Thanks so much to everyone who has been taking time to review and express interest in the story! I don't want to show my hand prematurely, but regarding the presence of Emison scenes in this story I will say this: Emily is not an Emison fan either; she just hasn't fully realized it yet.
Exactly what Paige has been up to romantically since going away will be explored at a later part of the story.
Thanks again!
The DJ put on a slow song, and everybody stilled before moving to their partner for the evening. I couldn't help but glance over at Noel Kahn and Alison, sitting at a table and talking close in each other's ears. Whatever Alison was whispering to him had him nodding and smiling one of the first genuine smiles I had seen on the guy. What was she up to now? What's the name of this game?
"May I have this dance?" I looked up at Paige, grabbing her outstretched hand with a smirk. She led me to the dance floor, gently pulling me to her, arms around my waist. I wrapped my arms around her neck, so close I could smell her citrus perfume and the traces of chlorine that seemed to cling to her skin. We stood under a gym ceiling saturated with fake stars, catching light and turning the whole building into a night sky. Dancing under the stars was the theme.
In just a few months, Paige would be cross country and so far away from me. My heart ached for the inevitable loss. After all the other indignities I suffered in the past two years, losing Paige to distance and time might end up being the worst. She had been the only sane thing in my life. My anchor. Apparently she was thinking about it too, wondering which dance would be our last.
"I love you Em." She stated gently, voice hoarse. I nodded against her shoulder, trying not to cry. I relaxed into her arms, trying to let my hurt slip away for one night.
"I love you so much Paige." I traced the back of her neck with my fingernails, feeling the tiny hairs there stand up at the unexpected contact. She held my waist tighter, closing her eyes. We drifted slowly in circles, willing time to just stay still with us in the moment.
But of course the song ended, and we broke apart.
"I'm starving but I might settle for some punch in the meantime. You want anything?" She asked.
"A drink would be nice." I replied. She touched my hand and kissed me slowly before walking away.
I couldn't have known it then, but that was the last time Paige would ever kiss me.
"EMILY!" Hanna shouted, barreling into me and nearly knocking me over. When she uncoiled herself from my torso I just smiled. Even though we had a tough time staying in touch during the year, Hanna had been the most understanding of Ali and I, and my decision to stay in Rosewood and go to Hollis instead of trying to apply late for Danby.
After she pulled away, Spencer gave me a friendly, less vice-like hug. She looked vibrant. After her misstep of Radley and not getting into UPenn, she started at Hollis before quickly transitioning to Princeton.
We all sat down and I reached for Alison's leg under the table, tracing patterns up and down her thigh. It was always slightly tense, the five of us meeting up, especially with Spencer and Alison.
"I have something to tell you all." Aria said, starting the conversation. "I finally got the go ahead from my academic advisor…I'm going to study abroad in England this fall!" We all let out shocked, excited gasps.
"What?! You didn't tell me anything about this. The whole semester?" I sputtered.
"Yes the whole semester! I didn't want to jinx it by saying it out loud before." Aria replied. My stomach dropped as Spencer and Hanna congratulated her and Spencer started to badger her with questions about the program. Now Aria was moving on too. Part of me was happy for her, but the other part was jealous and somehow soured by the news. I couldn't help but compare where I was to where all my friends were, and it felt like I was falling behind in a race.
After the conversation lulled naturally, but before we could start another topic, Alison nudged me with her shoulder, nodding her head towards a couple of college boys at the bar. They were clearly checking us out.
"Seems like we still got it with the boys." She said to the group, smiling a bit. I just looked down, not really wanting to encourage her when she got like this. Alison was still a flirt, especially when she thought she might get a drink out of it. Of course, she would argue that it was just to get a free drink.
"I guess so…" Hanna said nervously, trying to put an end to it. I held Alison's hand tighter but she was already slipping away.
"Toby would hate if I took drinks from someone else at the bar." Spencer said, staring pointedly at Alison. She broke away from me and stood up.
"Relax. It's just free drinks. Emily understands." She said, smiling and walking up to the guys who smiled like alligators when she approached, her short dress not leaving much to the imagination. The same one I would probably be taking off her later. But the boys wouldn't know the difference.
"That's awful. I don't understand why you are still under her spell..." Spencer stated, her judgmental gaze making me feel humid and uncomfortable. I knew Spencer had been waiting to start this up again.
"Drop it Spencer. Like she said it's just a little fun and a free drink." I wouldn't let her know how much it hurt when Ali did this, because I couldn't give them even an inch of complaint about Alison. They were constantly waiting for confirmation that she was a terrible person, and our relationship was toxic.
"It's obvious why Em is still under her spell and we aren't…what Ali is selling we aren't buying…" Hanna said flippantly, watching Alison sway back and forth in front of the guys.
"Hanna!" Aria exclaimed.
"What? It's true!" Hanna said, sipping her drink.
Pretty soon there were shots for all of us, and two boisterous frat brothers sitting with us.
Ali touched my leg under the table, but I purposely inched away from her. She turned to me, looking puzzled by my behavior. I would usually let this sort of thing slide, but now our friends were here and I felt embarrassed. Once we took the shots, I went up and ordered another drink. I was supposed to drive home but I'd call a cab. It seemed like a good night to drink more than I usually would, especially since I didn't start work till the late afternoon tomorrow.
Later on, I excused myself from the table and walked out on the patio hoping the fresh air would help me sober up a little. The doors separating the indoor and outdoor seating were open, and I could still see the group inside from where I was standing. The night air was warm and there was a light breeze. By all standards it was a perfect summer evening. From my peripheral, I noticed a dark figure approaching me. I glanced up and was relieved and surprised to see Paige standing in front of me.
