“Look!” I shouted, pointing at the sight in front of me. “I didn’t think it actually existed,”
I hear a laugh from behind me, “Babe, you can’t be serious. The Chicago bean isn’t some myth,”
“Josh, you know how skeptical I am about places I’ve never been to,” I turn and reprimand my boyfriend.
“Yes, but I just assumed that, because it is so popular and I have shown you pictures from when I came, you’d know that this place was as awesome as everyone has claimed it to be,” He says, wrapping his arms around me while turning me around, so that I face the bean, simultaneously.
“How was I supposed to know that none of your photos were photoshopped?” I lean back into Josh.
“Are you saying that I, Joshua Burrage, would lie to you, Phoebe Grant, who, might I add, is my amazing and beautiful girlfriend?”
I shrug, “You can’t trust anything on the internet these days,”
“Ouch, I’m hurt,” Josh says in a sarcastic voice.
“It’s okay, Honey,” I whisper into his ear, “I’ll make it up to you tonight,” Josh’s face lights up. “You can do all of my laundry for me!”
I turn around, laughing hysterically, and see the blank expression on Josh’s face. The look was priceless!
“I thought you were going to offer bacon,” He pouts.
I shake my head at him, still laughing, and run closer to the bean so I can take a cliché picture of my reflection. Most of the Newsies cast has already made it to the bean and it looks like they’re taking turns on whose phone the current group photo will be taken on. I pull my phone out and take a picture, not noticing who was sneaking up behind me. As I’m looking at the photo I just took, checking to make sure that I looked fine, someone jumps onto my back and shouts in my ear. I scream.
“What the actual fuck, Benjamin?” I scream after I see who my attacker was.
“Ha! You should have seen the look on your face!” Ben is doubled over, laughing.
“And you!” I say, noticing Joshua standing to Ben’s left. “You let him scare the shit out of the only person you care about on this tour?”
“It was his idea,” Ben says between laughs.
I narrow my eyes at Josh, “Now you really are doing my laundry,”
“Come on, Phoebs! I meant it as a joke. I didn’t think Ben would actually do it!” Josh defends himself.
“Since when did Benjamin Tyler Cook pass at an opportunity to mess with someone?” I exclaim. Josh tries to make an excuse but I shut him up, “You should know better! You room with him,”
“She’s right, you know,” Ben has managed to compose himself.
“She always is,” Josh mutters, and I smile at him. He smiles back.
I take one step, two steps, toward Joshua and brush my lips against his, “The fact that you know that secures you as my favorite,” I kiss Josh again and can hear Ben dramatically gagging behind us, but I ignore it.
“Hey, lovebirds?” Ben asks, trying to break us up. “Can we please get a picture together before we’re left behind like Zach was?”
“Come on, Ben,” I say, “they’d never leave me,”
“Honey, you know they’re looking for any excuse to cast a new Sniper,” I hear DeMarius say as he walks past me. I reach out to hit his shoulder but I miss.
“Asshole!” I yell, instead.
“Takes one to know one!” Is his reply.
Ben and Josh laugh at my exchange with DeMarius. I just shake my head and smile. I gesture for us to get into a position for the photo to be taken, and have Josh take it. We make multiple faces and even manage to get one of Josh and I kissing with Ben looking appalled in the background. How I wish I could post that photo, but Josh and I agreed to keep our relationship private to the fans until we had been together for long enough to know that we both were in it for the long run. We didn’t even tell the cast until we had been dating for a month for fear that drama would start. Of course, Ben found out within a week because Josh and I hated lying to our best friend.
It’s almost as if Ben can read my mind because he says, “You know, this picture wouldn’t be a bad way to come out to the fans,”
I’m about to protest when Josh says, “He’s not wrong,”
“I just don’t know,” I say quietly.
“Why can’t we tell them?” Josh asks. “It’ll be six months in two days and I think it’s about time we confirm their suspicions,”
“It’s just-“ I start, but Josh cuts me off.
“Or do you not like me enough?” Josh says. From his tone I know that he is teasing, but I can’t help but feel guilty.
