Steve pulled up into the parking lot of the apartment complex and Paige got out of the car.
"Want me to walk you to the door?" Steve asked, tapping awkwardly on the steering wheel.
Paige looked up toward the apartment, trying to see if anyone was home. The only light that was on was the porch light...which was usually on, so there was really no telling.
"Sure, Steve..." She said finally, "If you'd like to walk me to the door, that'd be great."
Steve smiled greatfully and got out of the car.
They walked together up to the front door, and Steve turned to Paige with another hopeful smile.
"Can I come in?"
Paige could hear the television on in the living room...that meant someone was there...
"I don't think that's such a great idea, Steve..." She said, "My roomate's home..."
He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her neck, nuzzling it playfully with his nose.
"I can be quiet..."
She laughed, and pushed him away gently.
"Really, Steve..." She repeated, "I think we should call it a night."
He looked like a dissappointed kid who was just forbidden from buying a new toy.
"Alright, Paige..." He said, scowling slightly, "If you say so."
"I really think it would be best." She said, nodding.
He pulled a business card out of his wallet and handed it to her.
"There's my cell number," He explained, "Call me sometime?"
She chuckled.
"You have a business card with your cell number on it?" She stared at him amusedly.
"Easier than writing it down when I wanna give it out!" He said with a shrug.
She laughed.
"Okay Steve...I'll call you."
He looked into her eyes for a long moment, obviously trying to stall...
"Well...goodnight..." He drawled.
"Goodnight, Steve." She said, reaching for the doorknob.
"Can I get a goodnight kiss?" He asked, that hopeful tone returning to his voice.
She shook her head with a laugh and shrugged.
"I suppose I could arrange that." She said, leaning in and giving him a soft kiss on the lips.
"See ya around, Paige..." He said, still not moving toward the parking lot.
Paige laughed.
"Steve?"
"Yeah?"
"Your car's that way..." She said, pointing toward the parking lot.
He nodded, and turned his back to her...taking a few steps away before turning back to her.
"You're SURE I can't come in?"
"Goodnight Steve!" She laughed, tapping her foot with mock impatience.
He shrugged, and started off for the parking lot.
Paige let out a sigh of exhasperation and pushed the front door open...knocking me onto my ass from where I crouched behind it, listening in on their conversation.
She laughed at me, and stepped over my prostrate body to toss her purse down on the couch.
"Dumbass...that's what you get for eavesdropping!" She cried, going into her bedroom.
I followed.
"Are you SURE I can't come in, Paige?" I said in a high nasally voice.
"Oh, shut up!" Paige cried, getting her pajamas out of her dresser, "Atleast MY date walked me home!"
I scoffed, "Justin didn't HAVE to walk me home!"
She looked at me from under a raised eyebrow.
"Oh yeah?" She said skeptically, "You mean to tell me he was here?"
I nodded.
"Nah..." She said, shaking her head, and tossing her PJ's down onto her bed.
"I HAVE PROOF!" I cried, running into my room.
She came in behind me, and I turned back to her...dangling Justin's wife-beater off one finger and holding the empty tequila bottle in my hand.
Paige's jaw dropped.
"You STOLE HIS CLOTHES!?!?!?" She cried.
I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah Paige...He left here naked!" I laughed.
"I better call a news crew!" She laughed.
We both burst into hysterical laughter.
"So what's your story? Your hair looks like you slept in a haystack!" I said finally, mussing her hair with my hand.
She reached up and touched the top of her head.
"Oh, well...Ocean water will do that to it..." She said mysteriously, walking back for her room.
"OCEAN WATER!?!?!?" I cried, following after her.
"You'll have to wait and find out later!" She said in a sing-song voice, slamming her bedroom door in my face.
"BITCH!" I yelled through her door, "I told YOU!"
"LALALALALA!" She yelled back, "I'm getting into the shower and can't heeeeeeeear you!"
I groaned and went into the living room. Just as I had decided to find up what those wacky Beverly Hillbillies were up to, the doorbell rang.
I went to the door and pressed my ear against it.
"That had better be Lex, or I'm calling the cops!" I said through the door.
"Open the door, you skank!" Lex said back, "I've got my arms full!"
I pulled the door open and found Lex standing there, her arms laden with Baskin Robbins bags.
"What'd you do, rob the place?" I asked, taking a bag from her.
"I figured since we all have stories to tell...It would be a long night...calling for an overload of chocolate." She said, dumping the whole lot of it onto the table.
"I shoulda baked a cake!" I laughed, sitting down on the couch.
"Where's Paige?" She asked, grabbing a pint of ice cream and a plastic spoon and throwing herself into a chair.
"In the shower...she's being secretive." I said, following suit.
"Hmmm..." Lex said thoughtfully, "Any idea who she spent the evening with?"
I laughed.
"I have some idea, yeah..." I said.
"Who?" She asked.
"Steve Fatone."
Lex nearly choked on her ice cream.
"Wow...talk about unexpected..."
"Tell me about it!" I said with a laugh, "Although he DID save her from that scary Trace friend of Justin's..."
"Sounds like you ladies had an interesting time at the mall this afternoon!" She chuckled.
"I wasn't at the mall for long..." I said, raising my eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh yeah? Where'd you go?" She asked.
"Back here..." I said.
Paige came out of her room with a towel wrapped around her head and joined us in the living room.
"Yeah, she sent Justin Timberlake running nude through the streets of Los Angeles." Paige said, grabbing herself some ice cream.
We spent the next four hours relating our stories from the past two days to one another...taking time to stop between sentances and laugh hysterically.
We all fell asleep in the living room, and when we woke up...we had small puddles of melted ice cream all over the place.
We cleaned the place up, and then took showers.
When we finally all gathered together again in the living room, we decided that we would go clubbing that night, and Lex went back to her place to get a little more sleep.
Paige and I decided to do the same thing, but as I settled down on my bed...and looked over at the wife-beater and tequila bottle sitting on my bedside table...I wondered WHAT could possibly be better than the last couple days.
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