Kismet

by snowballs

The death of Paige's parents caused the decline of the relationship between Emily and Paige. Overcome by her loss, Paige leaves Rosewood to search for answers while Emily, guilt-ridden for her indirect role in Paige's loss, struggles to come to terms with her decision. Paige's unexpected return dredges up old wounds and feelings, forcing them to confront the issues between them.

8. Calm Before The Storm

DISCLAIMER: Pretty Little Liars and all its characters = not mine. All characters in this fanfic except for maybe four belong to PLL. A few events in this fanfic were borrowed from the storyline of the PLL TV series. Since I never read the books and mostly focus on PAILY stuff when watching PLL, I have no clear idea about 'A' and their motives for torturing the Liars. That said the motives of the 'A'-team in this fanfic are entirely of my own creation.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: For the lengthy version of what this fanfic is all about, please refer to the Author's Note in the first two chapters.

~Thanks so much for all your AWESOME reviews! Again, sorry I can only post one chapter each week.~

~This is the longest chapter yet and a few more chapters to go and they're finally getting back together! Story's going to be done a few days before 3b starts so the chapters are going to be quite lengthy. Thanks for taking the time to read my fanfic and following it.~

~To indre: MFEO = Made For Each Other~

---

Chapter 8: Calm Before The Storm

"We do not remember days. We remember moments." – Cesare Pavese

Paige was dreaming. But unlike the usual recurring nightmares she had all these years, this one was different. It was a moment when the car was going over the cliff. A moment when she forced her body to move in an effort to save Emily. A second when she caught her father's eyes moments before the crash. A furtive nod, a reassuring smile. Emily's screams broke the moment, and then everything went black.

Paige opened her eyes slowly. This time she didn't wake up trashing or yelling. She stared at the ceiling, unmoving. She didn't know what to make of it. Because for the first time, she woke up finally feeling she was forgiven.

---

Something was wrong. Caleb knew it the moment Dani sat in front of him, looking dazed and weirdly ecstatic.

"I'm afraid to ask." He said as he pushed a cup of coffee in front of his stepsister. He and Dani agreed to meet at the Brew the next morning to try and spend time like a normal brother and sister since there was no point in pretending otherwise.

"Thanks." Dani said gratefully as she grabbed the coffee and took a sip, not giving anything away.

"Okay what's going on?" Caleb asked, curiosity getting the better of him. "You look constipated and deliriously happy at the same time. What gives?"

Dani gave him a wide smile before answering. "Something awesome happened last night." She declared, the happiness evident in her voice.

"Why, what happened?" He asked while taking a sip of his own coffee. His sister was being so cryptic.

"Paige told me she has feelings for me. Like, romantic ones." She said giddily, starting to drum her fingers on the table.

"And?" Caleb asked, not able to hide his smile as well. He knew how huge this moment was for Dani.

"And nothing. She just said she has feelings for me and she's trying to figure things out." Dani said happily. "I mean I know I shouldn't get my hopes up or anything but the fact that Paige admitted she actually has feelings for me, like, romantic feelings, for a while now, I just, I can't help it. You know?"

Caleb nodded his head thoughtfully. He didn't want to put a damper on Dani's good mood but... "So does this mean things between her and Emily are over?" He asked, concern evident in his features. He didn't want Dani to get caught in the middle of whatever was happening between Paige and Emily. He wanted her to be happy but he also wanted to make sure it was going to stick.

"Yeah." Dani said. "Paige told me Emily cheated on her for the second time and that after their talk; they officially broke up last night. She said Emily knew Paige needed to figure out some things when it came to me." She explained.

"Okay, so what did Paige tell you?" Caleb asked.

"She said she needed a little time to make a decision." Dani admitted. "I asked if she could forgive Emily and find a way to trust her after what she did and Paige said she didn't know. It wasn't as simple as she thought it would be because of how she feels about me now. So, I'm crossing my fingers." She said, biting her lower lip nervously.

"Hey." Caleb said, reaching over to touch Dani's arm reassuringly. "Paige won't do anything to hurt you. Not when she knows how much her decision about your relationship means to you. Above all, you guys have been best friends for years. Whatever she decides to do about the situation, remember that." He said gently.

"I know. Oddly, that's one of the things I love about her. She's always been upfront about everything between us." She said, smiling gratefully at Caleb. "But I can't help but wish she'd give us a shot." She added nervously.

"Well whatever happens, I'm here to listen." He said, leaning back on his chair and smiling at Dani supportively. "So. What's next on our agenda about this 'A' thing?" He asked in an attempt to distract Dani.

"I told Paige she needed to get inside her old house to search for the file. I know it's a long shot but it can't hurt to check right? I think she and Hanna are headed there right now." Dani said thoughtfully. "Aria said she, Emily and Spencer were going to continue trying to find out what they can about the DiLaurentises. I figured we could use several sets of fresh eyes on that aspect of our investigation so I gave them the files we have so far." She explained. "We can't reveal what was on that footage yet so I thought it would be better if we handled that one. Let's head to the marina."

Caleb smiled. "You're pretty good at delegating stuff." He said, impressed.

"I know right?" Dani said, chuckling. "Come on, let's get going." She said enthusiastically, standing up and heading for Caleb's car.

---

"This won't take long. It totally slipped my mind that I promised my mom last night I'd swing by here to pick up the clothes for that clothing drive thing at the church." Hanna said apologetically to Paige as they enter CeCe's boutique, the bell hanging above the entrance door tinkling, signaling their arrival.

CeCe promptly emerged from somewhere at the back of the store, her face lighting up when she saw them. "Oh my god, are my eyes deceiving me?" She said, surprised. "So the rumors were true. You really are back. Come in Pigskin!" CeCe said as she approached them, holding in one hand several dresses.

"Hanna, always great to see you." CeCe said, hugging Hanna briefly with one arm. "You here to get those boxes of clothes for the clothing drive?" She asked as she turned her back to them, heading towards one of the racks to hang the dresses she was carrying.

Hanna followed close behind. "Yeah. Good thing my mom reminded me this morning. I forgot that I promised her last night I'd take care of it." She said, motioning for Paige to follow her. "So, how was Fashion School in Milan?" Hanna asked.

"Amazing. I can't wait for you guys to see my own fashion line. Seriously, it's going to be fabulous." CeCe gushed. "But enough about me. Pigskin, when did you get back?" CeCe asked, looking behind Hanna to talk to Paige.

Paige fought the urge to tell CeCe to stop calling her by that name and gave her a small smile. "A few weeks ago." She answered.

CeCe nodded her head once and motioned for Hanna to follow her. "The boxes are right here." She said as she led the way to the back room. "So Pigskin, you and Emily back together? Are we about to see the rise of the 'IT' couple of Rosewood once again?" CeCe called behind her, her curiosity evident in her voice.

Paige shook her head. "No. I still need to figure some things out." She answered uneasily while moving to help Hanna sort through the boxes, not wanting to elaborate on her answer knowing Emily's friends probably know their status.

"You know, she and Tara looked pretty good together. Right Hanna?" CeCe said, turning her attention to Emily's friend briefly. Hanna shook her head discreetly at Paige when CeCe's attention shifted to the boxes once again. "Tara was her girlfriend after you left her." She explained with a hint of aloofness. "I was kinda surprised when they broke up actually. That girl seemed to have fallen pretty hard for Fields." CeCe commented, watching Paige's reaction closely.

Paige reminded herself that CeCe loved getting a rise out of people and forced herself to smile, her hands balled so tightly into fists she knew her knuckles were turning white. "It's too bad that they broke up then. But I guess some things just never work out." She said flippantly as she lifted a box and headed out the door, walking past CeCe on the way who she swore was trying to hide her smirk.

"Don't mind her." Hanna said behind her as they loaded the boxes into the backseat of Hanna's SUV. "You know how she is. You actually missed quite a lot in the two years that you were gone." She said before closing the door and moving towards the driver's seat. "Remind me to tell you everything sometime."

Paige shook her head, slightly amused at something. "So CeCe felt the need to attend a Fashion School in Milan?" She asked, smirking. "I never pegged the people of Rosewood to be into such high-end fashion."

Hanna grinned as well. "I know. But a few years ago she started talking about wanting to start her own fashion line in New York or Hollywood so I guess going to fashion school was her first step towards that dream of hers. We barely noticed she was around anyway. Her assistant practically managed the boutique even before she went to Milan last year." She said while getting into the car. Paige followed suit. "So. I know it's not my business but I gotta ask." Hanna began, changing the subject as she started her car. "You and Emily. Any chance you can forgive her again?"

Paige sighed. She knew this conversation was coming the moment Dani asked her to search her old house with one of Emily's friends. "Yeah." She said, noting the small smile her answer brought to Hanna's lips. "But it's not that easy. How could she keep something like this from me for years?" Paige asked, the hurt evident in her voice.

"Well she kept it from us too." Hanna said in an effort to lessen the pain Paige was feeling. "Of course it's an entirely different thing because we're her friends and it was you she cheated on." She said hurriedly. "And I can't imagine what must have been going through her mind then and what's going through yours now, but I understand her fear." Hanna said cautiously. "Knowing she went and did something that could worsen the situation between you guys when things were tense enough as it is, I get why she couldn't tell you. And then you told her you were leaving, and she was trying to get you to stay, so I get why she couldn't tell you at the time too."

"Fear can be paralyzing." Paige agreed. It was something she had to overcome as well to tell Emily about her self-hatred all these years. But unlike her self-loathing, Emily cheating on her is an entirely different matter. She renewed her trust in Emily the moment she finally overcame her fear and revealed her self-hatred. But Emily did two things at once when she told her about the kiss. While Emily also renewed her trust in Paige, ironically she also broke that trust.

"But she told you now. Even if things between you two are complicated, even if you two aren't together right now, she told you, knowing it would affect your decision to be with her. Doesn't that count for something?" Hanna asked as she stopped the car in front of Paige's old house.

