Chapter 6
PAIGE
Remi returns from the bathroom like the previous five minutes never happened. They don’t talk about anything significant.
Paige can barely concentrate as she finishes her drink. Remi doesn’t bring up flirting or dating advice as she drives her home. She walks Paige to her car, and Paige pauses before unlocking her door, desperately hoping Remi will lean in again and finish what she started at the bar.
Remi doesn’t.
She waves until Paige pulls out of the parking lot and texts to make sure she gets home safely. She asks her if she wants to climb on Monday. She’s acting normal—acting like her friend.
Yet all Paige can think about for the next two days is the damn almost kiss.
It was a pretend date. They both knew that going in. Still, a part of her hoped …
It was stupid. Paige’s mind helpfully reminds her of her last two serious relationships. Both Shawn and Tyler cheated.
What if she’s the problem?
What if the reason Remi didn’t want to kiss Paige and why her boyfriends cheated was because of her?
Maybe Paige wasn’t experienced enough for Shawn.
Maybe she said “no” too often when Tyler wanted to hook up.
Maybe Remi doesn’t find Paige attractive.
Or maybe she’s turned off by Paige’s inexperience?
It’s two days later, and Paige is still kicking around these thoughts while she should be focusing on work. Her phone vibrates, and she welcomes the distraction.
Remi:
Today is officially the longest day ever, and I still have to teach math
Remi:
Also I think someone injected sugar directly into my students’ veins. When I find out who, I’m going to have some STRONG WORDS with them.
Paige bites her lip.
Me:
Not math
Me:
I did hear it was a full moon…
Remi:
DAMN IT
Me:
I’ll send you all the good vibes! And fingers crossed the rest of your work day flies by
Remi:
Back at you, princess.
Paige rolls her eyes good-naturedly. She insisted she’s not a princess, but Remi gets this cute little quirk to her lips whenever she uses the nickname, Paige has given up trying to dissuade her.
Remi:
We’re still on to climb at six, right?
Me:
Yep!
Remi:
Great. I can’t wait to see you
Her stomach swoops.
Friends, she reminds herself. Just friends.
* * *
It’s a couple of days later, and Paige is finally over their almost kiss.
She’s back to appreciating their friendship and its platonic nature.
They’ve started texting daily, but that’s a normal thing close friends do.
It’s not because there’s anything else developing between them. Nope. Just a strong friendship.
They climbed together twice during the week.
Paige isn’t sure if it’s a coincidence, but Tyler isn’t there either time.
Her breaths come easier knowing he’s not glaring at them from behind her back.
And even though they don’t technically have to, Remi and Paige still play up the act of being a couple … just in case.
Unfortunately, the touches are coming more naturally for Paige. She likes the feeling of Remi’s soft skin under her fingertips. The warmth of Remi’s body pressed close to hers. The way their hands mold together seamlessly.
Paige keeps reminding herself it doesn’t mean anything. It’s all just pretend. Remi isn’t attracted to her. And that’s okay.
Paige knocks on Remi’s front door, then steps back to wait, tapping her thigh.
Tonight is her night to plan their practice date, and she’s second-guessing everything.
Is the restaurant nice enough? Is it romantic enough—or is it too romantic?
What if she thinks arcades are stupid? Are arcades stupid?
It’s one of those old school places that only takes quarters, and all the machines are from the nineties. It looks so cool online.
“Hey, so sorry,” Remi says, out of breath, as she pulls open the front door. Paige thinks she says something else, but she doesn’t hear her.
Remi is standing before her with just a light blue towel wrapped snug around her body—her very wet and very naked body. Remi flashes a crooked grin and brushes damp hair back from her forehead.
Paige’s brain short-circuits.
“Paige?” Remi prompts.
She snaps her gaze up to Remi’s face. “Sorry, what?”
“I said I had a parent-teacher conference run long, so I’m a little behind.” Remi repeats this slowly, smirking, like it’s clear this isn’t the first—or even the second—time she’s saying it. “Want to wait inside?”
Paige nods, swallowing, since she’s unsure of her ability to speak.
“What’s this?” Remi asks.
“Oh.” Paige brightens. “These are for you.”
Remi takes the white gift box from her. Paige wrapped a blue ribbon around it and topped it with a small bow. After double-checking it’s okay to open now, Remi carefully peels the ribbon away and pops the lid.
“These smell amazing,” Remi says.
Warmth rises in Paige’s cheeks.
They smell like Remi.
She can’t get the delicious scent of Remi’s cologne out of her head and made these muffins as a pre-date gift.
“They are rosemary lemon,” Paige says.
“Wow. I can’t wait to try one.”
“It’s my first time trying this recipe, so I hope they’re okay.”
“I’m not worried. Your muffins always taste delicious.” Remi winks, and Paige’s blush deepens.
Remi smiles wryly, then points her thumb over her shoulder. “I’m going to get dressed. Make yourself at home.”
