Married to the Devil

Chapter 13

I memorized every step that Josh took as he walked into Cass' living room. My breath caught in my throat as I watched him. Even from the kitchen, I could see the distinct ocean blue in his eyes as he quickly scanned over the furniture and then over Cass' features as she greeted him inside.

He hadn't noticed me yet.

I was behind the stove. And on my hands and knees. In other words, I was hiding from him.

Josh slid his hand casually into his pocket and leaned backwards slightly. I smiled at how well I knew his typical stance. He looked tired, and much more worn down than the last time I saw him. And instead of a playful smile, he had this worrisome frown.

My heart reached out to him. All of my familiar feelings from before swooping over me in an overwhelming bubble.

"What did you want to talk about?" Josh asked Cass.

Cass smiled at him and fiddled with her fingers nervously. She tricked him into coming over by telling him that she had some big dilemma. She didn't tell him that I was here too. Neither of us knew how he would react.

"Um, why don't I get you a coffee first?" She said, gesturing towards the kitchen.

This was my que.

As I heard the soft footfalls of the two come closer and closer, I psyched myself up to face them. My heart pounded loudly in my chest everytime their feet thumped against the hardwood flooring. In about two seconds they would be here.

My hands flew to my hair and smoothed it down as best as I could then wiped against my legs in an effort to rid myself of my sweaty palms.

And then I stood, just as Josh and Cass walked in, catching the edge of the countertops with my fingertips to balance myself.

Josh had his eyes on Cass and the two were making light conversation, interrupted by my sudden movement. Josh's eyes averted away from Cass as he looked towards me. My pulse quickened when he wore a look of shock and stopped in mid-step.

His blue eyes widened slightly in surprise as he stared at me. Neither of us said anything for a long time, instead, we just eyed each other. Physically, Josh was closer to me right then than he had been in weeks. But judging from his facial expression, I knew that in reality he was still miles away.

He took a miny step back and tore away from my gaze to look at Cass, "Why is she here? You didn't tell me that she was going to be here."

I was surprised by the slight edge in his voice, something I hadn't heard from him before.

He looked at her dubiously, "Did you plan this Cass?"

Josh looked at her with narrowed eyes, the disappointment clear on his face.

Cass stared back with confidence, softly stating, "Come on Josh, you know you need to talk."

He turned away from us both, speaking to Cass but really pointing his voice at me, "There's nothing to talk about."

The statement cut deep into me. I knew it. He didn't want to see me. Didn't want to hear me out. This was a bad idea. Cass should've never have called him over, much less trick him.

His body did a full 180 until his back was to me and he moved quickly to the front door. I watched him go wordlessly, my lower lip trembled at the sight of him walking away from me. Again.

Cass gave me a pointed look and jerked her head toward Josh. I knew that she silently screamed for me to stop him.

"Wait!" I called out, surprising myself at how firm and loud the sound was.