A/N: So sorry for updating so late. No excuses from me, it's all my fault!
The next week had gone by pretty fast for Paige. They had swimming practice every morning and every afternoon, but were given Saturday afternoon and Sunday off. The weekend came as a welcomed blessing, a chance to sleep in and rest. Paige had gotten to see Emily everyday at the pool, but they often hung out afterwards, watching movies and biking around campus.
Emily had invited her to a party off campus that night. Samara had brought it up, she knew people who lived in the surrounding area and a few of the teams in Danby's training camp were invited to come. She heard that Kale was going, which made her happy to know she wouldn't have to stick around Emily as her plus one and be a third wheel. She loved spending time with Emily, but being around her and Samara just made her realize that the kind of feelings she harbored for Emily weren't exactly normal. She assumed she just felt attached to the girl, she was really the only true friend she had ever had, and losing her to someone else scared her.
There was only about ten minutes left before Emily and Samara would be picking her up, and she still had no idea what to wear.
Emily loved whoever matched roommates up. Not only was Samara the epitome of hot, but she was also attracted to Emily. They hadn't exactly defined their relationship, something that annoyed Emily, but she assumed Samara just wasn't one to label things.
"You ready?" Emily asked Samara as she looked at herself in the mirror, fixing her hair for a last time before glancing at the blonde.
"Mhm, give me a sec!" Samara responded as she hopped into a pair of jeans, not at all oblivious to Emily's curious eyes that were looking straight at her ass. "See anything you like?" The girl said with a chuckle.
Emily blushed. She had just been caught red handed. "Maybe, maybe not" She tried to say with credence.
"If you say so, Ems" Samara said as she walked over to the brunette and kissed her cheek. "I'm ready" She told her while she reached for her hand.
They walked hand in hand through the dorm, and Emily smiled at the comfort of being so open. She was out to the girls on the swim team, who had accepted Emily for who she was. She didn't care about other people, they would make of this what they wanted. When they reached Paige's room, Emily knocked twice, and opened the door slightly. The two of them had gotten used to entering each other's room without warning, although Emily knew Paige was still slightly nervous each time in case she caught her making out with Samara again.
"Hey!" Paige said when she saw Emily enter her room, and seconds later, Samara.
"Hey, Paige" Emily said warmly. The two shared a hug and smile before Paige turned to Samara.
"Thanks for letting me tag along" She told the girl, and received a smile in return.
"Any friend of Emily's is a friend of mine! Now come on, we're going to be more than fashionably late if we keep this up" Samara said after looking at her watch.
This party wasn't really Paige's thing. Well, no party really was. She was more of an introvert, she liked keeping to herself and wasn't one to enjoy huge social gatherings. That and the fact that she had to stomach the small looks Samara was giving Emily and how their hands were always tightly knit as one contributed to Paige not having that much fun.
"Want a drink?" She heard a voice from behind her, and she sighed contently when she saw Kale.
"Kale!" Paige said with a smile, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him briefly. She backed away as soon as she realized what she had done and let out an awkward chuckle, "Sorry, just excited to see you" Paige really liked Kale, he was funny and smart but he remained honest. He had gotten a lot more comfortable around Paige, and he was hardly as shy and awkward as he was the first time they had met.
"It's fine" He said with a wide grin and handed her the red cup he had in his hands. "For you, madam" When she looked at him pointedly he lifted his hands in the air defensively and laughed, "It's just beer. I swear" He said with a laugh, earning one from her too.
Paige was glad she could get away from Emily for a bit, enjoy the company of her other friend and try and think of something else. "Is the whole lacrosse team here?" She asked as she looked around the room.
"The gymnastics girls are here. Does that answer your question?" He asked with a pointed smirk.
"Right" She laughed, but the comment only made her think of Samara. She gulped her drink down, not even realizing that she had finished it in less than a few minutes.
"Woah there, angry girl" Kale said and chuckled.
"I'm not angry" Paige said defensively, quirking an eyebrow at him. "I just want to have fun" She stated. "Now, where can I get more of this?" She asked as she pointed to her now empty cup. Kale wrapped his arm around her shoulder casually and grinned, leading her to his friends with the beer.
Emily hadn't realized Paige was gone until she saw a tall guy lead her away to another room. She tried not to think too much of it, she was here with Samara and she had been enjoying her time up to now. But even after at least two hours since Paige had gone, Emily was still thinking about it, and even Samara's gentle hand squeezes weren't enough to distract her.
Who was that guy? Was he Paige's boyfriend? Why hadn't she talked about him? Was all Emily could think about. Perhaps Paige felt uncomfortable talking about her love life with Emily, maybe she felt like if she talked about hers they'd have to talk about Emily's.
"Em?" She heard a voice she recognized as Samara say and she snapped back to reality.
"Sorry, I kinda zoned out" Emily said with a small smile, and Samara laughed quietly.
"I noticed, Em. You haven't been talking much" Samara said nicely, and she gently rubbed Emily's shoulder.
Emily looked at her with a small smile. "I think I just need a drink. Do you want anything?" Emily asked the blonde.
Samara shook her head and the two shared a quick kiss before Emily walked out of the room and left Samara to talk with her friends. She decided she would take a small walk around the block and clear her head. She was distracted by the fact that perhaps her and Paige weren't as close as she thought they were, and the girl was maybe still uncomfortable around her because of her sexuality.
How she ended up sitting on the front porch with Kale, she didn't know.
"You really.." Kale started with a chuckle.
"I know" Paige cut him off before he could continue. The alcohol Paige had consumed obviously had an effect on her. She had been dancing for most for the night and she felt comfortable with the proximity she had with complete strangers. A guy had dared her to take her shirt off, and, in the heat of the moment she had seen nothing wrong with it. "I'm so dumb" She laughed at herself and looked at the ground.
"Don't worry about it" He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "They all thought you were smokin' hot"
"Thanks, Kale. I feel loads better" She drawled with a laugh and rolled her eyes. They stayed silent for a minute as Paige looked down at her hands.
"For the record, I think you look hot even with your shirt on" He said quietly. It was obvious he wasn't the most comfortable admitting something like that, Paige assumed he wasn't one to usually approach girls. She felt like he was paying her a comment she didn't deserve, but it still made her blush slightly.
She hadn't realized how close the two of them were until she turned her head to notice Kale was looking straight at her. She knew what was coming, but she didn't stop it. She felt his lips pressed against hers, and before she could stop herself she kissed him back, hoping with all her heart that the kiss would make her feel something. She needed it to.
And that's when she saw Emily walking through the porch doorway, coming to a shocked halt at the sight of the lip-locked couple in front of her.
A/N: So I hope that was good enough for all of you. Yes, I'm aware that Paige and Emily shared not much more than a hug this chapter. Don't hate me! I just thought I had to develop Paige's character a bit more. Expect more Paily next chapter, and Hanna's coming for a visit. Woohoo!
I'd like to know what you'd like to see happen! Even little moments between Paige and Emily, and I'll try to include them somehow! :)