Good night, guys! :) I'm being faster, right? You need to understand English is not my tongue mother and my life is a little bit of a chaos due to my work and social life. :D This chapter is shorter than the previous one, but I didn't have time to continue writing 'cause I need some sleep (I'm not a vampire xD) and I didn't want to postpone the update now that you're so eager to read the story. :D I'm glad some of you are actually enjoying the story. I hope the ones that aren't addicted to it yet, get there, 'cause things are going to be really interesting soon enough. So just be patient. xD Anyway, thanks for your nice words. Your energy is the only thing that keeps me keep writing this crazy story of mine. :) Sorry for the mistakes, I didn't proofread as usual. :D
Sheirome: I know Emily's situation is really sad, but getting through this phase is necessary if we want to see some Paily. Am I right? :D
yulebrinner25: I know it was sad, but Paige's reaction was good given the circumstances. I mean, it's hard for her though, even more with Jason in her life. But you'll see everything is going to be just fine. They're meant to be. :D Hahaha. Maya is not going to disappear so easily. xD
EP: I see that everybody hates Maya. That was my intention, so I guess I built her character just like I had in mind. :D
Guest: Maya is only being Maya. I consider her a pain in the ass, and not just in my story. :D
MJ: Hahaha. Your priorities are kinda wrong, but I guess that means I'm doing a good job. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Are you asking for a cliffhanger? 'Cause I can easily do that. LOL
Guest: Thanks! I write whenever I have free time and I'm inspired. Unluckily, that doesn't happen so often. ;)
An: I know Jason is adorable. I just didn't want Paige's boyfriend to be hateful. That way, when she realizes about her feelings, it will have nothing to do with him being an ass. Thanks!
Enjoy the chapter, guys!
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE
: Chapter 14 – I'll Always Be There:
I know I've always been a little bit shy, but being in front of her makes my shyness to incredibly trigger. She's staring at me while she takes a sip of coffee, and that makes me even more nervous. She's not pushing me to talk about my ex, but we're here only because she showed up, so her curiosity is understandable.
"Are you trying to read my mind?" I tease her, after noticing her gaze for a few seconds. She laughs and that makes her look even more beautiful. I love her laugh. Actually, I love everything about her, that's the main problem of this impossible relationship.
"Unluckily, I don't have that gift. So…" she starts saying, trying to make me speak.
"So…" I say, forcing her to ask the question she's been meaning to ask since we enter the diner. I avert my eyes for a moment and I see Hanna has her eyes set on us. I raise my eyebrows and she smiles at me. I look at Paige again.
"So that was Maya," she finally adds. It was obvious she wanted to talk about that.
I sigh and nod afterwards. "That was my ex."
"She's cute. It's not how I imagined her to be."
I laugh at her comment. "You can say it out loud. You imagined her being less feminine, right?" I laugh when she blushes.
"I know, that's only an stereotype. I shouldn't have said that." She seems bad about it.
"You don't have to apologize, dummy," I tell her, squeezing her hand. Touching her makes my heart accelerate. "She's cute, I admit that. She's bitch too, though." Talking to her is making me feel better. Even if Maya is the subject of the conversation, it's making it easier for me to vent off.
"Yeah, I realized about that."
"Thank God you were there to be my savior." She smiles and my mood improves all of a sudden. "She has that power to make me feel useless, and I hate it."
"You need to avoid her, Em. She is poison, I could see it in her eyes."
"You're right. However, you have to understand I spent the last years with her and that she has something irresistible, even if I know she's going to hurt me. It's… I mean, I don't know how to explain it, but…" I nervously tap my fingers on the table.
"You loved her. I get it." Her honesty makes me love her even more.
"However…"
"I need to avoid her, I know that," I insist, interrupting her again. We both laugh.
"You know what they say, there are other fish in the sea."
"Are you saying that I need to meet someone? 'Cause that's the last thing I'm thinking right now," I add, a smile plastered on my face.
"What's your type, apart from bitchy girls?" I love her grin. I can't help but blush at her question.
"I don't know…" I pretend to be thinking thoroughly, making her laugh even louder. "I like tall girls who happen to love architecture, have brown hair, a sexy smile and if her name begins with a P… I guess that's the description of my perfect girl."
She jokingly hits me on my arm. "Stop that," she says, her cheeks flushed red.
"You had it coming," I tease her. She grins at me, but her cheeks are still showing her shyness.
"You're perfect, you can have anybody. You just have to go out." Her sweetness is just adorable.
"I'm not in the mood for that. Hanna already proposed that, but I'd rather become a nun," I joke, making her laugh.
"Would you change your mind if I come with you?"
"Are you seriously suggesting to come with me to a gay club so I can meet girls?" I laugh hard. "This is just surreal," I exclaim. She is grinning at me, so I don't know if she's being serious.
"Of course I'm serious. I can be your wing-woman or whatever the hell is the female version of a wingman." She is smiling at me, but she is serious about it. It would be a little bit awkward to go to a gay club with the woman I love, so a thought crosses my mind. I'm not sure is a good thought though.