Paige shook her head in disbelief. "You want me to give Emily some credit for telling me about it now despite our situation? Hanna, I wish I found out about the cheating before I left." She said reproachfully as she got out of the car. "Because then I wouldn't feel like such a fucking idiot now for asking Tara to take care of Emily when she had been doing that the entire time I was in Radnor." She slammed the door harder than she intended, her rage starting to surface again. "She certainly didn't need my help in that department."

"What do you mean you asked Tara to take care of Em?" Hanna asked, confused.

Paige took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Nothing. Let's just get this over with." She said as she made her way to the front door in an attempt to end the conversation but the other girl was having none of it.

Hanna sprinted to catch up to her and held her upper right arm firmly, forcing her to stop in her tracks and turn to face Hanna. "Paige, the entire time you were away from Rosewood you didn't just talk to me, Spencer and Aria didn't you? You also talked to Tara." Hanna said, finally understanding what Paige meant.

"I didn't talk to Spencer and Aria on purpose Hanna. I ran into them accidentally. No one was supposed to know what I was up to. As for our conversation, I didn't plan on it. I was actually going to see Emily that night but I seem to have this uncanny ability to be at the right place at the wrong time." She shook her head derisively. "I saw them making out on Emily's front porch and I couldn't go through with it. I can't just show up when she was finally moving on so I came to you instead. After that night, even if it pained me to let her go I was somehow comforted with the thought that Emily won't be alone anymore so I decided to talk to Tara a few weeks later just to make sure it'll stay that way." Paige reluctantly confessed. "But I guess the joke was on me. That wasn't the first time they kissed." She said bitterly.

Hanna squeezed her arm consolingly. "I'm sorry you had to see that. But Paige, you do realize that Emily wasn't the only one keeping a secret all these years. She told you hers. But you still haven't told her about your nightly visits up until you saw them together. If trust is such a big deal for you, then I suggest you start thinking about confessing that particular secret of yours." Hanna said gently as they slowly made their way towards the front door. "As Emily's best friends we're not particularly keen on you telling her about it because when she finds out that we've seen you at least once in the two years that you were away, she's going to be furious with us as well, not to mention she'd feel betrayed. But we all know that at some point she has to know and believe me when I tell you that when she finds out, it won't be pretty." She said as she knocked on the door. "So brace yourself."

---

"What did I say about sitting on the hood of my car, sis?" Caleb reprimanded teasingly as he approached Dani at the parking lot of the marina.

Earlier on the drive getting there, Caleb decided it would be better if Dani stayed in the car while he talked to one of the employees at the marina. It was a precaution he decided to take, knowing fully well that if they left the car unattended there was a possibility that someone from the A-team could tamper with it, but he also knew that Dani still had her reservations when it came to interacting with the residents of Rosewood. The humiliation her family suffered years ago was still fresh in her mind and even if Dani put on a brave face, he could see past it.

Dani looked up from her phone and grinned at him sheepishly before lifting herself and jumping off the hood of Caleb's car. "Sorry. It was getting stuffy inside your car and given a choice between standing beside it and sitting on the hood, I decided to sit." She said as she slipped her phone in the back pocket of her denim cutoffs. "What took you so long?"

"Well FYI it was kinda hard to ask outright about the boat and its owner so I had to improvise. I pretended I was interested in purchasing a slip at the marina and ended up asking for information about several slips instead of just the one that was of interest to us." Caleb explained as he moved to get inside the car. "Knowing the A-team, they probably have someone on our trail right now so if I ask too many questions about that particular slip, they might realize we have something on them."

"I know. This entire thing is like some form of life or death chess game. We basically came back to Rosewood to gather evidence against them because we already have our suspicions. We just need to figure out how they're all connected. Paige doesn't want to admit it but at the back of her mind she did return for Emily." Dani said as she settled into the passenger seat. "So what did you find out?"

"You want the good news or the bad news first?" Caleb asked as he started the car.

"Good news." Dani said as she turned on the car stereo and settled for the drive back to the town.

"I found out the name of the boat and its owner." Caleb said, taking his eyes off the road briefly to look at Dani.

"So what's the bad news?" Dani asked, biting her lower lip nervously.

"It doesn't belong to anyone of the people in that footage. And I can't exactly ask the manager if she knows how any of them are related to the owner without arousing her suspicion." Caleb said, releasing a huge sigh. "You know what this means right? We have to do this the hard way."

"More research." Dani said, rolling her eyes.

"More research." Caleb confirmed as he focused his attention on the road.

"I got a text from Paige by the way." Dani said after a beat, trying to take Caleb's mind off the work ahead of them. "She said the old lady living in her house now was gracious enough to accommodate them. She was at the back doing some gardening so Hanna stayed outside to distract her while Paige used the old excuse of having to use the bathroom. She said she had a good news, a bad news and a new lead." Dani said, using her fingers to count them off. "Which one do you want to hear about first?" She asked.

"Just tell me everything in the order you mentioned it." Caleb said, nodding once.

"Well the good news is that she found a floor safe in her dad's old office. It took her several tries but apparently it still had the same combination so she was able to open it eventually. I guess the old lady had no use for it so she didn't bother to change the combination." Dani began. "The bad news is that there was nothing inside. So unless her father didn't hide it there, we can assume that the file was taken the night of the accident. Paige said she searched everywhere but didn't find any other place her dad could have hidden the file. Which brings us to the new lead she discovered." Dani paused to make sure she got Caleb's full attention. "While she was looking around, she said she found a false bottom on one of the drawers in her dad's old desk. Thinking the file could be inside, she lifted it but found something entirely different instead. Something big."

"What is it?" Caleb asked, his brows furrowed. The suspense is killing him but he didn't dare take his eyes off the road.

"Caleb, we finally have an idea as to why her parents were out looking for Paige the day she went missing." Dani said nervously. "She found a ransom note."

---

"There's nothing here." Hanna said, thoroughly confused as Paige alighted from her SUV. After they left Paige's old house that morning, she asked Hanna to drive her to a spot overlooking the marina saying she needed to do something. "Are you sure you want me to leave you here?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for the ride. I'll find my own way home, don't worry." She assured her as she closed the door and walked to Hanna's side of the vehicle. "Here." Paige said, slipping inconspicuously to Hanna from the open car window the ransom note she found earlier. "Give that to Caleb or Dani when you see them. I might be here a while." She said before making her way towards a spot near the end of the bluff.

She was immediately surrounded by the comforting silence once Hanna left. Taking a deep breath, she got something out of the back pocket of her jeans before sitting on the grassy field, hugging her knees to her chest. Paige stared for a moment at the worn-out black and white photo of her and Emily, reverently touching Emily's face before looking out into the open seas, watching the boats as the wind propelled them closer to their destinations. "Thanks dad." She smiled faintly. "You were right. Even at the light of day this spot is perfect."

---

"Wow. Ali's mom is like, super smart. She could definitely give you a run for your money Spence." Aria said, genuinely amazed.

The three friends were huddled together in Emily's bed, poring over the contents of the files regarding Ali's family. Spencer and Aria came over just before 8 a.m. armed with coffee, muffins, and their own laptops. They figured they could do a little sleuthing that morning since Aria and Spencer were going to be busy in the afternoon. Caleb and Dani didn't want to risk leaving hard copies of the files they procured lying around so they gave each of them an encrypted copy of the files they have on the DiLaurentises on a micro disc instead.

"Straight-A student, president of several clubs, class valedictorian in high school, magna cum laude in college, you name it she achieved it. I guess we know where Ali got her smarts." Aria said as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Yeah if by smart you actually meant master of mischief, manipulation and blackmail then yeah, that's where she got it." Spencer said distractedly while studying the file on Ali's father. "Her dad's the big man on campus even when he was in high school. All-star athlete, offered several full-ride scholarships to prestigious universities throughout the country, led his team to win football national championships. He and Ali's mom have been seeing each other since high school. They were the 'IT' couple back then." She said before taking a bite out of her muffin.

"Well nothing really stands out on Jason's file." Aria said, poring over Ali's half-brother's file this time. "He got average grades in high school; he shifted courses several times in college. He joined several sports, competed in regattas, and dated a lot of girls, but nothing points to him dating anyone related to him except for Melissa." She said, her brows furrowed.

"If Ali has an older sister, someone older than Jason, then around their senior year in high school Ali's mom would have been pregnant. But Caleb and Dani got a copy of her medical record when she had that abortion." Emily said thoughtfully as she studied the files herself. "Unless that record was faked and she didn't go through with it. But people would have noticed if she started showing. So why didn't they?"

"This is so frustrating." Spencer said, stretching her arms in front of her. "No wonder they barely found any leads that actually led somewhere. These people found a way to hide their secrets."

"Hey, we can't give up yet. We've barely scanned these files. Paige and Dani have been sorting through this stuff a lot longer than us." Aria said, trying to psych Spencer. "We need to help them get to the bottom of this. Not just for Paige but for Ali as well."

"I'm not giving up. I'm just saying they went to a lot of trouble to hide the existence of Ali's older sister if she does exist." Spencer said, starting to pore over the files once again. "Their parents must have forced them to get the abortion but they really wanted to keep that baby."

"Wait. I think I found the answer to my question." Emily suddenly said as she furrowed her brows. "Ali's mom went to France during her senior year in high school as part of an exchange student program. She stayed there for 10 months."

"Enough time to give birth and come back like nothing happened. Especially when she was already pregnant before she left." Spencer said thoughtfully. "When did she leave?"

"Uh, wait. I know I saw it somewhere..." Emily said as she started typing something on her laptop. "Here it is. From the date it seems like she left a week after she got the abortion." She revealed distractedly while sorting through more files.

"Then she was definitely still pregnant around that time." Aria said confidently.

"How can you be sure?" Emily asked, curious.

