Looking For Space // Josh Kiszka

XI

It's a long one~

---

A week had passed since Josh's confession and my silence. We were sitting on his couch watching a movie he had chosen, him declaring it to be "one of the best." I wasn't much of a movie person and it was one of the things he loved that I still had a hard time embracing with his same passion, but his commentary and reactions to certain scenes and songs often made it worth it for me. He was being particularly quiet though, nestled against me with his head on my shoulder and his arm tucked against my side. I kept watching him, expecting him to, at some point, make different faces or suddenly sit up and voice a boisterous comment, but he sat against me in silence most of the way through.

"Are you okay?" I finally asked. I had been waiting for any sort of lull in the movie but I gave up, just needing to know what was up with him.

He blinked, looking up at me. "Yeah. Just tired," he answered, tugging on his earlobe.

"We don't have to keep watching," I told him. "I know I'm not super into this."

He chuckled. "Sorry, darling. You always let me choose," he said and lightly swatted my arm. "Next time, you choose."

"Seriously, if you're tired, I can go home."

"No." He looked at me with suddenly pleading eyes, resting his hand over mine. "Stay."

"Okay, well, I'm gonna make some tea." I shifted out from under him. "Do you want some?"

"Please, darling."

I made my way into the kitchen. "What kind?"

"The Tension Tamer."

I poked my head around the corner. "Oh? Why so tense?"

"Oh, just editing. It's become tedious."

Jake came in as I steeped Josh's tea, almost completely silent in his movements except for when he shut the door and locked it, his guitar in its sheath and over his back. "Hey," he said, bending over to take off his boots.

"Do you want some tea?" I asked him, gesturing to the still-open box on the counter.

"That's okay." He set his guitar down by the couch, then stepped into the kitchen to get a beer from the fridge. "What are you guys up to?"

"Not watching a movie," Josh called out. I could see him smirking from my spot in the kitchen.

"You were practically falling asleep," I reminded him, then leaned over to Jake. "I hated it." He chuckled. If nothing else, this was helping break the tension that I hoped was only one-sided. "Where'd you play tonight?" I asked him.

"That bar on Broad Street, the Alchemist," he told me, taking a sip of beer. "It wasn't super lively but--you know."

"Did you scare everyone away?" Josh asked as he stepped into the kitchen, still smirking. He moved behind me, squeezing my hip, to get the mug of tea. "Thank you."

Jake snorted and looked at me. "You go out with him?"

"Allegedly," I replied with a pinch to Josh's side.

"Oh, 'allegedly,'" Josh repeated, rolling his eyes.

"When are you guys playing next?" I asked Jake, ignoring Josh poking me in my side repeatedly.

"Wednesday night."

"Josh, we should go," I said. "Don't you want to support your family?"

"As you wish, darling," he said, gingerly taking the teabag out of the mug and tossing it into the trash, then he went into his room.