— Wren —
I'm never surprised when people leave. I'm more surprised when they stay.
Josh stayed.
I lingered in bed longer than usual, watching Josh sleep. His wavy red hair was a tangled mess across his face and pillow, and his mouth hung slightly open, releasing soft snores from time to time. It was a heartwarming sight to wake up to, but I couldn't shake a lingering unease.
Carefully, I slipped out of my warm bed, trying not to wake Josh, and headed to the bathroom for a shower.
Why am I bothering to be quiet? I thought. This is my house.
With that in mind, I connected my phone to my speaker once again and turned up the volume.
I opened the Spotify app and hit shuffle as I stepped into the steamy shower. A familiar song filled the bathroom, one I'd heard before, though I couldn't recall the band or the song's name. But that didn't stop me from singing along.
"Wish we could turn back time
To the good old days
When our mommas sang us to sleep
But now we're stressed out
Wish we could-"
Just then, the bathroom door creaked. I peeked my head out of the shower curtain to find a groggy, grinning Josh standing in the doorway. I jumped, hastily pulling the shower curtain shut again.
"J-Josh! What are you—"
"You're singing my song! My band's song! I knew you liked our music! I have to tell Tyler!" The red-haired goofball pulled out his phone and began tapping away at it, still wearing the widest grin.
That's where I knew this song from.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to resist the urge to strangle him.
"Josh."
"I didn't know you could sing!" He continued excitedly.
"Anyone can sing."
"I didn't know you could sing well," he corrected, his voice filled with amusement.
"Josh, I just want to shower," I whined.
"Then shower," he replied casually, sounding like he wasn't really paying attention or hadn't fully grasped his surroundings.
"I can't. I have a peeping Tom."
Josh stumbled over his words, producing sounds that weren't exactly coherent. "I-I'm not p-peeping your toms."
I audibly laughed at the flustered Joshua. He muttered a quick "sorry" and soon after, I heard my bathroom door shut. I shook my head and continued with my shower, enjoying my newfound favorite band.
"Uh... Hey, Josh?" I called out.
After a good three seconds, my bathroom door opened again. I stuck my head out to see Josh, covering his eyes with his hands.
"Are you okay?"
I couldn't help but giggle at the sight of this grown man acting like a child.
"I'm fine. Could you just grab a towel from the hall closet?"
Josh quickly exited and returned with one of my fluffy white towels in one hand, the other still shielding his eyes. He cautiously stepped into the bathroom, tending more toward the sink than the shower.
"Over here," I cooed, watching Josh's face turn as red as his hair. He extended his arm, offering me the towel, still keeping his other hand firmly over his eyes. It was sweet and amusing at the same time. I wrapped the towel tightly around myself and noticed that Josh was still standing in my bathroom.
"Did you want to join me or something?" I teased.
Josh's mouth opened as he struggled to form words, his face growing even redder.
"N-no! I just wanted to make sure you d-didn't, like, need anything," he stammered.
"Oh. You don't want to shower with me?" I pouted.
Suddenly, Josh froze, his mouth still partly open.
"I- I uh- I mean—"
"C'mon, Joshua. I'm kidding."
Josh let out an awkward laugh. "I know," he replied before quickly exiting the bathroom once again.
***
"You really know how to make yourself at home," I remarked as I entered the living room and spotted a red-haired boy lounging on my couch.
He lay on his back, holding his phone above him. Startled by my voice, he fumbled and dropped the phone onto his face. Suppressing a laugh, I watched as Josh groaned and sat upright to face me.
"...You didn't see that," he protested.
"Whatever you say," I chuckled, taking a seat beside him. I quickly made myself comfortable, resting my head on Josh's lap. At this point, it seemed like there were no boundaries between us – he had already seen me in my underwear, shared my bed, and even been in the bathroom while I showered.
Although he initially tensed up, it didn't take long for Josh to relax once more. He began to play with my still-damp hair as I channel-surfed through the TV, trying to break the slightly awkward silence.
"Do you have plans today?" Josh suddenly inquired.
I dryly laughed, knowing that I only knew him, Tyler, and Jenna. Plus, Jenna and Tyler had already made plans together. I did end up getting a job at a small coffee shop downtown, but I didn't start until next week.
"Oh, right," he quickly corrected himself, seemingly reading my mind.
I left the TV on Aladdin and placed the remote on the floor. Disney movies were our favorite, and I found comfort in the shared love with Josh. "Why, what's up?"
"Wondering," he replied slowly, too engrossed in the movie to form a complete sentence. I didn't mind, though; I was content just lying here watching one of my favorite movies with him. I'd choose this over any other plans any day.
"Are you going to sing with me?" I asked as A Whole New World began. An uncomfortable laugh escaped Josh's mouth as I gazed into his chocolate-colored eyes.
"I'm not a good singer," he explained with a small shrug. Despite my pouting and puppy-eyed looks, I couldn't convince him to sing the duet with me, but he did tap his fingers along to the music on my arm. Just as the movie was about to end, I heard Josh's stomach growl loudly in my ears. Lost in the movie, I hadn't realized that neither of us had eaten yet, and it was almost 1 PM.
I hastily got up from the couch and grabbed my jacket from the closet near the front door.
"Where are you going?" Josh asked, looking confused.
"We're getting pizza," I casually replied, grabbing my car keys from the kitchen counter. "You better get dressed. I'll be in my car." Smirking at the bewildered man in front of me, I turned and walked down the hall.
