Good night! :) Thank you so much for your nice words, guys. You're just adorable. It really made me want to keep writing. ;) Anyway, here's another update. I hope you like it, 'cause I really enjoyed writing this one. ;) Have a nice week, you all! :)

siophiefandom: Why do you think Alison is going to do something evil? Why, like seriously? xD The jealousy is completely understandable, but she should trust her girlfriend. Anyway, I know it's a tough situation. :) Nick was really sweet, I wanted the coming out to be smooth, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks! ;)

naiel2017: Hahaha. Paige only left Emily to go meet a friend, she didn't leave the country, so you can calm down. :D Thank you for your review! :)

EP: I won't disappear on you, I will keep writing whenever I have time, I guarantee you that. ;) So you were talking about Alison and Paige's encounter, right? Here it goes. :D Thanks!

Viva33: Thank you so much! I feel really honored! ;) Don't be so negative, she's just meeting an old friend. :D You don't need to be so dramatic about it. I love that all followers are so paranoid! :D Alison will be one of the main characters on this chapter, so you'll find out her intentions soon enough. :)

MJ: Tension is good sometimes. :D Yes, the conversation with her mom will happen, but I haven't thought about how that's going to occur. I am still thinking about it. xD I only mentioned that her sister – Paige's aunt – is a lesbian and that her mom stopped talking to her just because of it. But there has not been a conversation yet and I will deal with that in the near future. :) Have a good week you too!

Enjoy the chapter, guys!

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE

: Chapter 32 – Flashbacks:

I get into the shower and my mind is a jungle. It's been two hours since Paige left the apartment, but our conversation is the only thing that's been in my mind since then. I feel like I can't handle this situation, it has gotten out of control, and I feel helpless and completely messed up. I should trust Paige, she cares about me, but old ghosts can really be a problem given their story.

I wash my hair and keep my head under the shower head, water run all over my body. It feels good, but those feelings won't go away so easily. I wrap myself with a towel and apply moisturizer all over my body. I hear the phone ringing and I run towards it.

"Hey! Where are you? You were supposed to be here by now," Hanna reproaches me. I look at the wall clock that's hanging on the kitchen wall and I realize I'm late.

"I'm sorry, Han, I didn't realize it was so late. Are you alone?"

"It's okay, Em. You're lucky Spencer left the hospital earlier than she expected, so I'm in good company. I was only worried about you. Are you okay?" I feel her worry on the other line of the phone. I could have been in time, I had all time in the world, but after Paige left I just wanted to lay in bed and do absolutely nothing. I knew what time I was supposed to meet Hanna, but at that precise moment I just had one thing in mind, and it wasn't Hanna.

"I'm fine. I just… I will tell you about it later."

"Okay, Em." It's weird she didn't ask for more information, that's not like Hanna. I appreciate that gesture though.

"Just give me 20 minutes. See you soon!"

I hang up and start getting ready. I dry my hair with the hairdryer, I put some jeans, a casual black v neck tee and a blazer and I leave the apartment. I'm not in the mood to put on make-up, so I get to the dinner a few minutes before I expected.

Hanna waves at me and Spencer smiles at me.

"I'm really sorry, girls."

"It's okay, Em. I was hungry, so I ordered these," she says, pointing at some french fries. I take a seat and Hanna offers me her precious food. I nod at her and put a few fries inside my mouth.

"How are you?" Spencer asks once I'm settled. She frowns at me, she knows what this is about. "Paige… Okay, what happened? Spit it out."

"I already know," Hanna adds.

I turn my head to look at the blonde. "What are you talking about?"

"I spoke to Caleb this morning. I know Paige is having lunch with Alison."

"Alison? Who's Alison?" Spencer asks, frowning at me.

"Her ex-girlfriend," Hanna adds right before I can give an explanation.

"It's not like that, she was a good friend, that's all."

"I thought they had history, I mean…" I see that Hanna is feeling bad about her comment. I guess Caleb told her what he thought was going on between her sister and Alison. I know the official story though, and I know nothing happened.

"It's okay, Hanna. It's complicated. They were very good friends and Alison tried to convert that friendship into something more. But it didn't happen."

"So Paige rejected her," Spencer clarifies. "That's good, Em. It means she isn't interested in that." She pats my shoulder in an attempt of cheering me up.

"She rejected her because she was scared, she wasn't out yet. She had the same feelings about her, but she decided not to act on them."

"Oh," Spencer says, making me feel nervous.

"I'm not worried about it, girls. I trust her. She's meeting a good old friend but she's with me." I try not to sound jealous about it, like it doesn't bother me at all, but both my friend's faces say the opposite.

"Em, please… We know you very well. It's okay to feel bad about it. I would also be jealous and it's completely natural. Even if you trust her, you're human."

I sigh. "Thank you, girls. I just… She came to the apartment this morning and we had a conversation. It felt like she wanted to promise me nothing was going to happen. If she hadn't done that, I would probably feel better. But the fact that she came to tell me she was meeting her made me feel nervous somehow."

"Don't be paranoid, Em," Spencer states as she squeezes my hand. "I see how she looks at you, she is so into you. You have no adversaries."

