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.

Sorry for the late post. Work seriously sucks right now. But I still made it! It's still Friday in some parts of the globe. (It's Saturday morning in mine.)

I swear I'm not trying to kill all of you with feels. But just in case... good luck today. LOL.

And now that I've posted this, I can finally go to sleep while all of you read. Thanks for the reviews!

sampledbeats, EyeOpener16 and Nae10... Thanks for the PM.

PART TWO: "Sic Infit"

~ So it begins. ~

CHAPTER FIVE

Emily struggled to steady her trembling hands as she tried to open the door to her room while fighting back tears. Her vision might still be blurry but she knew that every single person she passed by stared at her with open curiosity because she was drenched from head to toe and to them, she most certainly looked like someone who's on the verge of hysterics. Well they're probably right. Emily thought, cursing when she dropped her keys.

For a second Emily was tempted to start pounding on the door until she remembered that no one's inside. Spencer told her before she left for her exam that her friend was going to have dinner with Connor, their former-schoolmate-turned-Spencer's-college-boyfrie nd. And while Emily wished that her friend could open the door for her because she was impatient to get inside, she felt relieved with the knowledge that she has the place to herself even if it's just for a few hours. With renewed determination, Emily grabbed her keys from the floor and tried searching for the right key to her room, getting annoyed that they all seemed to look the same. She was close to losing it when the door suddenly swung open and she found herself staring into her friend's amused then worried eyes.

"What the hell?!" Spencer exclaimed, stepping aside to let the girl in. "Did you run all the way from the McNeil building?" She asked once she closed the door behind her friend. "Why didn't you wait for the rain to let up?"

Emily realized that she was really counting on getting the room to herself. She wanted to collapse and breakdown in the comfort of her bed once she got inside but she can't do that now because Spencer would undoubtedly ask why she's crying and she didn't want to say those three words out loud. I kissed Paige. Emily bit back a sob and looked around the room for her bath towel, trying to hide her tearstained cheeks from her friend. Good thing she was soaked to the skin that her tears mixed with the rainwater on her face.

"Em. Hey. Did you hear me? Are you okay?" Spencer asked when she noticed how distressed her friend seemed to be. She reached for Emily's bath towel which was hanging on the back of the chair right in front of the girl and handed it to her friend.

"Thanks." Emily said without meeting her friend's eyes. She used the towel to wipe the tears and water off her face, hoping she could carry a conversation with her friend without her voice giving away her current emotional state. "Yeah. I'm okay. I just couldn't wait to get home so I ran all the way back. I thought you said you were going to have dinner with Connor tonight?" She asked, changing the subject as she busied herself with grabbing a change of clothes.

"Yeah. I just came back to grab some stuff. I'm sleeping over at his apartment." Spencer replied while studying her friend closely. "But I can cancel on him if you want company."

Emily shook her head. "It's fine. I'll probably just crash after I take a shower anyway. You should go." She urged, taking off her jacket and removing its contents before putting it in the hamper. "I'm fine." She insisted when she felt her friend's eyes on her. Emily forced herself to meet Spencer's eyes and gave the girl a smile. "Go be with Connor. I want details in the morning." She managed to say teasingly.

"Okay. I guess I'll just see you tomorrow then." Spencer said, grabbing her overnight bag on top of her bed before heading out, locking the door behind her as she did so.

Emily stood in the empty room, the smile on her lips disappearing. She stared at her phone on the study table and felt her heart lurch when it started vibrating and she saw Paige's face on the display screen. She kept her eyes on the girl's smile for a few seconds before looking away, heading for the bathroom when she felt her throat constrict. Once she was inside the small space, Emily found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror in front of her and when her eyes drifted to the locket, she felt her knees buckle, sending her crashing on the floor in a heap. Emily tried shutting everything out but it was no use. The memory of what just happened came rushing back to her so vividly that she couldn't breathe.

"Jai." Emily whispered brokenly, her hand gripping the locket on her necklace. "I'm so sorry."

Emily slowly drew her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on top of it, weeping as the memory of Paige's soft lips moving urgently against hers played in her head over... and over... and over again.

"This is Emily. Sorry but I can't answer your call right now. Feel free to leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can." Paige sighed and ended the call again. She's been trying to call Emily ever since the girl ran away from her but Emily won't answer her calls. What did you expect anyway? She thought wryly.

Paige inserted the key to her apartment door and stepped inside the dark room, turning on the dim hallway light before heading for her bedroom. She was cold, confused and elated all at the same time. Never in her life has a first kiss made her feel this way. And her drenched clothes were starting to cling to her body so she was uncomfortable on top of it all. Paige deposited her keys and cellphone on the bureau and took off her leather jacket and her soggy sneakers and socks before grabbing her bath towel and heading for the bathroom, stopping in her tracks when her gaze landed on her phone again.

It was a miracle, really. That her phone's still in perfect working condition despite being drenched under the rain with her. Paige grabbed it before she changed her mind and dialed Emily's number. Might as well leave her a message.

"Em." Paige began when she heard the beep. "Hey. Are you okay? Did you get home safe?" She asked, fidgeting with the hem of her top. "Please call me. Or text me. I just want to make sure you're safe." She continued. She took a deep breath before speaking again. "Em... we need to talk about what happened. Please." Paige said before ending the call and returning her phone on the bureau.

I guess that kiss just answered my question as to why she's been avoiding me all day. But now comes the confusing part for her. Because while Paige enjoyed it tremendously, the mind-blowing kiss raised more questions for her. Like why did Emily kiss me tonight? Not that I'm complaining. But yeah. It wouldn't hurt to know the reason why. Was it a spur of the moment thing? Or has Emily been feeling something for me lately? She stared at her phone, willing it to ring or alert her of an incoming message from Emily. But her phone stayed silent.

Paige sighed and reluctantly made her way to the bathroom, hanging her bath towel on the stainless steel towel holder before starting to undress, relieved to be able to finally get out of her wet clothes. She stepped underneath the showerhead and turned the knob, basking in the warmth of the water while she stood unmoving. The feel of the water against her skin, though warm, reminded her of what just happened and a smile tore across her lips. Emily Fields just kissed me. And I kissed her back.

Two hours later, Emily is in her cotton pajamas and loose shirt, fresh from taking a shower but her eyes were puffy and red for crying the entire time she was doing so. She was relieved that Spencer didn't change her mind and the girl wasn't in the room when she got out of the bathroom. She didn't want her friend to start asking questions she can't answer.

Emily deposited her wet clothes in the hamper and made a mental note to wash them tomorrow morning before turning off the lights and heading to her bed to try and get some sleep. She grabbed her phone from her study table and saw that there were several missed calls and text messages from Paige, all of them asking if she's okay and if they could talk about what happened. She deleted all of the messages as she sat on the edge of her bed before placing her phone on the bedside table, her gaze drifting to the photo of her and Jai. She looked away, ashamed. Pulling the bed covers, Emily tucked herself in and closed her eyes but her mind won't rest.

She stared at the ceiling, starting to grow restless and she began tossing and turning in her bed, trying to erase from her mind what just happened. She closed her eyes again but opened them abruptly when she saw Paige's face and found herself staring at the photo on her bedside table again. She didn't know what to think. What came over her. Why she liked it so much. Kissing Paige. If Jai didn't cross her mind at that moment she would've let that kiss go on. She wanted it to go on. She swallowed hard, trying to control the pounding of her heart and she turned her back on the photo, ashamed of what was going through her mind right now.

Emily thought she was doing a good job of fighting her feelings for Paige. But tonight there was something about the girl that she found irresistible and when her lips grazed Paige's, she knew she wanted more than just a brief, accidental contact. She wanted to feel Paige's lips moving against hers. So she kissed her. And when Paige kissed her back her brain immediately shut down and it made her feel lightheaded and reeling from the sensation. The kiss was mind-blowingly good. Jai never kissed her that way because her girlfriend always held back.

Paige's kiss was different. With just a kiss she felt how much Paige wanted her. The instant the girl kissed her back she felt just how much Paige wanted her and it made her scared but inexplicably giddy that someone could want her so much. That Paige wanted her so much. Paige's kiss couldn't hide the desire the girl felt for her. Emily brought her fingers to her mouth and traced her lips, her heart hammering at the memory of Paige pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. She closed her eyes, distressed.

I want to kiss her again.

"This is our year, people!" Paige barely paid attention to the speech Reese was giving at the front of the bus as she watched the passing scenery from the window absentmindedly. They were on their way to State College for the NCAA Regional Championships and she knew she had to pay attention to what her team captain was saying but she couldn't focus. Not when Emily still hasn't returned any of her phone calls and never replied to any of her messages.

Paige sighed and averted her gaze from the window, taking out one of her hands from inside the pockets of the blue UPenn sweatshirt Emily gave her to check her phone for the umpteenth time. She had been doing this every five minutes or so, even if her phone is on vibrate and she was holding on to it. When she saw that there were still no messages, she reluctantly returned to staring outside the window, not bothering to return her phone inside the pocket. She really wanted to talk to the girl.

Last night after her shower, Paige tried going to sleep knowing she has an early day today but she ended up tossing and turning in her bed, reliving every second of her first kiss with Emily. From the moment the girl's lips accidentally brushed hers up until the girl pulled away from her. Her mind chose not to register the words Emily said. This didn't happen. She couldn't just accept that. She refused to.

That's why she was late getting to Franklin Field this morning. If it hadn't been for Reese's phone call, she would've missed the championship today and she wouldn't hear the end of it from the girl and Coach Steve, and her teammates will probably loathe her for as long as she lived. Paige thought being the last person to arrive at the meeting place was enough to serve as a wakeup call and get her to focus on the competition instead of Emily but once she boarded the bus, her thoughts drifted to the girl once more.

Against her better judgment, Paige dialed Emily's number again despite knowing that her call would go straight to voicemail. She knew that Emily didn't want to talk to her but she was more stubborn than she cared to admit.

"Hey. It's me... again." Paige began when she heard the beep. "I know you're probably annoyed by now. But can we please talk? I'm headed back to UPenn this afternoon. I know you're not going home this weekend 'cos you have that swim meet tomorrow morning. So please? Call me back or text me." She begged before ending the call and staring at the display screen dejectedly.

