seats. Preferably in the driver's seat." She added, making Emily laugh. She pressed the engine start button and shifted the gear to drive, steering the car towards University Avenue to exit on Spruce Street. "Are you nervous?" She asked, glancing at the girl.
"No." Emily replied, laughing. "Paige we're not in kindergarten. It's just a new semester." She reminded the girl. "Are you nervous?" She asked, noticing Paige's posture.
"Not because of my classes." Paige confessed. "It's the upcoming indoor track meets. I haven't exactly spent the holiday season training every chance I get."
"Well at least you can hold your breath for several minutes." Emily pointed out teasingly.
Paige smiled. "Yeah. If only I can win meets by standing on the finish line holding my breath life would be so much easier." She shot back.
"Paige you still ran every morning." Emily reminded the girl. "You never stopped training even if it's just running on the treadmill. You made sure you had time for it."
"I know. I just want to do really well this time. I promised Reese I was going to make up for losing in the regionals last semester." Paige explained as she expertly parallel parked across the street from Williams Hall and turned off the engine.
"How could you have lost that meet? Wasn't that a team effort?" Emily asked, unbuckling her seatbelt and alighting from the car with her shoulder bag and binder notebook. She stayed on the sidewalk and waited for the other girl to get out.
"It was. But my time contributed to the team's placing." Paige said as she locked the car doors before walking over to Emily. "Reese said it wasn't my fault but I think she's just trying to be nice." She added, about to lead the way to the nearest pedestrian crossing but Emily held her back.
"Hey. Stop being too hard on yourself." Emily said, releasing her grip on the girl's arm when Paige turned around to face her. "Reese wasn't trying to be nice. She's telling you the truth. You can't control the outcome of meets especially if it's a team effort. You were captain of our swim team and we didn't win all of our meets. You're used to losing sometimes. It's part of the game and you know that. Why are you blaming yourself now?" She asked, confused.
Paige took a deep breath and smiled faintly. "I guess I'm still trying to get used to being a member of the team. It's different when you lose and you're the team captain and when you lose and you're a member." She explained, running a hand through her hair warily. She turned around again to make her way to the pedestrian crossing and this time Emily followed her.
"Different how?" Emily asked as she crossed the street next to Paige.
"Seeing the disappointment in Reese's eyes when we lost... I used to be in her place so I know how she feels. You know how frustrated I get when we lose." Paige reminded Emily. "I tend to be hard on everyone afterwards because as captain I feel as if I let down the team and Coach Fulton. But I get to say a thing or two about it. Now... I let down my team captain, my teammates and my coach but I can't say anything about it. I can't tell everyone how disappointing it is. How we should train harder. Because that's Reese's job. It's so frustrating... letting everyone down..."
"You didn't let anyone down." Emily interjected. "We've competed in countless swim meets together. Despite not getting along I know you never slack off when it comes to swimming. And you told me before that you love running more. So I'm sure you gave double the effort when you ran in your track meets."
"I guess so." Paige said, giving the girl a strained smile.
Emily looked around them and saw a cluster of trees beside Williams Hall. "Come here." She instructed, leading the way before she changed her mind.
Paige creased her brows but followed the girl, wondering what Emily was up to. She felt her eyes widen in surprise when the girl stopped in her tracks, turned around and suddenly moved to hug her. "Em..."
"It doesn't make you an awful person for feeling the way you do." Emily whispered in Paige's ear. "I get what you're trying to say. Being team captain... you were in a position to blame your teammates for losing. I know you don't want to but sometimes when you get fed up a part of you does anyway."
Paige moved to hold the girl closer to her and rested her head on Emily's shoulder, wishing they could stay that way for a while.
"Don't be too hard on yourself." Emily pleaded. "There's no one to blame. You do what you can. You can't win every game, Paige. But what matters is that you tried and that you gave your best." She said before kissing the girl on the cheek.
Paige nodded before pulling away, her eyes on the ground. "We better get going or we're really going to be late for class." She finally said.
Emily stared at the girl, at a loss as to how to get through to Paige. Sure she's been team captain a few times playing dodgeball. But that was nothing compared to being team captain for two years. She didn't know the kind of pressure Paige was in. She just knew that the girl didn't like losing and that what she just said about trying and giving your best probably sounded cliché to Paige.
"I almost forgot. Here's my schedule this sem." Emily said, deciding to change the subject as she grabbed a piece of paper from inside her binder and handed it to the girl.
Paige quickly scanned the class schedule printed on the piece of paper before slipping it inside her own binder notebook and nodded. "I'll give you mine after class." She promised before walking back the way they came, relieved that not a lot of students have classes this early in the morning when she emerged from the cluster of trees and saw that the coast was clear. "Got a pen?" Paige asked teasingly in an effort to lighten the mood once Emily was standing next to her.
"I thought you have me covered?" Emily answered, pretending to look panicked.
Paige laughed, fighting the urge to kiss the girl out in the open. "Just checking to see if you remembered." She admitted as they made their way up the steps and towards the front entrance of Williams Hall.
"Kinda hard to forget something as chivalrous as offering to walk around with all sorts of pens for me." Emily shot back jokingly.
"Hey I don't mind carrying an assortment of pens all the time if it meant Gary keeping her distance." Paige said before stopping in her tracks when she noticed that the girl's mood changed when she mentioned the name of MUSE's president. "Em..."
Emily shook her head. "It's fine." She said, giving Paige a tightlipped smile. She almost forgot that being back in UPenn meant running into Gary again. "I'm not going to join MUSE so we don't have to worry about her. It's not like I'm missing out on anything anyway." She added dismissively before walking past Paige and heading for the bank of elevators that would take them to the seventh floor.
Paige took a deep breath and struggled to stop her legs from bouncing as she looked around the room she was in, trying to control her anxiety while waiting for the woman seated behind the far end table on the corner to tell her to go inside. She was currently seated on a couch just outside one of the offices in Huntsman Hall, waiting to be seen by a college advisor. Her decision to see one today was spur of the moment and she was relieved that students can meet with an advisor for a few minutes even without setting an appointment. She really wanted to start working on the New Year's resolution she made this year.
"Miss McCullers. Mister Boyd will see you now." The woman said, giving Paige a pleasant smile.
Paige stood up and gave the woman a small smile before gathering her things and heading for the door which led to Scott Boyd's office. She knocked twice before turning the knob and opening the door a crack, stepping inside and closing the door behind her when the sandy-haired man gestured for her to come in.
"Sorry to bother you." Paige began as she slowly approached the college advisor. "You're probably busy."
Scott stood up and gave Paige a warm smile. "Not at all. Please. Have a seat." He said, gesturing to the chair in front of his table.
Paige sat down the same time Scott did and she placed her things on her lap, sitting up straight and trying not to make any unnecessary movements to hide her anxiety.
"What brings you here today, Miss McCullers?" Scott asked, getting straight to the point.
"Um… just a consultation. I know it's not until junior year. Having to declare a concentration in Wharton." Paige clarified, forcing herself to meet Scott's eyes. "But I want to know my options when it comes to choosing one." She continued. She only had ten minutes with the man so she had to make the most out of it.
Scott nodded. "I see. Well tell me a little about yourself. What are your interests?" He asked, studying Paige.
"Mostly sports." Paige answered after a beat. "And volunteering. I also like spending time with kids. Reading to them from time to time, playing with them. But I don't see myself teaching or being around them twenty-four seven unless they're my siblings." She explained, her fingers playing with the edge of one of the books on her lap. "Other than that I haven't really given much thought about what interests me."
