Unboxed Letters

Josh 3

Josh had ignored Debby's texts all morning. What was he supposed to say back? He didn't want Debby to enter his life. He liked solitude. It was how he had dealt with things for the last few years.

The problem was that Josh had forgotten that Debby had been to his house. So, when she knocked on the door, Josh shouldn't have been surprised.

But he was.

"Hey..." Josh sighed as she walked in.

"Hey!" she piped. Josh motioned towards the couch and she took a seat. "What have you been up to?"

"Not much, really." He would not let himself become attached to her in any way, shape, or form.

"Hmm. That sounds boring." Josh nodded. Debby stood up, her hands on her hips. "Let's go!"

Josh looked up, for the first time today looking at her face. "Go? Where?"

"Anywhere! But I'm not gonna let you keep yourself trapped in here!"

"I'm not trapped."

Debby rolled her eyes and grabbed Josh's wrist, leading him out of his apartment. Josh could barely locked his front door.

~~~

"We have a fair?" Josh couldn't believe that he had never seen this.

"Yup! It's year-round, too!" Debby answered. They had just entered the local fair, Debby paying for her and Josh's tickets, despite his protests.

She led him to their first ride, a small rollercoaster, and pushed Josh to the front of the line. The man opened the gate and let them in. Against Josh's preference, Debby sat in the same cart as him. Josh was as close to the edge of the cart as possible, creating as much distance as he could between him and the girl. She noticed and rolled her eyes, obviously too excited about the ride to care.

The man pressed the button and the coaster began climbing up a small hill before dropping down, allowing momentum to take over. Josh couldn't deny that he had forgotten how fun rollercoasters were. And with Debby giggling next to him, it felt a bit better than riding alone, though Josh would never admit it.

~~~

Before Josh knew it, night had colored the sky black. The rainbow Christmas lights that littered the booths were glowing, creating a scene out of a movie. The air was crisp and Josh was having the time of his life. He and Debby had rode all sorts of contraptions, eaten all kinds of foods, and seen all types of attractions. Josh hadn't had a day this fun in years. He missed feeling this way.

He was currently standing in line for a lemonade, Debby going to the bathroom in the meantime. The couple in front of him was taking so long to order and the family behind him was full of impatient toddlers. He tapped his foot to the beat of the song playing out of the speakers, not realizing he was zoning out.

In his head, he imagined the drum set, his foot hitting the bass drum, the crowd yelling, and Tyler jumping around, singing his heart out. The image was blurry, like an old memory that was fading away.

"Sir, are you ordering or not?" Josh was pulled out of his thoughts, the thrill of performing drifting far, far away from his heart.

"Um...yeah. Sorry. Two lemonades?" The man grunted, sticking his hand out for money. Josh reluctantly paid him and waited for his order by the other side of the stand. 

"Are they almost ready?" Debby asked, appearing out of nowhere.

"Uh, yeah. Almost." She nodded and leaned against the booth. The man gave them their drinks and they began walking, not really heading towards a certain destination.

"So, yes or no: was this better than staying at home?" Debby asked.

Josh pretended to think about it. "Hmm...I mean, ehh." Debby playfully hit his arm, both of them chuckling. "Yeah. It was better," he responded, smiling. And it was true.

Debby smirked. "Told ya!"

"Hey, don't make me change my mind!" Josh told her.

"Is that a threat?" she asked.

"Maybe."

SPLASH! Josh was covered in ice cold lemonade. Debby stood in front of him, laughing hysterically. Josh pushed his hair back. "You think this is funny?" Debby couldn't answer, she just kept laughing.

In one swift movement, Josh unscrewed the cap and poured his lemonade on her. She gasped. "Josh!"

Josh couldn't help but laugh. Debby rubbed her eyes. "I'm gonna kill you!" She ran towards him, Josh quickly taking steps back until he was running. Josh couldn't stop giggling. He rounded a corner and saw a giant line in his way. He stopped, not wanting to crash into anybody. Debby ran up and grabbed him from behind. "Gotcha, you punk!" she yelled.

They both continued to laugh, gaining a few stares from the people in line. Josh turned around and Debby let go, both becoming a tad quiet. They were just a few centimeters apart. Josh cleared his throat and took a few steps back. "Umm...it's getting kind of late. Maybe we should go," he said.

"Yeah. We should probably wash off the lemonade. It'll get sticky soon..." Debby said. Josh nodded. They walked back to Josh's apartment in silence.

~~~~~

Once they arrived, Debby climbed into her car, waving goodbye. Josh waved goodbye from the entrance to the complex. He made his way to his apartment, walking straight into his bathroom and hopping into the shower. He scrubbed off the lemonade and stepped out, drying off and putting on some sweatpants. He threw himself on his bed, sighing. Flashbacks of his day played on repeat in his head. All he could hear was her laugh. All he could see was her smile. All he could feel was her touch.

What was happening to him?