Rooonie I'm glad that you're enjoying the progression of the story. Yeah, Paige is being pretty obvious, too bad that Emily is blind to it, despite her own feelings. I hope you like this next step that this chapter takes. :)

Guest :) They'll both have their moment of being brave and of freaking out.

ren-mccullers Thank you. And I agree, it always seems to be Paige who's fighting her feelings or falling for Emily, and Emily's response is much more lukewarm in comparison. I like the idea of creating a story where they're both equally invested.

jhas I hope you like this chapter then, the "study date" between them. And, Paige's pov, or at least her explanation for her behaviour is coming soon. She'll make a lot more sense once Emily knows what's been going on in her head.

ponderhouse I'm glad you think that. And, it makes me smile, knowing that you do, because I am such a huge of your story Flux, I love getting caught up. And I really enjoyed This Time as well. So, to know that someone who's work I enjoy so much likes my story, it just feels really cool. :) I just love the idea of adorable/dorky Paige, and try to showcase that as often as possible. And, I feel like on the show we never really got a sense of Emily's feelings, so I'm having fun exploring them here. I'm glad you're enjoying her struggle.

Shananigan Thank you. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story and the friendship. :)

saii79 I certainly hope that you find the next chapter interesting. :) Yeah, Paige is definitely adorkable. And oh so obvious, even if Emily can't see it.

Guest Yeah, she is. And, it is a Paily story so...

take-everything-and-more Yeah, she definitely is. I hope that yo enjoy this next chapter then.

Chapter 12

Paige was already at her locker by the time Emily reached it. She had gotten held up after last period by her teacher, who wanted to discuss a point that Emily had made in class. Normally, she wouldn't mind but there was a small part of her that had worried Paige would think she had bailed and leave. So she was relieved to find Paige was still waiting on her, seated cross legged on the floor in front her locker, a text book open up in her lap.

Paige glanced up as Emily leaned against the locker beside her, a broad grin lighting up her features. "Hey."

"Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting. Mrs Rosenthal wanted to chat." The teacher was beloved at their school, but also notoriously long winded.

Paige pulled a face as she snapped her text book closed. "No worries." She shoved her text book into her backpack. "Gave me a chance to get started on the exciting subject of our government's checks and balance system. Exciting stuff," she added as she pushed herself to her feet.

"I'll bet." Emily didn't have goverment until next term but it was a class she was not looking forward to. She knew that it was an important subject, her country's civil liberties and all but she felt like she'd gotten her fill of that through her parents, who dragged her on a number of educational family trips as a kid. Not to mention, the teacher Mr Hasbrook wasn't exactly known for his charisma or charm. She knew that when she got to the class, it was bound to be a series of dry, boring lectures.

"Ready to go? Do you need to stop at your locker or anything?"

Emily shook her head and patted the bag slung over her shoulder. "I'm all set."

"A'right then. Shall we?" She crooked her elbow towards Emily, who laughed and shook her head, but curled her hand around the profferred arm.

The hallway wasn't exactly teeming with students, but it was far from deserted. Paige had to of heard the rumour going around about them by now, yet she didn't show even the slightest bit of hesitancy to be seen, not just walking with Emily but walking arm in arm with her. And, she had been the one to intiate the contact. Emily didn't know what it meant, of if it even meant anything at all but she was still proud of the other girl and pleased that she seemed to be refusing to let herself be scared off.

"I missed you at lunch today." Emily wasn't sure if such an admission would be too much, but she felt like it needed to be said.

"Yeah. I um, had detention."

"What? What did you do?"

Paige ducked her head and mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

Paige cleared her throat but kept her head ducked. "I was late for class two days in a row."

"Paige."

Emily didn't know whether to laugh or to scold her.

"It's no big deal. I spent the period playing poker with Caleb and this guy Trevor from my computer science class."

"That's so not the point," Emily said with a shake of her head. "And, you must be starved."

"I grabbed a muffin from the cafetria between classes."