"I read somewhere that after you got an abortion; you can't ride a plane for about three weeks. If Ali's mom had one a week before she went to France then she wouldn't have been cleared to ride a plane." Aria explained to them before taking another sip of her coffee.

Emily looked at the files thoughtfully. "Then this is good." She said, a hint of excitement evident in her voice.

"What gives?" Spencer asked, noticing the sudden change in Emily's mood.

"Nothing. I just, for the first time since the accident, I was really able to help Paige today." Emily answered as she nodded her head once. "That means the trail they found leading to France isn't really dead. We just have to find out what happened when Ali's mom was there."

"Well I hate to break it to you Em but that is easier said than done. We can't exactly go to France." Aria said ruefully.

"Then we need Caleb and Dani to do their thing again." Spencer stated, packing her things and standing up. "I think that's about it for now. I have to get going you guys." She looked at Aria. "You coming?"

Aria looked at Emily who was still busily poring over the files. "Yeah. Just, wait for me downstairs. I'll be there in a minute." She said, smiling at Spencer briefly.

"Okay then." Spencer answered, walking towards the door. "I'll see you outside." She said before closing the door behind her.

Once Spencer left the room, Aria turned her attention back to her friend just in time to see Emily looking at the photo on her bedside table. "So. How you holding up?" She asked gently.

Emily shrugged, looking at the files in her laptop once again. "I'm fine. I had a good cry last night so..."

"Hey." Aria said, placing a hand on Emily's left arm as they sat in front of each other. "Remember what I told you about Paige needing you to hold on to what you two have? That still holds true. Even if she's back and it seems like things are over for now between you guys. That girl is a little slow on the uptake so you have to be really patient. Just because you decided to let Paige go doesn't mean you can't be there for her." Aria said softly.

"I know. I just can't help but think that maybe I'm too late. I wasn't really able to be there for her before she left and now that she's back it seems it's Dani that she needs. Not me. I blew it." Emily said, finally looking at Aria.

Aria shook her head. "It's never too late Em. That's what made your relationship worth rooting for. That even if things seem bleak, somewhere along the way you guys always found your way back to each other." She smiled reassuringly. "She'll find her way back to you."

Emily nodded her head, still choosing to hold on to Paige. "Kismet will help her find the way." She said quietly as she looked at their photo once again.

---

"Paige, sweetie, come on, let's go." Nick said as he and his wife led the way inside the church, a 5-year-old Paige bringing the rear. He looked back and saw what Paige was staring at.

"You can play later." He said patiently as he took Paige's hand in his and gently steered her towards the church entrance. "Come on. We don't want to be late."

Paige refused to budge, looking intently at the girl sitting on the swings at the park opposite the church. "Daddy, she looks so sad." She said, finally taking her eyes off the girl to look up at her father. "It's her brother right? The one inside the church?" Paige asked before looking at the girl again. "I'll go get her." She said before removing her hand from her father's grasp and running across the street.

Paige shyly approached the girl sitting on the swings. "Do you mind?" She asked, gesturing at the empty swing beside the one the girl was occupying.

The girl shook her head but kept staring on the ground, her strawberry-blonde hair softly swinging from side to side. Paige took a seat beside her and smiled. "Your hair is nice. I'm Paige." She said shyly, extending her hand.

"Danielle. Dani." The girl said, taking Paige's hand and shaking it gently, still refusing to make eye contact.

"Well Dani, what are you doing out here?" Paige asked kindly, taking her eyes off the girl to look at the street across from them. "Shouldn't you be inside?" She said, nodding her head towards the direction of the people making their way inside the church.

"They're mad at me. My parents." Dani said in a terrified voice. "It's all my fault." She said softly.

Paige looked at Dani quizzically. "I don't think they're mad. I think they're just grieving." She said reassuringly, hesitantly touching the girl's arm.

"He's dead because of me." Dani said, looking at her hands.

"Well if they're mad, did you say you were sorry?" Paige asked, realizing reassuring Dani that what happened wasn't her fault wasn't helping. "My dad said if you say you're sorry and you mean it, people will forgive you."

"I told my brother I was sorry." Dani said, finally looking at Paige.

For a moment, Paige was startled by how blue Dani's eyes were. "What did he say?" Paige asked when she finally recovered from her surprise.

"He said it was okay. That he isn't mad and that he forgives me." Dani said, smiling faintly.

"See? I told you. So come on, let's go inside." Paige said as she stood up, facing Dani and extending her hand to the girl. "Come on. You have to be strong. Otherwise you'll regret it if you never got to say goodbye to him."

Dani just looked at Paige's hand, still terrified to go inside. Paige smiled supportively and took Dani's hand, forcing her to get up. "If you need the strength to do it, I'm here. We're friends now so I'll help you say goodbye. And then I'll help you say you're sorry."

Dani held on tight to Paige's hand. "We're friends?" She asked, finally smiling.

Paige nodded her head and led the way inside the church, holding Dani's hand tightly as well. "Yep. I have a feeling we're going to be the best of friends."

88888

"There you are!" Paige said, relieved as she caught Dani by the shoulder, forcing her best friend to turn around and face her. "I've been trying to get a hold of you. Are you avoiding me or something?" She asked, confused.

Dani refused to look Paige in the eye, her cheeks starting to feel warm. She shook her head wordlessly before turning her back to Paige once again and making her way to class.

"Hey." Paige said, catching up to Dani once again, this time grabbing her arm gently. "What's going on? Did I do something wrong?" She asked, thoroughly confused by Dani's behavior. Lately, she noticed that Dani made up excuses whenever she tried to invite her to spend time together. She flinched whenever Paige made contact with her and Dani's face always seemed flushed whenever she's around. Something was wrong.

"You didn't do anything wrong Paige. You're perfect." Dani said quietly, still looking on the ground.

Paige noticed Dani's face was getting redder. "Then why are you avoiding me?" She asked, upset.

Dani noticed the hurt in Paige's voice and looked up at her quickly. "It's not you." She said hurriedly. "I think there's something wrong with me." Dani finally admitted, her voice betraying how scared she was.

"What do you mean?" Paige asked, concerned.

"Lately I've been having these thoughts and feelings and I've been trying to fight it because I don't think it's right." Dani whispered, scared. "I like you Paige."

Paige smiled quizzically at her. "I like you too." She told Dani. She didn't see what the problem was.

"No. I meant, I really like you Paige." Dani said, fighting the urge to cry.

Paige looked at Dani for a moment before finally releasing her grasp on Dani's arm. Dani liked her. She swallowed hard, not quite knowing what to say to that. She was brought out of her shock when Dani made a move to get away from Paige and she leapt into action.

"Wait." She said, stopping Dani's movement once again. "It's okay." Paige said, her heart pounding. This doesn't change things between them. It won't. "You're still my best friend." She said quietly. "I just don't feel that way. I'm sorry."

Dani nodded her head once and smiled, relieved. "It's okay. I'm not expecting anything. I just don't want to lose you as a friend, that's why I couldn't say anything."

Paige breathed a huge sigh of relief and stepped beside Dani, smiling at her reassuringly as they made their way to class.

88888

"Mind if I ask you something?" Paige asked timidly as she and Dani made their way to school while wheeling their bikes beside them. She didn't know who else to talk to about what was bothering her lately.

Dani shrugged. "As long as it doesn't involve history, you can ask me anything." She said, looking at Paige curiously.

"It might be weird." Paige said, hesitating.

"P, come on, you can't ask me if you can ask something and then not ask it. Are you trying to drive me crazy?" Dani said as they stopped in front of Rosewood High to lock their bikes.

Paige sighed before asking. "How did you know that you liked me?" She asked in one quick breath. "I'm sorry. It's weird right? Definitely pushing that whole best friends even if you like me thing. I shouldn't have asked, forget I asked." She said, backpedaling.

Dani stopped locking her bike and looked up at Paige, smiling while shaking her head. "It's fine Paige. Seriously. You've been so cool all this time about me liking you. I'm just glad it didn't put a damper on our friendship." She admitted. "As for me knowing, I can't really say when it started. But how I knew, I guess I just started noticing everything you do. Being around you made my heart start pounding and there were like butterflies in my stomach, my palms started sweating and I started getting conscious whenever you were near me. Why do you ask?" Dani asked, curious.

Just then, a group of girls walked past them and Dani noticed the sudden change in Paige's posture. She followed Paige's eyes and saw her staring intently at one of the girls. The girl had long raven-black hair and she could tell it was silky-smooth just from the way it swayed as she walked. She had an air of confidence around her and her smile radiated her happiness. The girl was breathtakingly beautiful and from the way Paige was ogling her, she wasn't the only one who noticed. Paige was in big trouble.

"Paige. Emily Fields? Please tell me you're not in love with Emily Fields." Dani said, her voice never betraying the hurt Paige saw she felt.

Paige knew it wasn't easy for Dani to realize that when she said she didn't feel the same way about her, it wasn't because she wasn't into girls. It was because Paige only had her eyes on one girl. Paige briefly took her eyes off Emily and looked at Dani. "I'm not in love with Emily." She said, extremely flustered as she bent over and struggled to lock her bike as well. She couldn't seem to stop her hands from shaking and her face was so flushed she could feel the heat radiating from it.

Dani didn't believe a word Paige just said. "Yes you are and you're in big trouble because this isn't just some crush."

"Keep your voice down!" Paige said while looking around to see if anyone heard what Dani said, extremely terrified.

Dani whispered frantically. "You're going to get hurt. She's straight. And even if she's not, she won't give you the time of day. I'm sorry P but you don't stand a chance with someone like her. She's way out of your league."

Paige shrugged before standing up, finally regaining control of her movements. "It's not a big deal. It's going to go away eventually. It's just a crush." She said, trying to dismiss the whole idea before making her way to the school entrance. But she knew that Dani was worried about her. They both know she was lying.

