Chapter 19
Paige
She felt Emily freeze under her fingertips, her mouth opening slightly as if she'd just had the breath knocked out of her.
"You did?" she gasped.
Paige nodded, fresh tears spilling down her face, this time from relief; happiness. Emily had just told her the impossible had happened; her parents knew she was gay, and they still loved her.
They don't hate me.
"Paige…" Emily whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears, stroking a thumb over Paige's wet cheek as she frowned slightly, obviously having trouble processing the information. "I don't even know what to say."
"You don't need to say anything," she murmured, studying Emily's face. It had been so long since she had been this close to her; too long. She leaned in to brush Emily's lips with her own, unable to wait a moment longer. She felt Emily's hand move to the back of her neck, pulling her in closer, Paige's hand running up and down Emily's arm.
They kissed softly, slowly. Paige's head was spinning, feeling so light that she was surprised she hadn't floated up to the ceiling. She couldn't believe that she was here, in Emily's bed, kissing her after just coming out to her parents. It hadn't quite sunk in yet how huge this actually was, both for herself, and for them.
She felt Emily smiling against her mouth, finally pulling back and looking at her in amazement, laughing. "I'm sorry; it's just- this is incredible."
Paige ran her hand through Emily's hair. "I know." She kissed her again, not ever wanting to go by a minute again without doing so.
Emily's palm rested flat against her cheek, Paige's eyes half-closing at the contact. "I'm so happy for you." Her voice suddenly sounded choked up, full of emotion. Paige caught a tear with her thumb as it leaked from the corner of Emily's eye, Emily pulling her into a hug as she started to cry.
Paige ran a hand over her back in comfort, seeing that this whole drama had obviously taken its toll on her too. "Sorry," Emily sniffed after a few minutes, shifting back to look at her. "This is just a lot to take in. I mean, a few hours ago I thought you were totally done with me, and now-" She exhaled sharply, smearing the tears with the back of her hand.
"What?" Paige asked, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. "Why would you think that?" In what world would she ever be done with Emily?
"'Why?'" Emily said incredulously. "Because I know you saw me, Paige. With Maya." She hiccupped, looking away, ashamed. "And then when you didn't want to talk to me, I thought-"
"Hey." Paige ran a hand over Emily's shoulder, coming to rest on her neck, nudging her nose against Emily's to get her to look back at her. "The only reason I didn't talk to you that day was because I needed to tell my parents first. I wanted to do things- this- right. Actually, the day you asked to talk was the day that I told Aria."
It took Emily a second to register what she'd said, a surprised smile spreading over her lips. "You told Aria too?"
"I guess it was sort of like a trial run," Paige said.
Emily shook her head but looked happier than she had a moment ago. "I don't get it, though. What changed? What made you decide to come out?"
Paige reached down to grasp Emily's hand, intertwining their fingers with a sigh. "Seeing you with Maya killed me, Em." Emily looked away again. "It made me want to gouge my eyes out, but seeing you- it was like a flip was switched in my brain. It made me realise something." Paige waited for Emily to meet her gaze before continuing. "It made me realise that the only thing scarier than coming out was losing you." Her voice cracked, her throat closing up.
Emily gave her such a warm look that Paige could feel it all the way to her heart. "I love you so much."
Paige sighed against Emily's lips as they met her own, their tears mingling as she murmured, "I love you, too." All the pain, all the suffering; it had been worth it for this very moment. She was free. She was kissing Emily.
Everything was perfect.
Emily
There was a loud clap of thunder that startled her awake. She was momentarily disoriented before the evening's memories came flooding back to her, hugging the warm body in front of her closer. Paige grumbled in her sleep, Emily smiling into the back of her hair.
They had kissed for around half an hour before they had heard her mom coming up the stairs. Emily had quickly flicked off her bedside lamp, Paige rolling to face away from her. The last thing they needed was for her mom to walk in on them, realise they were together, and make Paige sleep downstairs.
Thankfully she didn't check in on them, but continued down the landing to her own room. Emily had cuddled into Paige's back and they must have fallen asleep.
She shifted, looking behind her at the alarm clock. It was now half two in the morning, the storm obviously rolling back in again as a flash of lightning lit up the room, followed by another rumble of thunder. Her head flopped back onto the pillow, listening to the calming noise of the pouring rain outside.
She closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but she was uncomfortably warm. She realised that she was still wearing jeans, the material digging painfully into her hip. She slowly removed her hand from around Paige's waist, slipping out of the bed to take them off, the cool air offering relief to her heated skin.
