invisible string [ joshua bassett ]

twelve

we all decided to meet at the restaurant, the boys getting an uber together and the girls doing the same. it was a bummer lexi couldn't make it, but she had promised to take her little sister to the cinema.

the three of us got out of the uber just as my phone began to ring and to my delight, my mothers name popped up.

" go inside, i'll be a few minutes. " i told the girls, showing who was calling me and they agreed. they knew about the entire situation with my family, especially how the wedding was currently a touchy subject for them. no doubt, that's what the topic of the conversation was going to be.

" hi mom. " i said into the phone, watching the girls go in and find the boys. the night was cold so i hoped the call was quick.

" hi, honey. i just called to see if you had found anyone to bring to the wedding yet? " she asked, her voice full of hope.

i still don't understand why i couldn't just go by myself, or bring one of my friends but she was adamant that she wanted her daughter to bring a date.

" no, not yet. i will bring one though, don't worry. " i sighed, running a hand through my hair.

" okay, good. if not, your brother has asked atlas to come so you can always go with hi- "

" sorry, what? " i interrupted, my eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. my parents and my brother knew that i wasn't with atlas anymore, so inviting him was stepping over the line.

" aphrodite, don't interrupt me. you know your brother got along well with atlas. " her voice grew annoyed with every word. i had no idea what to say, so i didn't say anything.

" just find someone or go with atlas. no daughter of mine will be turning up to a wedding alone. " and with that she ended the call. i tried my hardest to not scream and kick something. i wasn't going to let this ruin my night, even though it felt as though it has.

i took a few breaths before making my way into the restaurant and looking for the others. vince spotted me and gave me a wave, letting me know where they was. i said hello and sat down at the empty space next to vince, opposite to joshua.

" everything okay? " riley asked and i just nodded.

" you know what she's like. " i shrugged, opening up the menu that was infront of me.

" what happened? " imogen asked, sipping on her water.

" she wants me to bring someone to my brothers wedding, " i started. joshua picked up my water glass and began to fill it up.

" the cherry on the cake is that my brother invited atlas. so if i don't find anyone, she expects me to go with him. " i finished and josh placed my water glass so hard on the table it made a bang. all of us looked at him for a few seconds and he didn't move.

" sorry. " he said, clearing his throat and putting any cutlery that had moved back in its original space. matt looked over to him, a smirk playing on his face.

" honestly, just wear white. that will shut them up. " imogen suggested which made the table laugh.

" enough about my family. what are you all getting? " i asked. everyone began to tell me their order, but i couldn't help but notice how quiet joshua was. when he heard about atlas, he almost seemed jealous. the way his jaw clenched. the way he put the glass onto the table.

as the night went on, he began to talk more and soon enough he was back to his normal self. it was nearly midnight by the time we made our way out of the restaurant, but joshua grabbed my arm before the two of us left.

" one second, " he said, making sure the others were outside before he started speaking.

" i can take you to your brothers wedding. " joshua offered. i was taken back, that was the last thing i expect to come out of his mouth.

" josh, you don't have to do that. " i said, giving him a small smile. his hand fell off of my arm.

" it would be no problem, that way you wouldn't have to go with atlas. " joshua added, nodding his head as he spoke but his smile quickly dropped.

" unless, you want to go with atlas. " i couldn't tell if his voice was full of anger, disappointment or both. but it was definitely one of them.

" gosh, no. " relief wash over his face at my words. just the idea of going with him made me cringe.

" my family are just, you know. a lot. " i said, trying to find the right words to describe them. in all honesty, it was mainly my mom.

" just think about it. when's the wedding? " he asked, pushing the door to the restaurant open for me.

" july fifteenth. " i told him. as soon as i stepped outside the cold weather chilled me. joshua must of noticed because he took his jacket off and draped it over my shoulders.

" i'll be finished filming then. just let me know. " i nodded at his offer. in a perfect world, i would take joshua with me, but july was months away and explaining to my mom our situation was a conversation i didn't want to have.

" okay, thankyou. " i smiled and we finally rejoined with everyone else. we all said our goodbyes, getting into the uber and making our way home.