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.

25. sic infit : chapter xv

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 the reviews and the well wishes for me and my girlfriend and apologies for the delay. Life happened.

redgirl25, PamyNovaes, augustmelon, spizaminator, Nae10, frfusch21, PrettyLittleVeg, chordstruck99, Njones029, izzawesome, Kredd05, Falitag07 and Drives-me-crazy... Thanks for the PM.

To my amazing girlfriend (who refuses to be referred to by her real name LOL), EyeOpener16... A big THANK YOU for a lot of things. Especially for the inputs, the words of encouragement and for bearing with my mood swings and temper tantrums. I love you. =)

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PART TWO: "Sic Infit"

~ So it begins. ~

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Touchdown." Spencer declared jubilantly once she opened the door of the room she and Emily would be sharing for a week. She released her grip on her luggage and chose the bed that was far from the window, plopping backward and sighing as she stared at the ceiling. "One glorious week of nothing but the beach, sand, sun and guys. Well, girls for you." Spencer added, slightly raising her head to look at the girl who was still standing in the open doorway.

Emily shook her head once. "I'm not here to hook up with anyone." She said in reply, closing the door behind her once she stepped inside the room. She pulled her luggage towards the foot of the other bed but chose to remain standing next to it.

"Who said anything about hooking up? Is it wrong to flirt?" Spencer asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "Of course I'm not going to flirt. Unless the situation called for it, that is. But it won't hurt to look. You on the other hand, are free to do so. Unless you and your mystery girl are exclusive and flirting isn't allowed anymore."

"It's not like that." Emily said hurriedly. "I just think that's where it starts. Flirting then hooking up. And I don't want to hook up with anyone." She repeated.

Spencer rolled her eyes. "You can't spend an entire week holed up in this room, Em. It's supposed to be a vacation." She reminded her friend.

"I'm not gonna stay holed up for a week. I still plan to enjoy this place. Just... not that way." Emily finished.

"Suit yourself. I, for one, am just excited to be back here for Spring Break unchaperoned this time." Spencer said, giving her friend a pointed look.

Emily laughed. "I know. At least this time we don't have to be paranoid all the time about getting caught for being high school students pretending to be in college." She said in agreement. "Anyway, where are Hanna and Aria?" She asked, glancing at the time on her watch.

"Probably still checking in. They're staying in the room opposite ours but we can swap roommates anytime if you want. We've been rooming together in UPenn for almost a year now and that's not going to change anytime soon. I think it's safe to say we can both use some time away from each other." Spencer said wryly.

"I second that." Emily said in agreement. "I don't mind rooming with Hanna."

"I guess I'm getting Aria then." Spencer stated before getting up into a sitting position. "We can swap roomies tonight. Or once they're done checking in. That works too."

"No. Tonight's fine. I have to go." Emily explained as she checked the time on her watch again.

"Go? Go where?" Spencer asked, giving her friend a puzzled look.

"I'm gonna check this place out." Emily answered vaguely. "We barely explored this place the first time we were here."

"Yeah but by yourself? Let's wait for Hanna and Aria then we could all check it out." Spencer suggested. "It's their first Spring Break here in Cancun. We should give them a tour."

"And we will. Just... not now. We can do that before dinner instead. I'll meet you guys at El Cantina." Emily said in reply, referring to the popular beach bar that they frequented the first time they were there. She quickly made her way back to the door before the other girl could stop her.

"What? Em!" Spencer called out, leaning forward to get up and follow her friend but the girl already left the room. "What was that about?" She asked herself, her brows creasing in confusion.

---

Three Years Ago...

"We're not gonna get caught." Emily repeated as she studied the girl seated next to her who appeared calm but kept glancing furtively around them every few seconds.

"I know. But you can't be too careful." Jai said in reply, swiveling the bar stool she was sitting on a few inches to her left then to her right before facing her girlfriend again.

Emily laughed lightly. "Jai, come on. Stop being so nervous. Other than pretending we're in college we're not really doing anything wrong. Plus you're making me nervous." She admitted, biting her bottom lip anxiously.

"Sorry." Jai uttered, giving her girlfriend a small smile. "You're right. It's not like we're getting wasted. We're just hanging out with college students, partaking in their Spring Break. Thanks for inviting me by the way. Even if it was a last-minute sort of thing." She added wryly.

"It wasn't last-minute." Emily corrected, reaching for Jai's hand. "I really wanted to ask you to come with us when Jason invited me and my friends to come here for Spring Break but I saw how busy you've been lately. You barely get enough sleep with all the school stuff you're taking care of. I mean, you are graduating this June..."

"Exactly the reason I wanted to come. I could use the break and we can consider this my advance graduation celebration with you." Jai continued. "It sucks though that Hanna and Aria couldn't make it."

Emily nodded. "Yeah. It's bad enough that Hanna's forced to spend time with her stepsister, Aria coming down with the flu over the weekend really put a damper on our plans. But on the other hand I got to invite you to join me and Spence." She said, squeezing Jai's hand briefly. "With your best friend in tow." She added, frowning when she looked past her girlfriend and saw Paige standing a few steps away from them.

Jai looked behind her briefly before turning to face Emily again. "I know. But you said you needed a fourth person to take Aria's spot." She reminded the girl wryly. "Paige happened to be available. And she promised to behave herself. I wouldn't have asked you to consider letting her come with us if she didn't." She reassured her girlfriend.

"I don't know Jai..." Emily trailed off, glancing warily at Paige again.

"Em, so far she's been on her best behavior. Okay on moderately good behavior." Jai corrected hurriedly when she saw the girl's disbelieving look. "She hasn't bothered you... much... since we got here. Just the occasional sarcastic comments. Sorry I couldn't do anything about that." She said apologetically.

"It's fine. To be honest I don't know why I still haven't gotten used to it by now." Emily said wryly. "So long as she stays away from us and keeps to herself, I guess I can just pretend that she's not here."

"I have an idea." Jai began, her eyes gleaming mischievously as she leaned towards her girlfriend. "I'm sure if we look hard enough we can find a secluded spot in this crowded place. Somewhere we can be alone and Paige won't find us."

Emily smiled. "I like the sound of that. Maybe we can even slip away unnoticed... right now." She suggested, leaning closer.

Jai nodded her head in agreement. "Hold that thought." She said, lifting her forefinger when she felt her phone vibrate. She took it out from one of the side pockets of her denim cutoffs and frowned. "I gotta take this. It's my dad." She explained, giving Emily an apologetic look. "This won't take long." She promised before getting up. She deposited a quick kiss on her girlfriend's cheek before making her way to a corner of the bar so she can hear her father clearly.

Emily swiveled the bar stool she was occupying to follow Jai's progress across the crowded room, her smile growing wider as she watched her girlfriend take the call. She raised a hand to wave at Jai in return when the girl gave her a small wave before turning to face the wall and talk to Logan.

"Where's your slave?" The smile on Emily's lips disappeared when she heard the familiar hint of sarcasm behind her. She slowly turned around, steeling herself for another round of bickering with Jai's best friend.

"I don't know who you're talking about." Emily answered when she was finally facing the girl.

Paige scoffed. "Oh come on. Don't tell me you haven't seen her. She's kinda hard to miss. She's about this tall." She continued, raising her arm a few inches above her head. "Short black hair, blue eyes, occasionally answers to Jai but lately goes by the name of whipped." She said, putting emphasis on the last word.

"Jai isn't whipped." Emily shot back indignantly.

"Really? Watch this." Paige instructed. She averted her eyes from Emily and looked towards Jai before imitating the sound of a cracking whip, just loud enough for her best friend to hear. Jai promptly turned around to face them and Paige grinned and raised a hand in greeting, nodding her head once when the girl gave her a warning look. "See? Whipped." She repeated, returning her attention to Emily.

"Why are you here?" Emily asked, starting to get annoyed.

"What do you mean why am I here?" Paige answered innocently. "I asked if I could tag along and you said yes." She reminded the girl before sitting down on the stool Jai was occupying a few minutes ago. "Whipped over there said there's room for one more, I had nothing better to do so I decided to come." She continued, nodding her head towards Jai.

"That seat's taken." Emily uttered, ignoring everything Paige said.

"Really? But I don't see whipped written anywhere. Besides, you should be thanking me. I'm keeping you company while your girlfriend is on the phone." Paige said offhandedly while reaching for something from the back pocket of her denim cutoffs.

"Go away and I'll make sure to send a thank you card before we board the plane back to Philly." Emily retorted.

"Ooh..." Paige uttered, grimacing. "Sniffles you need to work on your comebacks. They're really getting weak." She added, barely looking at the girl as she studied the pieces of tissue in her hand.

"What are those?" Emily asked before she could stop herself.

Paige raised her head and grinned smugly. "Numbers." She answered, waving the thin white sheets near Emily's face. "I'm gonna have a busy night."

Emily scrunched up her face in disgust. "Like those are even real. For all I know you just jotted down random numbers and names of girls in those things." She shot back accusingly.

"Please. Like I would go to the trouble of doing that sort of thing. Why would you think that?" Paige asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Emily shrugged. "Maybe you're just trying to get a rise out of me. Well it's not going to work." She added stubbornly.

Paige creased her brows. "Huh." She uttered, studying the other girl thoughtfully. "Trying to get a rise out of you this way... would mean trying to make you jealous. Why would you think that?" She asked, her lips slowly breaking into a grin.

"What?! How could you think that?!" Emily exclaimed indignantly.

"Why else would you think that I'm trying to get a rise out of you? And why would you say that it isn't going to work?" Paige asked in reply.

"I just meant that you showing those numbers to me may be your way of making me dislike you even more." Emily answered.

"Then why say that it isn't going to work?" Paige repeated. "You should want it to work more than anything."

"I don't want to dislike you, Paige. You're Jai's best friend. I want us to get along. I want to like you." Emily clarified. "So it isn't going to work because I know what you're trying to do. The question is why you're doing it. Don't you want me to like you?"

Paige rolled her eyes and stood up when she saw Jai pocket her phone and turn around to head back towards them. "I'm not trying to do anything, Sniffles." She uttered disdainfully. "And no. I don't want you to like me. Because I will never like you. Not as long as you're with my best friend." She added before leaving, her last words confusing the other girl.

---

Present Day...

Emily slowed down her pace once she caught sight of the room number she was looking for and glanced up and down the well-lit corridor to make sure there wasn't anyone else in sight before knocking on the door. She waited for a few seconds and when there was no response, she knocked again, this time louder.

"Hey." Emily uttered in greeting, her lips breaking into a huge smile when the door finally swung open.

"Hey yourself." Paige said in reply, mirroring the girl's smile before tugging Emily inside and closing the door behind her. "Welcome to my humble temporary abode."

"You really got this place to yourself?" Emily asked, walking past the girl to study the spacious room.

Paige nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to share a room with anyone. I'm all for saving money and electricity but I'd rather have some privacy so I get to do this." She said before grabbing Emily by the waist and kissing the girl.

"I'd like some privacy to do that too." Emily admitted when they finally came up for air. "So..." She continued, slowly wrapping her arms around Paige's neck.

"So..." Paige repeated, kissing the girl on the cheek lightly.

"What are your plans tonight?" Emily asked while her fingers caressed the smooth skin on Paige's nape, making the girl's breath hitch.

"I don't know. My schedule's wide open." Paige answered, pulling Emily closer to her. "I'll probably check out some bars down by the beach with Reese and my other teammates. Flirt... get girls' numbers. But... you have to remember that I'm just keeping up appearances in case I run into your friends." She added hurriedly.

"Right. Of course." Emily uttered nonchalantly, trying to seem unaffected. "I mean, you don't have to explain it to me. We're not exclusive. You can see other girls if you want to."

Paige let out a small laugh. "Em, I didn't come back to this place to meet other girls. I decided to follow you here because I'd rather have one week of this." She said before kissing Emily on the lips once. "Than one week of mocking with Reese."

"I know. But I seem to remember that the last time we were here you practically had a handful of tissues with girls' numbers written on them." Emily pointed out before she could stop herself.

"Oh... so you remember that." Paige said in reply, amused.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Don't sound so happy. It was kinda hard not to. You kept waving those things in my face it annoyed the hell out of me." She admitted.

"Wha- I waved them in your face once." Paige corrected defensively. "And I'm not happy. I meant I didn't think you'd remember... that." She clarified.

"Well I do." Emily said, biting her bottom lip anxiously.

"Okay one, you said whatever it was that I was trying to do back then, it wasn't working. And two, I wasn't seeing you at the time." Paige reminded the girl. "You could barely stand me."

"This place is teeming with girls in bikinis, their skins glistening with body oil. Tell me those things don't appeal to you." Emily challenged.

