As I Fall Asleep- Joshua Bassett

Chapter 39

"I thought you might need these," Matt says as he hands over the fresh clothes.

"Thanks," I say, smiling sheepishly and taking the clothes from him.

"Are you heading down to breakfast soon?" he asks.

I nod. "Yeah, I was just waiting for Josh to get ready."

"He's going to take a while, you're more than welcome to head down with me if you'd like."

I smile at Matt. I'm not super close with him, but I know Josh is, so I might as well make an effort.

"Sure, thanks," I tell him. "Let me give these to Josh and I'll be right out."

I knock on the bathroom door. "Josh?"

After waiting a few seconds, I gather he can't hear me due to the shower running. I open the door, allowing steam to escape from the bathroom.

"Josh?" I call again.

"Yeah?" the water turns off and he pulls the shower curtain aside just far enough to stick his head out.

I smile at his goofy grin and his sopping wet hair laying flat on his head, a stark contrast from the curls I usually see.

"Matt gave me these for you. I'll leave them here," I tell him, setting the pile of folded clothes on the counter.

"Thanks."

I nod and turn to leave the bathroom.

"Hey Katie?" he asks, making me turn around.

"Yeah?" I answer.

"Can I have a kiss before you go?"

I see his cheeks slightly go pink as he asks me that and it makes me happy. I roll my eyes, playing at being annoyed. "Fine."

I walk up to him, his face being the only thing visible, the rest being covered by the shower curtain, and give him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Hey, that wasn't a real kiss," josh whines.

I lean forward again and give him a longer kiss, relishing the feel of his soft lips and the water drops that fall from his hair onto my face.

After a few seconds, I pull away. "See you downstairs!" I call as I shut the door behind me.

***

I meet Matt in the hallway. "Thanks again for the clothes."

He nods, not saying anything. I don't know why, but I get the feeling he doesn't approve of JOsh spending the night in my room.

I know I don't need his approval, but I can't help myself from trying to explain.

"He only needed the clothes because his were wet."

Matt raises an eyebrow.

"Wet from the pool," I clarify. "We, uh, went swimming, that's it."

HE finally speaks up. "You don't need to explain yourself Katie. I don't care what you do. Or what Josh does, no matter how dumb." He says the last part under his breath but I still catch it. We get to the elevator and Matt presses the button a little harder than necessary.

"Really?" I ask. "You don't care?"

"Nope." Matt's staring straight ahead at the elevator, waiting for the door to open.

"Yeah ok," I say sarcastically.

The elevator doors open and we get on, neither of us saying anything.

Right before the doors close, Sofia runs up and slides in. "Hey guys!" she greets us cheerfully.

"Hey," I respond, returning the smile. I was still a bit thrown off by Matt's attitude, but that didn't mean I couldn't be nice to Sofia.

"How'd you guys' sleep?" she asks as the elevator begins to move down.

"Fine," matt says. "A little quieter than usual. Josh was so quiet. It was like he wasn't even there." He casts a glance at me.

"What about you Katie?"

"Good," I tell her, not wanting to elaborate. "What about you Sofia?"

"Oh I was out as soon as I hit the bed. I was so tired from all that walking we did yesterday."

"Tell me about it!" I laugh. "My feet are still sore. I don't know how I'll get through today."

"Well don't worry, we have a relaxing day at the beach tomorrow."

"True." I acknowledge.

Matt stays quiet the rest of the way down. We get off and head to the dining area. Sofia goes to the waffle line while I head for the yogurt bar. Unfortunately, Matt also likes yogurt.

We get in line and matt quietly talks to me. "Josh is a good guy and he's been through a lot. I just don't want to see him go through another tough breakup or get hurt again."

I nod and turn around to face him. "I get that, I don't want to see him hurt either. Just know I have no plans on hurting him. Ever."

Matt seems content with my response and actually smiles at me. "Are you going to keep standing there or are you going to get some yogurt?"

I laugh and get my yogurt, glad to have cleared the air. Matt just wanted to protect his friend.

I grab some juice then look around the tables for a place to sit. I spot Sofia and matt at a table so I take a seat next to sofia. After a few minutes of small talk, Josh steps off the elevator and heads to our table.

He sits down next to me and lays his arm across the back of my chair. It's nothing big, but it's a meaningful step in our relationship and I appreciate it.

"You know we have to leave in 5 minutes, right?" Matt tells him.

"I know." Josh says, only looking at me, causing me to blush.

While I love how Josh is focusing on me this morning, I know he needs to grab food before we go.

"Want my banana?" I ask him, offering it to him.

"No thanks," he says, waving off my offer. "I'm craving a donut."

With that he stands up and heads to the pastry area. He returns a moment later, holding a plain glazed donut and offering me a bite. I shake my head.

He sits back down and leans back in his chair Le surly, eating his donut slowly. "So, what's the plan today? Who wants to do what?"

"Most of us want to start with Pixar Peir and get the big rides out of the way." Matt says.

Josh nods. "Sounds good." He then turns to me. "Katie anything specific you want to do today?"

I'm thrown for a minute that Josh is being so considerate and sweet but quickly regain my composure.

I shrug, "We have to do Guardians of the Galaxy at least once."

"Agreed," he says, standing up. He offers his hand to me, and I blink up at him. Is this the same boy who introduced me as his "friend" not too long ago?

I take his hand and stand up with him.

"You guys are disgusting," Sofia says, but there's a smile on her lips.  

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Sorry this one's short, I needed the next part to be it's own chapter so this one was a bit smaller

-kb