You're The Voice - Sidemen

Chapter 11

After Josh and Danny's mutual treaty of peaceful co-existence (it's a weird term for it, but it isn't exactly inaccurate), they spend the rest of the ride home in a subdued silence, Danny's hand lightly running through Linda's hair. Once they arrive back in the village, Danny gently shakes his wife awake.

"Linds, we're back, you've got to wake up now," Danny murmurs into her ear, smiling as she stirs, "come on, love."

"Fuck off."

"You never talk to the kids like that." Danny laughs, and Josh can't help but smile as he removes the key from the ignition.

"Yeah, because they don't do anything to annoy me." Linda replies as she pushes herself up in her seat.

"That's a lie and you know it, get out, we've still got a dinner to cook."

"Yeah, that's true, and I imagine the lads will all be celebrating their release tonight. All thanks to Josh, who, by the way, will be coming along." At the sight of Josh's eyes widening, Linda smirks and nods, "yep, you're all going to be there. The boys would still be in there if it weren't for you, and Simon's past.. escapades, shall we say."

"I'll be sure to let everyone know. Harry'll be looking forward to it, I'm sure. Have a good evening, Linda. Danny." Josh nods at them both and smiles, accepting a hug from Linda before he turns away and strolls down the road, in the direction of David's house. If no one's there, they'll all be at Chris', he figures, and it's a nice, fairly light evening out.

Arriving outside David's door, he smiles, hearing the voices and restrained laughter from inside. They're a loud bunch of people, and the quiet that comes with village life doesn't quite suit them, the closely packed houses, the paper-thin walls. Knowing everyone in the village is a strange concept to Josh as well, having grown up in an environment of constantly changing surroundings. New faces crossing his path every single day. Here, there's none of that. It feels like time is at a standstill, but only in the village. It's as if the rest of the world is passing him by, and he's stuck, watching it move on without him, and that's difficult. He's definitely not cut out for village life.

He pushes open the door and walks into the living room, hands firmly stuffed into his pockets. Everyone in the room turns their heads up from their current positions to look at him, expectantly.

"Well?" Harry asks, spread across Sarah's lap.

"Well, Linda certainly pulled that off. I didn't really need to be there. All of them refused a lift home though, all but Linda's husband Danny, who told me that although he didn't trust me, Linda does, and that's enough for him."

Simon shakes his head, thinking to himself in his seat in the corner. Out of everyone, he thinks, Josh is probably the most likeable, the most normal. Maybe he's very, very biased, but Josh is, all the same, your typical bloke until you actually get to know him, when you get to experience his weirdness firsthand. These guys just decided that because he's bent, he's not the same as them, which honestly hurts to think about a bit.

Josh deserves the world, and people to love him.

Simon zones in again, to hear Josh talking. He's spoken to JJ about this before, and how nice it is to hear Josh speak. He doesn't do it enough, by far. But he's got this soothing, not quite monotonous pitch and pace, and he knows JJ could listen to it all day.

"Anyway, Linda's said that as a thank you for helping her get them out, we've all got to get down the community centre tonight, because they'll probably be drinking, that kind of thing. I was given no choice, I won't lie."

Harry's eyes light up, "what time's that at then?"

"She never said." Josh realises, eyes misted over in contemplation, "probably around 8ish we should head over, I reckon? They'll be on their way to sloshed by that point, so they might hate us a little less."