Mchapter21

Josh woke up on a Monday, one and a half months later. He smiled as he remembered the significance of the date. It was exactly two months ago that he�d met the man of his dreams. The circumstances hadn�t been good, Leah and Justin had almost been� well, he didn�t want to think about that. But Lance was Leah�s savior, and in turn, he was also Josh�s savior.

And they�d known each other for exactly two months. Josh was excited. But he wasn�t sure if they would celebrate the day. Because it hadn�t been two months since they�d been together, just two months since they�d met. Since Josh had seen the most beautiful green eyes he�d ever seen. Since Leah had set them up. He needed to do something special for her for making him invite Lance over for that �thank you� dinner.

Leah� and Justin. He couldn�t think about Leah without thinking about Justin. They seemed to be attached at the hip since that night, two months ago. He was glad that the incident hadn�t drawn them apart, but brought them closer together. It was strange for Josh and Leah to both be in new relationships at the same time, but it was also fun. Over the past two months, they�d been on many �double dates.� They�d been bowling, to the movies, out to dinner, and just stayed in, talking. They always had a blast hanging out together.

And then there were times when Josh and Lance went out alone. They would talk about what had happened since they last saw each other, and also share more of their lives previous to when they met. Josh loved those talks the most. He always learned new things about what made Lance tick.

2 months. Josh sighed. It seemed like so much longer. He couldn�t remember a time when Lance wasn�t around. All he knew was what Joey told him; he�d been depressed, and boring before Lance came along. But Joey had been there through it all. And he knew that he owed Joey his life for it.

Josh got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, starting the water for his shower. He wanted to do something special for Lance, even if Lance didn�t remember what the day was. Deep down though, he really hoped that Lance remembered.

When he was finished his shower, he walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Leah was already up, sitting at the table, reading a book and eating cereal. �Hey honey,� Josh said, walking over to kiss the top of her head.

�Hey dad,� she replied, looking away from her book to smile at him.

�Sleep well?� Josh asked, turning away to put a bagel in the toaster.

�Yeah, pretty good,� Leah replied, �you?�

�All right,� Josh answered, yawning a little.

�Dad, you know, you really don�t have to hide it from me,� Leah told him.

�Hide what?� Josh questioned, confused.

�The fact that you sleep much better when you sleep with him,� Leah stated, a small smile on her face.

�Leah,� Josh said, his tone warning her not to go there.

�Really, dad, I don�t mind. I�m an adult, I think I�m mature enough now, ok? Justin and I�� Leah replied, but Josh interrupted her.

�Better not be doing anything but sleeping when you�re in bed together,� Josh finished for her.

�Dad, I�m seventeen years old, almost eighteen, don�t you think I�m old enough to decide when I�m ready for sex?� Leah asked, looking over at Josh.

�Well, yes, I guess so. But I just � Leah, you have to be careful. I don�t want you to, well, you know. I don�t want you to get pregnant, and have to go through what I did. I don�t want to lose you like I did your mother,� Josh explained, tears welling in his eyes at the thought of losing Leah.

�Dad,� Leah whispered, sorry she�d said anything. She hated to see her father cry. �I�m sorry. Justin and I haven�t had sex. I don�t think it will happen anytime soon. But I promise you, I swear to you, that we will be safe when it does happen. I�m never going to leave you,� she promised, hugging Josh tightly against her.

�Sorry, Leah, I just � it�s just hard to think about sex without worrying about you � I don�t know what I�d do without you. I love you so much,� Josh said, running his fingers through his daughter�s hair.

�It�s ok, dad, really. I know you are just concerned. I just want you to trust me, that�s all,� Leah told him.

�I do trust you,� Josh replied.

Leah just smiled back at him. It was a minute before either of them moved or spoke. Finally, Leah said, �hey, today�s a big day for you and Lance, right?�

�How did you � oh,� Josh started to ask, but realized why she remembered.

�Yeah, it�s kind of an anniversary for me too. But mine�s in a bad way,� Leah said. She was trying her best to forget about what had almost happened, but it was hard.

�Oh, I�m sorry sweetie. Are you ok?� Josh asked, concerned.

�Yeah, I�m fine now. Justin and I are going to hang out today,� Leah told Josh.

�Here?� Josh questioned, wondering if Leah and Justin would be there when he invited Lance over for his surprise.

�No, we�ll go over to Justin�s. I think his mom is going to be gone anyway. I know you�ll want to spend time with Lance tonight,� Leah replied seriously, wanting Josh to know that she didn�t always joke about he and Lance�s relationship.

�Yeah,� Josh agreed, a faraway look in his eyes. Leah could tell he was thinking about Josh.

�Well, I�m going to call Justin. Do you need help with anything?� Leah asked.

�No, I think I�m good. If I need help, I�ll give Joey a call,� Josh replied.

�Ok,� Leah agreed, walking out of the kitchen and into her bedroom to call Justin.

****

One hour later, Leah was on her way to Justin�s house. She had been able to tell that Josh didn�t want them there so he could spend time with Lance alone, so she�d been happy to go over to Justin�s. Especially since they would be home alone. She couldn�t help but let her mind wander to what could happen with no one home. But she snapped out of it, sure that Justin wasn�t ready to go there.

She knocked on his door, smiling at him when he opened it and motioned for her to come inside. He looked good, although he was only dressed in track pants and a baggy sweatshirt. He always looked good to Leah.

�Hey babe,� Justin spoke, leaning down to meet her lips in a short kiss.

�Hey,� Leah replied, smiling as they pulled apart. �So how long is your mom going to be gone?�

�All day. She shouldn�t be home until after dinner,� Justin told her, suddenly becoming nervous because he knew what Leah was thinking. He didn�t want to disappoint her, though. He figured that he should just forget about it, and try not to let Leah know he was nervous.

But Leah could sense it. He jumped when they touched, even when their hands just brushed together. She knew she needed to make him more comfortable, but she wasn�t sure how to.

�So what do you want to do?� Justin asked, his voice wavering a little. He cursed himself for letting Leah see his nervousness.

Leah smiled at him before replying. �Let�s just watch TV for now, ok?�

�Sure,� Justin replied, his voice a little stronger. He moved over to the TV, bending over to turn it on. Leah couldn�t keep her eyes off his ass as he bent over, and she cursed herself for letting her mind stray again. She didn�t want to make Justin more nervous by saying something stupid.

�Justin?� Leah asked a little while later, her head leaning on his shoulder, her eyes on the TV.

�Hmmm?� he replied, shifting a little so they were looking at each other.

�What do you think about sex?� Leah asked, and Justin�s eyes widened.