She hesitated a second before reaching behind her to unclasp her bra, sliding it out from underneath her t-shirt. Feeling much more comfortable, she turned back to the bed, seeing Paige roll onto her back in her sleep.
Emily smiled as she lay back down, looking at Paige fondly, unable to resist running a finger down her cheek. She looked so peaceful; Emily didn't think her heart had ever felt so full.
She hadn't wanted to let herself believe that Paige had actually come out; couldn't let herself believe. But then she'd said the words. I did it, Em. I came out. Emily had thought she must have lost consciousness for a moment; then she felt Paige, solid under her fingertips, her eyes shining in the glow of the bedside lamp, and had realised that this was actually happening. Her dream was becoming reality.
And Paige had even told Aria! Emily couldn't believe that's what Paige had been doing this past week- working up the courage to come out to her parents. She had genuinely believed that the whole Maya thing had ruined them for good, especially after Paige hadn't wanted to talk to her about it.
Another loud rumble filled the air, Paige stirring, her head lolling in Emily's direction as she cracked an eye open. She lifted her arm so that Emily could cuddle into her, Emily resting her head on her shoulder. Emily's hand smoothed over Paige's stomach under the bedcovers. "You okay?" Paige mumbled.
Emily nuzzled against Paige's neck. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"
"Aren't you scared of thunder?" Paige linked their fingers together, bringing them up so she could kiss Emily's hand.
Emily smiled. "What? No. Why would I be?" She leaned up on her elbow, looking down at Paige.
"I clearly remember you telling me that you were," Paige replied sleepily.
Emily suddenly realised what Paige was referring to. "Wait, are you talking about that time when we were like, fourteen? And we had a sleepover at yours?"
"Yeah," Paige nodded. "There was that storm; you told me that you were scared and asked me to hold your hand. Did you get over your fear then?" Emily laughed quietly, Paige smiling slowly in confusion. "What?"
Emily dipped her head to kiss her gently. "Paige, I was never scared of thunder. I didn't know why at the time, but really, I just wanted to hold your hand." She remembered how holding Paige's hand had sent her heart beating wildly against her ribcage, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Of course, that had been followed by the confusion over why she had felt the need to lie about being scared of thunder and why she had lay wide awake in the darkness long after Paige had fallen asleep. She must have pushed it to the back of her mind, because she remembered that the next day she had felt totally fine again.
Paige's eyes widened, a lazy grin spreading across her face. "That was really sneaky, Em." Emily laughed again, cupping Paige's face and pressing their lips together once more, pulling her thigh up to rest across Paige's waist. Paige's hand instantly slid across it, stilling in surprise. "Where did your jeans go?"
"I was too hot," Emily murmured against her lips, slipping her tongue into her mouth to indicate that she didn't want to talk right now. Paige took the cue, her teeth grazing Emily's lip as she raked her nails lightly over the skin of Emily's thigh.
A shiver ran through Emily at the touch. When they had kissed earlier, it hadn't been so much a sexual thing as it had been about wanting to be close to one another. Now though, Emily's body hummed against Paige. They had been apart far too long. Emily craved more of her; needed more.
She slowly trailed her hand down Paige's neck, stroking a finger over her collarbone and down the centre of her chest. She flattened her hand against Paige's stomach before moving her hand back up, rubbing a palm over a breast, all the while kissing her slowly and deeply. She felt Paige's nipple harden beneath her hand through the thin t-shirt she was wearing, circling it with her thumb.
Paige sighed against her mouth, her hand sliding further up the back of Emily's thigh, smoothing over her underwear. It was all extremely slow, as if every kiss, every movement, was calculated, planned. Emily felt a twinge between her legs.
She ran her fingers lightly over Paige's nipple, pinching it gently before moving her hand down to grasp the hem of Paige's t-shirt and tugging it upwards. Paige removed her hand from her ass, lifting her arms up and her back off the bed so that Emily could pull it off completely, throwing it out of the way.
Her hand roamed over Paige's naked torso as their mouths met again, taking her time, wanting to feel every inch of skin that she could. Paige's hand returned to its previous position, this time slipping into the back of her underwear, squeezing her ass softly. Emily couldn't stop the quiet groan that escaped past her lips and into Paige's mouth, heat beginning to pool low in her stomach.
