Locum Tenens

by snowballs

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

18. sic infit : chapter viii

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

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Thanks for all the reviews!

EyeOpener16, Nae10, Rachel Manlop, DevAdeL and beesbee11... Thanks for the PM.

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PART TWO: "Sic Infit"

~ So it begins. ~

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CHAPTER EIGHT

One Year Ago...

Paige stood outside Emily's kitchen door and shifted the heavy paper bag she was carrying in her arms, trying not to drop any of the contents before knocking on one of the glass panes again. She may have been standing on the same spot for a few minutes but with the weight of the paper bag bearing on her arms, it felt like hours. Starting to get impatient, Paige pressed her nose on the glass and tried to peer inside, looking for signs of life in the kitchen and when she couldn't find any, decided to entertain herself by fogging up the glass panes with her warm breath.

"Just sit tight and I'll make us another batch!" Paige stopped what she was doing when she heard Emily's voice and quickly closed her mouth when she realized it was wide open. She peered inside again and finally saw the girl emerge with a white ceramic bowl in one hand from behind the swing door that led to the living room. Paige watched Emily quickly pocket the phone she was holding in her other hand and deposit the bowl on the kitchen countertop before heading towards her.

"What took you so long?!" Emily said in greeting, her voice barely above a whisper as she took the brown paper bag Paige was handing to her from outside.

"I could ask you the same thing! I sent that text twenty minutes ago telling you I'm here and now I can't feel my arms!" Paige complained, shaking her hands vigorously in front of her to regain some feeling in her limbs.

"Well I was waiting for them to finish the second bowl of popcorn I made so I could offer to make a third batch and have a reason to come in here! What's your excuse?" Emily asked before moving to let the girl in.

"There was a long line at the grocery!" Paige explained, now stretching her arms above her head and bending from side to side. "You've known those girls for years. How come you didn't buy all of this food beforehand?" She asked in a low voice as she finally stepped inside the warm kitchen and gently closed the door behind her.

"I may have known them for years but I'm their friend, not their nutritionist. It's not like I watch what they eat. These cravings didn't really come up until tonight." Emily replied, heading for the kitchen counter to place the paper bag on top of it. She hastily took out the items from inside the bag one by one, checking off the list in her head as she did so. "M&Ms raspberry, soft pretzels, chocolate pudding, potato chips... where's the honey mustard dip? You forgot the honey mustard dip!" She exclaimed, staring at Paige incredulously.

"What? No I didn't!" Paige protested, quickly walking over to Emily and rummaging inside the paper bag. "Oh crap."

"You need to go back." Emily said, giving the girl a pointed look.

Paige felt her eyes widen in horror. "For a bottle of dip? No way. Go there yourself." She replied, shaking her head vehemently. "I'm not going back to that place again. It feels like every single person in Rosewood with the exception of you and your friends is there tonight. Just serve them regular mustard or suggest dipping the pretzel in the pudding or something. Why does it have to be honey mustard? Did your friends get knocked up simultaneously?" She asked, looking at the swing door.

"My friends aren't pregnant. Just really picky on movie night." Emily explained, looking behind her as well. Technically she was cheating tonight. She was supposed to have all of these in her cupboard or fridge but all she had were marshmallows, frozen pizza, microwave popcorn and a jar of pickles.

"Do you want me to swing by the drugstore this time to buy some antacids as well in case one of you gets indigestion?" Paige offered with a straight face. "Are you even going to eat all of this? I've been to that store twice already. Are you absolutely certain your friends aren't carrying quadruplets?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "You're hilarious. Maybe you should take your own advice and try a career in standup comedy." She shot back dryly. "We're going to be up the entire night. Trust me. We're going to get to the bottom of this pile of food."

Paige sighed. "Fine. I guess I'm going back to the store and help you and your friends commit gluttony tonight." She said, conceding. "No need. I still have some money left from the one you gave me earlier." She added when she saw that Emily was about to get some cash from the pocket of her white cotton shorts. "But after this we better call it quits. That favor I asked was a one-time thing!"

"So is this." Emily pointed out.

"Um, I beg to differ. I've been running all over town the whole night buying what your friends crave. How is that a one-time thing?! Do your part!" Paige demanded.

"What do you mean?" Emily said in reply, giving Paige a confused look.

"Just guess the damn common theme between those movies so I can go home." Paige clarified.

"Believe me. I'm trying but I can't figure it out. It's not like I'm not trying." Emily said defensively.

"Well what are the three films?" Paige asked in a low voice. "Maybe I can help."

"We just finished watching Changing Lanes. The next one's Amistad then Cape Fear." Emily revealed.

Paige narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips in concentration. "Try vengeance." She suggested after a few seconds.

"What?" Emily uttered, giving Paige a hesitant look.

"The common theme. Try vengeance." Paige repeated.

"I… don't know." Emily slowly said, biting her bottom lip as she contemplated Paige's answer.

"It's not like they're going to hang you upside down if your first guess is wrong. You have the whole night to do that. Just try vengeance first." Paige insisted.

"Fine." Emily finally said in agreement. There's really no harm in trying.

"Okay. I'll try to be back in thirty. Forty-five at most. Just tell them you can't find the mustard or something. Tell them to eat that frozen pizza of yours or whip massive batches of popcorn for them until I come back." Paige suggested, turning around to head back outside.

"Thanks for this." Emily called out before Paige could leave the kitchen.

Paige shrugged. "Yeah well thanks for agreeing to pretend to be my girlfriend for the entire day last week." She said, giving the girl a faint smile. "I know it was the last thing you wanted to do so thanks."

"You're Jai's best friend. Of course I'd do it. How did that one turn out by the way? Did it work? Did she buy it?" Emily asked eagerly.

"Oh yeah. Totally. Your acting as my overly jealous girlfriend was superb. She thought you were really going to slap her with a restraining order if she didn't stop following us around." Paige admitted, grinning.

"Good." Emily said, smiling in return.

"You're scary when you're jealous by the way." Paige added, shuddering for effect. "I wouldn't want to be in Jai's shoes."

"It's called method acting, Paige." Emily pointed out wryly. "I wasn't that scary. I don't even know how to be jealous when it comes to Jai since she doesn't get jealous when it comes to me either."

"I guess she's lucky then." Paige commented, giving the girl a faint smile. "Well I better go before the store closes." She suddenly said, clearing her throat awkwardly when a moment of silence passed between them. She gave Emily a small wave goodbye before opening the kitchen door and heading out.

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Present Day...

"Did anyone see you?" Emily asked anxiously, grabbing Paige by the hand to help the girl get inside her room on Sunday night.

"Hello to you too." Paige answered teasingly, leaning forward to give Emily a quick kiss on the lips once her feet landed inside the girl's room. She turned around to close the window behind her to keep the cold from getting in before facing Emily again.

"I'm serious. Did anyone see you?" Emily repeated, moving to take a look outside her window.

"No. No one saw me." Paige promised, taking Emily's hand and leading the girl away from the window. She took off the backpack she was wearing and deposited it on Emily's bed before opening it to take out the contents. "So I got you the usual. There's M&Ms raspberry, soft pretzels, chocolate pudding, potato chips and... honey mustard dip." Paige revealed, producing the jar of condiment with a flourish. "I've got you covered tonight. I even bought antacids just in case but I can't seem to remember where I put them. Just rummage the pockets of the bag later."

"You know you didn't have to do this." Emily pointed out quietly, glancing at the pile of food on her bed before meeting Paige's eyes.

"I know. But I wanted to. It's our last night here in Rosewood and I won't be able to see you again until tomorrow morning so I decided to drop by before your friends come over for movie night." Paige explained, brushing a strand of hair away from the girl's eyes. "I swear you have the cutest dimples I've ever seen in a girl." She suddenly said when Emily grinned, poking her finger playfully on one of the girl's cheeks before leaning forward and depositing a kiss on the spot, making Emily blush furiously that Paige noticed it despite the darkness in the room.

"Thanks for coming over and bringing all of this." Emily said when she found her voice, gesturing towards her bed.

Paige nodded. "I saw your mom in the living room before I climbed that tree outside. Did you lock your door?" She asked, looking past Emily for a second.

"Yeah. Once I got your text." Emily replied.

"Good." Paige whispered before claiming Emily's lips with hers. She sat on the girl's bed and placed her hands on Emily's hips when the girl sat on her lap, leaning forward to deepen their kiss when Emily slightly parted her soft lips. "Can I give you a ride back to UPenn tomorrow morning?" She asked in-between kisses.

Emily nodded. "Spencer hasn't asked me to ride with her and Connor." She whispered, cupping Paige's cheek as their lips met and parted again and again.

Paige slowly leaned backwards to lie down on Emily's bed just as the sound of the doorbell resonated in the entire house but neither of them seemed to hear it. She firmly pulled Emily towards her, meeting the girl's lips urgently this time as their kisses intensified. She lightly rested her hand on Emily's back, just below the hem of the girl's shirt, and let it linger there for a few seconds before slowly slipping her hand underneath, conscious that her palm just made contact with Emily's bare skin when the girl didn't react.

"Sweetie, your friends are here." Pam Fields called out from behind Emily's bedroom door, knocking once before trying to open it.

Emily's eyes snapped open and she sat up straight, her pulse racing for several reasons. "I'll be right out, mom!" She called out, amazed that her voice sounded normal. "Tell them I'm just changing." She added before moving to stand up and fix her top, running a hand through her hair several times as she looked at Paige anxiously. She was aware that her skin was still tingling on the spot where the girl's hand was a few seconds ago.

"I guess that's my cue to leave." Paige said in a low voice as she got up as well. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." She whispered, kissing Emily on the cheek before heading for the window again.