Paige swallows and takes a second to let her skin cool before glancing around. Remi’s apartment is nice and cozy. There’s a light gray love seat and recliner facing a mounted flat-screen. She has floating shelves full of framed photos and knickknacks against her main wall.
Paige scans through the faces in the frames. It’s like a mounted scrapbook of Remi and, who she assumes is her roommate and best friend, Elena. The photos in the center look more recent with them both smiling on a boat.
As Paige continues to scan, it’s like traveling through time.
There’s a shot of Remi and Elena together at a college graduation, dressed in their matching gowns.
Next to that is one of the two of them in different colored gowns—presumably high school—and there’s a third girl.
Remi and Elena prop her up in the air as she sticks her tongue out while holding up the peace sign.
There’s a whole collage of photos of Remi, Elena, and this third girl as teenagers.
Some of the three of them at football games, wearing soccer uniforms, at prom—Remi looks adorable in her suit—and silly photos from what looks like a sleepover.
Paige wonders what happened to this third girl and why she’s no longer in any of the photos after high school.
She moves on from the photos, and, since she’s already being nosy, she turns to the bookshelf.
Paige dabbles in mystery and thriller novels, but Remi’s shelves are overflowing with romance books.
She never could get into the genre. It’s full of longing and desires she’s never personally experienced, and it leaves her feeling a little broken inside.
One snags her attention, though, and she slides it off the shelf.
There are two women embracing each other on the cover.
Hm. She’s never thought about trying a queer romance before.
She flips it over to read the summary when a soft voice from behind her ear whispers, “I didn’t know you like to read. ”
Paige startles and turns into Remi. She’s dressed in a form-fitting V-neck and white Bermuda shorts. Her hair is mussed, and there’s that delicious, familiar scent of bergamot and rosemary from her cologne that makes Paige’s head spin.
She’s not expecting Remi to be so close to her.
But she doesn’t move away.
“Sometimes,” Paige says. “Mostly mysteries and thrillers though.”
“Well, you can borrow it if you want.” Remi taps the book. “This is one of my favorites, if you want to try out a new genre.”
“Oh, um … Thank you.”
“Of course. Anything for my girlfriend.” She winks.
A gasp startles them both. There’s a short woman with long dark hair and striking eyes staring at them both, her lips parted and eyes wide. Elena. She’s wearing black scrubs and white sneakers and is standing in the open door of the apartment holding a bottle of wine and a box of pizza.
“Did you just say … girlfriend?”
“Elena?” Remi’s forehead scrunches. “No, it’s not … we’re not. We’re”—she scratches the back of her head—“it’s a long story.”
Something crosses Elena’s face. Paige doesn’t know her well enough to place the emotion, but, if she had to guess, it looked like sadness. Or maybe betrayal?
Nobody speaks.
Paige glances between Elena and Remi, a weird tension crackling in the air.
“Well, I brought dinner.” Elena lifts the hand holding the brown box. “I’d love to hear all the dirty details.” She’s trying to come across light, but it sounds strained.
Remi tenses. “We can’t stay. Paige and I have plans already.”
“Oh. Yeah … okay.”
“Hey, can I use your bathroom?” Paige asks Remi because she’s not sure her presence is helping the confusing tension going on between the best friends.
“Sure, yeah,” Remi says, peeling her gaze away from Elena to look at Paige. “It’s inside my bedroom.”
“Thank you.” Paige gives Elena a tight-lipped smile and tiny wave because she’s apparently awkward as hell and escapes inside Remi’s bedroom.
Like beckoned, her bladder decides she might as well go. There’s an assortment of hair products, cologne, and two different kinds of toothpaste on the bathroom counter. She sets the romance book—she didn’t realize she was still holding—down and sits on the toilet.
Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.
There’s one single square of toilet paper left on the roll. Okay. This is fine. Paige is sure she has extra—nope. There’s no storage stand or basket on the back of the toilet seat. Paige leans over to check under the sink and curses.
Where the hell does this woman keep her spare toilet paper?
Remi’s vanity has three large drawers. One of them has to have it.
She pops open the bottom one and finds one of Remi’s rock climbing harnesses.
That’s strange. How did it end up in her bathroom?
It’s an impractical place to store climbing gear.
Also, now that she’s really looking at it, the harness looks too small for climbing, and wait … Why’s there a big circle in the front?
Oh … oh, fuck!
Paige clasps her hand over her mouth to muffle her gasp as she drops the not rock climbing harness back into the drawer. And it’s only then does she see what else is inside: A large dark blue dildo, a slightly smaller bright pink dildo, and a collection of vibrators.
Holy fucking shit. Paige quickly, but quietly, shoves the drawer shut, her face aflame. She didn’t mean to find Remi’s secret sex toy drawer, but also—she inches the drawer open to steal another small peek.
Hot damn, that’s so much stuff. Does Remi actually use all that?
Every time?