[Author's Note] - Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for the latest reviews, followers and favourite. Please feel fill to ask me any questions, make comments or recommendations regarding this story by reviewing or PMing me. Here's chapter 3, I hope you enjoy it.
"Hey! I've actually grown up a lot over these last 5 years. I actually think before speaking now... most of the time" Hanna teased back to Paige surprise at her managing not to mention Emily's name.
"It's kinda true, she has. I mean Jacob is living proof Hanna Marin is capable of being a real grown-up, responsible adult. He has managed to stay alive this long… with the help of Caleb of course, but seriously who knew it was possible?" Spencer interjected, laughing lightly.
"Hey Spence, don't you start… or else I'll throw you out of my well-earned duplex pent-house" Hanna spoke calmly earning a playful scowl from Spencer. It was a continuous joke between the two, ever since Spencer fought with her parents, to the point where she eventually ended every connection possible with them. As a result she now has to earn her own money and not just inherit it. Hanna is always joking about how it's the two who didn't go to university who became the most successful in the end. Although truthfully she was incredibly grateful for everything that came her and Caleb's way, Spencer knew that too. Plus the constant bantering between them pushed Spencer that little bit more to obtain the best results when passing the bar entry exam for Harvard, and remain top of her class till graduating. It was the interning that was stressing her out, Spencer Hastings lacked patience and it was the fact she needed a few years under her belt before she could actually be considered a 'somebody' in her current residence of employment, Harrington & Sons law firm. Although her ultimate dream being to one day own her own law firm and out do her parents', Hastings & Hastings.
"How is she anyway?" Spencer and Hanna's playful bickering was interrupted, the two slightly taken aback by Paige's question. "Emily, I mean… How is Emily?"
"She's doing well, she just recently graduated from NYU in June with an honours undergraduate degree in Sport's Medicine and Physical Therapy. So she's taking this year out and hoping to get some internships or work experience around New York and then continuing her masters the year after to eventually work professionally. She's in Texas at the minute, visiting her parents but she'll be back here in a few days. She was living with us, Caleb, Jacob and I, here for a bit but since she was giving a scholarship for her course she had saved up enough money to get her own apartment which she literally just moved into like a month before she graduated. It's weird not having her around so much anymore, I think Jake misses her too. He adores Emily… A little too much for my liking, I sometimes think he loves her more than me. I guess she doesn't have to make him tidy up his toys or make him eat his vegetables" Paige smiled genuinely happy on hearing about Emily's recent success.
"Wow Han, you sound like you really got this parenting thing down?" Paige joked again.
"You still sound surprised, yeah turns out if you constantly feed a three and half year sugar he just won't sleep… and if he doesn't tidy up his toys, it's left to me or Caleb." Hanna explained her eyes glancing over to her little boy on the couch, a proud smile on her face.
"Soooo?" Hanna and Spencer now wanted to hear all about Paige's life "So, what?"
"Paige, come on... we've told you everything that went on in our lives for the past five years, we even told you how Em was getting on… You managed to fall off the face of the earth for five years, what has been happening in the life of Paige McCullers?" Spencer elaborated for Paige.
"You became Batman, right?" Hanna joked.
"Sadly No, Han… and come on, fell off the face of the earth, really? You all knew where I was all along. I knew you would have Caleb tracking me… and come on those anonymous packages sent my way every Christmas and around my birthday, signed 'xoxo Gossip Girl'. Plus I thought you'd all be over the whole anonymous things after the whole High School experience."
"Yeah well, I already explained about the tracking thing, but the packages were all Spence's idea… with the help of Aria and I, of course"
"Don't tell me you're gone soft now too, Spency?" Paige mocked placing an arm around her friend's shoulders.
"No! But I mean even though things got crazy between you and Emily you were still our friend. But that's not to say I'm still not angry at you for leaving, but that's a conversation for another time. Also it was Hanna who always signed them 'xoxo Gossip Girl'… way to grateful btw."
