Simple Complexity

Part 6

'I'm looking forward to spending time with your friends,' Josh said as Erin dressed after spending the night. She leaned down to him as he sat at the edge of the bed and he dragged his hands up to her waist as she kissed him, smiling as she did.

'Me too,' she whispered back, thinking ahead to the dinner they'd planned for Friday night.

They'd been dating for a few months now, Erin was happy, enjoying the time they were spending together. But still finding herself back at the Firehouse after some dates, joining Holtz in the lab, ordering a late pizza, and sitting together on the roof, or falling into the couch together, Holtz always picking a romance for them to watch.

It was a Wednesday morning and Josh walked Erin to work, enjoying a long kiss goodbye as he left her at the door. Saying he'd see her later as they'd made plans to go out.

He'd met the other Ghostbusters briefly a few weeks earlier, Erin running late to meet him for a date and suggesting he just come to her work, and they would leave from there.

Patty had been the one to open the door to him when he arrived, dressed cleanly in slacks and a shirt he greeted the woman, introducing himself as he walked inside.

Abby was next, with Erin still hastily getting ready upstairs and Holtzmann the last to introduce herself, walking out of the kitchen, her yellow goggles on her head. Her almost patchwork looking overalls hanging to her body with one strap, her chunky doc Martin boots clunking on the floor.

'Holtz,' she said, holding out her hand to him, and he shook it eagerly.

'Hey, hi,' Josh said, 'I've heard so much about you. Erin's best friend.'

Holtzmann had nodded, tapping her fingers to her forehead as if in salute.

'Mmmhmm, and don't worry I'm not going to make the standard best friend speech.'

'Oh, the look after her and be good to her?' Josh replied with a chuckle.

The blonde nodded with a cheeky smile.

'Yeah, that sorta thing, but just remember, ' and she lowered her voice, and he leaned in a little, 'I'm a Ghostbuster, so I can pretty much make anything explode...implode even...if I wanted to, plus I can trap it, contain it,' the engineer pursed her lips, whispering, 'And no one would ever come looking here.'

Josh swallowed, the colour draining from his face, and he began to stutter some words, turning to the stairs in relief as he saw Erin walk down them.

'Hey,' Erin said softly with a smile, both the blonde and the man watching as she stepped down to the ground floor, Erin finding her eyes meeting Holtzmann's first and they shared a smile. The blonde gazed at Erin as Josh held out his hand, she reached out to it, linking their fingers.

'You look so beautiful,' Holtzmann had breathed softly, she couldn't help it, her eyes dragging from Erin's face and loose hair to her button up shirt and jacket, tight black pants and boots, and the woman turned to her again.

'Thanks Jill.'

'She's right you know,' Josh said, his other hand sliding to her back and Erin leaned in to kiss him, 'you look beautiful.'

Erin smiled, kissing him again and they turned, she smiled at Holtz in goodbye, as they walked past her and towards the door. Holtz stood there as they left, the kiss she had just witnessed replaying over and over in her head. She felt numb. Empty.

'I thought maybe we could grab take out from somewhere,' Josh suggested as he returned to the Firehouse that evening and they walked along the street, hand in hand, 'maybe sit near the water and eat?'