"So what did you think?" Reese asked as she went back to her seat beside Paige, looking at the girl expectantly.

"What did I think..." Paige repeated, buying herself some time while she racked her brain, trying to remember anything about Reese's speech but she came up empty. She was earning her second strike against the girl and they haven't even reached their destination. With her luck, Reese would rally the entire team to make her run the rest of the way if she didn't come up with something. "You mean about your speech?" She asked, pretending to be confused.

Reese nodded. "Yeah. About my speech. I was kinda nervous saying things like patriotism, nationalism, world peace. But I think everyone got my message. I really think I got my point across. They're all onboard with it. Especially the part where I said that we are all heroes in the making." She said eagerly.

"Um... yeah. I definitely liked hearing those things. They were inspiring." Paige lied, choosing to agree to all the things the girl said just now even if they didn't make any sense. Wrong move.

"That's it. Hand it over." Reese commanded, extending a hand towards Paige. "Hand your phone over. I'm confiscating it. You'll get it back after the meet." She explained, gesturing for Paige to give her what she's asking for.

Paige moved the phone away from Reese. "What? Why?" She asked, her hand instinctively gripping the object tighter like she was holding on for dear life.

"Newbie, do you seriously think that I'm the kind of person who makes speeches about world peace?!" Reese asked incredulously. "I was testing you to see if you heard any of the things I said. Guess what? You failed. Give me that phone." She repeated.

"No." Paige replied, shaking her head vehemently.

"Paige, you need to focus on the meet. Not Emily." Reese reminded the girl sternly.

"I am focused." Paige insisted.

Reese gave the girl a disbelieving look. "You're checking your phone every five minutes and making calls. Don't think I haven't noticed." She pointed out. "You're not focused. And I need you focused today. So does the team. This is supposed to be a team effort."

"I know that." Paige said, getting embarrassed for being reprimanded. "I was the captain of our swim team in high school, Reese. I know how much it matters that we function like a well-oiled machine."

"So you know what I'm talking about. You were a leader once. If you were a good leader you must've been a good follower. Now I'm telling you. Hand me that phone." Reese ordered without any trace of amusement in her voice.

"Come on. I'll just keep it in my bag. I promise I won't look at it again until after the meet. Ease up." Paige said, nudging the girl lightly. Reese was always laughing and making weird antics whenever they're together so the girl being this serious was unnerving.

"Paige, I'm not kidding." Reese said, her lips set in a grim line. "On any other day I'm your friend. But right now I'm talking to you as your team captain. I was chosen to be the leader for a reason and I take my responsibility to this team seriously. Now hand me that phone." She repeated, extending her hand further towards the girl.

Paige finally did as she was told and handed her phone to the other girl. "Emily kissed me last night." She confessed, watching Reese slip her phone inside the girl's duffel bag. "Emily kissed me then she ran away." Paige said, looking at her friend helplessly.

Reese nodded. "We'll talk after the meet." She promised, giving Paige a reassuring smile.

Emily moved the phone away from her ear once she was done listening to all of Paige's voicemails since last night, drawing her knees to her chest as she sat on her bed on a rainy Friday morning. She turned her head to stare at the windows and when she saw the rain pouring outside, she hastily got up and drew the curtains close before going back to bed and running a hand wearily through her hair.

"Whoa. Ease up on the curtains, Catwoman. You mad at the rain or something?" Spencer asked teasingly as she entered their room with two cups of coffee and closed the door behind her. "Here. This might cheer you up."

"Thanks." Emily said as she reached for the cup of coffee and gave her friend a faint smile. She wrapped her hands around the cup, the heat of the beverage warming her cold hands. "I think I owe you dozens of coffee now. How can I repay you?"

Spencer shook her head. "Don't mention it. Although... if you really insist on paying me back you can do so by going with me to the party the Sigma Deltas are throwing Thursday next week." She suggested, looking at her friend from behind the rim of her cup as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Spence..." Emily protested, not exactly in the mood to go to a sorority party.

"Come on. It's part of the whole college experience. We got invited by Amanda." Spencer added, referring to one of their floormates. "And you're the one who asked how you could repay me. I just answered your question."

"Then ask something else. I can get you coffee everyday starting Monday." Emily offered. "I'm just not in a mood to party."

"Em, the party's on Thursday next week. Not tonight. How could you possibly know that you're not going to be in the mood by then?" Spencer asked, amused.

"I just do." Emily insisted.

"Come on. Please? We haven't gone to a party other than that PennFest and that was in August and hardly a party. You said you don't have exams next week. I don't either. So it really is the perfect week for us to go to a party." Spencer explained. "We won't stay for long."

"Why didn't you ask Connor to go with you?" Emily replied. "You spent the night at his place and you didn't tell him about it? You know that guy's crazy about you. He would've said yes." She pointed out. She still couldn't get over the fact that the guy Spencer has been drooling over in high school secretly harbored feelings for her friend for years.

"I did tell him. But I decided I needed a break from his perfect washboard abs. I mean, those babies can still cut through diamonds but guess what? I don't have any lying around." Spencer complained, making Emily smile. "Plus he said his team has a friendly basketball game scheduled that night with some guys from Princeton although I don't see anything friendly about that." She said wryly. "By the time he's done he's going to be too tired to go to the party. But he promised to pick us up though. So come on. I want to go to that party with my oldest friend. Please?"

"Fine." Emily conceded, making Spencer hug her briefly. "My coffee!" She exclaimed, moving the hot beverage away from her friend.

"I'll get you another one. I'll get you as many as you want!" Spencer offered gamely before heading to her side of the room. She sat on the edge of her bed and continued drinking her coffee, her eyes studying Emily thoughtfully from behind the rim of the cup. Just minutes ago her friend seemed to be in a cheery mood. But now Emily was back to being distracted. She glanced at the pile of wet clothes on Emily's hamper and debated whether to ask her friend the question that's bugging her. "Em?"

Emily tore her eyes away from the photo on her bedside table and looked at her friend. "Yeah?" She replied, trying to sound upbeat.

"What really happened to you last night?" Spencer asked softly. "When you got here you looked upset. Did something happen?"

Emily shook her head. She didn't want to tell anyone about the kiss just yet. Especially her friends. "No. Nothing happened. The exam was really hard so I was in a foul mood already. Then when I got out of the building I saw that there was a heavy downpour and just my luck I didn't bring an umbrella..." Emily's lips continued to move as she recounted to Spencer her version of her experience last night, seemingly working in autopilot because her mind was somewhere else. It was back to that moment when she stepped out of the building and saw Paige standing outside.

What are you doing here?

Waiting for you.

Come on. I'll walk you home.

"...I know I could've just waited for the rain to let up. I should've. But most of my classmates were already heading home and I didn't want to be left behind so I decided to brave the weather by myself." Emily lied, swallowing hard when she remembered Paige's hand on her back as they walked, her stomach fluttering when she recalled the moment Paige wrapped her arm around her waist.

Careful.

Here. You stay on this side of the pavement.

Watch it.

"...then once I got to the intersection I couldn't cross it just yet. There were cars passing by so I had to wait until it was safe to cross the street." Emily continued, her pulse beginning to race.

She 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 and she felt herself leaning in for more...

"...by the time I was able to cross it I was drenched and shivering. That's why when I got here I seemed upset." Emily finally finished, looking away. "But I'm fine now. That shower I took last night and the sleep I just had made me feel better."

"Then why are your cheeks flushed?" Spencer pointed out. "Are you sure you're okay? You might be coming down with a fever." She said worriedly.

"I'm not." Emily reassured her friend as she touched her cheeks self-consciously. "Must be because I'm holding a hot cup of coffee and considering I'm a little cold it warmed me up."

"I guess that explains why you pulled at those curtains earlier like it was your enemy when you saw the rain outside." Spencer said, apparently buying Emily's story as she gave her friend an amused smile. "You were mad at the rain, not the curtains."

Emily nodded. "Precisely." She replied, smiling back at her friend despite the guilt she was feeling for lying.

"Well I should probably take a shower first since my class is in thirty." Spencer said before getting up and throwing the empty cup in the wastebasket on her way to the bathroom.

"I'll just finish my coffee while I wait for you." Emily said in agreement, pointing to the cup she was holding when her friend looked at her.

Emily waited for Spencer to close the bathroom door once she was inside before placing the cup of coffee on her bedside table. Her gaze immediately returned to the photo of her and Jai and her hand instinctively clasped the locket on her necklace as she stared at the object pensively.

"I'm telling you. Don't do this." Reese said as she followed Paige who was currently walking determinedly towards the direction of the Pottruck Center to go to the Sheerr Pool on a Saturday morning.

"I just want to see her swim. I feel like it's been ages since I last saw her in the pool and it's her first meet as a Quaker." Paige explained, taking the steps two at a time until she reached the entrance to the building.

Reese acted before Paige could get inside, grabbing the girl by the arm and forcing Paige to face her. "Exactly. Nothing good will come out of this. You're going to distract her if you show up unannounced." She pointed out.

"She won't know I'm here." Paige promised, shrugging off Reese's hand and turning around to grab the door handle but Reese was too fast for her.

"Paige, come on. Hear me out." Reese implored, stepping beside the girl and placing her hand on the door so Paige couldn't pull it open. "You need to give Emily time."

"I am. Like I said, I won't show myself." Paige repeated. "I just want you to see how amazing she is when she's in her element." She added, the pride evident in her voice.

"Oh I don't have to see that. I believe you in all things Emily." Reese answered wryly.

"Come on. You don't have any plans. Billie cancelled on you." Paige said, releasing her grip on the door handle and following Reese to the side when she noticed that they were blocking the entrance.

"Yes. Thanks for that reminder." Reese shot back, still annoyed that her girlfriend cancelled their plans at the last minute. They were supposed to spend their weekend together but Billie said something about going on a camping trip with her little brother. An activity Reese would gladly go to if it meant spending more time with Brian and her girlfriend but Billie said no, citing it was a 'family activity.'

"Sorry." Paige said sheepishly. "I just brought it up because I wanted to remind you that you're the one who called to ask if I have plans today."