"Careful." Emily blurted out, firmly grabbing Paige's arm as the girl tried to find her footing on a sturdy tree branch before starting to make her way outside Emily's room.

"Hey. Don't look so worried." Paige told the girl when she saw the agitation in Emily's eyes. "I'm used to climbing trees." She promised, grinning.

Not really the reason but... "Yeah." Emily said, forcing a smile on her lips. She waited until Paige's head disappeared from view before wiping the smile off her lips, her face now showing the guilt and sadness she felt that the girl can't even properly come and go in her house.

"Emily!" Pam called out, knocking on the door urgently this time.

Emily sighed. Apparently her mom didn't hear her reply earlier. "I'm coming, mom!" She replied, louder this time.

Taking one last look outside her bedroom window, Emily finally closed it and headed back to her bed. She quickly returned inside the backpack the pile of food Paige brought and slung one strap over her shoulder before she made her way to the door. Tomorrow morning can't come soon enough. She couldn't wait to get back to UPenn. Maybe things will be a little easier there.

---

"I strongly suggest that you miss this class too." Paige muttered, immediately leaning forward when Emily wrapped her arms tighter around her neck before kissing the girl on the lips again. "Then I'll miss all of mine in the afternoon. Let's just spend the entire day in my apartment doing this." She added, parting her lips.

"Don't tempt me." Emily whispered, deepening their kiss.

It was Monday morning and the two girls have just gotten back to UPenn from their Thanksgiving break. Since they left Rosewood later than expected and Emily already missed two of her classes, Paige offered to drive the girl to her last class for the day after they dropped off Kayla in Girard. Emily agreed on the condition that Paige dropped her off in a secluded area near her class since the ground rules still applied to them and the girl readily agreed. Because Paige didn't mind. In fact, she was counting on that.

"Why? Am I about to convince you?" Paige asked before starting to leave a trail of soft kisses from Emily's jawline to her neck.

"Maybe." Emily replied, making Paige laugh.

"Come on. Say yes. This is the first time since we got back together that we're spending the day apart for hours. I don't want you to go." Paige admitted, brushing a strand of hair away from the girl's eyes as Emily shifted from her position on Paige's lap in the driver's seat of the girl's SUV.

"I know but I can't afford to miss this class." Emily confessed, leaning forward to make it seem like she was going to kiss Paige before pulling back at the last second, making the girl groan in frustration.

"Well can you be late?" Paige asked, kissing Emily on the cheek. "Like thirty minutes?"

Emily laughed. "Paige that's like missing half of my class." She pointed out.

"Twenty-five?" Paige suggested.

"Five." Emily bargained.

"Hours?! Oh I'm so driving us back to my apartment right now!" Paige exclaimed eagerly, moving to start her car but Emily quickly grabbed her hand to stop her.

"More like minutes." Emily continued, grinning at Paige.

"I know. Can't blame a girl for trying though." Paige said, intertwining their hands. "I wish we were still on Thanksgiving break back in Rosewood." She admitted, staring at their hands.

"I think my bed has an imprint of our asses and our backs." Emily reminded the girl. "It's time we got back here."

"Tell me you don't miss being in your room with me." Paige challenged.

Emily shook her head. "I don't. I'd rather be in your apartment." She answered, staring at their hands as well.

"Then can we have lunch later?" Paige asked optimistically. "I'm pretty sure my couch missed us too. And my bed."

Emily felt her stomach churn when she heard those words. "I should probably grab lunch with Spence. I already caught a ride back here with you. I don't want her to suspect anything." She explained, giving Paige an apologetic look that she hoped would be enough to hide her anxiety.

Paige nodded understandingly. "Okay. Dinner then. Can we have dinner?" She suggested.

"I want to say yes but I still don't know what my day's going to be like." Emily replied, shifting on Paige's lap. Suddenly she wasn't so comfortable with their position. "Rain check?"

"Ugh. I hate being back in UPenn." Paige complained, kissing Emily's hand.

Emily couldn't help but smile when she felt Paige's soft lips on her skin. "I'm sure you'll live. I gotta go. Five minutes are up." She added after glancing at her watch.

Paige nodded and grabbed Emily's arm when the girl moved to get up. "Hey. Not so fast. Aren't you forgetting something?" She asked, giving Emily a teasing smile as she waited for the girl to kiss her goodbye. When Emily didn't move, Paige took the initiative and closed the distance between them, kissing the girl softly on the lips. "For the road." She said before kissing Emily on the cheek. She helped the girl alight from her car and handed Emily her books and shoulder bag from the passenger seat. "I'll come by the café later to bring the rest of your things to you. I still have to bring Kayla's to her apartment."

"Okay." Emily agreed. "I'll see you later." She said before leaving to make her way to class.

Paige waited until Emily left her sight before starting her car and buckling her seatbelt. That's weird. Well not really. But she didn't notice it until now. It's probably nothing but ever since they got back together, Emily never kissed her first. Not that she had a big problem with it. She just couldn't help but think that the girl wasn't telling her something. Paige sighed, wondering what's going on with Emily this time. She took out her phone from the front pocket of her jeans and sent a message to the girl before shifting the gear to drive and heading for her apartment.

---

Emily quickly made her way to her Comparative Literature class which was on the third floor of Williams Hall, aware that she was already more than five minutes late and she was still on the second floor. She slightly shifted the books she was carrying in her right hand to have a better grip on them before moving to take her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans when she felt it vibrate, trying to read the message while making her way down the hall.

I miss you already.

Emily felt her lips curl into a smile when she read Paige's simple message and hurriedly composed a reply. She was about to press 'send' when she collided into someone, the impact with which their bodies met making her drop her books and her phone fell on the ground before sliding a few steps away from her.

"Oh god I'm so sorry!" The person exclaimed but Emily vaguely heard it as she stared at her phone in dismay. She saw a girl hastily walk over to her phone and she crouched to pick up her books off the floor, torn between being angry at the girl or herself for not looking where she was going.

"Emily?" Emily looked up when she heard her name and found herself staring into a familiar pair of deep emerald eyes.

"Gary." Emily uttered, standing up slowly before taking her phone back from the girl.

"It's still working." Gary informed the girl as she nodded her head towards the phone. "Sorry. I was in a bit of a hurry."

"Me too. I wasn't watching where I was going." Emily admitted, returning her phone in the back pocket of her jeans.

"You on your way to a class?" Gary asked, her gaze drifting to the books in Emily's hand.

Emily nodded. "Running late actually." She added.

"You're not the only one. I've been auditing a class that I was thinking of taking up next sem and I woke up late." Gary confessed, heading for a set of stairs the same time Emily did. "So how was your Thanksgiving break?"

"Great." Emily answered, her thoughts immediately drifting to Paige. "Yours?" She asked out of courtesy.

"Same as all the previous Thanksgiving breaks I've had. Dull." Gary revealed. "Actually, I'm glad I ran into you. Not literally 'cos I think my shoulder might be dislocated right now." She said, smiling. "I was planning to call you later. I'm going to this gala event tomorrow night outside campus to talk to some well-connected people about MARC. Do you know of it?"

Emily racked her brain for the meaning of those letters. "Uh is that the marketing, advertising..."

"And retailing conference. Yeah that's the one. You know of MUSE's activities. I'm impressed." Gary commented, looking at Emily with open admiration. "It's going to be held next semester and I'm still working on trying to convince several companies to participate. I was thinking of asking you to come as my plus one."

"Tomorrow night? Um, I don't know about that. I might be busy." Emily replied, trying to think of a solid excuse.

"Already?" Gary said, giving Emily a surprised look. "We've been back barely a day on campus. Come on. This'll be the rain check for that coffee or dinner two weeks ago." She reminded the girl as they continued to walk towards the same direction. "And honestly, it's a perfect opportunity for you to see how our organization functions since you're joining our ranks next sem."

"I haven't decided on that yet." Emily pointed out.

"Well I'm sure going with me will help you decide. What do you say?" Gary asked, looking at Emily expectantly.

"I really can't say yes right now. Like you said, we've barely been back a day." Emily replied apologetically, increasing her pace when she saw her room not far ahead.

"Well I also said that I rarely take no for an answer so I'm going to wait until the last minute before I give up trying to get you to come with me." Gary said resolutely, following Emily.

Perfect. "Where are you going?" Emily asked, keeping the surprise and mild panic out of her voice when she noticed that the girl was about to enter the room with her.

"I've been allowed to audit this class every now and then since the beginning of the sem." Gary explained. "Where are you going?"

"I've been taking this class." Emily replied, now wishing that she was back in that car with Paige instead so she can say yes when the girl suggests that she miss this class as well.

"Huh. I can't believe I haven't noticed you before. I guess it is better late than never." Gary commented, moving to let Emily walk in first with an eager smile on her lips.

---

"You didn't make a move? You had several days in Rosewood with her without that Gary Chambers lurking around and delivering bouquets of flowers at her feet and you seriously didn't make a move?" Reese asked incredulously.

"Okay for the record? It's just one bouquet. Gary gave her one bouquet and I still choose to believe that Emily didn't like what Gary pulled." Paige began, not telling her friend that she did ask Emily about the flowers again and the girl admitted that she was just hurt that Paige didn't seem to care that someone else was interested in her. That's why she pretended she liked it. "But yeah. I didn't make a move. Like you said, I've been friend-zoned. I'm not going to embarrass myself and continue pursuing her." She lied. "We barely saw each other during the break anyway. She was busy catching up with her other friends and I was busy training." She added before taking another bite out of the green apple she was eating.

