Their usual positions were reversed and it was Alison who followed a few steps behind Emily on their walk from the university campus quad to the car waiting at the end of the street. Emily walked briskly while explaining the adjustments she made to Alison's schedule due to the photoshoot running longer than initially expected. While none of the changes were pressing, Emily being engrossed in scheduling, meetings, and deadlines meant that they were avoiding the topic of a certain bouquet of roses Emily never received. She spoke rapidly leaving no room for Alison to actually respond to anything she was saying.

Following her talk with Paige, Emily was left feeling confused. There was no doubt in her mind that Alison was responsible for the disappearance of the roses, it was Alison's motivation that was unclear. Throughout her conversation with Paige beneath the tent, Emily could feel Alison's gaze fixed on her. She assumed it was because of whatever bitterness was between the two women. As the photoshoot came to an end and the crew started to pack up their equipment, Emily's initial confusion slowly morphed into anger. Surely Alison knew Emily would find out about the flowers eventually, it was as if the Editor didn't care about any repercussions, or how it would make Emily feel at all.

"How long do you plan to keep this up?" Alison's voice carried from behind.

With no more scheduling changes for Emily to rattle on about she needed a change of subject, "You said you wanted sushi for lunch. Would you like Sugarfish or Nakazawa?"

"I thought we agreed that if you were upset with me, you would tell me. Directly that is, not whatever it is you're doing right now," Alison's tone was patronizing, and Emily picked up her pace, causing Alison to walk faster just to maintain the current distance between them.

Emily imagined stopping, turning around, and confronting Alison head on about Paige's roses. What did she do with them? Why hadn't she mentioned them? Emily wanted answers, direct answers that she knew Alison wasn't going to give her, so there was no use in bringing it up.

Even if Alison did answer her questions, what good would it do? Was a bouquet of flowers worth upending the progress she and Alison made? Emily had noticed Alison's quick handling of Avery, and it made her feel supported in that moment. Then there was the feeling of Alison's hand against hers in the car after she opened up about Maya and her withdrawal from the Olympics, it was a small gesture but comforting. Emily brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, breathing in deeply and focusing on the remaining half block to the car as her emotions pulled her in different directions

"I'd like to put the order in now so that it will be at the office when we get back," Emily said coolly, ignoring Alison's attempts to goad her.

Alison caught up to Emily's pace and began walking alongside her. Emily could feel Alison's eyes on the side of her face, almost inspecting her before she responded, "I'm not hungry," a hint of defiance in her voice.

"Suit yourself. You haven't eaten anything since the kiwi smoothie bowl you picked at earlier," Emily remarked.

There was a brief pause while Alison appeared to be rethinking her decision, "...I'll survive."

Emily was confident that Alison would survive. She was sure the EIC didn't need sustenance in the form of food, she could thrive solely on manipulation and mischief. What bothered Emily most was that she wasn't surprised by Alison's actions. Whatever happened to the roses was just Alison being Alison.

"You're being passive aggressive, it's childish," Alison accused lightly.

"I'm not the one who's refusing food," Emily snarked, maybe she was being immature but she wasn't the only one. "Last chance, Sugarfish or Nakazawa?"

As they reached the car Alison relented, "Nakazawa, order something for yourself too." She waved off the approaching driver, choosing to open the door herself and holding it for Emily to go in first.

"How generous," Emily sassed.

"Yes it is, considering how I'm being treated," Alison huffed a laugh, "Get in the car, we can talk about why you're so angry with me about a bouquet you never even saw." The corners of her lips turned up as she gestured inside the open door.

The blonde's dampened smile grated on Emily, "Am I a joke to you? Is all of this some kind of game?" Emily hadn't meant to ask the questions aloud but her words tumbled out before she could stop them.

"Don't be so dramatic, Emily. It was a mediocre arrangement at best."

Emily's willingness to evade the subject had gone thin, worn down by Alison's flippantness and condescension. She could no longer stick to her plan of avoidance, Alison had brought the topic up with such carelessness, and Emily wanted answers.

"Mediocre or not, what did you do with the flowers?" Her voice was stern, even if this was a game to Alison it wasn't to her.

All traces of amusement vanished from Alison's face and she didn't hesitate in her response, "I pushed them over the edge of your desk. They made a mess of the floor and I called maintenance to sweep them into the trash." She studied Emily's face intently.

