Dragon Lover | B X B X B X B

43

Florence

After my extended break from work, mom insisted I get back on my feet and return to the hotel. After weeks of not having any responsibility it was a shame to go back to working those tiring shifts but I couldn't complain, after all it gave me something to do.

After my date with Remus I immediately ran to Josh and gushed about what had happened. I wasn't able to think twice about it- I just started talking! I told him almost every little detail and together we stayed up until the early hours of the morning, discussing it. To be fair, I figured only I could be capable of this level of excitement over my own date but Josh had proved me wrong, practically losing his shit when I told him about the kiss!

Strangely enough, having Josh show as much excitement as me had my heart swelling. We were both aware that we had each other's back, it's been that way since we were kids. But for him to show only... pride and no judgement had my head fuzzy. Not that I imagined Josh would judge me but still, the fear was always there.

That was a few days ago, now we finally had a shift together and things were settling back to normalcy. The day harboured the summer heat, the guests swarmed around like a not-so organised ant swarm and I hadn't heard a single word from either war lord. Actually, maybe normalcy wasn't a good thing. I missed them.

"God, it feels like it's been years since we last worked together!" Josh exclaimed, pulling me from my thoughts. I jerked my head to the side and surveyed my best friend who was pulling at his red collar and fanning his face with his hand.

I smiled and nodded. "Pity, really. I did not miss your constant teasing!"

He gasped, before pulling on one of his iconic pouts. "You're so mean!" He whined, slapping me lightly on the shoulder. I laughed and went to hit him back but refrained when I noticed a few coworkers- but more importantly Gus- staring at us incredulously. "I can't even tease you about those hunks of yours now that you're with one of em'."

I got caught on his last words, a small sputter leaving my mouth. As we noticed my sudden take back, he barked out a laugh. Guess he was wrong.

"Y-You know what, let's just get on with our work.." I muttered, setting him off once more.

After he calmed himself down and was scolded by one of our managers, we continued cleaning the lobby and minded ourselves for the rest of our shift. Looking back at our history working together, it was a miracle that they rostered us at the same time. I had an inkling as to how and it involved my mom and the fact that Josh didn't work that well when bored. That, and I distracted him from flirting with the guests.

When it drew closer for my scheduled break, Josh grew more and more quieter which was strange for him. Even when we were 'silent', we'd sneak glances at each other and muffle our laughter like a couple of school boys. I tried catching his attention but he kept diverting his eyes- at least that's what I thought he was doing. It wasn't until I noticed his dark green eyes focusing on the crowds around us did I realise that he wasn't avoiding me, but looking for someone else.

"Is everything okay, Josh?" I asked, clearly concerned with his behaviour. The roles were suddenly reversed, with me being the one to snap him out of his other world and ground him back to the present.

"W-What? Oh! Yeah, totally." He mumbled. I don't think I can recall the last time he stuttered like this. Perhaps it was the time he puked on his would-be one night stand? I gave him a questioning look and he grimaced.

I quickly scanned the crowd, hoping to find whatever concerned him but nothing looked out of the ordinary. I shrugged, deciding that I would bring this up later when we weren't so public. I told him that my time had come, causing him to snort. Before I left, he grabbed my bicep and pulled me close.