The two girls were currently seated on one of the benches around the quadrangle, having lunch while exchanging stories about what each of them did during the short break. Paige was trying her best not to stir Reese's suspicion that she and Emily were back to sneaking around since the girl admitted two weeks ago that she knew Paige was lying the first time. Emily still didn't want anyone else to know that they were seeing each other non-exclusively and Paige planned on making sure that things work out between them this time. She won't screw up.

"I don't know if I should commend you for your iron will or smack you in the head for your idiocy." Reese said, looking at Paige thoughtfully. "You're really okay with just being friends with her?"

Paige nodded. "I don't want to lose her and she said she's not ready. I don't plan on forcing the issue. I'm not saying I'm giving up, though." She hurriedly said when she caught Reese's suspicious look. "I'd give it a few months or weeks until I try again but for now it's better this way. Maybe I'll meet someone else in the meantime." She added, looking around the quad. "So how's your break?" Paige asked, changing the subject before taking a bite of her apple again.

"Awesome. Got the chance to spend time with my cousins and I think I just converted some of them into future tri-athletes." Reese said proudly. "Which reminds me. You haven't joined a triathlon since you set foot in UPenn." She pointed out. "There are several upcoming races next year and I plan on joining them. Help me prepare for the regionals in April. Want to join me? You're competing under the U23 bracket now, right?"

"Yeah. I finished my Junior Elite status so now I'm in the Under 23 bracket." Paige confirmed.

"Well I'm still under U23 too. It'd be cool if we could join a few races together." Reese admitted. "I really want both of us to qualify for the WTS."

"But that's not until next, next year. Wouldn't you have graduated by then? What about your career?" Paige asked, looking at Reese curiously.

"I talked to my granddad and dad about that. They agreed to let me focus on being a tri-athlete for a couple of years before I have to work in our company but it's on the condition that I take up a master's degree while doing so." Reese confessed. "A lot happened during the break." She added when she saw Paige's surprised look.

"I gotta say. I kinda envy you right now. I still don't know what concentration to take." Paige admitted. "I like the idea of being able to create jobs in unlikely areas so I'm leaning towards SIR but I'm starting to think Wharton isn't really for me. I might..."

"What?" Reese urged when Paige suddenly trailed off. She looked around the quad, trying to see what caught the girl's attention. "Do you want to leave?" She asked when she saw who Paige was looking at.

Paige watched as Emily walked up to Spencer with Gary in tow inside Café McClelland, wondering how the girl and Emily's paths crossed considering they've just been back in UPenn half a day.

"No. It's fine." Paige finally answered, looking away. She understood Emily's reason for wanting to have lunch with Spencer today because the truth was the girl didn't spend that much time with her friends during the break. Emily made up several excuses so they could lock themselves inside the girl's bedroom every chance they got. "It's fine." She repeated when she saw Reese's concerned look.

"You don't have to hide your jealousy when you're with me, you know?" Reese reminded the girl. "You still like her. It's understandable that you're not thrilled to see her walking around campus with Gary."

Paige smiled faintly. "Let's just finish eating lunch so we can head to our respective classes." She suggested, trying to dismiss the subject.

"It's a Monday so I only have one class today, newbie. And it's not until two." Reese added, checking the time on her watch.

Paige got up. "Well I guess I'm going to go ahead then." She decided, unable to handle being there while Emily spent time with Gary.

One of the reasons why she and Emily didn't work out the first time was because she was jealous. Emily told her before that she didn't like jealousy in her relationship if it causes fights and drama. She's trying her best to hide that side of her when it came to Emily since the last time she showed it, the girl ended up calling things off between them. She wasn't going to let that happen again. They've been in a good place for a while now. She intended on keeping it that way.

"Hey wait for me!" Reese exclaimed, getting up as well. "I'm not sitting here in the quad by myself." She said, jogging a few steps to catch up to Paige. She linked her arm around the girl's and nudged Paige gently. "Don't worry about it, newbie. These things tend to sort themselves out. Emily will come to her senses."

---

"Gary Chambers this is one of my best friends, Spencer Hastings. Spence, this is Gary. She's the president of MUSE Penn." Emily added as she made the introductions, fighting to keep her expression neutral when she suddenly saw Paige and Reese having lunch just outside the café.

"So you're the president of the marketing org on campus." Emily heard Spencer say to Gary as they settled on the chairs in front of her friend, her eyes still trained on Paige and Reese. She watched as the girl got up like Paige was about to leave and just when she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Paige suddenly met her gaze head on and she just knew the reason why Paige was leaving was because she saw her with Gary. She knew she shouldn't feel guilty. They still weren't exclusive and she wasn't doing anything wrong. She was really meeting Spencer for lunch. Gary just happened to tag along.

Once their class was over, Gary asked if she had plans for lunch and when Emily said that she was meeting a friend at the quad, the girl asked if she could join them. Emily didn't exactly know how to say no to that. What excuse to use. Sorry but you can't. My friend experiences rage blackouts whenever I bring someone along? Emily mentally shook her head, trying to forget about Paige as she focused on the two girls seated around the table with her.

"Most days I am. But right now I'm just a regular woman hoping to get this gorgeous lady sitting next to me to say yes to going as my plus one tomorrow night." Gary revealed, giving Emily a flirtatious smile.

Emily faintly smiled at the girl in return, wondering how she could say 'no' since Gary doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word.

"Maybe you could help me out. Convince your friend here to come with me to a gala event." Gary continued, returning her attention to Spencer. "I have to mingle with board of directors, presidents and CEOs of various companies all night so I could use a gorgeous lady on my arm who can hold an intellectual conversation with these people. Impress them so they'll participate in the MARC event MUSE is holding next year."

And... now I know why she wanted to come along. Emily thought, torn between being impressed or annoyed. Gary sure was persistent and resourceful.

Spencer narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Gary Chambers. Were you the one who had flowers delivered to Emily in her class?" She suddenly asked, the real reason why the name sounded familiar finally registering to her.

"That would be me." Gary admitted, giving the girl a slight nod.

Spencer smiled. "Then I will gladly help you convince my friend to say yes to that date." She promised, much to Emily's dismay. "Hand me your phone."

Gary took the phone out of her clutch bag and handed it to Spencer. "Great. I'm going to go ahead of you ladies then. I still have a real class I need to get to. I just wanted to meet one of Emily's friends." She said, proving Emily's hunch before taking her phone from Spencer again. "Thanks in advance." She told the girl. "And I really hope you listen to your friend. I want to see you tomorrow night all glammed up." She said to Emily before getting up and sauntering away, turning heads as she did so.

"I like her." Spencer commented as she watched Gary exit the café. She was surprised when Emily entered the place earlier with a girl in tow. It's barely been a day since they returned from Rosewood and already her friend was reconnecting with someone she met before the break. This was a good sign.

"Well then by all means. Dump Connor and go out with her 'cos I don't plan to." Emily replied before Spencer could start pleading Gary's case.

"Why don't you want to go? It's a gala event. You get to dress up and interact with fancy people. If you don't have a formal dress in your closet you can just rent one." Spencer pointed out, taking a sip of her water before going back to finishing her sandwich.

"I have a formal dress. I just don't want to go." Emily admitted.

"Why?" Spencer asked, pausing mid bite as she waited for Emily to explain.

"Because I know it's supposed to be a date and I don't want to go on a date. Besides. She's not my type." Emily revealed, looking down to study the menu on their table despite not being hungry.

"Since when did you have a type? Other than Jai you haven't been with anyone else." Spencer reminded her friend.

"Since recently." Emily answered vaguely, refusing to meet Spencer's curious stare.

"Are you already seeing someone? Is that why you won't say yes?" Spencer suddenly asked, making Emily look up at her in surprise.

"Why would you ask me that?" Emily said in reply, her heartbeat slightly quickening.

Spencer shrugged. "I don't know. It's just that I rarely saw you before the break. Like you were always out and then you come back really late." She admitted.

"Like you don't?" Emily shot back, going on the defense.

"Because I have a boyfriend. That's why I was asking if you're seeing someone. Because you behave like I do." Spencer pointed out.

"I'm not seeing anyone. I'm just busy with my MGMT100 project." Emily explained, immediately feeling guilty again.

"Well there's no reason why you can't go out with Gary then. I think it's a great opportunity." Spencer admitted. "Never mind that it's a date. You're not going to die just because you went out with her once. That gala is a good chance for you to familiarize yourself with the who's who in the world of marketing and business. You should really accept Gary's invite."

Emily sighed, knowing her friend had a point. "Okay. I'll think about it." She finally said before going back to studying the menu absentmindedly.

---

Paige casually entered Café Prima that afternoon and fixed the strap of Emily's duffel bag on her shoulder before heading straight for the counter when she saw the girl standing behind it. There weren't that many customers so Emily wasn't doing anything besides refilling the container of sugar packets.

"Hey." Paige said in greeting once she was within hearing distance of the girl. Usually Emily looked up once the door to the café opened but the girl seemed preoccupied right now.

"Hey." Emily repeated, smiling when she saw Paige. She looked behind the girl and noticed that Reese wasn't around. "Where's your shadow?"

Paige laughed. "Funny." She commented dryly. "I'm not staying. I'm going upstairs to Reese's room. I told her to go ahead since I was dropping this off." She explained, gesturing to Emily's duffel bag.

"Right. Uh, we should probably put that in the back room." Emily suggested when she caught Paige's meaningful look.

Paige nodded and walked over to the other side of the counter to follow Emily inside. "Where should I put this?" She asked, looking around.

Emily loosely held Paige's hand and led the girl deeper inside the room. "Here." She said, gesturing to a wooden chair with its back against the wall.

Paige deposited the bag on top of it before looking at Emily, smiling when she realized they were still holding hands. "So…"

"So." Emily repeated. "Why are you going upstairs with Reese?" She asked, trying to seem curious and not jealous.