"Something must have changed." Scott observed as he leaned against the backrest of his chair. "You're here today. The first day of spring semester, it's not even noon and you're eager to find a concentration."
"Just trying to make some changes in my life." Paige replied. "I have classes in the afternoon and track practice so this is the only free time I have today. I decided to come here before I changed my mind."
Scott gave the girl an encouraging smile. "I'll do what I can to help. But at the end of the day the decision is still up to you. So tell me. What made you choose Wharton in the first place?" He asked, bringing his hands together in front of him as he leaned forward. He glanced at the folder on top of his desk which Paige assumed contained her record before looking at the girl again.
Paige swallowed hard. "Process of elimination." She answered, slightly embarrassed. "I know I'm not cutout to be someone working in the field of Engineering and Applied Science or Nursing for that matter so those colleges were out. It's Arts and Sciences or Wharton and of the two, I ended up choosing Wharton."
"Why?" Scott urged gently.
"The courses seemed more interesting to me." Paige admitted. "I'm just... trying to figure out my place here in UPenn. This wasn't my first choice of school for college but I'm here now and I really want to make it work here."
Scott opened a drawer on his desk and took out several leaflets. "There are career fairs held on campus during the spring semester. Just in case you haven't been informed." He added, handing a few brochures to the girl after studying each one. "I strongly suggest that you attend these fairs just to see firsthand what your options are and what interests you. What awaits you once you graduate. Don't worry if you find five or ten or even twenty. That's what I'm here for. We can go through these options together and find the one that really interests you."
Paige accepted the brochures and studied the colorful photos of smiling people on the front, unable to see herself be that cheerful about something definite. But she really wanted to try. "Okay. Yeah. I'll go through these later." She promised, getting up. "Thank you for seeing me." She added earnestly. Although it was still a little hazy, she felt like she was getting somewhere.
Scott nodded and stood up as well. "My door is always open for a consult. You can schedule an appointment with Helen if you want to talk for longer than a few minutes. And it's never too early thinking about these kinds of things. It's good that you're trying to decide on a concentration this early on." He reassured the girl.
Paige gave Scott a thin smile before leaving to head back to her apartment. Emily was meeting Spencer for lunch and she wasn't going to see the girl until later in the afternoon when she picks up Emily from her last class. Might as well start poring through the reading materials the man gave her. She studied one of the brochures again, trying to imagine herself as one of the students in the photo. Glad that she figured out what she wanted to do years from now, but ended up getting frustrated instead. She tucked the brochures inside her binder and ran a hand through her hair wearily. This is going to be harder than she thought.
"You're seriously considering joining a sorority?" Emily asked before taking a sip from her bottle of water.
Spencer shrugged. "The thought crossed my mind. It's not final. I'm just toying with the idea right now. It's not just any sorority, Em. It's in preparation for entering law school." She explained while slicing a portion of her taco salad.
The two girls were seated across each other on a table beside the window, having a late lunch in Hill College House's residential dining on the corner of Walnut and 33rd Street. Emily just came from her morning shift in Café Prima, Spencer from her Italian language class, and they decided to meet somewhere near their next classes.
"But you're already planning to join the Penn Student Government and that John Marshall Pre-Law Honor Society this semester. Won't you have a hard time juggling all those organizations and your studies as well?" Emily pointed out as she speared a broccoli from the steamed vegetables on her plate.
"I'll find a way. But like I said, I'm just toying with the idea right now." Spencer repeated. "What about you?"
"What about me?" Emily asked, giving Spencer a confused look. "I don't plan on rushing a sorority."
"No I meant what are your plans this semester? Do you plan to join any organizations? MUSE perhaps?" Spencer added, raising an eyebrow at her friend inquisitively.
Emily sighed. To be honest she was still on the fence about the entire thing. Sure she told Paige earlier that she didn't want to join. But that was because of Gary. If the president was out of the picture she would join the organization in a heartbeat and she had a feeling Paige knew that. She didn't know what to tell her friend though. She didn't want to tell Spencer that she wanted to join MUSE because the girl would push the issue of Gary again. But she didn't want to say that she didn't want to join because then her friend would insist that she join then push the issue of Gary again. Emily opened her mouth to speak but her eyes drifted to the entrance of the dining hall and she felt her stomach turn when she saw Gary enter the room with a couple of students Emily recognized as members of MUSE. She tried to look away to pretend she didn't see the girl but Gary spotted her before she could and Emily saw the girl's eyes light up.
"Emily Fields. Fancy meeting you here." Gary said in greeting once she was standing in front of the girl.
Emily forced a smile on her lips before looking at her friend for support even though she knew Spencer probably had something to do with as to why Gary was there the same time she was.
"I see you decided to try the food here for a change." Gary continued when she saw the almost finished plate of steamed vegetables in front of the girl. "Pretty good, right?"
"Yeah." Emily answered, suddenly losing her appetite. She lowered the fork on the side of the plate and looked at Gary again. "But I prefer the food in Café McClelland."
"Too bad. This is where we usually gather to grab a meal." Gary revealed, nodding her head towards a table farther down the room where a group of students sat. "But you're still MUSE material and we're waiting for you to join us. All you need to do is take care of your application and you're in."
"I'm still thinking about it." Emily said, giving the girl an apologetic look.
Gary nodded. "Well just in case you do decide to join, take care of your membership to AMA first then give the receipt to Zach so we can process it." She instructed. "It's just a matter of making things official. Most of the members are looking forward to you joining our ranks since you came highly recommended." She added, winking at Emily knowingly. "Spencer." Gary said, acknowledging the other girl before walking away.
"What's there to think about?" Spencer asked when she and Emily were alone again.
"Did you ask me to meet you here so we could run into Gary?" Emily replied accusingly.
"What? No." Spencer answered firmly. "I didn't know she was going to be here." She promised. "But don't you think it's a sign? That you should give Gary and MUSE a chance? You ran into her on your first day back here."
"Spence, please." Emily begged. "I don't know, okay? But please stop forcing Gary on me. It's never gonna happen." She said before getting up, choosing not to finish her lunch. "I have to go. I don't want to be late for my next class." Emily explained before walking past her friend to head out of the room.
"Why are you doing it again?" Reese asked, glancing at Paige before closing the door of the locker she just used for the afternoon.
Track practice was officially over for the day and the two girls were taking their time catching up inside the locker room at the indoor track in Penn Park. Since Emily changed her shift at the café to mornings this sem, Paige really had no reason to go there in the afternoons unless Reese invited her and it looked like the girl had no plans to go there today.
"I just think it's worth a shot. I've been trying to find a way to be more involved here. Not just in sports and academics. So I figured it wouldn't hurt to join an organization." Paige explained. She looked behind her and stepped forward to let one of their teammates pass.
"Yeah but why PennPals? Why not join something related to your concentration?" Reese inquired as she led the way outside of the locker room.
Paige bit her bottom lip before answering. "Because I still don't know what concentration to take. I'm planning to attend career fairs but right now I have no idea. And joining an academic organization isn't the same as joining a social one. If I want to immerse myself with the community, joining something related to my career isn't the way to go. Not right now." She explained as she followed her friend outside.
"You're hoping to get Brian as your pen pal, aren't you?" Reese guessed, giving Paige a knowing look. "Since PennPals is getting kids from Drew Academy to participate?"
"Yeah." Paige admitted. "Though I'm fine with getting a different kid for a pen pal of course." She added hurriedly. "But if I do get paired up with Brian, that would give me a chance to spend time with him. I kinda miss that kid."