"I am, I truly am… I really did miss America, and you guys. I hadn't seen anyone I knew from home in 3 years, Mom and Dad wanted to visit but with Mom going through treatment I didn't want them spending unnecessary money on flights. I mean I couldn't fly home either living on a student budget, I would have loved to, to be there by Mom's side but she told me not to come, that she was a fighter and if I did fly home it was if I didn't have enough faith in her to get better… which thankfully she did, and they flew out and spent 4 weeks with me in Scotland in my third year there. But honestly when those packages arrived the first Christmas, I think I just sat and cried, I was so lonely… but just knowing you guys still cared even after everything, was an incredible feeling. It was the same for my birthday, and the Christmas the year after. Thankfully things started to turn up for me in my third year in Scotland. My Mom had beaten cancer, they were able to come visit and that August was when I met Alex" Paige blushed slightly.
"Alex!? Please tell me Alex is a girl, Paige… and that you're still together or that he/she didn't hurt you because if she…"
"Yes, Alex is a girl… Han come on, really? I only moved away, I didn't forget I was gay. Her name it's short for Alexandria after her late grandfather Alexander… and yes we are still together." Hanna and Spencer both smiled, the two thrilled seeing the way Paige's face lit up when she talked about her girlfriend.
"Wow it must be serious, if you guys are still together for almost 3 years. Did she come to America with you, Paige?" Spencer questioned.
"No she didn't, she had to finalise work in London. We moved to London about this time last year, but you both probably already know that" The two friends shying away slightly embarrassed having been called out. Paige continued "she coming out to visit in a month though for 2 weeks and then she's planning to move out here for good in November."
"It's nice to see you so happy, McCullers!" Spencer spoke, the brunette poking her friend in the side, causing a blush on Paige's cheeks to grow a shade deeper.
"Forget about our beloved Paigey being happy, tell us more about your girl… have you got a photo?"
"Of course I do" Paige said handing Hanna over her phone to show a picture of the two wrapped up in coats standing in front of Edinburgh castle on a snowy morning. "That was last March, we decided to have a day where we'd be tourists around the city and we visited all the landmarks, just because neither of us had ever done it while studying there."
"Damn Paige! She is hot… How'd you manage to land such a beauty?"
"Hey, I have my ways… plus who's to say I did all the wooing? Lex was the one who asked me out, and after a lot of times of me saying 'no', she eventually convinced me to say yes."
"You mean someone went out of their way to win the heart of one, Paige McCullers, and still manages to be with her now? Are you drugging or blackmailing her?" Hanna smirked.
"Surprisingly no, she actually really likes me, so much so I actually think she loves me... I mean, what's not to love? Also… I'm well capable of keeping up a relationship, I mean you both know I was with Emily for over 3 years…" the words instantly tightening her stomach, evoking a wave of sadness the moment Paige said them without thinking, a similar expression of awkwardness registering on both Hanna and Spencer's faces.
Hanna quickly reacted, "So uhh… tell us about her, what is she like? What does she do?"
"Umm yeah, sorry… Alex works for an advertisement firm in London, she was based in Edinburgh for 2 years after studying there, then she got transferred to London last year, so I moved with her. Then it just so happened I got offered an internship with Rockway Graphics in New York to start at the end of September, literally this day, next week. Alex looked for a transfer to the New York offices which they allowed but she can't move until November. Personality wise… she's amazing and caring, she's very good at her job and highly ambitious. She has a great sense of humour and outlook on life, she gets stressed quite easily which irritates her, but I love it, she gets angry and frustrated as a result, but it's very endearing. She looks out for me, she's not that into sport or exercise, but we go walking together and she always makes me breakfast after my morning run. Sometimes if I'm having a bad day, she knows just the right thing to say or do to calm me down. I just think we work well together." A smile returning to her face, lighten up the pale girl's face once again.
"Well we're happy for you, Paige" Spencer spoke, Hanna nodding in agreement.
The three continue talking for the next few hours, things falling back to normal quicker than any of the three had expected. The only disruption coming when Hanna had to put Jacob to bed who was already nodding off.
"Come on little man, time for bed" Hanna picked up her son, who yawned softly as she moved him.