Paige intertwined their hands. "We're going to..."

"Hang out." Emily said the same time Paige did. "Why can't you do that here? There's plenty of space. You can even occupy different loveseats." She pointed out. "Do you need to be in a room with a bed to hang out?"

Paige leaned forward and gave Emily a quick kiss on the lips, pulling back with a huge grin on her face. The girl was obviously jealous but she had a feeling if she pointed that out now Emily won't take it so well. "If I stay here I won't be able to stop staring at you." She admitted. "I'll do my homework upstairs while Reese takes a power nap then come back here once your shift ends." She promised. "Um... do you want to have dinner then go to my place after?" Paige asked timidly.

Emily gave the girl a wary look. "Paige..."

"No! No! I'm not trying to get you alone." Paige hurriedly said when she noticed that Emily was starting to get anxious for some reason.

"You're not?" Emily asked, not knowing how to react to that.

"I mean I am. But not for that. I..." Paige exhaled, trying to gather her thoughts. "I just... I meant I'm not trying to get you alone because I expect something to happen. I just want to have dinner with you. That's it." She explained.

"Oh. I'm meeting Spencer after my shift. We made plans to have dinner tonight." Emily admitted.

"But you already had lunch with her. And Gary." Paige pointed out.

"I knew you were going to bring that up." Emily said, starting to feel stressed out.

"No, Em, I'm not trying to pick a fight. I'm not even jealous." Paige hurriedly added. "I just meant you've already shared a meal with other people today. I was hoping tonight we can have dinner. It's our first day back on campus and the last time we had dinner here in Philly it didn't really go well. I was hoping we could change that tonight."

"I know. I want that too. But I already made plans with Spence. I don't want to cancel on her." Emily explained apologetically.

"Right. Okay. Some other time then." Paige said, shrugging. "Maybe tomorrow night instead. It's not that big of a deal."

"Paige, I..." Emily trailed off when she saw the disappointment written all over the girl's face. She was getting good at reading what Paige was feeling when the girl lets her.

"Em, it's fine. It's just dinner." Paige insisted, squeezing the girl's hand reassuringly.

Emily sighed. "Promise to get me home at a decent hour." She said, finally conceding. "I don't want Spencer to suspect anything."

"We've barely hung out the first time we were sneaking around and even then she didn't know you were spending time with me. How could Spencer know something's up between us?" Paige asked, giving the girl a confused smile.

"She just does." Emily answered vaguely. She didn't want Paige to know that she was having a hard time or the girl might get the wrong idea. She really wanted to continue seeing her.

"Okay. So what do you want to have for dinner?" Paige asked, deciding to drop the matter for now. "We could have dinner at Mix, A Mandarin..."

"I was thinking we could have dinner at your place instead." Emily interjected.

"Um... takeout. Yeah. Okay. We can do that." Paige agreed, momentarily forgetting that they were making plans while standing inside a cramped space since they were supposed to be sneaking around.

Emily bit her bottom lip, starting to feel guilty again. "I'm sorry. I just don't want..."

"I get it." Paige cut in, smiling faintly. "It's fine. I'll order some Chinese or pizza or something." She added before leaning forward to kiss Emily on the lips again. For some reason she knew the girl wouldn't initiate it and she didn't want to waste the few minutes that they're alone.

Emily instinctively leaned her body closer to Paige when the girl parted her lips but quickly pulled back when she heard a noise. "What was that?" She asked, looking around the room nervously.

"What was what? I didn't hear anything." Paige said, firmly pulling Emily close to her again.

"I heard something." Emily insisted. "Like a soft bristling sound."

Paige grinned. "Oh. It's probably just this." She said, pointing to the broom behind her. "I stepped on it while I was trying to find my balance." She explained before moving to take Emily's hand again but the girl wouldn't move, seemingly frozen in place. "What?"

"Maybe you should leave. Reese is waiting for you. She might be wondering what's taking you so long." Emily added, her voice hoarse.

Paige sighed. "Em..."

"Please?" Emily begged, starting to get anxious.

"Yeah, okay. I'll just see you at dinner then." Paige finally agreed, moving to kiss Emily on the lips one last time but the girl turned her head away so her kiss ended up on Emily's cheek instead.

Paige gave the girl a confused look before making her way back to the front of the café. I don't get it. I know I haven't done anything to make Emily think twice about us again. They haven't been fighting and Emily was still attracted to her. But for some reason the girl was pulling away and she didn't know why. What's going on?

---

"Dinner was good." Emily commented before taking a sip of her water after dinner that night.

"It was just Chinese takeout. It's hardly stellar." Paige said wryly as she studied the empty boxes of takeout food on the coffee table in front of them.

Emily angled her body on the couch to face Paige. "I meant the company." She corrected, smiling at the girl.

Paige smiled nervously. "Yeah. It's good. Great, actually." She added, turning her body as well to face Emily. The girl seemed to be in a much better mood than she was when Paige left her in the back room of the café earlier.

Emily moved closer to Paige. "So I have to get back to Harrison in an hour. I told Spencer I was just grabbing dinner with our MGMT100 group." She explained, gently setting down her glass of water on the coffee table.

"Uh huh." Paige uttered, her eyes on Emily's moist lips from the water the girl just drank.

"Did you really just want to have dinner with me tonight?" Emily asked, taking Paige's hand and smiling at the girl coyly.

Paige let out a nervous laugh. "Nope. Not just dinner." She admitted, wondering why the hell she was fidgeting. "Definitely not just dinner." She repeated, her eyes meeting Emily's.

"What else?" Emily whispered.

Paige gazed at Emily's lips, slowly leaning forward to give the girl a quick kiss before pulling back again.

Emily smiled. "We have an hour. Are you really gonna kiss me like we're in grade school?" She asked teasingly.

Paige shook her head and tucked a strand of hair behind Emily's ear. "Show me how it's done." She said softly, looking into the girl's eyes. "Kiss me."

Emily's smile faltered and she suddenly felt nervous, her cheeks growing warm. She pulled away from the girl and got up to start clearing the takeout boxes instead, avoiding Paige's confused stare.

Paige got up and began helping Emily in silence, now really puzzled as to why the girl refused to kiss her first. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that except for Emily kissing her twice under the rain and then during the Thanksgiving break, she was always the one who initiated their make out sessions.

Paige cleared her throat to speak. "Do you like me?" She asked quietly.

Emily stopped what she was doing and looked at Paige, confused as to why the girl would ask her that.

"I mean, me. Do you like me? Not because I'm Jai's best friend and we've been hanging out a lot so now you think you're attracted to me but you're not really. That you think it's just because we spend so much time together that it was bound to happen eventually or something. Do you like me?" Paige repeated.

Emily sighed. "Paige..."

"Because you know that I like you." Paige reminded the girl. "But if you don't feel the same way anymore you can tell me. If you think you don't know how you really feel... if you want to back out again..."

"I don't." Emily interjected, shaking her head firmly.

"Then what is it?" Paige asked, confused.

"I do like you. Despite not wanting to because you will always be my girlfriend's best friend so you're supposed to be off-limits. Despite knowing that everyone will see me as a cliché and talk about me when they find out. I like you." Emily admitted helplessly.

"So why are you fighting it?" Paige asked softly.

"What do you mean?" Emily replied, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"You weren't exactly jumping for joy when I asked you to have dinner with me earlier." Paige reminded the girl. "Then when I asked you to kiss me just now you chose to clean up instead. Why? You've kissed me first already. Thrice. And I've been hoping you'd kiss me that way again. But since we got back together I've always kissed you first."

"What do you want from me?" Emily asked hoarsely. She didn't expect that Paige would notice her behavior.

"I want to see the Emily who couldn't keep her hands off me. The one who wasn't scared to show that she's attracted to me. Because I know you are." Paige pointed out. "But I feel as if the only time that you kiss me is if we're not together and you want to be. But once we are I always initiate it. Hanging out with you, this doesn't feel friendly. And that's because it's not just me. We're alone. Why can't you kiss me that way again?"

"Because I don't know if I can stop. Okay?" Emily finally blurted out, looking away.

"Oh." Paige uttered. That was the last thing she expected to hear from the girl.

"You said it yourself. I'm attracted to you. Only you don't know how much. And yeah. We're alone. And lately that scares me because I'm really attracted to you and I'm still not sure what it is we're doing." Emily explained. "I don't want to give you the wrong impression that if I initiate things I want to do more. Because whenever you kiss me, I know how much you want me."

"What's wrong with that?" Paige asked, trying to understand Emily's logic.

"I'm still not ready." Emily admitted.

"Em. I'm not... trying to put pressure on you. We don't have to do anything. It's just kissing." Paige pointed out, trying to laugh to lighten the mood but it didn't work.

"It's not. It used to be. But lately I feel like it's supposed to be a prelude to something." Emily confessed. "We make out for hours in your car, in my bed. And I know you want to do more. Ever since that night in my room I know how much you want to do more."

"Not when you're not ready. We've been seeing each other what, less than a week? You've been with Jai for years. I know you're not ready with me the way you were with her." Paige said understandingly.

Emily wearily ran a hand through her hair. "Paige, we..."

"What?" Paige urged gently.

"Nothing. Can you please just take me home?" Emily asked, glancing at the door.

"Yeah. Just let me get the keys." Paige said, heading for her bedroom.

Emily swallowed hard. She didn't know how to tell the girl that nothing ever happened with Jai despite being with her girlfriend for years. Paige expected her to be experienced. Just like the girl is. And she didn't want to disappoint Paige.

"Are you ready?" Paige asked once she was back in the living room.

"Wh- What?" Emily stammered, startled by the girl's question.

"To go." Paige added when she noticed Emily's reaction. "I meant ready to go home." She clarified.