Emily flipped the bedcovers back, Paige's pale skin illuminated in the darkness by a flash of lightning, causing Emily's mouth to go dry; she was so beautiful. Emily raked her nails up her toned abdomen, her fingers moving to play with her left nipple again as she placed soft kisses along Paige's jaw, whose head tilted sideways to give Emily better access to her neck.
Emily rolled the nipple between her fingers as she sucked lightly on Paige's pulse point, Paige squirming beneath her, a noise getting stuck in the back of her throat. Emily trailed her kisses downwards, shifting slightly so that she could take Paige's other nipple between her lips, swirling her tongue around it, biting and sucking gently as Paige gasped. Emily could happily do this all night.
After about five minutes though, Emily could sense Paige needed her elsewhere. Paige removed her hand from inside the back of Emily's underwear, gripping the side of her neck to pull her mouth up to hers again.
"Em," Paige whispered, nipping at Emily's lip.
Emily pulled back slightly, her gaze locked with Paige's as she trailed her hand down, lazily stroking the soft skin below Paige's belly button. "You'll need to be quiet, okay?" Paige nodded as Emily continued to tickle over her skin, her fingers grazing the waistband of Paige's pyjama pants. She felt Paige's legs spreading wider beneath the covers.
Paige's hand tightened on her shoulder as she shifted her thigh that was still across Paige's waist off of her, sliding her hand slowly down into Paige's underwear, finding that taking it this slow was obviously as much a turn on for Paige as it was for her. Paige's eyes closed as Emily stroked a finger up and down her wetness slowly, Emily enjoying the slight buck of Paige's hips every time she traced over her clit.
Under normal circumstances she knew that Paige would be snarling at her to stop teasing and go faster, but she seemed to be enjoying the pace that things were going at. Emily curled her hand down further into her underwear, a finger slipping easily into Paige. Emily heard a sharp intake of breath beside her ear, turning to kiss Paige as she added a second finger, the heel of her hand pressing against Paige's clit. Paige ground against it, her nails digging into Emily's forearm as her other hand gripped at the small of her back.
Even above the faint sound of the rain outside, Emily could hear the slick sound of Paige's wetness as she pulled her fingers out before pushing them back in as deep as she could at this angle. Paige's legs were spread so wide that the fabric of her underwear and pyjamas was constricting Emily's hand. She kicked the covers all the way off of them, withdrawing her fingers from Paige to tug the garments down. Paige lifted her hips, helping Emily slide them off.
Emily lay her head down on the pillow, Paige's head turning to face her as her legs fell open again, their eyes locking as Emily moved her hand back to Paige's centre, this time putting direct focus on Paige's clit.
They stared into each other's eyes as Emily's fingers worked over her; Emily had never felt more in tune, more connected, with anyone; ever.
She heard Paige's breathing becoming laboured, watching as she bit her lip to stifle a moan. Resting their foreheads together, Emily increased her pace, circling Paige's clit quickly, rubbing in fast, firm strokes as Paige began to tremble. Paige kissed Emily as she came, her back arching off the bed, Emily's fingers continuing to move through her wetness.
Paige's body relaxed as she smiled against Emily's mouth, turning onto her side to face her as Emily removed her hand, Paige cupping her face. "I love you." Paige kissed the tip of her nose.
Emily's hand ran over Paige's ass, pulling her in close, their legs tangling together. "I love you, too." Emily was so content in that moment that she almost forgot about the throbbing between her own thighs until Paige reached down to rub her fingers over the front of her underwear. She caught Emily off guard, meaning she was unable to stop the relatively loud moan that filled the room.
Both of them froze, looking at each other with wide eyes, Emily sending a silent prayer that her mom hadn't heard. The storm was still going, she noticed; with any luck her mom would have tuned out her surroundings and be sound asleep.
After a minute they both relaxed. She figured that if her mom had suspected that anything was awry she would have come in by now to see what was going on.
Paige grinned, rolling on top of her. "What happened to being quiet?"
"You surprised me," Emily smiled, her legs wrapping around Paige, heels digging into the back of her thighs as they began to kiss again. Paige reached a hand down to slide up Emily's t-shirt, Emily rising up momentarily so she could get it over her head.
She felt herself get even wetter as Paige's bare breasts brushed against her own, Paige's hand smoothing over her ribs as she kissed along her jaw.
She palmed Emily's breast, nibbling down her neck and along her collarbone, her hair spilling over her shoulder, tickling Emily's skin. Emily arched up into her touch, Paige's fingers teasing a nipple, her mouth trailing down her chest, sucking hard on the swell of a breast. Emily groaned quietly, knowing that she would find a mark there tomorrow.