"Sorry for Billie's attitude towards you." Reese said apologetically knowing her girlfriend wasn't keen on her brother spending time with the girl.
Paige shook her head. "It's fine. You can't please everybody. I mean, you were hardly impressed with my performance this afternoon." She said dejectedly.
Reese rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, newbie. I can't believe you're bringing that up again. It's not just you. We were all a little out of shape after the winter break. It's understandable. Don't be too hard on yourself." She said as she and Paige exited to the indoor track. "And out of all of us you're the only one who actually managed to maintain her time from last semester."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Paige asked wryly.
"Yeah. It should. You didn't slack off. And I'm not saying that because I'm your friend. As your team captain I'm actually impressed that you found the time to train despite being on vacation." Reese said seriously. "I spent most of mine sleeping and eating. I'm disgusted with myself." She added, making a face.
Paige laughed a little while fixing the strap of her duffel bag. "Well it's not like I was busy while I was in Rosewood. If I wasn't training I was holed up in my house, channel surfing. It's not the same as sleeping and eating but I had those moments too. It was a pretty boring winter break actually." She said, looking everywhere but at her friend.
"So you still didn't make a move on Emily over the holidays?" Reese asked suspiciously. "All those mistletoes hanging around town, countdown to New Year? Don't tell me you weren't tempted to make a move on her. The holiday season is the perfect romantic setting for you to finally ask that girl to try again."
Paige shook her head. "I didn't. Emily spent most of her time catching up with her other friends who were studying in New York." She explained. "The only chance we got to spend time together was when my best friend's dad asked us to help in the preparations for the rooftop party at the hospital on New Year's Eve."
"Really. So why is she waiting for you now?" Reese said, nodding her head subtly towards a section of the bleachers. "That's a first. I have a feeling you weren't alone channel surfing in that house of yours." She added teasingly. "We better say our goodbyes here. I'm headed to Drexel anyway." Reese explained, touching Paige's shoulder before joining some of their teammates as they headed outside the building.
Paige watched Reese for a second before looking towards the direction her friend gestured to earlier and felt her lips curl into a smile when she saw Emily seated on one of the bleachers. She made her way towards the girl and stopped when Emily stood up and approached her.
"Hey." Emily said in greeting, flashing Paige a smile that showed off the girl's dimples.
"What... are you doing here?" Paige asked, surprised.
"This is your last class, right?" Emily replied. "I mean your last thing for the day." She corrected herself, taking out Paige's class schedule to show it to the girl.
Paige nodded without looking at it. "Yeah. But I was on my way to pick you up from your last class." She reminded Emily.
"I didn't have a class. My professor in Ancient Economies didn't show up so I decided to go here." Emily explained before returning the girl's schedule inside her binder. "But I got lost trying to find this building so I got here just as your training was over." She continued, frowning. "Which sucked because I was hoping to see you in action."
"You were hoping to see me in action." Paige repeated, surprised. "That's why you decided to come here."
"Well I wanted to see you." Emily replied, shrugging like it was no big deal. "I didn't want to go back to Harrison without seeing you first."
Paige smiled, fighting the urge to grab Emily and kiss her right there. "I missed you too." She said, stepping a little closer to the girl.
Emily swallowed hard, sure that her cheeks were starting to redden. She studied the girl standing a few steps away from her, still unable to believe that she didn't notice sooner how gorgeous Paige is. She cleared her throat, trying to hide from the girl how hard her heart was beating at the moment.
"Can we have dinner or something in your apartment?" Emily asked, wanting to get some privacy with the girl.
Paige nodded. "You read my mind. Come on. I'll drive you back to Harrison afterwards." She offered as she led the way outside the building with Emily walking next to her.
The moment Paige opened the door to her apartment and entered the room, Emily pushed her way inside and locked the door behind her. Before the girl could react, she grabbed Paige by the waist and kissed the other girl hungrily. Paige let herself be pulled into the kiss, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she's kissing Emily. She gets to hold and kiss Emily Fields. She heard the girl drop her things on the floor and she followed suit, dropping her duffel bag as she deepened the kiss and felt herself being pushed towards the direction of her couch. Paige happily obliged, landing on it with Emily lying on top of her.
Paige laughed as she tried to remove the throw pillows to make their position comfortable. "I thought you wanted to have dinner?" She asked breathlessly.
"I just wanted to be alone with you." Emily admitted, depositing a trail of wet kisses along Paige's neck. "I've been dying to do this since I saw you earlier." She added, kissing Paige on the lips before pulling back to stare at the girl lying underneath her.
Emily let her gaze wander on Paige's features. From the girl's rosy cheeks to her sparkling brown eyes to the way her mouth was turned up into a smile, her soft lips begging to be kissed again and again and again. Emily sighed. She could stare at Paige all day and it wouldn't be enough.
"You're so beautiful." Emily whispered, bringing her hand to touch the side of Paige's cheek before kissing the girl softly. "I can't get enough of you. I just want to kiss you all night."
Paige grinned, her heart pounding. "Spend the night here." She suggested before she lost her nerve, gently tucking a strand of hair behind the girl's ear, the gesture making Emily's pulse race. "I want to kiss you all night too."
"But I have an early shift at the café." Emily said reluctantly. "And I don't have a change of clothes. And Spencer's gonna wonder where I spent the night again." She rambled on, nervous about the idea of sleeping over but tempted to say yes as well.
"I can drive you to work tomorrow." Paige offered. "I don't have anything planned in the morning. And the clothes you wore the night you walked in the rain are still here. You can wear those. As for Spencer wondering where you spent the night, just tell her you're staying at Kayla's apartment which happens to be right on this floor." She reminded the girl before blindly reaching for the cordless phone behind her and handing it to Emily.
"I'm trying to keep my lying to a minimum." Emily confessed, biting her bottom lip as she stared at the phone then at Paige.
"Would you rather tell her that you are currently lying on top of me and can't seem to figure out a way to move?" Paige asked mischievously.
"No." Emily answered hurriedly, snatching the phone from Paige's hand before sitting up. "Are you sure you don't mind me spending the night?"
Paige nodded. "I'm sure. That works in my favor." She added, taking in Emily's features.
"Why?" Emily asked, slightly nervous.
Paige brought her hand up to Emily's neck to pull the girl close to her. "Because I get to kiss you all night." She said as she closed the distance between them to kiss Emily quickly. "We get to do this here uninterrupted and since I can't kiss you in public I'd love to have you sleep over if it means we get to do this before we fall asleep."
Emily smiled, satisfied with the girl's answer. "Well when you put it that way, then I guess I can spend the night here." She decided.
"Dinner?" Paige asked when she remembered Emily's excuse earlier.
Emily leaned forward to return the cordless phone on its cradle. "Maybe later. I think I'll call Spencer later too." She added when her gaze traveled to Paige's lips, her mind far from thinking about dinner and Spencer as she closed the distance between them once again.
Kayla mindlessly pushed the grocery cart while she studied each item on every aisle she passed by, mentally crossing off items in her list of things she thought of on a whim to buy. She had been wandering aimlessly around the store for about an hour now, not really in the mood to go back to her apartment by herself. She stopped next to the aisle filled with cereals and other breakfast items and stared at the contents of her cart. Bleach, detergent, fabric softener, bathroom tissue, milk, maple syrup, potato chips... she still had all of these back in her place but she felt like she needed to buy them anyway just to have an excuse not to go back to her apartment.
"Kayla." Kayla looked up when she heard her name and found herself staring at Emily's gorgeous face.
"Hey, Em." Kayla said in greeting, managing to give the girl a smile.
