| Chapter Thirty |
| She pushed her purse farther onto her shoulder, mad at herself for waiting until nine at night to leave the office. It was now dark, empty, and even slightly scary. "One, two, three..." She counted quietly as she took the steps across the lobby, desperate to think of anything but the possibility of someone lurking in the shadows. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, so she turned, jumped, and screamed all at once. "Sorry." He called when he saw the look on her face. "Justin, thank God." Before he knew it she was in his arms, thankful to find it was him. "Umm, thanks? What are you doing here?" "Working, you?" She started for the door again, Justin at her side. "Working on some stuff." She didn't need to know that stuff was watching over her to make sure she made it home in one piece. "Sounds like fun. I'll see you tomorrow." Before any objections could be made she was in her car with the doors shut and locked. Not long later she was in her house, cursing herself for not grocery shopping yet. She quickly dialed the pizza place down the street, placing a order. "Bri?" She knew she shouldn't have answered the phone, hearing JC'c voice only confirmed the fact. "What Josh?" "I really need to talk to you." "Why in the world are you so damn persistant?" She shrugged her jacket off, throwing it carelessly onto the couch. "I know what I want." "And I know what I want, and talking to you is not at the top of that list." She thought of a million things to tell him to get him off the phone, but didn't use them. "But it is on the list?" "I have to get the door. Bye." She tossed the phone into it's craddle, then pulled the door open. "You didn't answer me." "Sorry." The door shut in his face, leaving him no other choice but to help himself in. "You have to listen to me." "I don't think I do." She fell to the couch with a humph, him doing the same. "I don't mean you have to, I mean please do." "Please leave, you're not welcome here." She clicked on the television, anything to ignore him. "And you say I'm persistant, you're dead set on not listening to me. What's wrong? Are you afraid of what I may say?" He blocked her view of the television after standing, pulling her hands into his. "And what if I am?" She pulled herself to her feet, then her hands from his. "What if I don't want to hear you talk about your time with another girl? What if I just don't think that sounds the least bit entertaining?" "Then you can just keep refusing to talk to me. But I just want you to think about one thing." She ducked away from him, fearful once again his thing to think about would be a kiss, but was surprised when he didn't even attempt to come closer. "Not that!" "Sorry, you have refered to that as something to think about before." "You're right. But this time I wanted to tell you something to really think about." "Go ahead, and hurry, my pizza will be here soon." "You ordered pizza just now? What time did you get home?" He reached for the remote, clicking the television off to get her eyes to meet his. "Just now, but it doesn't matter." "Just now? Where were you?" He grabbed her chin, planning to move her eyes to his, but she quickly moved her head out of reach. "Work, what does that have to do with any of this?" The phone began to ring and she held her finger up to tell him it would be a minute. "Hi Daddy, not busy at all, oh, I see, I will, bye bye." She tossed the phone to the couch, then started for the stairs. "I'm sorry, Josh, I have to go." "Go? Where?" He started for the stairs, standing at the bottom to yell up at her. "My parent's house." He heard a thud, then drawers opening and closing, clothes rustling. "Misty, come here baby." The cat was loaded into a carrier, and brought to the living room as well as her suit case. "Shit!" She turned, glancing around the room for something, JC wasn't sure of what. "What?" "Nothing, you can leave now." She dug through her purse, her hand finally returning with an address book. "I'm very confused." His eyes followed her as she went to the phone, dialed Johnny's office number, then left a message for him. "Sorry, I have to go." She ushered him to the door, ready to leave town. "No, talk to me." He blocked the door with his body, forcing her to put her things down and look at him. "I have to get to my parent's." Her hands went to her hips, and they cocked to the side. "Why? Tell me why." "Something came up." Tears started to brim her eyes, and he thought of just letting her leave for a brief second. "Something like?" Taking her shoulders with his hands, he bent his knees to be eye level with her. "Josh, please, I have to go. I will talk to you about this later." "No, you will talk to me about this now." "Excuse me?" Her eyes narrowed and JC almost shuddered at the look her face transformed to. "You are about to burst into tears, how do you expect to drive?" "I expect to drive by pushing the gas and steering the wheel." Her lips pursed, quieting her. "I'm driving you, no if ands or buts about it." He took the carrier and suit case in his hands, then took her to his car. Surprisingly she didn't refuse, she knew she wouldn't be able to drive in her condition. "My grandma had a stroke." She admitted after they had been riding for a few minutes. JC didn't know what to say, so he put his hand with hers as she drifted to sleep. |