Tear In My Heart

Chapter Fifteen

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2610

Authors' Note: We hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

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January 2018 - The Hiatus

It was a cold winter morning and Josh had woken you up early to take you and your new dog, Jim, on a surprise trip. This was entirely new to you, since in the few months that the two of you had been dating, you hadn't had a public outing once. Not that either of you were ashamed of what you were doing, but for the sake of keeping your private lives just that... private. Not even Tyler and Jenna knew yet, as you and Josh just secretly enjoyed your time together. After making sure that you were in comfortable and warm clothing, per Josh's request, all three of you piled up into his car and made your way to your destination. After various times of being asked by you to tell where you were going, Josh still didn't budge... so you decided to keep yourself busy by turning in your seat to face a very happy Jim. His face was right near yours and ready to cover it in kisses, which you narrowly avoided while laughing.

A half hour had passed and you finally made it to the surprise location: Hocking Hills State Park. Josh looked over to you with a big grin and turned off the car once he parked, taking off his seatbelt.

"I thought that it would be a fun idea to go on a hike together."

You quirked an eyebrow. "In the freezing cold?"

"That's the best time to go! You won't ever get sweaty," he said matter-of-factly.

You had to admit... he had a point.

"Ok, ok, wise guy. Lead the way." A smirk appeared on your own lips.

With a laugh, he got out of the car and looked around with a slightly nervous expression. He really didn't want to be seen or noticed yet, so he decided to move quickly with getting Jim out of the car and grabbing your water bottles. You followed suit and instantly understood that he wanted to hurry the process up, so you zipped up your jacket fully and made it to his side to start your trek with Jim leading the way.

The trail was absolutely beautiful, even more so now that there was snow that dusted the ground the higher up you went. Sure, it was freezing, but the view made it all worth it. Watching as Jim made sure to sniff every inch of trail that he passed with a happy wagging tail, you giggled a bit as Josh turned his head back to look at you while holding onto his leash. A smile appeared on his face and then he hung back a bit so that he could wrap his free arm around your shoulders to bring you in close.

"You know, I was thinking... we've been together for a few months now. Maybe it's about time that we told Tyler and Jenna the news. I mean, they were the ones that were rooting for us to get together, you know?" Josh looked down to you to see what you thought of the idea.

Slowly nodding, you looked back up to him with a small smile. "I think you're right. It's felt sort of wrong keeping it from them. I think we should tell them tonight, since they're coming over for dinner."

"That sounds like a good idea."

He leaned down and kissed you softly, giving you a slight squeeze before being pulled away by Jim, who had managed to find a really good scent further down.

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After a full day and a fill of fresh air and walking, you decided to head back down to the car. The only problem was there were more people than there had been earlier. Josh gave you a look of sudden fear and you instantly decided then and there to take his hand and just run as fast as you could with him - the both of you laughing the whole way while Jim ran alongside you with ease. Getting everything situated in the car, you both made the drive back home and made sure that you got changed into some nicer clothes for later that night while Josh cleaned around the house a bit for you.