Finally, Paige swiped the flat of her tongue over Emily's nipple, Emily clutching desperately at Paige's back, feeling Paige's wetness brushing against her thigh. Paige flicked the nipple repeatedly with her tongue before sucking it into her mouth, Emily's hips doing their best to buck up under Paige's weight.
As much as Emily loved the attention Paige was giving her breasts, she was starting to reach her breaking point. The ache between her legs was getting unbearable. She took Paige's hand that was still on a nipple and moved it down, rubbing it over her clit, her heels digging in further to the back of Paige's legs.
Paige moved back up to her mouth, smiling. Emily ran her hand through Paige's hair as they kissed gently, Paige's fingers tracing ever so lightly over her clit through her underwear, so lightly that Emily almost couldn't feel it. "Paige…" she warned.
Paige laughed quietly, her lips trailing down her neck, down in between her breasts, down her abdomen. She placed the softest of kisses to Emily's hip bones, her nose trailing over the skin below her belly button. Emily had to remind herself to breathe.
Paige hooked her fingers around the sides of her girl boxers, pulling them down slowly, Emily feeling Paige's warm breath against the crease of her thigh. She fully expected Paige to move back up her body, but Paige was just full of surprises tonight, gently kissing the inside of her thigh.
She tensed, not sure that this was the best idea. She had never been anywhere near quiet when Paige had gone down on her in the past, but she couldn't form the words to get Paige to stop; she wanted it too badly, her clit throbbing in anticipation.
She reached over to grab a pillow from Paige's side of the bed, ready to press it to her face if she needed to. She saw Paige smiling, dipping her head to nip at the skin of her thigh, making her twitch.
Paige moved her mouth up, trailing her tongue over the apex of her thigh, Emily inhaling sharply. Paige's mouth latched onto the sensitive skin there, sucking gently, a hand running across Emily's stomach. Emily was sure that Paige knew she was driving her crazy, feeling Paige actually snort with laughter. Emily couldn't help smiling through her frustration.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally felt Paige's lips ghost over her clit, a choked sigh escaping her as her hips jerked off the bed. Paige's hands clamped around her thighs tightly as she pressed her mouth firmly against her. She felt Paige's moan vibrate through her clit, having to muffle a cry against the pillow, biting hard into the material.
Paige moved her lips against her, her tongue slowly stroking over her, repeatedly circling over her clit before moving down to dip inside of her. Emily gripped the pillow tightly, the sensation almost too much but at the same time, never wanting it to end.
Paige's hand moved under her, squeezing her ass as she continued to lick at her. Emily hesitantly removed the pillow from her face, wanting to watch what Paige was doing.
Paige's eyes looked up, locking onto hers as she latched her lips firmly around Emily's clit, her tongue flicking back and forth over it quickly. Emily buried her hand deep in Paige's hair as she felt herself beginning to tense, her stomach beginning to tighten, Paige increasing the pace even further, not glancing away from Emily's eyes.
Emily went rigid, her back arching; she shuddered against Paige's mouth as she brought her down with strokes of her tongue, Emily's body eventually going completely limp on the bed, her heart pounding.
Her eyes fell closed, basking in the bliss of her orgasm. She felt Paige moving back up her body, kissing her with a smile, Emily automatically kissing away her own wetness from Paige's chin.
Paige reached for the covers, pulling them up and over them, flopping down beside Emily, her hand smoothing over her stomach. Emily turned towards her, Paige's hand moving to her face as she kissed her softly. "I forget to tell you something," she murmured.
"What?" Emily asked, pulling back slightly to see a smile spreading across Paige's lips.
"I'm gay; like, really gay."
Emily laughed, butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't believe Paige had just said that so easily; joked about it, even. It all felt surreal. They kissed again, Emily thinking she must have reached some Nirvana-like state of happiness.
Paige stroked Emily's cheek with her thumb. "Em, will you be my girlfriend? Officially, I mean."
Emily's heart inflated, her chest expanding. "You have to ask?" They both grinned, Paige nuzzling against her nose, Emily's fingers tracing softly over Paige's back. They lay like that for a few minutes, Emily breaking the silence by asking, "So, what actually happened then? How did you tell your parents?"
Paige opened her eyes with what looked like great effort, obviously ready to fall asleep. "Not at all like how I planned. I had this whole big speech in my head but I ended up just throwing it out there while my dad was being an asshole about swimming and colleges again." Emily wasn't surprised that that was how things had played out, that Paige had said it in the heat of the moment. "It wasn't the way I wanted to do it, but at least it's over." She smiled. "I can't believe it's actually over."