"It doesn't." Paige promised. "All I care about is seeing you in one. The bikini. I mean." She hurriedly added when she saw Emily's confusion. "Not the body oil thing. And then taking it off right here. The bikini." She repeated. Paige sighed and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Emily's ear when she saw the uncertainty in the girl's brown eyes. "Em, I'm here because I want to spend time with you. So why would I run off with some random girl when I get to spend one whole week with you? Here." She suddenly said, getting something from the left pocket of her boardshorts.

"What's this?" Emily asked, accepting the smooth and flat rectangular object Paige handed to her.

"Spare room key." Paige answered, shrugging.

Emily tore her gaze away from the plastic card in her hand and met the girl's warm, brown eyes. "Paige..."

"Starting now, you have unlimited access to this room because the only girl I ever want to see in that bed, naked or not, is you." Paige interjected, nodding her head towards the direction of the bed behind the girl. "My house is your house. I mean this room is your room. Whatever. But as the popular saying goes, mi casa es su casa." She said in fluent Spanish. "¿de acuerdo?"

Emily finally nodded after a beat. "Bien." She replied humorously, her eyes drifting back to the key in her hand.

Paige smiled faintly, using the brief moment that Emily wasn't looking at her to study the other girl. She took a deep breath and let her eyes wander, taking in Emily's appearance.

"So what about you? What are your plans tonight?" Paige asked, her eyes still drinking in the girl's features.

Emily looked up and met Paige's gaze. "Spence and I are going to give Hanna and Aria a quick tour of this place since it's their first time here. Then we're going to catch up over dinner at El Cantina." She answered.

"El Cantina." Paige repeated, her tone neutral. "Figures. You and Jai hung out at that bar practically every night the first time we were here."

"That's because their food is cheap and really good." Emily explained wryly. "Especially the chimichangas. And it wasn't just us. Ask Spencer. We always grabbed dinner with her there." When Paige didn't say anything, Emily decided to change the subject a little bit. "I could meet you after." She suggested.

Paige nodded. "Yeah. Okay. We could meet after." She said in agreement. "There's this low-key bar down by the beach. Pablo's. It's a little ways off but the band is good, the drinks are cheaper and I'm pretty sure no one would recognize us there." She added, tenderly brushing a strand of hair away from Emily's eyes. "But if you're too tired we could go there some other time and just hangout here. That bar isn't going anywhere."

"Paige... I'm fine." Emily said when she saw the worry written all over the girl's face. "I can meet you after."

"Are you sure?" Paige asked hesitantly.

Emily leaned forward and kissed the girl softly. "Yes. I'm sure." She answered, giving Paige a small smile.

"Well how are you feeling?" Paige inquired, still worried. "Maybe we should've just stayed in UPenn. Holed up in your room or in my apartment for a week so you'd know where I am all the time."

"That's not necessary. I'm feeling better." Emily insisted, squeezing Paige's arm reassuringly. "I haven't had an attack since that night..."

"Only because we've practically spent every waking moment together." Paige interjected. "I'm surprised Spencer bought that whole we're-helping-Kayla-with-the-foundation's-upcoming-first-statewide-quiz-contest that's why you kept spending nights in our apartment."

"And the therapist said that it's okay for me to still come here. You heard it yourself." Emily continued, ignoring Paige's remark. "Besides. Neither of us could back out. We already made reservations."

"I know. But... I'm starting to think that maybe you should tell one of your friends about the anxiety attack since you're going to room with them while we're here." Paige explained, biting her bottom lip anxiously. "Just so one of them could be there for you when I can't."

"But then I'd have to tell them what triggered it. That I panicked at the thought of losing you. And I'm still not ready." Emily admitted. "Paige I promise I'm fine. But thanks... for worrying about me."

Paige gave the girl a small smile and finally decided to let the matter drop for now. "Okay. Just call or text if you want to see me and I'll meet you. My phone's fully charged." She added before checking the time on her watch. "You should probably go and meet with your friends. I'll see you later."

"Kiss me first." Emily asked when Paige met her gaze. When the other girl still seemed preoccupied, Emily moved to close the distance between them and gave Paige a soft, lingering kiss.

---

"So how's Connor?" Aria asked as the four girls waited for their dinner to arrive later that night. "How are things going between you two?" She continued, her eyes never leaving the girl seated next to her.

Spencer shrugged and continued to sip her soda. "Good." She replied once she put down the glass on the table. "We're fine. Happy. Still in love." She added, smiling. "Now that we've covered me, we all know whose turn it is. Right Em?"

Though startled, Emily managed to gently wipe the water that trickled from her lips when she almost spilled her drink. So close. She thought, groaning inwardly. Emily figured if she just sat there and smiled at her friends as they chatted and exchanged stories about their love lives, that they wouldn't ask about hers.

After showing Hanna and Aria the popular hangouts around the beach, she and Spencer opted to grab an early dinner at El Cantina since walking around made all of them famished. The girls didn't waste any time swapping stories about the latest developments in their respective relationships but Emily mostly listened and nodded in agreement, not saying anything since she still wasn't ready to tell them about Paige.

"Not fair. You barely said anything about you and Connor." Emily pointed out in a lame attempt to keep the conversation focused on Spencer. "Your answer was so vague."

"Em's seeing someone." Spencer revealed slyly to the other girl's dismay.

"You are?! Spill!" Hanna squealed, nudging the girl seated next to her eagerly.

"There's nothing to tell." Emily answered, trying to buy herself some time by wiping the corners of her mouth daintily with the table napkin.

"Yes there is." Aria chimed in after studying her friend from across the table. "What's her name? And how long has this been going on?"

Emily stared at her friends' eager expressions and found herself getting anxious. She caught Spencer's stare and silently pleaded her friend to save her from a conversation she wasn't ready to be part of, hoping the girl would take the hint.

"She... won't say who it is." Spencer said when she caught Emily's look. "But maybe we should go ask Paige." She suggested as an afterthought when she remembered something. "They've been hanging out a lot lately since they're helping out Kayla with the foundation's activities."

"Maybe Paige is the mystery girl." Hanna quipped.

It took all of Emily's willpower to keep still and refrain from reacting defensively to what her friend just said. She couldn't think of a decent comeback but luckily, the girl seated next to her reacted instead.

"Paige?!" Spencer sputtered before letting out a short laugh. "Come on." She said, rolling her eyes at Hanna and Aria. "Like Em's going to date someone who's nothing like Jai."

"Spence..." Emily protested, unable to keep silent this time. "Paige isn't..."

"So bad. I know. I know." Spencer interjected wryly. "Anyway... I think our friend here has been seeing this girl... this... classmate of hers..." She emphasized, grinning at Emily. "Since the start of the semester. Am I right?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"Yeah." Emily lied, crossing her fingers under the table as she told her friends about Paige. "Yeah she's a classmate in one of my subjects this semester."

"So what's her name? And when are we going to meet her?" Hanna asked, leaning closer towards her friend.

"Um... soon." Emily answered vaguely. "Just... I'm not ready. Not right now. But she's amazing. And she makes me happy." She admitted, smiling at the thought of seeing Paige later.

"I'd say you're more than happy, Em." Aria observed. "I'm pretty sure we're all in agreement." She added as she glanced at Hanna and Spencer. "Your smile says it all. This girl must be really special."

"Fine. No pressure to introduce her to us or anything!" Hanna promised, raising her right hand. "We can wait until you're ready. But if she makes you cry I swear..."

"She won't." Emily interjected. "But thanks." She added earnestly.

"Why didn't she come here for Spring Break anyway?" Spencer asked, looking around them. "You could've invited her."

"I did but... she already made plans." Emily answered, feeling guilty for lying again. "I didn't want her to cancel on her friends and we figured this is just our first Spring Break. There's always next year."

"Already making plans for next Spring Break, Em?" Aria asked teasingly. "You are definitely not just happy."

Emily felt her cheeks growing warm. "Can we please stop talking about me?" She pleaded, bringing her hands to her face to cover her flushed cheeks while her friends laughed.

Hanna was about to comment on Emily's embarrassment when a woman arrived with their orders. "Saved by the waitress." She said instead as their dinner is placed before them.

Emily chose to ignore her friend's quip and focused her attention on the server instead. "Gracias." She uttered before the waitress left their table.

"Where were we?" Hanna asked mock innocently. "Oh. Right. Em's secret girlfriend."

"Start eating." Emily said, nodding her head towards the food in front of her friend. "I need to take this." She continued when her phone suddenly lit up and she saw who was calling.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Aria teased.

"No. It's my cousin, Parker." Emily answered, grabbing her phone and getting up. She didn't want her friends to listen in on the conversation and El Cantina was too crowded so she had to go outside to find a relatively quiet spot in order to talk to her cousin.

"Parker? Isn't that a girl's name?" Spencer quipped, laughing along with Hanna and Aria. "Maybe that's the name of your secret girlfriend."

"Really funny." Emily shot back. "It's my male cousin." She insisted, showing the screen of her phone to her friends to prove to them that she's telling the truth. "This won't take long." She added before leaving the table. "Hey. Please tell me you have good news." Emily said once she answered the phone, ignoring her friends' teasing remarks as she made her way outside.

---

"When did you find out about this?" Paige asked, glancing to her right at the attractive junior team captain who was walking at a pace that matched hers.

After grabbing dinner with some of their teammates at a diner claiming to serve the best carne asada in the area, Reese invited Paige for a stroll saying she wanted to talk to the latter about something important. There was a full moon tonight and while its light shimmered on the relatively calm surface of the vast sea to Paige's left, the bright lights and loud music coming from the establishments a few meters to Reese's right reminded them that they were on Spring Break with a thousand other students from various colleges and universities.

Reese cringed, seemingly guilt-ridden. "Just a few weeks ago. A good friend of mine back in Pittsburgh called and said that there's a training program for WTS aspirants this summer but that the slots are limited. It's going to be weeks of intense training... day in, day out and apparently Sara Haskins' trainer is going to facilitate maybe two or three sessions." She explained, tucking her hands inside the pockets of her boardshorts in an effort to keep herself warm when the freezing saltwater lapped at their feet. "I told my dad and grandpa about it and they said that they'll let me train on the condition that I go to that MARC event. So I did."

"That's why you were there." Paige concluded. "But why tell me this now?"

"I swear it wasn't intentional, newbie. I just keep forgetting to tell you about it." Reese answered sheepishly. "I've been going through some things lately so I'm a bit distracted."

"That's an understatement." Paige commented, giving her friend a wry look. "You've been distracted. Period. And we've barely hung out even after track practice I was starting to think you were avoiding me. What's going on with you?" She asked, worried.

"Nothing serious. Just dealing with some school stuff." Reese said, her fingers crossed. "Sorry I've been a crappy friend lately. Consider this my way of making it up to you. If you want to sign up for the training program it's not too late. I could still ask my friend to save you a spot." She offered, stopping in her tracks and facing the other girl.

Paige felt her eyes widen in excitement. "Are you serious?!" She replied incredulously. "When does it start?"

"A week after spring term ends so it's perfect." Reese said in an effort to convince her friend to say 'yes'.

"That soon?" Paige asked, obviously not sharing Reese's enthusiasm. "Well how much is the training fee? It can't be cheap if Sara's trainer is going to be one of the professional trainers there." She rationalized.

"It isn't." Reese admitted. "But there's still a few months left. I could call my friend tonight if you're interested. You could save up a little, ask your dad for the rest... and his permission of course... and then that spot is yours. But there's a catch. The training is in Spain."

"Spain..." Paige repeated, now torn.

It seemed like the more information the girl found out about the training program, the more it became less appealing to her. Of course she wanted to train for the WTS. It's been her dream to compete in that event ever since she became a triathlete and heard of it. And if the circumstances were different she would undoubtedly beg her dad to let her go to Spain and join the program. But she can't just do that now because she had to consider Emily's presence in her life.

"I can't." Paige decided, shaking her head.

"Great!" Reese exclaimed jubilantly. "Wait... what?!" She continued, her brows creased. "I think I heard you wrong. Did you just say you can't? Why? It's training for the WTS. It'll improve our chances of being selected to compete next year."

Paige nodded. "I know. But Emily..."

"Will completely understand." Reese interjected. "Newbie, unlike your dreams? That girl isn't going anywhere. It's a great and rare opportunity. You can't argue with that. Plus you might even meet Sara." She added. "It seems like a long shot. But it's a possibility. Tell me that doesn't appeal to you."

"It does." Paige admitted.

"Okay... so what's keeping you from saying yes?" Reese asked, confused.

Paige sighed, trying to decide whether or not to tell her friend the reason. "Emily... she had an anxiety attack the night that Brian went missing." She finally confessed. "After my phone died, the check engine light of my car came on so I pulled over to the side of the road. But then I couldn't figure out what was wrong so I ran back the way I came, hoping the gas station I passed by earlier had a mechanic and a working pay phone but I was out of luck on both so I had no way of contacting Emily to tell her what happened. I got home safe a couple of hours later but because she was so worried about me, it triggered the attack." Paige explained, running a hand through her hair wearily. "I can't forget Emily's state that night. She was on the floor... clutching her chest... struggling to breathe..." She trailed off, swallowing hard. "We haven't told anyone about it. She doesn't want to; so Emily will probably get mad at me for telling you once she finds out."

