Good afternoon! This update is way longer. I loved writing this chapter. I hope you enjoy it. ;)
Thank you so much for taking your time. ;)
Siophiefandom: Yes, that's the problem. She wants to make up but when she remembers how bad it was after the break-up she changes her mind. I hope time will change everything. xD Thank you!
MJ: I hope you had time to reread the whole story. xD Have a good week too and I hope you enjoy this mad chapter! ;)
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE
: Chapter 41 – Heaven and Hell:
I walk out from the subway entrance and walk towards the big office building that's right in front of me. It's my second day of work and just like my chiefs want, I am going to meet Paige again. This is going to be the first of many meetings with her. I rub my eyes, I'm feeling a little bit sleepy because I had trouble falling asleep last night. I've always been the kind of person that lays in bed and suddenly falls into deep sleep, but having her in my mind all day is making my sleep a living hell, thousand of thoughts going through my mind making it impossible. I walk at a fast pace but I quickly stop when I see her standing in front of the entrance door with Alison right next to her. The blonde is smiling like she's the happiest person on earth and I hate it. It should me the person with that beaming smile instead of her. I look at them from the distance, feeling like a crazy stalker that can't forget about her ex. I've always hated jealous person and it feels really bad to feel like one now, but I can't help it. Alison is caressing her arm with that stupid grin on her face. She closes the gap between them and gives her a kiss that lasts more than I'd want to. When they separate I see a shy smile on Paige's face and Alison spanks her ass jokingly before leaving her side. I feel rage inside of me. I need to understand that although she is being extremely nice to me she is dating another person and they seem in love. Spencer told me that I should be nice to her, but this doesn't help at all.
I take a deep breath and make my way to the entrance, passing by the same space they were sharing right a minute ago. I take the elevator and walk the long corridor until I get to her office. I knock on the door, even though I don't think that is really necessary.
"Come in!" she shouts from the other side of the door. I grab the knob and slowly open it. Her huge smile greets me and I hate her for doing that. "Good morning! You know you can enter the office without knocking, right?"
"I didn't want to interrupt," I answer while I leave my bag next to the desk.
She looks surprised. "You don't interrupt, I was actually expecting you. I don't have meetings with clients in here. I use the meeting rooms for that. This is kind of my private space," she clarifies.
"That's why I did it. You could be with your girlfriend. That's why I knocked."
She raises her head to gaze at me with an impressed look. "She doesn't come here." She averts her gaze, I obviously made her uncomfortable.
"Then she only comes to the entrance to say goodbye but doesn't enter the premises." She gives me an intriguing look. I don't know why I did that, it just came out of my mouth without thinking of the consequences. Jealousy makes me act like this and I hate it. "I don't understand," she adds, frowning at me.
"What?"
"Why did you say that?" She's staring at me and I feel a little bit awkward.
"Because I saw you two."
She is not happy about my answer, I can see that by looking in her eyes. "And?" That question leaves me astounded. After a few seconds with no answer at all she continues. "I don't understand anything, Emily. I'm trying to, but this dynamic between us has no sense at all. I'm making an effort to be friendly and you shut me out. I tried to invite you to a coffee yesterday and you told me you are not my friend, but now you're asking me about my private life. So..." She stares at me, but I look down, not knowing what to say. When no words come out of my mouth she decides to end the conversation. "Anyway, we don't need to talk about that right now, we have a lot of work to do. So, if you still want to talk about it after work the invitation didn't expire. I know I told you we could start discussing ideas today, but I still didn't finish the structural calculation, so that will have to wait. I'm sorry." She turns around and walks towards her desk. She turns the computer on and starts typing like nothing happened. I don't know if the last thing she said it's a lie because she doesn't want to talk to me or what happened had nothing to do with it. So I try to focus on my part of the project and work on some sketches I've been thinking about. That way whenever she's ready I will have something to show her. After a few hours Eric enters the office with two cups of coffee and his usual grin. She hands it to me and I thank him. He remembered my choice of coffee. I look at Paige and she seems so into her work that doesn't realize Eric entered the room. When the nice guy leaves I clear my throat and raise my head to look at her, but she is not paying attention, possibly on purpose because of my previous reaction.