Emily's hand trailed upwards, her fingers tangling into Paige's hair at the nape of her neck. "Freeing, huh?"
"You could say that," she grinned. "Oh, and by the way, I got offered a full scholarship for Pittsburgh."
Emily gasped, slapping Paige lightly on the arm. "Paige!" she whispered loudly. "How are you only just telling me this now?" She beamed, pressing a kiss to Paige's lips.
Paige laughed. "Well I was kind of distracted."
"That's amazing," Emily sighed, tracing her thumb along the edge of Paige's ear. "I'm so proud of you." Paige looked away bashfully, smiling.
"Have you heard anything yet?" Paige inquired.
Emily shook her head. "Nope." She wasn't going to get down about that yet though, there was still plenty of time. Right now, she was just pleased for Paige and wanted to enjoy the moment. Thinking about their future, about the fact that they might be attending different colleges- well, she'd rather not think about that right now.
Paige's smile dimmed slightly. "Oh. I was kinda hoping you'd heard and just hadn't told me."
Emily frowned. "Paige, if I'd heard anything you'd be the first to know; trust me."
"Well, you might not have wanted to tell me because of- you know, how things have been recently." Paige looked sad, Emily understanding exactly what Paige was feeling. The past weeks had been painful for both of them. Emily's fingers absent-mindedly traced over Paige's shoulder, Paige's thumb stroking her hip, both lost in thought.
"I've missed you so much," Emily said quietly.
Paige cupped her face. "Me too; not being able to call you or speak to you whenever I wanted was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through." Emily kissed her softly. "I'm sorry, Em. I wish I could have come out sooner."
"Hey, you weren't ready, and that's okay." She gave Paige a small smile. "You're here now, that's what matters."
"And I'm sorry about the whole Troy thing, you were right about what you said about me being fake; I should never have gone out with him. Or kissed him- I'm sorry." Emily wasn't shocked that Paige had kissed him; she'd had a feeling somehow. She felt a twinge of jealousy, kissing Paige again, harder this time, trying to get rid of any remnants of Troy. She pulled back suddenly.
"Wait, when did I say anything about you being fake?"
Paige's brow wrinkled. "At the party; you don't remember?" Emily tried to cast her mind back, but it was all a blurry mess. She hadn't even realised she'd spoken to Paige that night. She shook her head, Paige letting out a small snort. "That really shouldn't surprise me. I literally had to grab the cup out of your hand to stop you drinking."
"Oh god." Emily clapped a hand to her face. "I'm so embarrassed. What exactly did I say to you?"
"Uh, what was it? 'Go back to Troy. Go back to being a fake, it's what you're best at.'" Emily slowly removed her hand to look back at Paige, seeing a wry smile on her face.
"Paige, I'm so sorry."
Paige linked their fingers together, resting their hands between them. "Don't be. Everything that happened that night led to this moment here, so I guess it was all worth it." She kissed Emily's fingers, looking at her affectionately.
Emily sighed, rubbing her foot against Paige's, tucking their hands under her chin. "I love you."
Paige pressed her lips to her forehead, Emily's eyes closing as the drowsiness began to seep in. "I love you, too."
Paige
She awoke to the feeling of Emily's naked legs intertwined with her own, an arm draped over her waist, her nose pressed into Emily's neck. She pressed a kiss to the skin of her throat before leaning up to check the time. It was almost half six.
Her head fell back to the pillow, taking in the sight in front of her. She smiled, seeing Emily's tousled hair, her mouth hanging slightly open. Paige placed a gentle kiss to her bottom lip, her hand running over Emily's bare hip. Thinking about it now, they should probably have thrown their clothes back on before falling asleep just in case Emily's mom checked in on them.
Emily stirred but didn't wake. Paige leaned in again, sucking Emily's lip gently in between her own, running her hand down the back of Emily's thigh before smoothing up over her ass, squeezing lightly.
A small noise escaped the back of Emily's throat, Paige feeling her lips starting to respond, her hand stroking up Paige's side. They kissed lazily for a few minutes before Paige pulled back, feeling confident that there was a dopey expression gracing her face. "Morning."
"Morning," Emily grinned, arching her back in a stretch. Paige brought her hand up to trace over one of Emily's eyebrows with her thumb, Emily's eyes fluttering closed, a smile still on her lips. Emily reached up to take her hand, sliding it down to place a kiss into her palm. Paige felt like she was floating again.