"She won't. I promise to keep my mouth shut this time. But did you at least get her professional help?" Reese asked worriedly. "Counseling? That sort of thing?"

"Yeah. She's been talking to a therapist for weeks." Paige revealed.

"So she's getting better. The training isn't until summer, newbie." Reese pointed out lightly. "I'm sure Emily's going to be fine by then."

"You don't know that." Paige argued. "I just... I can't be away from her for several months. She's going to be worried all the time."

"Paige she'll know where you are and what you're doing. Training in Spain with a dozen or so triathletes including me." Reese reminded her friend. "And there are several ways for the two of you to communicate while you're there. It doesn't have to be 'either or' for you."

"I love her." Paige stated emotionally. "She'll still worry even if she knows where I am. You didn't see her on that floor and her reaction when I got injured last semester. She took care of me but the entire time I saw how worried she was. That's twice that I've made her worry about me. I'm not gonna do it for a third time by leaving to train in a different continent." She continued, trying to make her friend understand her decision. "I want Emily to feel secure and know that I'm not going anywhere. But those are not the only reasons I can't go. The truth is I won't be able to concentrate while I'm there because I'm going to constantly worry about her as well."

Reese frowned. "Newbie, it's not that you can't go. It's that you don't want to." She corrected.

"I'm sorry, Reese. But I've made up my mind. I'm staying with Emily." Paige said firmly. "I don't mind training in Rosewood the entire summer." She added as she checked the time on her watch before looking at her friend again. "I have to go meet Em. See you tomorrow for lunch?"

Reese nodded absentmindedly, still trying to come to terms with the other girl's decision. She watched Paige walk past her to head towards the crowded beachfront and waited for her friend to disappear from her sight before sighing dejectedly.

---

"So what did you tell your friends about how you planned to spend your first night here in Cancun?" Paige asked as she slid towards Emily another glass that was filled with a red liquid.

Emily leaned closer to Paige before answering the girl's question. "I said I ran into some of my teammates earlier today and got invited to have drinks in their hotel room and that I couldn't say no. Tomorrow morning I'll just tell them that I fell asleep on the couch or something." She added, slightly raising her voice so the girl could hear her above the cheers and applause of the crowd when the lead guitarist of the live band playing at Pablo's finished his solo.

Paige nodded her head in acknowledgment and picked up the glass in front of her, taking a small sip of her drink before looking around the crowded bar.

Knowing the girl was distracted, Emily took a sip of her Shirley Temple drink and studied Paige behind the rim of her highball glass. "How do you pick up girls at bars?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Wh- what?!" Paige sputtered before a small amount of the Orange-Lime Relaxer she was drinking dripped from her bottom lip.

Emily laughed in amusement. "That's attractive." She teased, handing the girl a couple of clean napkins. "No wonder girls are just so drawn to you."

"Hey I got game." Paige shot back defensively.

"Really." Emily uttered, the hint of mischief in her brown eyes gone unnoticed by the other girl.

"Yeah." Paige answered, nodding her head emphatically. "Really."

"Well then... prove it." Emily challenged. "Show me."

Paige shook her head firmly. "I'd rather not." She replied, backpedaling.

Emily grinned. "Come on. How about her?" She suggested, pointing subtly across the room to a cute girl with shoulder-length blonde hair.

Paige rolled her eyes. "No." She answered. "I'm not coming up to some random girl with a pickup line, Em. I'm seeing you."

"Come on. Please? Just this one time. I promise not to get jealous. Just show me." Emily insisted.

Paige inclined her head to the side and studied the other girl for a few seconds. "Okay." She finally said, making Emily smile. "But I get to choose the girl." She added before taking a last sip of her drink and getting up. "And don't say I didn't warn you."

Emily nodded her head eagerly and watched as Paige slowly made her way to a different girl in the crowded bar, reminding herself not to get jealous when she noticed that the girl bore a striking resemblance to Reese. She kept her expression neutral and fought the urge to roll her eyes when she saw Paige lean in close and whisper something in Reese 2.0's ear that made the girl giggle. A few seconds later, Paige took Reese 2.0 by the hand and led the way to the other side of the bar, disappearing from her line of sight. Unable to hide her discomfort, Emily craned her neck to see where the two girls went. Maybe this was a bad idea...

"Discúlpeme señora." A deep male voice from behind the counter made Emily turn around in the bar stool she was occupying and she found herself face-to-face with a bartender who looked like he was just a few years older than her.

"¿Sí?" Emily answered distractedly before returning her attention to the far end of the bar to try and catch a glimpse of Paige and Reese 2.0.

"Esto es para ti." The bartender continued as he slid a tall glass of Mojito in front of Emily.

"Um..." Emily uttered, staring at the beverage in puzzlement. "Gracias... pero... yo... pero..." She repeated, struggling to remember what little Spanish she knew. "Thanks... but I didn't order that." She finally said instead.

The bartender flashed Emily a friendly smile. "Lo sé. Gracias a esa chica ahí. You can thank that girl over there." He translated before nodding his head towards the spot the girl was staring at just a few seconds ago.

Emily focused her sight towards the direction the bartender was indicating and hid her surprise when she saw that the girl was none other than Reese 2.0 but Paige was nowhere to be found. She gave the girl a polite smile and picked up the glass of Mojito in front of her even if she had no intention of drinking the cocktail when Reese 2.0 raised her own glass of Mojito towards her.

"I wouldn't drink that if I were you." Emily felt her heart skip a beat when she heard Paige's voice behind her. She lowered the glass of Mojito, about to ask where the girl went but Paige didn't give her a chance to speak.

"This seat taken?" Paige asked as she approached the bar stool she was sitting on earlier with a drink in each hand, one Shirley Temple and one Orange-Lime Relaxer.

"Paige. What... are you doing?" Emily said in reply, her brows creased.

"I guess that's a no." Paige continued, ignoring Emily's question and sitting next to the girl. She didn't look like it but inside she was a nervous wreck. Emily wanted to see this side of her and although she didn't want to, a small part of her wanted the girl to get to know her. "Here." She offered before sliding the Shirley Temple towards Emily. "I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of ordering this drink for you."

Emily stared at the glass Paige slid in front of her for a few seconds before she finally understood what the girl was doing. She looked up and her mouth curled into a slow grin. This is going to be fun. "And you know this is my preferred drink how?" She asked, starting to play along.

Paige flashed Emily a gorgeous smile. "I don't mean to sound too forward but I've had my eye on you all night. You've ordered that exact drink thrice now." She answered, inclining her head ever so slightly towards the highball glass with the red liquid in front of the girl.

"And you don't think that I'd prefer drinking the Mojito this time?" Emily asked, touching the glass the bartender gave her a few minutes ago.

"You could. But I think you shouldn't." Paige said confidently.

"How come?" Emily inquired, her fingers starting to play with the mint sprig garnish.

"You don't want to give the poor girl who bought you that drink the wrong idea now, do you?" Paige answered as she leaned a little closer. "She might think you're interested when you're not. At least not in her."

"I see. So why would I drink yours then?" Emily asked, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow in mild amusement.

"Because. I'm the one you're really interested in so this is my way of giving you the chance to get to know me." Paige replied offhandedly.

"Wow. Pretty confident, aren't you?" Emily shot back while trying to keep a straight face.

Paige shrugged. "Just when I see something I really want. You should see me in the morning. I doubt you'll find me attractive." She continued, running a hand through her hair and flashing the girl another gorgeous smile.

Emily let out a small laugh. "So now you think that I think you're attractive." She clarified, not bothering to hide her amusement this time.

"Well if you didn't you would have found an excuse to leave." Paige stated matter-of-factly. "So either you find me attractive or you just like the attention. Which is it?"

Emily studied the other girl for a few seconds before answering. "Both." She finally admitted, unable to keep up the charade.

Paige grinned. "So now that we've established our mutual attraction, do you think we can continue this conversation somewhere else?" She asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively. "Though I have to warn you. I'm not much of a talker so we probably won't be doing that much talking once we leave this place."

"I think I'll survive." Emily said in reply, her eyes drifting towards the girl's soft lips.

---

"I'm Paige by the way." Paige managed to say in-between kisses as Emily pushed her against the wall next to the bedroom door.

"Stop. Talking." Emily commanded, shutting the door and claiming the girl's lips hungrily again.

Paige let out a small laugh the second her back made contact with the warm, hard surface behind her. "I guess this means I just picked you up from the bar?" She asked, a little out of breath.

"I guess you did." Emily answered as she wrapped one arm around Paige's neck and kissed the girl again.

"So what's the verdict?" Paige asked once they came up for air. "Do I have game or what?" She continued, placing her hands on the girl's slim waist and pulling Emily closer to her.

"Or what." Emily repeated teasingly. "Okay I admit you have game." She finally confessed when the other girl just kept staring at her expectantly.

Paige's grin widened. "Thank you." She uttered, brushing a few strands of hair away from Emily's eyes.

"So just to be clear..." Emily began, her eyes narrowing. "You came up to Reese two-point-oh..."

"Will you please stop calling that girl Reese two-point-oh?" Paige interjected, laughing. "But yeah. I came up to her and said that if she agrees to pretend to be gay and into me for a few minutes and then buy you a drink... which I paid for by the way." She added hurriedly. "I'd buy her and her friends a round of whatever it is they were drinking."

"Just so you'd have an opening to come up to me." Emily guessed, smiling in amusement.

Paige nodded smugly. "I have various ways of coming up to girls in bars. There's really no one technique. I just come up with something once I'm there and I happen to see a girl I like." She explained, grinning. "But that's all in the past. I swear. What?" She asked when she noticed the smile disappear from the other girl's lips.

Emily shook her head and just wordlessly studied Paige, taking in the girl's flushed cheeks and gorgeous features. "I'm really glad you came here with me." She confessed, staring into Paige's eyes. Without letting the girl say anything, she cupped Paige's cheek and met the girl's soft lips with hers.

Paige heard herself moan when Emily pressed her body closer to hers and she slightly parted her lips to grant access to the girl's tongue. She placed one hand on Emily's stomach, her other hand caressing the girl's waist when she felt Emily's hand start to unbutton the blouse she was wearing. She lifted her back off the wall for a few seconds, helping the girl take off her top and letting the thin material drop on the floor.

Emily's breathing became ragged when her eyes lingered on Paige's exposed bikini top. She moved one hand to the girl's side and kissed Paige again, aware that the girl's hands were slowly reaching for the hem of her sundress. Emily lifted her arms above her head, her pulse quickening when Paige's warm lips made contact with the skin on her collarbone the second her dress was on the floor.

Paige cupped Emily's breast through the girl's bikini top and arched her body closer to Emily's, the skin on her stomach tingling when she felt the girl's fingers rest on the button of her denim cutoffs. She reminded herself to breathe as Emily pulled down the zipper of her shorts, revealing the bikini bottom she was wearing underneath. Paige captured Emily's lips on hers as she stepped out of her cutoffs, blindly pushing the girl towards the bed as their lips parted and met hungrily. Hands fumbled with the thin strings of the pieces of clothing they were still wearing, both of them eager to be rid of the cumbersome materials.

Emily felt like the wind got knocked out of her the second her bare back made contact with the bed. She had to remind herself to breathe when Paige landed on top of her and she felt the girl's breasts brush against hers. When the girl's thighs settled beside hers and Paige's toned stomach touched hers, Emily's mind and body became completely aware of the fact that they were both fully naked. She began to explore every inch of Paige's body, her trembling hands making their way to Paige's breasts as she began fondling them.

"You're so beautiful." Emily uttered as she touched every inch of the girl. She stroked Paige's smooth skin, seemingly in awe of the girl lying on top of her.

Emily's feather-light touch was making the area between Paige's thighs ache. She wanted to feel her fingers moving inside Emily. Of that she was certain. She began leaving wet kisses on every inch of Emily's skin that her lips came in contact with, each kiss igniting her desire for the raven-haired beauty she held underneath her. Unable to control her hormones, Paige buried her head on the crook of Emily's neck and kissed it once.

"I really want to fuck you, Em." Paige confessed before she could stop herself, the desire evident in her voice.

For a split second, Emily really wanted to give in. She wanted Paige's fingers to enter her but her body's reaction was for her legs to clamp shut instead.

Paige felt the resistance and kissed the girl softly. "Sorry." She whispered.

Emily wordlessly shook her head as her hands began to wander on Paige's bare ass, pulling the girl closer to her. When her soaked center made contact with Paige's, she began to rock against it, enjoying the feel of Paige's mound against hers. Slowly, she began to spread her legs, letting Paige position herself in between her thighs.