Jai's girlfriend... or is it Paige's girlfriend now? Kayla really didn't know. But Emily was the reason why she didn't want to go home just yet. She was on her way home from Girard and was about to get off the bus earlier when she saw Emily and Paige get out of the latter's car and before she changed her mind, she missed her stop and decided to get off the next one instead.
"Doing a little grocery shopping?" Emily asked, studying the contents of the girl's cart before looking at Kayla again with a warm smile on her face.
"I could say the same thing about you." Kayla said in reply, nodding her head towards Emily's right hand. "What, no grocery store near Harrison?" She asked lightly.
Emily glanced at the contents of the basket she was carrying before returning her attention to the girl. "These are for Paige." She explained, telling a half truth as she indicated the carton of milk, bottle of maple syrup, box of pancake mix and cereal in the basket. "She asked me to buy some breakfast food before I came over to have dinner with her tonight."
Dinner and... "Breakfast." Kayla repeated, staring at the food items numbly. "I guess you two are having dinner tonight to study again." She said as she focused her attention to Emily.
"Uh, no. We're not. We're just having dinner. It's our first day back, Kayla. There's hardly any studying to be done." Emily reminded the girl teasingly, oblivious to Jai's sister's distress.
"Right." Kayla said, smiling faintly. She really thought she was okay with the two girls hooking up. Paige was happy. Emily made Paige happy. And Emily... Kayla carefully studied the girl standing in front of her. Emily looked really happy and she was certain it wasn't because all the items on the girl's basket were on sale. She wanted to be happy for them. But right now…
"Are you almost done?" Emily asked, jarring Kayla from her musing. "I could wait for you and we could go back to your apartment building together." She offered.
Kayla shook her head. "Not yet. You should go ahead. I still have a few things I need to buy." She lied, gesturing vaguely around them.
"Okay. I guess I'll see you around then. Goodnight." Emily said before walking past the girl to head for the cashiers.
"Goodnight." Kayla repeated.
Kayla waited for Emily to round the corner and disappear before she took out her phone and scrolled the numbers in her contact list, trying to decide who to call. She began to push the cart back the way she came, returning items on the shelf one by one. It was useless to pass the time there. Not when the two girls were planning a sleepover. She can't go home tonight. She needed alcohol... and probably something else.
"So here's a change of clothes." Paige said, handing Emily a pair of gray sweatpants and her faded Rosewood Sharks t-shirt once she was standing in front of the girl. "And a new toothbrush. And a new bath towel." She added, indicating the two items on top of the clothes. "Everything else you need is in the bathroom. Toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash..."
"Paige, I feel like I just checked into a hotel. I'm not staying in a hotel." Emily pointed out teasingly, trying to hide her own nervousness.
Paige swallowed hard. "Right. Sorry. Just... showing you your things. And where to find my things." She added, managing to give the girl a small smile.
"I've slept here before." Emily reminded the girl.
Paige let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah. Almost forgot about that one." She said, placing one hand on the back of her neck before meeting the girl's eyes.
The two of them stared at each other for a second longer before looking at the bed, each realizing that the last time Emily slept over, Paige slept on the couch and the other girl got the bed to herself.
Paige cleared her throat and brought her hand to her lips, pinching the corners of her mouth with her thumb and middle finger as she tried to calm her nerves. "Okay then. I guess I'll just grab a pillow and a blanket and you have the room to yourself." She said, reaching for the blanket and one of the pillows on the bed and leaving the comforter for Emily to use.
"Wait, where are you going?" Emily asked, stopping the girl before she lost her nerve.
"To the living room." Paige answered, gesturing to the open bedroom door.
"You're sleeping on the couch?" Emily continued, torn between feeling relieved and confused.
Paige nodded. "Yeah." She replied anxiously.
"Paige... the reason I agreed to spend the night here was so I could sleep next to you." Emily pointed out. "I mean... I said yes because I thought you asked me to spend the night for the same reason..."
"Yeah. Yeah I did. To sleep together. Not together together!" Paige exclaimed when she saw Emily stiffen. "But not that I don't want to sleep with you! Of course I do!" Oh my god you're rambling. And you're freaking out Emily. "I meant I asked you to spend the night because I want to sleep... beside you. Just sleep." She finally managed to say.
Emily let out the breath she was holding in. "Okay." She said, giving the girl a small smile. "I'll just change into these and I'll be back." She added, gesturing to the door nervously.
"Okay." Paige repeated, telling herself to breathe as she watched Emily head for the bathroom.
Paige looked around her, trying to control the racing of her heart. She suddenly felt silly when she realized she was standing in the middle of her bedroom while hugging the blanket and her pillow to her chest. She walked over to her bed and pulled the cover before returning the pillow and the blanket so when Emily came back, she and the girl could go to sleep. Except her mind wasn't thinking of sleeping. The mere thought of lying next to Emily for the rest of the night made her body feel alive.
This night was entirely different from the time Emily purposely got drunk on New Year's Eve and they ended up sharing a bed in some stranger's house while the girl slept off her drunkenness. Totally different. And that made her really nervous. Paige turned on the bedside lamp before turning off the bedroom light, bathing the room in a warm yellow glow. Her breath hitched when she heard the bathroom door open, aware that Emily was headed back to the room and Paige turned around to face the door.
"Do you have a side you prefer to sleep on?" Paige asked once Emily entered the room. "Left side, right side?"
Emily gently closed the door behind her and shook her head. "I'm fine sleeping on either side." She answered, slowly walking towards the girl. "You choose."
"I'll take the right side. Closer to the alarm and the bedside lamp." Paige explained. She gestured for the girl to get in on the bed first before following suit, aware that her heart was pounding so hard.
Emily lied on the bed on her side and bit her bottom lip as she watched Paige lie down next to her. They stared at each other for a minute, their breaths mingling with the proximity of their bodies until Paige couldn't take it anymore. She moved ever so slightly and kissed Emily, making the girl smile.
"And here I thought you wanted to go to sleep." Emily admitted timidly.
Paige let out a low laugh and brushed a strand of hair away from the girl's eyes. "I did say I want to kiss you until we fall asleep." She reminded Emily before placing her arm around the girl's waist.
Emily moved closer until their eyelashes were almost touching and smiled when they blinked at the same time, their lashes brushing against each other. She tilted her head and kissed the girl softly, her heart hammering when Paige kissed her back. She felt herself being pulled closer to the girl and she moved her hand to the back of Paige's neck, caressing it as she slightly parted her lips and gave access to Paige's tongue, at the back of her mind knowing that they would stay up late doing this when Paige rolled her over and the girl ended up lying on top of her, their kisses slowly intensifying as their lips parted and met hungrily again and again.
Paige cursed inwardly as she studied the stack of burnt pancakes on the plate in front of her, wondering where she went wrong. She grabbed the box of pancake mix Emily bought last night and read the instructions printed on the back of the box for the third time before staring at the photo on the front, scratching her head in frustration as she studied the layers of golden brown pancakes with the maple syrup dripping invitingly on all sides of the stack. She wanted to cook breakfast for Emily before driving the girl back to campus so she woke up earlier than usual and after working out in the gym upstairs for a couple of hours, she hurriedly went back to her apartment to prepare her surprise for the girl. But now, as she stared forlornly at the stack of pancakes that almost looked like toast, she'd be surprised if Emily didn't keel over and die from choking. She grabbed a fork and tried poking the pancake on top of the stack, groaning inwardly when the fork barely made it to the center of the pancake.