"Thank you again," I finally say, while I bring the cup into my lips.
She raises her head and gives me a shy smile. "You're welcome. You can thank me later." I gape at her and she's that devilish smile that makes me crazy about her.
"Ummm... What?" I look like a teenager that's been asked for a date for the first time. It's so embarrassing.
"It's okay, Em. I was joking." When I hear her calling me 'Em' my pulse suddenly accelerates. Was it really a joke? Because it didn't seem like it.
"Were you really joking? Did you really ask me for a date?" I tease her, a playful smile plastered on my face. She flushes and my heart is about to explode.
"Do you really want that?" Her grin makes me flush. This is too much.
"Well... I think that..." Before I end up saying what I really wanted a knock interrupts us. I look at her reddened cheeks and I know she's feeling the same. The door opens and Nick stares at us with a confused look.
"Is the air conditioning not working? You two seem hot." I look at Paige and she's looking away, she doesn't want to establish eye contact and I get it.
"No, dad, it's okay. You know how much heat this computer irradiates, but it's fine," she explains, with no time to make up other excuses. I don't know if he bought it, but I don't really care if that means he's going to change the conversation.
"We can order another one if it's causing problems, Paige. Why didn't you say anything?" I just stay silent. This is kind of funny.
"It's fine, I barely use it. I prefer to use the laptop. Don't worry." He raises his eyebrows. "Anyway, do you need anything?" Paige keeps making the moment even more awkward. I feel like laughing, this is surreal.
"I just wanted to know how you're doing, Emily. Is everything fine? Do you need anything? You know my door is always open." I smile at him. I have to admit he's as adorable as her daughter.
"Thank you, Mr. McCullers. Everything is great." I feel important when he treats me so well.
"Nick. You can call me Nick, Emily." I nod at him.
"Aren't you going to ask if I'm fine too?" Paige blurts.
"I see you everyday, Paigey. I know you're fine," he teases her.
"I love you too, dad." They both laugh and then leaves the room, silence filling the space we are sharing. It's really nice that they behave like that. Now that I think about it they only act like that in front of me, not other workmates. So they consider me part of their inner circle.
"You're her favorite. You noticed, right? He loves you more than he loves her own daughter." She grins at me, showing me her perfect white teeth.
"I have that effect on people," I joke.
"I know. I'm one of your victims too." I blush. If she continues saying those things I don't know if I will be able to resist her. "So, how do you say about that coffee you owe me?" She keeps flirting and I feel lost.
"Paige... I can't." She sighs.
"You can't or you don't want to?"
"I have plans today."
She keeps insisting. "Then maybe tomorrow?"
"Maybe," I emphasize. She gives me a shy smile.
"You could drive a little bit faster, honey. You know you can also be fined for driving below the speed limit, right?" my mom says while she laughs. I know she's joking, but whenever I take the car and she's with me I can't help but remember what happened a few years ago and I feel anxious. I have to admit I drive more cautiously after that tragic accident even though I was not speeding and wasn't the one to blame.
"Are you in a hurry?"
"I have a doctor appointment, honey. Spencer will be waiting for us and you know how she values punctuality." I smile back. "By the way, it wasn't necessary to come with me, I'm a grown-up. Don't you have more appealing plans? Maybe that girl of yours?" I instantly blush. I have always been shy about this kind of conversations but having them with my mom is even more difficult for me. It's like she can read me and I don't want her to know every little detail of my private life.
"Alison is working, mom. I had no plans, so here I am, being a good daughter." She affectionately caresses my arm.
Once leaving the car in the parking lot we enter the hospital and make our way to the waiting room. My mom is healthy, she is totally recovered from the car accident, but we decided to keep coming every once in a while to prove everything is the way it should be. Now that I think of it, it was my decision, not hers. It was difficult to convince her that this check-ups don't make her any bad and that having health issues under control is never a waste of time. Besides, she adores Spencer, and that is one of the things why she finally accepted to come to her senses. I understand her initial rejection because she was in a comma in here and it brings her back memories.
