We're more than friends

Chapter 13

Hope's POV

A blush crept upon Josie's face as she covered her eyes with her hands. She was sat crisscrossed on my bed, facing the door. She was wearing a flimsy top and night shorts that seemed to ride up a bit.

"Hope?" Josie squeaked, peeking through her fingers ever so slightly. "Could you... um ... put some clothes on?" Her blush seemed to only darken at the statement.

I quickly glimpsed down and noticed my naked self in all of its glory. Training and fighting monsters had really paid off. Then I looked back up at Josie who, as I could see, was still watching me from behind her hands. A small smirk graced my lips when a sudden thought popped up.

"Why? It seems to me like you're enjoying the view." I said, taking a step closer.

I expected her to fumble on her words, to turn around or bury her face in a pillow. I was not expecting her to let her hands drop to her lap and have her look at me up and down with a small smirk on her lips.

"The view's much better like this, I agree." With that, she crawled off the bed and walked over to my dresser. Rummaging through it, she found one of the big t-shirts I wear as pyjamas and closed the drawer. She turned on her heels and walked straight to me, shirt in hand. "However, I would much rather talk tonight. I'll admire the view another night." She said the last sentence in a whisper, her hand pressed against my chest with the top's fabric between us.

A shiver went down my spine, but I tried to not make it noticeable. However, the little glint in Josie's brown eyes indicated she saw the effect she had on me. She gracefully turned around and walked over to the other side of the room, letting me get dressed. After pulling the shirt down, that reached my knees, I walked over to my dresser where Josie was and pulled out some underwear.

Fully dressed, I walked over to my bed and sat down. I called Josie to sit beside me. The mattress dipped a bit further away than I expected. Josie was sat in front of me, one leg under her body and the other dangling on the edge of the bed. Her blush seemed to have calmed down, her cheeks had only a tint of pink left on them.

"So, what brings you here at this hour of the morning?" I asked, looking out of the window where the sun was beginning to rise.

"Oh...um..." She stammered. "I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to see how you were after everything. So, I came here and when I saw you weren't here, I decided to stay and wait for you." She said sheepishly, her hands still fidgeting in her lap. Suddenly, her eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god, I'm a stalker!" She said before hiding her face in her hands.

Her comment made me chuckle as I reached for her hands and pulled them away from her face. Scooting closer so I could keep her hands in mine, I started talking.

"You're no stalker, Josette Saltzman. You're a worried friend." Friend. Oh, how I despised that word for her. It no longer sat right. For years I had pushed her away, taunted her, kept her at arm's length, for her safety. Anyone loved by a Mikaelson ends up dead or hating us. I couldn't live with that. Live in a world where Josie hated me, or in a world where she was dead. Yet, somehow, she managed to claw her way into my life. And feelings started stirring up, an old crush resurfaced and now... well now I simply didn't want her as a friend. I wanted more. I needed more. So, calling Josie a friend was... painful, to say the least.

"So... how are you?" She asked, pulling me from my thoughts. My gaze shifted to the wall behind Josie. Suddenly, having her full attention on me, something I usually relish in, was uncomfortable. A tug on my hands forced me to look at them. A small smile spread across my lips once I saw our intertwined fingers. "Hope?"

Looking up, I saw a hint of worry in Josie's eyes. I felt a twinge of guilt for being the reason she was worried and squeezed her hand to reassure her.