"And by plans I meant doing something exciting so I can tag along." Reese clarified exasperatedly.

"Swim meets are exciting." Paige said with so much conviction that Reese ended up laughing.

"You're just saying that because Emily's there." Reese pointed out wryly. "I don't see the excitement in swimming in a straight line back and forth. But if you add sharks in the pool though... maybe I'll watch." She said, causing Paige to stare at her disbelievingly. "Oh come on. Swimming in shark-infested waters? Now that's exciting. Let's just skip the swim meet and go somewhere fun. Let's go shopping!" She suggested eagerly.

"Shopping? That's your idea of fun? That's not really my thing." Paige admitted, making a face. "And that's hardly exciting. I'd rather watch a swim meet than walk around the mall."

"Okay. How about we have a compromise then? I'll go watch the swim meet with you if you agree to go shopping with me after." Reese suggested. "I need something awesome to wear for that sorority party on Thursday. I need to look hot."

Paige gave the girl a confused look. "You're already hot." She said matter-of-factly, not really seeing the need for Reese to turn it up another notch.

Reese brought her hand to her chest, seemingly touched. "Aww, newbie. Thanks!" She exclaimed, pretending to hold back tears of joy. "That's like, the first actual compliment you gave me since we've known each other. It means a lot."

"Don't get used to it." Paige muttered, rolling her eyes at Reese's acting.

"Do we have a deal or not?" Reese asked, turning serious again. "Your boring swim meet for my fun shopping? Or you can just call Kayla and ask her to come with you."

Paige shook her head. "I don't want to bring Kayla into this. Not until I talk to Emily." She admitted. This was something she needed to figure out with the girl first. "And that swim meet is not boring!"

Reese smiled. "I guess we have a deal then. Okay. Let's go sit through a swim meet with no sharks." She said reluctantly, leading the way inside with an eager Paige not far behind.

"Actually, our swim team in high school was called the Rosewood Sharks. So technically there's a shark in those waters today and her name's Emily." Paige explained, her mood significantly better.

"Whatever." Reese shot back dismissively. "I doubt she's out for blood."

"You'll change your mind once you see her swim." Paige said confidently, excited to see how much Emily has improved since she last saw the girl compete.

"Will you be joining us?" Emily glanced behind her as she exited the Sheer Pool later that day to see who was talking to her. She smiled when she saw that it was Cesca, one of her teammates and a fellow freshman she's gotten close to. "Some of us are going to celebrate our win against Cornell. Get some lunch." She continued.

Emily shook her head. "I think I'll pass. I want to get some sleep. But thanks for inviting me." She said as she continued making her way towards the exit. She just wanted to go back to her room and lock herself in for the rest of the weekend. Going out meant there was a risk of running into Paige accidentally and she was trying to avoid everything Paige-related right now.

"Okay. Well there's a party tonight at Doobie's." Cesca persisted. "It's a dive bar in Rittenhouse Square and so far everybody's coming." She pointed out as she walked beside Emily, the rest of their teammates not far behind. "Will we see you there?"

"Rittenhouse Square. Is that near Chestnut Street by any chance?" Emily asked anxiously.

"It's a five-minute walk. Why?" Cesca replied, giving Emily a curious look.

"No reason. Um, I'm not sure I can make it to that one either. But I'll try." Emily hurriedly added when she saw the disappointment in the girl's eyes. Great. Now my teammates probably think I'm a snob for refusing to join them.

"Come on. You're the reason we won against Cornell today. You should come." Cesca coaxed.

"It was a team effort, Ces." Emily corrected the girl, refusing to take all the credit for their win. "I promise I'll try."

Cesca nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna hold you to that." She said, giving the girl a grin just as they reached the main entrance before pushing the doors open.

Emily followed the rest of her teammates as they headed outside, about to say goodbye when she saw Paige hanging around by the Pottruck Center entrance with Reese. She told her. She told Reese I kissed her. Why else would Reese stand waiting for me with her? She felt humiliated. Emily stayed behind, letting her teammates walk in front of her as she studied the two girls.

Neither of them has seen her yet. With her hands inside the pockets of the blue UPenn sweatshirt she gave her, Paige was leaning casually against the handrail that was in the middle of the steps while Reese stood in front of her. The other girl was making some hand gestures which clearly pertained to swimming since Reese was in the middle of doing a butterfly stroke before pretending to drown, her antics making the corners of Paige's mouth curl up into a smile, like always. Emily knew they weren't just standing there waiting for her. They were just inside. Paige must've convinced Reese to come watch the meet with her after she boasted to the girl that I made the first move and that I was all over her. This is what she was afraid of. Now Paige couldn't wait to show Reese how much the girl could make her flustered. Well Emily isn't going to let that happen.

"You know what? I think I'll go have lunch with you guys." Emily said, grabbing Cesca by the arm to catch the girl's attention.

"Great! Let's go." Cesca replied before linking one arm around Emily's so they could walk side by side. "Hey ladies! Our star swimmer just agreed to have lunch with us!" She announced to the rest of her teammates, inadvertently catching the attention of Paige and Reese.

Emily turned her head away from the two girls when she saw them look towards their group. Paige knew she was there and the girl was waiting to catch a glimpse of her. As she descended the steps and passed by Paige and Reese, she pretended she was engaged in an animated conversation with her teammates, laughing with Cesca even if she had no idea what was so funny. She was aware that Paige's eyes were following her. The girl wanted to talk but she wasn't ready. And she doesn't know if she'll ever be. Once she and her teammates rounded the corner of 37th and Walnut Streets, she knew Paige couldn't see her anymore so she unlinked her arm from Cesca's and hastily took out her phone from inside her duffel bag, searching her phonebook for a certain number before hitting the call button.

"Hey, Kit." Emily said in greeting once her co-worker came on the line. "I know this is kind of sudden but I was wondering if you could trade shifts with me at the café? Turns out I'm going to be really busy in the afternoons so I need to work on a later shift. Yeah. I'm totally fine with the closing hours. This Monday. Okay. Thanks."

Emily ended the call and hurriedly caught up to her teammates before they crossed Sansom Street. Working the late shift at the café meant staying until past one in the morning. Between swim practice and her studies, she knew she was going to have a tough week ahead of her. But if it meant that Paige won't get the chance to corner her then she's willing to lose sleep and make the sacrifice.

"Come on, Reese. I'll pay for your coffee this time." Paige promised as she pulled the door open and led the way inside Café Prima on Monday afternoon, hoping to see Emily looking gorgeous in that old apron of hers. She headed straight for the loveseat she and Reese always occupied and deposited her duffel bag without sitting down. "I'll even order for us." She offered.

"Well order them to go. We need to get you started on reviewing for that Calculus exam of yours." Reese reminded the girl. "Find Emily and just get it over with."

Paige rolled her eyes before making her way to the counter, looking around the café for any sign of Emily but she didn't see the girl anywhere. She checked the time on her watch. Maybe she's at the back. "Hi." She said in greeting, smiling at the barista once she was standing in front of the counter. She glanced at the nameplate. "Kit." She continued.

Kit looked up from the magazine she was browsing and smiled at Paige apologetically. "Hi. I'm sorry. I'll be with you soon." She said, closing the magazine and putting it away.

Paige shook her head. "It's fine. I was actually wondering if Emily's here." She admitted, getting straight to the point. Reese was going to kill her if she wasted more of the girl's time when it came to Emily.

"Em? No. She asked to change shifts with me last weekend. She's not coming in for work until nine." Kit replied. "Can I get you anything?"

"Yeah." Paige said, momentarily forgetting why she was there as her mind tried to process what Kit just told her. "Um... just a bottle of apple juice and a cup of brewed coffee to go." Paige finally managed to say, taking out her wallet to pay for the purchases. "Thanks." She said when the girl handed her the change.

"I'll tell Emily you stopped by if you want. You're her friend. Right? I recognize you. You and Reese are regulars here." Kit said as she looked past Paige and raised a hand in greeting towards the girl seated on the loveseat. "She and I have been floormates since freshman year." She added, returning her attention to Paige. "How did you two meet?"

"Reese? Oh. She almost ran me over with her bike one morning a few months ago. Then later that afternoon turns out she's the captain of the women's track team so she's the boss of me." Paige explained offhandedly.

Kit laughed. "I can see why Reese took a liking to you. You guys sound the same." She pointed out. "So. Any message for Emily you want me to pass along?"

"Uh, no. You don't have to tell her I stopped by. I'll just talk to her when we see each other. I was just surprised she wasn't here." Paige replied, hoping Kit won't bring this up once the girl sees Emily later. She knew that Emily was going to avoid her all the more if the girl found out that she's been asking for her when it was obvious that the girl didn't want to bring other people into it. She grabbed the cup of coffee and her apple juice and made her way back to the loveseat.

"Well?" Reese asked when Paige sat next to her.

"Emily changed shifts." Paige said dejectedly. She ran a hand through her hair and leaned back on the couch. "She won't come in for work until nine." She continued, biting her bottom lip as she stared at Reese uncertainly.

"Oh no way! I know that look, newbie." Reese said accusingly, pointing a finger to the girl's face and making a circling motion to exaggerate her point. "Please tell me you don't plan on sitting here for five hours just to wait for her." She asked, looking at Paige incredulously. When the girl didn't say anything, she turned her body to face Paige. "Newbie. Listen to me. I know it's frustrating. This thing happened between you two. Something you've wanted for years and the fact that she initiated it makes it all the more amazing for you. But that's for you." She emphasized. "This is entirely new to her. You can't expect Emily to just jump into a relationship with you especially with your history…"

"My history?" Paige interjected, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"Your history with Emily and dating girls." Reese clarified. "You didn't spend all those years just pining over her, right? You tried dating other girls?" She asked. When Paige nodded, she continued. "Well there you go. The two of you have this complicated history and the fact that you're her girlfriend's best friend doesn't really help matters. There's a lot of baggage to sort through right there."

"I know that. And I'm not expecting us to be a couple right away. I just want to talk." Paige explained, starting to peel the label of her juice in her anxiousness.