The amount of energy expent in pratice alone needed more replenishment than a muffin. And that wasn't accounting for whatever else Paige had gotten up to that day. She was pretty sure that the other girl was taking phys ed this semester as well.

"Yeah, but still."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that we're heading to The Grill to pick up dinner then, isn't it? We'll just eat a little sooner rather than later."

There really wasn't arguing with that. Although, Emily vowed not to let Paige be late for class again. As much as she enjoyed hanging with her until the bell rang, she didn't want the other girl to constantly be in trouble for spending that extra time with her.

They made their way out to the parking lot and Paige guided her along the rows to her car, clicking it unlocked with a flick of her wrist and pulling the passenger side door open for Emily, who smiled her thanks as she slid into the seat. Once she was settled, Paige pushed the door shut and circled around the front of the car. Emily couldn't help but watch her as she moved, admiring the casual, easy of her stride. She averted her gaze as Paige popped open the driver's side door, glancing out her window, hoping that Paige hadn't caught her staring. Paige started the car with a flick of her wrist, the radio coming to life along with the engine.

"You can change the station, if you want," Paige said as she eased out the parking space. Emily liked the song that was playing, but she was curious about the other girl's musical tastes so she eagerly took the opportunity to snoop through the channels programmed to her favorites. She wasn't really suprised at the range of selections, a mix of classic rock, 90's alt-rock and a couple of current Billboard hits. As they pulled out of the lot and onto the street she settled on a station and sat back in her seat. She glanced over at Paige and caught her looking back. As soon as their eyes met, Paige cut her gaze away, turning her attention back to the road as she took the corner onto the main street and began making her way through the stop and go traffic that took over the downtown this time of day.

Emily alternaed watching the store fronts creeping by and watching Paige as she concentrated on inching them forward. The sight of Paige behind the wheel of the car slowly held her attention for longer and longer periods of couldn't explain why, but the image was just captivating. Especially when Paige would silently mouth the words along with the song or hum lightly under her breath as she focused on driving. Or, the way her fingers drummed in time with the beat on the console between them. She folded her own hands in her lap, clenching her fingers together to prevent herself from reaching out and taking Paige's.

They didn't talk much on the brief ride through town, but the radio prevented the silence from being awkward, it was actually kind of fun and Emily was a little disapointed when Paige found a parking spot just around the corner from The Grill and pulled off a pretty impressive parallel parking job. She turned the engine off, the radio fading silent just in time for a low growl from Paige's stomach to fill the car.

"Looks like we're just in time," Emily said, laughing at the blush on Paige's cheeks.

"You coming or not?" Paige tried to sound annoyed, but she was smiling too widely for Emily to believe it. She slid from the car and Emily was only a beat behind her. They fell into step as they made their way back around the corner towards The Grill, not arm in arm, but close enough that their hands and shoulders brushed. It was all Emily could do not to turn her hand and clasp Paige's fingers in her own.

They both reached for the door at the same time, but Emily had longer arms and was a step closer, so she gripped the handle first and pulled it open, gesturing Paige ahead of her with a sweep of her arm. Paige smiled her thanks and Emily felt a little thrill of satisfaction at getting the opportunity to perform the minor chivalrous act. Paige had been pulling out chairs and holding open doors for her for a few days now and Emily wasn't sure if it was a manners things or a courting thing. She hadn't really thought of it, until now, but wasn't that something that boys were supposed to do, when they liked a girl? She'd only been out with a few boys, and had only ever had one boyfriend and none of them had ever done those things for her. But, she'd seen her father do that for her mother when they were out together. Of course, her father was a gentleman and unfailingly polite. He held open doors for complete strangers as well. She knew what she wanted it to mean, but just because she wanted it, didn't neccessarily make it true. She wasn't entirely willing to dismiss the notion though.

"So, what are you in the mood for?" She asked as they crowded around a menu board posted on the wall beside the bar. She stepped up slightly behind Paige, pressing against her back and resting her chin on her shoulder as she peered at the restaurant's offerings. She didn't really need to look, she was familiar enough with the menu but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to get close.

