Blogger | Josh Dun

Part 18

Josh and Tyler had said their goodbyes and left the stage, running to go and wash the cake off their faces. I had wiped my hands clean and then high-fived Jenna, who had been clutching her sides laughing in the wings of the stage ever since the prank. 

"That was genius!" She was full on snorting as we walked back to the bus. "But you should know that they're definitely going to get you back."

"What? Like embarrassing me in front of thousands of people wasn't bad enough?"

She laughed again. "Come on, they're already on the bus."

Jenna walked in before me, and I crept in, just in case they were planning on a full blown attack as soon as I walked through the door. 

Luckily, they were both just sat on the couch, chuckling between themselves. 

"You're back!" Josh patted the spot next to him. "Come here, we have presents."

I groaned but sat down anyway. "Guys! I said I didn't want it to be a big deal. And you've already declared my birthday to the world anyway."

Josh rested his arm on the sofa cushions behind my head.

"You're family. You get treated like family. And when someone in the family has a birthday, we celebrate." 

I grumbled again as Jenna thrust a parcel into my hands.

I undid the wrapping paper to find a gorgeous black skater dress. It had no sleeves and a high neck, and clinched in at the waist.

I hugged her in thanks and whispered in her ear. "I love it, thank you so much."

Tyler passed me a small bag, and inside was a pair of sunglasses, very similar to the white ones that he wore on stage, except the rims of mine were red. 

I laughed and gave him a quick hug and thanked him, pecking his cheek. 

Michael and Mark had joined forces and passed me a box. Inside was a brand new ukulele, which looked reasonably expensive. I'd left mine at home, so I was really grateful that I could finally play again. 

Josh's present was last, and he handed me an envelope. 

I slowly opened it, not wanting to tear the contents. Two lanyards and pieces of paper fell out. The paper was two concert tickets for a Paramore concert that was happening in a few days. The lanyards were VIP passes to go backstage and meet the band.

I leapt into Josh's arms, thanking him repeatedly. I'd wanted to see Paramore live for as long as I could remember. 

He chuckled and hugged me back, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist and kissing the top of my head. 

I pulled back, looking straight at him with tears streaming down my cheeks. 

"Thank you so much." 

He didn't answer, just pulled me back in for another hug. 

When we pulled away from each other, we were the only ones in the room. Everyone else had gone to bed, so Josh and I followed suit. 

I went to the bathroom to quickly throw my pyjamas on and brush my teeth, and looked in the mirror. My eyes were puffy from crying, but I honestly looked so happy. 

When I walked back to the bunks, Josh was already in my bed. He was lying on his side, facing away from me on his phone. I crawled in behind him and threw my arm over his waist, spooning him. I used my other hand to play with his hair, and he purred in satisfaction. He turned over to face me, our noses almost touching as I continued running my fingernails over his scalp. 

"That feels really nice. But aren't I supposed to be the big spoon, seeing as you're so tiny?"

I lifted my arm from his waist to punch his arm lightly. 

"Don't be mean." 

He chuckled and shifted closer to me. I tucked my head under his chin, inhaling his warm scent. 

I mumbled into his chest. "Thank you for everything today, even though I was completely mortified on stage today."

Josh mumbled into my hair. "I don't know, I think you got your own back."

We both giggled quietly, aware that the others were already asleep.

"And thanks again for my present. You have no idea how much I love you right now."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I froze. I didn't want to scare him off and ruin our friendship.

Instead, I heard him chuckle slightly. 

"I love you too, Lizzie."