Invisible String - Jake Kiszka

I Just Forgot Romance

"Just ask her already, Josh. I don't understand why you can't." I said as I brushed my fingers against the hangers on the rack that held all of the 'in season' formal dresses.

"I can't ask her because I know she doesn't like me." He followed closely behind me, loosely paying attention to the dresses. "How do you know?" I asked. "Did you ask her?"

Josh groaned. "Gigi, listen to me." He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around to look at him. "She's already going with someone else." I rolled my eyes playfully at him. "Well how do you know that?"

Josh dropped his hands. "I asked Jake..." He sighed. "He talks to her sometimes, so I asked if he knew and he said she's already got a date."

I tilted my head and offered a sympathetic smile. "You gotta just ask her one of these days dude, or she's not going to be 'available' anymore." I made quotation marks around my head.

He ran his hands through his hair. " I know... I just-"

"Just what?" I smirked at him.

"She makes me nervous, okay?" He huffed out and I laughed. "She's just really pretty, and the few times I've tried to talk to her I just can't get anything out right. In fact, girls just make me nervous period."

"Josh, not knowing what to say? I'd love to see that one day." I teased.

"Oh hush, Gigi."

"Do I make you nervous?" I asked turning to look at him.

Josh stopped in his tracks and stared at me. I didn't realize how weird that sounded until it came out of my mouth.

"W-what...?" He questioned, wide-eyed.

"Well you said girls make you nervous so it's a fair question." I shrugged trying to play off the awkward question.

"I mean..." He scratched the back his head and let out a chuckle. "Kinda. Sometimes, I guess... yeah." I furrowed my eyebrows and snapped my head up to meet his eyes.

"I mean, you make me nervous in that, like.... you can be kinda... scary?"

I laughed loudly. "Scary, Josh? You think I'm scary?"

"You can be! Like when you get mad, yeah! You're a scary mad person!" He laughed at me, and the atmosphere lost most of the tension. "She makes me nervous because she's so pretty!" I tilted my head in confusion, still laughing. Josh's eyes got wide. "Not that you aren't pretty. That's not what I'm saying." He said defensively.

"I've just grown up with you so it's different. You're not any less pretty than her, you're just a different kind of pretty. Which isn't a bad thing at all, trust me. I've always thought you were pretty. Just not that kind of pretty, I guess."

"Josh."

"And a different kind of pretty is like the way that Ronnie is pretty. And Ronnie doesn't make me nervous, but she's my sister."

"Josh."

"So I guess you're a sister kind of pretty. Kind of. Well actually, now that I'm thinking about it, you aren't pretty like Ronnie. Meaning you're not sister pretty, I'm not saying Ronnie is prettier than you. And I'm also not saying that she's less pretty than you."

"Joshua."

"You're actually probably the same kind of pretty as Hannah." He grabbed either side of my face and began examining it, causing a giggle to rise out of my stomach.

"And actually, now that I'm really looking at you, you're honestly prettier than Hannah. And I have zero shame in saying that. You're my best friend after all."