A/N: Holy Shnikes! I updated. I am sooooo sorry I am a total loser and took like seven months to update but I hope you enjoy what I gave you. I just sort of stopped thinking about it and let it write itself. Please R&R.
Alex's Apartment
Alex sat in her room waiting for Jay to arrive. He was intergral to her plan for hers and Paige's two month anniversary and if she was going to have time to do all she wanted to then Jay needed to get his ass there quickly.
A knock on her door pulled Alex from her thoughts and she hurried to open it. Jay stood there with a grin on his face as he leaned against her doorframe.
"I'm surprised you knocked." Alex said as she waited for him to walk in.
"Last time I didn't you kicked me in the balls. I'm not looking to repeat that." Jay said as he moved over to Alex's desk and sat in the chair.
"So Lexi, what can I do for you? You and Michalchuk call it quits and you need a rebound? Or maybe you want me to rebound her." Jay suggested as his eyebrows rose and his mouth turned up into a leer.
"Didn't you just say you're not looking to get kicked in the balls again? If you want to avoid that you'll stop talking shit about my girlfriend." Alex said scowling over at her friend.
Noticing the contemplative look on his face she walked over and slapped the back of his head.
"And stop thinking about fucking her!" She snarled as she reconsidered having Jay help her out tonight.
Jay adopted a look of innocence and Alex rolled her eyes.
"It's not my fault she's hot, and if she shut up she'd be totally doable. Maybe a ball gag would wor-" Jay stopped himself as Alex practically growled at him.
"I'm kidding, kind of, but really Lex, what do you need?"
"I need the van." Alex said still glaring at the boy.
"Done. Is that all?" Jay asked trying to soothe Alex. He knew that he had a crossed a small line, but he also realized that Alex was so touchy because she was nervous about something.
"Umm.." Alex looked at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers a bit. "I need it all night Jay and I need you to do me a favor tomorrow."
"All night? Well, well, well Lexi, looks like I'm not the only one with sex on the brain."
"Are you going to help tonight or not?" Alex spat out as she flushed red and ran a frustrated hand through her hair.
"What else do you need Alex?" Sincerity had become Jay's closest companion.
"Well here's what I have in mind..." Alex explained her plans for her evening with Paige and Jay had to admit he found it thoroughly disgusting, it was just that sappily sweet. But Lexi seemed happy and that was what mattered.
"Well, let's get started then." Jay said jumping up and rubbing his hands together.
The two friends began bustling about Alex's room gathering the necessary supplies for the evening and in almost no time at all they had everything they needed. Now all they had to do was get it outside to the van. Alex thought it was a good thing Chad wasn't home or else he'd be making some kind of trouble for her and she didn't have the patience for a fight with him tonight.
Paige's House
"Marcooooo, what am I going to wear tonight?" Paige shrieked as she flew around the room trying to find the perfect outfit to celebrate her two month anniversary with her girlfriend.
"A trenchcoat and heels?" Marco suggested knowing Paige was barely listening anyway.
"A trenchcoat? Why would I need a trenchcoat? You don't think it's going to rain do you? Oh my God Marco what if she has something planned for outside and it rains and everything she planned is ruined and if it ruins our anniversary what if it's a sign that things aren't going to work out between us and what if her plans being ruined causes us to get in a huge fight and we break up and it would suck to break up on our anniversary and -" Paige stopped to take a breath as she began to feel lightheaded.
"Paige!" Marco shouted over the phone to her. "Stop panicking. Everything is going to be just fine. I promise."
Taking a deep, cleanising breath Paige tried to let her fears go. There was one, however, that kept nagging at her.
"Marco, I think we might...I think tonight might be it." Paige said so softly Marco barely heard her.
"It? What do you me- Oh, it as in you guys might sleep together?" Marco asked keeping his voice as soothing as possible.
"Yeah."
"Paige, I know we never really talked about this but, did you and Matt ever-" Marco left the question hanging knowing Paige would catch his meaning.
"No. He didn't think it was a good idea before I was 18 and by the time I was he'd already left and then we broke up for good." Paige said as she sank down onto her bed.
"Ok. So you haven't since...ah since-"
"No, not since Dean." Paige felt that all too familiar feeling of shame rush through her as she remembered that night.
"Uh- Paigey, have you actually, you know, told Alex about what happened?"
"No." Her response was immediate and spoken in such a way that Marco could tell she intended it to end their current conversation.
"Are you going to? I mean if tonight really is "it" then don't you think you should?" He asked hesitantly.
"NO!" Paige practically shouted as she felt her pulse beginning to speed up.
"Paige, Paige it's ok. It's alright." Marco spoke gently into the phone hoping to bring Paige back from whatever panic she had worked herself into.