"Yeah." Emily answered, walking over to the girl.

"Em, I'm fine with waiting." Paige promised once Emily was standing in front of her. She didn't want the night to end like this. "Sorry I brought up the whole kissing-you-first thing. I just thought you wanted to back out again and didn't know how to say it."

"Don't apologize." Emily said, taking Paige's hand. "I don't want to back out. Sorry if I'm confusing you."

Paige lightly squeezed Emily's hand as they made their way to the front door, releasing the girl's hand once Emily opened it knowing Kayla might be standing outside. She was getting used to the ground rules and she wasn't going to screw up this time. Not when Emily just told her that she didn't want out.

---

Emily glanced at her watch before deftly sidestepping an old man who was blindly walking towards her carrying a tall pile of papers, not missing a single step as she hurriedly made her way to her class on Tuesday morning. She was running late because well... she woke up late. She couldn't sleep because she was thinking about Paige and how the girl pointed out that she hasn't kissed Paige first ever since they got back together. All because she was so paranoid that Paige would think she wanted to go beyond kissing if she actually showed that she wanted the girl. And how Paige will probably lose interest in her eventually if she can't put out. That or Paige will get tired of sneaking around with her. Whichever comes first.

Once she rounded a corner, she increased her pace but immediately slowed down when she was almost near the room where her class is supposed to be because she saw Gary standing outside. Much to her confusion and surprise.

"I swear I'm not stalking you." Gary said in greeting when she saw Emily's expression. "I thought about calling you but I figured it's better if I talked to you in person. Spencer told me that this is your first class." She explained.

Spencer and I really need to have a talk about her obsession with Gary. "What are you doing here?" Emily asked, trying not to sound impatient but checking the time on her watch to show the girl that she was in a hurry. She was running late again and this is just her second day back in UPenn. She didn't need to maintain a 3.0 GPA for the financial aid but she needed it to study abroad her junior year.

"This won't take long." Gary promised, taking the girl's hint. "I just wanted to know if you had the chance to think it over. Coming to the gala event tonight as my plus one."

Emily sighed. She did think it over last night. Several times after her dinner with Paige. That maybe she should go to this event since they weren't exclusive anyway. And Spencer had a point. If she wanted to have an exposure to the world of business and marketing she needed to start somewhere. And Gary had a point as well. If she wanted to join MUSE next semester this was her chance to see how the organization functions.

"What time is the gala?" Emily finally said, making Gary smile.

"Eight o'clock. I'll pick you up outside Harrison around seven since the venue is on the other side of the Schuylkill River." Gary explained.

"Okay. I'll see you tonight." Emily said before walking past the girl to head inside her room.

---

"She asked you out on a date." Paige said to Emily matter-of-factly later that afternoon as she paid for the coffee and apple juice at the counter.

"For the last time. It's not a date." Emily insisted, taking her time to ring up Paige's purchases so they have an excuse to continue talking.

"Oh really. What is it then?" Paige asked, fighting to hide her jealousy.

"It's... a chance to broaden my horizon when it comes to the world of marketing and business." Emily replied, quoting Spencer's words to the girl.

Paige let out a short laugh. "Right. It's a date." She repeated.

"Well what's it to you?" Emily asked, studying Paige's face carefully. "Are you jealous?"

Paige scoffed. "No. Why would I be jealous of Gary Chambers?" She said in reply.

Emily shrugged. "I don't know. That's what I wanted to know too." She shot back.

"Well I'm not. Jealous." Paige clarified. "I just don't want her to take advantage of you and your young, impressionable mind. I mean, she seems older than us. She's probably a senior or a junior since she's the president of MUSE."

"Uh, Reese is a junior too and you don't see me getting jealous all the time when you're together." Emily reminded the girl.

"Aha! So you do get jealous from time to time." Paige said, grinning.

"I do not!" Emily protested, feeling her cheeks flush.

"Yes you do. You said you don't get jealous all the time when you see us together. But from time to time you do! Just admit you do." Paige coaxed, fighting the urge to lean over the counter and give the girl a long kiss because of how glad she is that Emily cared who she spent time with when they're not together. Considering the girl said she never gets jealous.

"I do not!" Emily repeated weakly.

Paige laughed. "Well in case you are, you don't have to be. There's no reason to." She said, suddenly getting serious.

"Why?" Emily asked, meeting Paige's gaze head on.

"Because." Paige uttered, not knowing how to tell Emily that all this time she was just getting help from Reese with her studies. "There's nothing..."

"You again." Paige averted her eyes from Emily and looked to her left when she heard Gary's voice.

"Gary Chambers." Paige said in greeting, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Either this woman has the worst timing in the world or she's doing it on purpose.

"Paige McCullers. Emily's friend." Gary said in reply, smiling at the girl.

Paige fought the urge to roll her eyes at Gary's obvious attempt to point out her place. "That's right." She answered without missing a beat.

"Am I interrupting?" Gary asked, looking at the two girls back and forth.

You know you are. Paige shook her head. "Nope. Just about done here." She answered, taking her change from Emily. "Have fun at the gala tonight. Emily just told me that she's looking forward to broadening her horizon when it comes to the world of marketing and business." She continued, repeating Emily's words without any trace of sarcasm in her voice. "I hope she really gets a chance to experience it. That's the only reason she's going to that event after all." She added offhandedly, ignoring Emily's warning look.

"Then I'll make sure she does." Gary said earnestly. "But I've been known to be pretty persuasive. I'm sure by the end of the night I'd have broadened her horizon in more ways than one."

Paige fought the urge to hit the girl for even talking like that in front of Emily and instead forced her lips to curl into a smile. "I better head back to my friend before I spill this steaming coffee on something." She said, gesturing to the cup she was holding in her hand before turning around to head back to Reese, telling herself that she's not jealous as she tried to convince herself to believe those words.

---

How'd it go last night?

Emily stole a glance at her Calculus professor before typing a reply to Paige's text, pausing as she contemplated whether or not to tell the girl the truth about her experience at the gala.

Great. She introduced me to a lot of company CEOs and presidents and VPs.

Emily pressed the 'send' button when she finally decided to tell the girl the truth. She was telling so much lies lately that she wanted to be honest to the one person who really matters to her right now. She picked up her pen and jotted a few lecture notes while waiting for Paige's reply.

That's great…

Emily narrowed her eyes as she studied the words on the display screen. It was like she could hear Paige's voice and imagine the girl's face like they were standing in front of each other so she hurriedly typed a reply.

It wasn't a date. There's no reason for you to get jealous.

Emily pressed the 'send' button again and resumed taking down notes but her phone vibrated before she could.

I wasn't! I was just really worried she was taking advantage of you.

Emily stifled a laugh as she sent another text.

Right. Keep telling that to yourself.

Emily tried her best to focus on the lecture again, hoping her professor won't call her name to ask that she derive a formula for solving the problem on the board because all she could think about right now is Paige. And the girl's soft lips, smooth skin and teasing smile. She can't wait until dinner. She wanted to see Paige now. Emily glanced at her professor, making sure that the old man wasn't looking in her direction before she typed another message to the girl, asking if they could have lunch after her class.

Pick you up or come over?

Emily bit her bottom lip when she saw Paige's reply, trying to decide. She couldn't wait to see the girl but she didn't want people to start asking questions. Still… it's not like they've seen her with Paige recently.

Pick me up.

Emily replied, nervous about being seen together but at the same time excited to see Paige waiting for her right outside her class in a few minutes.

Okay.

Emily felt herself smile. One simple word and Paige was able to make her smile. This is crazy.

---

Paige casually leaned against one of the towering stone pillars outside of Cohen Hall, her hands inside the pockets of her leather jacket as she waited for Emily to emerge from her Calculus class. She was pleasantly surprised when the girl texted her a few minutes ago asking if they could have lunch once her class was over and that Emily wanted to pick her up.

It was a first so she knew how important it was that she doesn't do something that would make Emily feel uncomfortable about being seen with her. She hoped her happiness at getting to pick up the girl from one of her classes wasn't going to show and she'd been practicing her poker face since she got that text.

Paige took a deep breath and moved from her position, turning her back to the entrance to study the campus. Everything still felt surreal. She never thought she'd end up going to UPenn and start spending time with Emily doing not so friendly things. She's never liked anyone the way she liked Emily and more than anything she wanted the girl to tell her someday that she's okay being seen with her in public. For now, she's just going to respect Emily's wish to keep what they're doing a secret.

Emily emerged from her class, eager to see Paige. She knew her decision earlier to let the girl pick her up from her last class today was spur of the moment but she figured it wouldn't hurt to be seen every now and then with Paige. Just so long as she can control her actions around the girl. She felt her pulse race when she saw Paige turn around when the girl heard the chatter, signaling the end of another class. She hasn't seen me yet. Emily thought as she watched Paige look around trying to find her. She knew the girl finally saw her when she noticed the slight change in Paige's posture and saw the girl's lips turn up slightly.

"Have you been waiting long?" Emily asked once she was standing in front of the girl.

Paige shook her head. "Finding a parking spot near here was hard." She admitted.

Paige was about to tell Emily that they should get going when a slight movement out of the corner of her eye made her grab Emily's arm reflexively when two guys who were clowning around a few steps away from them almost hit the girl. "Watch it!" She exclaimed angrily at the guys, making people near them turn around to see what was going on. "You two almost hit her!"

Emily felt her cheeks turn beet red, suddenly regretting her decision. She should've just told Paige that she was going to come over instead of asking the girl to pick her up. Embarrassed, she hastily started making her way towards Paige's car despite not knowing where it was parked. She just wanted to get out of there. Of course Paige caused a scene. It's Paige. What did you expect? She mentally scolded herself. Sometimes she forgot how hot-headed Jai's best friend is. Paige does things impulsively without thinking of consequences. That's why she felt she had to always remind the girl to behave herself.

