Hey guys, thanks for the feedback and all the reviews from the previous chapter! Believe it or not, I've just been pretty busy lately so this wasn't an attempt to create a long, dramatic cliffhanger. Well it was a dramatic cliffhanger, but not intended to be so long between chapters. All the reviews anxiously awaiting the next chapter warmed my heart in a weird way; it feels good to have a strong response to your writing like that.

Thank you to everyone that has stuck with this story, and I will try and update a little bit quicker next time.

"Now it's your turn." Paige looked up at me, a little fearful.

"Shana?" I asked, arms crossed.

"Em…" She closed her eyes, seemingly exasperated already. We were just getting started.

"No. We can't be half honest. I saw the way you two looked at one another." I couldn't have Paige lying to me too.

"We dated. This summer. While you were in Haiti. Three weeks." She shrugged; trying to emphasize it wasn't a big deal in her mind. Wasn't a big deal that I had to see Shana's eyes looking her up and down like a piece of meat. But I had to be reasonable.

"If it was over, why would you lie about it?" She didn't look away as she replied.

"Cause I didn't want to hurt you." She stepped closer, trying to get me to give in.

"Emily…believe me? It's over. She was a substitute at a time when I never thought I'd get the real thing. I love you." She said it so surely, so confidently. Without hesitation. Because she honestly loved me. Maybe she had always loved me, even before I had really noticed her. I had been so consumed with Alison freshman year. I hardly noticed the outgoing but insecure girl swimming laps right beside me.

She surged forward, chastely kissing my lips. Then she pulled back and looked at me, seeking forgiveness. And something else. Permission. And I just knew I didn't want to fight about this. Paige had been mine even when she wasn't. I smiled, trying to encourage her. She smiled back and stepped into my arms, kissing me softly, but more insistently this time. This was the kind of kiss that led to more. Much more.

"I really do love you Emily." She said when we broke for air, her fingers finding the hem of my shirt but not daring to do anything else. I traced her fingers with mine and started to pull them up, my shirt inching up too. Exposing skin, different than when we were in the locker room. She gasped, her gaze hungrily roaming over my bare torso.

"I love you too. Please…I need…" I needed her. But she already knew, her fingers already starting to glide along my heated skin.

"I need this too." The moon was full and my parents weren't home and Paige's gentle exploration was undoing me. I silently thanked Shana for making me jealous if this was how we got to make up. Tonight Paige was going to get the real thing…and I was going to get Paige McCullers. My heart fluttered as I started pulling her top off.

"I guess I have some things to explain to you. Things that I would have eventually told you about, I swear." I was sitting on the edge of her bed, as she nervously paced in front of me. We had walked back to her apartment in an uncomfortable silence, her 'yes' hanging in the air, saturating my mind with regrettable images. I didn't know how to explain to her how I felt.

"Your pacing is making me nervous." I stated dully, upset though I couldn't pinpoint why. She sat down next to me. She lifted her hands to stroke my cheeks or offer some other physical comfort, then seemed to think better of it and sat them in her lap. Alex had actually been home when we got back, but her cheerful greeting died in her throat when she saw the looks on our faces. Maybe she was expecting me to find out at some point, either from Paige or otherwise. I wondered if Paige had asked her to keep quiet. If that was why she had been so irritated to see people when we got back from the airport that first night. She had really been upset about Anna being there when I was going to be arriving.

"Anna and I met shortly after I got here. She was one of the members of the pride group I met Alex through. We hit it off right away. At first I was still heartbroken over you. In fact we spent a great amount of time talking about…you and me." She glanced up at me as she said it, before she returned to looking at the floor.

"But then, gradually, I started to see her in a different way. After a month of being here, we started dating. And a few weeks into it she said she loved me. And I realize I loved her too. Things just felt…good. Maybe not completely perfect but really good."

I tried to ignore the jealous twist in my stomach when she smiled a bit at some memory. She shook her head as if to return her focus to telling the story.

"And I thought that it was okay that I didn't feel the exact way I had felt with you. Because each relationship was different, right? And maybe the way I loved you…how much I had loved you…was too much? So I figured this is what a normal, healthy love felt like." Paige looked like it hurt her to tell me this. And I felt for her. Because even though this was confusing and upsetting, what she was saying made sense. I had felt the same strange sense of anticlimax when Alison and I were together. That somehow the connection wasn't there that I had experienced with Paige.

"She brought up wanting to get married to me one night while we were out with Alex and everyone at a gay bar. At first, she was just asking in general if it was something I wanted for myself. I said yes, that eventually that was a goal of mine. She then asked if I had ever thought about it with her. I told her the thought had crossed my mind." I closed my eyes, wincing. I had always sort of assumed Alison and I wouldn't get that far. Meanwhile, Paige had gotten there with someone else within a few months of leaving Rosewood behind. She continued.

"It didn't feel like a lie at the time, more like something that would probably not come up again." She added. Her words sounded slippery with breathless anxiety. I could tell she was trying to slow her speech and not let the words all fall out on top of one another.

"She asked me while we were out at a restaurant. She even had the staff in on it…they brought out champagne flutes and the ring was at the bottom of my glass. I felt like I had to say yes, otherwise I would embarrass her in front of everyone." With her eyes closed and her brow furrowed, she looked like it pained her to explain this to me.

"We had only been together six months. It was so…abrupt. Unexpected. I knew I wasn't ready for that. We hadn't even made plans to live together, let alone get married." Paige's constant energy coupled with being anxious made her agitated. She kept fidgeting, running her hands nervously up and down her thighs and hunching her shoulders. Despite how nervous she was, I could tell she was telling the truth.

"When we went home to her place that night…and I couldn't…um…I couldn't get in the mood?" I nodded to let her know I understood.