"This seems to keep happening." She stated, smiling a little bit. We hadn't talked after our conversation ended on a bad note by the pool, but a few days seemed to ease the tension from that day. She was so beautiful, in a black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to expose her toned, tanned forearms. She must get to the beach a lot, like she talked about doing back in high school when she would dream about California.
"Paige! What are you doing here?" I could smell the vodka and peppermint on my breath from my previous drinks, and was embarrassed I was so drunk and Paige was so sober.
"Meeting up with someone." She glanced inside and must have seen the table we were at. Probably saw Alison sitting there with the other girls, having dismissed the frat brothers after she noticed it was bothering me. Paige would have never done something like that in the first place, I thought to myself. "I didn't realize you guys were in here. We…I'm out on the patio." She added, nervously glancing towards the patio seating area. I wondered who she was meeting up with.
"You guys look pretty buzzed…who's driving?" She asked.
"I'm the designated driver extraordinaire." I hiccupped.
"Emily. Are you kidding me right now?" Paige asked, beside herself.
"Not one bit." I said, shaking my head and smiling. "But I was going to just catch a cab."
"Well okay. That isn't necessary …I can give you guys a ride home. That way I'll know you made it safe." She said. As she did, she lifted her hand to touch my arm and reassure me. She recoiled after realizing what she was about to do, dropping the offending arm down. My breath caught in my throat for a second. The incomplete gesture made me realize how close we were standing.
Alison was a master at making me jealous, but she usually couldn't be made jealous herself. But Paige and I's history had always gotten under her skin. I bet if she glanced over and noticed me talking to Paige, it would drive her crazy. Let alone if Paige gave us a ride home.
"That's okay. I don't want to impose or break up your night prematurely." I offered, glancing up at her from under my eyelashes. She stepped forward even closer. I felt dizzy, being tipsy and so close to Paige again. I could still smell her fresh, citrus perfume. Somehow her scent made me nostalgic after all this time. It drove me crazy for months after she left, smelling the perfume on strangers when out at a restaurant or shopping. It had made me long for something I had lost.
"I'm sorry I got upset at the pool. I mean…it's been two years. It's history. You ended up being right anyway. Alison was one of the good guys." Her eyebrows were slightly arched; her eyes were closed as she spoke.
"You have nothing to apologize for Paige. You never have." My voice was heavy with a heady mixture of wanting and pain. After all this time, Paige was still conditioned to always take it out on herself. She hung her head, nodding.
"It's nice of you to say that. I better get back to my table. Have a good evening. Please let me know when…well just make sure you guys get home safe." She said, turning on her heel to walk away. I almost let her.
"Paige." I said softly. She turned around and waited. "Can we get together soon? Maybe at that karaoke bar outside of town? I want…" I trailed off, not really sure to finish that statement. Her face broke into a grin, the wide one I always loved seeing on her face.
"That sounds great. I'd like that very much." She replied. I smiled too. Her happiness was infectious.
"Great. I'll call you."
"Great." She said again. Someone touched my shoulder and I winced before realizing it was probably one of my friends.
"Hey what are you doing out here? Ready to go yet?" Spencer asked, nudging my shoulder. She glanced up and saw Paige.
"Oh! Hey Paige." She said, nodding at her.
"Hey Spencer. Have a good evening. Get home safe." Paige said before finally walking back to her table. She was sitting with some brunette I didn't recognize. I frowned a bit.
"I see…" Spencer said, smiling even wider. I pinched her side and she yelped.
"Can it. We ran into each other a couple times this summer. No biggie." I offered, but I could already tell Spencer was trying to analyze my expression for clues.
"If you say so…she looks really good. California must be treating her well. Let's go." She pulled me towards the exit.
"Who do you think that was she was with?" I asked suddenly.
"How would I know? Maybe a friend from college who happens to live in this area…or a cousin?"
"Yeah…maybe." I shrugged and followed her to the taxi.
When we got back home, Alison and I creeped quietly through the house till we got to my bedroom. I shut the bedroom door, and Alison was on me in seconds, pressing me against the door.
"It turns me on to see you jealous." She whispered, kissing my neck and slipping a hand under my shirt. My abs clenched deliciously under her feather light touch. Alison was always teasing, even in the bedroom. Her touch was waking up a desire in me. I hated that she could make me feel so good by first making me feel so low.
"I don't like when you do stuff like that." I said, pulling back so I looked her right in the eyes as I said it. Her expression lost its playful gleam, transitioning to a look of sincerity.
"Then punish me." She whispered, her voice dripping with suggestion. I moved forward, pushing her to the bed.
"I'm serious Alison." I said, even as I was kissing her and giving in.
"I am too." She replied.
"I ran into Paige on the patio." I breathed. Now Alison pulled back.
"Oh. And? Did she turn on her heel again?" She asked, smirking a little bit. If I knew her as well as I sometimes thought I did, this would bother her.
"No we walked. We are going to try and meet up sometime this week. Catch up on things." I casually mentioned. For once, I wanted Alison to feel how she always made me feel.
"Oh. That's good I guess." She murmured, trying to kiss me again. I pulled back.
"Not tonight, okay? I think I just need some water and sleep…I don't feel so good." I stated. It was partially true; I really should go to sleep soon so work wouldn't be agony tomorrow.
"Okay." Alison looked a bit hurt, and I instantly felt a little bad. I should feel bad. I was trying to crack her hard shell and I had succeeded, hurting her in the process. But really, it had been years. I should be able to hang out with Paige and not be made to feel bad about it.
We crawled into bed without say much more, and I feel into a restless sleep after staring up at the ceiling for a while.