"Um..." Paige's breath hitched and Emily grinned to herself, pleased that she seemed to illicit a reaction from the other girl. "I know we're in training and I shouldn't, but I really want a burger. A big, greasy, juicy burger," she said, speaking with her hands, emphasizing her words. "And fries. And a milkshake. And some pie. God, I'd really love a piece of peach pie."

Emily couldn't help but chuckle softly, she found Paige's enthusiasm over such small things adorable. "So, go for it." Paige was already shaking her head before Emily had even finished speaking."Oh, come on. You more than earned it in practice. And you've barely eaten anything all day. You need the calories. And the protein."

Paige snorted softly. "You just want me to be all fat and bloated so I sink instead of swim in pratice tomorrow."

"Would I do a thing like that to you?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Hey!" Emily pinched Paige's side, causing the other girl to squirm away from her, batting at her hand.

"Oh yeah, well, what are you planning on getting for dinner?"

Emily thought that Paige's idea of a burger and fries sounded pretty good, but she made a show of studying the menu. "I don't know. I think the chicken salad sounds-"

"Oh no. If I'm indulging in gluttony tonight, so are you." Paige stepped away from her and up to the bar, where the bartender was leaning, watching them in amusement. "To burgers with fries. And a side order of onion rings. Two milkshakes. One strawberry. The other...vanilla?" she glanced over at Emily, checking to see if her instinct was correct. Emily nodded, surprised that Paige had guessed it right. "And two pieces of-"

"Actually-"

"Hey, if I'm-"

"I'm not skipping out on dessert. I'd just rather have a piece of cheesecake than pie."

Paige arched an eyebrow at her skeptically and Emily did her best to look innocent. After a moment Paige nodded and turned back to the bartender. "One piece of peach pie, one piece of the cheesecake. Thank you."

He turned to relay the order to the kitchen and Emily moved down to the register while he did, pulling her wallet out of her bag. Paige followed suit,but Emily waved her off.

"Dinner's on me."

"Emily."

"You got it last time. It's my turn."

Paige looked like was going to argue, but after a moment she nodded her acquiescence.

"Thank you," Emily said. She had a feeling that agreeing was hard for Paige. Whether she felt like she should be the one paying, or she just didn't like someone else paying her way, Emily couldn't tell. But she suspected that there weren't many people Paige would let treat her.

It didn't take long for their food to be ready and soon enough they were back in Paige's car heading across town to her house. Emily held the take out bags on her lap as Paige drove, and the smell of the onion rings was making her mouth water and her stomach rumble. After a few minutes she couldn't take it anymore, she opened one of the bags and pulled one out, popping it into her mouth with a soft sigh of satisfatction.

"Jeez, Emily. You're killing me here," Paige moaned, her stomach letting out a loud growl, as if to emphasize her words.

"Sorry." Emily fished into the bag once again. "Here." She extended her hand, offering up an onion ring to Paige, who glanced away from the road long enough to lean over and snatch it neatly from her fingers with her teeth.

"Mmmm," she let out a low groan of appreciation that stirred up a faint heat low in Emily's abdomen. "Thanks, Em."

Emily had to clear her throat before she could answer, barely managing a mumbled "no problem."

"Well, here we are. Welcome to my humble home."

Emily had been so distracted by Paige's nearly pornographic appreciate of her food that she hadn't noticed they'd turned off the main road and entered one of the older residental areas. She glanced out through the windshield and let out a soft snort.

"There is nothing humble about your home, McCullers," she said, shaking her head as she took in the sprawling dwelling before her. It wasn't quite a mansion, but it was pretty damn close. "What word would mean the exact opposite? Extravagant? Opulent?"

Paige just shrugged as she pushed open her door and slid out of the car. Emily grabbed the take out bags in one hand and followed suit.

"My parents made some pretty shrewd investments," Paige explained as they made their way up the walkway. "The place is big. Impressive, for sure. But honestly, I like your place better. It feels like a home, y'know? This place just feels like a showroom where my dad wines and dines clients and my mom lords it over her garden club cronies."

