-A Note: Hey readers! Here is chapter 2! I hope you all like it! Please comment and review as always!

"What the fuck was that McCullers?" Paige mutters to herself as she walks down the abandoned street. The heavy rain seeps into her clothes as she continues on the path through the town square to her apartment. She's more than confused at what just happened. Why did she react that way? She's been turned down before, multiple times in fact so why did the fact that this one particular girl had a girlfriend matter? Why did she feel the need to leave the moment she knew the barista was unavailable?

Because her heart stopped the moment she saw Emily in that window. The moment their eyes met through the glass, with the mist falling gently on her as she walked past, Paige knew her life would never be the same. She knew within a millisecond that she would never be able to forget her eyes being drawn from the shimmering lights being reflected in the sidewalk wet from the rain to the light spilling warmth from the coffee shop. Looking up, Paige found the most beautiful woman she's ever seen in her life and her world stopped, even though she continued walking. She, the girl full of confidence, suddenly felt nervous. The tall, raven-haired girl was gorgeous but there was just something about her that Paige couldn't pinpoint as to why she found her so intriguing with only one very short look. As she continued to walk in the chilly, light rain, she could only imagine her future regret if she didn't at least try to talk to the beautiful girl with the dark but piercing eyes. What was the worst that could happen? She could not be gay or not into her and that would be ok. She was just another girl right? Paige could never have predicted how very wrong she was.

She promised herself that if the coffee shop was still open by the time she reached the end of the street and back that she would go in a talk to the stunning woman with the cute red apron. Whether something happened or not didn't matter. It was all about the experience and she would come out of it with a delicious cup of coffee at least. What Paige wasn't prepared for was the inexplicable electricity she now felt. Walking into the shop felt like walking into her future for some mysterious reason. This feeling was unexplainably explained by deep dark eyes. Looking into the barista's eyes was honestly the most full-filling, confusing, comforting, nerve-racking and wonderful feelings Paige had ever felt in the entirety of her life. There was no doubt in Paige's mind that the raven-haired beauty would somehow change her life.

Everything seemed to be going well for Paige as her interaction with barista continued. Learning Emily's name, Paige decided, was arguably one of the best moments of her life. No the girl didn't offer her last name even though Paige had, but it didn't matter. The word was barely finished forming on her lips when 'Emily' became Paige's favorite name.

The brunette was sure things were going well for her. There's was obviously a connection between them. Paige felt an indescribable pull towards Emily. The type of pull that Paige knew she wouldn't be able to break no matter how hard she tried because it was the same kind of pull planets experience. Her eyes were transfixed on Emily's slightest movements. Within a few minutes, Paige had the slight circular motion of the barista's wrist that it took to stir the drink committed to memory. She couldn't help her stare moving lower every time Emily turned around either. Maybe it was shallow of her but she couldn't help it, Emily's ass should just be considered a work of art as far as Paige was concerned.

There was just something about her though besides her exquisite aesthetics however that drew Paige to her. Her smile was infectious and her eyes were alluring in a way Paige had never experienced before. Paige was sure that if she devoted the remainder of eternity forever wandering about the farthest reaches of Emily's eyes, she would be completely happy and utterly content. Maybe that's why she felt the pit in the depth of her stomach when the raven-haired barista admitted she had a girlfriend. Maybe that's why even now, walking in the rain pouring so hard she could hear the pound of each drop falling on her head, that she feels completely and utterly defeated.

"Damn it McCullers! She's just a girl!" She says aloud in an effort convince herself. "Just one girl" She's not successful. Paige had never felt defeated by being rejected before. She's always been so confident that love would find her and if she was turned down then well, perhaps it just wasn't supposed to be an experience she was meant to have. Emily was different: she was going to be a factor in Paige's future. That was no doubt about it. It didn't seem possible that she could have such an instantaneous connection with someone for Emily to only be a passing moment in her life.

By the time she reaches the front door of her apartment on the second top floor of her building, Paige is fairly certain she could wring out her skin if she wanted to. There isn't a dry spot on her body. There wasn't going to be any escape from that type of rainfall. But, she wasn't the type of girl to use an umbrella. She enjoyed the feeling of the water dripping from the tips of her hair being slicked onto her forehead. The way the droplets grow larger as she watches them fall towards her upturned face soothes her. But now, standing dripping in the hallway, confused by the coffee-shop-goddess, she felt more vulnerable than relaxed.

"Please don't be home," Paige pleads in a hushed whisper to the door. She likes her roommate but she can be a bit inquisitive. They've known each other for the little over a month that it's been since school started and Paige knew within the course of a week that her roommate liked to know every detail that was going on around her. She was so curious in fact that Paige was sure, the girl would excel at being a private investigator if she really wanted to. However, Paige was not in the mood to answer the barrage of questions she was destined to receive. All she can do is hope as she closes her eyes for a brief moment while turning the handle of the door.

"Where have you been?" She hears the moment the door swings fully open. Her roommate sits with her profile to the door, her eyes still fixed on the piles of books and papers strewn haphazardly across the table. Her tone is not motherly or demanding but rather inquisitive to no surprise. It's a genuine question but it is one Paige was hoping she didn't have to answer in depth. Maybe, just this once, the brunette would let her go with minimal digging. Something told Paige that despite her wishing, that wasn't going to happen.