Paige cursed inwardly, shooting death glares at the two guys before running after Emily. She knew she just screwed up for reacting like an overprotective girlfriend and she was in for a lot of scolding. That or Emily was going to give her the silent treatment for the rest of the day. But she'd endure any of that. Just please don't tell me we're over. She pleaded silently as she watched Emily's rigid posture. She overtook the girl to wordlessly guide Emily to where she parked her car and when they finally reached it, Paige hastily moved to open the passenger door for the girl.

"Don't." Emily warned.

Paige swallowed hard and let the girl open the door herself, cringing when she heard Emily close it forcefully. The girl was really pissed at her. She hurriedly went to her side of the car and locked the doors once she was inside. They sat in silence for a moment before Paige finally decided to speak.

"They almost hit you." Paige stated, staring straight ahead past the windshield. "I couldn't let you get hurt."

"So you acted like an overprotective girlfriend instead?! Jai wouldn't even react that way and she's my girlfriend." Emily pointed out.

"Was your girlfriend." Paige corrected, hurt.

Emily sighed. "Paige..."

"I'm sorry I reacted that way. But I can't just let them hit you. They were goofing around so hard one of them was going to eventually hit you either on the face or at the back of the head with their elbow. What was I supposed to do?" Paige asked, getting frustrated.

"I don't know, steer me away from them without making a fuss?" Emily suggested, matching Paige's tone. "But instead you made a big deal out of it by reprimanding them in front of everyone and suddenly we're the center of attention!"

"I can't be Jai." Paige said as she started the car. "I'm not as level-headed or calm as her when it comes to you or in anything for that matter. I can't keep thinking what Jai would do everytime I'm around you." Paige argued.

"I'm not asking you to be Jai!" Emily snapped, offended. "But is it really so hard for you to think first before you act?"

"No. In fact, here's me thinking." Paige retorted, turning her car to drive towards Harrison instead. "I think I'll just drive you back to your college house. After what just happened neither of us is really in the mood to grab lunch, are we?"

"Yeah." Emily answered distantly, staring outside the passenger window of Paige's car.

---

"Whoa! Easy on the door." Spencer jokingly said when Emily slammed it shut once her friend entered their room. "What's wrong?" She asked when she noticed the girl's foul mood.

"Nothing. I just had a really bad day today." Emily answered vaguely as she headed for her bed, planning to lie there and sulk the rest of the day but she stopped in her tracks when she saw what was sitting on the middle of it.

"Those came for you a while ago." Spencer revealed when she saw Emily staring at the bouquet of red roses. "You weren't here when it was delivered so I accepted it. Care to guess who they're from?"

Maybe time travel exists and they're from Paige? Emily thought, briefly closing her eyes in distress. "Gary." She finally answered, lifting the bouquet off her bed and staring at it sadly.

"I suppose that's her way of saying thanks for last night. There's a card but of course I didn't read it." Spencer promised. "You should really go out with her again, Em. When you came back last night you were smiling. I think she's good for you."

Emily smiled at her friend faintly, unable to explain that she enjoyed the event and not the company. She started when she felt her phone vibrate from the back pocket of her jeans, her heart hammering. Maybe it's Paige. Calling so we could talk about what just happened. She quickly grabbed her phone and bit her bottom lip to keep from crying, feeling letdown when she saw that it was an unregistered number.

"That's probably Gary. Asking you out for another date. Say yes." Spencer pleaded before getting up and heading for the bathroom.

"Hello." Emily answered, trying to keep her voice normal.

"Emily. It's Gary." Gary said from the other end of the line.

"Yeah?" Emily replied, staring at the flowers on her lap absentmindedly.

"I was just calling to check if you got the flowers?" Gary asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yeah. I just did." Emily admitted. "Thanks. They're beautiful."

"Don't mention it. It's my way of saying thanks for last night. I had a really great time with you." Gary admitted. "It's also an invitation for another night out with me. Do you have any plans tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow night?" Emily repeated, trying to buy some time. She wasn't sure what she should do.

"Yeah. There's this new French restaurant downtown and I'm excited to check it out." Gary explained. "I was hoping you'd share a table with me by the window."

"Uh. Like a date?" Emily asked, her eyes drifting to the vision board Paige gave her which was leaning against the wall near the window.

"Yeah. Unless you're seeing someone?" Gary asked in response.

"No. I'm not seeing anyone." Emily finally said after a moment of silence. Maybe it's easier for everyone this way.

"So you're free tomorrow night?" Gary confirmed.

"Yeah. I'm free." Emily answered faintly, fighting the urge to cry.

"Great. I'll pick you up outside Harrison around seven if that's okay." Gary continued, oblivious to Emily's distress.

"Yeah. I'll see you at seven." Emily answered before ending the call and looking at the flowers numbly.

---

Paige patiently watched the entrance to Pottruck Center on Thursday morning, waiting for Emily to emerge fresh from her swim practice. She was supposed to be running around the entire campus but she ended up running around the building, scared to miss Emily when the girl heads to her class. She knew she owed Emily an apology for what happened yesterday. And she wanted to work things out with the girl before Emily decides to end things between them again. But the girl won't take her calls when she finally decided to apologize last night and in the end, she opted for giving a personal apology instead of doing one over the phone.

There she is. Paige thought, her heart hammering when she finally saw Emily emerge with Cesca from behind the door. She didn't expect the girl to have company once she was outside and now she didn't know what to do. Should she show herself or wait until later to apologize?

Paige decided to wait for a few seconds, exhaling when she saw Cesca part ways with Emily just as the two girls reached the front of the building beside Pottruck Center. Now's her chance. She had to talk to the girl before Emily could head to her class. Steeling herself, Paige finally emerged from her hiding spot behind one of the trees lining the sidewalk and began to run towards the girl.

"Hey." Paige said in greeting once she caught up to the girl, her voice betraying her nervousness to her dismay.

"Paige." Emily uttered in surprise, stopping in her tracks when the girl seemed to appear next to her out of nowhere.

"I've been running around the bloc waiting for you." Paige admitted. "I won't do it again. I promise." She hurriedly added. "I just wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday. You won't answer my calls and I realized I'd rather apologize in person anyway so I came here."

"It's fine. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I forgot who you really were. I'm sorry." Emily said to Paige's disappointment.

Like she expected that behavior from me. "Um, let me make it up to you." Paige offered, ignoring the sinking feeling she just had that Emily was about to end things with her again. "I was thinking. Maybe we could go on a picnic to celebrate. We've been seeing each other for a week. We still are, right?" She asked anxiously.

"Yeah. But a picnic is too public. It's out in the open, Paige." Emily reminded the girl.

"No. I know. I've thought about that so I decided for option number two. A picnic dinner in my living room tonight. I already have a blanket, a picnic basket and the usual picnic foods. All it needs is you and me." Paige added, trying to sound upbeat. "Come over around seven?"

"I can't tonight." Emily answered, unable to meet the girl's eyes.

"Oh. You made dinner plans with Spencer?" Paige asked despite knowing the answer.

Emily shook her head. "No. I made plans with Gary yesterday." She confessed, confirming the girl's hunch.

Paige looked at Emily incredulously. "You're going on a date with her again." She said, trying to keep the jealousy out of her voice.

"The first one wasn't a date and tonight we're just having dinner." Emily explained.

"Where?" Paige asked as she clenched her fists.

"In this newly-opened French restaurant downtown." Emily revealed.

"French restaurant. And you call that just... having dinner. Like two friends sitting in front of each other on a small table in a place where there's a dress code and they serve expensive wine and you pay for the ambiance. It's not dinner. It's a date." Paige insisted.

"What's the big deal?" Emily asked, giving Paige an annoyed look.

"You don't know her that well and she gets to take you out to dinner. You know me and all I can feed you is takeout and pizzas?" Paige pointed out, not bothering to hide the hurt in her voice.

"Meaning what?" Emily challenged.

"Meaning I thought the whole reason why you didn't want anyone to see us in public together is because you didn't want to explain to people or define to them what you and I have. You didn't want them to think that you're thinking of moving on from Jai. Why are you suddenly going out on dates with presidents of organizations?" Paige asked accusingly.

"Okay it's just one president. It's just one dinner. The night might even end up badly." Emily said, trying to seem unaffected.

"I doubt that. 'Cos when I asked you how the first one went you answered great." Paige pointed out sarcastically. "What happens if it doesn't? If she asked you out again would you say yes?" She asked, her stomach churning.

"I don't know. Why are you so mad? I thought we agreed we weren't exclusive?" Emily reminded the girl.

"You said we weren't exclusive. I'm not keen on seeing anyone else, Emily." Paige insisted.

"Well I am. Why does it bother you so much?" Emily asked. "You're seeing Reese, right?"

"No. I'm not. I was never with Reese. All this time she was just helping me with my studies." Paige finally confessed. "That's all there is to it. Reese has a girlfriend and they've been together for four years. I don't want to see anyone else, Em." She admitted, her voice hoarse.

Paige took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She averted her eyes from the girl for a second and saw that for some reason Cesca was headed their way again. She needed to end this conversation with Emily before the girl reached them.

"The truth is I don't want you to see other girls either. Because I get jealous. Okay? There. I said it. I'm jealous." Paige confessed brokenly. "I know it's not Jai behavior. And that you don't want jealousy if it meant fighting and drama. But I can't help it." She said before walking past Emily just as Cesca was nearing them.

"Hello, leech." Cesca said in greeting when she saw Paige walking towards her.