Emily didn't really know what to say to that, so she just reached out and squeezed Paige's shoulder as the other girl unlocked the door and let them in. Paige paused for a moment at the touch before ducking her head and reaching up to squeeze Emily's fingers lightly. The contact was fleeting however, almost as soon as it was intiated, it was gone and Paige was stepping away, into the house.

"So, welcome. I think the place is pretty self-explanitory. Entryway. Stairway. Living room. Dining room. Kitchen's through here." As far as tours went, Paige's was pretty half-assed, but it's not like Emily really needed to see every room in the place. She was more than happy to follow Paige down the short hallway and into the large, sterile looking kitchen. It was clear from the pristine condition of the table and countertops, the lack of smudges on the stainless steel fridge and the stack of take out menus on the corkboard above the dishwasher that it wasn't a well-used room.

"So, I was thinking we could eat, maybe watch a movie or something and then study?" Paige suggested as took the takeout bags from Emily's hand and began unloading them onto the counter.

"Sounds good." Emily was agreeable to just about anything that Paige could suggest. Especially when her suggestions fell more into the "date" realm of study date.

"My mom's a little weird about food in the living room," Paige continued as she pulled two plates down from the cupboard and then slid along the counter to grab utensils. "But, we can eat in the rec-room. It's not quite as stuffy as the front rooms. And, the tv in there is bigger."

"Whatever you think is best," Emily said as she made her way across the room to the fridge, where she pulled out condiments for their burgers and fries. Soon they had everything they needed spread out across the counter. They worked together side by side, passing condiments back and forth, a faint tingle shooting down Emily's arm every time their fingers brushed or their shoulders bumped.

"You know, relish is reduntant, right?" Emily asked as she passed Paige the jar when she asked for it. "You already have pickles on your burger."

Instead of responding, Paige scooped out a large portion with her knife and spread it across the surface of her burger. Emily rolled her eyes.

"Mayonnaise, really?" Paige quirked an eyebrow at Emily as she slathered a generous helping over her burger before reaching for the ketchup.

"Says the girl who just piled her burger high with onion rings-"

"Hey, you have onions on yours. What's wrong with adding a little crunch?"

"Nothing, until you also added ranch salad dressing. That's disgusting."

"It's way better than you'd think. You should try it."

Emily shook her head, pulling a face. "No, thank you."

"Come on, just one bite."

Emily eyed the burger, which was slathered in ketchup mustard an relish then topped with tomatoes, pickles and onion rings, with a healthy dose of salad dressing covering everything. Paige placed the bun on top and pressed down, squishing it into place and then held it up towards Emily, waving it in front of her face in an effort to tempt her with it.

"You'll love it. I promise."

Emily shook her head. "No way."

"Yes, way. I guarantee, one bit of this and it'll ruin all other burgers for you. Forever."

"Yeah, because I'll never be able to eat another burger again."

She watched the smile fade from from Paige's lips and she felt a pang of guilt. Saying no to Paige when she was all excited and enthused was like kicking a puppy or smacking a baby. It was those eyes, deep dark pools that shone with whatever Paige was feeling. And watching the amusement spark out of them was heartbreaking.

"Okay. Fine. One bite. And only if you promise to try mine."

Paige rolled her eyes but the grin on her face was back. "Deal."

Instead of handing Emily the burger she held it up to her lips. Emily craned her neck forward and took a small, tentative bite then chewed contemplatively. The sweetness of the relish was a stark contrast to the tang of the salad dressing and the crunch of the onion ring's coating was an odd counterpoint to the soft, juicy burger and the flakiness of the bun but oddly it worked. She licked her lips, clearing away a few crumbs and then glanced up into Paige's wide, watchful eyes. She knew the other girl was awaiting her verdict, so she paused, drawing out her silence until Paige was practically vibrating in front of her, expectation written all over her features.

"It wasn't bad."

