The Beauty of Despair (Book 1 of 3)

Chapter 18

A/N: I just wanted to give a shoutout to my new followers because you guys rock, especially for giving me a chance so I dedicated each of you your own chapter, if I missed anyone just message me please and I'll fix it immediately. I literally cannot thank you guys enough. SO comment and let me knwo what you guys think so far about the story? Any ideas about who the bad guy is?

        Late into the night I stayed up, adamant to finish my conversation with Josiah but only JoJo entered. So I fell asleep listening to the crickets' sad song and JoJo's calm breathing. When I awoke the next morning, I crawled over JoJo's form and quickly showered. It was too early to do much so I threw my hair into a wet, messy bun and slipped into a floral sundress Ivory had bought me. JoJo slipped out ahead of me as I opened the door and trotted through the living room. I followed him quietly but couldn't hold back my smirk upon seeing Colton's sprawled out form, mouth gaping open. A muffled crash and a soft curse gained my attention, guiding me towards the kitchen. Upon entering, I saw Josiah's crouching form as he grasped a fallen skillet from in front of JoJo's wriggling form. He didn't notice me standing in the doorframe so I stayed silent, leaning against it and watching cautiously. He tried to scowl at JoJo's face only to roll his eyes and pat his head in surrender. I smiled at his reluctant affection for JoJo,  it was amusing how childish he acted with the dog. He stood to his feet and turned his back to me, yesterday's shirt taut over his shoulders and shorts low on his hips as he settled the skillet onto the burner. A scowl had formed on his face as he took a few steps towards the fridge, pulling out the egg carton. Skillfully he cracked a couple eggs into the sizzling skillet and placed a lid on top. His eyes were focused om the ground as he turned around until he came closer and seemed to sense my presence. His eyes met mine and I frowned, my anger still fresh. It swelled inside my chest with a dull burn and it was hard to tell which was his and which was my own. Josiah stood frozen, just staring at me with the scowl still prominent and I returned it as I crossed my arms over my chest. Eventually his gruff voice broke our tense silence.

        "What are you doing up so early?" I shrugged and walked forward, my shoulder brushing against his bicep as I passed. I pretended that I didn't hear him turn around and watch me as I grabbed the loaf of bread, untying it with unrelenting concentration. Harshly, I dropped the bread into the toaster, jamming it down with more force than necessary. Without sparing him another glance, I moved towards the gurgling coffee pot, grabbing it before realizing I couldn't remember where his mugs were. Without setting the coffee pot back down, I reached for the first cupboard I saw. Before I reached it, a plain purple mug was forcefully placed in front of me. My eyes rolled sideways and I was met with Josiah's stern stare. His arms were crossed over his chest, his muscles bulging and his eyes trained on me. Jerking my head in his direction, I poured my coffee slowly as my curt voice replied dutifully.

         "Thank you." He nodded dismissively and replied flatly.

          "Still mad I see."

          "So are you."

          "I have a reason to be mad." This caused me to slam the coffee pot back into its little cubby, gritting my teeth as I used my quietest yell.

          "And I don't?" His own jaw tightened and he leaned forward, narrowing his eyes into predatory slits.

          "No." Delicately I sipped my coffee and turned away from Josiah, reigning in my rage. With perfect timing my toast popped up and I grabbed it, setting it on a piece of paper towel and grabbing a butterknife. I paused and rested my hands on the counters,  a numbness rising in my arms.

         "Where's your peanut butter?" I never turned but I heard his staccato stomps and watched as he violently tossed the peanut butter in front of me. It clatteted loudly and stumbled on it's edges before happily landing upright.