"I… uh… went for a walk," Paige replies as she peels her black jacket from her pruning skin and hangs it up by the door. She takes off her shoes and awaits the rest of the questions to come from the lack of satisfaction she's sure her roommate has with her response. Paige is making a significant effort to keep her puddle concentrated on the tile in front of the door when the other brunette glances up mid-sentence.

"A walk? I thought it was rain… Oh... hrmph," the girl scoffs, trying her best to hold back her giggles at the sight of a dripping wet Paige. "Wait hold on," she continues turning away from Paige and leaving the room. Paige stands patiently on the tile, awaiting the return of her roommate. The girl reappears a few moments later with two towels, sweatpants and t-shirt in hand. "Here, try not to drip…. Everywhere." She hands a towel and the clothes to Paige, dropping the other towel to the ground on top of the growing puddle.

"Thanks," Paige remarks as she starts to dry off her hair. When her roommate stands up and walks across the room satisfied that the extent of the puddle is cleaned up, Paige changes her clothes quickly. She's skeptically of her roommate's silence. With the majority of her body dried off, minus the slight drip from her hair, Paige crosses the room to sit on the couch across from the television. It's been a long evening indeed and she wonders if she might actually get the relaxation she needs to process the events of the evening. The peacefulness doesn't last long.

"So… How did you come upon the demeanor of a drowned rat this evening roomie?" The curious brunette questions as she sits down next to Paige. Paige rolls her head back onto the couch and sighs deeply. She decides it's useless to delay the girl's curiosity any longer.

"Like I said, I went for a walk." Paige replies, hoping the girl won't dig too deep into her agitated demeanor. Paige knows her answer is insufficient when her roommates give her nothing but a raised eyebrow in response. "I stopped into that coffee shop in the square. There was this girl there and I was… Enamored I guess." Paige looks down at her hands as she speaks, a small grin on her face as she recalls the feeling in the pit of her stomach as she talked with Emily earlier that evening. Paige had made it clear to her roommate from the moment they met that she was a lady lover and her roommate made it very clear from the same moment that she didn't care as to what Paige's sexual orientation was. As long as Paige picked up after herself and didn't distract her from her studies, she didn't care who Paige dated.

"You stopped by The Brew huh?" The girl says taking a drink of her coffee that she had brought over when she sat down. She had brought one for Paige as well even though Paige hadn't touched it. For one, the coffee was an all-too-recent reminder of her failed conservation with the beautiful barista and for two, she really wasn't sure how the other brunette was able to sleep with the large amount of caffeine she regularly consumed. She was almost never without a coffee cup in hand. "Was Emily working?"

Paige's head snaps up at the mention of her name. How did her roommate know Emily? Paige knows her roommate grew up here in Rosewood just like Emily did but was Rosewood that small that they knew each other? An understanding grin grows on her roommate's face as the brunette makes the connection. "That's who your crush is, isn't it?" She asks, sitting up straighter. "You like Emily! Oh this is good." The brunette looks down with an amused look on face as if she is contemplating how amazing it is that this is such a small town. Or maybe she was contemplating the possibilities of having this dirt on her roommate.

"Wait… How do you know Emily?" Paige questions with raised eyebrows. It was weird for her to experience the smallness of the world. She had come from a large city in California to be closer to her parents who had moved here after Paige had left for college. She had heard that in a town like this, everyone knows everyone but was her roommate and Emily included in that as well?

"Emily Fields? She and I have known each other forever. She's one of my best friends. Unfortunately for you, unless something has changed in the last twenty-four hours, I'm pretty sure she and Maya are still together," Paige's roommate replies. Paige can hardly believe her luck. If she plays her cards right, she might be able to find out more about Emily then she imagined she could without making a fool of herself by going to the coffee shop every day. She now had a wealth of Emily-based knowledge just sitting across from her in their living room. Maybe she and Emily could at least be friends if anything. There was no doubt that she was going to use this resource to the best of her ability. But first, she needed to be sure her roommate wouldn't be running to Emily and spoiling any of her chances of getting to know Emily at all by spilling her secret crush to the barista.

"Look you can't tell her anything ok? I think we could be friends and I fully accept that she has a girlfriend. I just find her very attractive. I don't want to get between her and anyone ok?" She continues to plead with her eyes as her roommate seems to contemplate the pros and cons of telling Emily the little she knows about Paige's affections. Paige begins to grow anxious at the other brunette's prolonged silence.

"Spencer Hastings, if you don't do me any more favors ever again in my entire life, at least give me this… as your roommate."

"Ok, ok. I won't tell Emily that you were or are… enamored," Spencer finally replies. "But… I am going to tell her I know you. She is my best friend after all." Paige gives the girl a nod, satisfied with the result. With Spencer's questions now currently satisfied the brunette roommate returns to the table to continue her studying leaving Paige to dream about the next time she would see the dark-haired girl of her dreams, Emily Fields, again.