"Marco, I don't want to think about him when I'm with her. I don't want her thinking about it when we're together. It would change things and things don't need to be changed between us."
"Paige, I really think-" Marco began before Paige cut him off.
"No! Besides, maybe tonight isn't "the night". We may just have dinner and hang out and make-out a bit like we normally do." Paige laughed caustically into the phone as she got up to survey her closet.
"And even if tonight is when we sleep together, just when would I bring up a topic like that? I mean really saying, "Hey Alex, just so you know, two years ago I was raped by a big dumb bastard who wound up getting away with it. So if I like, I don't know, start crying on you while we're doing it, I'm just having flashbacks, it's so totally not you." seems like it might just a little bit of mood killer. What do you think?"
There was silence as Marco considered Paige's words and got a glimpse into a hell he hadn't realized still surrounded his best friend.
"I think you should wear that navy blue top, the one with the spaghettis straps, your light grey cargos and your blue Chucks. I think, since it's Alex, you should totally keep it casual. And since it's so warm out you should be fine without a jacket." Marco said steering the conversation to safer territory.
"Thanks Marco. I should get ready. I'll call you later."
"Later Paige. Have fun tonight ok?" Marco encouraged with a smile he knew she would hear in his voice.
"I'm sure I will Hon, I love you." The blonde smiled gently to herself as she reached up for the top he'd suggested.
"Love you too Paigey. Bye."
"Bye." Paige hung up her phone and tossed it onto the bed taking a quick glance at her clock.
"Crap! I'm so late." She screeched as she began her mad dash to get ready for her date.
Two Hours Later
Alex pulled up to Paige's house and took a deep breath.
"Come on Lex, it's Paige. Just be calm and try not to make an idiot of yourself.
Taking a deep breath through her nose she quickly expelled it through her mouth and reached over to the passenger seat to grab the cluster of flowers she had brought for Paige.
Not giving herself a chance to chicken out Alex got out of the car and made her way to Paige's front door. Once on the front porch she fiddled with her hands for a moment and steeling herself she reached out and rang the doorbell.
She waited with baited breath and tried to not squeeze the life out of the flowers in her hands. Alex looked up, startled, when the door opened to reveal her girlfriend looking positively beautiful.
"Hey." Alex winced at how lame she already sounded.
Paige grinned and took a moment to take in Alex's appearnce. Red tank top, black jeans, her usual Adidas and of course her trademark hoops.
"You look nice Hon. Red is so your color." The blonde remarked as she stepped back into the house so Alex could walk in as well.
"Uh - Thanks Paige, you look really nice too." The dark haired girl said as she stepped into the dimly lit foyer and remembered the flowers in her hand.
"I got these for you." She thrust them out awkwardly as Paige raised her eyebrow at her. "I was walking through the woods by the Ravine today and I saw them and they made me think of your eyes and I just had to pick them and I know they're kind of lame and you probably would have preferred roses and I-"
A soft kiss interrupted her. Paige pulled back with her half smile and cupped Alex's face with one hand.
"They're beautiful Alex, thank you. What are they called?"
"Bluets. Like I said Paige, I know they're not much-" Again she was cut off, this time by Paige's finger on her lips.
"Alex I mean it, they're gorgeous and they couldn't mean more to me Hon."
"How come?"
Paige giggled softly as she removed her finger from Alex's lips to brush a kiss across them once more. Her previous nerves had disappeared in the face of Alex's obvious terror and Paige found herself not only much more relaxed but free to be a bit more honest.
"Because they're from you. That's why they mean so much."
Alex stood there speechless as Paige backed away and walked toward the kitchen.
"I'm just going to put these in water and then we can go ok?"
Alex nodded before realizing Paige was in the other room and couldn't see her.
"Ok, yeah we should get going." Alex said as she heard Paige running the tap.
A moment later Paige came out of the kitchen and walked back over to Alex.
"Sweetie, will you grab my purse off the table behind you please?"
Turning, Alex saw the purse in question and picked it up. She turned back around and handed it to Paige before opening the door and gesturing gallantly for Paige to go ahead of her.
"So I uh- I borrowed Jay's car to get where we need to go tonight. He's going to take it once we get there, but don't worry, we have another mode of transportation waiting there for us."
"Ok Lexi, I trust you. Just lead the way."
Without another word the girls walked to Jay's car. Alex again held the door for Paige and smiled as she slid inside trying to hide the grimace as she smelled the scent of pot that still lingered.
She seemed to forget Jay's idea of potpourri as Alex walked over to the driver's side and got in behind the wheel. Flashing a grin at the girl beside her Alex started the engine and drove them to their destination.
Whatever the night brought it would find them both prepared.
Or so they hoped.
TBC...