Sixteen

By the time 7:45 rolled around, I was still sitting cross-legged on the edge of my bed, staring at the pile of clothes I'd dumped onto the comforter. My brain was stuck in a feedback loop, repeating one mantra: Don't overthink this. Don't let her get to you. This is just dinner.

Except it wasn't just dinner. Not when Paige was involved.

She had a way of turning every interaction into something laced with subtext. It didn't matter if it was a casual comment or a lingering look—everything felt heavy with meaning. Or maybe that was just me, spiraling as usual.

I groaned, burying my face in my hands before forcing myself to move. I grabbed a cropped sweater and high-waisted jeans, keeping it casual but cute. If Paige was going to tease me for overthinking, I'd at least give her nothing to work with.

I met Paige in the hotel lobby at exactly 8:00. She was leaning casually against a pillar, scrolling through her phone, but the second she saw me, her face lit up with that signature grin of hers.

"Hey, Baby Girl," she greeted, tucking her phone into her back pocket.

"Hey, Mama," I replied, my voice calm despite the nerves twisting in my stomach.

Her gaze swept over me quickly, and she nodded in approval. "You clean up nice, Inds."

I rolled my eyes. "It's just dinner."

She smirked. "Sure it is."

Dinner ended up being at a cozy Italian restaurant a few blocks from the hotel. Paige had apparently scoped it out during a previous trip, and the staff greeted her like she was an old friend.

We slid into a booth near the back, the dim lighting casting a warm glow over the space. Paige ordered a glass of red wine, while I stuck with water—mostly because I needed all my faculties intact if I was going to survive this meal.

"So," she said once the waiter had left, leaning back against the booth with her arms spread wide, "why do I get the feeling you almost bailed on me tonight?"

I blinked, startled by the bluntness of her question. "I didn't almost bail," I said, a little too quickly.

Paige arched a brow, clearly unconvinced.

I sighed, fiddling with the edge of my napkin. "Fine. Maybe I thought about it. But only because you're... exhausting."

She laughed, a low, throaty sound that made my cheeks flush. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't," I said, but my tone lacked bite.

The food arrived quickly, and for a while, the conversation stayed light. Paige had a knack for making even the most mundane topics entertaining, peppering in just enough sarcasm and wit to keep me laughing.

"You know," she said at one point, twirling her fork through a pile of spaghetti, "Nika bet me ten bucks I wouldn't get you to blush before halftime tomorrow."

I nearly choked on my water. "Why is that a thing?"

"Because you're easy," she said with a shrug, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I am not easy," I shot back, narrowing my eyes at her.

Paige smirked. "Prove it."

By the time we finished eating, I was more relaxed than I'd expected. Paige had a way of breaking down walls without me even realizing it, and despite my initial hesitation, I was glad I'd come.

As we walked back to the hotel, the cool night air nipping at my skin, Paige fell into step beside me, her hands shoved into her pockets.

"You didn't have to do this, you know," I said after a moment, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye.

"Do what?"

"Take me out. You're Paige. You could've spent tonight with anyone."

She stopped walking, and I took a few steps before realizing she wasn't beside me anymore. When I turned, she was looking at me with an intensity that made my stomach flip.

"India," she said, her voice low, "if I wanted to spend time with anyone else, I would have."

I swallowed hard, unsure how to respond.

She took a step closer, her expression softening. "I like being around you. That's all there is to it."

For once, I couldn't think of a single snarky comment to deflect.

Back at the hotel, we lingered in the hallway outside my room. The silence between us wasn't awkward, but it was heavy, charged with something unspoken.

Paige leaned against the wall, her hands still in her pockets, and tilted her head. "So, what's the verdict? Did I exhaust you tonight?"

I smiled, shaking my head. "Not completely."

She grinned. "I'll take it."

For a moment, it felt like she might say something else, but instead, she pushed off the wall and nodded toward my door. "Get some rest, Baby Girl. Big day tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Mama," I said softly, watching as she strolled down the hall, her confidence unwavering even in retreat.

As I closed the door behind me, I realized my heart was racing, my mind replaying every word, every glance, every smile.

Paige was trouble. And I was in way deeper than I wanted to admit.