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"What's so important you can't wait until morning to tell me?" Dani asked curiously once Paige closed Dani's bedroom door behind her.

Paige called Dani and asked if she could come over despite how late it was. She had good news and she couldn't wait to share it with her best friend. Dani was probably startled by the happiness in Paige's voice so she decided to let Paige stop by.

Paige smiled at her widely before blurting out her news. "Emily's my girlfriend." She said, barely able to contain the happiness she felt saying those words out loud.

She noticed Dani swallow hard and bite her lower lip to keep herself from crying, forcing herself to smile instead. Paige suddenly felt guilty. She always seems to forget that Dani liked her. "Wow. That is good news. I guess you're finally out?" Dani asked, genuinely happy that her best friend was finally taking a step towards coming out of the closet.

Paige's smile faltered and she shook her head. "No. I came out but only to Emily. And I guess to you. But not to everyone else." She realized the meaning of those words and looked at her hands. "I'm going to lose her." She said, suddenly scared.

"You don't know that. Emily gets it. She's been there." Dani said, comforting Paige. "She knows how terrifying it is so she's going to wait until you're ready."

Paige shook her head. "What if she can't wait? The only reason she even noticed me was because Maya is gone. But what if she comes back? And even if she doesn't there are other girls out there who could give her what she needs." She said, starting to doubt the kiss that just happened that night in Emily's room.

Dani touched her arm lightly. "You'll find the courage to come out for her. I know how you've struggled to deny how you really feel about her all these years. She just has to be patient." She said, trying to bolster Paige's confidence. "Paige, she doesn't know how lucky she is." She said softly, trying to hide the pain and jealousy she was feeling but Paige knew it was there.

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Paige watched as Emily heeded her advice and began to play the role of the hostess of the party once again. She shook her head and smiled giddily. She was still reeling from the conversation they just had that she didn't notice until the girl was standing right in front of her, blocking her view of Emily.

"We haven't officially met. I'm Maya St. Germain. Emily's girlfriend. You're Paige, right?" Maya said, extending a hand for Paige to take.

"Yeah." Paige said hesitantly as she shook the girl's hand.

"I figured it out." Maya said when she released her grip on Paige's hand.

Paige looked at her, confused. "Figured what out?" She asked, reminding herself to keep her cool. Don't let her get a rise out of you.

"Why Emily won't leave Rosewood with me. It's because of you." She said, her disdain evident in her voice.

"Excuse me?" Paige asked, still confused. What the hell is her problem?

"She's in love with you." Maya said nonchalantly. "She doesn't know it yet and you probably don't too. But she is."

Paige snorted. Is she high? "You're kidding, right? Emily isn't in love with me. If she didn't want to leave with you I'm not the reason." Paige said, starting to get mad. "But while we're on the subject, honestly, I think you're being selfish for trying to take Emily away from a stable life."

"Please. It's called being adventurous. You should try it sometime since you're obviously so uptight." Maya said, eyeing Paige up and down while smirking.

Paige studied Maya for a moment and realized something. "Are you high? Did you actually come to this party high?" Paige asked urgently in disbelief. Emily deserved so much better.

Maya brought a finger to her lips and made a shushing sound. "I won't tell if you won't." She said, winking at her conspiratorially. "Listen. Just back off my girl, Paige. I may be offering her an 'unstable life' as you like to call it, but let's be real; you in itself are unstable so tell me, which of us is really bad for Em?" Maya asked, sneering at Paige. "She always comes back to me. Doesn't that tell you everything you need to know? You're not good enough. You never will be."

Paige felt herself losing control at those words she fought so hard not to think about. Hearing it from the girl who Emily always comes back to made her explode. "Take that back!" She said, trying to contain her rage.

"Ooh. Struck a chord didn't I?" Maya said, laughing gleefully. "Hearing the truth does hurt doesn't it? Careful Paige, you're showing just how unstable you are."

Before Paige could respond, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Dani staring at her worriedly. "What's going on here?" She asked, eyeing Maya carefully. "You've said your piece so I suggest you walk away before I let Paige loose on you." Dani advised Maya with quiet authority. Maya glared at them one last time before walking away.

Dani finally faced Paige, her worry still evident in her features. At this, Paige smiled faintly. "I'm fine." She said, taking a deep breath. "Promise me you won't tell Emily about what you saw." She pleaded.

"She has to know." Dani argued. "Paige, Maya is horrible. How can Emily be in a relationship with someone like that?" She asked, shaking her head.

"Emily chooses to see the good in everyone. That's why she forgave me and gave me another chance. That's one of the reasons I love her so much." Paige said quietly.

Dani looked at her quizzically. "About that. What exactly are you waiting for? You already came out to your parents. Why didn't you tell Emily about it? I mean, that's the reason you two broke up in the first place. Now that that's out of the way, what's holding you back?" She asked gently.

"The timing isn't right. She's with Maya and as horrible as that girl is to me, Emily loves her. I don't want to be a burden to her and confess my feelings when she's with someone. I can wait." Paige said, making her way to the door leading to outside the house. She didn't feel like sticking around anymore. She's had enough fun for one night.

Dani followed close behind, stopping her when they were finally outside. She forced Paige to look at her. "Hey." She said, tugging Paige's arm to stop her.

More than anyone, Dani knew how hard it was for Paige to stand by and watch as Emily moved on with her life with someone else. "I just can't stand to see you so unhappy Paige. Sometimes I can't help but wish that you'd just stop pursuing someone who is clearly running away from you. I wish you'd stop looking at her just for a second and finally look at me." Paige heard a sob escape from Dani's lips but before she could react, Dani was running away from her.

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"Why did you tell her?" Paige asked angrily as she slammed the door of Dani's room. Her best friend looked up from what she was doing on her desk and stood up carefully. "I asked you not to breathe a word of that confrontation I had with Maya. Why did you have to go and tell her?"

"I did you a favor." Dani said, refusing to apologize for telling Emily that Paige was keeping something from her all this time.

"A favor?!" Paige said incredulously. "Stop meddling with my relationship with Emily. That would be a favor." She said, barely controlling the rage she was feeling. Paige took a deep breath to calm down. "Maya's dead Dani. I didn't want to tarnish Emily's memory of her." She said quietly.

"You are so blinded by the love you have for her that you refuse to see the truth. Paige, Emily has always taken you for granted." Dani explained gently. "You're my best friend. I've known you for years. So don't think you can fool me. I know how terrified you are that Emily will end things with you again one of these days and I can't take it seeing you so heartbroken again." She said, trying to close the distance between them.

"I appreciate your concern Dani. But like I said, she's dead." Paige said firmly, finally sitting down on her best friend's bed.

"Maya may be dead but her memory still haunts you. You finally got the girl yet Maya's still a gigantic part of your relationship with Emily somehow and I can see how you're struggling to be there for Emily despite of it." Dani said quietly.

Paige stood up once again, shaking her head. "So what? You thought if Emily found out how horrible Maya was to me she would finally forget her?" She asked incredulously. "Dani, I am fine. I can take care of myself. If Emily needs to grieve for Maya then I will be there for her until she finally lets herself be happy again. Why do you have to keep meddling?"

"Why?! Because I am in love with you Paige!" Dani answered, her voice betraying her hurt and frustration. "After all these years, I am still in love with you. But you are too hung up on someone who doesn't even know your worth to even notice me." She said quietly. "So I have to stand by and watch as Emily breaks your heart repeatedly because for some reason she can't seem to make up her mind about her feelings for you. Meanwhile, being the best friend that I am, I have to hold back my feelings and be a friend for you instead every… single… time." Dani said brokenly, finally letting the tears fall.

Paige looked at Dani sadly, realizing for the first time how much her friend was suffering because they both chose to ignore Dani's feelings for her all these years. "If it hurts you this much to see me with Emily then maybe we shouldn't be friends anymore." She said, swallowing hard. She didn't know how else to make things right between them. They weren't kids anymore. They can't just sweep under the rug Dani's feelings for her and pretend it was just a harmless crush.

Dani laughed bitterly. "Just like that, you're ending our friendship." She said, not bothering to hide the hurt and anger she was feeling. "You're ending our friendship because of some girl?!"

Paige fought the urge to lash out at Dani knowing how heartbroken her best friend was. "Emily isn't some girl. I think you know that." She said quietly.

Dani shook her head bitterly and turned her back to Paige. "You know your way out." She said quietly. "Shut the door when you leave."

Paige looked at her best friend one last time before heading out the door. "I'm so sorry Dani." She said remorsefully, not knowing what else to say.

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"I feel silly." Paige said, refusing to participate in Dani's idea.

They were sitting across each other in the dining table in their apartment at the Hamptons, a modest dinner spread between them. It was Thanksgiving and Dani said they should go around the table saying what they are thankful for. Paige adamantly refused to participate, saying the term 'going around the table' lost its meaning when it was just the two of them sitting in front of dinner.

"Come on. I'll go first." Dani said, gamely clearing her throat. "I am thankful that I got you back as my best friend. For a while there I really thought we were done." She smiled faintly. "I'm thankful that we are on our way to being the best of friends again. Weirdly, I am also thankful that we didn't try to become something more because things are the way they're supposed to be." Dani raises her glass of apple cider to Paige and smiled sincerely. "Here's to hoping nothing changes between us. Friends forever is better." She said before taking a sip of her drink. "Your turn." Dani said to Paige, looking at her expectantly.

"Fine." Paige sighed. "Well, for starters, I am thankful for your presence in my life Danielle York. Just when I thought I had no one, these past few months you've reminded me that I could always count on you." She smiled faintly. "But I have to contradict what you just said about change. Because I am thankful that your presence reminded me as well that sometimes change can be a good thing too." Paige said as she took a sip from her glass of apple cider and studied Dani thoughtfully.

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"Hands down, best non-date Valentine's date ever." Dani said, laughing hysterically as she and Paige enter the apartment they were staying at in the Hamptons.

