Authors: Virginia Jewel
“I know, but it just feels different now.” I kept my back to him.
He chuckled, “I’ll put a shirt on if it bothers you.”
I turned around, but kept my eyes off him. “It doesn’t bother me,” I said with annoyance. “Whatever. Did you call my parents?”
I plopped down on his bed.
He threw a shirt on and sat down next to me. “Yes. They were very relieved to know that I found you.”
“Are you sure they’re not mad?” I twisted my hands in my lap.
Josh reached over and grabbed them. “They’re just happy that you’re okay. Stop worrying about what other people think.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” I scoffed and pulled my hands away. “You’re the gorgeous, charming guy who got left at the altar on national television. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sam tries to pitch you a reality dating show!”
Josh shook his head, “I wouldn’t do it. Have you seen the women on those shows? Plastic, fake, and desperate,” he counted on his fingers as he listed each quality, “No thank you!”
“Yes, well, my point was that I am probably the most hated woman in America right now. There are probably people out there right now writing nasty things about me and what I did.”
“So? Who cares what people you don’t know think about you?” he asked with a shrug.
I shifted so that I was facing him. I pulled my feet under me and stared down at my hands. “Josh, you didn’t hear some of the phone calls we got tonight. People were really mean.”
“Is that why you destroyed our phone?”
“I tried unplugging it, but that only stopped the incoming calls. The beeping was driving me crazy and I just couldn’t take it anymore.” I shook my head slightly.
“No problem, we can just get a new one.”
My head tilted to the side and I sighed, “Josh, the phone is not the real issue. How am I ever going to get through this?”
He reached over and wrapped his arm around me. Gently, he pulled my head down onto his shoulder. “First of all, you are going to get through this, but you’re not going to do it alone. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. If I can stand beside you for ten years, waiting for just a chance that you might notice how much I love you, then I can certainly stay here and help shield you from all this.”
He wrapped his other arm across the front of me and squeezed.
“How is it that I never noticed just how amazing you are?” I said with a smile.
“I’ve been asking myself that question for ten years!” he said with an exasperated tone.
I giggled and Josh kissed the top of my head.
“What’s the second thing?” I asked when I’d stopped giggling.
“What?” he sat up straight and looked at me.
“You said ‘First of all’, so I assume that there is more.” He dropped one arm, but kept the other around my shoulder. We both leaned back against the headboard of his bed.
“Oh yeah, secondly, you are going to be just fine because all of this will blow over in a week or so. Somebody famous will do something stupid, or some other poor unsuspecting fool will have a video go viral, and the media will move on to more exciting topics. If you can get through the first week, then everything will be fine.” Josh nodded his head confidently.
I eyed him suspiciously. “Do you really think that, or are you just saying that to make me feel better?”
A small grin formed on his mouth, “It could happen!” he said hopefully.
I rolled my eyes at his optimism. “Well, I suppose I could always just hide out here for the first week. I have the time off anyway.”
Josh’s grin widened, “I think I like that plan, you and me hiding together in this apartment for a week. Whatever will we do?” he added in a voice heavy with sarcasm.
I elbowed him in the side. He flinched and laughed a little.
“Okay, okay, so maybe we’re not ready just yet,” he conceded happily. “I do, however, have a better idea than that.”
“What is it?”
“We could go to Hawaii like we’d planned. Your parents can’t get their money back for the trip and they don’t want to go. You and I could just slip off to Hawaii to hide while this dies down.” Josh glanced over at me sideways with a mischievous look.
“Do you think it would be weird for us to go now?”
“What do you mean?”
I blushed, “Well, people who are just exploring the possibility of a relationship don’t usually go on vacation together. Do you think that we’d be rushing things?”
Josh thought about it for a second, and then came back with, “People who are exploring the possibility of a relationship don’t usually live together either. So, I say we buck convention and go to paradise!” He smiled at me, “Who knows? Maybe we’ll fall in love under the Hawaiian sun.”
I raised my eyebrow at him.
“Okay, maybe
you’ll
fall in love under the Hawaiian sun!” he corrected himself with a smile. “You have to admit, it does sound like a good place for you to fall in love with me.”
He held his hand out in front of him and waved it back and forth like he was painting a scene, “Picture it, my perfectly toned body, glistening and tan, relaxing next to you in the sand. You could lie on the beach in that little red bikini.” He smiled wickedly, “That’s my favorite part of this picture, by the way.”
