invisible string [ joshua bassett ]

twenty two

" just one more paragraph and you're done. " it had been four hours of none stop typing, trying to get all of my assignments done before people came round later on. joshua had been bribing me with takis, each time i finished a paragraph i could have a handful.

i shushed joshua as i began to type. who knew a fashion degree would have this much writing? i could feel joshua's eyes burning into the side of my face as he watched me concentrate. i used one hand to push his face away, he didn't know how much he was distracting me.

the deadline was in two days, but i insisted i wanted them all done by tonight so it was off my mind. i tried to back track on my words many times, but joshua wouldn't let me. my fingers typed the final word and i quickly saved it before slamming my laptop screen down.

" give me them takis! " i exclaimed. joshua laughed, handing me the rest of the bag. i let out an exaggerated sigh and lay back on the floor, josh doing the same.

" finished in record time. " he said sarcastically, making me gently slap him on the arm. i offered the bag of takis to him and he took a handful.

" you excited to see the final product? " i asked, popping a few more takis into my mouth. josh let out a mumble since his mouth was full of food, which i assumed would be a yes.

i sat up with a gasp once i looked over at the clock. i had two hours until everyone would be here and i still needed to decorate.

" you need to go! " i said standing up, pulling joshua up with me. his face was confused as he swallowed the food in his mouth.

" why? " he asked but i continued to pull him to the front door.

" it's a surprise, i'll see you at eight! " i didn't give josh any chance to say anything and shut the door. i have a tendency of telling people about surprises.

once i made sure he was gone, i got to work. i managed to get some balloons with 'smoke slow' and 'joshua bassett' on them along with a bunch of tinsel and fairy lights. i decorated the living room and kitchen as quickly as i could, considering i still had to get ready.

i put out some snacks including 'smoke slow' cupcakes and looked at my work. there was some tinsel hanging from the living room door that you had to walk through to get inside and with the fairy lights on it looked amazing.

i got ready as quickly as i could since i spent too much time decorating. the girls were first to arrive and as we all settled in the kitchen they complimented my decorations.

" so, how's the agreement? " riley asked, pouring herself a glass of Prosecco.

" it's good. josh is a great guy. " i told her, shrugging my shoulders.

" we can tell you like him, aph. " imogen said. i knew this was going to happen. i saw the way they looked at us when we were filming.

" i don't like josh. " i defended, covering up my lie with a laugh.

" good. because matt told me he's getting back with emily. " lexi said.

" what? " i exclaimed, my heart dropping to my stomach at her words.

" i'm kidding. " i let out a breath as the three of them stared at me, a small smirk on all of their faces. just as i was about to say something there was a knock at the door.

" not a word. " i got up, pointing to all three of them before walking over to the door. standing on the other side was vince, matt, caster and josh.

" hey guys, come in! " i said, standing to the side and letting them in. i told them the way through to the kitchen and shut the door behind.

" oh my god. " josh said as he looked around the living room and kitchen. he spun around, a huge smile on his face as he looked at me.

" this is why i needed to leave earlier. " i nodded in response. joshua let out a breath before engulfing me in a big hug.

" thankyou, dottie. this is amazing. " he whispered into my ear, squeezing me even tighter.

" i'm glad you like it. "

we all gathered in the living room, the girls squeezing onto my couch and the boys sat at our feet. i got youtube up, typing in joshua's name and seeing the video pop up first.

" released one minute ago, ooooo. " lexi said, tapping josh on the shoulder. i smiled and clicked on the video, the music starting.

we all watched the video in silence, taking in each scene. it felt weird seeing myself on the tv, joshua didn't look phased but i guess he had got used to that by now. a scene where joshua and i were kissing made me cover my eyes in embarrassment. the group began to whistle which made me sink into the couch even more.

" yikes, i feel like i'm interrupting something. " caster said, making the group laugh. matt was quick to shush us.

" this is my favourite part, shut up! " this only made us laugh more but we quickly stopped. we watched the last few seconds of the video before the screen grew back. i cheered and began to clap my hands, everyone else joining in.

" adding that to my playlist. "

we spent the rest of the evening playing silly games, dancing and talking until ridiculous hours of the morning. i wasn't drinking and neither did josh since he didn't want me to feel left out, but everyone else got tipsy very quickly. the night flew by too quickly and soon enough everyone was leaving.

i said my goodbyes, giving everyone a hug as they left. josh waited until last, a smile on his face as he looked down at me. he peeked his head out the door to check the others were down the corridor.

" thankyou again dottie. it really means a lot that you did this. " he reached down, grabbing my hand into his.

" you deserve all of it and more. " i said back giving his hand a squeeze. josh leaned down, gently placing his lips onto mine. much to my dismay he pulled back, giving me one last smile before walking out the door.

i grabbed his hand, stopping him from stepping another foot away from my apartment.

" wait, "

joshua looked over his shoulder at me and then down to our hands.

" stay. "