She sighed. "As much as I wish we could stay here all day, I should probably get going." Emily pouted, Paige quickly kissing it away. "I need to have a shower before school, and I'll need to talk with my parents."
Emily must have sensed her spike of anxiety, squeezing her hand in comfort. "Want me to come with?"
"What, for the shower or to talk to my parents?" she joked, Emily rolling her eyes. "No, it's okay. I think I should do this alone, but thank you." She wondered if she could ever convey to Emily just how grateful she was, not only for the offer, but for everything.
"Okay, if that's what you want." Paige gave her a brief smile. "Hey, I'm sure it'll be fine. They love you, remember?"
Paige took in a deep breath, trying to hold onto that fact; trying to get it out of her head that they would change their minds and decide she was an abomination that they didn't want living in their house after all.
She gave Emily a quick peck before rolling out of the bed, missing Emily's warmth instantly. Remembering where she had left her underwear, she lifted the bottom of the bedcovers, rooting around until she found them scrunched up inside the pyjama pants Emily had lent her.
Emily was leaning up on her elbow, watching her every move from the bed. Her roaming eyes would have once made Paige blush, but now she just reveled in having Emily's gaze on her naked body.
She reluctantly pulled on her clothes, still damp from last night, shivering slightly as the cold fabric clung to her skin. Emily noticed, telling her to take a hoodie from her dresser. She smiled as she saw the old hoodie she had given Emily months ago in the middle drawer, running her finger over it but opting to take one of Emily's instead.
She walked back to the bed, leaning over to give Emily one final kiss before she left. Just as she turned to leave, Emily grasped her hand. "Wait, what do you want me to tell my mom when she asks about last night?"
Paige felt nervous as she thought about it, but there was a stroke of excitement underlying it. "Tell her the truth."
Emily grinned shyly. "Okay."
"And tell her I said thanks for letting me stay over."
Emily pulled her down for one last kiss. "See you at school."
"See you at school," she echoed with a smile, leaving the room with a bounce in her step.
Her parents were still asleep when she got home, which she was thankful for since she was acutely aware that she smelled like sex and really needed to shower.
She kept smiling sporadically as she remembered the night before. She was feeling extremely tired due to the lack of sleep, but it was the best kind of tired. Reconnecting with Emily had felt better than she ever could have imagined. She had her back and there was no way she would ever let go of her again.
She dressed after drying her hair, tensing at the sound of her parents moving around in the kitchen. She stood up, wringing her hands in front of her, trying to calm her building nerves. She took controlled breaths. It's fine. You're fine.
Her phone buzzed. She picked it up from the bed, seeing a message from Emily.
I love you :-)
Paige stared at the screen, grinning from ear to ear. She typed back a quick I love you too before grabbing her bag and making her way downstairs, feeling much more confident with Emily's words behind her.
She walked into the kitchen, her parents stopping mid-conversation. "Hi," she said quietly, looking down at the floor. Her mom was suddenly hugging her, Paige's arms going around her automatically in shock. She glanced over her mom's shoulder to see her dad leaning against the kitchen counter, giving her a flicker of a smile that was so brief she wondered if she'd imagined it.
Her mom suddenly pulled back, anger in her eyes. "What were you thinking, Paige? We had no idea where you were; phoning up everyone we could think of to see if they knew!"
Paige shrunk back, looking at her feet once more. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean- I didn't-" She sighed in frustration, not entirely sure what she was trying to say. "I'm sorry." She moved to sit at the table, feeling awkward standing there. Her mom and dad followed after a second, Paige finding it hard to meet their eyes.
"I'm sorry," her dad said, breaking the silence, Paige looking up in confusion. Those certainly weren't words she had ever heard her dad say to her before. "For yesterday- I shouldn't have even been thinking about other offers never mind going on about them; not straight after you just got offered a place at Pittsburgh." He sighed heavily. "I just want you to have as many options as possible; I want the very best for you."
"I know, Dad," Paige mumbled. "It's just too much pressure sometimes, and I guess I snapped." He gave her a rueful smile.
"You know, your coach warned me this would happen." She raised her eyebrows, causing him to continue. "She told me that if I kept pushing you, that you'd reach your breaking point. I tried to take her advice, but I guess old habits die hard." He paused, Paige feeling weird that they were talking like this; they were never this open. "I know that you've worked incredibly hard to get where you are, and I'm sorry if I made you think that I wasn't proud of you, Paige, because I am; very much so."
