Good afternoon! :) And here goes another chapter. I hope you like it. Depending on the people that picks up the story after such a long time I will make this longer or briefer. But I'm intending on finishing it. ;)
Thank you so much for taking your time. ;)
Siophiefandom: thank you for your feedback! The Alison-Paige relationship is weird, right? I mean, she needed a girlfriend and I had to choose another character from the show. Picturing them together is odd, I admit it. xD I hope you like this chapter more, the last one was kind of a getting the ideas together again, but in this one things are going to spice up a little bit. :D
MJ: Damn right, I'm alive and you're not crazy! xD Yes, I understand that you need an update, I even read the whole story from the beginning and I'm supposed to be the creator. :D Have a good week too and enjoy! ;)
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE
: Chapter 40 – Details:
The moment I enter the building I remember the last words she said to me before leaving me at my place. I admit it was nice to share the car with her, even if we barely said a word. I was angry with her, and still am. After everything that happened and realizing I will have to work with her was not great news but I need to be brave. The worst part of it was that she was nice to me. She still has that effect on me and I hate that she can soothe me with a few words. The moment I entered her car and smell her perfume all around me I knew nothing had changed after five years. If she decided to ignore me everything would be way easier and that is kind of sad. And her being so nice it's painful.
Today we are supposed to have a meeting to develop a planning so we can comply with the deadlines of the project, so I will necessarily be seeing her. I take a huge breath and open the meeting room door. I say good morning to everyone and take a seat next to Jonathan. Jonathan is a workmate that I will be working with and I met him just five minutes ago. He seems nice. He points at the seat next to him with a huge grin and I smile back at him. I look around me and I realize I don't know anyone else that's already sitting around the table with their tablets and notebooks. Just when I'm taking my notebook out I hear the door opening and I recognize the laugh. How could I remember about that beautiful laughter? I sigh and try to mentally convince myself that everything is going to be fine. I only need to act professional, that's the only thing I need to do. Although it seems easy it's going to be very hard to concentrate when she's in the same room.
Paige and her dad enter the room and she greets me with a big smile. I just look at her and say 'good morning'. I don't want to be rude because I am surrounded by people, but I try to be neutral at the same time. They walk right behind me to get to their seats and her dad gives me a comforting pat on the shoulder and says 'hello, Emily'. I didn't expect Nick to be so nice and touchy. Paige always told me Nick admired me, but if he still feels the same way after our break up, I am really confused.
The meeting goes as planned and like I had expected, I practically have to meet Paige everyday to collaborate on the building design process. So it's going to be just like in the past, minus the good vibes and the sweet kisses. It's going to be tough, but I'm glad that I found a job I like and that is good paid in the same city I have my friends, so I'm going to make an effort.
When the meeting ends, everybody say goodbye but I notice Paige is still sitting and looking at me. She couldn't be more obvious. She is getting her things but in a slow motions kind of speed while she looks at me out of the corner of her eye.
"So..." she says, expecting me to say something. I don't say a word though. "Are you going to give me the silent treatment?" She raises her head and stares at me. "You just heard what our bosses said, we need to have a first design for the next meeting, so we need to start working on it as soon as possible. I already have an idea or two about the design, but you're the expert about that, so I'd like your opinion. That way we can fit the engineering details with the snobby things you architects do," she teases me. "We can work in my office. Are you okay with that?" I nod at her, not saying a word. She heads to the door and I follow her.
When she opens the door and I enter the office a lot of memories go through my mind. I used to work here, right next to her. Instead of the two desks that used to be at the corner I see a big desk full of blueprints and a big screen of the computer. The decoration is totally different from the one I remember. Everything is very simple and elegant at the same time, black and white alternating on the furniture and facing of the walls and flooring. It's totally her style. To make it even more difficult to be here right next to Paige, the office smells like her. When I see the mug that's on the desk it makes my heart flutter. I bought it for her on our first month anniversary and she didn't get rid of it. When she sees that I am looking at it it's like she read my mind. "I didn't break it, in case you were wondering," she teases me while she shows me her adorable dimples. She takes a seat and then she reaches the phone that's on the desk. She presses a number and waits a few seconds. "Eric, can you bring the office chair I told you to buy, please? I need it right now. And if you could also please bring one black coffee and another coffee with a little bit of skim milk and sugar you would become my favorite person," she adds, her beautiful smile making an appearance again. She remembers how I like my coffee and although it seems like it has no importance, it means the world to me. She is making it really hard not to give her a hug after how nice she is being to me. "Are you going to say something or this is going to be just me speaking all day?" she jokes.