Paige shook her head wryly and supported Dani as they made their way to the couch. "I think somebody ate too many liquor-filled chocolates tonight." Paige teased. "You should have stopped at one. I didn't know you had such a low tolerance for alcohol." She said slightly amused as she gingerly lowered Dani on the couch.

Dani looked up at her best friend and grinned. "Those were delicious. Best part of the night!" Dani exclaimed, raising her right hand for a high five from Paige.

Paige rolled her eyes and ignored Dani's hand, gently pushing her best friend to settle on the couch instead. She didn't have the strength to carry Dani to bed. She went to their room to get a pillow and a comforter and returned to see Dani lying on her side with her eyes closed, facing the hearth. She carefully lifted Dani's head off the armrest to slip the pillow underneath her head, and then unfolded the comforter to cover Dani's body, gently brushing a few strands of hair that made its way to Dani's face. She watched as the fire from the hearth played across Dani's features and felt her heart skip a beat. It's been a while since she felt that way. She was distracted when she heard Dani speak sleepily without opening her eyes.

"I'm sorry you're in so much pain right now Paige. I wish I could do something to make you smile again." Dani said softly before finally falling asleep.

Paige was touched by Dani's words and felt herself smile. She sat on one of the couches and decided to watch her best friend for a while longer. "Don't worry so much about me Dani. I'm getting there." She whispered sincerely.

---

Emily was almost done chopping the onions for the risotto she was going to cook when she was distracted by someone's urgent knocking on the front door. "Just a sec!" She shouted as she put down the knife on the cutting board and quickly washed her hands on the kitchen sink before checking to see who it was.

She peered on the eyehole before opening the door and tried to hide the surprise in her voice. "Tara." Emily said, staring in confusion at the girl standing on her porch.

Tara looked at her sheepishly. "Heeey Emily. Listen, I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now but I kinda really need your help." She said hesitantly.

"About?" Emily asked, still confused.

"Food. Cooking. Food and cooking." Tara explained, seemingly embarrassed about the whole idea. "I remember in one of our conversations you said you took lessons for Paige a few years ago... and then you showed me this book you had of recipes…" She began, trying to jog Emily's memory.

Recollection finally dawned on Emily's features. "The one that was released for a limited edition my mom gave me after she got the author to sign it. Yeah. You said you wanted to try cooking some of the recipes in there someday." She said, remembering their conversation.

Tara gave her a relieved smile. "Good. You remembered. So. Yeah. That's why I'm here. I was kinda wondering if I could borrow it today? I promise I'll return it the day after tomorrow." She said hurriedly. "It's just I can't find anything decent on the internet especially when I don't even know what to look for and I really need to prepare something awesome." Tara admitted nervously.

"For?" Emily asked, intrigued.

Tara rolled her eyes. "Remember my family? The parents who practically fawn all over my sister just for breathing while I can't seem to impress them no matter what I do?" She asked resignedly.

"They're coming over?" Emily asked, surprised. She knew how much that meant to Tara.

Tara nodded. "Yeah. I, well my sister actually, finally convinced them to visit tomorrow so I want dinner to go really well." She said, fidgeting with her hands nervously. "So can you help me? Please?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, come on in." Emily answered, finally opening the door wider to let Tara in. "What's the occasion anyway?" She asked as she led the way towards the kitchen.

Tara chuckled in amusement, making Emily look at her in confusion. "I'm sorry." She said, the amusement still evident in her voice. "I don't know which is sadder, that you know that the only reason my parents are coming to see me is that there's an occasion or that you're right." She said, giving Emily a small smile as she fell into step beside the girl. "My sister got engaged." Tara finally answered.

"Your sister's getting married?" Emily said in surprise as she and Tara enter the kitchen.

"Yep. The guy finally popped the question and my sister thought it would be a good opportunity for me and my parents to spend time so she convinced them to come over instead of eating out to celebrate." Tara said as she sat on one of the chairs around the kitchen table.

"Wow." Emily said, taking the news in.

"I know. That's why I'm seriously freaking out right now. I want dinner to go well for my sister." Tara admitted. "So please tell me I can borrow the book?" She pleaded.

"Actually, I'm using it right now." Emily said, lifting the book to show it to Tara.

"Oh." Tara said, disappointed.

"But you can borrow it after." Emily hurriedly assured her, making Tara sigh in relief. "Although you might have to wait." She added.

Tara shook her head dismissively. "I don't mind waiting for it." She said honestly. "But are you sure you won't mind if I stuck around, watched you cook, maybe pick up a few tips? 'Cause if not I could just come back for it later." Tara offered.

Emily shook her head. "It's fine." She said reassuringly.

Tara smiled. "Okay. I guess I'll just wait right here for the book." She said as Emily resumed chopping the onions in front of her. "Hey. Maybe I could just copy the ones I need. I'll read to you the names of the recipes in the book and you tell me if it's good. If it is then I'll copy it. That way I won't have to borrow the entire thing and it'll help me pass the time instead." She suggested.

Emily transferred the chopped onions in a bowl before looking at her. "Are you sure? I really don't mind lending it to you." She said as she rinsed the knife and cutting board.

"Yeah but what am I supposed to do while you cook?" Tara asked distractedly as she played with a wooden spatula. "Come on. It's fine. Show me where I can get a pen and paper." She volunteered.

"Tara you don't need to copy everything. If you really want to have a rough draft of a menu now, just read to me the names and if it's good list the name of the recipe. You can take the book with you and find the recipe later." Emily advised as she started to prepare the mushrooms.

Tara dropped the spatula and stood up. "Okay then, I'll just make a list on my phone. What are you making anyway?" She asked as she moved to take out her phone from the front pocket of her jeans.

"Wild mushroom risotto." Emily answered as she checked for something in the cookbook.

Tara immediately sat down again, suddenly forgetting what she was about to do. "Ooh, I've always wanted to learn how to make one of those. Can I help?" She asked eagerly.

Emily looked up at her in mild surprise. "Sure. Here. You can chop these." She said as she slid the knife and the cutting board with the wild mushrooms on it.

Tara carefully took the knife from Emily and began chopping. She cleared her throat after a beat. "Uh, listen, since I'm here, I want to apologize. About the whole parking lot incident." She began, stopping what she was doing to meet Emily's gaze. "It's been a while since I talked to you so I never had the chance to apologize properly. Kinda want to do that face to face rather than texting or calling. You have to know I will never breathe a word of the kiss to anyone." Tara said pleadingly.

Emily shook her head. "It's okay. Apology accepted. I told Paige about everything yesterday so; you don't have to keep worrying about breaking your promise. You're off the hook." She said as she began perusing the cookbook.

"Oh. How'd it go?" Tara asked, concerned.

Emily sighed. "She was angry of course; there was some yelling, some crying, in the end even if we talked about everything we officially broke up." Emily admitted, feeling herself starting to tear up. She bit her lower lip. She was trying so hard not to think about their breakup all day.

Tara tried catching Emily's eyes but she wouldn't look at her. "But you guys are still talking right? Trying to get back to being friends and all that?" She asked gently.

"Paige and I never really hit it off with the whole just being friends thing." Emily reluctantly admitted, finally looking at Tara. "I mean, we said we were because we're not more. And for a while we tried but then something would happen and it would make us realize that we're not..." She said, unable to finish her train of thought.

"So basically the feelings got in the way." Once again, Tara summarized perfectly everything Emily just said.

Emily nodded her head. "Yeah. But now that she's trying to figure things out with Dani, I don't know, maybe we could try. I still want to be a part of her life." She confessed.

"Wow. That sounds extremely mature of you." Tara said, impressed. "One question though. Who's Dani?" She asked curiously.

Emily heaved a sigh. "Her best friend. Probably her girlfriend as of last night." She said as she resumed looking at the recipes on the cookbook.

"Well that must suck for you." Tara stated, starting to chop the mushrooms once again. "I mean it's hard enough having to compete for someone's affections. But add to that a history between the person you're in love with and the person you're competing with and there's bound to be some serious heartbreak."

Ouch. Tara always managed to put into words what Emily couldn't. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. Emily closed the cookbook and looked at Tara. "We don't really have to talk about what happened with Paige. I mean, you and I dated briefly and the reason we broke up is because of my feelings for Paige. So we don't really have to do this." She said, hoping Tara will take the hint.

Tara shrugged. "It's fine. I unknowingly steered the conversation to that when I apologized for the parking lot thing. But yeah, I'm all for talking about other less depressing stuff." She agreed, finally looking at her. "And don't worry; I'm not going to ask if we can get back together. My reason for coming over remains the same. I'm just here for the cookbook." She stated.

"And the mushrooms." Emily reminded her, gesturing at the chopping board.

Tara took a look at what she has done so far and felt herself getting embarrassed. "Yeah. About that. I'm so sorry. I forgot to tell you that I have like, zero knife skills." She said, cringing.

Emily smiled consolingly. "It's not that bad. Here let me show you." She said, taking the knife and cutting board.

Tara watched as Emily chopped the mushrooms effortlessly. "Showoff." She said lightly, rolling her eyes. "You're making me rethink about taking cooking lessons someday. Almost. My family will just have to deal with unevenly cut food tomorrow night." She stated, taking the cookbook and starting to look at the recipes herself.

"I'm terrified for your family." Emily said, mock seriously.

"What?" Tara said, refusing to make a big deal out of her lack of culinary skills. "It's going to taste good once they close their eyes when they eat it. Kinda like one of those dining in the dark restaurants." She said dismissively.

"Tara, if that's the only way you can make them eat your food you need a crash course in knife skills." Emily said, shaking her head.

"Nah, I'll try to learn what I can tonight and maybe until tomorrow morning after I decide what to cook for them." Tara said nonchalantly. "But I'm really just doing this for my sister and she knows I'm no chef so no pressure there. I just want to make sure the night goes well for her."

