Never Been Kissed

Ch.20 ↬ M

Josh was messing with my head.

It had been a few days since the meal with everyone and almost immediately I knew something was up with the way he was behaving. And then he just had to go and throw in the Shrek reference. On top of all that, I already knew via Oscar that he was watching kid's movies to impress me. What exactly was going on with him and why couldn't he just say it all to my face?

Josh's antics notwithstanding, I was still going to continue with Noah and give him the proper chance he deserved, despite the doubts lingering in my mind.

My second week at work was uneventful but enjoyable nonetheless. I barely saw Josh, though one evening when I returned from setting up the community hall for the following morning, I could perceive noises filtering from his apartment, making me wonder if he was babysitting Oscar that evening and watching another kid's movie with him.

Dinner on Friday night almost turned out exactly like the week prior with Josh making quips here or there, ensuring I had his undivided attention occasionally. Though he'd been adamant to drive me again, I had a plan. I'd already discussed it with Noah.

Maybe then I'd be able to determine whether Noah was truly the right guy for me or not.

During the week I'd missed seeing him and possibly I'd overcompensated that with messaging him more than usual. He didn't seem to mind, however. That I was thankful for because I don't think I've have been able to handle being dubbed clingy. Regardless, I missed him, and I missed his kisses and the way he held me sometimes.

In the middle of dinner, when he placed his hand on my thigh, I relished in the contact, shooting him an easy smile. Whether Josh noticed, I was unsure. Frankly, I didn't really care. Okay, that wasn't quite truthful. I was attempting not to care what Josh thought, but for some reason it continued to niggle at the back of my mind relentlessly.

Afterwards when we lingered in the parking lot, Raegan and Vincent waved at us before approaching Raegan's car. Josh gazed expectantly at me as he was clueless to the plan I had concocted with Noah. Shooting a quick signal to Noah to inform him to give me a few minutes, he nodded and settled himself in his car.

"I'm going back to Noah's," I told Josh.

Josh's face seemed to cloud over by darkness initially, his jaw clenching. His gaze rose above me and I suspected he was observing Noah before lowering to meet my eyes. His expression softened and he nodded.

"I'll see you later," was all he said.

Slightly dumbfounded, though I don't know what I expected anyway, I ambled to Noah and leaned over to kiss his cheek when I sunk into his car seat. He smiled at me but offered nothing verbally before we followed Josh out of the parking lot. I couldn't help but notice the way he harshly pulled out of the parking lot, ignoring the churning of my stomach. I honestly wasn't completely certain with myself about all of this.

Then Noah replicated the way Josh exited the parking lot, causing my heart to spike and adrenaline to rocket instantly through my body as I was forced back against the seat with the restraint of the seatbelt. A minor gasp escaped me, but it was drowned out by the screeching of the engine.

What the fuck was that about?

Was Noah jealous of Josh or was he trying to prove something? A part of me speculated whether Noah felt threatened by Josh, and as much as I wanted to dismiss that thought as ludicrous, it may have held some truth to it.

Okay, if he was, I could understand that. Josh was bigger than Noah was, and all of it was muscle which he wasn't afraid of flaunting like he was now with his form-fitting shirts with either short sleeves or no sleeves. And don't get me started on the skinny jeans he wears where they cling to his thighs.