Who: Adam and Paige What: Paige is helping Adam set up for Beltaine When: May 1 Where: a clearing in the woods Rating: low
Paige had no desire to be anywhere near this place once the festivities started. Adam was like a brother to her and she did not want to see him naked in any shape or form. She did, however, want to help him get ready and part of that reasoning was to see how things were with him and Savannah.
She put down the box of boxes of condoms. She wasn’t sure she had ever held that many condoms in her life before. At least Adam was part of the solution. “So, Savannah said you two were going out to catch up a little.” She looked down at the box. Should she sort them? Maybe by flavour?
Truly her life was different here.
She looked back up and over to Adam. “How’d that go?”
–
Setting up an orgy with his lifelong best friend was probably one of the strangest things Adam had ever done. He didn’t care if she decided to stay for the festivities as long as she stayed far away from him. Not that he was sure if he was going to participate. As much as he wanted to, it felt like it would be a betrayal of Savannah.
“Uh… it went,” he said with a shrug. “It was a lot harder than I was expecting. She picked up on me acting weird and called me on it, so now she kind of knows that we got together.”
*
“Savannah able to pick up on someone’s BS? How strange.” She sent Adam a smile that said she was being sarcastic before she turned her attention back on the box and started to unpack it. She let the idea sit with her for a moment as she unloaded the boxes before she spoke again. “So she knows what happened. How’d she take it?” Paige resisted the urge to look back over at Adam, deciding to give him some privacy to react without her looking at him to the question. Paige knew that Savannah had a crush on him as a kid so she could only figure she fell into deeper feelings as she grew up.
–
“Shut up,” Adam said, though there was no heat behind his words. She was right that he should have known he couldn’t hide things from Savannah for long, not with how long they’d been friends and how closely they worked together. “Well… I didn’t really tell her,” he admitted. “I… hinted. And told her that I’m currently twenty years older than her and don’t want to hold her back in any way.” Even as he shared the story, he knew that he’d been a dick and probably made things worse. He just couldn’t help himself and he had no idea how to backtrack without digging himself deeper.
*
She stopped what she was doing and turned around, leaning her butt against the table lightly as she looked at Adam. “I’m not sure anyone can really hold Savannah back except herself.” She was good at doing that herself, but thankfully she was also good at pushing herself and growing too. “The age thing I get. I’m sure even when it was ten years difference it was still a little bit of a pause… but you know the older she gets, the less the age difference starts to matter, right?” Just in case Adam hadn’t considered that part. “You know you could have played it a little safer and just asked for some time while she sorted out being in Madison, right?”
–
Adam sighed. “I know, I know. Nick and Kate both chewed me out already. I texted her to apologize and I think we’re good now. I told her to take some time to get settled and work through the whole thing with her parents being around and then we can talk.” He paused, knowing that the next part might get him smacked, but also guessing that if he didn’t admit it, Savannah would eventually tell her. “She kissed me. I kissed her back.”
*
Paige's attention focused a little more with that admission. That made things more complicated for sure. Paige briefly looked like she was annoyed with him, but then the expression calmed a little - at least she had been the one to kiss him first.
She sighed and her hands came up to cross over her chest thoughtfully as she looked down at a spot just in front of her feet.
"What do you want, Adam?" She looked back up. "Stringing Savannah along won't be good for her. I mean, is it even a possibility for the two of you?"
–
Stringing Savannah along was the last thing Adam wanted to do and he still wasn’t entirely sure how to answer the question of what he wanted. “I love her, Paige,” he said simply. “But things are different here and I don’t know if it’s fair to tie her to a guy who’s nearly twice her age.”
Life hadn’t been easy for any of them, but this was definitely a situation he never could have prepared for and he was at a loss.
*
Her eyes softened a little. Like most of them, she wasn’t blind. She knew Savannah had a crush on Adam, but Savannah was still a teenager for her in her point in the timeline so she hadn’t seen the crush turn into love yet and of course Adam wasn’t even looking at her like that yet. Hearing him save those words made her feel a little better about everything. “You should remember that I married a man whose family would love to see me dead so complicated doesn’t mean impossible.” She had a feeling Lucas would hate the age gap, but Paige wasn’t as upset about it. “But I also get it.” She did.
Paige sighed a little and ran a hand through her hair. “It’ll be harder for Savannah to stop thinking of you now that you kissed her. If I had a crush on someone since I was twelve, it would have made everything feel like a possible reality.”
–
“I hate that everyone likes to remind me of that,” Adam grumbled. “It’s bad enough there’s a decade between us. Knowing her since she was twelve makes me feel like a creeper.” And he knew that there were probably people out there who would assume he was, regardless of the truth. At least Kristof and Eve knew better.
He shrugged. “I just… she’s so vulnerable right now with what just happened for her at home. And even though I know that she loves me, part of me feels like I’m taking advantage somehow and I don’t know how to shake that.” Even though he really wanted to.
*
She sent him a smile. “And that’s what makes you a great guy, Adam.” Leaving the table, she decided to make her way over to her best friend and hug him as if to prove the point she just said. She meant it, but Paige wanted him to know she meant it. She gave him a hug, then pulled away. “Some guys would use her vulnerability to their advantage, but you’re not. You’re willing to pause your own feelings to make sure if you take the next step, it’s for the right reasons. I know Savannah hates it, but it’s not fair to you either if you rush in and then are constantly wondering if you somehow tricked her into a relationship. I get it. She’ll eventually get it too.” Or maybe she wouldn’t, but that would be okay too in the long run.
–
Adam was more than happy to return Paige’s hug. They were always a source of comfort and he was glad that she was here though he wished she had Lucas. “I sure hope she does,” he said. “I’m not sure how to explain it in a way that makes sense and every time I try, I think I fuck it up worse.” He kept reminding himself that no matter what happened here, they would both eventually end up back home together and that was the important thing.
“So… you sticking around for the fire?” he asked, deciding that he was done talking about feelings and preferring to tease his best friend.
*
“I think you’re doing an okay job. Just she doesn’t want to hear it.”
At his question about the first, she let out a little huff of a laugh. “No. No I think I’ll leave that to you and the others with hedonistic desires.” The last part was a joke if anyone actually knew Paige. She and Lucas were far from celibate despite people thinking Lucas was incapable of affection and intimacy because of the very professional way he held himself in public. In truth she was probably a little more hedonistic than some of the people who would go to the bonfire tonight. The real reason was Lucas wasn’t her and she had no desire to see Adam naked, or anyone else she might know if they showed up too.
“I’m sure everyone will have fun, though. They always do, from what I hear afterwards. You put on a good Beltane.”
–
Having accidentally walked in on Paige and Lucas far more times than he was comfortable with, Adam snorted at her joke, rolling his eyes since he knew her better than most people. “I try,” he said. “And I appreciate you helping me get set up, even though I know this isn’t really your thing.”
He also appreciated her advice and just being there for him. His life tended to go much smoother when Paige was around, despite their mutual penchant for finding trouble.
*
“You’re welcome.” She smiled back. While Paige never expected to help Adam organize these events ever before, she liked helping out here because it gave them time to spend together.
“I’ll go get the last box and finish so you can have a break before the bonfire starts. Sound good?”
*
“Perfect,” Adam said. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
And he’d figure out an appropriate way to repay her.