Crashing Love: A Josh Devine Short Story (Book Five)

Chapter 5: I'm Not In Love

[AN: And here is the final chapter! Will Josh fix his mess with Faith? What’s wrong with Zayn? Do any of you know how to properly whistle? Will I just stop it with the random questions?]

Josh lay on his back staring at the now repaired air duct for the past hour. Maintenance had profusely apologized for it being broken in the first place, but Josh waved off any possible compensation. After they left he just lay there trying to picture it how it should be; broken. It was stupid, but he kept wishing Faith would fall out of it just one more time.

“Oh. My. God,” he heard Zayn call out from somewhere near his door. Josh in his heartbroken state couldn’t be bothered to look for his friend. “You’ve become a sobbing, little girl.” 

“I have not,” Josh shot back sitting up and smoothing the dress laid out next to him. She was supposed to be wearing that dress. He felt the tears pricking at his eyes and wished himself to not break down in front of his friend.

“You’re right,” Zayn conceded. “Even little girls don’t cry as much as you. So what the hell happened?”

“This is your fault!” Josh irrationally shouted out. “If you hadn’t been teasing me I wouldn’t have said she didn’t matter. She is all that matters.”

“So it’s my fault you can’t stand up to your own friends? What would have been so bad about admitting you are in love?”

“I’m not in love!” Josh pouted. Zayn sighed wondering why Josh had to be so difficult sometimes.

“You think about her all the time, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Without her here every color seems duller somehow?”

“I guess so.”

“And you have been laying on this bed next to that dress you bought her for the past hour or so?”

“M—maybe.” Josh didn’t want to admit it had already been an hour and a half.

“Face it buddy,” Zayn sighed sitting down next to him on the bed. “You’re in love with her.”

“You could be wrong.” Zayn merely glared at him. “But you’re not. She’s gone Zayn. I ruined everything.” Zayn studied him for a few careful minutes. Josh’s eyes were red rimmed, and he kept fixing non-existent wrinkles in the dress lying next to him. It had gotten so bad that he could even hear the occasional whimper coming from Josh.

“You’re just giving up like that?” Zayn shouted. “She leaves and you just sit here like a broken hearted teenager? What the fuck Josh?” Josh looked sharply at Zayn.

“Why are you swearing?” Josh mumbled looking down at the floor.

“Did Josh just call you out on your cussing?” a slow deep voice asked. “Is he sick?” Josh’s eyes darted up seeing Harry and Giovanna standing at the front of his group of friends.

“You called them?” he accused Zayn. “This is my business. Not theirs!”

“Wow,” Gio muttered tonelessly. “You have quite a lot of attitude when it comes to a girl you barely know.”

“You told them?!?” Josh roared at Zayn. Zayn shook his head no. He hadn’t told anyone about the truth of exactly where Faith had come from.

“Awww! Hazza he’s in love!” Gio cooed.

“How the hell did you figure that out?” Josh asked incredulously.

“She didn’t until you just confirmed it you dope,” Harry drawled.