Emily studied Tara for a moment. "You know, I almost forgot why I liked hanging out with you." She admitted as she transferred the mushrooms in a bowl.

"Liked? First of all, ouch." Tara said, giving Emily a smirk. "But I can't say I blame you though. I think you liked spending time with me up until I kissed you on your front porch on your birthday." She guessed.

"Yeah, before that." Emily admitted. "You never cared how people saw you. You just did your own thing."

Tara waved her hand dismissively. "You know, for some people, like my parents, they actually tell me I'm an underachiever because of that. But I figured this is me, deal with it. I don't aim to please. Not trying to impress other people gets a load off my back. I'm fine with the way I am. So I guess because I saw myself that way, when it came to other people, I'm fine with who they are as well. No need to change for me or anything." She said, smiling at Emily.

"I know. I think that's one of the reasons why I started spending time with you. It's easier." Emily said, turning on the stove and pouring olive oil into the pan.

"Even when you and I hung out in secret?" Tara asked, handing the wooden spatula to Emily.

Emily took it and gave her an apologetic look. "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that."

"Come on. That's in the past. It's cool." Tara said reassuringly. "Like I said, I got why you didn't want anyone to know. And besides, you introduced me to your friends eventually and that meant a lot to me. I know it may not seem like it but we are still friends Emily. We can still hang out if it gets too much for you again, even if it's in secret. And if you ever need a favor, just ask." She said sincerely.

Emily gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks but right now I think you're the one who needs a favor. Those mushrooms look like road kill." She said, pointing at the mushrooms Tara tried chopping.

"What? What happened to it's not that bad?" Tara asked incredulously. "That's it, I'm buying takeout for them tomorrow night." She said, resigned.

Emily grinned. "I'm kidding. Maybe." She teased, earning a look of mock indignation from Tara. "Remind me to teach you a few simple knife skills after I finish this risotto."

Tara breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Oh thank god. You're such a lifesaver. I owe you big time."

"Actually I think your family owes me." Emily said as she sautéed the onions and mushrooms.

"I will them that. Maybe they can send you a card for Christmas." Tara said as she handed the white wine and rice to Emily.

"That's fine. Just make sure there's cash inside." Emily said jokingly.

"Deal. You get the cash, I get the card." Tara said nonchalantly, nodding her head.

"Are they really that awful to you?" Emily asked gently, the light mood in the room suddenly gone.

"Worse." Tara admitted. "I feel like I'm adopted. It's like they don't see me. My sister's the perfect one and I'm just the shadow. If she shines too bright I practically don't exist." She said, trying to give Emily a small smile.

"Then I think it's big of you to take the high road and that you don't blame your sister for how they've always treated you." Emily said sincerely.

"Are you kidding? I love her. It's not her fault my parents favor her over me. She really is awesome. I don't have any grudges against her." Tara said frankly. "But back then, before I stopped trying, there wasn't a moment that I wished my parents could see that I'm awesome in my own way too." She admitted sadly.

"Is that why you stopped trying for everyone else?" Emily asked gently.

Tara nodded her head. "Yeah. I know it's weird. Some people feel the need to change just to be worthy of other people's affections. But not me. After some time you get tired of trying especially when someone makes you feel that you're good enough the way you are. That's what my sister did for me. She made me realize that not everyone sees me as a failure. So I figured if someone can accept me the way I am, then that's the person I want to be around with." She said firmly.

"I don't think I can do that. Stop trying." Emily admitted.

Tara shrugged. "It's not too late to try. You just have to want it more than wanting to change for others." She said offhandedly as she went back to looking at the recipes in the book once again.

---

Paige concentrated as she ran her usual course in the woods, the rhythmic pounding of her feet on the ground the only noise she heard aside from her breathing. She was setting a new record. She could feel it. She rounded a corner and leapt over a root protruding from one of the trees, the ruggedness of the trail committed to memory. There was another root a few meters ahead. It was tricky. If she didn't leap at the right moment, her foot would be caught underneath it. She focused intently. Not long now. There. She was about to leap when she heard a lyrical laughter somewhere in the woods, making her take her eyes off the trail in an effort to see where the sound came from. The next thing she knew, she was flying in the air, landing face down on the dirt. She missed the leap. She turned over on her back, the movement causing her head to pound and her entire body to ache. She touched the side of her head and felt something wet. She was bleeding. She tried to sit up but was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea. She couldn't get up. She tried to open her mouth to call for help but she was too weak.

Just when she thought she was going to lose consciousness, she saw someone approach her. The girl had long, raven-black hair and when she moved to gingerly cradle Paige's head, Paige felt the girl's silken hair barely brush against her face. She looked at the girl's face and saw the worry etched on it. She took a deep breath and instantly smelled vanilla and strawberry. She knew things were bad, but she felt comforted. She wanted to reach out and touch the girl, fearing she was dreaming. She lifted her hand to see if the girl was real but at the last minute she caught herself and instead touched her head once again. She suddenly felt embarrassed. She knew she was bleeding all over the raven-haired beauty above her.

Suddenly, she was made aware that they weren't alone. Her friends came over to see what happened and the girl asked them to get help. They left except for a blonde girl. The girl was looking at her with open disgust and she felt ashamed because she could tell that somehow the girl knew. She didn't know how but the girl knew Paige was falling in love with the stunning girl staring at her worriedly. Paige tried to apologize but she still didn't have the energy to talk. She was fast losing consciousness but knowing the girl was there made it seem like everything was going to be fine.

Before she lost consciousness she heard the blonde girl call the raven-haired girl by her name. "She's bleeding all over you Emily. That's so gross. Such a klutz." Emily. Paige grew up thinking the world is an ugly place. Never thinking or seeing things as beautiful. But in that moment, she finally saw something wonderful. Emily took her breath away. She finally succumbed to the darkness that overcame her but not before feeling terrified that she found the one she wanted to be with, knowing when she woke up, she would have to search for her all over again.

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Paige emerged from the table where the drinks were lined up, breathing a huge sigh of relief when she escaped the huge crowd cramming to get their drinks as well. She held the cup of beer in one hand, careful not to spill the drink she painstakingly poured just moments ago. She was on her way to the living room when she saw a glimpse of Emily making her way to the table she just came from. Without a second thought, she went to the kitchen sink and inconspicuously poured the drink down the drain before throwing away the cup in the nearest wastebasket. She took a deep breath and made her way to the table once again, standing beside Emily.

"Paige!" Emily said, smiling at her warmly.

Paige felt her heart pounding wildly and she smiled back. "Fancy meeting you here." She said in an attempt to make a joke. So far, so good.

Emily looked at her quizzically. "Wow. You must be really thirsty." She said, smiling teasingly.

"What makes you say that?" Paige asked, confused.

Emily smiled widely. "I just saw you emerge with a drink on your hand and now you're back for seconds. Either you're really thirsty or really clumsy. Which is it?" She asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Paige felt herself getting flustered. Emily saw her. Kill me now. "Uh, really thirsty." She said, lying through her teeth.

Emily giggled while shaking her head. "You know." She whispered conspiratorially, forcing Paige to move closer to her so that she could hear what Emily had to say. Paige swore Emily could hear the hammering of her heart and was grateful Emily didn't say anything about it.

"You don't have to waste beer just to have an excuse to talk to me." Emily said, smiling at Paige once again before pulling away from her slightly, licking her lips while tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Ugh, you are going to be the death of me. Why do you have to be so freaking hot? This is so not fair. Paige found Emily's actions so sexy she swallowed hard and tucked her hands on the front pocket of her jeans, scared that she might reach out and kiss Emily right there and then.

Say something. "Busted." Paige said, finally admitting defeat. "I just wasn't sure you wanted to talk to me after that whole Samara thing." She said quietly.

Emily shook her head dismissively. "That's all in the past." She said as they moved nearer the drinks. "So, are you having fun?" Emily asked, smiling earnestly.

I am now. Paige nodded her head. "Yeah. Thanks for inviting me." She said as they saw an opening near the table and they each grabbed a cup, filling it with beer.

"Are you kidding me? This party is for the swim team. It was because of you that we won." Emily said as they started to make their way to a corner of the room.

"Nah. Team effort all the way." Paige said, refusing to take credit for their team's win.

"So I gotta ask. Why aren't you mingling?" Emily asked curiously.

Paige threw the question back at her. "Why aren't you?" She asked, amused.

"What are you talking about?" Emily asked, smiling shyly at her. "I'm mingling with you."

Please tell me this isn't a dream. Paige grinned. "And I with you. So far it's been a blast." Paige said, not quite believing what was happening right then. Are we flirting?

Emily shook her head and laughed. "Thanks for coming." She said sincerely.

Well I really wanted to see you so… "Not a big deal. Team spirit right?" Paige said offhandedly, trying to appear relaxed.

"Yeah, but nobody likes a wallflower at these kinds of things." Emily said, watching Paige as she took a sip of her drink.

"I'm not really into the whole trying to make conversation stuff. Dani's the only one I'm good with that. And you." Paige admitted.

"Who's Dani?" Emily asked curiously.

"She's my best friend." Paige said, looking around. Dani was supposed to come to the party as her plus one but she was running late. She scanned the crowd and her eyes fell on Maya who was shooting death glares her way. Emily's girlfriend. She cleared her throat before speaking. "You know, I'm pretty sure the host at these kinds of things should circulate and so far I've been monopolizing you." She said to Emily, not wanting to cause trouble between her and Maya.

Emily shrugged. "I don't mind. I've circulated enough." She said, turning her back to Maya completely and facing Paige. An action which only fueled Maya's glares. Not good.

"Still, it wouldn't hurt if you circulated so your girlfriend right over there would stop trying to make my head explode just by sheer will." Paige finally admitted.

Emily looked at Maya briefly and gave her a small wave before turning to face Paige once again. "Maya's cool with us being friends." She said, completely oblivious to the glares Maya were sending her way again.