"Not now, Cesca." Paige snapped, her voice cold as she walked past her former friend without even looking at the girl that she didn't notice the suspicious look Cesca gave her then Emily.

---

Paige put on an extra burst of speed when she saw the end of the lap again; hearing the seconds tick inside her head as her feet furiously pounded the ground in Franklin Field later that night. She gradually slowed down her pace once she crossed the finished line, running a few more steps before coming to a full stop. She wanted to continue running. But she needed to catch her breath so she walked over to her duffel bag in the middle of the field, sitting down on the grass before opening her bag to take out a towel to wipe her sweat off. A feeling of sadness overwhelmed her when she saw inside the bag the water bottle Emily gave her.

Taking it out, she opened the nozzle and drank a generous amount of water before staring at it. One week. It was supposed to be their one week together today. Well at least the two of you lasted a week this time. She thought, returning the bottle inside the bag before lying face up on the grass to stare at the clear night sky.

Right now instead of celebrating with her, Emily is instead somewhere around Philly having a romantic dinner with Gary in some fancy restaurant where there's a maître d' and an hors d'oeuvre she can't pronounce. Gary was like an older version of Jai. Only the girl wasn't her friend and from what she could tell, Gary didn't have Jai's heart. So how could Emily go out with her?

Paige sighed. She should've asked Emily first if the girl wanted to have an indoor picnic with her. Now she was going to have to eat all of the food she bought by herself. She could always bring it over to Kayla's and see what the girl can whip out of it but the point is, tonight she and Emily are probably over.

"Paige!" Paige tore her eyes away from the sky and instead stared into the wide, light brown eyes staring back at her. She blinked once, trying to figure out whose set of eyes it was but the eyes blinked the same time she did. Paige felt her lips curl into a smile and she quickly got up.

"Brian!" Paige exclaimed, grinning when Billie's seven-year-old brother threw himself at her. "What are you doing here?" She asked, hugging the boy loosely.

"Reese took me out to dinner. We're gonna go get ice cream before she takes me home. That's how much she loves me." Brian answered proudly, studying Paige before hugging the girl again. "You should come. Make Reese buy you tons of ice cream. I don't mind. Ice cream makes people happy and you're really sad."

Paige smiled faintly and hugged Brian tighter before looking up when she saw a pair of toned legs in skinny jeans approach them.

"Fancy meeting you here, newbie." Reese said in greeting.

"I could say the same thing to you. What are you doing here?" Paige asked, giving the girl a confused look.

"Hey Bry. I'll buy you two scoops of ice cream tonight instead of one if you can find me the smallest rock in this field." Reese offered, resting her hand on her knees and looking at the boy eagerly. "Deal?"

Brian quickly disentangled himself from Paige and nodded. "I want chocolate and chocolate." He said.

Reese smiled. "Okay. But don't tell Billie I gave you two scoops." She said, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately before Brian ran past her. "I just picked him up from soccer practice. Billie was supposed to join us for dinner but she's busy choreographing for the dance ensemble winter concert next year so she told us to go ahead. I decided to take Brian here since he loves this place so much and I wanted to take his mind off his sister. He was kinda looking forward to having dinner with her." She explained before taking a seat next to Paige. "Your turn."

"Emily and I got into a fight." Paige admitted, wondering how she could tell Reese her problem without revealing that she and Emily have been sneaking around again.

"About Gary?" Reese prompted.

"Among other things." Paige replied. "I kinda lost my cool yesterday and caused a scene. Emily didn't like it."

"Like the one you caused in the café?" Reese guessed.

"Worse. This time people were actually looking at us and Emily felt embarrassed." Paige explained. "She doesn't like calling attention to herself that's why she got mad. I just feel like I keep screwing up when it comes to her. I don't want to lose her." She admitted, looking at the girl helplessly.

"Then change for her." Reese advised.

Paige ran her hand over the grass before looking at Reese again. "What if she wants me to change into something I'm not?" She asked, conflicted.

"Paige everybody changes. It's just up to you which direction to take. Good or bad." Reese reminded the girl. "Is it so horrible? Changing into what she wants you to become?"

"It's not me." Paige answered.

"Don't say that. Just because you changed doesn't mean you're a completely different person." Reese explained. "Or that who you changed into hasn't always been a part of you. Maybe changing could help you discover something about yourself. That maybe you've been capable of becoming someone better all along."

"I mean, is it better?" Reese continued when the girl didn't say anything. "Paige if she wants you to change into a better version of yourself I don't see the harm in trying." She pointed out. "Of course it's completely up to you if you want to change. No one can force you to do something you don't want to. Nor should you do it solely for others. But sometimes people decide to change not just for themselves but for the people around them as well. Because let's face it, most of the time we want the people who matter to us to see the best in us."

Reese looked around the field for Brian before getting up and dusting the back of her jeans. "Don't change the good things in you. But don't settle for who you are now. Prove to her and to yourself that you're capable of becoming someone better." She said, smiling down at Paige encouragingly before walking over to Brian who was currently crouched near one of the exits, still busy combing the ground for a small rock.

Paige watched as they left the stadium, waving at Brian when Reese gestured towards her. She waited until she was alone again before getting up, deciding to run another lap before heading home.

---

"Thanks for dinner." Emily told Gary as she reached the top step in front of Harrison later that night, turning around to face the girl.

"You're welcome." Gary replied, looking up at Emily since the girl was a few steps higher than her.

"Sorry I had to put an end to the night. I just wasn't feeling well." Emily continued, trying to smile apologetically.

Gary shook her head. "It's fine. I still think the night went great." She said before slowly taking the few steps separating them until she was standing just one step below the girl. "But I can think of a way to make it perfect." She added, leaning forward to kiss Emily but the girl turned her head away.

"I'm sorry." Emily uttered, her eyes drifting to the spot a few steps away from them where she first realized she liked Paige. She swallowed hard when she remembered the moment and how she felt, like it was just yesterday that the girl held an umbrella above them while Paige stood in front of her, telling her she didn't forget her birthday.

"Are you one of those old-fashioned girls who don't kiss on the first date or is there someone else?" Gary asked, reminding Emily that she wasn't alone.

"No. There's no one else." Emily lied.

"I think there is." Gary said, her eyes drifting to the locket on Emily's necklace. "Spencer told me your girlfriend died not too long ago." She continued, misreading Emily's distress. "I'm sorry to hear that. And I get that it's still fresh. It hasn't even been a year. I get why you're reluctant to start dating again."

"I'm really sorry." Emily said, not bothering to correct the girl.

"Don't be. Because I really like you, Emily. So I'm willing to wait until you're ready. Your girlfriend isn't coming back and you're not seeing anyone. You're fair play and I don't give up easily." Gary reminded the girl, giving Emily a confident smile. "Goodnight." She said before turning around and making her way back to her car.

Emily watched and waited until Gary left the front of her college house before taking out her phone from inside the clutch bag she was carrying. She quickly dialed a number, aware that her hands were trembling as she held the phone near her ear, waiting for the other person on the line to pick up.

"Hey." Emily said in greeting, forcing her voice to sound normal. "I'm sorry for calling out of the blue but I really need your help..."

---

Paige emerged from her bathroom and limped her way to the couch, lifting her right leg on the coffee table as she surveyed the huge gash on her knee. At least the bleeding finally stopped. She thought wryly, staring at the wound to see if she needed stitches. She just cleaned the area with mild soap and warm water and she was sure there was no debris or dirt left in the wound. Paige leaned forward to reach for the bottle of hydrogen peroxide on the coffee table when she heard her phone ring. Reaching for the small rectangular object vibrating on the couch, she looked at the caller and felt a sense of dread. She took a deep breath before deciding to answer the call.

"Hey, dad." Paige said in greeting, hoping her voice didn't sound nervous. She decided to put the call on speaker so she could apply first aid to her wound while talking to her father.

"Hey, honey." Nick's voice came loud and clear from the speaker. "I'm just calling to check up on you." He explained. "I'm in California for the weekend so I won't be able to visit you."

Paige reached for the bottle of hydrogen peroxide again and twisted the cap off. "Yeah. You told me that before I left the house last Monday." She reminded her father as she poured the clear liquid over her wound, cringing when she felt the stinging sensation.

"I know I did. I guess I'm just a little worried. I got a call from Hank earlier today." Nick revealed, making Paige stare at her phone uneasily.

"What did he want?" Paige asked, trying to seem uninterested.

"Nothing. He actually called because Cesca called him and said she ran into you this morning. She was worried about you." Nick explained.

Worried about me? That's a first. Paige thought, rolling her eyes. "What did Cesca say?" She asked, studying her wound closely.

"That you were upset. She said she left her phone inside Sheerr Pool so she went back to retrieve it and she saw you talking to Emily Fields. Cesca said from the looks of it, it seemed like it was a heated argument. Like a lovers' quarrel." Nick clarified. "Is this true? Because we have an agreement, Paige. And I told you to keep your distance from Jai's girlfriend. Forget about that promise you made."

"No, dad. It wasn't a lovers' quarrel." Paige lied. "We just had a misunderstanding but it's between friends. We already sorted it out." She added. "There's no need to worry. I'm still keeping the promise I made to you."

"Still. I think it'd be better if you distanced yourself from her. Cesca said you were really upset." Nick repeated. "Maybe I should ask her to look after you since Kayla only can when you're home."

"No. Dad there's no reason to ask Cesca to do that. I'm keeping my distance from Emily." Paige promised, hoping her voice didn't sound desperate or panicked. The last thing she needed was for Cesca to start breathing on her neck 24/7.

"Okay. You know how much I trust you." Nick reminded his daughter. "I'll see you in Rosewood during the holidays then."

"Yeah. I'll see you there. Bye, dad. Goodnight." Paige said, reaching for her phone.