We take a seat and suddenly my mom stands up, like she had spring in her butt.
"Emily!" she excitedly starts yelling, although it's not allowed to shout inside a hospital.
"Mom, shhhh!" I tell her, ashamed because a lot of people are staring at us.
I look in front of me and I see her beautiful face. She looks impressed. I didn't expect to see her in here neither. I guess she came to wait for Spencer. She approaches us, although I know it's an awkward situation and she would prefer to run.
"Hey!" my mom effusively greets her, embracing her in a hug. It's funny how my parents love her even though we've been apart for five years. I know she's adorable, but I didn't expect my parents would end up loving her like this. When I told them about her I was totally scared of their reaction but I was really wrong about them. I guess Emily is the main reason why they like her so much. I mean, she's so nice that it would be weird not to like her. They know Alison, but it's not the same. They're nice with her but there are no hugs and huge smiles like they reaction they have whenever they see Emily.
"Are you okay? Is anything wrong?" She looks worried. I guess she thinks she is sick. Coming to a hospital, with a few exceptions, is usually a bad thing.
"Everything is okay, honey. I'm just here for a fast check-up because my stubborn daughter forces me to come here. She looks at Paige and she gives her mom a wide smile. "Is everything okay with you?"
"Yeah, it's just..." Suddenly an unknown voice interrupts her.
"Hi, babe," she says. She surrounds her body with her arms and kisses her in front of us. I know she's dating that chick, but seeing her acting some lovey-dovey hurts. "Hello. I'm Maya," she adds, smiling at the both of us. "Aren't you going to tell me who they are?" she asks Emily, but she looks nervous. I guess she is trying to control the situation. The brunette girl is still holding Emily's waist, like she is trying to make a point. I'm pretty sure she knows who I really am and that's why she is being so grabby.
"Ummm... right. This is Emily and her mom. This is Maya, my girlfriend." We shake her hand and her smile doesn't disappear. I have to admit she seems nice, although I am jealous of her. She's really attractive too. And by looking at her hospital gown I guess she works here and she is a doctor, so she is the whole package. I wouldn't expect less from Emily. Hearing her say the word girlfriend makes my heart crumble.
Emily looks at the watch on her wrist and then at the woman. "I thought you would be changed by now." She points at her gown. I totally understand she wants to leave as soon as possible, she is obviously trying to avoid this awkwardness.
"I had a late consult, but I will be here in five minutes. Will you wait for me?" she teases her, making Emily smile. This is a fucking nightmare. "I couldn't get us a table in that fancy new restaurant you like, but we will think about an alternative, okay?" Emily seems a little bit disappointed.
"Are you talking about Cubic?" Maya looks at my mom with her eyes wide open when she mentions the restaurant that my friend Aaron just opened. I know he's a known chef now, but I can't make my mind up about my best friend when were kids being the person that appears in newspapers and television now. He always loved cooking, and after studying hard and working at restaurants all around the world learning from the best chefs, he finally made his dream true by opening a restaurant in the city. His family is pretty wealthy, so the money was not a problem. But he decided to work his ass off to learn from the very best and try to make a name because of his skills, not only his family money. It's amazing that everybody in the city is talking about him. I know is really difficult to get a reservation.
"How did you know it?" Maya smiles at my mom. I know a lot of restaurants open in the city, but people have been talking about this place like it's the only new restaurant that is worth it at this right moment. I guess the marketing team that worked with Aaron made a terrific job to achieve that good publicity. The last time I talked to him he told me that there would always be a table for me although the reservation list is huge.
"It's the trendiest restaurant. "
"Emily's been talking about it since it opened, but it's not easy to get a table. Were you already there?"
"No, I haven't, but I want to. I guess we will try it soon enough though. Isn't that right, honey?" My mom stares at me with that devilish look and I know she is up to something.