"You destroyed them…" Emily processed the new information aloud, "Because they were from Paige?"

"I didn't know they were from PigSkin,"

"Didn't bother reading the card?"

"It seemed inconsequential after I shattered them," Alison said dismissively, her tone letting on to how trivial the matter was to her.

"If it wasn't about Paige then why? Was it just about hurting me?" Emily caught herself raising her voice, she hated yelling. "Am I not allowed to have nice things unless they come from you?" Alison's gift of the bustiers came to mind and Emily's stomach turned.

The two locked eyes for a moment and there it was, a shade of blue that Emily knew meant there was danger ahead. Alison's eyes narrowed warning her not to push anymore than she already had but she couldn't back down, she wouldn't, she was seething.

"Why did you do it?" Emily pressed, her voice elevating again.

"Why," Alison said the word as if it were foreign. "I'm not explaining myself to you. I don't explain myself to anyone and you won't be the exception. Now get in the car…please."

Emily's feet didn't move, "Not until you give me an answer. I deserve to know why you destroyed something intended for me."

"I've already said I don't explain myself Emily, and you're not special. Attractive? Very. Talented? Maybe you used to be. But Special? No." Alison shook her head for emphasis.

The words rocked Emily as they echoed the vulnerabilities she'd shared with Alison hours before. She felt tears welling up in her eyes but refused to let them fall. Emily hadn't gotten an explanation from Maya, and despite Maya calling herself a coward she had always internalized it, not feeling worthy of an explanation. Emily took a step back, putting some distance between herself and Alison, she could see now that Alison was a coward too, choosing to lash out at her instead of facing whatever the truth behind her actions was.

"I won't continue to stand here and be yelled at. if you don't want to get in the car, you can find another ride back to the office," Alison told her callously.

Emily looked at her, eyes darting across gorgeous features and settling on lips she knew from last night to be soft and sweet. Alison was so beautiful but she could be so cruel. The anger Emily felt hadn't lessened in the slightest, and now the hurt she felt was fueling it. "That's a good idea," she watched Alison's expression closely to see the impact of her words, "Paige offered me a ride and I said no initially but I think I'll go find her."

"You can't ride back with PigSkin. That's-"

Emily cut in, "Why not? We're all going back to the same place. You told me to find another ride and I am." Emily waited for a response knowing she wouldn't get one, "Oh right, you never explain yourself."

Serious about finding Paige and catching a ride back to DiLaurentis McCullers Drake, Emily started to turn away when Alison reached for her wrist. She didn't tug or try to pull Emily back, she only held it, stroking the top with her thumb. Emily turned back to see Alison on the verge of saying something, but instead, she dropped her wrist and turned her face away. The reaction didn't make Emily feel good, nothing about their current standoff felt good. Alison retreated then, sliding into the car and closing the door behind her without a word.

… …

Paige didn't have a driver so Emily sat beside her in the passenger seat. Her head rested against the window as she listened to Paige talk…and Paige talked a lot, a lot about herself, and a lot more about Alison. Emily now knew that Paige was a golfer, she liked the beach despite her aversion to sand, she loved field hockey, and hated spicy foods. Paige was an open book, she shared bits and pieces of her life with Emily freely. It was a stark contrast to Alison, but Emily tried not to compare the two, especially not after hearing about the years of bullying Paige had suffered through, mainly at the hands of the now Editor in Chief. It started with Emily finally asking Paige about the 'PigSkin' insult Alison and CeCe hurled at her so often. The story was horrifying and there were so many others like it. Story after story Paige painted a disturbing picture of her High School years and of Alison.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Paige. No one should have to go through any of that." Emily empathized, she could understand now why Paige had so many open wounds surrounding her boss.

Emily was a star athlete in high school, she couldn't exactly relate to Paige's experience, but her heart ached knowing only a fraction of what she endured. Emily's biggest bully during that time of her life was her mother, who constantly criticized and picked at her. It only got worse after Emily came out as a lesbian, luckily her father acted as a kind of buffer when he was home. She thought about calling him but decided against it, when she was settled in with her own place and something to show for herself, then she would call.