I'm going to regret this later. And by later I mean now. "Maybe so, but we shouldn't push it. Go on, circulate!" Paige said, hiding the disappointment of having to end their time together.

Emily rolled her eyes and laughed again, her eyes twinkling. "Fine! But mark my words McCullers, sooner or later I'll find my way back to you again." She said before disappearing into the crowd.

Paige smiled to herself. "I'll be waiting." She whispered softly.

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"Hey dad. Mind if I ask you something?" Paige asked as she and her father were docking the boat, her eyes falling on the boat's name.

"Shoot." Nick said as he straightened up, looking at his daughter.

"Kismet. What does it mean?" Paige asked, nodding her head towards the name.

"Well, it means fate or destiny." Nick said as he moved to stand beside his daughter. "I thought of it when I met your mom."

"So how did you know she's the one?" Paige asked, lost in her own thoughts.

Nick smiled. "For me it was when everything went wrong on our first date." He answered, shaking his head. "I've been meaning to ask out your mom but I didn't have the courage to do so. When I finally did and she said yes I promised myself I would make sure the night would be perfect. But unfortunately everything was ruined. My car overheated, there was no cell service, then it started raining and before you start thinking it's romantic, no, it wasn't because it wasn't just a drizzle. It was a massive downpour." He said, chuckling. "And then I forgot the keys inside the car so we couldn't get in. I thought I ruined my one chance but then your mom started laughing and thanked me saying that moment was perfect. She admitted that she loved those scenes in the movies where people in love get caught in the rain and said that night I made it come true." He laughed at the memory. "It was that second that I believed in such a thing. That the universe conspired to bring us together in that moment. That moment when everything was going wrong but you know you're with the one who made everything feel right." He looked at Paige and smiled. "How did you know?"

"Wha- what?" Paige stammered, extremely flustered, knowing her cheeks were turning red.

"That Emily's the one." Her father asked encouragingly.

"Uh, summer of 8th grade. I was running in the woods when I was distracted by her laugh and I tripped and fell. The next thing I know she was cradling my head on her lap and I was bleeding all over her." Paige said, smiling as well. "I knew I should have felt terrified because I was bleeding but she was there and somehow that thought comforted me."

Nick nodded thoughtfully. "For some people, they believe that there is no "one". That you choose to be with someone and eventually they become "the one". But for others, the hopeless romantics like me and you." Nick smiled quickly. "They choose to believe that such a person exists. And sometimes, no matter how long it takes, they still choose to search for them. Still, some people go through life never meeting "the one". Few people do. Like me and your mom. And you and Emily." He said quietly. "We are lucky to have found them. But you are even luckier that you met her so soon." He threw the keys of the boat to her. "She's yours." He said as he nodded to the direction of the boat.

"Really?" Paige asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah. It's time. Happy Birthday honey." Nick said as he hugged his daughter tightly. "I'm glad you found her." He whispered sincerely.

Paige hugged her father back tightly. "Thanks." She said when they broke apart. "I'll take good care of her." She promised.

Nick nodded, knowing Paige wasn't just talking about the boat. "There's something you should understand though. I know how much you love Emily and sometimes you think I don't notice it but I can see you feel guilty about it." He began. "So I want to say this to you. Finding the one doesn't mean your love for us will diminish. It just means you found someone you love more than us. And I want you to remember that we will always love you. It doesn't change anything. We understand because we were there once too."

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"What are you doing?" Nick's curious voice behind her startled Paige, making her lose her balance and accidentally stoop on both knees. She cringed at the pain.

"Nothing." She said, mumbling as she got up and rubbed her knees, her cheeks turning bright red.

"That wasn't nothing. I just saw you proposing to the couch." Nick said as he approached his daughter. "I thought Emily was the one?" He asked teasingly.

Paige rolled her eyes as she sat on the couch. "I was practicing." She finally admitted, embarrassed.

"Paige, if you're embarrassed about taking this huge step in your relationship then you shouldn't be doing it." He said as he sat down beside Paige.

"I'm not embarrassed." Paige said hurriedly. "I'm just, I don't exactly have friends I can talk to about this and you and mom, well mom, she loves Emily but you…" Paige let the sentence hang.

"I love you. And I'm not blind. Since you've been with Emily you've become a better person. She inspires you to be one. And she makes you happy. That is all I want for you." He said reassuringly. "And Paige, it's hard not to love the girl who makes your daughter want to try. So come on, talk to me." Nick said, facing his daughter and nodding encouragingly.

Paige took a deep breath. "Well I've been meaning to talk to you and mom about it actually." She admitted. "I know we're still young and we still have a few years before we graduate from college, but I'm ready to take the next step with her. I love her so much, dad and I can't wait to start forever with her. She's everything that is good and beautiful in this world and she makes me want to try. When all of my dreams come true, she's the one I want to share it with and when everything falls apart she's the one I want to come home to. She's everything." Paige said earnestly.

Nick beamed at his daughter supportively. "Well you've convinced me. But what about her parents?" Nick inquired. "You can't ask Emily to marry you without getting her parents' blessing as well."

Paige nodded. "I know. I'm going to talk to her mom later and then I have a flight to catch in the afternoon." She admitted.

Nick shook his head, smiling at his daughter. "Then I guess you have the in-laws covered. Let's see the ring." He said, one hand outstretched.

"What?" Paige asked, slightly surprised.

"The ring. You have a ring right? You can't propose without one." Nick said, his hand still outstretched.

"Yeah." Paige said as she reluctantly produced a box from her pocket.

"To my constant." Nick read out loud the inscription Paige had etched.

"She's the only thing I am certain of in my life, dad. So I'm hoping she'll say yes." Paige said humbly.

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"Paige. What a nice surprise. Emily isn't here." Pam Fields said as she opened the door on Paige's second knock.

"I know Mrs. Fields. I actually came here to talk to you." Paige said nervously. "Here. These are for you." She said, handing her the daisies she bought before she came over.

Pam smiled at her warmly before taking it. "Thank you. You never forget. Well come on in. What is it you want to talk to me about?" She asked as she made her way to the kitchen, looking for the vase she always used when Paige brought her flowers.

"Uh, it's about Emily actually." Paige admitted.

"What about her?" Pam asked as she turned her attention to Paige once again.

Paige took a deep breath and got the box out of her jacket pocket, opening it before putting it on the countertop.

"Oh." Pam said, genuinely surprised.

"I love her so much and she's the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know we have this whole life ahead of us and that we are still young. That you want a lot of things for her in this life and Emily has dreams she wants to achieve. I promise she will fulfill those dreams. I will help her. I will support her. Emily brings out the best in me and accepts me at my worst. So please give me your blessing because I am ready to commit myself to her." Paige said solemnly.

"What did her dad say?" Pam asked as she took the box to study the ring.

"I, uh, actually have a flight to catch this afternoon. I'm going to talk to him as soon as I leave here." Paige admitted.

"And your parents? What did they say?" Pam asked, looking at Paige thoughtfully.

"I talked to them before I came over and they support me on my decision." She said confidently.

Pam finally gave her a smile. "You already had everything planned. Why do I get the feeling that you've been thinking about this for some time now?" She said, finally putting down the box and looking at Paige intently. "How long have you been carrying that ring around?" She asked curiously.

"Since Freshman year." Paige admitted shyly. "I've been so nervous to ask until now."

Pam nodded and closed the box, sliding it over to Paige. "Well you better hurry. You have a plane to catch." She said, smiling widely.

Paige grinned and took the box. "Is that a yes?" She asked, terrified to hope.

"It's a yes." Pam confirmed. "Good luck with my husband though."

"I know. That's why I saved him for last. Em's his little girl so I want to do it right." Paige said seriously.

"You don't have to try so hard. It doesn't take much to see how much you love Emily." Pam said, standing up and hugging Paige tightly. "Welcome to the family."

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Paige forced herself to stop fidgeting as she sat in front of Wayne Fields in the living room of his home in Fort Hood. She felt Emily's dad's eyes on her as he shifted his gaze between Paige and the ring on the box Paige set in front of him.

"Don't you think you're rushing into this thing? I mean, you and Emily haven't been together that long. What's the hurry?" Wayne asked thoughtfully.

Paige swallowed hard before answering his question. She had to convince Emily's father to give his blessing. "I've been in love with your daughter for as long as I could remember and I've always known she's the one." She began. "I know we've had our starts and stops in the past but in spite of all of those times I never stopped believing that we would find our way back to each other again."

She spoke earnestly, looking Emily's father in the eye. "Out of everything that I have ever known, she is the only thing I am certain of in my life. Whatever happens, wherever life takes me, today, tomorrow, years from now, her presence in my life will never change. No words could ever describe how much I love your daughter and I know we're still young. We're still a few years away from graduation and we still have things we want to achieve in life. But I can't imagine anyone else other than Emily who I want beside me every step of the way." Paige said respectfully.

"If she's the only thing you are certain of then you can put off asking her to marry you until you're both stable in every aspect of your lives. You said it yourself. Her presence in your life will never change. Waiting a few more years won't change a thing." Wayne said, leaning back on the couch to study Paige carefully.

Paige smiled slightly. "Ever since I met her, I've been waiting." She admitted softly. "But there comes a moment in one's life that would make them realize that their wait has been over. That the time is finally right. For me, that moment came when Emily landed me in the hospital for food poisoning." She laughed at the look of surprise and confusion on Wayne's face. "I know it sounds weird but when she asked me to make a wish, that was the moment. I realized I couldn't think of any. Not because I stopped dreaming or wanting more for myself, but because she was there and everything else fails in comparison to who was sitting beside me. And more than anything, I realized I want to spend the rest of my life making all of hers come true." She confessed ardently.

