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There was a soft knock at the door but the person on the other side didn't wait for Cara to respond before they were entering. The door clicked softly behind them, and Cara only had to listen to the footfalls to know it was Paisley. She knew Paisley like she knew herself, she was her person, the one person in the whole world who'd understand her no matter what.
As the bed dipped beneath Paisley's weight, Cara rolled onto her other side to face her. Her friend was frowning, eyebrows pinched together as she looked down at Cara—and the brunette couldn't exactly blame her. She hadn't been home—to Spencer—in two days, used the excuse that she'd wanted to see her mom only to lock herself up in her childhood bedroom to wallow in her thoughts. Cara didn't know how to navigate something like this.
"Your mom called me," Paisley said, reaching across to brush Cara's hair behind her ear. "She's worried about you."
"I know," Cara murmured, gaze falling to the bedsheets. "I'm—I don't know what to do."
"I'll help you." Paisley lay down before her, linking their hands together. "You talk and I'll listen. We'll figure it out from there."
Cara nodded, closed her eyes. She heaved a sigh, mostly to buy herself some time to put her words into order. Paisley said nothing even as she so obviously tried to delay the inevitable. Eventually, Cara admitted, "I think I'm in love with Dylan." When she opened her eyes again, Paisley was just looking at her. No ounce of judgement or pity, just one friend listening to another, looking at Cara like she was simply telling her about her day. Cara smiled, weakly, briefly. "I'm not sure what to do about it. Because—because I love Spencer, too. I just—not like I used to, not like I want to. I love him like I love Thea, and I don't know when it happened but it has. And I know—I know sparks die out of relationships, that people are supposed to work to keep it going, but I—I don't love him like that anymore." Tears formed in her eyes, but she let them fall. If there was anyone she could cry in front of, it was Paisley. Paisley had seen it all before. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Because I love him—Spencer, I do, and I don't want to hurt him, and it's not like me and Dylan could ever be anything, but—. It feels wrong."
That's why she was hiding in her mother's house. Because she couldn't bring herself to go home to Spencer and pretend she wasn't feeling this way. Because she hated lying to him more than anything.
Sighing, Paisley squeezed Cara's hand. "I think you need to break up with Spencer," she said, voice soft. "You're not happy, and he's not going to be happy if you continue to act like you are. He deserves to know the truth, don't you think?"
Cara nodded. "Of course, of course I do—."
"I know you're confused about your feelings for Spencer now," Paisley added, "You've loved him for so long, but... isn't it better to be apart than to continue like this? Like your mom and Peter."
"You're right," she whispered. "I know you are—I'm just—delaying it." Maybe delaying the inevitable was a habit of hers. Because Cara knew, of course she knew, that Spencer deserved nothing but honesty. She shifted closer, let her forehead fall against Paisley's chest. "I'm scared."
"I know," Paisley answered, draping her arm across Cara's middle. "But you'll do it. I'll tell Thea you're moving into our spare room. The three of us can live together."
"You sure?" She'd wanted Cara to live with her the moment she moved out of her childhood home. Cara had wanted it, too, but then Oliver died and moving out seemed that much scarier.
"Of course," Paisley laughed. "If I don't want you to live with me, then there's no chance for anybody."