"I just thought you should know who you're in bed with," Paige replied, and Emily's heart jumped at the wording. "I mean figuratively of course…I'm not sure why anyone wants to sleep with Alison, but I'm sure she makes them sign NDAs for whatever fucked up shit she's into." Emily kept her head against the window and brought her hand up to cover her eyes as she closed them. "Yeah, it makes me sick thinking about it too." Paige glanced at her, misreading her discomfort for disgust. Emily thought if she didn't respond that would be the end of it but Paige continued, "She probably bites."

She bites and scratches, Emily remembered vividly, as her mind flooded with images of the two of them in the backseat of the Audi. Alison pulling her hair, the moan she swallowed when Emily kissed the spot where her jaw and neck meet, the feeling of Alison's hands on her skin, the memories were interrupted by the sound of Alison's voice telling her she wasn't special, that she was being dramatic.

Emily needed the conversation to change direction, "Do you have any other hobbies?" Emily asked, desperate to go back to a more benign topic.

Paige seemed happy to oblige, "Sure, I run, I swim."

"Me too, though I'm taking a break from swimming,"

"Would you want to go for a run sometime?" Paige asked hesitantly.

This was the third time Paige had asked her out, If the flowers she had bought were considered, it would be the fourth. Emily hadn't been on a date with anyone other than Maya since high school, and though she realized it was time to move forward it still seemed daunting. Paige was friendly, sweet, and stable, all things Emily could use in her life, it made the idea seem less formidable. Toby would be happy, going on a date with Paige would be a lot more appropriate than jumping into the boss's lap in the back of a car.

Emily pulled her hand from her eyes and looked over at the driver's side, immediately catching sight of the puppy dog eyes Paige was directing her way. If she was going to go out with Paige she needed to be honest first, "I have to tell you something and if you still want to go for a run with me afterward, I'd like that." Paige nodded and Emily cut to the chase, "I came and found you for a ride because I knew it would piss Alison off. We were arguing and she said some pretty hurtful stuff, I didn't want to be stuck in a car with her...Are you mad?"

Paige turned her head with a smile, "No. I can't really be mad since it worked out well for me. I'm getting to spend some alone time with you, but just to be clear you're not saying yes to going running with me to get back at her, right?"

Emily returned her smile, "I"m saying yes because when I leave you in the dust, you can pay for lunch," she teased.

"Oh, so now it's a race?"

"If you're up for it. How's Saturday?"

"Saturday it is," Paige affirmed, "How about we take the scenic route back to the office? and you can really make Alison mad," She winked.

… …

Given the tiring day they had, Emily anticipated Alison wrapping things up early and bringing the long workday to an end. She was wrong, it was after 9 and they were still in the office. Alison was marking up articles and Emily was finishing up some research on her plan for the New York Liberty. The office was quiet, but it wasn't the painful silence of Alison icing Emily out, the two of them spoke when it was necessary and not much more. Alison never asked why her ride back to the office with Paige took an extra half hour, even though Emily was sure she'd noticed. The EIC was barely looking up from behind her computer, and when she did her eyes didn't linger on Emily at all.

Despite their desks being only a few feet apart it felt like they were miles away from each other. It made Emily feel cold, lonely, and she didn't understand why. Her anger had dulled over the hours, giving way for a new emotion to creep in, embarrassment. At first, Emily rebuked the feeling, Alison had lashed out at her and hurt her with callous words once again. What did she have to be embarrassed about? The feeling of remorse continued to gnaw at her about her own immaturity. She deliberately chose to ride with Paige to vex Alison, and as she stole glances at the blonde from behind her desk, she wondered if Alison was feeling embarrassed about their behavior toward each other too.

"I have an idea," Emily spoke timidly.

Alison peered around the edge of her computer, acknowledging her.

"You told me to tell you when I have an idea, but if you don't want to hear it, it's fine, I know it's late." Emily rambled, becoming uncertain.

"I'm listening,"

"Oh, uh, okay." Emily gathered a few papers from her desk and hurried over to Alison, worried that her boss might reconsider if she didn't act quickly.

Emily leaned across the spacious desk, arranging the pages neatly for Alison to peruse. Alison reached out and picked up one of the articles as she rose from her seat and moved toward the far end of the large desk, effectively putting over six feet of space between them. The unspoken message was clear, Alison wanted to maintain her distance.

"You're pouting," Alison said flatly.