"She's right, Em. Just try to forget about that. Just focus on your friends instead. Today is about us," Hanna adds and winks at me.

"How is work, Spence?" I ask, making an effort to focus on anything that doesn't involve Paige.

"It's fine. I mean, the usual endless shifts and the lack of sleep. But that's part of my job, so…" she says.

"I don't know how you deal with it. I'm just so proud of you," Hanna adds, making Spencer smile widely.

"Thank you, Hanna. I was born for this job," she proudly states.

"By the way, we're going to the movies afterwards, even if you don't want to. I've been meaning to watch that horror movie that keep announcing on TV and Caleb doesn't want to come, so…"

Spencer shakes her head. "No way, Hanna!"

"Are you afraid of some fake blood, young lady?" she teases her. I laugh.

"My job is about saving lives, not ending them like that movie you're talking about," she affirms, moving her arms vigorously, trying to make a stand.

"Hastings is terrified by it. She doesn't want us to see her screaming like a little girl, Em." I laugh and then look at Spencer. Hanna knows how to get what she wants just by teasing Spencer.

"Let's see who screams first, blondie." She loves challenges. I am enjoying watching the scene.

"I'm in, you know how much I love horror movies." Hanna starts clapping excitedly. "I have no plans until tonight."

"With Paige?" Spencer asks.

"I hope so," I add. She told me she would call so we could hang out, but I'm not so sure about it. I unblock my phone and I see no texts from her. I know I look pathetic, but I've been checking the phone every five minutes to realize she is not thinking about me. I know I'm acting like a needy person and I hate it.

"Stop checking the phone now," Hanna says, making me sigh. "Enjoy our company, Em." I nod at her and we continue talking. I avoid any topic of conversation that reminds me of her.

I walk towards the park where she told me she would be waiting for me. I look around me and I see a girl with a shiny blonde long hair sitting on a bench and admiring the fantastic view of the ocean in front of her. It's her, there's no doubt about it. I approach with a slow pace, it's been five years since I last saw her and I feel a little bit nervous.

"Can I join you, stranger?" I ask once I get to the bench. She suddenly turns her head to look at me and takes her sunglasses off. All I see is a huge smile brightening her beautiful face.

"Paige!" she excitedly shouts. She stands up and unexpectedly throws herself into my arms. She smells really good. I suddenly feel I went into a time machine and time hasn't passed by. It's like one of those afternoons when we hanged out after class.

"How are you?" I ask once I pull away from the embrace. "You didn't change a little bit," I add after looking her up and down.

"I'm great. How about you? You're as beautiful as always." I blush. She's always been a fan of compliments and I realize some things don't change at all.

"I'm fine." I look at her again, I can't believe I'm with her. We had been inseparable for a lot of years and then everything changed. However, it feels like that moments happened yesterday and I love that feeling.

"I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. We could walk to the café where I made the reservation for lunch and we can talk there. It's nearby." I nod at her, and she smiles at me.

We walk through the quiet park till we get to the noisy and crowded streets. "I'm going to be honest, I didn't expect your call," I admit. She smirks at me. I noticed she didn't stop looking at me, I feel her eyes on me, making me feel a little bit awkward.

"Why do you say that?" She stares at me and I look away.

"You know why, Ali. We were like twins and everything changed overnight."

She sighs and her smile fades away. "I didn't mean that to happen. In fact, I had nothing to do with it. It was you, Paige."

"I'm really sorry that happened, I was such a mess at that moment."

"It's okay." She squeezes my hand and I feel goosebumps. Maybe I shouldn't be having these feelings, but I think it's perfectly normal to feel this way. It's not like I have feelings for her, I am in love with Emily, but I know these strong feelings I've always had for Ali won't go away so easily. It's something that will always be there, no matter how much time passes by. "It's right here." She points at a small café that looks nice. We get inside and take a seat. The bartender takes our order and leaves, leaving the two of us alone.

"I'm so happy that we're here. I've been dreaming about this moment since… you know." I shyly nod at her, I don't know what to say.

"Why are you here, Ali? Where have you been all these years?" I have a lot of questions after such a long time with no news of her.

"Do I need to answer to the first question, Paige?" I look away, I pretend I didn't understand what she was referring to. I had a feeling she'd try to do this, and I hoped she didn't. "I missed you."

"Don't please," I add, avoiding her gaze. I don't want her to think I have romantic feelings about her.

"I was kidding, dumbass. I have been out of the country since we graduated. I needed a change of scenery and I was offered a job in Australia and I obviously accepted." She might be teasing me about the reason why she's here. She's always been a joker. "It's a shame we were so close and you don't know anything about my life these last five days. It's even sadder that happened with all the technology we have available to make distance relationships easier. You know, Facebook, Twitter, Skype…" she enumerates the ways we could had used to keep contact, but we obviously didn't.

"You've always had my phone number."

She frowns at me. "Are you blaming me for breaking our friendship?" She seems a little bit bothered.

"No, I'm not. I'm just saying that you also cut contact. It wasn't only me."