Paige frowned at her, unimpressed.

"Okay. It was pretty good."

"Yes." Paige fist pumped and did an adorable little happy dance.

"Uh-huh." Emily struggled to keep her face impassive as she watched, though it was really hard not to break out into smiles, or laughter. "You're turn, McCullers." She reached behind her for her own burger and copied what Paige had done, hodling her burger up for the other girl to take a bite. Paige's hands came up, hovering lightly against Emily's knuckles as she took a bite. Her bottom lip grazed the tip of Emily's finger and it sent a shiver coursing through her. She had to bite on her own bottom lip to hold back a whimper.

Paige closed her eyes, concentrating as she chewed, and Emily took the rare opportunity to just stare at her, unencumbered. Her eyelids fluttered open and Emily cut her gaze away, glancing towards the counter as she placed the burger back on her plate and then back to Paige's face.

"So?"

"Meh." Paige shrugged one shoulder and reached for her milkshake, taking a long pull. Emily tried not to watch her lips close around the straw.

"What?"

"What can I say, even with the mayonnaise, it was kind of bland."

"Whatever, McCullers. Clearly you have no taste."

Paige smirked at her around her straw and reached for her plate. Without responding she turned and strode away, leaving Emily to gather up her plate and drink and follow after her.

Paige led the way down a short hallway off the kitchen and down a couple of steps into the rec-room. Unlike the rest of the rooms, which had been large and airy, this one was was small and dim, dark wood and small, high-windows giving it a slightly claustrophobic feeling. The furniture looked worn, and had a bit of an eighties vibe to it, but it looked warm and cozy. The tv, though not a flat-screen, was huge.

"This used to be my playroom when I was a kid. My mom hated me making a mess of my room And it's at the back of the house, so I could pretty much be as loud as I wanted without disturbing my dad in his office or my mom and her friends."

"I had a room in the basement just like that," Emily said as they made their way over and settled on the small sofa facing the tv. "My dad kind of took it over once I outgrew my toys though. It's his man-cave now."

"I think my dad's office is that for him. Neither my mom or I ever really go in there. And it's where he shuts himself up when he's had a rough day at work or just needs some time to himself. He's not really one for electronics or power-tools but he's got an impressive library, even if most of his books are on the subject of the civil and revolutionary wars. And finance. He's got a lot of books about making money and investing money."

"Sounds thrilling."

"Oh, yeah, a bundle of joy." Paige rolled her eyes and reached forward, grabbing the remote up off the coffee table, nearly upsetting her plate on her lap in the process.

"Careful." Emily reached out and grabbed it just in time, saving Paige's dinner from spilling onto the carpet. "Don't want to knock that over. Then, we'd have to share my burger, and I know that's just not up to the McCuller's culinary standard."

"Ha-ha. You're a funny girl. So, this movie isn't strictly a zombie movie, but I think you'll find that it very much embodies the spirit of the genre." Paige settled back in her seat, getting comfortable against the overstuffed couch cushions.

"Sounds good," Emily said, following suit. Honestly, she didn't really care what they watched, she was just happy to be here, with Paige, having this opportunity to spend time with her.

She knew that they were going to have to have a serious talk. And, sooner rather than later. But, in this moment that didn't matter. Right now she was content to simply bask in the easy friendship that had developed and how comfortable she felt, sitting beside her, eatching take out and watching a movie.

It wasn't until the credits had started rolling that Emily realized that over the course of the movie, they'd slowly drifted towards each other. They'd started out on opposite ends of the sofa, a spare cushion between them and now they were shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, their legs stretched out onto the coffee table in front of them, pressed together along their length's. Paige's head was resting against Emily's and Emily's foot was hooked around Paige's.

What alarmed Emily, however, was that her hand had somehow found it's way onto Paige's leg and was resting, open, palm down, against her thigh. She snatched her hand away, as if burned and chanced a glance at Paige, hoping that the other girl was still in a post-movie stupor and hadn't noticed. Paige lifted her head from Emily's and flashed her a faint smile.