"Goodnight." Nick repeated before ending the call.

No need to tell me to stay away from her. I'm pretty sure Emily has that covered. Paige thought miserably. She ran a hand through her hair before looking at the gash on her knee again. She leaned forward to reach for the gauze on the coffee table this time but stopped when she heard a hesitant knock on the door. Oh come on. Will I ever finish fixing my knee tonight?! She thought before she gingerly got up from the couch and limped towards the door.

"I'm coming!" Paige called out, wincing and cursing under her breath when she banged her injured knee on the side of the closet near the door. She reached for the knob and unlocked the door, her eyes widening when she saw who it was. "Em." She uttered, looking at the girl in surprise.

"Hey. Mind if I come in?" Emily asked nervously.

Paige shook her head. "No." She answered, moving to open the door wider.

"What happened?" Emily asked when she saw Paige limp to close the door, her eyes traveling to Paige's right knee which the girl had slightly bent. "Are you okay?" She continued.

"Yeah. Just tripped and fell earlier tonight during training." Paige replied, limping back to the living room.

Emily hurriedly went to Paige's side and placed the girl's right arm around her shoulders so she could support Paige's weight as they slowly made their way back to the couch.

"Thanks." Paige said once she was seated. She reached again for the gauze on the coffee table but Emily was quicker.

"I got it." Emily offered, placing beside Paige her clutch bag and the small paper bag she was carrying with her when she came over so she could free her hands to continue cleaning Paige's wound. "Why were you training tonight? Don't you run in the mornings?"

"I needed the distraction." Paige admitted, watching Emily as the girl kneeled on the floor and gently covered her gash with the gauze. It was obvious that Emily just came from her date since the girl was wearing a short dress and heels. She probably came over to tell me she wants to be with Gary starting tonight. "But I got distracted from my distraction hence the accident." She continued, her voice hoarse.

Emily nodded, knowing Paige was thinking about her date with Gary tonight that's why the girl got into an accident. Guilt-ridden, she focused on wrapping Paige's knee with an elastic bandage instead. When she was done, Emily studied the dressing to make sure it wasn't loose or too tight so the wound could breathe. "All done." She said, finally meeting Paige's eyes and smiling faintly at the girl.

"What are you doing here?" Paige asked quietly.

"I brought you a peace offering." Emily said in reply, reaching for the brown paper bag from the couch and taking out a bag of Sour Patch Kids inside, handing it to Paige.

"Have you been talking to Kayla?" Paige asked, taking the bag of candy and placing it on the glass table beside the couch.

"Guilty. I called her earlier to ask for her help. I didn't tell her why. Just that I really screwed up. She said a bag of Sour Patch Kids is the way to go." Emily admitted.

"But I'm not ten anymore. Neither are you." Paige reminded the girl. "A bag of candy isn't going to make things better."

"I know that. I just needed something to start with." Emily explained.

"How was your date?" Paige asked, her voice hoarse.

"Awful." Emily confessed, moving to sit beside the girl. "The whole time I was with her I was thinking about our fight this morning until finally I asked her to take me home."

"Did you..." Paige trailed off, not knowing how to ask the question and if she could handle the answer. "Did she kiss you?"

Emily shook her head. "She tried but I didn't let her." She admitted.

"Why?" Paige uttered softly.

"Because I remembered you. We were standing in front of Harrison near the spot where I first realized I like you and I just knew I wanted her to go so I can come here." Emily confessed. "I'm sorry I made you jealous."

Paige swallowed hard. "I'm trying not to be. Because you said you didn't like being with someone who's jealous if it meant having to fight constantly. So I'm trying. But it's really hard." She admitted, laughing humorlessly. "Because we're not really together. And you can see whoever you want. Even if I don't like it, I don't have a say in it." She added hoarsely. "It's really hard for me to see you with another girl. I can't focus on anything because I keep thinking what you're doing with them. If you kiss them like you've kissed me. If you let them hold you like I do..."

"No. I don't." Emily promised, leaning forward to kiss the girl.

Paige smiled when their lips finally broke contact. "You kissed me first." She whispered.

"I guess I just did." Emily replied before kissing Paige again.

"I'm sorry for the way I've been behaving lately." Emily said, pulling away from the girl so they can continue their conversation. "For that fight we had yesterday. I wasn't being fair to you. Asking you to be something you're not and probably never will be. I won't do it again."

Paige took Emily's hand. "Yeah. You weren't being fair. But I don't want you to give up on me that easily too. I don't want you to think that I can't change." She said earnestly. "I'm sorry my instinct was to yell instead of pull you out of harm's way. I'm just not wired to think first, act later. And I'm sorry I made a scene when you said that you didn't want people looking at us wondering if we're together." She continued.

"I know it's frustrating to be with your best friend's girlfriend. To be with me when I still think about Jai. I still love her. A lot. And I know I'm being selfish for loving her and wanting to be something with you." Emily admitted, ashamed.

"It is frustrating. But just hanging out with you as a friend when we both know we feel something for each other is torture. At least for me it is." Paige said, smiling faintly. "And we did try to stop it. You backed out for a while, remember? You weren't sure and I told you it's fine. But you couldn't stay away just like I can't force myself to just forget how I feel. It's frustrating. But I can't imagine spending time with anyone else."

Emily looked away. "I think you should still try." She said, making Paige frown.

"No. I don't want to." Paige answered stubbornly. "Em, why are you so keen on seeing other people?" She asked, confused.

Emily felt her throat constrict and her vision suddenly blurred. "Because I think this is wrong." She finally said, hearing herself say those words out loud making her feel even more horrible about herself. She gently wiped a tear that fell from her eyes.

"Being back here... I lied when I said I miss being here. I don't. Wherever we are. Whether it's here or in Rosewood, it's hard being together." Emily said, her eyes on the floor. "In Rosewood I have to pretend that I'm okay seeing you climb trees in the middle of the night just to come and go inside my room like a common thief but the truth is I'm not. I don't enjoy it. I don't like hurting you." She whispered, letting her tears fall.

"So I thought, hey, maybe it's better if we're back in UPenn. But then we get here and we still know people from where we live, Kayla's living across the hall from you and I'm subjected to Spencer asking where I've been everytime I come home late or can't make it to lunch or dinner. And then I realized it's hard here too." Emily continued, choking back a sob.

"When Spencer told me to try to see where things go with Gary and then we started having these problems again, I thought maybe I should. Maybe if I do that, it'll be easier for everyone. Maybe it's better if we just felt this way about someone else. If we stayed away from each other. People won't talk. They won't judge us. We won't have to hide. Because even if Jai's dead I feel as if we're doing something horrible behind her back." Emily confessed brokenly.

Paige gently touched Emily's chin, forcing the girl to look at her. "Em..." She whispered, wiping the girl's tears. She had no idea Emily was feeling this way.

"I'm trying to find someone who could make me feel the way you do. I know it's not Gary. But there has to be someone else, right? I want you to do the same." Emily implored. "Please. Try to find someone else you're attracted to. Try going on dates." She begged. "I know I'm hurting you by asking you to sneak around. You should be with someone who's not afraid to be seen in public with you."

"Em, I'm okay with sneaking around. I don't mind. I know I said I didn't want it before but now I'm okay with it." Paige promised. "I just want to keep seeing you. Exclusive or not." She added, pulling the girl close to hug her. "Why didn't you tell me sooner that you were having a hard time with all of this?" She asked softly.

Emily pulled away, drying her eyes. "Because I was the one who wanted to sneak around, remember? I'm supposed to be okay with it. I didn't want you to think that I wanted to back out again when you find out that I'm having a hard time lying. Because I don't. I want to keep seeing you." She insisted.

"And I want to keep seeing you too." Paige said earnestly. "Em, I know we're still trying to figure things out between us. And there are a lot of reasons why we're hiding this from everyone. I know you think I'm having a hard time. And I did. But I want you to know that you're not forcing me. I have my reasons too." She admitted, hoping Emily won't ask what those reasons are. "Can we have that picnic now to celebrate our one week together?" Paige suddenly asked, changing the subject.

Emily nodded. "I'll help you." She hurriedly offered when she remembered Paige's wound.

"No. It's fine. I can walk." Paige promised, getting up and slowly heading to the kitchen countertop to get the blanket and the picnic basket.

Paige eagerly unfolded the blanket on the floor while the other girl moved to push the coffee table a little to make room for it. She lowered the basket in the middle and stared at the setting before deciding to go to the fridge to grab the refreshments inside.

Emily silently watched Paige limp towards the fridge. There was no trace of the pain she saw in the girl's features earlier because of the wound. All she could see now was Paige's excitement as the girl prepared their indoor picnic. Emily swallowed hard, her throat constricting again. She can't keep hurting Paige. She followed the girl to the fridge and wordlessly helped Paige take out the juice boxes, taking it from the girl's hand and placing it on the kitchen countertop behind her before facing Paige again.

"What?" Paige asked when Emily just stood there looking at her.

Emily moved forward and wrapped her arms around Paige's neck, hugging the girl and resting her head on the crook of Paige's neck.

"Em. What's wrong?" Paige uttered, hugging the girl back.

"I need you to promise me something." Emily whispered in Paige's ear.

"What is it?" Paige asked, getting worried.

Emily swallowed hard. "I need you to promise me... that if it hurts too much... being with me... promise me you'd walk away and let me go." She pleaded, tears falling from her eyes again. "Paige..."

Paige held the girl closer to her when she felt Emily's warm tears on her neck. "Okay." She answered, holding Emily as the girl cried. She suddenly remembered Reese's words and made a decision. "But just so you know... you're not gonna get rid of me that easily." Paige promised earnestly. "I'm not giving up."