"Can you show me those blueprints?" I moderately ask.
"Sure. You can take a seat on the couch while Eric brings the chair." She walks towards the cabinet and hands me a stack of papers. "This should be enough to start. I know that you prefer to work with physical blueprints, but that USB key contains the same information and you have a laptop over there, in case you want to act like a 21st century woman" she jokes, pointing at the desk. I've always preferred the paper instead of a computer screen, just like I do with books instead of ebooks.
She hands me another paper with a few drafts. The moment I see her writing and her ideas I remember how talented she is. She just draw a few lines, but I know her so much that I realize what she wants to capture and I love it. I can add a few details to make the design more easy to execute and aesthetically nice at the same time. I realize now why we made such a good team, we complement each other really good and that makes it easier to work with somebody. I'm so into the papers in front of me that I don't realize a man has entered the office.
"Morning, girls." A really attractive guy that I guess is Eric greets me with a big smile. He's pushing a rolling office chair and is bringing two cup of coffees too. He leaves the cups on the table and gazes at me. "So, you must be Emily, right?" I nod at him and smile at the same time. He seems a really nice guy, the kind that is always happy and positive about everything.
"Thank you," we both say in unison.
"You're a lifesaver, Eric," Paige adds.
"You know you're kind of VIP around here, right?" He is looking at me, but I don't understand why he's saying that. "I've been using the same old chair and whenever I asked for a new one they told me it was still fine. You are only going to be here for a while and Paige pressured me to get a specific model of this chair and let me know it was really urgent." I've always been a little bit special regarding to my office chairs and she knew exactly which model I liked. I look at her and she's looking down, being more adorable than ever
"Thank you, Eric," she finally adds, blushing. He waves at us and leaves the office with a grin on his face.
"This wasn't necessary," I admit. However, it makes me really happy that someone takes care of me like this.
"Considering that you are awkward around me, at least I want you to be comfortable when you immerse yourself in your work and forget about me." She looks sad. I don't want to feel pity, I'm still hurt because of everything, but she's not helping at all. I don't really know what to say, so I just stay silent, provoking an awkward moment between us. She luckily breaks the silence. "I will let you study the whole project today, so we can start working on improvements while I finish the structural calculation and then we decide on the distribution and design. Are you okay with that?" I shyly nod. "Great," she responds.
We both concentrate on the project and don't speak at all. It's a little bit difficult to concentrate when she's sitting just a few inches away from me and with her perfume surrounding me. Hours fly by and I suddenly realize it's time to leave. I stand up and she looks at me with her big brown eyes fixated on me.
"Are you already leaving?" she politely asks. I nod. "Do you have plans? I'd love to invite you to a coffee."
"I… ummm..." I stutter. "Paige, we're workmates," I finally emphasize. It hurts, but setting limits is necessary.
"So? Can't workmates share a coffee?" she insists.
"I'd prefer if we didn't." I don't want to be rude, but I want things clear between us and that would be a really bad idea. I'm avoiding her because I don't want problems from the first day of my new job.
"Why?" Her question leaves me speechless.
"I can't." I don't want to specify the reason behind my decision. I hope she doesn't keep pressuring me because I don't want to get mad at her. I have to see her everyday and I don't want to have my job in line because of personal matters.
"You're meeting Maia, right?"
I sigh. "See you tomorrow, Paige," I finally say, giving an end to the conversation. Her smile fades away, but her face doesn't imply anger, but sadness.
I stir the tomato sauce I am cooking while I listen to the radio. I don't like being in silence when I'm home alone. Spencer texted me from the hospital and told me she would be home so we could have dinner together. Cooking has always relaxed me and I know Spencer will be exhausted from her shift, so this is my way of making her feel loved. I grate the parmesan cheese and put it in a bowl while the spaghetti is being boiled. Once everything is ready, I open a beer bottle and sit down on the couch waiting for Spence while I watch TV. I planned the whole thing based on the time Spence told me she would be home and when I hear the keys on the other side of the entrance door I smile because she arrived just in time. Punctuality is one of her best qualities.