"Are you sure?" Paige asked, gently brushing a strand of hair away from Emily's eyes.

"Yeah. Are you okay with just this?" Emily answered, her voice hoarse.

Paige nodded and began to move on top of the girl, resting her hands on either side of Emily's head to give herself more friction as she continued to rock against the girl's mound. Emily gripped Paige's bare ass and let out a low moan as their throbbing centers rubbed against each other, their wetness making it easier to move that Paige began to thrust harder.

Emily bit her bottom lip when the familiar feeling at the pit of her stomach started to become unbearable. "Harder." She whispered breathlessly, plunging her tongue in Paige's mouth and stifling the other girl's moans.

Paige began to increase the tempo of her thrusts as she drove harder and harder into Emily, one hand gripping the girl's bare ass closer to her throbbing mound with each thrust.

"Paige." Emily moaned, lightheaded as the girl continued to move against her. "That feels so good." She breathed.

"Fuck." Paige uttered before nestling her head on the crook of the girl's neck once again. "Em... I'm really close." She whispered, thrusting faster when Emily gripped her ass and pressed their throbbing centers closer. With one final thrust, Paige buckled on top of Emily and rested her head on the girl's chest, depositing a light kiss on one of Emily's breasts as she did so.

Emily struggled to catch her breath as Paige lay unmoving on top of her, her body still trying to get used to the feel of cumming. When the girl's thigh slid between hers, Emily cursed inwardly, unable to believe Paige's effect on her. Rolling to change their positions, Emily moved on top of the flushed girl and kissed Paige once before slowly moving her hand to caress the girl's still sensitive mound. She let out a small laugh when Paige jerked from her touch.

"What are you doing?!" Paige asked, still breathless from what they just did or getting excited by a mere touch, she couldn't tell.

Emily moved her lips closer to Paige's ear and whispered something before depositing a light kiss on the girl's ear, making Paige shiver. She nestled her head on the crook of the girl's neck and began stroking Paige's wet center, careful not to enter the girl as her thumb began to draw circles on Paige's swollen nub.

"Em..." Paige moaned as she began to rock against the girl's ministrations, unable to believe she was still so turned on.

Emily slightly raised her head and met Paige's heavy-lidded gaze before resting her aching center on the girl's thigh, certain that Paige knew how wet she is. Slowly, Emily began to rock as she continued to draw circles on the other girl's clit. Paige gripped Emily's thigh, giving the girl friction as Emily began to rock faster, their eyes never breaking contact. Emily leaned forward and let her breasts touch Paige's, the sensation driving her mad with desire.

"I want to fuck you too." Emily confessed as she began moving faster, her head resting on the crook of Paige's neck again. Wanting to feel the girl's fingers against her throbbing mound, she slowly guided Paige's hand from her thigh to her aching center. "Touch me." She whispered, her voice almost pleading.

Paige obliged and slowly placed her hand on Emily's mound, letting out a soft moan when she began stroking the girl's soaked center. "You're really wet." She uttered, kissing Emily hungrily as she continued stroking the girl's hard nub. "Tell me you want me."

Emily moaned in response, plunging her tongue deeper in Paige's mouth as she began to move against the girl's fingers. "I want you. So much." She finally managed to say. It was insane how much her body reacted to the other girl's touch.

Swallowing hard, Paige added another finger as she continued to massage Emily's clit. "I won't enter you, I promise. You just feel so good." She whispered as she began to tease her fingers around the girl's opening, the sensation it elicited making Emily jerk.

Emily bit her bottom lip, fighting the urge to tell Paige to enter her. She began moving against Paige's fingers instead, rocking against them while the girl moved her digits when Paige felt like they were coming too close to entering Emily as the girl on top of her continued to pump against her hand. Emily was aware that her arousal coated Paige's hand and she shamelessly began to move faster, the familiar feeling at the pit of her stomach becoming unbearable once again.

Subconsciously, Emily knew that if she thrust at just the right moment, Paige's fingers would end up inside her and she felt terrified that she was so close to letting that happen. That she wanted it to happen and before she changed her mind, she decided to try it. Emily slightly changed her rhythm and she was right. It was brief but Paige's fingers ended up inside her for a few inches before the girl hurriedly pulled them back out.

"I'm sorry." Paige blurted out, feeling like it was her fault that her fingers entered Emily for a brief second. "I got the timing wrong." She continued as she returned to moving her fingers outside the girl's soaked center.

Emily shook her head, trying to wordlessly tell Paige that it wasn't her fault. She curved her body in time to the movement of Paige's fingers again but she couldn't forget about what almost happened and frustrated at herself, she didn't realize she was crying until she choked back a sob.

Surprised, Paige stopped what she was doing and looked at Emily worriedly. "Hey." She uttered, wiping the tears that spilled from the girl's eyes. "Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry I almost entered you." Paige continued apologetically. "Sorry if it frightened you."

Emily shook her head again and choked back another sob before moving to sit beside Paige. She felt silly. Crying while completely naked.

"Tell me what's wrong." Paige pleaded, unfolding the blanket and draping it over the girl's shoulders to cover Emily's naked body.

"I really want you." Emily confessed, unable to meet Paige's eyes. "Just now I wanted... but I'm still scared."

"Em, it's okay." Paige told the girl reassuringly.

"No. It's not. I want you so much Paige. I do." Emily said, finally looking at the girl beside her. "What just happened wasn't your fault. I changed my pacing because I wanted to know how it would feel... having your fingers inside me. And for a brief second I did. And it felt really good."

"Then why are we still holding back?" Paige gently asked.

"If we do it... then there's no going back. Everything will change." Emily answered, wrapping the blanket closer to her body.

Paige smiled faintly. "Things between us have already changed so much." She reminded Emily. "And it's been going really well. At least I think so. You're really special to me." Paige continued, touching the girl's chin to make Emily look at her. "You are the most important person in my life and the best thing that has ever happened to me. I've never felt this way about anyone before and I know I never will. I'm not telling you this to get laid. I am completely fine with waiting. I just wish you'd believe me when I tell you how much you mean to me and that I would never hurt you."

Emily swallowed hard, unable to say anything as she stared into Paige's eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but the girl spoke up again.

"I want you to be my first." Paige said earnestly. "I want you to be my first and my last. That's how certain I am of my feelings for you. But if you want to see where things go with other girls..."

"No." Emily interjected. "I want you to be my first too." She admitted hoarsely.

"We can still wait. I'm not in a hurry." Paige promised, caressing the girl's cheek.

"I know. But this... isn't enough anymore." Emily confessed.

"So what do you want to do?" Paige asked, her pulse quickening.

Emily leaned forward and kissed the girl deeply. "I really want to do it." She decided, hugging Paige. "But not tonight. And not here."

Paige wrapped her arms around Emily's waist, enjoying the feel of the girl's smooth skin against hers. "Okay. When you're ready, I'll be ready too." She whispered reassuringly. "Let's just go to sleep tonight." Paige suggested when the girl nodded her head.

Emily lied down on her side and waited until Paige's naked body was spooned against hers before covering themselves with the blanket. Paige rested one hand on Emily's waist, pulling the girl closer to her and enjoying the feel of their warm skins brushing against each other. For a moment, Emily placed her hand on top of Paige's and caressed it before turning around to face the girl. Staring into Paige's eyes, she smiled softly and cupped the girl's cheek.

"Tell me you love me." Emily whispered achingly.

"I love you." Paige uttered, gazing into Emily's eyes. She then moved closer and kissed the girl on the forehead softly. "I love you." She repeated earnestly.

Emily slowly closed her eyes and nestled her head on the crook of Paige's neck, welcoming sleep.

"I love you." Paige said for the third time as she hugged the girl. "I love you." She repeated, happy that Emily heard her this time.

I love you so much, Emily Fields.

When Paige was certain that the other girl was fast asleep, she deposited a light kiss on Emily's forehead before whispering the words she couldn't say.

Please love me back.

---

"Earth to Emily." Kayla said, snapping her fingers twice rapidly in front of the girl standing behind the counter of Café Prima. "Em. Hey. Are you okay?" She asked worriedly before turning her head towards the direction the other girl was looking.

Emily shifted her attention from the front door once it swung close, trying to catch a last glimpse of Paige before the girl left to head back to her apartment. It was a Monday morning and Paige just drove Emily back to Harrison for her morning shift at the café after their class in Managerial Economics ended. The two of them made plans for dinner later that night before Paige left and Kayla arrived just as the other girl was leaving.

"What?" Emily asked, buying herself some time as she tried to recall what Jai's sister said.

Kayla smiled in amusement. "I was asking if you were okay." She repeated before sitting on one of the stools that lined the counter. "But only because you seemed to be out of it the second Paige left your sight." She added teasingly.

Emily felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment. "Sorry." She uttered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously. "Yeah. I'm fine. Still trying to get back to reality."

"I can't believe you guys didn't invite me to come with you for Spring Break." Kayla said, pouting. "You, Jai and Paige all went during your Junior year. I'm on my Senior year and neither of you bothered to invite me."

"Sorry." Emily repeated, giving the girl an apologetic smile. "It sort of slipped our minds."

Kayla shook her head. "Nah. It's cool. My dad needed me around anyway. So what did I miss?" She asked before placing her shoulder bag and books on top of the counter.

"Nothing much. College students getting drunk and dancing wildly. Typical Spring Break scene." Emily answered as she fixed her apron. She looked around the café to check if there were customers who needed assistance and when she saw that the place was still practically empty, she returned her attention to Kayla. "How's Logan?"

"Busy." Kayla replied. "Not that that's new or anything. But with the upcoming Gray Matter Challenge he's been busier than usual. He wants to be completely hands-on with that event." She explained, referring to the statewide quiz contest for senior high school students that the foundation was going to hold for the first time.

"Is that the reason why you're not in Girard?" Emily asked, glancing at the time on her watch. "I mean, shouldn't you be in class?"

"Yeah. But I forgot to take care of these last Friday." Kayla revealed, touching several short brown envelopes on top of her books. "I needed to give a copy of the questionnaires to the professors who agreed to be the judges for the contest. There are five of them. I still need to find the other three. I was on my way to the Steinberg Conference Center across the street but thought I'd stop by and say hi first."

"How's the preparation coming? Anything Paige and I could do to help?" Emily asked, feeling guilty that she hasn't been more involved with the foundation's activities lately.

"Um... actually we could use a few more usherettes for the event. Maybe you, Paige and Spencer could volunteer?" Kayla suggested. "The contest will be on Friday next week. Do you have plans?"

Emily shook her head. "No. I can be an usherette. I'll ask Paige later if she's free." She offered. "But Spencer might not be available. I think she has a seminar next week but I'll ask anyway. Where's the venue?"

"Irvine Auditorium." Kayla answered as she took out a pen and her planner from inside her bag to take note of something. "It's going to be a day-long event so I'd have to apologize in advance because your legs are going to hurt from all the standing and walking around." She added ruefully. "I'll just call or text you for the meeting regarding the logistics. Probably Wednesday or Thursday next week. After we finalize everything."

"I'm sorry." Emily blurted out, surprising Kayla. "I haven't been of much help lately with the foundation."

"Don't worry about it, it's fine." Kayla said reassuringly. "Dad and I have to do this for Jai. He started the foundation in honor of her memory and she's my sister..."

"She was my girlfriend." Emily interjected.

"Yeah. But you don't have any obligation whatsoever to the foundation." Kayla explained patiently. "And I didn't mean for that to sound rude or anything. What I meant was that the foundation isn't your top priority right now because you're just continuing to live your life. Taking steps to reach your dreams. Even entering into a mature relationship with Paige."

"We're not... I mean..." Emily stammered, her cheeks growing warm.

Kayla studied the girl standing in front of her, contemplating whether or not to ask that question. "Em… you and Paige have been… I mean you are… right?" She finally asked, becoming uncomfortable.

Emily shook her head. "We've done… stuff but… not that." She answered vaguely.

"But you want to." Kayla guessed.

Emily let out a nervous laugh. "I don't think I should be talking to you about this." She said, clearing her throat awkwardly.

"Why?" Kayla asked, confused.

"Several reasons. The biggest one being that you're Jai's sister." Emily pointed out. "It's weird."

"I also happen to be Paige's friend. I can be both." Kayla promised. "Something tells me you still haven't told anyone about you two but I know that you're itching to talk to someone. Well I'm it. So answer my question, do you want to have sex with her?" She asked bluntly.

"I don't know… yeah." Emily finally admitted.

"So what's holding you back?" Kayla prodded gently.

"I don't think I'm ready." Emily answered. "I thought I was back when we were in Cancun. Paige said she can still wait but I felt like I was ready so I said I wanted to do it but not there. I don't want to remember that my first time happened during Spring Break. But now that we're back here I don't think I'm ready. But because I said I am, I think Paige expects something to happen..."