"Yeah, we will." I try to be brief, but I know my mom won't desist. If she thinks I will do what she's thinking about she's dead wrong.
"My daughter is friends with the chef." I stare at her with anger, but she doesn't seem to understand the problem. "You can call Aaron so they can have a table for tonight, right honey?" I take a deep breath and frown at my mom. If looks could kill I would be a killer by now.
"No, don't. It's okay. You don't need to do that," Emily abruptly adds. She gives me an apologetic look and I avert her gaze.
"It's just a phone call," my mom insists while she keeps staring at me.
"I will try." I finally desist, although it hurts like hell. It should be me who was sharing that perfect dinner with Emily and instead I am organizing their date. This is really sad.
We share looks between us. Anger, happiness and sadness mixed on our faces. Hopefully Spencer shows like she was a guardian angel and makes the awkward silence disappear.
"How are you, Mrs. Mc Cullers?" She places her hand on my mom's shoulder. I realize by how she looks at her that she adores my mom after so many years being her patient. She became our savior after my mom woke up from the comma, but the regard is mutual. I sometimes wonder how doctors don't mix their patients' lives and theirs. It has to be difficult, mainly when things go wrong.
"I'm good. How about you, Spencer?"
The tall brunette places her arm around my mom's shoulder and I realize I should be happy to have her as her doctor. "I'm fine. Now let's go find out everything is okay with you, right? You can wait here. It's going to be brief." She points at the waiting room. I thought I could accompany my mom, but Spencer is very clear.
"Okay. I will be here, mom. Take all the time you need. I am well prepared," I say, pointing at the book that I get out of my purse. Both my mom and Spencer leave and Emily doesn't move an inch. I open the book and try to focus, not wanting to interact with her.
"So... that was a coincidence," she adds, making me stop focusing on the book.
"Yes, it was. I didn't expect to see you here," I admit. She takes a seat next to me. "Now I understand why you couldn't accept my coffee offer. Your girlfriend..." She interrupts my obvious question.
"Yeah, she works in the same hospital as Spencer. She's a pediatrician."
"She seems nice. I wouldn't expect less from you." She turns her head to look me in the eye.
"What do you mean?"
I smile. "She is pretty, seems kind and she must be intelligent."
"Do you think that's my type, Paige?" The teasing begins again and I can't help but grin at her.
"Well... I would say so." Her big smile makes me happy. "I certainly don't fit into that description."
She gives me an impressed look, like she didn't expect me saying that. "I guarantee you that description couldn't fit you better." I sigh. Did she really compliment me?
"I don't know about the first two adjectives, but I don't consider myself intelligent or at least I didn't show any intelligence when I left you totally unattended. That's the worst decision I've taken in my life and I won't forgive myself for that." I look at the floor, I can feel tears are about to merge from my eyes.
"Don't say..." Emily starts saying, but I make her stop. I don't want this to become something sentimental.
"Anyway, that was the past and you have a girlfriend now, so forget about everything I said. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." I can feel her eyes on me, but I keep looking at the floor, I don't want her to see me almost crying.
"You forgot to say you have a girlfriend too."
I discreetly wipe a few tears and take a deep breath. "That's complicated."
I feel a presence right in front of me and stop talking. I don't know why I had to say those last words. Maya is standing in front of us.
"I'm ready, honey." Emily stands up and I pretend I'm reading the book. Maya holds her waist and gets closer to her body so she can kiss her. I get the feeling she's doing this in purpose, because she obviously knows I'm her ex. She could have done the same thing when I was not here, but she chose to make me see it. I'm starting to hate her even though she was nice before. It feels like she's proving me I'm not part of her life anymore and that she took my place. "It was nice meeting you, Paige." The politeness makes an appearance again and it hurts like a stab wound.
"Likewise," I reply.
"Bye, Paige."