Reese sighed. "Yeah. You want to talk. But she's not ready. She's probably freaking out and trying to make sense of things right now. You need to respect that. Don't pressure her." She advised.

"But what if she never wanted to talk? What am I supposed to do then?" Paige asked, looking at Reese with worried eyes.

"You don't know that yet. Give her a few days. Maybe a week. Then try talking to her again. Just not today." Reese said, getting up. She looked down at Paige when the girl refused to stand up as well. "You know there's a reason she changed shifts. She expects you to take the hint. Come on. Let's go to my room so you can ace that Calculus exam of yours tomorrow. Then help me pick an outfit for that party on Thursday."

Paige finally reluctantly got up and slowly lifted her duffel bag off the floor, her pace making Reese clap her hands three times to urge the girl to move faster.

"Oh my god, newbie. Hustle up! You're making me consider replacing you with a snail next semester. You're supposed to be a freaking runner." Reese cajoled, trying to improve Paige's mood. When that didn't work, she moved to give Paige a brief hug, much to the other girl's surprise. "Let's go. Trust me. She'll talk to you when she's ready."

Emily emerged from the side entrance of the 1973 wing of the Chemistry Labs on a Wednesday morning, stepping to the side to let other people pass as she fixed the books she was carrying. Her Calculus class isn't until eleven but she wanted to get to Cohen Hall early so she could relax for a bit. She was about to cross 34th Street when she looked up and saw Paige waiting for her near the steps. The sight of the girl was enough to make Emily's palms sweat. She had been trying to avoid Paige since Friday, even taking side entrances and back exits to all of her classes just to make sure Paige won't see her. But the girl apparently figured her out. She purposefully walked towards Paige, her pulse racing but she kept her expression neutral.

"You don't know how to take a hint, do you?" Emily said, not bothering to hide her annoyance as she walked past the girl, trying to put some distance between them.

"I just want to talk." Paige called out after Emily before standing up straight and following the girl.

"And I don't. Hence the whole point of avoiding you." Emily pointed out, quickening her pace as she headed for the intersection, not bothering to look behind her.

"It's been a week. We need to talk about it." Paige said, trying to catch up to the girl.

"Why? What happened was a fluke. A mistake. It won't happen again." Emily insisted as she crossed the street, barely fighting the urge to make a dash for it.

Paige ran after Emily, determined not to let the opportunity pass. "So what? You're just going to avoid me until we graduate?" She asked incredulously. When the girl just kept walking, she quickened her pace so they were finally walking side by side. "Em, come on. Don't say it was a mistake. Hey." She said as she firmly grabbed Emily's arm, forcing the girl to face her. "It wasn't a mistake. Kissing you will never be a mistake. Not when I've been wanting to do that for quite some time." She admitted, forcing the girl to meet her gaze.

"Paige just forget about it." Emily said pleadingly, looking away.

Paige shook her head. "I can't. I don't want to. I tried, Em. But I can't stop thinking about you." She confessed earnestly. "Please. I've liked you for a while now. In a completely non-platonic way. I like you a lot. I think we should see where things go." Paige said, her voice hoarse.

Emily stared at the girl in disbelief. "What?! It was just a kiss, Paige. Don't get ahead of yourself." She reprimanded the girl. Her brain was still trying to process what she did. She couldn't possibly say yes to dating Paige. It just felt wrong on so many levels.

"Why? You can't honestly tell me that you didn't feel anything when I kissed you back. When we were kissing. This isn't one-sided." Paige insisted, releasing her grip on Emily's arm. She was giving the girl the choice to run away or hear what she has to say. "I know you're attracted to me. Just like I am to you. You wouldn't have kissed me like that if you weren't. You don't go around kissing someone like that and then expect them to forget. It was mind-blowing."

Emily's pulse raced at Paige's words. Apparently she wasn't the only one who thought the kiss was amazing. But she still didn't want to talk about it. She sighed as she wearily ran a hand through her hair. "Can we do this some other time? I really need to go. I'm going to be late for my class." She lied. Right now she feels as if she's never going to be ready to talk or figure things out between them. She just wished Paige would get it and not be so stubborn.

"Please just say you'll think about it." Paige asked, unable to hide her feelings.

"Paige... it's still Jai." Emily admitted, looking at the girl apologetically.

Paige nodded. "I know. But I can wait. I don't mind waiting." She promised, telling herself not to get her hopes up too soon but she couldn't help it. "We can take things slow. Just say you'll think about it." She repeated.

"Fine. I'll think about it. But I need time." Emily finally confessed. She didn't want to have to keep looking behind her while walking around campus, paranoid that she'd run into the girl. "You need to give me space."

"Okay. I won't bother you again." Paige swore, taking a small step back. "Take all the time you need."

Sure that the girl won't follow her anymore, Emily nodded and walked away from Paige, taking a couple of steps before turning around when she remembered something. "Did you tell Kayla?" She asked anxiously.

Paige shook her head. "No. I know you'd freak out if I did and it's actually none of her business." She explained. "I haven't told anyone."

"Other than Reese." Emily shot back. "Well I was just making sure. After all, it's none of Reese's business too but that didn't exactly stop you from telling her and humiliating me." She said accusingly.

"What? Em, I don't... kiss and tell." Paige insisted. "I just needed someone to talk to. I didn't tell her to humiliate you. Why would I do that?"

"Just... don't tell anyone else okay?" Emily said, frustrated.

"Okay." Paige repeated, her hand making a zipping gesture on her lips before throwing away the non-existent key.

"Thanks." Emily said before finally leaving. So much for being able to relax before my class. Now I'm going to spend the rest of the day trying not to think of Paige again.

Paige gracefully dismounted her bike on Thursday afternoon despite knowing that she was going to be late. Her dad was in the city for a meeting and he called her out of the blue, telling her to go to a certain address. When she got there, she was surprised to see that it was a car dealership. Once her dad stepped out of the building and smiled at her, she immediately knew why she was there. She was finally getting a car. But it wasn't until tomorrow afternoon and she had to come back to pick it up. Paige didn't care though. She was just glad about getting her own car and was pleasantly surprised that she saw her dad on a weekday and because of that she lost track of time. Now she was late for her MGMT100 class. She'd probably end up sitting on the front row since any hope of Emily saving a seat for her vanished when the girl told her yesterday that she needed time.

As Paige crouched to hastily lock her bike on one of the racks beside Huntsman Hall, a movement to her left caught her eye and she was just in time to see Emily disappear inside the building. Apparently the girl was planning to sit in the front row as well. Paige sighed and stood up slowly. Now she's really going to be late. She had to head to her class in a normal pace to make sure that Emily gets there first. Paige ambled to the side entrance and took the stairs one at a time until she reached the third floor, just in time to see Emily enter the room and she increased her pace once she was sure that the girl has gone inside. At least there's still a chance that she won't be late.

"Oof! Sorry." Paige muttered when she entered the lecture hall and bumped into Emily's back. She didn't realize that the girl was still standing near the door.

Emily reluctantly turned around to face Paige. "It's fine. You're just getting here too?" She asked, taking a small step back to put some distance between them. She was busy checking to see if Paige was already inside the room that she didn't consider the possibility that the girl hasn't arrived yet.

Paige nodded. "Yeah. My dad's in town and he surprised me. He just bought me a car." She admitted as she fidgeted with the strap of her messenger bag.

"Oh. Wow." Emily uttered. It was only a week but it felt like she and Paige haven't talked to each other in months. She didn't know what was going on in the girl's life. "So you drove here?"

"No. I rode my bike. I won't get the car until tomorrow afternoon." Paige replied. They stared at each other, not knowing what to say next. "We should probably find seats." She finally suggested, looking past the girl and around the lecture hall. "Do you want to sit in front or at the back?"

"What?" Emily asked, looking behind her to see what Paige was referring to.

"For the lecture. There are few seats left. You can take the front, I can take the back. Or vice versa. You choose." Paige offered.

Emily turned around to face Paige. "I'll take the back." She decided.

Paige could've easily suggested that they sit on the same row since there were seats available at the front and back and Emily appreciated the girl's conscious effort to keep the promise she made yesterday about giving her time. Paige is now giving her space as well.

"Okay. That means I'm sitting in front. My turn to get called for recitation I guess. Wish me luck with Nomad." Paige stage whispered, giving Emily a small smile before walking past the girl and taking a seat next to their favorite guy.

"You get me as your seatmate today, buddy. Remember me?" Emily heard Paige tell the guy flippantly and she bit her bottom lip to hide her smile before heading for the back of the room. Paige will be okay. Emily reassured herself. Looks like she's really fine with waiting.

When she was aware that Emily wasn't watching her anymore, Paige took a deep breath and wiped the smile off her lips, stressed out. She took out her notebook and a pen from inside her bag once their professor entered the room, steeling herself for an hour and a half of possibly being called several times to give her opinion on the lecture. With her luck, she's going to end up stammering and struggling to give a coherent answer, sure that her mind will be on Emily for the rest of the day.

That night, Emily entered the Sigma Deltas' sorority house on Walnut Street, fixing her purple asymmetrical top while trying to keep up with Spencer. She navigated her way around the crowd of partygoers as they moved in time to the music blasting on the speakers, using her slow progress across the room to take in her surroundings. So this is what a college party feels like.

"Ladies. I'm so glad you made it." Emily and Spencer turned around and found themselves standing face-to-face with their floormate. "Pretty huge turnout, right?" Amanda said, gesturing to the crowd.

"Yeah. I can't hear myself think." Emily managed to say above the noise. This party is just what she needed to forget Paige for one night. "Thanks for inviting us."

"No problem. Drinks are at the back. Enjoy." Amanda said before being whisked away by a tall guy sporting a crew cut.

"I guess we're on our own then!" Spencer shouted when the volume of the music was turned up. She grabbed Emily's hand loosely and led the way inside.

Emily casually scanned the crowd as they headed deeper into the jam-packed room, aware that her friend was making a beeline for the drinks table. Her heart began to hammer when her gaze landed on a certain girl in the room. She felt her stomach flutter but she kept her expression neutral. It can't be. There are other parties tonight. Why is she here?

