Dark Paradise Ch 21

*Be aware of the Time Jump! I promise I will fill in the Gaps! Enjoy!*

You have been cordially invited to the wedding of

Tristen James Taylor

and

Hanna Olivia Marin

A smile grew across my face when I stared at the invitation. Of course Tristen had given me the heads up but it was about time that they got married. They acted like they were married after a small time of being in a relationship, it was hard to believe that it had taken them almost 3 years to finally tie the knot. I pick up the phone and scroll through the contacts to search his name, before his face popped up and he was calling me.

"Hey I just got the invitation. Congratulations again!" I run my fingers over the invitation as I read the rest of the details. I would have to ask for a few days off from work, which I was definitely not oppose to.

"Thanks M&M. So you are coming right?" I furrow my brows as I hear the slight worry in his voice. My heart sank with the thought of him thinking I wouldn't come on this special day for both him and Hanna.

"Of course I am. What kind of question is that?" Tristen was like my brother and Hanna and I were close when I was living there. I mean we still talked but not nearly as much as we did before I left Rosewood.

"Well you haven't come back since…well since you left almost three years ago. And Paige and Evee will be there." His voice was a bit pained as if thinking about that night. My heart slowed as I thought about what I did that night and where I am now because of my actions from that night.

"I know… and I figured as much, I mean they are sisters." I close my eyes, as if to remember the two people who were so much a part of my life only two years ago.

"Maybe you two can talk?" His voice sounded hopeful. I think back to that night that I left and the pain in her voice when she was begging me to stay and asking why I would leave them. I looked down in shame and focus on the watercolor paintings that are hung above my desk. Everything comes back to me from that night, the light mist in the middle of the night and the creaking sound of the swing as I got up to walk away from one of the best things that's happened to me. There is a light knock on the door that snaps me out of my memories of the night. I smile as I see the brunette that is waiting for me.

"Yeah maybe, I doubt she'll want to talk to me. But Tris, I'm really sorry but I have to go but I'll call you later. But I am coming to the wedding with a plus one." Going back to Rosewood did mean that I had to face my past. Paige and I didn't end in the best of terms but we did end that night. We ended and I came back to New York where I met someone that would become a part of my life that would change me forever.

Paige's POV

My eyes were closed as my head leaned back taking in the aroma of fresh coffee spilling in through the cracks of the doorway. My office was quiet and my space to actually think about my life in silence. This was my "me time", time that I didn't have to think about the wedding or all of the chaos that came with it. My eyes slowly flutter open when my phone vibrates next to my laptop.

Hanna: Tristen just got off the phone with Em, apparently she's coming to the wedding.

My eyes stay fixated on the message and I'm just numb. I lay the phone down and close my eyes and the image of the raven haired beauty comes back to me.

(Flashback)

Emily shuts the door and her words haven't quite hit me, it's not until Hanna is wrapping her arms around me that I finally hear my sobs. I look up and see the hazel eyes that I have kept me sane these last four years. I can see that I woke her from her sleep because she is still rubbing her eyes and holding on to a stuffed animal. My eyes finally focus on the stuffed animal through my tears and I notice it's the Nemo stuffed animals. I smile weakly at the stuffed animal and the way that Evelyn is holding onto it, just like how I should be holding on to Emily.

I get up and give a quick kiss to Evelyn and give Hanna a smile before stopping Tristen from leaving the apartment. I run down the three flights of stairs slipping down the last two steps because of my socks. I walk out the door to face who I hope will be my future…and the freezing cold night. I look down the streets while I run in place to keep my feet from staying on the ground for too long. I run down the street past The Brew and towards the Town Square. Again I stop to look around and try to figure out where she could be. She had only had a few minutes head start on me. I start to think of all the places she could be that were nearby when one place comes to mind. I run through the gazebo area in Town Square and to the park that is by Evelyn's daycare.

My socks are soaring wet from running through the newly watered grass when I hear the creaking of the swing, and I know that I found her. I walk up to the playground and see Emily sitting on the swing with her feet pushing her back and forth with just enough force for the swings to creak. I take a moment to just stare at her and remember the last time we were here on these swings, our first kiss. The adrenaline is coursing through me when I finally walk over to her and sit on the swing next to her, the exact same swings we were in when we first kissed. The adrenaline was wearing off with each second that past because I was at a loss for words.

"How did you know?" I hear her raspy voice whisper. I look over at her and she is still looking down and I noticed that she was tapping her fingers together, a nervous habit she had.

"Because this is safe. Evelyn and you always come here, this is where we first kissed, and when you're with Evelyn and me, you feel the safest. At least that's what I would like to think anyways." My fingers start tracing the chain links until they reach the bottom of the swing, keeping my eyes on Emily, I continue to trace down the cold chain finally looking away. Maybe this was a mistake and the minute she walked out of the apartment and I didn't stop her she decided that she was done with this relationship.