"See you tomorrow, Em. I will text you in a few minutes about the reservation. Enjoy your afternoon." I give them a shy smile and immerse in my book, restraining more tears to flow from my eyes. The moment they disappear I call Aaron and he nicely confirms the reservation. I text Emily confirming the time of the reservation and I feel like a loser.
I know Aaron has been really busy so I really appreciate this nice gesture. I tell him that I owe him a drink, so we end up arranging a dinner that I'm going to pay for him. I haven't seen him for a long time and I know he will like the dinner and movie plan considering that he's been working non-stop. He's taking a day off next week so we will be meeting then. Seeing an old friend will make me good, mainly after this shitty day.
Fifteen minutes later I'm driving my mom home. Spencer said that everything was okay, so she's happy and I am too. However, that encounter didn't feel good, so I just turn the radio on and focus on the road to avoid any unwanted conversation.
"Honey, are you listening to me?" My mom decided to talk non-stop although I'm pretty sure she realized I preferred the silence or the music playing on the radio station.
"What?" I harshly ask.
"I tried to ask Spencer about Emily, but you know how professional she is. She didn't give me any hint."
I huff. "Mom, would you stop, please? It was painful enough to arrange that date for her. That was not okay. I'm angry at you."
"Come on, honey!" She caresses my arm. "I wanted to help you."
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Language!" she yells, making me feel like I'm a teenager again. "You still want her, honey," she tenderly says.
"Mom, please... I don't have feelings for her. I have a girlfriend and she obviously loves that girl. End of the story. So, please, stop."
"It makes total sense. That's why making that reservation felt like a living hell, right?" She knows me very well and it hurts.
"I am angry because you put me in a really awkward situation, not because I..."
"You love her, I could see it in your eyes, Paige. And I know she feels the same. That's why I tried to get information from Spencer, but she's like a rock. However, I saw she couldn't take her eyes from you." She smiles at me.
"Mom, please..." I'm getting desperate because I know she may be right and she's giving me expectations that I know won't become a reality.
"You're old enough to know about your feelings. You should try to gain her back."
I stare at her and I see sadness in her eyes. She's worried about me. "I'm really trying, mom."
"So you admit you love her?" Her grin makes me forget a little bit about my anger. I nod.
"But you made it worse, mom. The restaurant idea... I mean, what the hell?" I raise my voice. That was totally unnecessary and hurtful.
"Oh... you don't understand anything." Her grin makes me curious. "There's nothing more meaningful and romantic that getting that table for her, because despite your feelings towards Emily she was eager to have dinner at Aaron's and you made it possible." Her grin doesn't disappear from her face. I suddenly realize she may be right, but I still feel like shit. "I know it hurts, but that will really make her think if she's with the right person." I give her a small smile.
"I didn't see it like that." She nods her head. "Then thank you, mom." She kisses my cheek and leaves the car to enter her house.
"Thank you for helping me, beautiful." I wait till she reaches the front door and I wave at her. She seems happy. Right before I am about to accelerate so I can get home as soon as possible, my phone beeps, so I put the brake on.
"Thank you so much. That was really nice of you. I don't think there's anything I could do to repay this." Her text makes me smile like a little kid.
"I will think of a nice way for you to pay the favor you owe me. Have fun," I playfully answer. I grin and then feel sad because I will be at home instead of enjoying her company. I leave the phone on the passenger seat, not expecting another text.
"I will do anything you want to." Her reply makes my heart pound. Was that the same girl that's been ignoring me for the past days flirting with me? I can't help but smile. I feel the urge to text her, but maybe that will be too much. I should slow down. However, my mind tells me otherwise, so I type another reply. I would love to keep flirting, but I don't want to push her too much. Step by step.
"You made my day. ;) Have fun, beautiful."
I don't get a reply, but I'm happy because everything seems good between us. I wait for a minute while I listen and sing to the song that comes from the speakers of the car. I take the phone again and write another text.
"When are you getting from work? We need to talk." I press the send button and leave the phone on the seat. I accelerate and get into traffic again. Today looks like the kind of day things start to change in my life.
To be continued…
Stay tuned! ;)