I think I should've added more water. Paige started when she heard her bedroom door open and close and she hurriedly looked around for a place to hide the horrible plate of food. She dashed to the microwave and placed the plate of pancakes inside, closing the door just as Emily emerged from the hallway leading to the bedroom, fresh from taking a shower and wearing the clothes she wore the night they made out in her car for hours under the rain.
"Morning!" Paige said in greeting, a little enthusiastic than she intended. She quickly threw to the sink the fork she was still holding and gave Emily a smile as the utensil made a clanging noise.
Paige grabbed the empty box of pancake mix sitting on the kitchen countertop and threw it in the trashcan before moving to open the fridge to get the carton of milk. She then grabbed two bowls and spoons and carried all the items to the couch like nothing was wrong. Now that the pancakes were rendered inedible, they were left with no choice but to eat cereal.
"Morning." Emily repeated before making a face. "Were you cooking? I smell something burning." She said, looking towards the kitchen.
Paige shook her head. "Must be one of my neighbors. Sometimes Raoul forgets to use his range hood when he cooks." She answered, trying not to act guilty for lying.
Emily walked over to the girl and brushed a white speck of dust on Paige's cheek before kissing the spot, now aware that the girl just tried to cook pancakes for breakfast. "I'll get the cereal." She offered instead of asking where the pancakes went.
Emily headed for the kitchen and went through the cupboards, looking for the box of cereal she bought for them last night. Bingo. She thought when she found it in the last cupboard she opened. She took it out and was about to close the cupboard door when she saw something that made her stop. That's weird. Leaning forward, she reached out to grab the box and study it, surprised when she realized she was holding an unopened box of energy bars. It felt like a lifetime ago since she last ate one. Why would Paige have this around?
"So what's the verdict?"
"I hated it."
"Seriously? I was so sure you would like it."
"Well I didn't. So I guess you're eating those energy bars with me until Jai returns."
Until Jai returns. Emily thought. But Jai was never coming back. And because of the lie she told Paige that day, the girl had been eating these things all this time. It needed to stop.
With a heavy sense of dread, Emily returned the box inside the cupboard before turning around to study the girl seated on the couch. She bit her bottom lip and contemplated what she was about to do before she slowly walked back to the living room. Emily slowly wrapped her arms around Paige's neck from behind and kissed the girl on the cheek softly as she handed the box of cereal to her.
"Thanks." Paige said, smiling at Emily. She waited for the girl to sit next to her before pouring some cereal in Emily's bowl and then in hers.
Emily wordlessly poured some milk in Paige's bowl before pouring some in hers and watched as Paige began eating. "Promise you won't get mad?" She began, swallowing hard.
Paige stopped eating her breakfast and looked at Emily. "Promise." She said, putting down her bowl of cereal on the coffee table and facing the girl's worried face. "What is it?"
"The thing is… I lied about hating the granola bar." Emily finally admitted, cringing as she waited for the girl's temper to flare.
Paige sighed. "You saw the energy bars didn't you?" She guessed, looking towards the cupboards briefly.
"I didn't want you to have something against me more than you already had at the time." Emily hurriedly explained. "You were making fun of me enough as it is. You finding out that I did like the granola bar more than the energy bar was like giving you more ammo to use against me. Please don't get mad."
"I'm not mad. I actually understand you." Paige said, smiling at Emily.
"Jai isn't coming back. You know you could've stopped eating those things when she died." Emily reminded the girl.
Paige looked away. "I know. But for some reason it didn't feel right. Just getting out of the bet that easily. Like it was an out and I didn't deserve it after everything I put you through." She admitted, her voice hoarse.
Emily leaned forward to force Paige to meet her eyes. "Well I lied. All this time I lied. You won that bet." She pointed out. "I'm sorry you had to force yourself to eat those things."
"Nah. I kinda got used to the taste eventually." Paige replied offhandedly, trying to lighten the mood. "Just forget about it. I'll finish that last box then I'm back to eating chewy granola bars." She promised.
Emily smiled faintly. "So you won our bet and if I remembered correctly you said that if you did you're going to ask something from me and that whatever it is I can't say no." She reminded the girl. "Did you already have one in mind? Back when you said that?"
Paige shook her head. "Nope. And I really never got a chance to think much about it since I thought you won." She admitted.
"And now?" Emily asked, looking at Paige anxiously.
"Still no idea." Paige answered. "I guess I'll just know when to use it when the right time comes." She added before reaching for her bowl of cereal.
Emily nodded and they ate their breakfast in comfortable silence until her eyes drifted to Paige's laptop which was sitting on the coffee table in front of them. "PennPals?" She asked, looking curiously at the girl seated next to her when she saw the display on the screen.
Paige glanced at the website she was browsing earlier while cooking breakfast before looking at Emily. "Yeah. I was thinking of joining it." She explained, putting down her breakfast again. "I found out that the organization's one-on-one mentoring program involved Drew Academy and that happens to be the school Belinda's brother goes to."
"Belinda?" Emily repeated, looking at Paige warily. "Are you seeing another girl and forgot to tell me about it?" She asked, her stomach turning into knots.
Paige laughed and leaned forward to give Emily a quick kiss on the lips. "No. You're the only girl I'm seeing." She promised. "Belinda, Billie for short, is Reese's long-time girlfriend and Brian is Billie's seven-year-old brother. I met him when Reese picked him up from soccer practice and I tagged along. He's a cool kid and really smart for his age so I'm fond of him. I'm hoping to get him as my pen pal if I join. I can't see him as often as I want so maybe through this I get to spend time with him."
"I was thinking of joining PennPals too." Emily admitted. "Jai and I planned to join two organizations in the spring semester of our freshman year and I've been thinking of joining PennPals since last sem."
"And for the other one?" Paige prodded. "MUSE?" She guessed. When Emily didn't say anything, Paige moved closer to the girl and stroked Emily's hair gently. "Talk to me." She said when she noticed the girl's worried expression.
Emily sighed. "I do want to join. But Gary's there. Maybe I can just wait until she graduates." She added, trying to sound optimistic.
"And when is that exactly?" Paige asked, giving the girl a wry smile. "Even if she graduates, Gary will always be a part of that organization. She's going to be an alumnus." She pointed out.
"So you're saying that I should just forget about it." Emily said, running a hand through her hair dejectedly. She really wanted to join MUSE. Not just because she was looking forward to being part of such a prestigious organization but because it was also the fulfillment of one of her dreams and the promise she made to Jai that she would dream for the both of them.
"No. Em, I'm not trying to discourage you from joining." Paige corrected the girl. "What I meant was you can't let Gary's persistence in pursuing you romantically deter you from joining an organization you could benefit from in the future. MUSE has been a part of your dreams so don't let her get to you." She said firmly. "Gary isn't the whole organization. She doesn't control it. She's just the president. And I doubt all the members are going to give you a hard time for turning her down."
Emily gave Paige a faint smile. "I ran into her yesterday. She came over while Spencer and I were having lunch at the Hill residential dining. Turns out that's where the members of MUSE go to have lunch and Gary came in with a couple of members in tow. She asked if I've come to a decision and I said I was still thinking about it." She explained, playing with the spoon on her cereal bowl. "The second she left Spencer was back to her usual antics. Pushing me to join MUSE and give Gary a chance. I've told her repeatedly to let the matter drop but she won't listen. And I feel like if I do decide to join, Spencer's going to tolerate Gary's behavior and I don't need that. I'd have to spend time with Gary. Attending meetings, workshops for activities... I need my friend on my side."
Paige gave Emily a comforting hug. "How about we join PennPals together before you go to work?" She suggested, trying to take Emily's mind off MUSE. "That's one organization down. We'll figure out the other one after that."
