the boy on the bridge ✔️

BONUS CHAPTER II

BONUS CHAPTER II
Chapter 15.5

All sorts of clanking and clashing can be heard from the kitchen. If only it were anyone else, they will probably think it was racoons or even there were burglars in the house. However, Josephine knows better.

She steps into the kitchen, and is not at all surprised to see her brother there, walking back and forth waving a spatula around doing God knows what. She is surprised but it's for a different reason. Josie cannot remember the last time her brother was in the kitchen voluntarily and there's a little pep in his steps, which only adds to her curiosity.

"Hey, sista," he greets, smiling widely once he spots her.

Josie replies with a nod, and confirms internally at his greeting: Yep, there's something weird going on.

"Where did you even find that thing?" is the first thing that she asks him although there are a lot of other things that she can ask him, pointing to the apron that he's wearing.

It's a ridiculous apron — a bright yellow one with cupcakes and unicorns and rainbows on it and frills at the end. The apron looks even more ridiculous worn by her brother.

"Oh, this thing," he looks down at the piece of clothing and shrugs, "I don't know, it was in the drawers. I didn't even know we had aprons in the house,"

"Me neither," Josie snorts.

"There's actually a couple more. You want one?" Josh goes to pick one out for her, but she puts up a hand, shaking her head.

"Uh, no, thank you. I'm good," she moves past him to the stove where it looks like something is cooking, "What are you doing?"

Josh pulls her back by the shoulders and stands before her, shielding her away from whatever it is that he has on the stove, "Building a rocket," he rolls his eyes, but it's not long before he's smiling again, "Cooking, what else?"

"Aww finally found sense of humour, have you?" she mocks him with a pout and hops on the island, and suddenly she realises she can remember the last time Josh was in the kitchen, "So what, are you determined to successfully burn down the whole kitchen this time?"

The last time Josh was in the kitchen — it was a long while back when they were still kids — for some reason, Josh was determined to cook although their parents had left them money to order food. Needless to say, it was a disaster and Josh had burned down almost half of the kitchen — it was by mere chance that none of them were harmed and that they were able to put out the fire themselves.

Josh furrows his eyebrows in confusion, but within seconds, he is able to recognise to the instant she is referring to and lets out a humourless chuckle, "Oh, ha-ha," he shakes his head, sighing, "That was a long time ago — I almost forgot about that,"

"Yeah, me too,"

Those were simpler times. They were still kids, and although their father had already started to impose all these rules and restrictions upon them, they didn't feel the pressure of it just yet. Their view of their family was still untainted and they were just themselves. Josie still tries to be herself, and doesn't take much of what their father says to her heart. But the same can't be said for her brother — she knows that much.

The only reason that their father doesn't focus much on her is because of Josh — he is the eldest kid, and also a boy (hello, sexism). As much as she is grateful for that, she also does feel bad for him. Gone is the fun, outgoing person her brother used to be — he is much more reserved now, and he thinks a lot, and really doesn't dare to do a lot of things in the fear of upsetting their father, which basically means him not doing anything that makes him happy.

So, it's a rarity that she ever sees Josh smiles nowadays, and that's why it's weird for her to find him in the kitchen so early in the morning, cooking dinner, a broad smile on his face. She is glad for him, that he is smiling for whatever the reason is, but it is also the least bit concerning.

"What are you cooking?"

"Mac and cheese,"

"Need any help?" she asks although she has zero intention of actually helping him — she is a lazy person naturally, and morning is when she's especially the laziest (you can't even pay her a million bucks to do anything).

"Nah, I got it,"

"Cool," she hops down from the island and goes to the fridge to pour herself a glass of orange juice and resumes her position back on the island.

Josh looks around for something for a moment but then simply dusts his hands on the front of his apron turning to Josie, raising his eyebrows a little, "Do you need anything?"

"No," she shrugs, "Heard a lot of noise, and came to check out what all the commotion was about," after taking a sip of her orange juice, she continues, "Why are you cooking anyway — I thought we were ordering in? Did mom forget to leave money?"

"No, no, she did. But I just felt like cooking," he lifts his shoulder sheepishly, grinning.

Josie narrows her eyes, regarding Josh closely, "What's going on?"

"What?"

"Something's going on," she muses, "You're acting all... weird,"

Josh guffaws in return, which only solidifies Josie's suspicion.

"Weird? I'm only cooking. How is that weird?"

"Exactly," she exclaims, "And you're also smiling and in that ridiculous apron–,"

"I think it's cute," Josh comments in between but she ignores him.

"And you're not brooding — it's weird,"

"Ha-ha," Josh rolls his eyes at her, waving a hand at her, "Don't you have anyone else to go annoy,"

"You should be grateful I'm even talking to you. Do you know how many people wishes to be simply acknowledged by me? You peasant,"

"Right," Josh deadpans.

She sticks out her tongue at him jeeringly and adds albeit in a hesitant manner, "Don't this the wrong way, but you seem weirdly... happy. And that's good, but– Oh!" she exclaims loudly all of a sudden as if in abrupt realisation, "Okay, okay. I get it now,"

"Get what?"

"You're back together with Val, aren't you?"

"What?!" Josh coughs, not expecting that way, way off assumption, "No! Where did you even get that from?"

"Wow, chill. Will that be such a bad thing?"

"Yes," he says without missing a beat and then quickly corrects, "No. I mean... Why are we going to break up, just to get back together again?"

"I dunno. I'm just asking,"

"No, we're not together," he asserts, "We're friends now,"

"Oh, that's nice,"

"Yes,"

"What are you happy about then?"

"Since when did it become a crime to smile?" Josh asks, very much exasperated.

"I'm just concerned,"

"That I'm smiling?"

"Yeah. Because you kinda never do,"

"That's not true,"

"Keep telli– Wait, do you smell that?" Josie pauses, sniffing the air.

Josh does so, and his eyes grows wide when he realises what's that smell, at the same time Josie realises it too. Both the siblings exchange alarmed looks and in unison looks over at the stove, "Crap,"

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