Guest: Thank you. The scenes kind of determine the chapter lenghts. Some will be longer than others.
Author's Note: Last night's episode was a tough blow for Paily fans. But I'm hoping that a little bit of Paily lightness and togetherness and fluff will help lift some spirits. They might be over in the show, but they've always been stronger and better in fanfiction anyway.
Chapter 8
Emily woke to a pounding in her head. Groaning, she squeezed her eyes more tightly shut and then slowly pried them open. The curtains filtered out most of the bright, early morning light but the room was still illuminated just enough to hurt. Groaning again she shut her eyes once again and took stock. Her mouth was impossibly dry, her tongue thick and cottony. A dull headache throbbed between her eyes in time with her heartbeat and her stomach churned ominiously. It was then that she realized that the pounding was not in her head, but was coming from somewhere downstairs.
It took her a moment to process the sound. Annoyed she glanced over at the clock on her bedside table, unable to believe that omeone was knocking on the loft door at...11:45 in the morning. She reluctantly pushed down her indignant irritation seeing as how it wasn't quite as early in the morning as she had initially believed. Though she couldn't tamp it down completely as she pushed herself up into a sitting position and then gingerly swung her legs around to hang off the bed. When the motions didn't immediately send her head or her stomach spinning wildly she let out a breath of relief and eased herself to her feet. She swayed unsteadily for a moment before finding enough balance to shuffle her way across the room and, leaning heavily against the railing, make her way downstairs.
Her foot touched the floor just as Spencer, looking equally unsteady on her feet, reached the door and swung it open.
"Em, it's for you," she called, before slowly turning around and shuffling back to the couch. She crawled back onto it with a groan and buried her face in the pillows.
Emily watched her, torn between amusement and jealousy. The couch looked so soft and comfy and she longed to be curled up against it's pillows, a blanket tucked snuggly around her. At the clearing of a throat she returned her attention back to the source of the noise,and the interruption of her sleep.
Paige stood in the doorway looking annoyingly refreshed and perky. She was dressed in running gear, a pair of black capris that hugged her shapely calves and thighs, showing off the incredible muscle tone and a loose tank top that put draped dangerously low at the neck and beneath the arms, giving Emily a clear view of the black sports bra she wore underneath. She couldn't prevent the way her eyes raked over Paige's body. Her already dry throat suddenly became a saharra. She had to pry her tongue painfully from the roof of her mouth when she tried to speak, and ended up with an undignified squeak.
"How you feeling?" Paige asked with a grin that indicated she knew exactly how Emily was feeling. She glowered, which only made Paige laugh.
It was then that she noticed Paige was holding a tray of coffee, and instantly she was forgiven. She moved forward to accept one of the cups, when Paige pulled the tray deftly out of reach.
"You know it'll only make your headache worse," Paige said. "And dehydrate you even further," she added attempting and failing to smother a grin when Emily's glower returned. She knew Paige was right, the caffeine would only feed the pulsing ache between her eyes. But she wasn't about to admit that.
Paige stepped around Emily into the loft and set the coffees on counter in the kitchen. Emily turned slowly, following her movements with a concentrated eye, taking in the way the muscles in her arm flexed and then loosened as she was relieved of the weight in her hand and the sway of her hips as she crossed the room back towards Emily.
"No," she said, narrowing her eyes and shaking her head, knowing what Paige was about to suggest.
"Em, you know it's the only way. If you indulge your hangover, it's only going to get worse."
She was right. Emily hated it, but Paige was right. As tempting as crawling back into bed right now sounded she knew it would only make her feel worse
"I'll buy you a coffee after, I promise." Emily's heart skipped at beat at the low, coaxing tone. Paige was almost upon her now. The expression on her face no longer teasing, but earnest, sincere. Almost hopeful.
"Fine," she aquised with a sigh."But you owe me more than coffee. I go with you, you owe me breakfast," she negotiationed. Partly just to be difficult but mostly to capitalize on the opportunity to spend time with Paige. "And I don't mean a muffin or a bagel. I mean a real breakfast. Eggs. Hasbrown. Bacon." Her gag relfex kicked up at the mere suggestion of such a meal. She knew she would be lucky to stomach even a piece of toast, and from the way the corners of Paige's lips quirked she knew Paige knew it too But that didn't stop her from pushing back.
"I think that sounds like an agreeable term," Paige said easily. "So...are we doing this?"
"Yes," Emily said, shoulders sagging in defeat. "We're doing this. I'll go get changed. Make yourself comfortable," she added, with a wave in the general direction of the loft at large. "Or as comfortable as you can with hungover people draped all over the furniture."
She turned and made her way back upstairs. The prospect of spending the next couple hours with Paige putting a bit of spring in her step as she crossed the room to her dresser and dug through the middle drawer for her running gear. She changed slowly, her body protesting too much movement and then took a deep breath to steel herself for the torture ahead before heading back downstairs.