"I was so afraid and nervous. But then I tried to ask myself why? It was probably just being tired…I was confused but I would feel better in the morning. Em…that night I woke up in the worst panic attack of my life. And that includes growing up in Rosewood. I looked at her…sleeping peacefully right next to me. She was curled up on my side of the bed. I knew I had made a terrible mistake in saying yes. But instead of dealing with it like an adult, I had let her believe for a whole evening that it was going to happen." I exhaled.

"So then what happened? You told her the next day?" I asked, my voice rough from the myriad emotions I was torn between.

"I did. I explained it was all too soon, that I wasn't comfortable with it." She answered, nodding slowly but still looking at the floor. "She was hurt but seemed to understand. But the thing is…after she tried to bring our relationship to that level; it was hard to go back to normal. Impossible even. She felt, in her heart, that I would never want that with her. Eventually we both realized she was right. Because the only person I had ever…" Her voice grew thick with emotion at her last statement, and I took her hand, our fingers instinctually entwining. She forced herself to look up in my eyes.

"Paige…" I wasn't sure what to say. I was hurt she hadn't told me. But I understood. She had tried to move on.

"It's been you the whole time Em. Even when I didn't want it to be. I was certain I was over you. But when I saw you again, when we went to the karaoke bar together, I had to face how I felt." I leaned forward and nearly kissed her. She looked at my lips, and I could see the want in her eyes. But she wouldn't make the first move this time. She took her hands back, breaking our contact. It was hard to think when we were touching.

"I'm sorry if it hurt you, finding out this way. I wanted to tell you."

"Then why didn't you?" I asked.

"I wanted to remind you what we had, what we could be before my past made me lose my chance again. I needed you to know I was still the same person who loves you so much. I understand if this changes things, for us. For you wanting to be with me. I know I'm not…" She trailed off, clearly not wanting to continue her thought. Her voice coated with fear. She looked down, but I tilted her head up again.

"You know you're not what?" I asked, confused at her unfinished words.

"I know I'm not your first choice." It took my brain a few moments to process her words. And then I realized. Despite all her assurances to the contrary, Paige was still deeply hurt by what happened on prom night. And avoiding this conversation had let her continue to believe that she was my second choice.

"Oh Paige. I'm so sorry." She shut her eyes, nearly wincing, but I continued. "At prom…I did something stupid and impulsive when I kissed Alison. I was so relieved to find out she wasn't A, and still so unsure how to feel around her. But I didn't choose her over you." Paige shook her head.

"It's okay. I've made peace with it." Her voice was a defeated monotone.

"It wasn't…that. I screwed up. And I thought I had lost you forever after that. I tried so many times to contact you and explain myself. Eventually I tried to move on when I realized you weren't coming back. And yes, I did with her. But Paige?" I lifted her chin up again and her eyes searched mine, trying to gauge if I was being honest. "You're my now. And you're my future. Everything and everyone else is in the past."

This time she started to lean forward, but I surged against her first. Our lips met tentatively at first. I pulled her against me, moving my tongue against hers. I needed to show her I meant what I said. We both needed to heal, to leave our past behind.

How this conversation jumped from Anna to Alison to this, us fumbling to undress one another again, I'll never completely understand. We met each other's eyes for permission each time we removed another piece of clothing. Audible gasps full of lust and relief filled in most of the conversation, followed by moans of pleasure.

Paige stroked my cheek, gazing into my eyes. Then she braced herself, her other hand slipping into me. I gasped more from how unexpectedly wet I was than the sudden contact itself. She shook her head a little bit.

"I love you Em." I groaned in response as she started to move, creating a delicious friction. "Only you." She added. I had no more doubt. I fumbled against her belt buckle, relieved I could get it open with one hand, my other occupied by grabbing her hair, pulling her head against mine for another make out session.

I entered her, her center wet and equally receptive. "I love you. Only you Paige." I whispered.

There was one more thing I had to ask her. About what Anna had said. We were lying under her sheets again, naked and sated. Paige had an arm draped protectively around my shoulders, holding me against her. One of mine was loosely wrapped around her firm stomach, idly stroking her side.

"Anna had also said something…about you sleeping around…" I wasn't sure what to ask. I'm not sure I wanted to ask anything. I had felt Paige was smoother, more skilled. But Anna had planted a seed in my mind, something that would continue to nag if we didn't talk about it now. Paige nodded, seemingly to indicate she knew I would eventually ask.

"After Anna, I started going out with Alex a lot more. And from her, I learned I could…be social without actually breaking someone's heart. I wanted that…but I didn't want to hurt anyone. Or be hurt." She added quickly, looking away but still stroking my arm up and down with one hand.

"Were you…was it…guys and girls?" I shouldn't care. I shouldn't care and I can't be mad no matter how she answered because we weren't together.

"I'm still gay. They were all women." I could hear the smirk in her voice as she said it.

"How many?" I blurted out.

"I'm honestly not sure how knowing my number would help." That meant it was a lot. I swallowed hard, trying to collect my thoughts. I knew she would tell me if I really pressed her, but it wasn't going to do any good.

"And Anna was the only one…?"

"Anna was the only person I dated. It was before…well…I had just come here and I thought dating was the proper way to do things. She has never forgiven me for leading her on. Of course, I didn't realize that was what I was doing." She explained. We laid there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. I wanted to savor this feeling, being in our own little world. Because soon we would have thousands of miles between us again. And though I felt sated and comfortable now, I wouldn't have Paige's strong arms around me whenever I felt I needed her.

"Em…you mean more to me than any night I spent with someone else. You were never second choice."

"Neither were you." I agreed. She pulled me closer against her and kissed the top of my head. Then she looked over at her clock and sighed unhappily.

"We need to get ready to go to the airport."