"It smells like heaven," she happily says. "It's so nice to have you back home, Em." She leaves her keys on the table.
"Are you saying that only because I cook?" I smile.
"Of course, she teases me. She disappears for a few seconds so she can leave her bag inside her bedroom. Then she approaches to give me a hug. "Thank you."
"It's nothing. You know I love cooking and it helps me forget about my problems. "She frowns at me. "Let me get comfortable and you tell me everything about Paige, all right?" I nod at her and take another sip from the bottle. I open a beer for her and approach the stove to mix the pasta with the sauce. Then I take two plates and serve the dinner.
"Wow! Nice, I'm so hungry." Her enthusiasm makes me laugh. "So?" She looks at me while she has her mouth full of spaghetti and lightly moans.
"It's not going to be easy." She looks at me with her eyes wide open.
"Meaning?" She decided to speak with monosyllables so she can continue devouring the pasta while I explain my first day of work.
"I didn't expect she would behave like this. I mean, I was expecting a harsh attitude and she's being super nice. It's kind of annoying." She grins as she puts more cheese on top of the spaghettis. "Why are you laughing?"
"I know you feel betrayed, but you still love her, Em. It won't go away, even if you try to bury your feelings hanging out with Maya or any other girl." The truth hurts, but she's right about everything she just said.
"And what do you think I should do? I don't know if I can keep working side by side with her. It's too much. Maybe I should not have taken the damn job." I'm a mess.
"I don't know, Em. I would try to be nice and see what happens. Are you still interested in her?" That last question has been wandering through my mind since yesterday.
"I'm hurt because of how she treated me in the past, but, ummm..." I mumble and she stops eating for just a few seconds, her eyes fixated on mine, eager to hear my answer.
"You can't stop thinking about her," she answers instead of me and I nod. I couldn't have said it better. I know she hurt me so much that I don't want to go through the same again. I mean, I love her, but I'm afraid she's going to ditch me again and I'm not ready for that. "I'm going to try another thing, see if this helps." I nod at her. "What would you say if she asked you on a date in this right moment?" she smiles at me.
"My mind cautiously would say no. But deep inside me..." She giggles.
"You would throw at her arms with no doubt, right?" I flush.
I am desperate but I laugh. "You should have seen her today. I mean, she was so lovable and thinking about making me feel good and then those dimples made an appearance and..." I ramble. My friend starts laughing.
The blonde baby looks at me and I tickle her. Her smile makes me feel happiness. Being a baby is really easy. She just eats and sleeps. She has no worries at all. At this moment I feel a little bit jealous about her. Being an adult can suck sometimes. Her big brown eyes remind me of my brother, I know for sure my niece is going to be beautiful.
"What are you thinking about? A penny for your thoughts?" Hanna asks me before taking her daughter in her arms after I changed her diaper. It's become a habit to come to their place after work. The baby calms me, Hanna appreciates my help and talking to her makes me feel better. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved.
"What?" I was so deep into my thoughts that I had forgotten Hanna was in the same room.
"You had the same look Caleb has when something worries him." She swings her daughter, trying to make her sleep. "And I have a feeling it has something to do with a brunette you saw today," she teases me.
"Well... you're right, my intelligent friend." She smiles at my joke. "She's still not talking to me. She is really hurt and I don't know how to handle this mess. It's not awkward only for the personal stuff between us, we are meant to work together and she completely shut me off. It's like she is a different person. Everything that I do seems to bother her." I sigh after remembering the way she behaved today, she didn't give me even a slight smile after I treated her like a queen.
"Be patient, Paige. She's mad at you and she is a very proud person. She needs time to heal and you are suddenly back in her life because of this job and she didn't expect that. Besides, she has the right to be mad at your after you broke her heart. But I know her very well and I know she will change her attittude. Time is all she needs." I nod at her, I want to believe that is eventually gonna happen, because not having a feedback from her is really desperate when I am trying so hard.
"I hope so. Seeing those sad eyes today was devastating. I had the urge to hug her."
Hanna caresses my arm. "You just have to be the adorable you and everything will be fine."
"You don't imagine everything I did today. I bought the same office chair she had, bought her coffee, I tried to make her smile... but she had the same annoying face all day. I felt powerless."