"Yeah okay." Emily agreed, taking a deep breath and smiling at the girl.
"Finish your breakfast and then we'll head to campus." Paige said, getting up and kissing the top of Emily's head softly. "I'll just put on something a little warmer." She added, gesturing to her gym clothes before heading to her bedroom to change.
Emily nodded and tried to finish her breakfast while she waited for Paige to return. Although she still didn't know what to do when it came to MUSE and Gary, she felt a little better that even if she couldn't talk to Spencer, Paige was there to listen to her.
Spencer impatiently checked the time on her watch before heaving a sigh, looking around the quadrangle for any sign of the person she was supposed to meet. She only had a few minutes to spare before she had to get to class on the other side of campus and she was in no way willing to be late because she agreed to meet Paige. She wanted to ignore the text she got earlier but Paige actually used the word 'please' that she ended up saying yes, curious enough to find out what the girl wanted from her.
"Sorry I'm late!" Paige called out as she jogged over to where Spencer was sitting on one of the benches. Signing up for the mentoring program at PennPals took longer than expected and Emily got to work late because of it. As a matter of fact, she just dropped off the girl at the café and she didn't tell Emily that she was meeting Spencer afterwards. "This won't take long." She added when she saw Emily's friend check the time on her watch.
"What the hell is so important that you refused to meet later instead of now?" Spencer asked, annoyed.
"It's about Emily." Paige answered, getting straight to the point before sitting next to the girl. "She needs you on her side. You need to look after her."
"I am. That's why I don't trust you and I never will." Spencer pointed out.
"I'm not the enemy." Paige said patiently. "I'm not out to hurt her. Actually, of the two of us, right now I'm the one who's looking after her."
"And what do you think I'm doing all this time?!" Spencer shot back.
"Forcing what you want." Paige replied without missing a beat. "Emily wants to join MUSE but she can't do that until she knows that you've got her back. Gary makes her really uncomfortable and she needs to know that you won't tolerate that girl's behavior once they're forced to spend time together." She explained. "I know you have good intentions. Why you're doing this. Why you're pushing Emily to date Gary. I know you and Hanna and Aria want her to move past what happened. I do too. Believe it or not. I do. But you have to let Emily move on in a pace that she feels comfortable with. She needs your support in whatever makes her happy."
"She has my support." Spencer insisted, unable to believe that she was getting a lecture on how to be a friend from Paige McCullers.
"Lately she doesn't feel that way." Paige admitted. She knew it wasn't her business. And there was a possibility that Emily would get mad at her when the girl and Spencer ended up fighting even more. But she decided to risk it. She just couldn't stand by and watch Emily's friendship with one of her best friends deteriorate. "I know you want Emily to move on. So does she. She understands your intentions. But you need to respect Emily's wish and let her do it on her own terms."
"How do you know this?" Spencer asked warily.
"She's been confiding in me because she can't talk to you without the conversation leading to an argument." Paige confessed. "You're the only one who can convince her to join MUSE." She added before getting up. "You know she belongs in that world. She shouldn't miss out on it just because a woman named Gary Chambers doesn't know the meaning of the word no. Emily needs you on her side so be the friend she needs right now and have her back when it comes to Gary." She pleaded before walking back the way she came, leaving Spencer to look at her thoughtfully.
Emily stood just outside the building on 3730 Walnut Street a little past two in the afternoon, waiting for her friend to arrive. She just finished her shift at the café about an hour ago and was about to meet Paige for a late lunch when she got a text from Spencer, asking to meet her there and when she asked why, her friend said something about having her back. Whatever that meant. At first she was tempted to say no. If this was another ploy of Gary's and Spencer was somehow helping the girl, she would seriously lose it.
"Hey." Spencer said in greeting, touching her friend's shoulder lightly.
Emily turned around to face the girl, trying to figure out what Spencer was up to. "Hey." She repeated, looking at her friend warily.
"Have you been waiting long?" Spencer asked as she rummaged around her shoulder bag for something.
"No." Emily answered, her eyes never leaving the girl. "Why did you ask to meet me here?"
"For... this." Spencer said, taking out the paper she was looking for from inside her bag. "I took the liberty of taking care of the AMA registration online that's why I was late getting here. My printer was acting out again so I went to Connor's to print this."
Emily took the piece of paper her friend was handing to her and read the content. It was a receipt. She looked up at the girl, confused. "Spence..."
"Just pay me back whenever. Or maybe never. Consider it my apology for being a crappy friend lately." Spencer explained.
"Why are you doing this?" Emily asked, staring at the piece of paper again.
"Because I'm your friend. Not Gary's." Spencer answered earnestly. "I'm sorry for being so hardheaded when it comes to your love life. For refusing to listen. You want to join MUSE and you should. You should join it because of what it could give you and what you could contribute to it. I promise you have my support starting today. Gary shouldn't be a factor in your decision to join and I'm sorry I made you feel that way."
Emily stared at her friend for a second before moving forward to hug Spencer briefly. "Thank you." She uttered, feeling like a burden has been lifted from her shoulders.
Spencer smiled. "Don't mention it. After all the crap I pulled forcing Gary on you, this was the least I could do." She told her friend reassuringly. "Come on. Let's head inside."
Emily nodded and led the way, spotting Zach from a distance even before she reached the long table at the far end of the hall. There was no sign of Gary and for a second she felt relieved but then the girl emerged from one of the corridors, deep in conversation with someone as they approached the table so she hasn't seem them yet. But Zach did. And Emily knew the guy alerted Gary because the girl turned around and watched as she and Spencer approached the table.
"I got your back." Spencer promised under her breath. "Just do what you have to do."
"I see you've come to a decision." Gary said in greeting, giving Emily a pleased smile. She accepted the receipt Emily handed to her and studied the printout quickly before handing the paper to Zach without taking her eyes off the girl. "Welcome to MUSE." She continued, extending a hand.
Emily reluctantly shook the girl's hand, aware that Gary was holding on to her hand longer than necessary. "Thanks." She replied, trying to smile out of courtesy.
"Wow. Good thing Paige isn't here or she might think something's going on." Spencer suddenly commented much to Emily's surprise and confusion. "Remember Paige, Em? Your new girlfriend who's overly jealous?" She emphasized, hoping her friend would take the hint and go along with her plan. She knew there was a chance that it wouldn't work. That there was a chance that the president of MUSE didn't have boundaries and would still continue pursuing her friend despite finding out that Emily was supposedly taken. But it was the first idea that came to mind.
Gary let out a short laugh. "You're seeing Paige?" She asked, the disbelief evident in her voice.
Emily knew that what Spencer just said worked because Gary withdrew her hand slowly so she decided to go along with it. "Yeah. I am." She answered, meeting Gary's eyes. "Since the holidays. We live in the same town and over the winter break we just started spending a lot of time together and from there things just turned into something more."
"That one I didn't see coming." Gary commented, unable to believe that Emily preferred Paige over her. "I knew she had a thing for you since she was always around but I didn't think you'd settle for someone like her." She added offhandedly with a trace of belittlement in her voice.
Emily fought the urge to lash out at the girl for insulting Paige just now and smiled instead. "Yeah well I'm into her and it's serious." She said, forgetting for a split second that she was merely trying to sell a story to Gary so the girl would leave her alone and that her friend didn't know the truth.