"And you think she's going to get disappointed when you take back what you said." Kayla guessed, interrupting Emily's rambling. "Do you love her?" She asked, studying the girl.

"I don't know." Emily answered, running a hand through her hair in frustration.

"But she makes you happy." Kayla continued matter-of-factly. "Em, you light up when you're around her. You're happy." She insisted when the girl didn't say anything.

"So what if I am?" Emily asked, giving Jai's sister a helpless look.

"Well you make her happy too." Kayla reminded the girl. "Jai's gone. You and Paige are allowed to find happiness and I think my sister isn't against the two of you finding it in each other's company."

"What if I can't put out for Paige? I don't want her to leave me." Emily confessed, voicing out her fear for the first time.

"Em, she's not going to leave you just because you're not ready to have sex." Kayla reassured the girl. "She has no problem waiting for you. Remember, this is Paige we're talking about. The girl who's been waiting for you since you were freshmen in high school."

Emily's brows creased. "What?" She uttered, feeling like her heart just leapt to her throat when she heard the words Jai's sister just said.

"You still don't know?" Kayla asked, surprised. "Em, Paige has had a crush on you since you were freshmen."

"But... she was so horrible to me back then." Emily said, her mind trying to process the information while her pulse raced a mile a minute.

Kayla cringed. "Yeah... you should talk to her about that. She's probably gonna kill me once she finds out that I told you." She added before gathering her things and getting up to leave the café. "But the reason I did is because I wanted you to know just how serious Paige is about you. She's been carrying a torch for you for so long so trust me. She's not going to leave you just because you don't want to have sex with her yet."

---

Paige anxiously stared at the surface of the kitchen countertop, her gaze seemingly focused on the open box of pizza in front of her but her eyes kept glancing at the small, metallic object resting innocently next to it. She knew it was way too early to do what she was about to do but for some reason it felt natural. Like when she gave Emily that spare key to her room in Cancun. So now she wanted to do the same thing only this time it's the key to her apartment. Which meant there's a big possibility that Emily would say no not to mention freak out. But she has a good reason for doing it. She wanted Emily to feel secure especially with what's been going on with the girl recently and this was what she came up with.

A sharp knock on the door made Paige look up in surprise. She checked the time on her watch and realized that she had been standing there just staring at the key for some time now. Lifting herself off the marble countertop behind her, Paige quickly made her way to the front door, her lips set in a huge grin before she pulled it open.

"Hey." Paige said in greeting, her smile turning quizzical when she saw the large brown paper bag that Emily was carrying with both hands, obscuring her view of the girl. "What you got there?"

"I come bearing groceries." Emily's muffled answer came from behind the paper bag.

Paige's eyes widened. "Um... wow. Let me get that." She offered, taking a small step forward and lifting the bag off Emily's arms. "You didn't have to do this." Paige continued once she saw the girl's gorgeous features.

"I know." Emily answered as she followed Paige inside the apartment and closed the door behind her. "But I've spent so many mornings and nights here I feel like I'm using all your toiletries and eating your food." She admitted, placing her shoulder bag on the countertop and taking a seat on one of the stools.

Paige shook her head. "It's fine, Em. I like sharing everything with you." She said as she deposited the paper bag on the countertop next to the open box of pizza.

"You already bought dinner?" Emily asked when she noticed the food.

"Yeah. It's Hawaiian. Your favorite." Paige added, nodding her head. "I figured you might be starving after your killer swim practice earlier today so I swung by Mix after I ran my errands and ordered your comfort food. Here. Let me get these out of the way and you can start digging in." She offered, grabbing a fork and breadknife and beginning to transfer the pineapples to the other half of the pizza.

"You don't have to do that. I can take them out myself." Emily said, trying to reach for the utensils but Paige moved her hands away.

"It's fine. I was about to take them out earlier anyway but I got distracted." Paige explained vaguely. "I really don't get why you keep eating this pizza if you don't like pineapples." She added, shaking her head in amusement.

"I told you. I like the sweetness." Emily answered, letting out a small laugh as she watched Paige transfer the pineapples skillfully to her side of the pie.

"Okay. One down. I've taken out all of the pineapples on this one." Paige said, pointing the breadknife to a slice. "You better start eating before the pizza gets cold." She continued as she handed the girl several tissues.

Emily leaned forward and kissed Paige on the cheek lightly. "Thank you." She uttered before taking a generous bite of the still warm pie.

"You are most welcome." Paige said in reply. She watched the other girl eat in silence for a few seconds before speaking up again. "So how was your day?"

Emily shrugged. "Other than my conversation with Kayla this morning, it was pretty uneventful." She answered after swallowing the food in her mouth.

"Right." Paige said when she remembered seeing Jai's sister earlier at the café. "What did the two of you talk about?"

Emily paused mid bite as she racked her brain for a relatively honest answer. "Um… nothing much. She didn't stay long. She was on her way to the Steinberg Conference Center and just stopped by to say hi." She finally replied, choosing to omit the latter part of her conversation with Jai's sister for now. "But she did ask if we could volunteer as usherettes for the foundation's quiz contest next week."

"And you said yes?" Paige asked before turning her back to Emily to get a clean glass from one of the cupboards.

Emily nodded. "Yeah. My schedule's wide open next Friday." She answered as she watched the girl fill the glass with water. "I figured it was the least I could do since I haven't done much to help with the preparations. I told her I would ask if you're available though."

"Friday next week? Yeah. I am." Paige said, sliding the drink towards Emily. "But I guess that means we won't be able to leave until late afternoon." She continued, referring to their plan next week to go home to Rosewood for the weekend.

"Your birthday isn't until Saturday." Emily reminded the girl.

"I know. But…" Paige trailed off, biting her bottom lip hesitantly like she was trying to make up her mind about something.

"But what?" Emily prodded, giving the girl a curious look. "Did you have plans?" She asked before taking another bite off her pizza.

Paige shook her head. "No. I mean yeah I was planning to do something. But it can wait." She decided. "We can leave after the contest." She added before turning her attention to the bag of groceries Emily brought with her. "Now let's see what you got here. Cereals. Shampoo. Body wash. Milk. Lather puff. Toothpaste. Tissue. Sour Patch Kids! That earns you a kiss." She said, looking up and giving the girl a huge grin.

"I knew it."Emily uttered, gently wiping the corners of her mouth before leaning forward and claiming her kiss from Paige.

"What else did you get me?" Paige continued, going back to rummaging the contents of the paper bag. "Hmm. Chewy granola bars." She said as she took out the box and studied it.

Emily nodded. "Yeah. I remembered how much you love those." She confessed, smiling at Paige.

"You... get another kiss for that." Paige said, leaning forward and giving the girl a quick kiss on the lips. "A toothbrush?" She asked, showing to Emily the last object she found inside the bag with a confused look. "Um... thanks. But this isn't the brand I use."

Emily hurriedly wiped her fingers on some tissues. "Oh... that's actually mine." She revealed, grabbing the toothbrush and flushing with embarrassment. "I figured I'd leave this one here instead of bringing all the time the one I use back at Harrison." She explained hastily. "If that's okay with you. I mean... is it?" She asked, biting her bottom lip nervously.

Paige let out a small laugh and grabbed the duplicate apartment key from beside the open box of pizza. "Tell you what. Hand me that toothbrush and I'll give you this key." She said, waving the metal object in front of the girl.

"What's that key for?" Emily asked, giving Paige a puzzled look.

"It's for getting in and out of this apartment, duh." Paige answered teasingly in an effort to hide her nervousness. She returned the key on the countertop and slid it towards Emily before taking the toothbrush from the girl's hand.

"You're giving me a key to your apartment?" Emily asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she let the gesture sink in while staring at the small object resting innocently in front of her.

"If you don't want to keep it, it's fine." Paige said, reaching for the key.

Emily shook her head. "No, no. I was just surprised. I want it." She added, quickly taking the key and pocketing it.

The two girls stared at each other for a few seconds, realizing the magnitude of what just happened but not knowing what to say next. Emily studied Paige, the words Kayla said earlier coming back to her.

"It's not too fast." Emily said, giving the girl a small, reassuring smile. "It's not like we're moving in together or anything. It's just a key."

"Right. Right. It's like you read my mind." Paige added, letting out a nervous laugh. "I just wanted to do something to help. Let you know I really care about you."

"I know." Emily said in reply, giving the girl a look that made Paige's brows crease.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Paige asked, frowning.

"Like what?" Emily answered innocently.

"Like you know something I don't." Paige elaborated, her brows creasing further.

Emily shrugged. "No reason." She said offhandedly.

Paige narrowed her eyes. "Em..."

Emily slowly walked over to where Paige was standing and positioned herself between the kitchen counter and the girl. She wrapped her arms around Paige's neck and smiled when the girl automatically placed her hands on her waist, pulling her closer. Emily stared into Paige's eyes for a moment before leaning forward to deposit a soft kiss on the girl's cheek. She then began moving her lips towards Paige's ear, nibbling the girl's earlobe playfully.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Emily whispered, her warm breath against Paige's skin making the girl's breath hitch.

"Tell you what?" Paige asked, her body instinctively leaning closer to Emily's.

"That you've had a thing for me since high school." Emily continued, laughing lightly when she sensed Paige hastily pull away.

"Who told you?" Paige nervously asked. She let out a groan when she noticed Emily's playful smile. "I swear I will kill her. Or torture her first then kill her."

Emily laughed. "Don't get mad at Kayla. She was just trying to help." She told Paige reassuringly.

"Wait. She knows about us?" Paige asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "Did you tell her?"

"No. She said she's known since last year. When we went home for the holidays and she caught a ride with us." Emily explained when she saw the girl's confused look.

"Oh." Paige muttered, feeling her cheeks growing warm. "Why didn't she say anything?"

"She said she was waiting for us to tell her." Emily answered. She inclined her head to the side and grinned. "Paige, don't be so embarrassed." She continued when she noticed the girl's flushed cheeks. "I think it's sweet. I think you're sweet. And I like finding out how you really felt about me all these years. I just want to know why you didn't say anything sooner."

Paige shrugged. "Jai." She answered in a tone that said the word was supposed to be enough reason to justify her behavior towards the other girl all those years.

Emily nodded. "Right. And you were such a jerk to me because?..."

"Jai." Paige repeated, now getting embarrassed.

"And you called me Sniffles because?..." Emily continued.

"Jai." Paige said for a third time, her cheeks growing a deeper shade of red.

"I see. So everything was about Jai." Emily concluded.

"Isn't it? I mean, when it came to you?" Paige added before she could stop herself.

Emily sighed. "Paige..."

"Look. I admit I've liked you since freshmen year. But Jai was obviously the better choice. I knew I never stood a chance so I set aside my feelings so the two of you could be happy." Paige explained, taking a small step back. "I was horrible to you for years because it was the only way for me to try and forget how I really feel. I called you Sniffles because I was trying to distance myself from you."

"Calm down. Why are you getting mad?" Emily interjected worriedly.

"I'm not." Paige protested.

"Yes you are. You're starting to get agitated." Emily pointed out as she studied the girl.

Paige took a deep breath when she realized Emily was right. "When Jai left and she asked me to look after you, it got harder to fight how I feel." She continued in a softer tone. "It's pathetic but back then sometimes I would imagine that you were my girlfriend and I got so mad at myself for liking it too much. For feeling that way when you were supposed to be Jai's. Then she died and you noticed me. And I was okay with it even if you were with me because being around me somehow kept Jai's memory alive."

Emily frowned. "Paige I never…"

"I know things between us are different now. But sometimes I can't help but wish that you'd see me. Not Jai or her memory. Me. I just want you to look at me someday and finally forgive the girl who only made your life a living hell for years because she's so in love with you she was terrified you'd see it and it will cause problems." Paige confessed.

Emily shook her head. "Paige..."

"I'm not stupid, Em. You agreed to try in the first place because you saw Jai in me. Like you somehow feel close to her when you're with me. That's the only reason we're together. And because I love you so much I'm fine with it. I can still take it." Paige promised.

"You're wrong." Emily finally interjected firmly.

"What?" Paige asked, surprised by the intensity she heard in the other girl's voice.

"How could you think that?" Emily continued, offended. "Paige I've gone farther with you than I've ever been with Jai. I've shared more of myself with you. How could you think I would undress myself in front of you and think about Jai? I see you Paige. I want to be with you."

"You don't have to say that. If you're not ready we can still wait. I'm not in a hurry." Paige promised.

"I'm not either. But it feels right with you. I told you I'm ready and I meant it. I want you, Paige." Emily said earnestly.

---

"But we're going to be late." Paige managed to say before Emily helped her rinse the shampoo off her eyes.

"No. We won't. We still have time." Emily insisted, kissing the girl soundly on the lips before wrapping her arms around Paige's neck.

