common sense • rini/jolivia one shots

anyone else (j•o)

Josh beamed as he watched Liv sing for a scene. she sounded beautiful, as always. he leaned against the wall, grinning when she smiled at the end of the song.

Tim yelled cut and Liv bolted over to him. her arms wrapped around his neck as he squeezed her tightly, "that was amazing, as always." he whispered into her hair.

he could feel her smile against his neck, her voice quiet, "stop, it could've been better."

he holds her at an arms length as he looks into her eyes, "Livy, you're amazing. you always are."

she nods a little before his hands drop to hers. they interlace their fingers together as they walk off the set, passing by the crew members and background cast. they chuckle at a joke he tells as they walk together.

"hey, you wanna come over tonight and write? i have this awesome melody and i could really use some of those amazing lyrics of yours." Josh says, leaning in slightly towards the younger girl.

her smile drops a little, "uh, i totally would but Ethan promised he'd facetime me tonight and i really can't miss it again."

Josh pretends to not be upset as he drops his head a little, "oh, yeah, no, i get it. it's fine. another time?"

Olivia smiles, "yeah, definitely. can i call you later?"

"yeah, of course. you know i'll always pick up when you call." he gives her the little side smile that she loves so much before she walks away, breaking their contact.

Josh stares at her as she walks down the hall, not even noticing Matt come up behind her, "dude, she's taken. you know that. find somebody else."

he turns sharply to his tall friend, his eyes a little glassy, "i don't want anyone else. i want her."

***

he's mindlessly strumming his guitar, working his way through a new song. he can't help but smile when his phone lights up, a facetime call coming through.

"hey!" he says smiling as he answers the call.

his smile drops when he sees the tearstained face of his best friend, "what happened?"

"we got into a fight, again." Liv says, sniffling as she wipes at her already red eyes.

Josh immediately jumps off of his bed, his phone in his hands as he searches for his keys, his guitar long forgotten, "i'm coming to get you."

he hears her sniffle again, "you don't have to do that Josh..."

he looks at her face, "Liv, i'm coming to get you."

she smiles a little, "okay. thank you."

they hang up together as Josh is getting into his car, starting the drive to Olivia's apartment 15 minutes away from his. she's practically waiting at the front door for him when he pulls up, the younger girl jumping into the car and wrapping her arms around his torso the best she could.

he drops a gentle kiss to her hair before she pulls away to buckle herself in. they drive in comfortable silence back to his place, holding hands as they ride the elevator up to his apartment.

she's been to his place so many times that she feels more comfortable here than in her own apartment. Josh just had a way of making her feel at home. she slips her vans off at the door and wraps her fuzzy cardigan tighter around herself, walking into his bedroom. Josh follows shortly behind, moving his guitar from the place he haphazardly left it on his bed so she could lay down.

Olivia curls into his sheets like she's done so many times before, Josh getting in on the opposite side, facing her. his fingers move some hair behind her ear, his thumb catching a tear in its tracks.

"you wanna talk about it?" he asks quietly.

Liv sighs, "he thinks there's something going on between us."

"oh. you didn't tell him about..."

she shakes her head, "no, i didn't. he just assumes that we've got something going on."

Josh is silent for a minute before grazing her cheek with his thumb, Liv leaning her head into his hand, "you know i love you right?"

she nods, "i know Josh, you know i love you too. but i also love Ethan, and besides, we can't be together until i'm 18 anyway. that's still a year and a half away."

their foreheads are leaning against each others, their noses brushing, "i'll wait for you."

Olivia sighs, her hand coming to hold onto his that's still on her cheek, "i can't ask you to do that."

"you're not asking, i'm telling you."

"Josh, don't do this, please? you're not gonna wait for me, that's unfair to both of us."

she can't help but notice the tears pooling in his eyes as she looks at him, "i don't understand why we can't be together? why you can't break up with Ethan, we both know that you're not happy with him. i would treat you so much better than he does, you know that. hell, i treat you better now and we aren't even dating!"

"i know Josh, i know. but i'm giving you freedom by not dating me, you're free to go out and be with girls and not have to worry about sneaking around with your underage girlfriend." she says quietly.

they don't speak for a few minutes, just staring at each other with glossy eyes.

"i love you Olivia, you know that. that's not gonna change any time soon."

she sighs and nods her head, "i know. i love you too."

they both find themselves leaning towards each other, their lips just inches apart. Josh speaks first, "i wanna kiss you so bad right now."

"me too." Liv whispers, "but we can't. that'll make this whole thing so much harder."

instead, Josh wraps his arms around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest, "i've already fallen for you Liv, there's no turning back."

she nods her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso, "i know. find somebody else please? for me? i just want you to be happy."

"i am happy," he starts, "with you."

she sets her chin on his chest so she can look up into his eyes, "Joshua...please?"

he looks down at her and sighs, "i'll try."

she falls asleep in his arms that night but he's restless, thinking of all the ways he can move on from her, but that's pretty impossible when the girl you love most in the world, is sleeping peacefully against your chest. Josh decides he can't have anybody else, he only wants her.