The wide, beaming grin that Paige gave her when she returned downstairs told Emily that she had made the right decision. The brief once-over that Paige gave her, and the faint blush that darkened her cheeks cemented it for her. No pain no gain, right? That was the saying. A little pain now was going to go a long way towards gaining Paige's affections in the long run.
"All set?"
Emily nodded, not quite able to muster up quite as much enthusiasm as Paige at the momnt, but unwilling to put a damper on the mood by continuing to be surly.
When they hit the sidewalk, Paige started them off at an easy jog. As they reached the end of the block and turned the corner Emily could feel her muscles starting to loosen and, annoying as it was, she was already starting to feel better. The dull pressure in her head was already starting to abate She hated that some people got to drink coffee or eat big, greasy breakfasts to cure their hangovers while she got stuck with this method.
By the time they reached the woods that bordered the edge of town, an old favorite running spot of both of theirs, Emily was actually starting to feel pretty good. Her muscles were nice and loose now, her blood flowing easily and filling her with a pleasant warmth. Her breathing had picked up a little, but was far from laboured. She felt strong. She felt fit.
She caught Paige's eye as the terrain under their feet switched from hard pavement to the springy cushion of fallen leaves and returned the wide grin that the other woman sent her way.
The sounds of downtown slowly faded away as they moved deeper into the woods. The din of traffic and voices muffled by the thick canopy of trees overhead and drowned out by the rustle of leaves, the song of birds, the chirp of insects and the rythmic crunch of leaves underfoot. Soon, the only sounds were those of nature around them and their own breathing. Steady and even despite the increased pace.
It was calming. Comforting, and familiar, running through these woods with Paige. How many mornings had they spend on this very trail? She felt a tug low in her abdomen when she thought of how those runs ended. The two of them breathless and sweating, hands grappling with clothing, lips and tongues searching, seeking, almost desperate, a rushed, furtive quality to their love making as they tried to get each other off before someone stumbled across the grove or meadow or riverbank they had ended up in.
A quick glance over at Paige revealed her cheeks and the tips of her ears had darkened, turning quickly from a healthy, flushed pink to a deep heated red that told Emily she was sharing some of those same memories. As if sensing Emily's gaze, Paige glanced over, her blush increasing as she dipped her head. Her hair fell in a curtain over her face, but wasn't long enough to hide the soft smile that played on her lips. Emily faced front again, a smile tugging at the corner of her own lips at both the memories and Paige's reaction.
It was disappointing to know that this run wasn't going to end in a similar fashion. But it was a disappointment that Emily could live with, knowing that Paige seemed to share in remembering those moments fondly.
They ran along the trail in companionable silence. Emily was a little suprised that Page seemed content to run beside her, rather than egg her on into an increasingly punishing pace, the way she generally had in the past. Maybe she did have some sympathy for Emily's weakened condition after all.
By the time they reached the head of the trail again, having made a broad loop through the woods to end up back where they started, Emily was tired and winded but also felt more like her regular self again. The pressure in her head had completely dissipated and the upset in her stomach had dulled to a gentle roil. Paige slowed to a walk as their feet hit the pavement and Emily adjusted her pace to fall into step beside her.
Gradually her heart rate slowed and her breathing returned to normal as the two of them strolled, almost leisurely, back towards town. She felt better, but Paige had the good grace not to point that out as they made their way to the diner that had always served as their go-to breakfast spot after a run.
It had been years since they'd been here together. The place hadn't changed much in that time. The booths were the same faded, worn out naugahyde, the tiles the same scuffed grey linoleum. The patrons the same collection of old-timers and Hollis students. Emily couldn't be sure, but she thought that the waitress might be the same woman who had been working here all those years ago. A lithe, almost to the point of being gaunt, red-head with a quick smile, and an ever quicker glare if she thought that you were giving her trouble.
She gave them as nod as they stepped through the door, and told them to go ahead and grab a set as poured coffee for a couple sitting at the counter. Paige gestured to the nearest booth and Emily shrugged in agreement before siding in. Their knees bumped a few times as they both moved towards the center and settled, facing each other across the table.
For someone who had said they should avoid nostalgia, Paige certainly seemed to be calling on it today, Emily mused as she picked up a menu. She flipped it open and scanned the offerings, noting that there were a few changes but all her old favorites were still there.
The run had calmed most of the churning in her belly, but she knew that, despite how mouth watering some of the images on the menu were, she couldn't handle anything too heavy or greasy. She also knew that Paige would have no such problem. She wasn't exactly suprised when Paige ordered for herself the same sort of meal that Emily had extracted the promise of. Two eggs, pancakes, sausages, hasbrowns and a side of toast. Nor did Emily miss the glint in Paige's eye or the smirk when she ordered waffles with no toppings, for herself. She didn't say anything though, so Emily gave her credit for that.
