The One that got away

21. The one with the drinking

I was already at the secluded part of the beach when Josh arrived. He looked absolutely ridiculous with all the clothes he was wearing to keep warm. He sat down next to me and pulled out a bottle. I laughed before pulling out a bottle of my own.

"Look at us, two 18 year olds on a beach on New year's Eve with two bottles of tequila," Josh said.

"Well, New Year's is kind of our thing," I told him with a smile.

"The party get a bit much?" he asked.

"A bit. But it was approaching midnight and I couldn't break tradition, now could I?" I said with a smile.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, being left alone is nothing new. To be perfectly honest I'd rather not be at home entering the New Year alone in that house. It's sad, but I've gotten used to it," I explained before taking a swig of tequila which burnt my throat. It made sense that it burnt since it was the first time I had ever drank tequila. "How are you?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

"I'm great except for the fact that Rob hasn't called, Becky's mad at the world and as usual won't let me visit her and my dad's where he always is," Josh said bitterly before following in suit and taking a swig of his own. He did a lot better than me and I wondered if it was his first time drinking tequila as well.  

"He hasn't borrowed again, has he?" I asked.

"No, I think he learnt his lesson after almost getting us killed."

I sighed because I had no idea what to say to him so I just moved close enough so that our shoulders touched. "Next year will be better right?" I asked.

"Yeah, it will. Only a few months then we get to leave this hellhole," he said before putting an arm around me and pulling me closer as we watched fireworks go off.

*************

"Hey," Josh greets.

"Hey Idiot," I greet back.

I hear him let out a long sigh at my teasing. "Would you stop that?"

"You brought that on yourself Joshua."

"I guess I did. How was your day?" 

"Fine. I'd give you details but you'd probably get bored since I didn't do anything exciting," I tell him as I lie back on my bed.

"So you read through the binder and cleaned the apartment then?" he asks.

"Pretty much. How was your day?"

"Okay. I had a lot of paper work to catch up on. So did Ashton but I noticed him sneak out a bit early. Do him and Jess have special plans or something?" 

"They went to dinner and you know what happens when Jess and Ashton go out to dinner."

"So we won't be seeing them till tomorrow," Josh replies. "How do you plan on spending your evening?" 

"I have nothing to do. One can only clean an already clean place so many times. So do you want to come over?" I ask because I've spent one too many Friday evening alone in the apartment.

"I love how you just assume that I have nothing to do."

"Well you would've told me if you had a hot date or if you had a work function so what else is there to do?"

"You got me. I'll be there soon," he says and hangs up before I even have a chance to reply. I leave my room before putting the binder away and watching something on TV while I wait. Instead of hearing a knock on the door or even getting a phone call I hear Josh shouting.