"I need a drink, Em. Come on. Let's head towards the back." Spencer said as she pushed her way between two guys. "Jackpot!" She exclaimed when she finally laid eyes on the table a few steps away with all the liquor sitting on top of it just as Emily noticed that Paige was headed towards it too with Reese in tow.

"Maybe later, Spence. Come on. Let's mingle first." Emily said hurriedly as she tightened her hold on her friend's hand to pull Spencer in the opposite direction.

"But I'm thirsty and I need alcohol to quench it." Spencer protested. Her eyes widened when she saw the girl Emily was trying to avoid. "Oh, hey, there's Paige. I can play nice just this once if it means she can get us drinks." She said as she moved to raise her other hand to call out to the girl.

"Don't!" Emily exclaimed, grabbing Spencer's arm to stop the girl from calling attention to them.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Spencer asked, confused by Emily's suddenly outburst.

"Let's just get drinks later." Emily pleaded, feeling her pulse race faster as she stole a glance at Paige. She was frustrated that the girl made her feel this flustered. She's supposed to be in college but lately she's been acting like she's still in elementary. "Please." She implored, panicking. For some reason she was scared to let Paige know that she was there.

"Fine." Spencer said, giving up trying to figure out her friend's weird behavior tonight and walking past the girl to find a relatively quiet spot in the room where they can hang out.

Emily followed her friend to the other side of the room, trying to look around but found herself looking for Paige again. She willed herself to look away when she finally spotted the girl but she couldn't help but study Paige from afar. Emily was aware that Spencer just struck up a conversation with a guy she recognized from one of her classes. Her friend probably planned to ask the guy to get them some drinks but she was too distracted to focus on them. Because she was focused on someone else entirely.

Paige looked really good tonight. But then again, Emily couldn't recall a time that Paige ever looked bad. The girl could stand in front of her in baggy sweats and a tattered shirt and she'd still think that Paige is stunning. Tonight the girl was sporting a black racerback tank top which clung to her curves and showed off her broad shoulders, flat stomach and smooth skin; her soft, long, brown hair was tucked behind her ears since she wasn't wearing her hair in a ponytail. And when it cascaded when Paige laughed at something Reese said, sending several strands of hair to frame her face, Emily felt her stomach do a somersault. Paige looked so relaxed and she couldn't help but be drawn to the energy the girl seemed to exude tonight.

Emily knew it was for the second time but it felt like the first since back in California she wasn't attracted to the girl. Now she was getting another chance to see how Paige acted when she wasn't around. When her guard wasn't up because Paige didn't know that she was there. And she realized why girls seemed to gravitate towards Paige. The girl was very laid back and laughed with such ease that Emily can't help but wish that she was the one standing next to the girl and not Reese. Maybe if she didn't kiss Paige she'd be the one receiving the girl's gorgeous smile right now and not that junior team captain of hers.

When Reese leaned in close to whisper something in Paige's ear, Emily felt a knot tighten in her stomach. They were standing too close for comfort. She immediately berated herself for letting it bother her. She's not supposed to be jealous. Besides, Paige kept telling her that they're just hanging out. Nothing's going on between them.

A moment later, Paige touched Reese's shoulder before nodding her head towards the direction of the door to indicate that she wanted to leave. Reese nodded and led the way, with Paige placing her hand on the girl's shoulder to follow.

Emily thought the night would end without Paige knowing that she was there but she was startled when she realized that the girl was staring at her from across the room. Emily felt her breath hitch when she realized that Paige knew all along that she was there. And that she had been watching her. Otherwise the girl wouldn't have spotted her so easily in this crowd. Emily felt embarrassed that Paige caught her staring but she didn't look away, instead, she chose to meet Paige's gaze head on.

It was brief but time seemed to stand still and Emily felt like they were the only people in the room, the noise disappearing as she held Paige's gaze. Her heart was racing and her palms were beginning to sweat but she still kept her eyes on the girl. When Paige finally looked away, the noise returned and Emily took a deep, shaky breath, feeling helpless. She couldn't deny it anymore. She was crushing hard on Paige McCullers and she didn't know what to do.

"Newbie, I think this is the first time I've seen you this silent." Reese observed as she and Paige headed towards Harrison. "You're usually chatty when you're around me."

Paige gave the girl a thin smile. "Just thinking about some things. Sorry I'm such bad company tonight." She added apologetically. "I made you leave that party."

Reese shook her head. "Don't apologize. I've been to these things since I was a freshman. I'm not missing out on anything." She told Paige reassuringly. "Emily was there, wasn't she? That's why you asked to leave so suddenly?"

"How did you know?" Paige asked, looking at the girl as she pulled her leather jacket closer to her body.

Now that they were outside again, Paige remembered why she protested against wearing a racerback top to that party. She knew it was a bad idea but Reese insisted that she wear it so she did. Just to make it up to the girl for being such lousy company lately.

"You need to work on your acting skills." Reese answered, chuckling. "I've been trying to engage you in conversation ever since we stepped inside that house yet the only time you started responding was when you spotted something by the door. Then you started agreeing to everything I said." She pointed out. "I just knew it was Emily because your expression turned from surprise, to happy, to distressed so fast I thought I was in a time warp."

"I'm sorry." Paige said, embarrassed.

"Aww newbie, don't be. You were hilarious." Reese said, giving Paige a playful nudge. "I think at one point I even suggested that we pop a Mentos in our mouth then drink soda just to see if you're actually listening to me."

"What did I say?" Paige asked, cringing.

"You said, 'Yeah. I totally agree.'" Reese answered, laughing. "I want to see you try doing that one of these days. I mean, you didn't just agree with me. You totally agreed. I just knew you weren't listening at all." She added. "Emily coming to that party caught you off guard tonight, huh?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah. I was really surprised when she showed up. I know it's a sorority party and the chances of her being there are probably big. I just didn't think we'd be in the same party on the same night. The Sigma Deltas aren't the only ones throwing a party right now." She said, proving her point when they passed by another sorority house across the street that was bursting at the seams with people, the music coming from inside reaching them. "When I noticed that she was looking at me I tried playing it cool. I pretended I was having fun. But I couldn't keep the act going for long. I knew one of us had to go. Since she just got there I decided to leave. It's pointless for me to stay anyway. How do I let loose when I have to make a conscious effort to avoid her because she needed space?"

"Well it's not like you were already in the middle of letting loose when she got there so don't dwell on it too much." Reese advised.

"What am I supposed to do?" Paige asked, staring up at the night sky helplessly. "Ever since I told her to take all the time she needed and I promised not to bother her again, we always run into each other. It's like the universe is making it impossible for me to give her space." She complained.

"Paige, you seem to always think that the universe is working against you." Reese began, looking at the girl thoughtfully. "And maybe in the past you had reason to believe that. It's not like I know your life story. But I really think that it's working for you this time around." She said earnestly.

"How so?" Paige asked, looking at Reese.

"Did you ever think that right now the universe is making Emily realize that she can't avoid you?" Reese answered, smiling at Paige. "It's true. You're not avoiding her. You have no problem with running into her at all. But Emily. She's the one who asked for the space. So if you think about it, the universe is working against her. Not you." She explained. "Right now the universe is telling you to be patient. You've waited for Emily for years. You can wait for a few more days. You said it yourself. She's worth it."

"Reese, I never waited for Emily. She was with my best friend." Paige said, glancing at the girl walking next to her. "She was with Jai and their relationship was stable. For two girls in high school they have the most mature relationship I have ever seen. They were serious. Not just about each other but about their entire future. That's why I knew it was going to be forever with them. I didn't wait. I had no reason to."

Reese gave the girl a sad smile. "Liar." She said, her heart going out to the girl. "You've always been waiting for her." She told Paige. "You just didn't realize it until now. Otherwise you would've had a girlfriend instead of dating random girls all these years. You were waiting."

Will you please start calling my girlfriend by her name? It's been more than two years.

Why should I? Are you guys together for good?

Paige laughed dryly at the memory of the conversation she had with Jai, making Reese give her a confused look. Even when I thought I hated her I still wanted to know if they were going to last. "That doesn't really help with my situation right now." She said before heaving a sigh. "All week I've been distracted. I pretty much failed that Calculus exam last Tuesday. And we came in fifth at regionals. All that training I did seemed to have been for nothing. I choked during the meet. I wasn't at my best." She admitted, ashamed.

"Paige we've been over this. Stop being too hard on yourself. We're a team. Winning that competition doesn't entirely rest on your shoulders." Reese reminded the girl. "Your time wasn't the only contributing factor in our placing. There's still the indoor and outdoor track meets. We'll do better next semester." She said, trying to boost Paige's morale. "Where's my umbrella by the way?" She suddenly asked after they've walked for a few minutes in silence. "I distinctly remember you promising to return it to me last Friday before the competition."

Paige bit her bottom lip. "The wind carried it away." She finally confessed.

Reese stared at Paige quizzically. "How could the wind carry it away? You were holding it." She pointed out.

"Yeahhhhhh... about that." Paige started. "At one point I might've dropped it on purpose when Emily started kissing me." She admitted. "I needed both hands!" She added hurriedly. "Sorry if your umbrella wasn't my priority at that moment. I can't exactly think of anything else. Actually I'm pretty sure I wasn't capable of thinking in those few seconds that I was kissing Emily."

"That must've been one helluva kiss." Reese commented, shaking her head. "Well in any case, you now owe me a new umbrella." She added before placing her arm around Paige's shoulders as they walked the rest of the way to Harrison in comfortable silence.

Emily slowly opened her eyes on a Friday morning, the sunlight streaming in from outside the windows greeting her. Seven days without rain. Someone out there understood how she felt about rainy days lately. Emily knew the clear day was supposed to make her feel better but instead she felt restless and tired. She barely slept last night when they got back from the party, her mind filled with thoughts of Paige and what she's going to do.

Of course there was always the option of being a coward and avoiding the girl for the rest of her college life and maybe even beyond that. But doing so won't solve anything. What happened will only continue to mess with her head and she's losing enough sleep as it is.

