Reaching for Stardust // Josh Kiszka

Part XI

Word Count: ~6500

Warnings: drinking, drugs, sexy time

A/N: I had a blast writing this part. Hope you enjoy <3

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The bit of spring that had been left to us was gone in an instant. Our world got hotter, the sun got brighter, and then we were in the thick of summer and I kept having to pointedly remind myself of what day it was nearly every single day, because each one of them went by so quickly that I couldn't keep up. Josh had had two summer courses to teach, thankfully, since we needed the money even if it wasn't a lot. Whenever that doubt about his "real" desire crept up on me, I had to also remind myself that he was very obviously happy. Not just happy with the fact that we were getting married, but happy that there weren't any secrets or side-plots left untouched. We were back to talking about every little thing all the time. Lots of wedding talk of course, but also the same rich, esoteric conversations Josh so easily opened up and the same humorous tirades full of our shared and separate experiences and inside jokes that left us in stitches, cackling and falling into one another wherever we were. Those times ended up being the most fulfilling parts of the summer for me since we'd ended up too busy to immerse ourselves in our usual things as deeply as we were used to. We'd become busy and mostly homebodies, fretting over things that seemed so inconsequential at first but, the more I thought about our wedding, the more I recognized that I really did want everything to be as perfect as possible no matter what.

Summer was then also coming to a rapid close and Josh had been questioning me about what I wanted to do for my birthday for weeks. It was hard for me to think about with my mind so fixated on nothing but the wedding, but when I learned that the boys were going to be home that weekend, a little lightbulb went off.

"I want to have a party," I told Jake over the phone while I was giving myself a break from scouring the internet for potential honeymoon destinations–that was the biggest thing that was still up in the air. "Like, an old-school Kiszka-Wagner shindig."

Jake chuckled. "Okay. Where?"

"Well, considering Josh and I are working with like 700 square feet and a limited budget, I was hoping you guys would host it." I was pacing around the small kitchen of mine and Josh's apartment, unnecessarily antsy. I knew Jake, Sam and Danny would be interested, especially after their longest string of shows ever. "Consider that your birthday present to me. Just letting me use your house."

"Okay, that's fair." Jake's words were so simple, almost stoic, but I could hear him smiling through them. "Do the hosts also provide refreshments?"

"You guys get whatever you want. I'm gonna bring booze, too. Lots of it." I paused, reflecting on what Josh had asked me earlier in the day. "Josh actually really wants to do shrooms."

I purposefully left that hanging in the air and there was a lingering pause until Jake hummed and said, "Really?"

"Yeah, really. I figured one of you still had a connection for that."

"What about you? That could be another birthday present."

"I'm not sure. Right now I know I just wanna get really, really drunk and forget about all this wedding stuff for a night."

"That can absolutely be done. But I can't imagine Josh not trying to get you to trip too, and I already know Sam is going to be on your case about it."

Yes, of course–Sam being the king of trying anything once. Or over and over. "Oh, I'm sure he will be. I'll consider it."

"Okay, so, drinks, drugs–I'm assuming everyone wants weed, too." Jake spoke as if he was writing it down. "Who's gonna be there?"

"I don't want like, a full-blown rager," I told him. "But I want you guys to invite whoever you want. Same for Josh. I'll just be bringing my girls."