Silence descended on them after the waitress left to place their orders. It wasn't as uncomfortable as last night, but Emily could still feel it pressing in on her from all sides. Especially with the din of conversations and laughter coming from the other booths around them seemingly highligthing the quiet between them. She shifted in her seat and traced her fingers along the edges of the coaster her water glass sat on. Across from her, Paige cleared her throat and fidgeted with her utensils. In some strange way it actually made her feel more comfortable knowing Paige was also ill at ease.
"This is nice," Paige said, breaking the silence. Her voice was a little too bright, a little too cheery. Emily wasn't trying to be rude, but she couldn't help but pin Paige with a look that very clearly said, "really?"
Paige chuckled. "Okay, so maybe this is kind of awkward," she said, making a sweeping gesture with her arm to indicate them, here, now. "But, spending time together. It's nice. I'm glad that we decided to do it.'
Without thinking, Emily reached across the table and laid her hand over Paige's, stilling it's fidgeting as she gave a gentle squeeze. "Me too. I know I gave you a hard time about going running, but I'm glad I let you talk me into it. I feel a lot better. And I'm enjoying getting to spend time with you."
Paige didn't appear to be listening. Emily followed the path of her gaze, her eyes falling on their joined hands. Before she could apologize and pull away, Paige's fingers curled around her own.
"We should do this more often."
It took a moment for Emily to be able to focus, she was distracted by the feel of Paige's hand in her own, the touch of smooth, warm skin sending a jolt of electricity up her arm.
"Huh?" She shook her head, clearing it. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right we should. It'll be just like old times, when we used to run and get breakfast before school." Remembering how most of those runs ended, she ducked her head to hide a blush. "Well, maybe not exactly like old times," she ammended.
"Maybe not," Paige agreed, though something in her tone had Emily glancing back up, and she felt heat course through her at the sly grin on Paige's lips. Her heart picked up its pace at the possibility that Paige might've just given her some hope about their situation, but forced herself not to dwell on it.
The ice broken, they were able to slip into conversation that was light and easy, if not a little superficial at times. They caught each other up on their families, on old classmates and friends they had in common, laughing over memories and embarrasing stories from the past few years. The waitress approached with their food, and it wasn't until Emily had to release her grip on Paige to reach for her knife that she realized that they had been holding hands the entire time.
They fell into silence again as they delved into their meals, but it wasn't oppressive the way it had been before, and broke easily as they settled in. Before Emily knew it, their meals were finished, their plates cleared away, and they were lingering over coffee.
As much as she would love to spend the rest of the day in this booth, sharing space and time with Paige, she knew that it had to come to an end. She was on her third cup of coffee and starting to get a little jittery. Not to mention that the wait staff was getting a impatient with them. They had been by three times to "check in" on them and were probaby regretting telling them "no rush" when they dropped off the bill.
"Do you have any plans for the day?"
She was, reluctantly, trying to think of a way to suggest they head out, when Paige caught her off guard with her question.
"Not really. Why?" she asked, wondering if it was too much to hope Paige was feeling the same reluctance part ways.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah." Her mom was away visiting her aunt and the girls would be nursing their hangovers for at least another couple hours. She supposed she could go back to the loft and hang out with them, watching movies or whatever it was they were up to. But if Paige was offereing something else, not matter what it was, it was clearly the more appealing choice.
"Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to come shopping with me."
"Shopping? With you?" Emily gazed at her questioningly. Those were not words that Paige usually put together in a sentence.
"Yeah. I have everything I need for the house, but I need stuff."
"Stuff?"
"Yeah. Stuff." Paige shrugged."Throw pillows and knicknacks and...and I don't know. House stuff. You've always been so much better at that sort of thing than me. I thought maybe you'd want to come with me and pick things out."
While it was true decorating had never been Paige's strong suit, or something she was interested in at all, Emily was still taken aback by the request.
Emily stared at Paige. "Let me get this straight. You want me to come shopping with you... and decorate your house?"
"Yes." Paige sounded exasperated that Emily seemed to be having such trouble grasping the concept. Emily had, after all, been the one to decorate both of their dorm rooms in college, and the apartment they had shared off campus. She could only imagine what sort of quasi bachelor pad Paige was living in now, so it really wasn't that unusual of a request. But given their history she was having a hard time shaking off the couple-like nature of the task.
When Emily didn't answer right away, she began to grow uncomfortable. "You know what, nevermind. It was a stupid thing to ask-"
"Hey, no. I'd be happy to help" Emily rushed to interrupt before Paige could talk them both out of it.
"You really mean that?" Paige asked, her entire face lighting up. "Or are you just saying it?"
"I really mean it. God only knows what'll happen if I leave you to your own devices on something like this."
Paige scoffed and rolled her eyes, but she was grinning. And she didn't deny it. Instead she slid from the booth and then turned to Emily, offering a hand to help her out. Emily accepted it and allowed herself to be guided gently to her feet. Paige didn't drop her hand as they made their way to the door.