Last night seeing Paige at that party made her realize why a part of her felt confused about what happened. Because yeah, she kissed Paige. Something the girl will probably hold over her for as long as she lived. But right now she wasn't thinking about that. So she made the first move and kissed Paige. But Paige kissed me back. That was the part that she couldn't stop thinking about. That the girl kissed her back and she felt how much Paige wanted her. If she was indeed over me why would she kiss me back? And why would she say those things to me?

Emily sighed. She couldn't take this anymore. Her internal monologue wasn't getting her anywhere. She needed advice that isn't coming from inside her head. She turned her back to the windows and faced her friend who was currently sitting on her bed, reading a book. She could always ask Spencer. But she didn't want her friend to know what she did. She needed to figure things out before telling others what happened. She didn't know what even this is.

"Hey Spence?" Emily began, getting up into a sitting position and biting her bottom lip anxiously.

"Morning sleepyhead." Spencer said in greeting, looking at her friend briefly before returning to the book she was reading.

"I have a question." Emily continued before she chickened out. She was already having second thoughts about asking for her friend's advice but she felt like her brain is about to implode.

"Shoot." Spencer said, closing her book and giving her full attention to Emily.

"I'm just asking 'cos I don't know what to tell my classmate." Emily lied, starting to get nervous now that she has Spencer's attention. They've been friends for years. She didn't know if she could ask for the girl's advice without letting on that it was her who really needed help.

"About?" Spencer asked, urging the girl to go on.

"Well my classmate has this friend who she started hanging out with all the time." Emily began, hoping her voice still sounded normal.

Spencer nodded. "Okay." She said, patiently waiting for her friend to continue.

"They didn't like each other before but something changed and she couldn't figure it out." Emily finally blurted out.

"What happened?" Spence inquired.

"She said she kissed her friend." Emily confessed, forcing to maintain eye contact with the girl. If she looked away she knew Spencer would know something's up.

"And did the friend kiss her back?" Spencer asked, wondering what could possibly be the problem.

Emily nodded. "Yeah. She said the kiss was mind-blowingly good and now she can't stop thinking about it or her friend for that matter." She admitted, wishing her pulse would stop racing. Her voice was going to get hoarse and she's going to get busted any minute now.

"So what's the problem?" Spencer said, confused.

"Well she's wondering what it means." Emily replied, feeling like an idiot now that she's talking to Spencer.

Spencer scoffed. "Is your classmate a child or something? Are you a child or something? You know it means this friend of hers hasn't been just a friend for some time. I mean, did you ask why she initiated the kiss?" She continued, moving forward in her bed.

"Well she didn't exactly initiate it. It wasn't meant to be a kiss on the lips." Emily corrected, a little too hastily. "It landed there but she was actually aiming for the cheek and then before she changed her mind she leaned in and kissed her friend again." She heard herself say, her mind already back to the moment when she changed everything between her and Paige.

"Well sounds to me like your classmate has it bad for her friend." Spencer commented, deciding to go back to reading her book when she realized the problem wasn't a problem at all.

Emily groaned inwardly. She already knew that. She didn't need her friend to point it out to her because that was the last thing she needed to hear right now. "So what do I do? To help her. I mean." She added hurriedly when Spencer gave her a suspicious look.

Spencer shrugged. "Tell her she needs to talk to her friend to clear the air. It's a no-brainer, really. I mean, if she claimed that it was a mind-blowing kiss the attraction isn't one-sided. Seriously Em, you're off your game. You know that's what she should do. Why do you need me to figure it out?" She asked, looking at her friend quizzically.

"I'm just trying to get other people's opinions." Emily lied. "Liking someone you didn't get along with in the past isn't exactly my forte." She added to quell any suspicions her friend might have right now.

"Yeah. Like you'd ever be in the same situation as your classmate with Jai's best friend." Spencer said, giving out a short laugh. "Well if you really want to know my opinion, tell your classmate that so long as her friend doesn't go by the name Paige McCullers she'll be fine. She should go for it." She said without looking at Emily.

"Right. I will tell her that." Emily replied hoarsely. Even Spencer knew it was a bad idea.

"I swear that girl is turning me into a slave." Paige complained under her breath as she entered Harrison that afternoon with a steaming cup of coffee in hand.

Paige marched towards the bank of elevators, in a hurry to get to the 16th floor so she could meet Reese. Last night before she and the girl parted ways, Reese casually told her that for every day that passes that Paige didn't replace her umbrella, she had to do her bidding. Of course she protested. She asked Reese to be considerate since she didn't have the time to go to a mall right now and buy a new umbrella for her. And she was almost there. She almost convinced Reese to give her a week but then she made the mistake of mocking the size of the girl's umbrella, blaming the inanimate object for being so light that a wind blew it away. She was tempted to call the girl 'Banshee' when she saw Reese's eyes glimmer in the dark but she didn't want to dig an even deeper hole for herself.

Now she felt like Reese was hazing her to join some secret society where the two of them are the only members. If she disappeared no one would know where to look for her. Paige pressed the up button and felt relieved when the doors swung open. At least she didn't have to wait for the elevator to get to the ground floor. She needed to get this over with since she's headed to the dealership to get her car. Paige stepped inside the empty elevator and pressed the button with the number 16 on it before repeatedly pressing the button that will close the door when she heard a familiar voice from just outside.

"Hold the elevator please." Paige immediately pushed the open button, growing nervous. The universe is seriously screwing with me. I don't care what Reese said. Emily doesn't care if we kept bumping into each other because the universe willed it. The girl just wanted Paige to give her space and the universe is preventing Paige from doing so.

"I loathe you with a passion." Paige muttered, looking up at the elevator lights and imagining that she was staring at the vast space beyond.

"Oh. Paige." Emily said when she saw the girl standing inside, seemingly glaring at the ceiling. "Um, you go ahead. I'll just catch the next one." She offered, taking a small step back.

"Don't. You seem to be in a hurry." Paige observed, her hand still on the open button as she studied the girl. Emily was carrying a hamper filled with clothes and judging from the smell of detergent and fabric softener, the girl just did her laundry. "Hop in. There's plenty of room. I promise to stay in this corner and you can choose one of the three other corners." She added, nodding her head towards the other side of the elevator.

Emily contemplated accepting Paige's suggestion. She really needed to get back to her room or she'll be late preparing for her seminar tonight. "Okay." She finally replied before stepping inside and choosing the corner opposite Paige's, facing the doors. "Twelfth." She said when she saw Paige's finger hover on the buttons out of the corner of her eye.

Once the elevator doors closed, the space was filled with so much tension that the two girls felt like they couldn't breathe. Paige cleared her throat every five seconds and Emily kept her gaze on the LED display just above the buttons, feeling like the elevator was moving at a snail's pace as it showed the number of each floor they passed. Fifth. Seven more to go.

"Beats riding in a crowded elevator, right?" Paige finally said, trying to ease the awkward tension as she glanced at Emily.

Emily just nodded; her grip tightening on the hamper like it was some sort of buoy.

"So. Any plans tonight?" Paige continued, attempting to start a friendly conversation with the girl but Emily wasn't a willing participant. She looked away, embarrassed. Emily won't even talk to her anymore.

Emily studied Paige out of the corner of her eye and saw the hurt written all over the girl's face. "Just that seminar." She finally replied, looking away. Ninth floor. Three more to go.

"Yeah. The one at the auditorium in the museum. Right." Paige said, smiling faintly. She began playing with the lid of Reese's cup of coffee, racking her brain as to what to say next. Something that's neutral. The weather? I guess that couldn't hurt. "Hasn't rained in days. Maybe..."

"Can we please not talk about the rain?" Emily asked exasperatedly, making Paige widen her eyes in surprise.

"Sorry." Paige muttered. "What do you want to talk about then?"

"Nothing. Okay, Paige?" Emily blurted out; getting distressed just being around the girl. "I don't want to talk about anything with you. So stop. I don't want to talk about the rain, about monogamy and certainly not about the kiss." She said, unable to stop her tears from falling. "Please."

"Em. Hey. Don't cry." Paige whispered, stepping forward. "I'm sorry." She muttered, trying to comfort the girl but Emily shook her head vehemently.

"Don't." Emily said, wiping her cheeks gently as she struggled to compose herself. "Just leave me alone." She pleaded as the elevator doors opened to her floor. Finally.

Paige's eyes followed the girl as Emily hurriedly made her way down the hall to one of the rooms until the elevator doors closed, obscuring her view. "Monogamy?" She whispered, frowning. "Em... you're not cheating." Paige said to the empty car as it took her to the 16th floor.

A few hours later, Emily stepped out of the elevator that night, in a hurry to get to her Critical Writing seminar at the museum. After her emotional run-in with Paige earlier, Emily never left her room for the rest of the day, knowing that the girl was in the building spending time with Reese. She thought about taking the fire exit to head downstairs but she was on the twelfth floor and she wasn't looking forward to climbing down stairs when there's a functioning elevator. So she decided to take a chance. So long as the elevator didn't stop on the 16th floor before it got to hers, she knew Paige wasn't inside. She walked past the lobby and was about to exit the main door when she heard her name being called.

"Emily!" Emily looked around behind her and groaned when she saw Reese hurrying up to her. She wasn't in the mood to talk to Paige's 'hangout buddy' considering the girl knew what happened.

"I thought you didn't hear me." Reese said in greeting when she was finally within hearing distance of the girl.

"You need me for something?" Emily asked, trying to keep the impatience out of her voice. "I'm on my way to a mandatory seminar."

"Oh. Okay. Then I have a quick question. Have you gone climbing on a rock wall?" Reese asked, studying Emily's body structure.

"Not really. No." Emily answered, feeling uncomfortable with Reese's gaze.

Reese checked the piece of paper she was holding. "Do you like board games?" She asked next.

Emily shook her head. "What's this about?" She said, trying to look at the piece of paper Reese was holding but the girl moved it away from her. "Seriously?!" She exclaimed. She didn't have time to play Reese's game of 20 questions.

"Are you up for Minute-To-Win It challenges like stacking five apples and stuff?" Reese continued, ignoring Emily's outburst.

"Is this for the college house cup?" Emily finally asked, getting suspicious.