It was the morning of the Gray Matter Foundation's first statewide quiz contest and the two girls were currently inside Paige's bathroom, taking what was supposed to be an innocent shower together since they needed to be at the Irvine Auditorium in an hour. Only they underestimated their hormones and what started as a plan to take a quick shower together changed the second the two girls found themselves standing naked in front of each other under the warm water and now Paige was trying in vain to leave so they could finally get ready and head to the venue before the event started.

"What?" Paige asked, feeling her cheeks flush when she realized that the other girl was staring at her.

Emily laughed. "Why are you blushing?" She said in reply, the amusement evident in her voice.

"You're staring at me. I'm still not used to that." Paige admitted, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red. "Please stop."

Emily laughed again before kissing Paige, feeling her pulse race. "I like staring at you." She confessed, staring at the girl a second longer before speaking up again. "How did you learn to kiss?"

"Lots of practice." Paige answered after a beat.

Emily nodded. "Okay. So how many?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"Um... what?" Paige replied in an effort to buy herself some time. She knew what the girl was asking. Though she was having a hard time forming any sort of coherent thought at the moment, somewhere at the back of her mind she knew this day would eventually come. Only she didn't know how to answer it.

"Girls you've kissed before me." Emily elaborated.

And there it is. Paige sighed. "Em..."

"I just want to know." Emily interjected.

"Why? What would that accomplish?" Paige gently asked.

"They're that many?" Emily said in reply, her eyes widening in surprise.

Paige shook her head. "No. They weren't. But those girls shouldn't matter because I was just trying to get over you." She answered earnestly.

"How did that one go?" Emily asked in a teasing tone.

Paige leaned forward and kissed the girl softly. "Obviously it didn't work." She whispered before kissing Emily again.

"So how many?" Emily repeated once they came up for air.

Paige groaned. "Em..."

"Come on." Emily coaxed. "Tell me or I won't let you kiss me again."

"What?! But that's not fair!" Paige protested.

Emily grinned and shook her head firmly. "I'm serious. These lips are off limits until you answer my question. Truthfully." She added emphatically in case the other girl got any ideas.

"I'm not gonna tell you." Paige said stubbornly.

"Why?" Emily asked, frowning. The other girl's refusal to answer her question was starting to worry her.

"Because. I don't want to hurt you." Paige explained.

"Why do you think it's gonna hurt me?" Emily prodded, still intent on getting an answer from the other girl even if a small part of her wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Because you wouldn't ask if you didn't care." Paige said while tucking a wet strand of hair behind Emily's ear. "I promised myself I wouldn't hurt you anymore. They shouldn't matter."

"I just want to know." Emily repeated, her voice almost pleading. "It matters to me."

Paige remained silent for a few seconds, trying to come up with an answer to Emily's question that wouldn't hurt the girl. "Okay." She finally said reluctantly. "But I'm only telling you this because I want you to know that I had to kiss eight girls to try to get over you but I never did."

"Eight, huh?" Emily repeated, her expression neutral. "Including Kayla?"

"Wha- hey Kayla doesn't count." Paige protested. "She kissed me. And she was drunk. And completely caught me by surprise when she did it." She continued. "Besides. I was already seeing you then." She reminded the girl, her hands starting to explore Emily's smooth skin.

"Right." Emily uttered, moving closer to Paige. "She took you by surprise."

"She's sneaky that way." Paige said in agreement. She lowered her lips to Emily's left shoulder and deposited a light kiss on it before making her way to the girl's neck. "You said we still have time, right?"

"Paige?" Paige's eyes widened when she heard a familiar voice from somewhere inside her apartment. She met Emily's panic-stricken eyes and placed one finger on her lips to tell the girl to keep quiet.

"Paige?" Kayla's worried voice called out again from just outside the bathroom door this time. "Paige, are you in there?"

"Yeah!" Paige hurriedly answered in a loud voice so she wouldn't have to turn off the shower. She tried to remember where she and Emily left their clothes and prayed that Jai's sister wouldn't enter the bathroom when she realized they were strewn across the bathroom floor. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry. I know I just broke my promise." Kayla answered apologetically. "I tried calling you after I knocked several times on your front door but you weren't answering. I got worried that you-"

"It's fine, Kayla. What do you want?" Paige interjected before Emily could hear the rest of the girl's explanation.

"I wanted to ask if I can catch a ride with you to UPenn for the event." Kayla said in reply. "I thought you were already dressed up but obviously you're not. So I'm just gonna go ahead. My dad's waiting for me."

"Oh. Sorry about that." Paige said apologetically.

"It's okay. Have you heard from Emily?" Kayla asked worriedly. "She's still coming, right? I've been trying to call her too but she's not answering. Is she coming?" She repeated, causing Paige to give Emily a mischievous look despite the situation they're in.

"Um... I'm not sure." Paige answered while trying to keep a straight face. "It's too early to tell." She called out, her eyes never leaving Emily's. "I mean, we've barely started." She whispered, making the girl blush. "I'll call her once I'm done here." Paige offered, returning her attention to Jai's sister.

"How did she get in?" Emily whispered urgently.

"Well I'm gonna go." Kayla called out, reminding the two girls that she was still standing outside. "Hurry up, will you? We could use the help."

"Spare key." Paige answered in a low voice. "Yeah I'll be right out. Lock the door when you leave." She said in a louder voice in response to Kayla.

Emily's brows creased. "Why does she have a spare key? Did you give her one too?!" She asked after hearing the front door open and close, letting them know that Jai's sister already left.

"No!" Paige exclaimed hurriedly. "But it's a long story so I'll tell you all about it some other time." She added with her fingers crossed behind her.

"We have time now." Emily insisted.

"No. We don't. You heard what Kayla said. They could use our help." Paige reminded the girl, relieved that she had an excuse not to tell Emily the truth for now.

Reaching for the knob behind the other girl, Paige turned off the shower and grabbed one of the bath towels to hand it to Emily. She then reached for the other one and hurriedly dried herself off before stepping aside, wordlessly telling Emily to go first and to let the matter drop.

---

"Come on." Kayla coaxed, pouting at Paige playfully as she handed the girl several whiteboard markers.

Paige shook her head. "Forget it. I'm not telling you anything." She repeated before putting the rest of the used writing materials inside a box.

"Why not? You already know that I know about you and Em. You said so yourself." Kayla reasoned out.

Paige rolled her eyes in exasperation. You don't have to remind me. She thought, mentally kicking herself before looking around the room for something else to do.

While the hype over the foundation's first Gray Matter Challenge still lingered for the remaining participants and guests inside the auditorium, all Paige wanted was for the day to end so she could finally leave for Rosewood. Unfortunately, Logan asked earlier if she, along with Kayla, Emily and a handful of other volunteers, could stay behind after the event to help with the cleanup before officially calling it a day and she didn't want to say 'no'.

Paige was in the middle of collecting the whiteboard markers the participants used when Kayla walked past her and before she could stop herself, she made the mistake of striking up a conversation with Jai's sister by bringing up the fact that the girl told Emily about her feelings for the latter all these years and since then, Kayla has done nothing but follow her around and press her for details now that according to the girl, the 'secret was out'.

"So? That doesn't get you front row seats to my relationship with her." Paige deadpanned.

"Fine. How about a trade-off?" Kayla offered. "I will tell you something she said about you then you answer my question."

"No." Paige said after a beat.

"What was that?" Kayla asked, squinting at the girl.

"What was what?" Paige answered innocently.

"You hesitated." Kayla said in reply. "Just now. When I offered to tell you something Em told me, you were tempted to accept it!"

"No I wasn't!" Paige exclaimed indignantly.

"Yes you were!" Kayla insisted. "You want to know what she told me."

"No. I don't." Paige said, shaking her head firmly. "Whatever it is that Emily feels for me… how she sees me... I don't want to know."

"Aren't you the least bit curious?" Kayla prodded. "Or maybe you're just scared."

Paige sighed. "Kayla..."

"Hey. Ready to leave?" Paige threw Jai's sister a warning look that told the girl to refrain from saying anything when she heard Emily's voice behind her. She turned around with a smile on her lips and nodded her head.

"Yeah. I just need to talk to Logan for a minute." Paige answered when she looked past Emily and spotted Jai's father at the other side of the room. "I'll be quick." She promised, walking past the girl and touching Emily's arm lightly as she did so.

Emily followed Paige's progress across the room, the smile on her lips disappearing when she recalled the girl's aloof behavior the entire day. Ever since she tried asking why Jai's sister had a key to the girl's apartment as well, it seemed like Paige has been trying to avoid being alone with her and kept making excuses to leave. It was obvious the girl wasn't telling her something and Emily knew she couldn't do anything about it if Paige didn't trust her enough to tell her what it is. Paige's secrets shouldn't affect what they have. She told the girl before that she was willing to wait until Paige was ready to tell her. But for some reason Emily was now having second thoughts regarding her decision to take things with the girl to the next level.

"She doesn't know how you feel about her." Emily tore her gaze away from Paige when she heard Kayla's voice behind her.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, confused.

"I mean she doesn't know how you feel about her." Kayla repeated. "And I think she's scared to hear the answer."

"I like her. A lot." Emily replied, glancing behind her before looking at Jai's sister again.

"Because…?" Kayla prompted.

Emily raised her hands helplessly. "Because." She began, trying to put to words all the things that attracted her to Paige in the first place. "She's stunning and she doesn't seem to know it. She's thoughtful and sweet and caring and attentive. She makes me smile. And laugh. She makes my pulse race whenever she's around. It's like for the first time I knew how it felt to have a crush on someone." She admitted.

"You didn't feel that way with Jai?" Kayla asked, surprised.

Emily bit her bottom lip, contemplating her answer. "It's different. I liked Jai the minute she approached me and we got along so well it was natural to be in a relationship with her." She explained. "I liked being around her and being next to her. I felt safe. But when I'm around Paige I feel flustered. Like I'm out of my element. My skin tingles when she brushes against me and my cheeks redden. My heart starts to race and I feel as if the floor was ripped right underneath me and I find myself freefalling. But even if I feel that way I don't want it to stop. I like her. A lot." Emily repeated. "And I like the way I feel when I'm with her."

"That's because you don't just like her. You're in love with her." Kayla pointed out.

Emily shook her head. "No. No. That's not how I imagined myself falling in love with someone." She confessed.

"Well how did you imagine it?" Kayla prodded.

"Like the way I felt with Jai. Safe. Certain." Emily answered.

"Em, you can feel that way and still feel alive. The way you do with Paige. You feel this irresistible pull towards her and you still think what you're feeling is just a crush. You can't stand to be away from her and you say you 'like her a lot'." Kayla quoted wryly. "When will you stop pretending and just admit to yourself that you've fallen for her? All Paige ever wanted was to be with you. So stop holding back."

"Why do you sound so certain about Paige's feelings for me?" Emily asked, seemingly taken aback.

Kayla shrugged. "I have superpowers." She said offhandedly.

"Of observation?" Emily added with a wry smile.

Kayla laughed heartily. "Let's just say Paige spent most of her time watching you, I spent mine watching her." She admitted, looking past Emily to study Paige as the girl conversed with her father. "Her birthday's tomorrow." She reminded Emily.

"I know. I already have tickets to see Passion Pit's concert at Darby tomorrow night." Emily revealed, her voice dropping to a whisper in case Paige came back.

"Oh she's going to love that." Kayla said, nodding her head in approval. "What are your plans after?"

"Uh… we'll probably just call it a night." Emily answered hesitantly. "Darby's a couple of towns away from Rosewood so we might be too tired to do anything else once we get back." She rationalized.

Kayla studied the other girl thoughtfully. "Did something happen between you and Paige?" She asked when she noticed Emily's discomfort.

"No we still haven't done it!" Emily answered defensively.

"Whoa. I meant in general." Kayla clarified.

"Oh." Emily uttered, her cheeks growing warm.

"But now that you've broached the subject, why do you look so anxious?" Kayla asked, concerned. "I thought you wanted to sleep with her?"

"Yeah. But that was last week. Now I don't think I am. I mean I still want to go all the way..." Emily admitted.

"Okay. So what's holding you back this time?" Kayla prodded gently.

"Well I'm scared for one thing." Emily confessed.

"Scared… why?" Kayla asked, puzzled. "When I told you Paige has had a thing for you since high school it was supposed to sound romantic… not creepy."

"It was romantic. But that's not enough. Not when I was reminded earlier today that she still has all these secrets." Emily revealed. "And you of all people know how we were before all of this. In high school we constantly bickered and mocked each other. Then for some reason when we got to college I found myself attracted to her. I tried to deny it at first, it didn't work. I couldn't stay away from her. Back in high school she drove me crazy. I can't stand being around her."

"And now?" Kayla pressed.

"I'm crazy about her." Emily admitted softly. "Things between us happened so fast. I've gone farther with her than I ever did with your sister and Jai and I were together for almost three years but for some reason the pacing feels natural with Paige."

