Sugar Babe [Completed]

Chapter Twenty-Five: Ticking Clocks

"I told her I was thinking about quitting." Joshua sighed, staring at the ceiling as if his revelation didn't just make the room deadly silent.

My mind started racing when Joshua's words sunk in. Joshua was thinking about quitting modeling? It didn't make sense. It was obviously his calling, and there was no denying that he was amazing at it. Why the hell would he want to quit?

"W-W-Why?" I couldn't stop my voice from stuttering. I was just in plain shock. If Joshua decided to quit, did that mean that I would lose my job? If I managed to keep it, who would I be working for then?

I shuddered, making the floor vibrate, at the thought of taking care of Robert. For some reason, I knew that he would be ten times worse than Joshua was in the beginning.

"I don't want to. It's just that-" Joshua stopped himself, trying to get his thoughts together.

No wonder Lanning wanted me to watch Joshua like a hawk! Her number one model was threatening to leave. Things were beginning to make more sense.

"I saw Lara in Brazil and it broke my heart. The first few days were great. She was happy and loved to talk. I could tell that she was hesitant, waiting for something. I didn't want to disappoint, but Lilly, I didn't have the money. When Christmas finally came-You should have seen her face, Lilly." Joshua's voice became frustrated towards the end.

I stifled the urge to chuckle when I noticed him try to run his hands through his hair. The pancake batter had made it nearly impossible and his fingers ended up getting stuck on his head. This wasn't the time to be funny, but laughter finally broke out from both of us, relieving the tension that had settled in the air.

"Well, it's only a matter of time before you are able to have the money for her surgery. It might not have been during Christmas, but she probably knows that you're working on it." I tried to reason with Joshua.

"That's the problem, Lara isn't very patient. I can see the way the bullying is breaking her down. I don't want my little sister to deal with that anymore. I asked Jenna to book me more jobs and appearances, but she denied it." I heard the anger in Joshua's voice and found myself sharing it.

"Why the hell not?" It didn't make sense to me why Lanning wouldn't want what Joshua asked. The bitch would also be making more money that way.

"She says that it takes away from my 'exclusiveness'. Something about not being able to book higher paying jobs if I work for smaller brands." Joshua tried to explain.

"Let me guess, that's when you threatened to quit?" I could finally understand the hostility between them the night before. Now the question was, would I tell Lanning everything she wanted to know? I had no clue if I should tell Lanning in hopes of keeping Joshua working for her, with me. Was I that selfish? Or would it be for the best, anyway?

"Yeah, I thought that would make her break. She finally promised to come up with something in hopes of keeping me working for her. I don't know what it is yet, but Lara is really important." I can see the way the situation was stressing Joshua out.

 He had so much to lose, like his job and his sister. He could lose his career if he ended up working for smaller brands and getting the money he needed. The other way, his sister would probably end up hurt. Things were not looking good and I had absolutely no response.

My hand ended up having a mind of its own when I found it taking hold of Joshua's. We probably looked crazy to anyone else with dried up pancake batter on our bodies, lying on my kitchen floor, kitchen appliances surrounding us, and holding hands while we stared at the ceiling and let our minds race. Definitely crazy.