"Oh so you're aware of it. And here I thought you lived in this little bubble of yours with your roommate friend. You two should try participating. Tomorrow's the Quaker Takeover and we're still short of representatives. Come on. Pick one." Reese coaxed.

"Can we do this later? I'm going to be late for my seminar." Emily repeated, glancing at her watch. The museum was too far from Harrison so she needed to commute if she wanted to make it in time.

"Then just pick an activity." Reese insisted stubbornly. "We need to submit the roster now."

"Uh... fine. Put me in the Minute-To-Win It challenges." Emily finally decided. She turned her back to the girl to head out when Reese's comment made her stop in her tracks.

"Wow. That was quick. Now if only you made up your mind this fast about Paige." Reese said, ignoring Emily's scathing glare as she wrote the girl's name on the piece of paper.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry but I really think that's none of your business. I can't believe she told you about what happened in the first place." Emily said, annoyed at Reese's smugness.

"Paige didn't do it out of malice." Reese said when she saw Emily's exasperation. "The girl was confused and I caught her calling and texting you several times on our way to the meet last Friday. I confiscated her phone so she'd focus on the championship and at first she wouldn't give it to me. I think a part of her was hoping that you'd call her back or reply to one of her messages. But I'm the captain of the team and I needed her to focus so I took it. That's when she said that the reason she's been itching to talk to you is because you kissed her. But then you ran away." She explained. "It's not like she rambled on and on about the kiss. Paige isn't that kind of person."

"You've known her what, barely three months? And you say that like you're willing to bet your life on it." Emily said sarcastically. "I've known her for years. She's capable of it."

"You know the side of her she wanted to show you." Reese pointed out. "I don't need to know her for years the way you did. Just knowing she likes you is enough to convince me that she's not going to go around telling people about what happened." She told the girl reassuringly.

Emily scoffed. "You don't know our history. Okay? So stop talking like you do." She demanded, her hands clenching into fists.

"Okay." Reese agreed, raising her arms in surrender. "Look. Emily, I know it's none of my business. And normally I keep my nose out of other people's problems. But don't you think Paige has done enough waiting for you?" She asked gently.

"What? It's just been a week. And she agreed to give me space." Emily revealed though she had a feeling that Reese already knew that.

I forgot who I was talking to. Reese thought, mentally rolling her eyes in exasperation. "And she did. I also told her to give you time to make sense of things. But you have to know that you can't expect her to wait forever for you to talk to her." She reminded the girl.

"I'm not ready." Emily confessed.

Reese shrugged. "No one is. Not when something like this happens. But if the person matters to you, and I think Paige does, you'll suck it up and find a way to talk. Because the alternative's worse. Newbie gave you the space. But until when are you going to make her wait?" She asked, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"I don't have to listen to this. I have to go." Emily said, refusing to spend another second in front of the girl.

"The tournament's at seven in the morning. Be there on time." Reese called out to the girl before Emily could push the doors open. "And Emily…"

"What?" Emily asked, turning around to face Reese reluctantly.

"In case you finally decide to talk to her. Remind Paige she owes me an umbrella." Reese answered smugly. "Actually. The two of you owe me one."

"Wow." Kayla repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time as she let her eyes wander on the outside of Paige's brand new gray Lexus RX350F Sport SUV, a bit jealous that the girl now has her own car. "I bet the inside is awesome too. Can I see it?" She asked, looking at Paige eagerly.

Paige nodded and unlocked the doors, gesturing for Kayla to get in on the passenger side before she sat on the driver's seat. She just came from the dealership in Girard to get her car and remembering that Kayla had an after school activity for her Food 101 club, she decided to swing by her former school to give the girl a ride home. Now they were on the parking lot just outside the Upper School building of Girard College where Paige decided to park her car.

"This is gorgeous. Your dad pulled out all the stops on this one. No wonder he didn't give you a car until now. He was saving up for this." Kayla said as she studied the front of the car, her hand touching the dashboard gently.

Unlike most SUVs, the gear shift wasn't in the middle of the passenger and driver's seats. Instead, a series of buttons were on the middle of the two seats and the gear shift was placed just below the media player and the air controls. Kayla studied the buttons, wondering what they're for.

"I guess." Paige said as she studied the interior as well. "It's a five-seater and the front seats have heating and ventilation. And they have cushion extenders so long drives won't be that uncomfortable." She explained, pointing to the buttons near the driver's seat when she saw Kayla studying them. She managed to familiarize herself a bit with the interior of her car. Tomorrow she's going to have the rest of the day to study it.

"I have to ride shotgun here!" Kayla exclaimed. "Can we cruise around the gayborhood before we head home? Please?" She asked, looking at Paige eagerly.

"Why?" Paige asked, her eyes narrowing as she gave the girl a suspicious look.

"Just because. Come on. Please?" Kayla repeated.

"Okay." Paige finally agreed, making Kayla grin. "But we're just cruising. No stopovers. It's a Friday and I think I know the real reason why you want me to drive by there. I'm not going to a club." Paige insisted. "Kayla." She asked when the girl kept silent.

"Fine. Maybe next time then." Kayla replied reluctantly.

"So what time's your cooking show going to end?" Paige asked, checking the time on her watch.

"Not until two more hours. We're just taking a break from filming." Kayla answered as she alighted from the vehicle, knowing that she should probably be heading back inside by now.

"Two hours?!" Paige repeated incredulously. "Are you kidding me?! I could've just watched a movie or something. You should've told me that when I called you." She reprimanded the girl as she locked the doors.

"I didn't know they wanted to film the episodes for the whole week. It's not like I asked for this. I get tired of cooking too you know?" Kayla said as Paige walked over to her.

"Well I can't just sit here for two hours doing nothing. I have to go somewhere." Paige said, looking around the almost vacant parking lot. "I think I'm going to go grab some dinner outside." She finally decided as she returned her attention to Kayla.

"What? Don't leave." Kayla said, grabbing Paige's wrist. "Come on. Stay. You can eat some of the food I cooked for the show. I promise they're perfectly healthy."

"Okay." Paige finally decided. At least her dinner tonight was free. She followed Kayla inside the school building, a sense of melancholy overwhelming her. "I kinda miss this place." She admitted as they walked down the halls.

Kayla glanced at Paige. "Just the place or...?"

"Just the place." Paige repeated, giving Kayla a look that told the girl to shut up. "Nothing else."

"It's probably because you're thinking of another girl now." Kayla continued teasingly, ignoring Paige's glare. "So. Still no progress on the Emily front?"

Paige looked away, pretending to be fascinated by the trophies. "Nope. Not like I was trying to make a move. So yeah. No progress. I think things between us are going to be in limbo for quite a while." She added, remembering Emily's distress earlier.

She was distracted when they passed by the gardens and she saw the heavy downpour. The hell?! We were just outside! Paige thought, staring at the rain in disbelief. She forgot that the walls of Girard College were so thick that one wouldn't know what time of day it is unless there's a clock and that most of the time they didn't know the weather outside. Paige checked the time on her watch and cursed. 8:45. Not enough time to make it back. But she had to try. Just in case.

"What?" Kayla asked, surprised by Paige's sudden outburst.

"I need to go." Paige answered, heading back the way they came without any other explanation.

"What? But I thought we're going to hang out tonight? You said I could get a ride in your new car." Kayla called out after the girl, her voice echoing in the empty hallway.

"I know. But can we do that some other time? I really need to go somewhere." Paige explained vaguely without looking at Kayla.

"Where?" Kayla asked, following Paige.

"Just... somewhere." Paige said dismissively, checking the time on her watch again.

"You're ditching me? But how am I supposed to go home in this weather?!" Kayla exclaimed, stopping in her tracks and pointing to one of the glass doors and to the heavy rain outside.

"Maybe it'll be over by the time you're done. And I'll come back!" Paige promised, raising her voice so Kayla could hear her. She gave the girl a wave without looking behind her before she exited the building.

Paige made a dash for her car, unlocking the doors when she was near enough and hurriedly got in. She looked behind the driver's seat and grabbed the white bath towel she got earlier from Reese, wiping the water droplets on her arms before pressing the start button of her car. Good thing the girl returned it to her earlier and Reese was awesome enough to wash it. Apparently she left her towel behind in the locker room after the meet in State College because she was so distracted by thoughts of Emily and Reese just got around to washing it this morning. That's why Reese told her to drop by. With a steaming cup of coffee as payment.

Hardly rained in days. I think I jinxed the weather. Paige thought as she buckled her seatbelt. "I really loathe you with a passion." She said to the universe, glaring at the rain outside that was rhythmically falling on her windshield as she shifted the car into drive to head back to UPenn.

The second Emily stepped out of the auditorium, she knew that her day just got worse. The chatter of the students coming out of the room with her was drowned out by the sound of the rain outside. And considering they were inside a museum, she just knew that it was a heavy downpour. Great. Just what I need. A rainstorm. Emily thought as her eyes scanned the crowded hallway, her thoughts involuntarily drifting to a certain brown-haired girl. Stop it. She's not here.

Emily didn't know what to do with that knowledge. She half expected to see Paige standing outside the auditorium with an umbrella and a gorgeous smile on her lips, offering to walk her home again. But she made it clear that she needed space so Paige kept her distance. And after she begged the girl to leave her alone earlier today, she doubted Paige is going to be here. Emily took a deep breath, trying to decide what to do. She could just wait until the downpour stops which, for all she knew, could be in a few minutes or tomorrow, or she can walk in the rain, risking getting sick. She was tempted to wait until the rain stopped, maybe even ask Spencer to come get her. But sitting around waiting would make her mind idle and she knew where her thoughts would drift. I'm walking home. Emily decided.

As she exited the museum and began to make her way slowly towards Harrison, she found herself thinking more and more about Paige. She remembered the way she felt when Paige touched the small of her back to guide her away from an open drainage as she side stepped to avoid a similar-looking one. Emily felt her pulse race when she remembered Paige grabbing her firmly by the waist, pulling Emily closer to her to avoid a puddle and she choked back a sob. She didn't realize she was crying until she felt the warm tears on her cheeks. It was a welcome change from the cold rain that was drenching her. Thank god it was raining. She can cry without anyone noticing. Emily gently wiped the tears from her eyes.