"I guess I have to accept defeat if you claim it's serious." Gary said, to Emily's relief. "I promise to be completely professional from here on out." She added before glancing at the cork board behind her to check something. "So on to the important matters. There's a general assembly Tuesday next week. Around seven in the evening. You're expected to attend so the body can meet you and you can meet the members and your batchmates as well. There's a dress code." Gary continued as she leaned against the edge of the table and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "When I call for a meeting everybody is expected to wear semi-formal attire. We issue warnings if a member fails to comply twice. But the third time could mean suspension of their membership for at least a month. Keep in mind that we groom future leaders not followers. So be aware of how you carry yourself wherever you go. You're a MUSE member now. How you conduct yourself in public reflects on all of us. Are we clear?"
Emily nodded, liking the sound of being called a member of MUSE. And there was no trace of the Gary who was doggedly pursuing her romantically just a few weeks ago. The girl standing in front of her was no doubt the president of MUSE.
"We have your number so in case we need to contact you before Tuesday, either Zach or I will call you. If you don't have any questions we'll see you next week." Gary said before straightening from her position and turning her back to Emily, indirectly telling the girl that their conversation was over.
Emily turned around to leave with Spencer in tow. She couldn't believe her problem with Gary is now solved and that Spencer was the one who came up with a solution that involved Paige.
"Thanks for what you did back there." Emily finally said when she and her friend were finally outside the building. She felt like she could breathe easy now.
"Have you eaten? We should grab a late lunch or something to celebrate." Spencer suggested, smiling at her friend.
"Yeah. My treat." Emily offered before taking out her phone from inside her shoulder bag to text Paige. She wanted to spend time with her friend now that they seem to be on good terms again and she was hoping Paige would understand.
"Oh. By the way, you better give Paige a heads up when you get the chance. I did my part so now it's up to you and her to sell the story to Gary that the two of you are dating." Spencer said, laughing. "You might have to practice being her girlfriend though."
"Yeah." Emily uttered, trying to laugh. She couldn't bring herself to tell Spencer the truth because she had a feeling her friend wouldn't find it funny if the girl found out that what she told Gary was true. And that it didn't start during the holiday season. "So what are you in the mood for?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
"Vietnamese." Spencer answered. "There's this restaurant on the corner of Market and Eleventh streets and supposedly the food is great and cheap. We have to take the bus though."
"Lead the way." Emily said gamely and followed Spencer towards the bus stop. While her friend studied the bus schedule, she composed a message to Paige, deciding to talk to the girl about what Spencer told Gary the next time they see each other. For now, she just wanted to say thanks.
Can't make it to lunch. Spence and I are going to grab some Vietnamese food to celebrate my acceptance into MUSE. Rain check?
Emily hurriedly sent her text to Paige and walked over to where her friend stood. She looked at her phone again when she felt it vibrate and read Paige's message.
Sure. Glad the two of you finally made up. And congratulations.
Emily turned her back to Spencer and smiled as she composed a reply.
I know you talked to her earlier. Spencer let it slip. Thank you. I'll see you later in class.
Emily pressed the send button and pocketed her phone just as the bus arrived, unable to wipe the smile off her lips. She and Spencer were in a good place again and her friend and Paige took a step today towards getting along thanks to the latter's initiative to help her out. It's not huge but she hoped it's a start.
"Are you sure you're okay with what Spencer told Gary last week?" Paige asked, glancing at Emily before going up the steps that led to the front entrance of Drew Academy.
"Not really." Emily admitted, torn. She still didn't want to risk being seen around campus with Paige frequently since it could reach her mom if someone from Rosewood sees them and she wouldn't hear the end of it but she had no choice. Spencer already told Gary that she and Paige were together. "But it's not like we have to hold hands all the time. Just when Gary's around." She added as she followed Paige inside the school.
It was Monday afternoon and the two girls, along with the rest of the new members of PennPals, were on their way to meet the kids they would be mentoring for the semester. Paige has been asking that question since Friday night knowing Spencer's solution to the problem wasn't something Emily was comfortable with. The girl decided not to go home during the weekend and she and Paige spent Saturday and Sunday talking about what Spencer said, even trying to come up with another solution to the problem but both of them came up empty. Tomorrow night would be the first time that the two girls would have to show Gary that they're together and Paige was giving Emily the chance to back out and think of a possible last-minute solution to her problem when it came to Gary.
"I'm going to have to pick you up from your meetings starting tomorrow." Paige reminded the girl. "But even if Spencer didn't tell Gary you're seeing me I'd still pick you up anyway."
"Yeah. Except without the handholding and not everytime I have a meeting." Emily pointed out wryly.
"True." Paige said, smiling. "So. I was thinking… maybe we could buy some takeout after this before we head to my apartment. And then after dinner I was hoping..."
"Yeah?" Emily asked, biting her bottom lip nervously.
"Do you... want to sleep over again?" Paige asked timidly as they rounded a corner and followed the rest of PennPals' members to the function hall where they would meet the kids.
Emily nodded. "Yeah. Okay." She said, hoping her cheeks weren't turning red. This was the second time that Paige asked her to sleep over and although she was nervous, she really liked falling asleep next to the girl.
"Good." Paige muttered, biting her bottom lip to keep from grinning. Now she couldn't wait for the day to end.
Emily entered the venue before Paige and she moved to the side to let the girl in. The two of them studied the kids seated on the floor looking up at them with wide, eager eyes, wondering which kid they would get to mentor for an entire semester. The thought of spending time with a kid who would undoubtedly look up to them was a little nerve-wracking. But the two girls were keen to experience being an older sister to someone since both of them grew up without a sibling.
"Like we discussed before we left campus this afternoon, all of these kids have already been assigned a mentor." Tristan, the president of PennPals, said as he stood in front of the group. "We've matched these kids to each of you and today we're giving you a chance to meet your pen pal for the semester. They already know which mentor they're assigned to so wear your name tags. We decided to let the kids surprise you this time so we didn't tell you the name of the kid you're going to mentor. They get to approach you so put a smile on those lips and get to know these awesome kids." He said before approaching the guidance counselor and school principal.
"Okay kids. Time for you to approach your mentors." The younger of the two women said encouragingly and the kids all got up to find their mentors.
Paige bounced on the balls of her feet as she waited for a kid to come up to her. She spotted Brian earlier but she didn't know if the boy was paired to her so she kept her fingers crossed, smiling at each kid who passed by.
"I want chocolate ice cream." Paige looked down when she saw Brian's twinkling eyes staring up at her. The boy waved Paige's name in front of her and she fought the urge to pump her fist in the air.
"Not without dinner first." Paige said, trying to sound stern but smiling at the kid affectionately. She leaned forward and hugged Brian. "I was hoping I'd get you as my pen pal." She admitted when she finally pulled away.
"I asked to be included when Reese told me you planned on joining." Brian whispered, his little fingers cupping his mouth as he leaned towards Paige's ear.
"So what do you want to do today?" Paige asked, eager to spend time with the kid. They only had an hour today to get to know the kid they're mentoring and since she already knew Brian, she figured they could start doing something the boy loved instead.
Paige looked around her and smiled when she noticed that all the kids found their mentors and the room was now filled with lively chatter. Her gaze zeroed in on Emily who was now sitting on the floor cross-legged next to a girl with long blonde hair and pink cheeks.
"What?" Paige asked, returning her attention to Brian when she felt the boy pulling eagerly on the sleeve of the blue UPenn sweatshirt she was wearing.
"Are you friends with that pretty girl?" Brian inquired, pointing to Emily briefly.
Paige nodded. "Yeah. I am. We're good friends. Why do you ask?" She said, giving the boy a curious look.
