Miss Believer

iii.

The next day, in fact, the next week was entirely uninteresting. I had finished my painting, a few poems, and was halfway through a portrait of the boy I couldn't stop thinking about Friday night when I heard a tapping on my door. I stood up, clad in a pair of skinny jeans and Pac-Man t-shirt, and opened the door. Josh was holding something behind his back, and he was wearing a Guitar Center t-shirt and basketball shorts.

"Hey, you. Long time no see." I smiled, letting him the house. He refused to show me whatever he was hiding.

"Abe, I'm sorry I haven't seen you in awhile. I didn't even get your number before I left last week, and then when I came by your apartment you weren't home." He was sheepish, something I wasn't used to.

"It's okay! I didn't bother to ask for your room number and after work all day I was too tired to knock on all the doors, and then Christmas happened, traveling and stuff. It's okay. Just show me what you're hiding." I had gotten closer to him, ready to lunge for whatever he had in his hands. He smiled, backing into the loveseat.

"Patience, Abe. It's your Christmas present." He was smirking now.

"Oh, Josh! I didn't know we were exchanging gifts!" I put my hands over my mouth, but my mind went to the gift I had wrapped for him on my bed.

"S'all good, I didn't really know what to get you, but I wanted to get you something." He handed me a medium sized boxed, and immediately I shook it gently. I cleared a space on the loveseat and handed him back the present before running to my room and grabbing the small but long box I had for him. We grinned at each other.

"You go first." He said, handing back my present. I nervously opened the box and gasped. It was a bunch of signed Fall Out Boy albums.

"Josh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I attacked him with a hug after setting the box of CDs down. He laughed and hugged me back, careful not to squish his box.

"Open yours!" I cooed. Josh tore the wrapping off and opened the box, grinnning like a crazy person. His eyes were so squinty. My heart leaped in my chest. He held two drumsticks, personally designed with one of my paintings and his name engraved in them.

"Holy shit these are rad." Josh whispered, I laughed.

"I'm glad you like them."

"No, I love them! Thank you Abe." We hugged again, then relaxed while looking into our presents more deeply.

"Is this the painting you were doing when we first met?"

"Yeah, I finished it just in time." It was a huge tree with a sunset swirling around it.

"What does it mean?"

"The painting? I've been thinking about that... It's like no matter how dark it's going get, like the sun setting, we still stand strong like the tree. It's about bravery, strength, and just a little bit of love." I said thoughtfully, looking at the first painting I put in my living room.

"That's beautiful, Abe. I love it, I really do." He put the drumsticks back in the box, and took the remote and changed it to a showing of The Breakfast Club.

"I'm gonna go put these up and change." I said, bumping knees with him before going to my room. I didn't shut the door, just hid in the corner as I put on a pair of sweatpants, and old Chruch camp shirt, and fuzzy socks. I set the CDs on my dresser before returning to the loveseat. The movie had just started. I lounged with my feet on Josh's lap, he was intently watching but still played with the fabric of my socks. Thankfully I wasn't ticklish. Half way through the movie Josh was glancing at me more and more.