that was then*
chapter 11
"I want to apologize again for Tiffany and Amber...they don't think before they speak most of the time," Josh said sincerely.
"Oh, you mean they actually think sometimes?" Dora stated with a smile as she folded her arms. "How long did you and Tiffany date for?"
"Uh, about a year."
"Why did you break up?"
"She drew the conclusion that cheating doesn't count if nobody finds out."
"But you found out." Dora looked over at him, and studied him as he chewed his bottom lip.
"Yep."
"Did you love her?"
Josh's eyes met Dora for the duration of his answer. "I thought I did, but I'm not so sure."
She nodded. "I understand."
"What about you and your ex? You two get along OK?"
"Yeah, we were friends before we started dating."
"How long were you guys together?"
"It'd be 3 years this Christmas."
"Wow. You two were pretty serious, huh?"
She shrugged. "I guess. We spent more time making fun of each other than going on dates, and stuff."
"I see," he remarked.
"You see what?"
"I see that you want someone to be more like your friend than a boyfriend. I see that you're not into material things, and that nothing taints your judgment except a sense of humor--"
"Who gave you permission to psychoanalyze me?" she laughed.
"Hold on, let me finish. I also see that you're good at seeing someone for who he or she really is." He looked at her smiling face. "Am I in the ballpark of how you think?"
She nodded. "I'd say so. Can I tell you what I think you're like?"
"Be my guest."
"OK." She dropped her hands at her sides, and held them against her thighs. "I see that you're not really what you appear to be on the outside. That you're this entirely different person by yourself than who you are with friends. You're kind of like a mild schizophrenic."
"You're really mean," he said, trying to sound as hurt as possible without cracking a smile.
"Come on, you know I don't mean it maliciously. Besides, you made it seem like a morphine addict--"
"I did not! Anyway, you said that I was in the ballpark, so you basically called yourself a morphine addict."
She stopped in her tracks, causing him to do the same. She stared up at him, and slightly shook her head. "Don't patronize me," she warned flirtatiously.
"What are you gonna do to stop me?" He stepped closer.
Her smile widened. "You know, if this were a movie, I bet you a million bucks we'd kiss right now."
"Just pretend there's a camera crew over there." He leaned down to kiss her, but felt her back away at the very last second.
"It's way too tacky," she laughed, covering her face in embarrassment.
"No, it's not!" he whined. "Come on, Spieldberg's waiting." He walked over to her again, to experience the same result.
"You're such a ham!" Dora walked off in front of him down the busy road, and continued to laugh.
Josh stood there dumbfounded. That never happened to him before. He didn't know how to take it.
"Are you just gonna stand there all night, or what?!" She yelled to him after she got a good distance away.
"I don't like you anymore!" he yelled to her and he started to catch up to her.
"Don't lie! You know you love me!"
Once Josh was back at her side, Dora laced her fingers in his. "Will this do until the amount of Clich�d-ness has dropped to a safe level?"
"I guess," he said sarcastically.
It only took another 20 minutes before they turned the wide corner onto their street. Their hands were still intertwined.
Josh sighed as his eyes fell on his house. He thought the 90 minute walk home would've pushed Dora and himself over the friends boundary into a relationship status, but instead, they were exactly where they were in the beginning.
They were nearly in front of Josh's house when Dora stepped in front of him and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was short, but left them both hazy.
"See, you weren't expecting that, were you?" Dora said proudly.
"No, I wasn't. Tell you the truth I'm not expecting it now either," he retorted with a smile.