Story takes place after the dollhouse

Title: Emails

It started innocently enough. Alison was helping Emily sort through her inbox, offering to declutter the mountain of unread emails when she stumbled upon a familiar name.

Paige McCullers.

The subject lines were mundane—updates about classes, funny stories from campus life—but the sheer number of emails between Emily and Paige stopped Alison cold. She stared at the screen, her stomach twisting.

"I didn't know you were still talking to Paige," Alison said, her voice careful, but Emily could hear the undercurrent of tension.

Emily looked up from where she was folding laundry on the bed, her brow furrowing. "Yeah, we've been emailing. Why?"

Alison turned in the chair to face her. "I just thought… I thought you told her you didn't need her around anymore after the Dollhouse."

Emily's hands stilled. She set down the shirt she was folding and sighed. "Ali, I didn't mean it like that. Paige wanted to stay and help, but I told her she didn't need to put her life on hold for me. That didn't mean we stopped talking completely."

Alison crossed her arms, leaning back in the chair. "So, you've been in contact this whole time? And you didn't think to mention it?"

Emily hesitated, sensing the shift in Alison's tone. "I didn't think it was a big deal. Paige is at Stanford now. We're not… together or anything, but she's still important to me."

The words landed heavily between them, and Alison's expression flickered with something Emily couldn't quite place.

"She's important to you," Alison repeated softly, almost to herself. She looked down at the desk, her fingers idly tracing the edge of Emily's laptop.

Emily frowned. "Ali, what's going on? Why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset," Alison said quickly, standing and crossing the room. "It's just… I didn't realize she still had such a big role in your life."

"She doesn't have a 'big role,'" Emily said, her tone growing defensive. "We're just friends. That's it."

Alison turned to face her, her blue eyes searching Emily's face. "But she's still important."

Emily's heart sank. She didn't know how to explain it without making things worse. "Paige was there for me during a really tough time, okay? Just because we broke up doesn't mean I don't care about her."

Alison gave a small nod, but her face was unreadable. "Right. Of course."

"Ali—"

"No, it's fine," Alison cut her off, forcing a tight smile. "You're allowed to care about whoever you want, Em."

There was something final in the way Alison said it, and it made Emily's chest ache.

Alison moved toward the door, her shoulders stiff. "I just remembered I have to finish something for class. I'll let you get back to your laundry."

Emily watched her go, her mind racing. She wanted to call after Alison, to explain herself better, but the words wouldn't come.

When Alison closed the door behind her, she leaned against it, letting out a shaky breath.

To Alison, it sounded a lot like Emily was saying Paige still held a piece of her heart—a piece Alison realized she wanted for herself.