"Am I?" Emily asked, still feeling the sting of Alison placing a physical gap between them. Emily recalled she had reacted similarly, taking a step back from Alison during their argument. It hadn't crossed her mind that Alison would be hurt by her decision to ride with Paige, Emily only thought it would irritate her. It wasn't until now that she considered her act of pettiness could have caused more harm than she realized.

"Yes," Alison's reply was curt. "Are you going to tell me what all of this is? Like you said, it's late," she dropped the paper she'd been holding and it floated back onto the desk

"This is the New York Liberty's thank you gift. The team's concern is that our involvement with them will be short lived and self serving, which means GLOW needs to prove that the magazine is committed to supporting them in ways that matter and go beyond our own interests," Emily began explaining her research, "I found this article on some business site about how the best way to support women's sports is to invest, and it's true because women's sports don't have the same kind of money behind them that men's sports do. If GLOW became a Liberty sponsor it would show the team, and everyone else for that matter that we care about uplifting female athletes."

"That business site is Bloomberg News," Alison corrected. "Continue," She prompted, beginning to read over the research Emily compiled.

"Sponsoring a team is a multi-year commitment, the last deal they negotiated was with a car rental service, a two-year contract for two and a half million. It would show how serious GLOW is about being a valuable partner to the team." Emily directed Alison's attention to a list of the organization's current and previous sponsors.

Alison's gaze lifted to meet Emily's, "This would be a very expensive gift. I was thinking more along the lines of some nice wine baskets."

"I had the custom basketball hoop from the party packaged up and delivered to them today with a card thanking them for attending. They loved it but it won't sway them on the issue of the feature." Emily shared, pulling her phone from her pocket and handing it to Alison to show her a photo the players sent her earlier when they'd received their gift. They were huddled around the hoop smiling, some of them giving a thumbs up to the camera. "The fanbases of women's sports are growing and everyone else is investing, venture capitalists, celebrities, everyone. Do you really want GLOW to be left behind?"

A soft chuckle escaped Alison as she returned the phone to Emily and came just a few feet closer, shrinking the distance between them. "Do you know what a venture capitalist is?"

Emily shook her head, a smile forming on her lips at the sound of Alison's laugh, "No, but Bloomberg says they're ahead of the curve on this."

The uninhibited laugh that came from Alison melted away any remaining tension, "I'm sure there's some truth to that but if GLOW made an investment of this magnitude, we would need a clear understanding of the potential returns. This would become a lot bigger than a feature and there would be a lot of work involved. Are you up for that?"

Emily felt a sudden surge of enthusiasm. Alison was considering it, she was actually considering her idea. "Yes, yes I am! Let's call marketing, they can start putting together a report for you. The GLOW logo is going to look so cool on the Liberty's jerseys." Emily reached for the desk phone but felt Alison's hand cover hers, stopping Emily from picking it up

"Marketing isn't here, Emily. They left hours ago with everyone else," Alison reminded her, keeping their hands connected.

"Oh…right," Emily's excitement dimmed.

"You're pouting again," Alison observed, a hint of amusement in her voice this time.

It was then that Emily registered Alison's proximity to her. They were close again, Alison was touching her, looking at her, they were connected. She didn't feel miles away anymore, between that and the potential of what could happen with the New York Liberty, Emily felt happy, the most happy she'd been all day. She took Alison's hand in both of hers caressing it lightly before letting go.

Emily playfully bit the corner of her lip before asking, "How upset do you think Irene would be if you gave her a call?" Irene headed the Marketing Department and it wasn't that late, Emily rationalized. Besides the sooner Irene started her report, the sooner she could turn it in and the WNBA season was right around the corner.

Alison used her free hand to pick up her cell phone from the desk, "I don't know, let's see."

They stood closely as Alison put the phone on speaker and held it in front of them. Emily wasn't sure why but she'd instinctively rested her head on Alison's shoulder as they listened to the phone ring. Alison's arm encircled her waist, drawing her closer. Earlier, Emily couldn't get far enough away from her but now all she wanted was to be held close. As seconds went by and the phone continued to ring it seemed like Irene wasn't going to answer, but suddenly there was the sound of the call connecting. In sync, Alison and Emily shared a mischievous smile, and Emily thought briefly that maybe a bit of mischief wasn't so bad if they were on the same side.

... ...

Author's Note:

Emily was petty, but Alison kinda deserved it, and it looks like Paige will finally get her date. Thanks to everyone who's followed the story and also reviews. Hope you enjoyed this update!