When Lies Become Reality (On Hold)

Chapter 5

 “Okay,” I nod “I'm ready.” I say as I twist the nob to my room with my left hand while holding Josh's hand with my right, our fingers intertwined. I look up to meet Josh's reassuring gaze as the door slowly opens. As we walk in I hear Amanda and Jess gasp and Josh chuckle.

“Surprise?” I ask as Josh raised or hands.

“Hell yeah, surprise!” Jess says.

“Why didn't you tell us?” Amanda asks, sounding hurt.

 “We didn't want to say anything until we were going to take it seriously.” I say regretting my choose of words as soon as they were spoken.

“So, it's serious then?” a new voice ask and I notice the voice right away. Me and Josh both turned at the same time to see Nick standing in the doorway. His gaze on mine.

Josh, knowing I couldn't lie to my brother, and not wanting to lie to him either just shrugs saying “More or less.” and then turns to look at me.

I smile and he smiles back. Nick makes gagging sounds in the hallway. How immature I thought as I shake my head with a slight chuckle wondering how he could be believing all this.

“Must be more,” I heard Amanda mumble.

“What?” I ask not getting what she was talking about.

Gesturing towards Josh she said “He said more or less, I guess it must be more since he's spent the night and Jen doesn't care.” She says shrugging like this was no big deal.

“I think I'm gonna be sick.” Nick says. I laughed and ruffled his hair “aw, little boy afraid of cooties?” I ask, he snickers and we all laugh, except for him.

“No just disturbing to picture anyone making out with, whatever you are.” he says. I slap him in the head.

“Who gave you permission to be in here anyway?” I asked.

“You.” he answers chuckling slightly “If you ever want to just come on in you can but, you should knock first I might not be decent.” he said mocking my tone.

I slap him again but in the arm this time. “I DO NOT SOUND LIKE THAT!” I shriek.

“Yeah you kind of do b-Steph...” Josh says, and I gaze at him dying to know what he was going to say. But then I quickly wipe away the questioning gaze and punch him in the arm playfully. He winces but shakes it off.

“Aw, were you going to call her 'Babe'?” Amanda asks and I gulped at the idea of him accidentally calling me 'Babe'. Then I realize our hands are still together and we are pretending to date so, the idea of him calling me 'Babe', isn't as weird to them as it is to me.

“Maybe,” Josh says blushing, earning him a chorus of 'awe’s' and one “I’m outta here.” from Nick and I can’t help but laugh at my, now buff, fourteen year old brother being grossed out by a guy calling a girl babe.

I then wondered why Josh was blushing. Did he make himself blush like that? Or was he really embarrassed?

“Anyway, I gotta go. Talk to you later,” Josh says leaning in and lightly kissing my left cheek. I hate, yet love, the way my stomach churns and my heart beat fastens as he leaned closer to me.

“See ya,” I say as I kiss his right cheek and he gives me that half smile – that I started to think of as my smile because I never see him use it on anyone else – and my heart jumps into over drive and my intestines do back flips.

Why was he effecting me like this? He never has before. I start to think that maybe I was such a good actress that I was feeling what I would if I actually liked him. I decide that wasn’t it because I suck at lying. Maybe, I just ate something bad.