A lump formed in Paige's throat. "Really?" she managed to choke out. He nodded, reaching over to squeeze her hand. She smiled, giving a light laugh, happy that she was finally getting the recognition from her dad that she deserved. She'd never thought she'd see the day.
She looked over to her mom, seeing a smile on her face. But then it slipped, an anxious expression appearing. "About the other thing you said…" Paige shifted uncomfortably. "Did you mean it? Or was it just something you-"
"I meant it, Mom," she stated firmly, not willing to back down now that the words were out there.
"And you're sure?" It pained Paige to see the hope on her mom's face; like she were wishing Paige was going to tell her that she wasn't sure and that maybe it was just a phase. Paige's gaze flicked over to her dad, seeing that he was looking down at the table, his face not giving anything away.
"I've never been surer," she said clearly, not wanting to leave any doubt in their minds. They descended into an awkward silence, the tear rolling down her mom's cheek not escaping Paige's notice. She swallowed, wanting to cry herself. She didn't like seeing her mom upset, but in all honesty she had expected her parent's reactions to be much worse; she could handle a few tears. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the way it is." She considered telling them about Emily, but figured that might be too much to take in all at once. She didn't want to push them too hard too fast.
Her dad stood up, Paige fully expecting him to leave the room- which he did, but not before placing a quick kiss to her forehead. Her mom sniffed, standing and making her way to the kitchen counter, asking her if she wanted any breakfast.
A few tears leaked down Paige's face, unable to believe that this was how things had turned out for her. No, it wasn't perfect; her parents weren't beaming with pride that their only child was gay, but they didn't hate her for it either. Maybe she would have to deal with them not talking about that area of her life for a while like Emily had had to go through with her mom, but Paige could deal with that.
She wiped her face with the back of her hand, going to help her mom make breakfast with a small smile on her lips.
Emily
"Paige said to tell you thanks for letting her stay last night," Emily said as she entered the living room where her mom was sat on the couch.
"Oh, she left already?"
Emily sat down. "Yeah, she had to get back."
Her mom nodded, staring off into space for a moment. She cleared her throat, turning to look at her again. "So, did you find out what was wrong?"
Emily took in a breath, excitedly nervous about finally being able to willingly tell someone about her and Paige. "Well, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." Her mom gave her an expectant look. "Paige and I- well," Emily started, unsurely. "I love her, Mom," she blurted out.
She studied her face, waiting for the information to hit. Her mom eventually sighed, saying, "I know."
Emily realised that she might not have been clear. "No, I mean that I'm in love with her, and she's in love with me. We're together; dating."
"I know," her mom repeated, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Emily was seriously confused. "What do you mean? How do you know?" Her mind started racing, praying that her mom hadn't actually heard anything that had gone on in her room last night. She felt her face heating up at the thought.
"That day Paige came over when you had the flu; I walked into your room to find you both asleep, and something about the way you were lying- I just knew."
Emily's mouth opened slightly, genuinely shocked. So Paige had been right; her mom had seen them. "Wait, why didn't you say anything then?" Her mom hadn't even known she was gay at that point, making it even more surprising that she hadn't questioned her about it.
She shook her head sadly. "Because I didn't want to believe it, Emily. I pushed it to the back of my mind and tried to forget about it; denial, I guess." Emily tried not to let the words upset her, knowing that her mom was in a much better place now in regards to accepting her for who she was. And, she noted, if she had said anything, that would have been another disaster to add to the pile; having to worry about both her mom and Hanna knowing about her and Paige would have been a nightmare.
"Wow; I had no idea you knew."
"I also noticed that Paige hasn't been around much lately?" her mom added, raising her eyebrows.
Emily gave a sad smile. "Yeah, we were going through some stuff, but it's better now." Her mom patted her hand, standing up.
"Well, that's good, honey." Emily was amazed that she was acting so calmly about her having a girlfriend, but she guessed that was due to the fact that this hadn't been a surprise, and also it was Paige; someone she knew and liked. Just as she was about to leave the room, her mom turned to say, "Oh, and I know that I let Paige stay in your room last night because she was upset, but," she shifted awkwardly, looking embarrassed. "I think Paige will need to sleep down here or on the air mattress in the future."
Emily blushed, but felt insanely happy; her mom was saying that Paige could stay over in the future, which was more than Emily had ever expected of her. She had come so far. "Thanks, Mom," she smiled. "Really."