"If that's how you feel then why are you crying?" Kayla asked, giving the girl a quizzical look.

Emily touched her cheek and hastily wiped a tear, surprised that she didn't realize she was indeed crying. She tried to speak but choked back a sob instead. "Those films you watch and those books you read about finding yourself falling for the one person who used to drive you insane were misleading." Emily finally managed to say. "I used to love watching those movies and reading those stories because the notion seemed amazing. I never once thought that I'd find myself in that situation. They made things seem so romantic when the truth is it's not. It's terrifying." She confessed, wiping another tear that rolled down her cheek.

"Hey..." Kayla uttered, reaching out and touching the girl's arm soothingly.

"When I realized I like her, I kept asking myself, 'Why? Of all the girls out there, why do I feel this way about her?'" Emily continued helplessly. "I even tried seeing other girls but I always end up on her doorstep. I kept telling myself, 'Don't like her. You can't like her. She called you sniffles. She made your life miserable in high school. She made fun of you when you can't put out for her bestfriend. Why the hell would you fall for someone like that?'" She said, letting out a humorless laugh.

Emily took a deep breath and crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying to get her bearings. She knew that Paige could come back any second now and she didn't want the girl to see her this way. She looked behind her to see if the girl was done talking to Logan and continued her conversation with Kayla when she saw that Paige was still standing at the other side of the room.

"But when Jai left, little by little I got to know her. When Jai died Paige became the person I could count on the most." Emily confessed. "She understood what I was going through. And then I found myself liking her. A few months later I'm this horrible mess. Lying and sneaking around just to spend time with her because I don't want people to start talking. I don't want to explain to people who she is or define what it is we're doing because I don't even know it myself. I can't even tell my friends about it and the only reason I'm talking to you is because you found out. Paige's been so patient and understanding. And she said she loves me…"

"Do you feel it?" Kayla interrupted. "When she tells you she loves you. Do you feel it?" She repeated.

"I do." Emily answered, looking behind her and holding Paige's gaze for a second before facing Kayla again. "I know my doubts are the only thing that's keeping us from taking things to the next level. I'm just scared that if we take that next step, there's no going back. Everything will change."

"Of course it will." Kayla said in agreement. "But Em, you're moving on. Together. So you don't have to be scared. Paige has liked you for so long I know she won't do anything to hurt you." She added earnestly. "I know you two got off on the wrong foot. Mostly because she distanced herself from you by treating you horribly in the past. But how you saw her changed. Otherwise you won't let her be this intimate with you." Kayla reminded the girl. "Paige has been trying to make up for all the things she said and did to you in the past. I think you see that. But if you haven't, you ought to start noticing. Because that girl has a good heart. She has one of the kindest hearts you will ever encounter in this life so take the risk and let yourself feel for her. She's not going anywhere."

---

"I can't believe you scored us tickets for Passion Pit's concert tonight." Paige repeated for the third time, grinning from ear to ear as she studied the two stubs in her hand. "This is my best birthday gift ever." She added, looking at Emily and giving the girl an awestruck look. "Seriously. Front row seats?"

Emily studied Paige's reflection in the full-length mirror and returned the girl's eager smile. "Glad you liked my gift." She said before applying a coat of lip gloss.

It was a Saturday afternoon and the two girls were hanging out in Emily's bedroom in Rosewood, getting ready to leave for the concert of Paige's favorite band, Passion Pit. Emily had the house to herself for the weekend since her mom went to Georgia to visit her aunt's family so she didn't hesitate to ask Paige to come over.

"Like is an understatement." Paige said, unable to control her excitement so she began to bounce on the balls of her feet. "How did you get these?" She asked, waving the tickets at Emily.

"Favor from a friend's friend." Emily answered vaguely. "Okay fine. I might've pulled some strings and practically begged one of my cousins to ask his girlfriend's older brother for those tickets." She admitted when the girl gave her an expectant look. "He's a roadie."

"In exchange for what?" Paige pressed, studying the tickets in her hand again. "Please tell me you didn't agree to sell one of your kidneys for this." She said in mock horror.

"Nothing serious like that. Just... I sorta agreed to be his date for a wedding he's attending." Emily reluctantly revealed.

"What?! Why? When?" Paige asked, frowning.

"Next month." Emily answered. "Paige, it's not a date date. And he held up his end of the deal so I can't back out now." She explained patiently. "Besides, I'm not really his type." She added, giving the girl a meaningful look.

Understanding dawned on Paige. "Oh." She uttered in surprise. "Didn't see that one coming."

Emily shook her head. "Forget about the wedding. It's your birthday today. Focus on that instead." She told the girl before turning around to face Paige. "Okay let's go." She continued, looking around for her jacket and her purse. "I don't want to miss the front acts."

"We have time." Paige said after looking at her watch. "Which is perfect because I want to swing by Jai's grave first. I figured we could visit her before we go to the concert."

Emily froze in place when she heard Paige's suggestion. "Um... do we have to?" She asked, avoiding the girl's confused stare as she busied herself with looking around the room for her things.

Paige shook her head. "No. But... she's my best friend and she's your..."

"I'll just stay inside the car if that's okay." Emily interjected.

"Uh... yeah. Sure. You can just wait in the car." Paige replied after a beat. She looked past the girl and walked towards the bed to hand Emily her purse. "Here."

"Thanks." Emily uttered, still not meeting the girl's eyes.

Paige waited until Emily was done putting on her jacket before taking a small step forward to wrap her arms around the girl's shoulders. She tightened her hug when she felt Emily's arms around her waist. "It's okay." She whispered reassuringly before taking a step back and holding Emily's hand to lead the way out.

---

"Hey Jai." Paige began as she stared down at the marker bearing her best friend's name. "Sorry I couldn't come until today. I was planning to turn nineteen here yesterday but I had to leave UPenn late and the traffic was so horrible that by the time I got back to Rosewood I was too tired. Anyway… uh... I guess today's the first anniversary of your death. Not that that's something to celebrate. And um… a lot has happened. But I'll tell you all about it some other time. I know I haven't visited lately. Sorry about that. I've just been really busy with my studies and sports and other things. Like Emily." She added under her breath.

Paige glanced behind her towards the direction of her car before returning her attention to the grave. "Jai... Emily and I... it just sort of happened. It's okay. Right? I know I'm nothing compared to you. I'm probably not good enough. But I really love her. So I promise I'll work hard to deserve her." She said earnestly.

"Emily's going through some stuff lately but she's going to be fine. I'll make sure of it." Paige promised. "And please don't get mad at her. I know she hasn't come by to visit you since she started seeing me. But she'll come around. When she's figured things out I know she'll visit you again. But right now she's still confused. Probably guilty. But don't worry. She hasn't forgotten you. Of that I'm sure."

Paige scuffed the ground with the toe of her sneakers, at a loss as to what to say next. "Well I turned nineteen today." She continued. "I think I already said that. But… this is my first birthday that didn't suck. Not that our annual camping trips in the past sucked." She added hurriedly. "I just meant it's the first time that I get to celebrate my birthday with someone special. And Emily surprised me with front row seats to Passion Pit's concert tonight so today has been pretty awesome so far." Paige admitted. "As a matter of fact we're on our way to Darby. I just wanted to visit you first. I really miss you, Jazz."

"Well I gotta go." Paige said after glancing at her watch. "Emily might be wondering what's keeping me and I don't want her to be stressed." She explained. "Don't worry. I'm looking after Kayla too. I know I haven't done a good job lately but I promise I'll step up. I won't let you down. And I talked to Logan yesterday. I think your dad's starting to become his usual self again. The foundation is helping a lot of people like you envisioned and that includes him." She revealed. "And… I promise to take good care of Emily. I know she was the most important person in your life after your family. And she's important to me too. So I'll take care of her for the both of us. I won't hurt her."

---

"I wasn't star struck!" Emily protested as she followed Paige up the stairs of the latter's house later that night. "I was merely surprised."

Paige let out a hearty laugh. "Right. You were so surprised that the entire drive home you barely said anything to me and you had this dreamy look in your eyes." She reminded the girl. "Just admit you were star struck when we met the members of Passion Pit courtesy of your cousin's girlfriend's brother." Paige coaxed.

"His name is Andrew." Emily said instead, rolling her eyes at the girl in front of her. "And you really need to learn how to distinguish between being surprised and being star struck because you can't tell the difference."

"I beg to differ." Paige shot back good-naturedly. "But even so, tonight was fun." She said just as they reached the top landing of the stairs.

"It was." Emily said in agreement before following the girl towards Paige's bedroom. She looked up and down the hall to check if anyone was around even if the girl told her they had the house to themselves before wrapping her arms around Paige's waist from behind as the girl pushed the door to her room.

Paige moved to place her hand over Emily's, enjoying the feel of the girl's arms around her. "And those bands that performed at the beginning were amazing. I'm really glad we got there just in time." She added, taking Emily's hand in hers and leading the way to her bed.

Emily watched in amusement as Paige settled on her spacious bed, lying down on it before closing her eyes. "Tired?" She asked as she stood at the foot of the girl's bed with a mischievous smile on her lips.

Paige opened one eye when she heard Emily's teasing tone. "Why?" She asked, matching the girl's smile.

Emily shrugged. "No reason." She answered offhandedly before walking over to Paige's study table to deposit her bag on the chair. "It's just... it's still your birthday and you still have one gift left to open." She added coyly as she returned to Paige's bed.

Paige's eyes widened at the meaning of those words and her pulse quickened. She got up into a sitting position and slid towards the edge of her bed before lowering her bare feet on the cold hardwood floor. "We don't have to do anything tonight, Em." She told the girl reassuringly. "Tonight was amazing."

"I know." Emily said, leaning down to kiss Paige once. "But it could be perfect." She added before kissing the girl again.

"Are you sure?" Paige whispered hoarsely once they came up for air.

Emily nodded, aware that her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. This was a huge step for them but it felt right and she really wanted her first time to be with Paige. She took a small step back to let the girl stand before bringing her hand on the hem of Paige's top.

"May I?" Emily asked, her voice hoarse.

Paige nodded and raised her arms to let the girl undress her. Emily felt a familiar surge of lust when she saw Paige's creamy complexion. They've seen each other naked before but knowing that they will finally take that step tonight made everything feel like it was the first time. Emily smiled when she felt the muscle on Paige's stomach jerk when her knuckles grazed it as she began to unbutton Paige's jeans.

"Don't be so nervous." Emily whispered before kissing Paige languidly.

"Easy for you to say." Paige said, a feeling of wetness pooling between her legs. "I've wanted you for such a long time." She admitted shyly.

Emily didn't realize that Paige was completely naked until her hands brushed the inside of the girl's thighs and she felt Paige's wetness. The ache between her legs intensified when she felt how much the girl wanted her. "Your turn." She said as she guided Paige's hands to the hem of her top, wordlessly asking the girl to undress her.

Paige willed her hands to stop trembling as she eased Emily off her top, then her bra before unbuttoning the girl's denim cut offs. She felt Emily's skin flinch as she began to pull down the girl's already ruined undergarments. "Sorry." She muttered.

"Don't be. Your hands were just cold." Emily explained. She pulled Paige closer to her and pressed their naked bodies together as she kissed the girl hungrily. She gasped when Paige's thigh slid between her legs and she began to rock against it.

"Lie down." Paige whispered, fighting the overwhelming urge to ravish the girl right there.

Emily obliged and moved towards the bed, her head dizzy with desire when the other girl climbed in after her. Paige gazed at Emily in awe, still unable to believe that she got to be this intimate with Emily Fields. She felt her heart fill with overwhelming love as she positioned herself on top of Emily and kissed the girl soundly, trying to convey everything she felt with just a kiss.

"Are you sure?" Paige asked, giving the girl one last chance to back out.

Emily willed herself to look into Paige's eyes, her heart pounding so hard that she could hear her blood pumping. This is it. Yes or no, Emily knew the girl would respect her answer. All she had to do was say the word. Yes or no?

---

Emily slowly opened her eyes on Sunday morning and stared at the sleeping girl in front of her, feeling a sense of happiness overwhelm her. She listened to Paige's steady breathing and studied every inch of the girl's face, still unable to believe what happened between them last night.

Taking a deep breath, Emily lightly brushed a loose strand of hair away from Paige's face and moved her body closer. She could get used to waking up everyday next to Paige. She wanted to wake up everyday next to Paige. Naked. And she realized all she had to do was say it. She was the one who didn't want any form of commitment to begin with. She didn't want to be exclusive. But after last night, Emily can't imagine being that close to someone other than Paige. She didn't want anyone else. She just wanted to keep seeing Paige and she didn't want the girl to see anyone but her; feeling a sense of jealousy at the mere thought of some other girl trying to get close to Paige. A plan began to form in her head as to how she was going to say it tonight but she didn't have much time to prepare so she needed to get started. Emily slowly brushed her hand across Paige's smooth stomach and moved closer before kissing the girl softly.

