Coming Up for Air (cole caufield x oc)

BONUS CHAPTER 2

∆ Tate ∆

For several seconds, after Tate said it Josh gnawed on the inside of his cheek. But then, without any warning besides a sigh, he leaned down to wrap his arms around Tate's legs so that he could heave her over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Tate squeaked, already laughing. Josh, though, offered no response: instead, he jogged out the doors and across the street as Tate grew breathless with laughter. The run was so brief that by the time Josh lowered her to the ground outside the convenience store, Tate was hardly damp from the rain.

Back on her feet, she crinkled her nose at him. Josh, now less than a foot away looked down at Tate with a smirk. Had they been in the same position hours earlier, when the alcohol was still hot in her veins, Tate almost certainly would have stood up on her toes to reach him—dug her fingers into the back of his neck and pulled his lips down to hers.

But the alcohol had all but dissipated, and the night had already been chaotic enough—the last thing Tate wanted was to make it worse. So instead she turned away from Josh and pattered carefully through the sliding doors. There was only one employee inside, manning the counter as he scrolled idly on his phone. If he cared—or even noticed—that Tate was barefoot, he made no indication of it.

"What did you say you needed?" asked Josh.

Tate shrugged and tightened Josh's jacket around her shoulders. She hated how much she liked the softness of it against her skin. Perhaps in part by virtue of her job, she tended to steer clear of men outside of work: she'd seen them at their most vile, and it would never cease to frighten her in the real world.

But the way Josh looked at her, eyes gentle and the faintest smile still present on his lips, melted some bit of her hardened exterior—at least for a moment. She replied, "Some Advil and a water would really hit the spot right about now." With a sigh, she approached the fridges at the back of the aisles, Josh following behind dutifully without complaint.

"Coconut water is good to prevent hangovers," noted Josh, his hands in his sweatpants pockets again.

"Oh?" Tate hummed, already reaching for the bottle of coconut water on the middle shelf. "Lotta hangovers to stave off as a professional athlete?"

It made Josh laugh. "No, that's just what the other guys say," he replied. "I haven't drank since college."

"Oh," Tate repeated, softer this time. For some reason, the fact that she'd joked about it made her feel guilty, even though it didn't appear that Josh had taken any offense. She cleared her throat and closed the fridge door before turning back to him. "Let me just go grab some Advil and we can go, okay?"

Josh nodded, offering a smile of assurance. He trailed Tate to the medicine aisle, before piping up, "Have you eaten enough today? We could get some snacks or something?" He raised his brows at her, almost like he knew already that she hadn't eaten nearly enough.

She had to admit it: her stomach was aching for sustenance after the long night of drinking and crying and trembling with fear. "I'll be okay," she remarked after a moment, hoping that Josh didn't notice her hesitation.

But, of course, like he'd known her for years, he nudged her arm gently and pressed, "You're totally lying." After a moment of silence he continued, "Look, I'm gonna buy you something to eat whether you like it or not, so you might as well tell me what you like or I'm just gonna get ice cream—because that's what I want."

Tate lifted her gaze enough to meet his expectant eyes. "I like ice cream," she squeaked, voice weaker than she wanted it to be.

Immediately, Josh smiled. "Perfect," he concluded. And then he was on his way to the freezers.

Tate couldn't help the grin that made its way onto her lips, even as Josh returned to her side with a pint of ice cream in hand. At work, she was so used to hiding her emotions. Being so exposed while dancing meant she had to conceal what she could—namely the way some comments and leers made her feel. To show anything was to be seen, but for some reason being seen by Josh—there in the middle of the night—didn't seem so bad.

"Ready?" she prompted, in part to shake herself from her own thoughts.

"Never been readier," he promised.

With a giggle, Tate responded, "Come on, crazy," and led him all the way to the counter. There, as she reached into her back pocket for her credit card, Josh handed several bills to the attendant, already collecting Tate's things. He told the man behind the counter not to worry about the change, and then he was on his way to the door. "Hey!" Tate hollered, hurrying to meet him at the exit. "What the hell, Norris?"

Josh turned on his heels and looked down at her, brows furrowed. "Norris?" he echoed. He loosed a little smirk and urged, "Brady didn't say my last name when we were in the car."

Tate's jaw fell open. "Well, I mean—" she stammered a moment longer before letting out an exasperated huff. "So maybe I looked y'all up when we got back to the hotel. Is that a crime?"

"No," Josh chuckled. "I'm just teasing you," he promised.

Still, Tate felt a rush of embarrassment seep into her cheeks—a blush she was desperate to hide from Josh. Fortunately, he turned his back to her to peer outside. It was still raining, Tate could tell, maybe even harder than before.

"Here," Josh began, holding the little bag of groceries out to her. "You hold onto this," he instructed. With some hesitancy, Tate took the bag from his hand and waited until Josh had stepped through the glass doors into the rain outside. "Is it okay if I pick you up?" Josh inquired, ducking down a little to meet Tate's eyes as she followed him out.

Slowly, Tate nodded. It was more than okay—just as it had been more than okay minutes earlier when he threw her over his shoulder and sprinted across the road as she laughed. This time, though, his touch was more careful, more tender, almost like he, too, felt the strange twinge of anxiety that Tate felt.

Josh guided Tate's arms around his neck and then pulled her gently to his chest so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. He held her close, letting her rest her chin on his shoulder before he started back towards the hotel across the road.