"I say goodnight, mama?" He asked the blonde pointing towards the table where Paige and Spencer sat chatting. "Sure baby."
"Night night, Spencey… Night night… umm…" the little boy stops for a minute his face a mixture of tiredness and concentration "Oh-oh, I forgot…"
"Paige" Paige speaks up smiling at the little boy.
"Oh yeah… night night, Paigey" his use of Hanna's nickname for Paige again, making the three laugh.
Hanna quickly returning back downstairs, the conversation continuously flowing between the three.
Paige looked at her phone to check the time, 9:46pm appearing on the screen. "I'm really sorry to break this up, but I have yet to check into a hotel. I know there's a few around here that I can stay in. Any recommendation?"
"Paige, you can stay here. It's only Jake and I here for the next few days. We have a guest room always set up, and you're more than welcome to it." Hanna offered.
"Hanna I can't, I can't just intrude on your family home."
"You won't be, Paige. Please don't go spending your money booking into a hotel when we have space here. You're honestly welcome here as long as you wish." This time Hanna insisting Paige stayed with them.
"Okay, thanks Han." Paige replied gratefully.
Spencer left soon after, knowing she had an early morning. Hanna and Paige stayed up a little longer chatting about usually stuff, the two saying goodnight about 11:30pm when Paige could just about keep her eyes open, the jet-lag now really hitting her, considering it would now be 5:30am in the UK.
Walking into the guest-room and crawling into the guest bed, one thing struck Paige, she remembered something Hanna had mentioned earlier about Emily having stayed with them for a good while, when she was studying in NYU. Did that mean this was formally Emily's room? Paige's mind began to wander. She wondered how many nights Emily spent in this bed, had she every falling asleep crying like Paige found herself doing anytime she was severely homesick, or like when she found out about her mother's illness, she wondered how many times Emily went to bed drunk, waking up hung-over in this bed, she wondered if Emily every lay on the bed staring blankly at the ceiling thoughts pulling her from sleep. She wondered if Emily had ever woken up in a bucket of sweat like Paige had numerous times when memories of that night played into her dreams.
For the past two and half years, Paige fell asleep with one women in mind. That women was Alex. Tonight was different, but with an overlying sense of familiarity. Paige fell asleep thinking of someone else, that someone being Emily Fields. It was something she hadn't done since January 22nd 2016... the day when she fell in love with someone, who wasn't Emily Fields.
It was 11:30am, Paige never usually slept in this long but the tiredness of travelling, running into Hanna and catching up with her old friends again was slightly overwhelming for one day. She started to make the bed when she heard a noise outside the room, putting it aside to Hanna and Jake returning from the market, she had only just read the text she received from Hanna about an hour ago.
"Hanna, Han… Are you here I need to get my phone charger, I left it here before I left" A voice rolled around the house, Paige ears perking up immediately trying to distinguish the voice.
"Hanna? Jakey, Jacob… you here?" The voice sounded out again.
Paige suddenly knew who the voice belonged to, her knees nearly collapsing from beneath her, a sick feeling making itself known in her stomach and her mind flooded with thoughts.
Paige could hear a bustling sound now, as if the person was trailing, rooting and going through everything in reach. A one point she even heard muffled swear words blasting Hanna for not being here and leaving the charger out like she had asked her to, it caused Paige to laugh quietly to herself, forgetting almost every thought in her head.
Her heart began hammering in her chest when she heard the footstep walking in her direction 'please not this room, please not this room' the feeling of unease growing worse.
The door to the guest room flew open. Brown eyes met brown eyes. Time seemed non-existent. A range of emotions being experienced by the two frozen statures.
"Paige?" The voice spoke.
"Emily…"
[Author's Note] I understand there's a popular and current Paily FF with Paige's girlfriend also being called Alex. This is a total coincidence in relation to this story, I just decided to leave it as such, as I had these first few chapters written a few months ago and that's the name that suited the character in my mind. I'm willing to change this name if people find it confusion, or distracting. Thanks again for reading, and don't forget to let me know what you think. -KTF