“Come on, you know that’s not the reason. You’re perfect,” I defend myself. “It’s just that I’m scared about how they’ll react,”
“The only pissy ones will be the ones wanting Josh and I to date,” Ben says, causing the three of us to laugh.
“I’ll think about it, okay?” I say to Josh, who nods with a smile on his face.
Josh leans in to kiss me again, and I just know that Ben is getting candids of the two of us. I may or may not have asked him to take any and all cute pictured of Josh and I when he was the only one who knew of us dating, and it just kind of stuck.
“Josh! Phoebe! Ben!” Nico calls to us. We turn our heads to his direction. “Cast photo!”
The three of us rush to the rest of our cast where everyone is grouping together for one giant photo. I squeeze in next to Chaz, dragging Josh next to me. The entire cast is cheesing as hard as we can and Nico takes what feels like forever to take the photo.
---
I’m lying on my bed in the hotel room, the one I share with Stephanie, scrolling through Instagram when I feel all of the blood drain from my face. Everyone was finally posting their pictures from the day’s adventures, and DeMarius’ had quite a surprise. Not only did the picture show DeMarius giving his best smolder in the bean’s reflection, it also showed Josh, Ben, and me. This wouldn’t be bad, except for the fact that Josh and I were kissing. It was kind of obvious that it was the two of us. The photo was only posted minutes ago but the comments are already going crazy. I can feel my phone blowing up with notifications from people tagging Josh and me in the comments and talking about it on Twitter.
“Hey, Phoebs?” Stephanie says. “Did you see…” she trails off.
“Looking at it now,” I scowl.
I get off of my bed and exit my room, heading down the hall to Josh’s room. Luckily, I don’t have to travel far because Josh is making is way to my room. We briefly acknowledge the other and start heading to the elevator to get to DeMarius and Sky’s room. As soon as we get there, I’m banging on the door. Sky opens it.
“He’s on his bed,” Sky turns to the side and lets Josh and me in.
“What the actual fuck, dude?” I ask immediately. Josh puts his hand on my shoulder to calm me down. “Did you not see the two of us in the background, quite obviously kissing while Ben took a photo?”
“I-I’m sorry, guys, I didn’t see it and by the time the photo went up, it was too late,” DeMarius sounds truly sorry and I feel bad for exploding.
“It’s…it’s fine, I just didn’t want our relationship to come out this way,” I sigh.
“I know. I can delete it if that would help,” DeMarius offers.
Josh shakes his head, “The damage has already been done, dude,”
“Yeah,” I scoff, “there’s nothing you can do now,”
DeMarius looks at me, “I really didn’t mean to expose you guys like this, Phoebe,”
“Whatever,” I walk out of the boys’ room, not even waiting for Josh, and head to the elevator.
I press the button and wait for it to open. As I’m waiting, Josh catches up to me and grabs my hand. I lean my head against his shoulder and sigh. The elevator opens. We step into it. I press the button for our floor.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Josh asks. I shrug. “Well, if you’re not going to say anything, can I say how I feel about it?” I nod. “I’m kind of glad. Yeah, not what I expected. Of course, I wish that we were able to tell the fans ourselves but now we don’t have to worry about doing it at the right time. And, I mean, look at the comments! Everyone is really happy and supportive,” By this time, the elevator has reached our floor and Josh and I have started walking to my room. “I’m happy no one is publicly planning to break us up,”
“So far,” I sigh. “I just wish it could have been us!”
“I do, too, but you weren’t even sure when you wanted us to say anything,”
“Well, I was going to tell you that you were right,” I start. “Telling everyone on our six-month anniversary seemed pretty amazing,”
“Really?” Josh’s face lights up.
I nod, “I’ll definitely be ready for people to know on Wednesday,”
Josh smiles, “Me, too,”
YOU ARE READING
Me, Too | Joshua Burrage
Fanfiction"Honestly, I can't think of a better way to celebrate six months with you than being able to watch you shine on that stage," Josh whispers. "Really?" I ask, he nods. "Me, too. But, like, actually being able to watch you do what you love most of all,"