She shakes her head. "Don't you get it, Paige? I'd love to keep seeing you, but I didn't want to push you. You know me well enough and I did it because of you, even if it hurt me and keeps hurting me." I feel a tingle in my stomach and I decide not to say a word because it won't help this situation. Luckily, the bartender shows up with the food. Saved by the bell. I start eating and avoid eye contact. She just keeps staring at me and doesn't touch her sandwich. She won't let go so easily. "So you're going to make like nothing happened. That's fucking great, Paige!" I take a deep breath and look her in the eye.

"I know what happened and I appreciate that you were so understandable. I'm sorry that I hurt you, but things get complicated sometimes. It was my mistake, I know that, I don't need you to remind me of my poor decision making at that time. That's why I accepted your invitation. I want to make amends."

"Thank you. I needed to hear that. I really appreciate it." She sounds relieved. I smile at her.

"I like to admit my mistakes. I guess I am more mature now," I tease her.

"You have always been mature, I love that about you."

"My mom says I was born mature." Alison laughs.

We continue speaking non-stop, catching up was the main goal of this reunion. After finishing lunch we leave the café and go for a walk around the pier. It's sunny, so it's nice to be out. I barely speak, I listen to her stories instead. I love how energetic and positive she is about everything about her life. It makes me happy somehow. It's one of those people that make you happy even if you're having a shitty day, she transmits happiness. She tells me everything about her job back in Sydney and her life over there. She was part of the financial team of a big company that was expanding overseas at that moment. After a few years she felt like that cycle was over and needed to come back home. The same company offered her a best position at the offices in New York, so she didn't hesitate to accept the offer. I'm having such a good time that I don't realize the sun is going down.

"I'm starting to get a little bit tired and I'm thirsty. Do you feel like having a beer? There's an Irish pub nearby."

"I'd love to," I answer. I check my phone and I see Emily didn't text nor call. She must be hanging with her friends. I will call her afterwards.

It really feels like time has not passed by. After the first beer she asks for another round and then the third one comes. I'm having a good time and I'm starting to feel a little bit tipsy.

"Pagie, I don't want to look like a gossip, but I want to know everything about your life." She grins at me. I shyly cover my eyes, making her laugh loudly.

"I have an average life," I add. "I'm working for my dad, I have my own place…" Her eyes open widely when I say those last words.

"Your own place? I assume you live alone?" She's enjoying this conversation and I know where this is headed.

"I do live alone," I briefly say.

"Then I assume you are single." I blush.

"I'm not single, Ali. How about you?" I try to avoid that subject, but alcohol isn't helping. It's not like I don't want to speak about Emily. It's just that I'm really shy and I always try to hide anything related to my personal life. It has nothing to do with me dating a woman. Even if I was dating a guy I'd try to keep that for myself because I'm not the kind of person that likes talking about relationships or hook-ups.

"I am single. Let's talk about you. So, who's the lucky guy?" I raise my eyebrow when I hear that last word. "Let me guess, you met him at work." I laugh. She knows me really well.

"You guessed correctly. I mean, about the work thing, not the other thing." I grin at her and she looks confused.

"Will you please explain me that?" she yells at me. I notice her left eye is twitching, exactly like used to happen back then when she was a little bit drunk. Some things don't change at all. I can't help but laugh.

"Can't you control that eye of yours, Ali?" I burst into laughter. She hits me jokingly, in an affectionate manner, and then smiles at me.

"My eye is perfectly fine!" I keep laughing. "You didn't answer that question, Paige."

"There's no lucky guy." She looks back at me, surprised.

"You said you weren't single. I don't get it." She's a smart girl, but I guess alcohol is making it difficult for her to understand what I'm trying to say.

"You had too much to drink, Ali," I add. "The lucky guy's name is Emily." She looks astounded.

My phone rings and breaks the awkward silence.

"Speaking of the devil…" I add, pointing at the phone. "Excuse me." I leave the stool I was sitting at and walk towards the entrance door. The music is too loud to have a phone conversation inside the bar.

"Hey, gorgeous!" I excitedly greet her.

"Where are you? What's all that noise?" She doesn't seem happy.

"I'm having a drink at a pub. Are you with your friends?"

"Have you been drinking?" The tone of her voice is not friendly at all.

"What is this? An interrogation? I just had a few beers, that's all."

I hear her sigh on the other side of the line. "I texted you and you didn't answer. I thought we were meeting tonight."

"I'm sorry, I haven't checked the phone for a few hours. Sure, I want to see you. I need to see you. Why don't you come over so you can meet Alison?" Another sigh follows my words. She's angry. I'm just trying to make her understand she's my friend and I want her to meet Alison. I want to avoid the awkwardness between the two of them.

"You didn't have time to take a brief look at the phone to check if your girlfriend tried to contact you. It doesn't seem like you wanted or needed to see me. I guess you found my replacement."

"Yeah, that's right. I was just making out with Alison. That's why I invited you to join us," I ironically add. A brief silence follows my words.

"We will talk tomorrow, Paige," she sharply says.

"Wait, wait. I'm so sorry!" I shout. "Where are you? I will go over there, Em. Just tell me where to go."

"Text me your location."

To be continued…

Stay tuned! ;)