She cleared her throat. "Although I promise to give her what she needs, I can't promise that I could give her everything she wants when it comes to material things, but I will always try. I can't promise that it will always be smooth sailing between us because all relationships go through rough patches at some point. But I promise that I will never stop loving her. That she will wake up each morning knowing she is loved, and she would go to bed every night knowing tomorrow she will be loved more than she was that day. I will be her lover, her best friend, her enemy, her confidante. Whatever she needs. I will be her everything." Paige said, taking a deep breath. "You mean everything to Emily so I cannot do this without your blessing. That's why I'm asking. Please let me spend the rest of my life with Emily because I want to make her happy and she inspires me. I love her, and I am ready."

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"How was the trip?" Nick asked as soon as he hugged his daughter at the airport.

Paige smiled widely. "It was good. For a while there I actually thought he would say no. But in the end he gave his blessing." She said as they made their way to the parking lot.

"So when are you going to ask her?" He asked, grinning proudly.

"This afternoon. After we get back from sailing. I have everything planned out." Paige answered as she got into the car, excited to get home to Rosewood. "Where's mom?"

"She wasn't feeling well so I told her to get some rest." Nick said as he started the drive home. "By the way, I have a surprise for you. Actually it's from me and your mom." He said, smiling mysteriously.

"What is it?" Paige asked curiously.

"You'll see when we get there." He answered, not saying anything more so as not to ruin the surprise.

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"Now?" Paige asked for what felt like the hundredth time as she let her father guide her. She touched the blindfold over her eyes gingerly. "This is ridiculous."

"Not long now." Nick said reassuringly beside her as they took a few more steps. "Hey, no peeking." He said teasingly.

"I'm not." Paige said, suddenly nervous about what her father wanted to show her.

"Your mom and I decided to give you and Emily a sort of early engagement slash wedding present. This place is breathtaking at nighttime so it's a good thing that you arrived before the sun is up. But I have to tell you, this place is perfect just as well in the light of day." He said as they finally stopped.

Paige took a deep breath and smelled the cool night air mixed with a hint of saltiness. "Are we at the marina?" Paige asked, confused.

"Close." Nick said, finally taking the blindfold off Paige's eyes.

Paige opened her eyes slowly and took in the view. They were at a bluff, the twinkling lights from below like stars on the ground beneath them and above, the stars from the night sky shining brightly. From a distance she could see as boats navigated the open waters.

"Dad." She said, looking at her father in amazement. "Is this?" Paige asked, not willing to believe her eyes.

"This land is yours." Nick said proudly. "So tell me, when you opened your eyes just now and took everything in, what was your first thought?" He asked eagerly.

Paige grinned, still in shock. "It's breathtaking." She admitted as she took everything in. Almost.

"So who's missing?" Nick asked like he knew what his daughter was thinking.

"Emily." Paige said, saying her name reverently.

"Then go get her." Her father said, kissing her head lightly. "I'm so proud of you honey. You have come a long way."

---

Slowly, Paige opened her eyes and took in the sight before her. It was nighttime. She didn't realize how late it had gotten and before she knew it the land her parents gave her was breathtaking once more. Almost.

"Go get her." She heard her father's voice say.

Paige stood up and dusted the grass off her. She knew where she needed to go. She had always known. Trust was broken. But no one said it can't be restored. She'd rather find a way to restore that trust than walk away from Emily.

It's always been you Em. So please wait for me. Paige thought to herself as she got out her phone. I just have to go somewhere first.

---

"I can't thank you enough Emily. You are saving my family from a culinary disaster. I promise I'll return this the day after tomorrow." Tara said earnestly as she and Emily made their way towards Emily's front door.

"There's no rush Tara. You can just return it when we see each other at work." Emily said reassuringly.

"Okay then. I hope I won't disappoint you with the basic knife skills you taught me today, sensei." Tara said teasingly as she faced Emily, grinning widely as she brought her hands together in front of her and bowed in front of the girl.

Emily shook her head. "Will you stop calling me that?" She asked exasperatedly, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Aha. A smile. Sensei." Tara said again, wanting to make Emily smile.

"Stop it." Emily said, finally rewarding Tara with a grin.

Tara nodded her head, satisfied. "And my work here is almost done." She declared. "Seriously Emily. Thank you. I had a good time. I was just going to borrow this cookbook and I ended up spending the day with a friend. I kinda needed that considering what I'm about to deal with tomorrow. I miss hanging out with you." Tara admitted quietly.

"Me too. To be honest, I think I've been avoiding you because I was waiting until Paige came back so I can tell her about the kiss." Emily confessed. "I didn't want her to see us hanging out before I told her."

"But now that she does, do you still have to avoid me?" Tara asked anxiously.

Emily furrowed her brows. "I don't know. If you're going to embarrass me with your knife skills then yeah, I might have to." She said teasingly.

Tara looked at her in mock disbelief. "Wow. You drive a hard bargain. Fine, I promise I'll make you proud. Maybe I can bring you some leftovers, show you my julienned carrot. I can't promise it will be edible though." She warned.

"What? How can a julienned carrot be inedible?" Emily asked, confused.

"Well I might have to use a marker and ruler to slice it straight." Tara admitted, making Emily laugh.

"Oh my god you're hopeless!" Emily exclaimed. "Just, give me the book back. Never mind the leftovers."

"Come on! Where's your sense of adventure?" Tara asked mischievously.

Emily shook her head, still smiling. "In order to have one I need to be alive don't you think?" She asked as she took out her phone from the front pocket of her jeans.

Tara nodded her head. "Good point." She said as she moved to open the door. Emily wasn't paying her any attention. "Anyway, I better go. The sooner I get home the sooner I can start practicing." Tara said as she stepped outside. Still no reaction. "Okay. I guess I'll see you at work then." She said quietly before making her way towards the dark and empty street, giving up trying to catch Emily's attention.

"Tara wait." Emily said urgently as she caught up to Tara, grabbing the other girl's arm firmly, forcing Tara to turn around and face her with a confused look. "I had a good time too." She began. "You somehow found a way to make me smile again. Something I haven't been able to do since Paige came back. So I know it's sort of out of the blue but I gotta ask. Do you still like me that way?" Emily asked nervously.

Tara furrowed her brows. "That way meaning..." She said, not wanting to get ahead of herself.

"You know." Emily said timidly.

"Oh. Um. Do you want me to lie or something? I mean, what do you want to hear?" Tara asked uncertainly.

"The truth." Emily admitted.

Tara shrugged. "Well, yeah. I still like you that way. Kinda hard not to. But you said no, so... that's that." She said, letting Emily know that she wasn't planning on doing anything about her residual feelings for the other girl.

"But what if I said yes?" Emily suddenly blurted out, surprising the other girl.

Tara swallowed hard. "Uh, okay, what's going on? Are you feeling okay?" She asked, extremely confused.

"Remember that favor you said I could ask?" Emily asked quietly.

"Yeah." Tara answered slowly. "What about it?" She asked nervously.

"You think I could use it now?" Emily asked as she moved closer to Tara.

"For what?" Tara asked, her voice hoarse as she suddenly became aware that they were mere inches away from each other.

"For this." Emily said softly as she brought one hand to Tara's face and cupped it gently before leaning in to kiss her.

For a brief moment, Tara let herself get lost in the kiss before something Emily said made her pull away. A favor. "Whoa, Emily, what's going on?" She asked, hurt. "If this is some kind of joke it's not funny. You know how I feel about you. What changed?"

Before Emily could explain her actions to the devastated girl standing in front of her, she caught a movement behind Tara and she shifted her eyes to see what it was. "Paige." She said, bringing her hand to her mouth.

Tara looked at her in confusion. "No. Tara." She said, pointing to herself.

Emily shook her head, starting to panic. "Paige is here." She said, not bothering to look at the girl standing in front of her as she watched as Paige slowly made her way towards them.

Tara swallowed hard. "Oh." She said, not turning around. "Do you want me to leave?" She asked nervously. "I think I better leave." She decided.

Emily nodded wordlessly, never taking her eyes off Paige.

"Okay. Well, I will see you when you come in for work. Maybe by then you can tell me what just happened." Tara said before giving Emily a weird look. "Goodnight." She said before turning her back to Emily and coming face to face with Paige.

Emily tried to quell the dryness in her mouth and somehow found her voice. "Tara, Paige. Paige, Tara." She said, making the awkward introductions.

Paige ignored the hand Tara extended to her, refusing to take her eyes off Emily. "We've met." She said emotionlessly.

The meaning of those words didn't register to Emily as she looked at Tara, who lowered her hand, embarrassed, and turned to look one last time at Emily. "I guess that's my cue. I'll leave you two alone." She said apologetically before walking past Paige, her retreating back disappearing seconds later down the empty street.

Emily quickly turned her attention back to Paige, her mind racing, trying to find a way to explain what she just saw. "Paige, what are you doing here?" She asked, confused. "You shouldn't be here." Emily said, trying to make it sound like it was Paige's fault that she saw what Emily just did.

Right place, wrong time. Right place, wrong time. Paige stood for a moment before opening her mouth to speak. "What are you doing? Why are you with her? You said it didn't feel right. You said it was a mistake." Paige said, the pain and confusion evident in her voice.

"It was." Emily began. "But it's not that simple." She said, her heart pounding wildly.

"Yes it is." Paige said incredulously. "Either you were lying to me when you said it was a mistake or you weren't. So which is it?" She asked, her voice cracking.

Emily looked down and noticed what Paige was holding in her hand. Paige used to get her different flowers every day that they finally decided to look up the meanings of every flower just so Paige doesn't give her a flower with the wrong connotation. Paige was standing in front of her now, holding a yellow tulip. Hopelessly in love. With a sickening feeling, Emily realized why Paige was there and she couldn't bring herself to look Paige in the eye, knowing she was going to see the heartbreak she was feeling reflected in Paige's eyes. But she forced herself to look up anyway and what she saw in Paige's eyes was beyond the pain she felt. Oh my god.

"Paige…" Emily said, her voice breaking as tears welled from her eyes.