Sixteen

Josh

After a clean sweep at the card table, I told all the guys that I’d treat them to food. We were all starving after the four grueling hours that we’d spent around the table. Fox seemed to be my toughest competition, but I finally broke him. It felt good too. The guy was always so serious. He was the only one at the table that I really wanted to beat. Well, except for Tex, but I just wanted to beat him for bragging rights.

After we cleaned up, I called a cab to pick us up. We’d been drinking for the past several hours, and none of us could drive. We were by far, too drunk.

Only four of us decided to eat, Garrett, Tex, Obi, and me. I didn’t complain. That was less money I had to spend. 

We were seated at a booth next to the window that overlooked the main street. Garrett sat next to me, and Tex was directly in front of me. Maybe I’d had one too many drinks, but Tex’s smug looking face was getting under my skin. I just couldn’t get past the whole Paislee thing, at least not until I understood his intentions. So I just asked him. 

“What’s up with you and Lee?” My question was cut and dried, and to the point. If you want to know something, then you ask, right? She wasn’t divulging any information, so I was hoping I’d get something out of him. 

“Nothing much,” he shrugged like it was no big deal.

“Didn’t you guys just have a date?” 

“It wasn’t a date.” Here we go. He was trying to play the no-date-card too. Now both of them were completely full of shit. 

I shook my head back and forth, fiddling with the paper to my straw. “It’s funny how she said the exact same thing. Yet, the two of you were alone in her room with dinner. I don’t know about you, but where I come, from that’s a date.”

He smiled smugly. “Then I’d say that the two of you are dating too.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I leaned over the table with my arms braced against it. 

“Guys,” Garret interrupted. 

I snapped my head in his direction. He had no dog in this fight, so it was best for him to stay out of it.

“She told me that the two of you hang out all the time. That you watch movies, you have dinner, and sometimes you even spend the night together, so I’d say that if anyone is dating her then it’s you.” Tex moved in a little closer. “What we did wasn’t a date. We were just hanging out.”

There was so much that I wanted to say to him. Maybe a quick punch in the face would wipe that look off of it. I hated being wrong. I never thought that what Lee and I were doing was anything more than hanging out. There I was accusing him of what we’d been doing all along. 

Son of a bitch…

“She’s my best friend. I’ve known that girl since she was nine years old. I’m sorry if you feel threatened by our friendship, but you oughta know that no one’s going to hurt that girl. Your intentions with her, and mine, are two totally different things.” I explained with threat in my voice.

“Maybe you should take your own advice.” He inched a little closer. “Seems to me that the only one hurting her is you. It doesn’t take a genius to see that she has feelings for you, and you know it. You’ve got her hooked like a tight fish on a line, yet you just keep letting her dangle,” he huffed. “She’s the finest fish in the sea, and you’re the dumbass that won’t reel her in.”

“You fucking bitch,” I bit out before tossing my fist towards his face. Guess he didn’t see it coming because it felt good when it connected. 

He didn’t punch back. He simply ran his thumb along his lip. That pissed me off even more. Garrett was up on his feet in seconds, so I slid out. Reaching in my pocket I fished out a hundred dollar bill and slapped it on the table. “Enjoy your breakfast.”

I heard someone calling after me, but I didn’t give a damn. I was too mad to turn back. The door flung open when I shoved it and pushed my way out onto the sidewalk. I’d had enough for the night. He was a complete dick.

No one understood the relationship that Lee and I had, except us. We were close. Hell, we were inseparable. 

The cool air felt good, as I made the long walk back to campus. It gave me a minute alone with my thoughts, and that’s what I needed. Just some time to think things through and clear my head. 

Stretching out my hand, I could feel the soreness in my knuckles. It was a good sore though. It let me know that his lip was probably feeling the same way, and the asshole deserved it after what he said. He’s lucky there was a table separating us or it would’ve been worse. 

