Thicker than Water

Chapter 16 (Josh)

           

Josh's dad always knew exactly what to say to get under his skin.

He had surprised himself with his outburst, but he couldn't believe his dad was talking to him like that, in front of Lauren.

Unfortunately, the door he had stomped away through, led to the kitchen. There was no way back to his room without crossing through the dining room. After his mic drop, he wasn't going to do that.

So that's how he ended up in the gigantic pantry off of the kitchen with the door closed, pacing back and forth, trying to calm his nerves. It wasn't working.

Josh saw the door open slowly before Lauren slid her way in, shutting the door behind her. "I was hoping you were in here."

"Lauren, wha—"

She cut him off with a kiss while she pushed his back into the wall, slamming him against it. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. Lauren separated their mouths unexpectedly and whispered, "Come to my room tonight."

He was so stunned, all he could do was nod his head stupidly.

Just as quietly as she had entered, Lauren then slipped out the door.

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Josh was equally excited and nervous as he snuck up the hallway towards Lauren's room later that night.

He knocked quietly, and she opened the door within seconds. She had been waiting for him.

It was a repeat of the pantry. Lauren held him tightly while kissing him. Josh couldn't believe his sweet and innocent Lauren was not only agreeing to this, but initiating it.

They didn't do much talking that evening except for Lauren to say, "Come back tomorrow?"

"Of course."

And so life went on. Josh would sneak into Lauren's room at least five times a week, always being sure to return to his own room before dawn. They would make out in broom closets or hidden hallways when no one was around. They had an uninhibited need to touch each other anytime they were alone.

It wasn't always about sex. Sometimes they would just sit on her bed and watch a movie, or talk. There were even a few ill-conceived nights of Josh attempting to teach Lauren poker. She became so frustrated she threw the cards everywhere. He chuckled the entire time it took for them to pick up.

They were also able to be around each other during the day. The pain of being in each other's presence vanished knowing that they would be together that night.

Ali was delighted to finally be able to spend time with both of them, at the same time. She came up with all sorts of games in which Josh and Lauren were husband and wife, especially loving when they would have a "wedding", consisting of stuff animal guests and plastic rings. Josh always played along, anything to make Ali happy.

Ironically, he also started spending more time with his dad. Josh wanted to be around Lauren, and his dad wanted to be around Shannon, so they tended to end up in the same vicinity more often than not. After a few weeks, they could even have a conversation without one or the other yelling. It was a miracle.

Josh never brought up the future, or where their relationship was heading. He knew they would need to at some point but didn't want to ruin what they had now.

Josh was still waiting for his dad to royally fuck up, and Shannon to leave him, but the two actually seemed to get along fantastically. He'd never even seen them bicker.

So for now, Josh would just bide his time, spending as much time as possible with Lauren before she left for school.

It was while they doing their homework together one evening that his phone rang. He recognized the number and left to answer it in another room. "Hey, man, you have anything for me?"

"Well, kind of. I think we should meet, so I can explain."

"Alright. Tomorrow. Text me a time and place, and I'll be there."

Josh thought back to when he had first contacted the private investigator. It was the day Lauren and he had "broken up" in his car. He kept the number from when his dad had hired the guy to spy on one of his ex-wives to confirm she was having an affair. She was, and hasn't gotten a penny in alimony.

 

He knew his dad would do something eventually that would cause his relationship to end. He had hoped it would happen before the wedding. He was only surprised it had taken this long.