Counting On Forever

Chapter 13

~{Chapter 13}~

"Hi," Josh says.

"Why are you calling?" I demand.

"Calm down. This is a friendly call," he calmly says.

"Nothing is friendly about you," I snap.

"Ouch, that hurts."

I roll my eyes. "Get to the point."

"I want to talk to you about Beth and the whole ordeal that happened. I have an explanation for everything that happened."

"Josh, there's no need for an explanation. You flat out cheated on my best friend. I don't know what would make you think I'd listen to you and whatever ridiculous explanation you have."

"Kate, please. I know I was wrong. I feel horrible and so ashamed."

"Why do you have the sudden heart change? Last time I checked, you didn't care about anyone here," I say suspiciously.

"Just meet me at the neighboring town on Monday. I'll explain everything."

"Unlike you, I actually work on Mondays," I say sarcastically.

"Please stop with the insults. I'm being serious."

I bite my lip to stop myself from saying something sarcastic. "I'm not meeting with you during the week. If you want to talk to me, you're going to have to meet with me next Saturday."

"Why not this Sunday?" he pushes.

"Saturday or never," I say determinedly.

I hear him sigh. "Fine."

"Bye," I say before hanging up.

I rub my temples. A headache had come while I was talking to Josh. He was not good news, and I have no idea why I agreed to meet with him. I sigh and go up to my room to get some sleep.

~-~-~-~
The next week passes by quickly, and I try to avoid talking to Beth. I was afraid she would find out what was going on if I talked to her for too long. I hate keeping secrets because I can't really keep secrets.

Somehow, I make it to Saturday without revealing anything to her. Now, I'm sitting at a table in the corner of a coffee shop waiting for Josh to show up.

I don't wait for long before I hear, "Kate!"

I roll my eyes and turn around to look at Josh. He slides into the chair across from me and waits for me to speak. I don't. He continues to just stare at me.

"It's usually polite to say hello," he finally says.

I smirk. "I'm not polite."

"Kate, can't you at least remember what our friendship was like before all of this?"

I laugh bitterly. "No, I can't. All that got tossed out the window when you cheated on Beth. We may be in the process of forgiving you, but I can't force myself to act like we're friends."

He sighs. "Y'all have forgiven me?"

"We're trying, but don't think it's going to change what you did."

"Kate, you have no idea how sorry I am for what I did. I know what I did was wrong, and I want to be able to tell my mother and Beth that. I know I hurt both of them."

To say I'm shocked is an I understatement. "Are you really Josh Tucker?"

"What do you mean?"

"In all the years I've known you, I've hardly ever heard you apologize like that," I say.