waiting for superman | book three

thirty three

And she smiles

"Why would you think that I don't love you anymore?" Josh asks, looking deep into her chocolate colored eyes.

"Because I saw you and Maddie in the parking lot on Friday. I saw the two of you at lunch together," she sobs.

"That was all her, Chlo. I tried to stop her, but I couldn't," he coos. He removes one of his hands from her face and uses the thumb to wipe the tears from her rosy cheeks.

"But what about in your bedroom. I saw that too. And you saw me because you looked right at me!" Chloe exclaims, looking down at her dirty high top Converse sneakers.

"What? Maddie never came to my house. I was in the parking lot of the school until way after it was dark out," Josh explains.

"Then w-what did I see in your room?" she questions.

"You were probably hallucinating," he suggests and suddenly it all makes sense to her. Of course she was hallucinating! She had thought that the one pill of LSD hadn't kicked in yet when she saw that, but it had. It had caused her to see it.

"I'm so sorry," she cries, wrapping her skinny arms around his torso. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Josh asks.

"The thing with Cody. I was, I was high when it happened," she explains.

"Don't worry about it. I was so scared Chloe. I thought I was going to lose you the way I lost Brooke. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you too. You're the only person that I truly love," Josh coos, tears now forming in his eyes too.

"You'll never lose me," Chloe whispers.

"I love you Chlobird," Josh says, using the nickname that Chloe hates.

"I love you too Joshy," Chloe returns, using the nickname that Josh hates.

Josh leans down and touches his lips softly to hers. The kiss is slow and passionate, the type that can only be shared by two people who truly love each other with all their hearts.

Josh pulls away to take in his beautiful love. He sees the slightly lazy eye that Maddie used to make fun of to make her feel insecure. He sees the crooked smile that was brought up by the girl that was once his sweet sister. He sees the not perfectly skinny arms and thighs that Nia pointed out, causing Chloe to turn bulimic for a little while. 

He takes it all in and it makes her even more beautiful than if she were perfect. Because it is the fact that Chloe, like the rest of the people on Earth, is not perfect that makes her beautiful.

"I'll never leave you Chlo," Josh says. Chloe looks up at him and smiles a smile that stays on her face for the rest of their lives together.