"Oh, my god! I'm starting to fall in love with what you just said. You're lucky I'm already taken," she jokes. I laugh and she makes me a sign so I don't make so much noise. The baby is breathing calmly, she approaches the crib and places her little body inside. She gestures me with her hand and I follow her to the living room. I sit on the couch and she goes to the kitchen. A few seconds later comes back with two beer bottles in her hand. One of them is alcohol free because she's breastfeeding and can't drink alcoholic beverages yet. She takes a seat next to me and sighs.
"The best fucking moment of the day," she jokingly says before taking a gulp from the glass bottle. I copy her movement and I have to admit the cold liquid going through my throat makes me feel better. I have been a little bit anxious all day although I tried to conceal that feeling in order to try to soothe Emily. "So, we need to plan everything." Her eyes are shining, she loves challenges. "Apart from being lovable, did you do anything else?" I frown, I don't know what she's referring to.
"What do you mean? What did you want me to do? Kiss her?"
She bursts into laughter. "That would have been nice and direct." I laugh.
"I tried to invite her for a coffee after work. She declined the offer. She keeps saying we are not friends, she insists that we need to act just like workmates."
Hanna huffs. "That's so Emily. I guess she learnt that from Spencer, they can be so tight. They spend so much time together that I knew this would end up happening." She shakes her head and takes another sip of beer. "Anyway, you keep doing that and she will finally succumb to your charms." She winks at me and I smile at her. I hope that change of attitude is near if I don't want to lose my mind. "How about the other matter?" I raise my eyebrows. I didn't know I had more problems.
"Alison." Hearing her name makes my heart rate goes through the roof. Her reaction scares me.
"Well... that's complicated," I admit.
"You need to break up with her, Paige. I know it's not easy, because she's obviously so in love with you, but you can't pretend everything is okay."
"I know that. But..." I look down, averting her gaze.
"But nothing!" she says raising her voice. "You need to find the right moment and end it." I know she is right, but thinking about it makes me really nervous. She's not going to take it very well because she will realize it's because of Emily. Everything was fine until she came back. You don't need to be a genius to tie up the loose ends.
"Okay. I will think about it." She smiles at me. "Thank you for this. I know it's not easy for you because she is your friend and I really appreciate your advice."
She holds my hand and I smile at her. "You're family, Paige. You know I am here for you anytime." Having her in my life is the best thing it could have happened to me.
I hug her and leave home. This has been a long day and I need a hot shower. Tomorrow I need to be rested so I can keep carrying out my strategy with full force.
I sip the noodles while I hear Maya telling me about her day at work. We decided to order take out instead of meeting at the diner like we frequently do. I wasn't in the mood to go out. When she called me I told her I wasn't feeling like it and she decided to come home. I have to admit I preferred being alone, but she kept insisting and I had no strength to have an argument after the tiredness I was feeling.
"And then the kid started crying and her mom was yelling at him and I didn't know what to do." She starts laughing loudly. Maya makes a really good company. I like her. She makes me feel less lonely and I have to admit she makes me forget about other things of my life. She's a good distraction and I hope she becomes in something more. I adore her although I don't feel shivers when she lightly touches my hand or my arm, and she does that whenever she can. I hope I end up feeling that way about her. That would avoid me a lot of personal problems. "The boy didn't want to take his shirt off and when his mother tried to do it he started running around the room and we couldn't catch him, so I couldn't check the rash he apparently had on his chest." She keeps laughing and I smile at her. "So I don't know if he has dermatitis, but I can assure you his legs work really well." She's a pediatrician and she always has cute stories about kids and babies. I laugh and drink some water after finishing the last noodles of the box.
I see a light illuminating my phone. I read the test and my smile fades away.
"Cut her some slack, Fields! She is really trying." Hanna's text leaves me speechless. I know they are really close because Caleb is her sister, but it feels a little bit like a betrayal. It looks like she's taking sides and she's taken hers. It was really annoying when she implied that not everything was what it looked like when referring to Paige. And now this text.. She must have talked to her and she has her side of the story. I'm curious about what she told Hanna.
"Did something bad happen?" Maia asks when she realizes I'm not paying attention to her.
"No, it's nothing."
"It seems like you've seen a ghost," she jokes while she caresses my arm.
"Everything is fine. Now finish the story you were telling, please," I add as affectionately as I can.
To be continued…
Stay tuned! ;)