"Hanna would kill me if I went without her," I lie. I mean, she wouldn't mind so much, but I need a friend with me to avoid the tension between us. I'm not sure what kind of reaction I would have if I'm in a gay club with Paige and a few drinks.
"I'm okay with that. I could invite my brother so they can get to know each other."
I start laughing at her proposal. "Are you seriously trying to fix them in a gay club? Come on, Paige!" I can't stop laughing and she grins at me.
"What? Are they going to forbid him the entrance 'cause he's guy? Is that going to be a problem?" she jokes, making me laugh harder.
"It's just funny, that's all. I think that's a good idea." She nods at me, smiling at the same time. I love hanging out with her.
Her phone starts ringing. I look at her phone and the name of her boyfriend pops up on the screen. She just ignores it.
"You can take that, Paige. It won't bother me at all, you know." She shakes her head and decides not to pick up. However, the phone keeps ringing, so she finally accepts the call.
"Hi," she briefly adds. I feel like she's trying to be concise so that the call doesn't affect me. "I'm with Emily, maybe later." She frowns at me and I suddenly decide to stand up and go talk to Hanna in order to let her alone, maybe I'm just making this more difficult. The majority of the clients that were inside the diner already left, so Hanna is just standing behind the counter and not busy at all.
"Hi, Em. I realized you made up. I'm happy for you." She stretches my hand, while smiling at me.
"She's talking to Jason, so I decided to give her intimacy and I thought to come to keep you company."
"That's what a good friend would do," she teases me.
"So? Did anything happen? She already admitted she's madly in love with you?" I frown at her. I know she's the only one that thinks she really has feelings for me, but she knows that bothers me and she keeps bringing the subject.
"Hanna, I already told you to stop doing that, okay? Besides, I came here to bring some good news to you."
"You finally bought me those Manolo Blahniks?" I laugh at her remark. She knows I have a good salary and she's been saying that for a long time now, so I guess I will have to buy a pair of those for her birthday.
"Do you remember you offered to come with me to that gay club so I forget about both Maya and Paige? I've considered it and I think I accept your offer. Paige is coming with us?"
She huffs. "I know you're supposed to be the bright one, but do you think it's a good idea to go to a gay club with the woman you're in love with? Come on, Em!"
"Caleb is coming too." Her eyes open widely. I mean, Caleb doesn't know this yet, but I hope Paige convinced him to come.
"How did you do that? I love you!" She suddenly heads towards me and embraces me tightly. "I never thought I would be so excited to go to a gay club," she admits, making me laugh. "Your girls is waiting for you," she says, once she pulls away from the hug.
I gaze at the table we're sitting and I see that Paige already finished the phone conversation, so I wink at Hanna and get back with her.
"You can go with Jason, Paige. I was thinking about going home and have pizza for dinner while watching a movie, so you can go be with your boyfriend. I'm okay. Thank you for this," I admit.
"No way! I'm up for that plan. Can I join you?" I don't understand why she's doing this.
"I'm serious, Paige. You had plans with Jason. You already did enough. I'm feeling way better."
"I want to be with you. Jason can wait," she insists. I don't think Jason will be very happy with her girlfriend's priorities. "So pizza it is then. We can go to my place." I'm not going to lie, I'm happy about spending more time with her.
"Are you sure about it?"
"One hundred percent sure." She grins at me.
"I was thinking about going to the gym for an hour or so and then we can meet at your place. Is that okay?"
"That sounds perfect," she exclaims. We pay for the coffee and leave the diner.
I spend almost an hour running at the treadmill. It makes my anger and stress go away, and that is the only thing I need today. Running has always made me feel good and forget about my problems. I take a quick shower and head to Paige's. Although I love spending time with her, I always feel that nervousness when I'm around her. And that nervousness grows if we're at her place completely alone. It's exciting, though. But if that means seeing her beautiful smile, it will definitely be worth it.
We have dinner while we enjoy a nice conversation. We don't talk about Maya or my declaration of love, and I really appreciate that. After everything that happened today and the previous days, I think I just needed small talk. However, after having dinner, and before starting to watch the movie, she sits next to me and I feel that she is about to do something that I was willing to avoid today.
"Emily… I…" I stare at her and I realize her shyness is growing. That can only mean one thing. "I know that you're hurt and that my relationship with Jason is not helping, so I'm really sorry for not realizing about your feelings." She puts her fingers on my lips just when I'm about to interrupt her. That simple gesture makes me feel shivers up and down my spine. "Let me finish, okay?" she smiles at me and I instantly melt. Her deep brown eyes and perfect smile are my weakness. "So… I'm sorry for that. I really am. But I don't want to lose you and I won't let you put me aside. You're too important to me, so I just wanted you to know that." She takes a deep breath. "Now you can talk," she teases me.
"You're making it really hard for me to not love you even more, McCullers," I praise her. She flushes and that's just enough for me to feel better. What she did today was another one of the facts why I fell in love with this beautiful woman. I'd love Hanna's fantasy to be real so I could have her all for myself. Just the two of us.
To be continued…
Stay tuned! ;)
