Turn The Paige✔

CHAPTER THREE

Two Weeks Later

Don't play games, don't play games with my heart, ooh-wee.

Paige groaned and turned over in her bed. She clutched her duvet with frustrated fists, and pulled it over her head.

Don't play games, don't play games with my heart, ooh-wee.

She sat upright sharply, and blinked as she tried to focus. Her body was as heavy as a log of wood and she wiped the drool off her face. "Blast it! Blast it all! Where is that blasted noise coming from? Mads! Turn the music down!"

Paige looked across the room at Madeline's bed, and saw that she was not in it. When she noticed her friend's absence, her previously foggy mind started to clear. "Oh right. Madeline is not in her bed. She went to see her mum," she grumbled.

Don't play games, don't play games with my heart, ooh-wee.

Her head whipped in the direction of the sound. It was her phone ringing. Making a quick mental note to reduce the volume of her ringtone, she picked it up in a haste, without bothering to check who was calling. Only her parents called so early in the morning and she hoped all was well.

She cleared her throat a couple of times and answered, "Hello."

"Hello. I'm calling to make sure you get ready on time and come to the lab by nine." A deep, masculine voice responded smoothly.

Paige was lost for words. Actually, she had a lot of words, but knew that it was absolutely inappropriate to use any of them. Brian mother trucking Rochester had the audacity to call her so freaking early in the morning because he thought he had the right to be a flipping alarm clock. She could literally feel the steam rushing out of her ears.

Her regret was laced with annoyance. Why on Earth did she offer him her phone number?

"Paige, I know you can hear me. Wait a minute, you are still in bed aren't you?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Paige pinched the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and her thumb as she tried to calm down. For the past two weeks she had endured grueling lab work with a pharmaceutical task master. She could already feel a slight, frontal headache. "Of course I'm still in bed!" she said tersely. "It's six in the morning, and it's not exam season. What kind of twat is not in bed at this time?"

His voice was loaded with scorn when he responded. "I did some overnight lab work, so I am already at school."

Oops. Didn't mean to take the mickey out of him, she thought. Paige stifled a giggle. "Thank you Mr. Rochester, I'll be at the lab, bright eyed and bushy tailed as a Koala by nine. Hello? Hello?" She checked her screen and realised that he had already ended the call. Paige prayed for strength to deal with Mr Rochester, and reluctantly got out of bed. After she had the somewhat tense meeting with Brian, she had a hectic afternoon shift at the pharmacy. Madeline was not at home, so she had to cook and get some chores done before she fell into bed like a sack of potatoes.

Sleeping in on Thursdays was something she loved doing, which obviously would no longer be possible.

"I have never been this stressed," Paige groaned as she went to the bathroom to do her usual morning routine. After a long, warm shower, she felt less like a zombie.

When Paige moisturised her skin and got dressed, she glanced at her bedside clock and noticed it was already a quarter to seven. She shimmied into a pair of blue skinny jeans and wore a yellow polo shirt, before slipping a pair of sneakers on.

In order to make the flat feel less empty, Paige decided to turn the radio on before she made breakfast. She tied her curly hair up in a top knot and hummed and tapped her feet in tune with the music. It was old school British rock hour and she was up for it.