"So, what did you think of the movie?"

Emily let out a soft sigh of relief and tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. "Defintely going onto my list of favorites."

Paige beamed happily at her and then stood, stretching with a low groan. Emily averted her gaze, but peeked a glance from beneath her lashes as the other girl's shirt rode up as she extended her arms above her head, flashing an expanse of taut, toned stomach.

"I'm glad you liked it," she said as she gathered up their plates.

Emily rose to help and then followed Paige back to the kitchen to clean up their earlier mess and load their dishes into the dishwasher.

"So, time to hit the books?" Paige asked as she gave the counter one last wipedown and tossed the dishtowel over the faucet.

"Probably be a good idea." Emily had a fair bit of homework to get done that night, plus she'd promised Paige help studying. The only way she'd get through it all was if they started soon.

"Right. If I invite you up to my room to study, is your mom going ot pop out of my front bushes and glare at me?"

"I wouldn't put it past her," Emily said with a laugh. "You know, she almost didn't let me come tonight," she added, not thinking about her words until they'd left her mouth.

"No?"

Even though Paige had been the one to bring the subject up to start with, Emily felt like they shouldn't be talking about it tonight Not like this. She hadn't wanted to get into it. Maybe she was just being chicken, stalling and putting off the ineveitable conversation they needed to have, but she'd been having too much of a good time tonight. And, she didn't think that joking about her mom was the best way to broach the subject anway.

"Yeah. She's still a little weird about the whole me having female friends thing. Even though I told her that nothing was going to happen. That it wasn't like that between us." She decided not to mention that her Mom hadn't believed her and had suggested that Paige might return the feelings she had for her.

"I get it, you know," Paige said, her voice dropping into a monotone. "You don't have to keep bringing it up and rubbing it in."

Emily blinked at her, confused. She wasn't sure what had just happened. Was Paige upset because they were talking about her sexuality? Because she was the one who'd brought it up, inadvertently maybe but she was still the one to broach the subject.

"I know that someone like you would never be interested in me. And I deserve that. I was horrible to you earlier this year. And, I never really did apologize for that and maybe I should have but I just didn't know how to bring it up. I've been trying so hard to make it up to you..."

Paige's words were running together in her rush to get them out and Emily admittedly was having a little trouble processing everything she was saying, she might have missed a phrase or two but she was pretty sure that Paige had just admitted to, or at the very least alluded to, something.

"Wait," she interrupted the other girl. "Are you saying you...Are you...Do you like me?"

Paige's eyes widened and her words died off. She stared at Emily, her expression one of abject horror. She didn't say anything, didn't even nod or shake her head in response.

The lack of reaction was an answer in itself. Or at least, Emily hoped that it was as, heart hammering in her chest, she closed the distance between them and brushed her lips lightly against Paige's.

She kept the kiss brief, chaste, even though she yearned for so much more. After a moment she reluctantly pulled away, only to have her progress halted by the light brush of fingers against her cheek, a caress that became a guiding touch as Paige pulled her gently back in for another kiss.

Paige's lips were soft and pliant against her own, sweet and tasting faintly of strawberries and peaches. The kiss was tentative, unsure but she felt more than heard Paige sigh sofly into it before parting her lips and deeping it.

Emily's head, her whole body, was buzzing and she tried to concentrate, to focus on absorbing everything about this moment just in case she never got another chance. She inhaled sharply through her nose, trying to prolongue the length of time before she'd need to pull away.

Sparks flared across her vision and her lungs burned, the feeling remniscent of straining for that one extra stroke before surfacing to breath.

With a soft gasp they parted, the only sound between them was their harsh, ragged breathing. Emily felt encouraged by the fact that Paige hadn't freaked out, hadn't pulled away. She stood with her eyes clenched shut, hand still cupping Emilly's cheek, their foreheads pressed together, each shaky exhale ghosting across Emily's lips.

After a long moment she pulled her head back, just far enough to look Emily in the eye. "I think we need to talk."

Emily nodded.