"You're right…I feel the safest when I'm with the both of you. I think I've felt that way since day 1, but now I see that maybe I was too dependent on you two for my happiness. That when I wasn't with you, or even the group I didn't really feel like.."

"Your own person." I finish her thought and for the first time since I arrived at the swing, I could see her dark brown eyes and with help from the park light that was a few feet back, I could see her lower lip trembling from holding back a sob. I get off the swing and kneel in front of her cupping her face in my palms. "Emily, why haven't you told me this before?"

"Because I hadn't realized it until recently. Not having my family and being in this routine with Evelyn and hardly seeing you and the group. I got to thinking that I only really exist when I'm with you all and I don't like that. I just don't want to be a secret, I don't only want to exist when you want me to." Emily said with a crack in her voice, as her eyes blinked back tears and avoided making eye contact with me. I swallowed the lump in my throat that I didn't know I had and suck in the tears that I know are waiting to fall. I move her face up, forcing her to make eye contact with me.

"I'm sorry for making you feel like you weren't your own person. I know that I've relied on you with Evelyn a lot lately and I'm sorry. Em, I love you…Please don't leave me..don't leave us. We can figure it out, I'll hire someone who can be a part time manager to help me out that way I don't have to rely on you for Evee."

"You relying on me for Evee is not the problem. The problem is that I need to find myself. I never really was able to do that when I was in New York and especially not when I was overseas. I'm finally out of the closet, I can finally admit to myself that, it's okay. And you helped me see that, you made that possible for me to be okay with being gay, for being who I am. I found a part of myself being in this town but I still feel like I haven't been able to grow outside of our circle. Like I'm still stuck and I don't like that."

"So what do you want Emily?" I say as I am holding back my tears waiting for the answer that I don't want to hear.

"I want to find out who I am, who I truly am. Staying here is holding me back from fully finding myself. I'm halfway there though."

"You're leaving? You are going to leave Rosewood? Leave Tristen? Leave Spencer? Leave us?"

"I need a change Paige…I just need to leave Rosewood for a bit. I'm not going to leave for good. But being in this routine and where I can't be the person I am trying to be is killing me… Hollis has a summer program…

A small tear threatens to escape as the last memory I had with Emily replays through my head. She went on to go San Francisco for the Hollis summer program she was supposed to come back but instead I was met with an empty room where Emily's bed and her things used to be. She stayed in San Francisco to finish school and the last I heard of her she was back in New York. She seems to have her life together now then she did 3 years ago, but again I wouldn't know truly because I never kept in touch with her. She writes letters to Evee and still talks to everyone else who was in our inner circle every now and then. She tried to call and text when she first left but I was too hurt to hear her voice or what she had to say. So her messages always went unanswered or were deleted.

"Hi mommy." My eyes snap up and I see Evee standing with Tristen at the doorway of my office. "Just want to say bye! Uncle Tris is here to pick me up." I quickly get up and give Tristen a hug and a weak smile. My almost 8 year old smiled at me and left the room to get her things from the lounge so she could get her flower girl accessories with the bride and groom to be.

"Have you talked to Han?" He smiles at his soon to be niece running out before his smile fades as the he sees my reaction of his question.

"Yeah I just got her text message…How was she when you talked to her?"

"I only spoke with her for a minute or two. She said she needed to go. She seemed like she was doing good from our last talk though." I nodded my head as I walked back around to my desk to look over the contract. "Paige, maybe you two should talk. She's in a better place now then she was three years ago." His voice was low as he looked back to the door while scratching his beard. He had really changed over the years, his scruffy stumble had grown into a full dirty blonde beard, his hair that used to messily hang over his eyes is now shorter and styled. His old ripped jeans and college tees were replaced by fitted jeans with button up shirts (occasionally they would be tucked in). Tristan now owns different properties around Rosewood and the neighboring towns, so during the week button up shirts and lacks were his uniform when seeing property.

"I've heard. If Emily wants to talk I won't say no but I'm not going out of my way to reach out. I'm glad she is doing good though, she deserves that." I say with a weak smile and continue to scroll through my emails and take a sip of my coffee.

"She asks about you Paige." He says as I continue to take my sip. I close my eyes remembering that caring tone of voice she always had. I feel a lump starting to form in my throat.

"And I ask about her too but that only means so much Tris. Like I said she deserves a good life and I'm happy for her." I say as I see my not so little girl run in.

"Ready Uncle!" She clings onto his elbow as she smiles at him with her San Francisco State bookbag hanging over her back. I couldn't get away from Emily even if I wanted to, see was everywhere.

"I'll see you later sweetie. Make sure if the shoes are too big remember to tell Tris or Aunty Hanna okay? I don't need you falling down as you are throwing flowers down the aisle." Evee smiles and nods before giving me a hug and leaving with Tristen as he leaves the room with a tight smile and small wave.

How am I going to do this? I ask myself while looking up at the Brew's ceiling. Emily would be in Rosewood in less than a month, which was not enough time to prepare myself, hell 3 years wasn't enough time. At least one thing had changed though, my dating life