Stage Fright

Chapter 42 ~ Three Magic Words

Josh

I really hope she's alright, I wouldn't have left her at all if her dad wasn't there. It had to be pretty serious for him to be involved, Heather said he was barely ever around so if this was important enough for him to be there it couldn't be good.

I was just waiting to hear back from her, to make sure she was alright. I kept trying to finish my homework but I kept thinking about her. I wish she was here so I could help her.

Suddenly my phone starts ringing and I pick it up instantly seeing who was calling.

"Hey." I say and I hear a sniffle.

"Hey Josh." She whispers and I sigh. She was sad, that's not what I wanted to hear. "Can I stay with you tonight?" She asks.

"Yeah, whatever you need. You know I'm always here." I tell her.

"Okay I'm on my way, I'll see you soon." She says quietly. 

"Alright, bye. Drive safe." I whisper and the two of us hang up.

I didn't want her to be upset. It killed me when I watched her cry, and she cried too much. No one should be crying like that and I never knew what to do to make it better. She loved that car, loved it so much. She felt uncomfortable driving it but I knew that she loved taking it out. She was proud of it, I'm sure that must have hurt.

I go downstairs and wait for her by the door. Dad was still at work, I was glad we were alone so I could hide away with her and try to make it better.

I watch headlights pull in and I open the front door to see her running up to the door with two bags over her shoulders. I meet her halfway and pick her up, feeling her legs wrap around my waist.

"Baby." I whisper and she lets out a quiet sob, muffled by my shirt. I bring her inside and lock the door, bringing her upstairs. "What happened?" I ask quietly, taking her bags and helping her take off her coat.

"My dad found out about what Zeke did." She breathes shaking her head. "I just feel really overwhelmed and I didn't know where else to go." She admits, shaking her head. "Just tell me everything is going to be okay." She begs and I feel my heart shatter. She wraps her arms around my waist and I rest my head on top of hers.

"It'll all be okay." I whisper. "I'm here, it's okay." Her tears break and I hold her closer. I walk over to the bed to sit down, holding her hand and her lower lip wobbles. "Come lay with me." She nods enthusiastically and kicks off her shoes. I move over and she nearly collapses in the bed, I move in behind her and wrap my arms around her tightly. Her back shuffles back closer to my chest and I kiss the top of her shoulder. "Just breathe."

"Thanks Josh." She whispers and I nod. 

"Let it all go." I tell her. "Don't think about what happened today or two months ago. Just right now, me and you." She nods a bit and grabs my hand that rests over her waist and brings it into both of her hands.

"You do so much for me." She whispers. "You fix everything." I felt touched that she felt that way, even in this terrible situation she still felt so safe with me. 

"We don't have to talk about anything." I assure her. "We can lay here as long as you want."

"That's all I want." She tells me. "That's all I ever want, all the time." She adds I smile a bit as she kisses the tops of my knuckles. "I'm glad I have you."

"I'm glad I have you too." I whisper and she sniffles.

We lay there for what feels like an eternity, she squeezes my hand every so often. She cried it all out and managed to calm down. I never wanted her to be upset like this, not in a million years. But I was so happy to have her close, this wasn't one of our usual nights so it was nice to spend it with her.