Brian stared at Emily for a few more seconds before looking at Paige again. "If you two are friends then you should spend more time with her. We should go over to her." He insisted.
Paige furrowed her brows, studying the boy. She looked at Emily, then at the little girl sitting next to Emily before looking at Brian again. "What's her name?" She asked gently.
"Sophia." Brian answered, bringing his hands to his face to cover his cheeks.
Paige smiled and crouched so she and the boy were almost on the same eye level. "Do you want to spend time with Sophia today?" She continued.
Brian nodded. "But only if you and your friend are there. Sophia doesn't know me." He confessed. "She might feel weird if it's just the two of us."
"Okay. Come on. Let's go over there." Paige said, taking Brian's hand and getting up.
"Don't tell her I like her!" Brian pleaded, refusing to move from his spot.
"I won't." Paige promised, raising her right hand to swear. "I got your back. We'll just go over there to introduce ourselves to Sophia, then I'll introduce you to my friend, then the four of us can spend time together. Sounds good?"
"Sounds good." Brian repeated and he finally moved, letting Paige lead the way across the room towards Emily and Sophia. "Don't tell Reese and Billie. They're going to make fun of me." He pleaded, looking up at Paige.
"It's our secret then." Paige said, squeezing the boy's hand lightly. "Tell you what. I'll keep yours if you keep mine." She added, stopping in her tracks when she felt like Brian didn't trust that she'd keep his secret.
"Okay." Brian replied, still looking up at the girl.
Paige crouched again and gestured for Brian to move closer to her. "Not many people know this but that pretty girl with Sophia isn't just my friend. We like each other a lot." She whispered conspiratorially. "So I don't mind spending time with her and Sophia. It's win-win for both of us." Paige continued in her normal voice before getting up again.
"Are you two like Reese and Billie?" Brian asked curiously.
Paige laughed. "Probably not. But we're getting there." She admitted.
"Well get there sooner before someone else does. She's really, really pretty. You have good taste." Brian commented, grinning.
"Back at ya. Sophia's really, really pretty too." Paige said, tousling Brian's hair affectionately. She gave Emily a smile when the girl looked up and saw them approaching. Yeah. She's really, really pretty. Paige thought, her heart hammering when Emily gave her a smile in return that showed off the girl's dimples.
Paige didn't know how long they've been making out on the couch but she wasn't complaining. Right this very second she wished she lived in a vacuum world and that she didn't need air because she didn't want to stop kissing Emily just to breathe. She couldn't quite remember how they got there actually. But after leaving Drew Academy earlier, she remembered that Emily suggested that they swing by Mix to buy pizza for their dinner tonight before heading back to her apartment and she agreed. They've barely finished their first slice when she noticed that Emily had some tomato sauce on the corner of her mouth so she used her thumb to wipe it off, the girl smiled... and then her lips were on Emily's.
And they've never left it since then. Paige thought as she shifted from her position on top of Emily, her right leg sliding in between the girl's. She began to leave a trail of soft kisses along Emily's neck, giving them the chance to come up for air before finding each other's lips again. Paige felt Emily's lips curl into a smile and she returned to kissing the girl's neck, sucking on Emily's pulse point.
"I think we're breaking our own record for longest make out." Emily commented breathlessly.
"Do you want to stop?" Paige asked as she moved to kiss the girl's collarbone.
"No." Emily managed to say before Paige's lips captured hers again. She plunged her tongue deep into the other girl's mouth when Paige parted her lips and she slowly moved her arms, tangling her hands in the girl's soft hair.
Paige was all too aware of Emily's hands on her hair and the feel of the girl's body underneath her and for the first time she felt herself starting to lose the battle with her hormones. Her hand, the one resting lightly on top of Emily's thigh, began to travel upwards; slowly making its way to the hem of Emily's top and Paige's heart began to hammer wildly. Her brain wasn't functioning anymore. She was moving on autopilot and all she knew was that she wanted Emily. Bad. Paige heard herself moan when Emily deepened their kiss and she began to gently lift the girl's top. Her hand slowly made its way under Emily's shirt and when her palm made contact with the girl's warm skin, Paige pressed her body closer to Emily's.
"Paige..." Emily whispered when she felt the girl's palm on her stomach. She disentangled one hand from Paige's hair, her breathing ragged as she moved her hand to the hem of her shirt to stop the girl from going further.
Hearing her name escape from Emily's lips pushed Paige one step closer to losing all pretense of not wanting to do more tonight and she slowly moved her hand further up the girl's shirt, stopping just below Emily's breasts.
"Stop." Emily uttered, a familiar feeling of panic overcoming her. When she felt Paige's fingers graze her bra, Emily uttered the first thing that came to mind. "Jai, stop it."
Paige's eyes snapped open the second she heard her best friend's name and she quickly pulled back to put some distance between her and Emily, getting up into a sitting position before finally deciding to stand up instead.
"I'm sorry." Emily began when she realized what she just said, surprised by the words that came out of her mouth. She got up into a sitting position and tried to fix her top, pulling on the hem of her shirt repeatedly.
"It's fine. It was getting intense anyway." Paige said, her breathing quickly returning to normal as she shook her head.
Emily finally met Paige's eyes and stood up, her brain trying to find the words to explain what just happened. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to call you Jai. I just wanted you to stop and the last time that happened I was with Jai and..."
Paige swallowed hard. Emily was making things worse by saying Jai's name repeatedly. "Em, you don't have to explain. It's fine. It worked. Make out session has been put on stop." She hurriedly interrupted.
They stood in heavy silence, just staring at each other, at a loss as to what to do next but Paige was certain they wouldn't be doing anymore kissing tonight.
"You know what? It's getting late. And I remembered that I have this paper that I need to start working on." Paige said, averting her eyes from Emily. She grabbed her laptop from the coffee table and carried it towards the kitchen countertop. "You should go to sleep. You have an early class tomorrow." She reminded the girl, still not meeting Emily's eyes as she busied herself with plugging the adaptor on the electrical outlet to charge her laptop.
"Paige, I'm really sorry." Emily repeated, willing for the girl to look at her.
"It's fine." Paige said dismissively. She walked past Emily and headed for the coffee table again, pretending to pore through her books that was scattered on the surface of the table.
"No it isn't. It's weird." Emily pointed out, refusing to let the matter drop.
Paige sighed. "Em... please. I don't want to talk about it, okay?" She pleaded, finally looking at the girl.
Emily bit her bottom lip, not knowing how to clean up the mess she just made. She didn't want to sleep in Paige's bed knowing things between them just went from hot to cold in a matter of seconds.
"I'll... um." Emily began, her voice hoarse. "I think I'll go back to Harrison. Sleep there tonight." She finally said. She looked around for her things and walked towards the kitchen countertop when she saw her jacket lying on top of her bag. "My class is nearer there anyway." She continued, her hands trembling as she waited for Paige to stop her. When the other girl didn't, Emily finally made her way towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked, her throat constricting as she opened the door to leave.
Paige nodded. "Yeah." She answered quietly, looking away.
"Okay. Goodnight." Emily uttered, walking outside and closing the door behind her.
Emily leaned against it for a second, hoping Paige would open the door and ask her to stay. But she was quick to realize that those scenarios only happen in movies when she heard the lock click on the other side, the noise it made reaching her ears with resounding finality.
It wasn't fine. Things between her and Paige weren't fine. Emily knew she just screwed up. She hurt Paige's feelings by uttering Jai's name by mistake. The girl didn't stop her from leaving and while she understood that Paige wanted to be left alone, Emily was terrified that the next time they see each other... it would be the last.