Paige
"Em!"
Paige watched as Emily looked around trying to locate the sound of her voice. She grinned when she spotted her, walking across the parking lot to the stands where Paige was chaining up her bike. "Hi."
"Hey," Paige smiled, squinting up at her in the sun, the sky now a clear blue after the storm last night. She stood up from where she had been crouching, both of them standing there semi-awkwardly. Paige didn't know how to greet her. She wanted to kiss her but there was something holding her back- probably the fact that it still hadn't sunk in that she could actually kiss Emily now, right here, in front of the school; in front of all the students walking past.
She decided just to start small, pulling Emily in for a hug, turning her nose into her hair. They broke apart, Paige giving a small laugh, Emily looking at her so softly that Paige almost just gave in to the urge to kiss her.
"So, how did it go this morning?" Emily asked as they started to walk.
"Nothing like how I thought it would go like." She turned to Emily, smiling slightly. "My dad actually apologised for the pressure he's been putting on me. I mean, who'd have thought that would ever happen?"
Emily brushed her hand with her own. "Well, good; I'm glad. You're amazing and don't deserve that pressure." Paige felt warm all over at Emily's words. "And what about… the other thing?" Paige noticed Emily looking around them, obviously out of habit. It was going to take some time before they both adjusted to not having to be secretive.
"Well, my mom cried a little, my dad didn't really say anything; but they don't hate me and I expected much worse so I'm feeling pretty good right now."
Emily smiled. "That's great, Paige. I just- I still can't believe it."
"I know what you mean," she responded as they arrived at their lockers. Emily came to stand beside her instead of going to her own, Paige smiling.
"So, I told my mom about us." Paige looked at her, seeing that her eyes were shining with happiness. Paige's heart skipped a beat, knowing that it was because Emily could finally tell people that she was dating her. It was like Emily was proud to be dating her, and it blew her mind.
"And? What did she say?"
"Well, actually, I don't know how you're gonna feel about this, but as it turns out, she already knew." Paige's eyes widened.
"Oh god, don't tell me she heard us last night, Em. I think I'll die." Emily laughed loudly, Paige thinking it was the best sound in the world.
"No, don't worry, although that's where my mind went first too. No, she found out that day you came over when I had the flu. You were right; she did come to check on me and saw us sleeping."
"I knew it!" Paige stated, shaking her head. "I told you she was acting way weird with me that day."
Emily placed a hand on her forearm, looking slightly concerned. "You're not mad, are you? I honestly didn't know, I figured she would have at least said something-"
"Em," Paige said, turning to face her. "Of course I'm not mad. You didn't know and it doesn't matter now anyway." She rested her hand atop of Emily's on her arm, smiling gently. "Okay?"
Emily's fingers twitched under her hand. "Okay." Paige closed her locker, both of them moving over to Emily's. "That's our cover blown though," Emily said with a playful pout. "She actually said that you won't be able to sleep in my bed anymore when you stay over."
Paige felt her face reddening, but she smiled. "Wow, awkward." Emily nodded in agreement. "Well, that just means I'll need to sneak into your bed in the middle of the night then." Paige was only half-joking.
Emily giggled. "Well I'm on board with that." They grinned at each other, their eyes breaking contact when Hanna appeared at their side.
"Wow, are you guys actually smiling at each other?" she said sarcastically, but looking pleasantly surprised. "What the hell happened last night?" She focused her gaze on Paige. "Why did you go all MIA on us?"
Paige's eyes flitted to Emily, seeing her give an encouraging nod. Paige took in a breath, looking at Hanna as she said, "I came out to my parents." Whatever Hanna had been expecting her to say obviously hadn't been that going by the look on her face. Her shock was almost comical.
"Oh my god," she said, reaching out and gripping her arm. "Paige! Oh my god!" She pulled her into a hug, Paige laughing at her reaction. "That's amazing! I'm so happy for you." She pulled back, looking back and forth between them. "So what does this mean? Are you guys back together?"
"Yes, Hanna," Emily smiled, a slight roll of her eyes. "We're back together." Hanna squealed, this time pulling them both in for a hug. They grinned at each other over Hanna's shoulders.
Paige felt so incredibly happy. A few weeks ago she would never have thought this level of happiness would have been possible for her. She felt a tug on her hand, seeing Hanna had moved off down the hall, Emily pulling at her hand to get her to follow.
She smiled. She could definitely get used to this.
A/N: Only one more to go guys! Thanks for sticking with me this long. You're the best.