The sidewalks were crowded to be so late. I must’ve passed by twenty people on my way back to campus. I only had a few more blocks to go when I heard the crackling of thunder in the sky. The loudness of it made me feel like it was right on top of me. I could feel the roar in my chest. Looking upwards at the sky I couldn’t tell if it was about to rain or not. It wasn’t until a bright flash of lightening lit up the sky that I realized I wasn’t going to make it back before the clouds opened up on me.

That was just my luck. Too bad Lee wasn’t with me because she’d be the happiest person in the world at that moment. She loved the storms, and the rain. She’d plan an entire schedule around a storm so that she wouldn’t miss being able to play in the rain. No girl I’d ever met would do that. It was a thrill for her, but man, she’d be even happier if it caught her off guard. If I listened hard enough I could almost hear the sound of her laughing.

My feet were moving as fast as I could get them to go, but the sprinkles had already started to fall. I could feel them hitting the top of my head, and my cheeks. In a matter of minutes, it’d be pouring. 

“Shit,” I started to jog, but I was too sloshy. I could feel the alcohol in my system. Each time my heavy feet made contact with the hard concrete of the sidewalk, it felt like my head was spinning. I could’ve sworn the adrenaline would have sobered me up. 

I made it through the campus parking lot and was only just a few buildings away when the sky opened up on me. The raindrops fell hard and fast with a sting, making it nearly impossible for me to see. 

“Josh, is that you?” I heard someone yell. 

I cupped my hands around my eyes trying to create a shield. There was just enough light on campus that I could see someone up ahead. I squinted, but I still couldn’t tell who it was. Making my way a little closer, I heard a laugh. 

I heard her laugh. 

“Lee!”

She giggled. “Duh! Who else would be dancing in the rain?”

No one, that’s who. “You’re so crazy.” 

I finally made it over to her and she stood there with the biggest smile on her face. That damn smile was contagious. She threw her arms around my neck and squeezed me tight. There wasn’t a single care in the world for her, at least not while it was raining. 

I hugged her back hard, lifting her up off the ground so that her feet dangled beneath her. She was a sight for sore eyes, or a sight for wet eyes. Either way, she was a sight, and one that I was longing to see. 

As I stood there holding her up off the ground, I glimpsed into her eyes. I watched as the rain fell from her eyelashes and rolled down her cheeks. Her hair was a mess, but in that moment she was beautiful. She was my girl, my best friend. The way she tilted her head to the side and looked at me stirred up something inside. It was a mixture of want, and something else. I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Loosening my hold on her, I let her slide slowly to the ground until her feet touched the wet grass below. 

Never, in all the years that we’d been friends had I ever felt so lucky. She was stunning. So much so that I felt like I couldn’t breathe. 

What the hell was she doing to me?

“Lee,” I said as I bit down hard on my bottom lip. I needed to feel the pain to make sure that this moment was real. 

She licked the rain droplets from her top lip and moved in closer to me. We were soaked to the bone, but we stood there unmoving. 

“What is it, Josh?” Her facial expression hardened in concern.

I couldn’t believe what I was about to say. Literally, my hands were shaking. I shouldn’t have even been thinking it, but after the night I’d had, I couldn’t help it. 

“I want to kiss you, Lee.”

She sucked in a breath, and her eyes grew wide. I could feel her body slacking against me. 

I moved my hands up to her face, and her eyes never left mine. It was a heart-stopping moment, and we both knew that there might’ve been no turning back. It could ruin everything, but it didn’t change the fact that I wanted to kiss her so badly in that moment. 

Our relationship had already altered the moment she told me how she felt about me. I thought it wouldn’t. I thought that the two of us would be able to forget about it, but I was naïve. 

Tex was right, and I hated to admit it to myself. I treated her like I’d treat a girlfriend. Emotionally we were connected. Physically, well, I couldn’t wait another second to get to that part. 

I lowered my lips so that they were as close as I could get to hers without touching. I was waiting for her to give me any kind of signal not to do it, but when her hands gripped my waist tighter I couldn’t hold back.

I did it. 

I kissed her. 

Oh no.