Why wasn't she outside waiting for me like she always does? It's raining. She should've been there to pick me up. Emily thought, furious at herself for expecting Paige to be right outside her class. Angry at Paige because she wasn't outside. Disappointed that she didn't see Paige waiting for her. Why? You're the one who asked for space. She reminded herself. Paige is giving it to you so why are you so upset?

...I can't stop thinking about you. You can't honestly tell me you didn't feel anything. This isn't one-sided. You don't kiss someone like that and expect them to forget. It was mind-blowing...

Emily crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying to comfort herself as she wept. She did feel something. And it terrified her. It terrified her how much Paige affected her. She can't feel this way about someone who made her life difficult in high school. Someone who also happens to be her dead girlfriend's best friend. But at the same time, she can't help but be drawn to Paige.

What am I going to do? Emily was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't pay attention to the vehicle that suddenly began moving next to her on the road. She only noticed it when the driver rolled down the window and called out to her. The second Emily heard Paige's voice her heart leapt but she didn't dare look at the girl…

"Hey!" Paige called out to the girl walking briskly under the rain. When Emily didn't seem to hear her over the sound of the downpour, Paige tried again, raising her voice this time. "Em!"

When the girl began walking faster, Paige knew Emily heard her but for some reason the girl was pretending she didn't.

"What are you doing?! Why didn't you wait for me?!" Paige asked, accelerating her car for a brief second in order for her to match Emily's stride. "Come on. Get in before you get sick." She pleaded; glancing at the road ahead of her to make sure that it was still deserted.

"I'm fine. I can walk home by myself." Emily finally said, walking faster.

"In this downpour? Come on. Now's not the time to be so hardheaded. Get in." Paige ordered.

"Just go away, Paige. I'm walking home." Emily insisted stubbornly.

"No. You're not. You're going to get sick. Harrison's far from here." Paige reminded the drenched girl.

"What do you care?!" Emily exclaimed, risking a glance at Paige before wiping her eyes.

Paige heard the tears in Emily's voice and she knew that something was wrong. The girl was trying to hide it but Emily was crying. "What? Em, will you please just get in?" She pleaded once again.

"No." Emily said, shaking her head vehemently.

"Then I'll drive beside you until you get in. You're not getting rid of me that easily." Paige stated, refusing to let Emily push her away this time.

Emily finally stopped walking. "Fine." She said, opening the door of Paige's car to get into the passenger seat.

Paige immediately turned on her car's seat warmer before reaching for her towel in the backseat. "Are you okay?" She asked gently as she handed it to the shivering girl.

"Yeah. Sorry I'm drenching your brand new car." Emily said quietly as she tried to dry herself.

Paige shook her head. "It'll dry. You're not fine. You're crying." She said softly.

"No. I'm not." Emily insisted, shaking her head.

"Em, what's wrong?" Paige asked, touching the girl's shoulder. When Emily flinched, she pulled her hand away. "I'm sorry I was late. I just got the car this afternoon and I was at Girard. It took me a while to get here."

"That's not it." Emily replied, her words muffled by the towel she was using to hide her tears from Paige.

"But it's something I did." Paige guessed, studying Emily closely.

"No." Emily answered, looking away.

"Then why are you so upset?" Paige asked.

"I'm not upset!" Emily exclaimed.

"You're crying." Paige pointed out.

"I'm not." Emily argued, finally looking at Paige again.

Paige cradled the girl's cheek tenderly, the gesture making Emily's pulse race. "You can't hide your tears from me, Em. I can tell you're crying. Please just tell me why." She implored.

Emily swallowed hard as she started playing with the hem of the towel, twisting it in her hands. "I'm really scared." She whispered, not meeting Paige's eyes.

Paige took the towel from Emily's hands and threw it at the backseat so the girl won't be distracted. "Scared? Of what?" She asked, confused. "Em." Paige coaxed when the girl kept silent.

Emily finally stared into Paige's concerned brown eyes, her eyes traveling to the girl's soft lips and she did the only thing her body told her to. With one quick movement, Emily leaned forward and closed the distance between their bodies, capturing Paige's lips on hers as she kissed the other girl hungrily.

Why do I feel this way? Emily thought as her body leaned forward when Paige opened her mouth to deepen the kiss and she immediately plunged her tongue into Paige's mouth, fully aware that Paige was kissing her back with as much passion. This isn't right. She forced herself to stop the kiss but found her arms wrapping around Paige's neck instead, her body defying what her brain was telling her to do.

Paige kissed Emily hungrily, wanting the girl to feel with her every kiss how much she wanted Emily. She didn't care that they were seemingly in the middle of nowhere. She knew the heavy rain hid what they were doing and she gently pushed the girl back towards her side of the car. She broke contact with Emily's lips for a second as she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, Emily's warm breath against her skin making it seem like forever. When she was almost done, she immediately leaned toward the girl, capturing Emily's lips on hers again. But it wasn't enough.

Emily began pulling Paige towards her, both of them not bothered by the fact that there's little space to move around the front of the car. Paige easily found the button she was looking for in the middle of their seats and Emily felt herself starting to recline, aware of what was about to happen yet her mind was too muddled for her to form a coherent thought. She just knew she didn't mind and gradually, despite being in a cramped space, Paige somehow found herself on the passenger seat of her own car, lying on top of a rain-soaked Emily. She stared at the girl lying underneath her for a moment, studying every inch of the raven-haired beauty. She brought her fingers to touch Emily's lips. The lips she was just kissing seconds ago, and gently grazed it. Emily's lips were warm, soft, inviting. And even if it was dark she could tell the girl was blushing.

"Emily." Paige whispered, her eyes drifting towards the girl.

Emily gazed at the girl lying on top of her, seemingly mesmerized as her heart began to race. The way Paige said her name made her knees weak and finally she decided to stop fighting it. Even if it was just for tonight. In this cramped space. She couldn't fight it anymore. She didn't want to. Her intense attraction to the girl was driving her crazy and Paige's fingers grazing her lips was making her skin tingle all over. She reached out to touch Paige's hair, smiling sadly at the girl.

"It's not fair, Paige." Emily whispered. "Why do you have to be so beautiful?" She asked, a tinge of sorrow evident in her voice as a tear fell from her eyes. "Because you are. You're so... beautiful. You're so beautiful and I'm so attracted to you. It's frustrating. This isn't right." She admitted helplessly.

"Do you want to stop?" Paige asked hoarsely, hoping Emily says 'no'. She couldn't take it if Emily ran away from her again. Not when she was holding the girl in her arms.

Emily shook her head. "Kiss me again." She pleaded; staring at Paige's lips as she firmly began to pull the girl closer to her. "Just kiss me again."

Paige felt her heart leap for joy at the words Emily just said and she moved to capture Emily's lips on hers, kissing the girl softly, slowly, wanting to commit to memory the way Emily's lips moved against hers. When Emily parted her lips, Paige took it as an invitation to deepen their kiss and she plunged her tongue, meeting Emily's. Tongues dueled as Paige held the girl by the waist, moving her body closer to Emily, elated that she finally got to kiss the girl of her dreams and Emily wasn't pulling away this time. That Emily was asking to be kissed by her.

Slowly, Paige began to trail her kisses on Emily's neck, starting to suck on the girl's pulse point. She briefly looked at Emily, asking if what she was about to do was okay.

Emily just nodded, lightheaded at the thought that she and Paige were completely alone in the girl's car. Unlike their first kiss, even if she knew she could probably get out of there if she wanted to, this time she wanted to stay. She regretted running away the first time. Being held by Paige this close made her giddy. She couldn't think of anywhere else she'd rather be. Being with Paige felt natural. Like they've been alone dozens of times. But this time she wasn't trying to hide her attraction because Paige wasn't pushing her away. She knew Paige would never do anything unless she gave her permission to. Just like now. As Paige began to lightly suck on a spot on her neck, Emily wrapped her arms around Paige's waist, holding the girl closer to her. She'd find a way to hide the marks from Spencer and from everyone else later. Now all she wanted was for Paige to never stop kissing her.

"You are insanely beautiful." Paige breathed after she left a mark on Emily's neck, kissing it softly before moving to another spot she knew wouldn't be too hard to cover. "And I'm so attracted to you it's crazy." She whispered breathlessly as she began sucking on the spot. "I can't stop thinking about you Emily Fields."

Emily leaned her head to the side to give Paige more access to her neck, her pulse racing at Paige's confession. Just when she thought it was one-sided, Paige admitted that she felt the same way about her and she couldn't help but feel happy that she finally got Paige to see her that way. That Kayla was right and that Paige was just lying. Wanting to feel the girl's lips on hers again, she opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't find the words.

"Paige." Emily begged, not knowing how to ask the girl to kiss her again.

But Paige knew what Emily wanted. Kissing the spot she just left a mark on, she finally returned to kissing Emily on the lips. The windows of her car were starting to fog and she knew they would be in trouble if they got caught. But Mother Nature was on their side. Just when she thought the rain was letting up and she moved to tell Emily that they better put an end to their heated make out session, the rain began to pound harder on the roof of her car. Paige and Emily stopped to look around them, both smiling.

Thank you, universe. "That's good, right? The rain?" Paige asked, caressing the side of Emily's face. "It means we can continue this right here?"

Emily nodded. "Mother Nature's telling you to stop talking and just kiss me." Paige opened her mouth to protest but Emily lightly covered it with her hand. "No more talking." Emily commanded, beginning to caress the girl's soft, rosy cheeks with her hand. "I just want to keep kissing you. Can we do that?" She asked, smiling softly.

Paige nodded and gently removed Emily's hand from her mouth, not letting it go as she intertwined their hands and with a smile, brought her lips to Emily's, the horrible weather giving them the perfect excuse to continue what they were doing right there. The rest of the world seemingly disappeared the moment Emily wrapped her arms around Paige's neck and felt the girl's lips move urgently against hers.

As another downpour sheltered them from the outside world, Paige shut everything out. The sound of the rain falling around them faded away and nothing else seemed to matter as she held closer to her the girl she has wanted to kiss the moment she laid eyes on Emily Fields.