"Hey." Emily whispered once the girl opened her eyes and broke into a grin.

"Hey." Paige whispered back, her grin growing wider. "Good morning."

"That it is." Emily said in agreement.

"You seem to be in a good mood." Paige observed.

"That's because I am." Emily affirmed.

"So… I take it you don't regret what happened last night?" Paige guessed as she stroked the girl's cheek softly.

"No. Do you?" Emily asked, biting her bottom lip anxiously.

"No." Paige answered while shaking her head vehemently, making the other girl laugh.

"So..." Emily began, trailing off.

"So..." Paige repeated.

"Last night was..." Emily continued, trailing off again to let the girl finish her sentence.

"Perfect." Paige supplied.

Emily smiled before getting up and used the comforter to cover herself. She then looked around the floor, stooped to gather her clothes and began putting them on hurriedly.

"Where are you going?" Paige asked, following Emily's progress around the room with a confused look.

"Home." Emily answered as she put on her denim cutoffs.

Paige glanced at her clock on the bedside table. "It's still early. Come back to bed." She coaxed.

Emily shook her head. "I can't. I have to take care of some things." She explained vaguely. "But tonight I'll make it up to you." She added when she saw the girl's face fall.

"Really?" Paige uttered, the smile on her lips immediately returning.

"Really." Emily repeated. "Come over to my house for dinner. My mom's still in Georgia so I have the place to myself."

Paige got up and began putting on her clothes as well. "Okay. Well let me give you a ride home." She offered, quickly running a hand through her hair to comb it.

"It's fine. I could use the walk." Emily said as she walked over to Paige's study table where she left her bag last night.

"What? No. I can drive you." Paige insisted.

"I know. But I'd rather-" Emily stopped midsentence when she noticed something on top of Paige's desk.

"You'd rather what?" Paige pressed, looking up when she was done tying the shoelaces of her sneakers to see what caught Emily's attention. She felt her mouth go dry when she saw what the girl was holding.

"You had this framed?" Emily asked, giving the girl a confused look as she showed Paige the framed paper the girl wrote on the blue pill last year. "Why? Is this your first A-plus or something?" She added teasingly.

"Funny." Paige shot back wryly. She got up and walked over to the girl, taking the framed paper and returning it on top of the desk. "It's not the grade. It's what happened later that day."

"The day I submitted your paper on the blue pill instead of mine." Emily elaborated.

Paige nodded. "After swim practice you came up to me and asked if we could talk." She continued, facing the girl. "You told me about what you did at the last minute and admitted you weren't ready to take that leap of faith just yet."

"Okay… so what's so important about that day for you?" Emily asked, confused. "If I remembered correctly you ran out on me when I tried to be your friend."

"I did. But you forgot something." Paige said, smiling a little. "That day you also called me beautiful. You called me beautiful and I fell for you all over again."

"Because I called you beautiful." Emily repeated.

"Because you saw me." Paige corrected.

Emily grinned. "I believe I called you stunning. And I remember that day too because that was the day you first said my name and it felt good. Hearing you say it." She admitted.

"Because?..." Paige pressed, inclining her head to the side.

"Back then I couldn't explain why. But looking back... you said my name like it was a prayer. You uttered it so reverently. I guess I didn't notice it until now." Emily answered.

"Notice what?" Paige urged.

"How you looked at me. If I had paid closer attention I would have noticed how you felt about me." Emily explained.

"Am I that obvious?" Paige asked, feeling her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

"You're that obvious." Emily affirmed, laughing lightly.

Paige shook her head, staring in awe at the girl standing in front of her. She didn't know if it was because of what happened between them last night. But Emily seemed like a vision with the way the rays of the sun streaming in from her bedroom window lit up the girl's features.

"How come you're so beautiful?" Paige asked before she could stop herself.

Emily felt her pulse race and her cheeks grow warm with the way Paige was looking at her. "Is that what you thought of? When you first saw me?" She asked in reply.

"I couldn't think of anything when I saw you." Paige admitted. "It was like my brain shut down and I was just standing there drooling on my first day of school."

"No you weren't." Emily said, rolling her eyes.

"It wasn't visible!" Paige protested. "It was all in my head." She said as she took Emily's hand and kissed it. "I was really dreading going to a new school. But then I saw you on my first day and I kept praying that we'd have the same classes together so I could find a way to talk to you. Suddenly I was grateful my dad pulled me out of Girard and I was looking forward to going to school everyday just so I could see you."

"It all changed because of Jai?" Emily guessed.

Paige nodded. "I couldn't approach you. I've never felt that strongly about anyone before considering I didn't even know you. So I was mustering the courage to talk to you. Hoping I wouldn't make a fool of myself and that you'd like me even if it's just as a friend at first." She confessed, giving Emily a small smile. "The day Jai introduced you to me was the worst day of my life in high school because I knew I had to find a way to get over you. So I forced myself to hate you. And to make you hate me. Because as long as you see me as someone likable a part of me would always hope that you were with me instead and I didn't want to be that person. The friend who's pining over her best friend's girlfriend."

"It worked." Emily admitted.

"Yeah. For a while it did. But then Jai left and she asked me to look after you and I became that person again." Paige confessed. "That's why I needed her to come back. So I could stop feeling that way and go back to hating you. But instead she died and you weren't off limits anymore and I didn't know what to do."

Emily heard the pain in the girl's voice and felt her eyes sting. Listening to Paige's heartfelt confession and seeing how remorseful the girl was for her behavior all these years was making her fall deeper.

"I was wrong about you. You're a great friend." Emily said quietly. "Jai was lucky."

Paige gave the girl a sad smile. "She doesn't deserve a friend who secretly pines after her girlfriend. I'm hardly a good friend." She added bitterly.

"Don't say that." Emily said, reaching out to touch Paige on the arm consolingly. "I admit what you did wasn't exactly the best way to handle things. And I wasn't in your position but I know that you wouldn't have done it if you didn't value your friendship with Jai. I'm sure of that."

Paige let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in. "I know I don't owe Jai anything. But I still wish I could apologize to her for how things turned out." She admitted.

Emily wordlessly studied Paige while her mind decided on something. "I have to go." She finally said as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you at seven?" She asked before depositing a kiss on the girl's cheek.

Paige merely nodded and watched Emily exit her room, a sense of foreboding filling her senses. She couldn't explain why but just now she didn't like seeing the girl leave. Paige mentally shook her head, willing the feeling to go away. Tonight she would see Emily again. They would have dinner and if the night goes well, maybe they would end the evening on a perfect note again.

---

Emily laid down on the ground the bouquet of flowers she bought on her way to the cemetery and let her fingers run over the name engraved on the marker. She then straightened up and studied Jai's name before finally opening her mouth to speak.

"Hey Jai." Emily began once she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It's me. I know I haven't visited for quite a while. I've been sort of busy with school." She explained, biting her bottom lip anxiously. "Actually that's not entirely true." She admitted after a beat. "I just couldn't bring myself to come here since... but I'm here now." She said instead.

Emily uncrossed her arms and placed one hand inside the pocket of her jeans, her hand clasping on something. "I won't stay long. I just need to say something." She continued, her voice trembling. "Losing you... when I lost you, I thought I wouldn't be able to handle it. And for a while I couldn't. But someone was there for me the whole time I was grieving. You were right. Paige is really great. More than great actually. She's been amazing." Emily admitted, a small smile playing on her lips.

"And she's been so patient with me. We've been doing this thing between us. It just sort of happened." Emily added. "I didn't know what it meant. Or where it was headed. Until last night. I really like her, Jai. I think I might even feel something more. I don't know." She said, running a hand through her hair. "All I know is after last night I don't want her to see other girls. I told her we weren't exclusive and she was okay with that. But after tonight, I'm not. I want to see where things go with her. What happened last night changed everything and the truth is I don't regret it. It's okay, right? If I let you go?" She asked, a tear running down her cheek. "You'd want me to be happy again, right? Well Paige does that. She makes me happy so I want to make her happy too."

Emily took out the object inside her pocket and stared at the bracelet Paige gave her until her vision blurred. "I guess I came here because I'm saying goodbye to you. I... I'm letting you go." She managed to say, her voice cracking.

"I'm so sorry." Emily uttered in between sobs.

---

Paige found herself standing in front of Emily's house later that night, telling herself to stop fidgeting as she waited for the girl to answer the door. She left her house a little after 7:30 since she had to wait for her dad to arrive from California and she tried to call Emily earlier to say she was running late but the girl wasn't answering. She just hoped that Emily got her message and won't give her a hard time because of her tardiness.

"Hey!" Emily's eager greeting dispelled Paige's unease and she returned the girl's smile.

"Sorry I'm late." Paige uttered as she stepped inside the house, her brows suddenly creasing.

"Don't worry about it. You're almost just in time. I ran into a bit of culinary mishap earlier." Emily admitted sheepishly.

"So that's the smell." Paige said, closing the door behind her. "I thought I smelled something burning."

"Still?" Emily asked, grimacing. "I already opened the windows in the kitchen and changed my clothes. It must be my hair." She guessed before grasping a handful of her raven-black hair and taking a whiff.

"You smell amazing." Paige told the girl reassuringly.

"And you still suck at lying. But thanks for trying to make me feel better." Emily said wryly. "I really wanted to cook dinner for you tonight but I had my hands full so I forgot about the chicken I was baking." She explained as she led the way to the kitchen.

"Wow." Paige uttered, stopping in her tracks when she saw the romantic table setting and the food. "What's this?"

"Dinner is served." Emily answered, beaming.

"You cooked all of this?" Paige asked, not even bothering to hide her awe.

"Um... sort of. I'm no pastry chef so the apple pie was store-bought. And since I burned the chicken, I had to order it at that restaurant you told me about last night on our way to the concert." Emily explained as she glanced at her watch. "It's going to be here soon."

"But what's the occasion?" Paige pressed, confused.

Emily shrugged. "Nothing. I just felt like celebrating." She answered vaguely, trying to keep her expression neutral.

"Celebrating what? Losing our virginity?" Paige supplied.

Emily rolled her eyes. "No." She answered emphatically.

"Then what?" Paige prodded.

"A new beginning." Emily finally answered.

"Okay. Explain further." Paige said before pulling one of the chairs around the table and taking a seat.

Emily took a deep breath to calm her nerves and placed one hand inside the pocket of her jeans, playing with the bracelet as she prepared to deliver her speech. "Well last night I -"

"Saved by the chicken?" Paige asked when the sound of the doorbell resonated in the house. "Why don't we save that conversation for later? You look like you're about to pass out."

Emily gave Paige a weak grin, torn between feeling relieved and frustrated. "Sorry. I'll go get it. Just stay there." She said, walking past the girl to answer the door.

Paige shook her head in amusement and stared at the lavish spread in front of her. Everything looked mouthwatering but although she was famished, she wasn't hungry for food. She wanted the girl who cooked their dinner tonight. Paige glanced behind her when she spotted something near Emily's side of the table and got up to reach for it.

"I better save her the trip." Paige muttered as she headed for the living room. "Can't exactly pay for the chicken if you leave your wallet here, Em." She added, talking to herself.

Paige turned the girl's wallet over and over in her hands, watching her step as she made her way to the front of the house. She looked up and was about to call out to Emily but the sight before her made her stop in her tracks.

"You look even more beautiful than I remember." Paige felt her blood run cold when she heard that voice, certain that she was about to pass out from the shock. From somewhere inside the house, she distinctly heard Emily utter the words she couldn't.

"Oh my god." Emily breathed, her grip tightening on the door handle as she reeled from surprise and disbelief.

Blue eyes...

Slender build...

Clear skin...

Sleek, shoulder-length, layered black hair…

And a face and a height like that of a runway model…

There was no mistaking it.

"Hello love." Jai said before closing the distance between them and enveloping the speechless girl in a warm embrace.

Emily didn't want to believe it was really Jai but when she felt the girl's arms around her she realized it wasn't a dream. It is Jai. Alive. And the stunning realization made her instinctively wrap her arms around the other girl.

"You're alive." Emily whispered before closing her eyes and pulling Jai closer.

Behind them, Paige wordlessly stared at the reunited couple, the sense of dread she felt that morning returning with such overwhelming force that she felt suffocated.

"Jai." Paige uttered breathlessly, her heart shattering into a million pieces at the sight before her.

---

And... this ends Part II of LT. I won't be posting new chapters for a while. For how long I can't tell. Part III is going to be told in a different narrative so I have to finish all of it before posting the first chapter. I promise I'm not abandoning this story. I don't like leaving loose ends. But like I said before, I'm swamped at work and I have other things going on in my life right now outside of this fic. Please have more patience and kindly keep the rudeness and negativity to a minimum. It really takes the fun out of writing this story. Understand that I can't just drop everything and focus on this fic day in and day out just because you guys want me to. Thank you.