“It does sound good, actually.” I smiled back at him.
Josh broke into a wide grin. “Then it’s settled. We’ll leave tomorrow morning just like planned.”
“Okay, but let’s not tell anyone until after we get there.”
Josh pulled his arm out from behind me and started to get up off the bed, “As far as I’m concerned. We don’t have to tell anyone until after we get back!”
“No, we should definitely tell my parents where we are. They’ll worry if they don’t see or hear from me after a few days.” I watched him get up from the bed with a smile.
“Fine, we can call them from the beach, but not until after our first drink!” he said as he stood in front of the dresser.
I saw him watching me in the mirror, and I smiled widely at him. He turned around and gave me an inquisitive look, “What are you smiling about?”
“I was just thinking that after all these years, you finally had me in your bed, and you just walked away. What’s that all about?” I asked sarcastically.
Josh gave me a quick warning look before he jumped at me. I screamed and tried to squirm out from underneath him, but he was too quick. He wrapped his hands around my waist and started tickling me. The sound of our laughter filled the apartment as I continued to try to escape from Josh’s tickling.
When I was barely able to breathe, Josh pulled away and collapsed on the bed next to me. We both worked to slow our breath from the giggle and tickle fest.
After a minute of just our raspy breath filling the room, Josh said quietly, “I’m willing to wait until you’re ready for the next step, Mel.”
“I know, and I appreciate that,” I answered softly. “I can’t guarantee that it’s all going to work out, Josh.”
He rolled over and propped his head up on one arm. “I know, but I appreciate that you’re willing to try.”
“I at least owe you that,” I rolled over to face him, “plus I think you’re worth it.”
He smiled, “So are you.”
I closed my eyes, sighed, and whispered, “What do we do now?”
“Wanna go to Target?” Josh said with the distinct sound of mischief in his voice.
22.
I woke up early, eager to get everything ready. I crawled quietly out of bed, making sure not to disturb him. My feet slid carefully across the carpet so that my steps wouldn’t make a sound.
My jewelry box was sitting on the dresser in the other room. I opened it and shifted the unorganized bunches of gold and silver until I found what I was looking for. When I found it, I placed it onto my thumb and closed the jewelry box. A big smile spread across my face when I thought about what I was about to do.
Back in the bedroom, I slipped back into the bed, but stayed on top of the covers. A quick glance at his face told me I must have been stealthy in my quest. A smile spread across my face as I watched him sleeping.
“You know how creepy I think that is,” he said dryly without opening his eyes.
I laughed and snuggled against his chest. He pulled me tighter to him and took a deep breath.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I said as I nuzzled under his chin.
He rubbed my arm and yawned, “Why were you watching me sleep this time?”
I pulled my arms onto his chest and rested my head against them. “You’re cute when you sleep. You smile a lot. What were you thinking about?”
“Hawaii,” he smiled coyly. “More specifically the third day in Hawaii, actually,” he added.
I rolled my eyes at him.
“Of course, I’ve enjoyed every day after that. But that day in particular always brings a smile to my face.”
“It was a good day for me, too.” I smiled warmly at him.
He scoffed, “If I remember correctly, it was more than just a
good
day for you.”
I pinched him in the chest and he squirmed under me.
I gave him a stern look, “I need to talk to you about something serious. Can we be serious for a moment?”
“Give me a kiss first,” he said and puckered up.
I crawled up his chest and planted a quick kiss on his lips.
“Okay, now we can be serious. What’s up?” he pulled us both up into a sitting position. “Is this about me leaving my underwear on the bathroom floor last night? I said I would try to be neater, and I think I have been, but I can’t be trained overnight.”
“Be serious! This is important!” I said, even though I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
He straightened up and put a grave face on. When he felt ready, he gave me a nod letting me know I could start.
I took a deep breath. “For ten years you were my best friend and I loved you. You were there for me no matter what I was going through, and I could always count on you. I couldn’t imagine my life without you. But all that changed last year, when I left you at the altar.”
“Live on national television, too!” he said with a smile.
“Yes, live on national television,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “But let’s not forget that my biggest reason for doing that was because I didn’t want to hurt you.”
He leaned over and kissed my neck, “Yes, you are so kind.”
“Anyway,” I pushed him away and tried to get the conversation back on track. “For the past year, you’ve been both my boyfriend and my best friend.”
“Your bestboyfriend.”