Marley Meets Josh

(5)

M A R L E Y S • P O V

Josh and I pulled up outside of a large white colonial brick home. Black shuttered windows lined the front of the house and a wide footpath with garden beds situated on either side, led up to a large black door.

Josh paid the cab driver and we hopped out of the car and started up the footpath. I suddenly stopped and grabbed Josh's arm, causing him to stop too.
He turned and looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I motioned towards the top floor windows, which were all lit up. "Why are all the lights on?"

Josh followed my gaze and sighed with a lazy smile on his lips. "My uncle thinks that everyone wants to rob his house," he rolled his eyes. "He makes us leave the lights on if we go out at night." 

"Paranoid much?"

Josh nodded with a small chuckle. "Come on, I want some pizza."

"Didn't we just have kebabs," I exclaimed, causing him to laugh.

"I'm a growing boy Marley, I'm always hungry."

I grinned and turned to head inside. As I went to put my foot forward, the heel of my boot caught on a cracked raise in the pavement. All of a sudden I was face down, laying across the flower bed and in the grass of the front lawn. Which, for some reason was soaking wet. Before I could push up, Josh's strong arms wrapped around my waist and he effortlessly pulled me to my feet.

"Shit are you alright?" He panicked, holding my shoulders and looking me over.

"Im fine, honestly," I mumbled and brushed my clothes off. I felt embarrassed more than anything. "Just soaking wet, why is the grass so drenched?"

Josh's eyes glanced over to the front of the house before he sighed with frustration. "Blake left the fucking hose on again," he snapped. I noticed the hose snaking its way through the grass. "He always does after he washes his car."

He jogged over to the tap and switched it off before running back to me. "Come on, you can use my shower," he offered, wrapping an arm around my waist and leading me inside.

We walked through the large house which had a clean modern feel to it. Everything was black and white with the odd splash of colour in strategic places. Like the red cushions on the black sofa.
The yellow artificial sunflowers in the large white vase on the black coffee table. The pastel blue coffee jars sitting on the dark marble kitchen counter top.

Josh's bedroom was much the same as the rest of the house. The cream carpets and walls contrasted with the black dresser, drawers and bed head. There were a few posters of boxers hanging on the walls. But otherwise there wasn't much about the room that felt personal.

"So, this is your room huh?" I mused as I turned in a slow circle, my gaze wandering over the minimal features.

"Yeah well it was Blake's gaming room, but I needed a room when I moved in and my Aunt insisted that I didn't get stuck with one of the tiny guest rooms."

He pulled his jacket off and threw it on the bed.

"Least it doesn't stink," I shrugged.  Josh looked at me with confused amusement.

"Some guys have really stank rooms," I nodded with wide eyes, recounting the boys dorms that I had been in before I left boarding school.

"Yeah that's true, Blake's room always stinks," Josh said with a thoughtful expression. "Must be all that tugging on his junk he does."