Page 39 of Just Joshing
"Don't sweat it. I put you down." He gave my fingers a tight squeeze. "It'll be the date we tell our ki-"
"Joshua Greenfeld." Lolly interrupted.
"Wait. What?" Josh blinked, his gorgeous eyes looking startled as he stared at the woman smiling triumphantly at him.
"Uh, there's been a mistake." Josh called, looking from his date – Librarian Elena – and back to me. He turned to Lolly. "I didn't put Elena down."
Lolly's smile remained in place but looked a little brittle. "Yes, you did. We never get our pairings wrong!"
"No, I-"
"Josh," I whispered, seeing the embarrassed flush creep across Elena's face, her smile fading. "Just take her for a drink."
He looked from me to Elena and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This is not how tonight was meant to go." He squeezed my hand once more before heading to Elena.
I waited for my name to be called, watching the couples' pair-up, feeling something settle in my gut that was at once both achingly familiar and strangely new.
I wanted the date with Josh.
I struggled to put a name to the feeling – it felt like a mix of resigned melancholy and blossoming hope. The familiar ache of wanting someone who I had little chance with, had settled deep in my gut. But the lump had merged with the hope that maybe, just maybe, he wanted me too.
Josh and Molly sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-
"Hey, looks like we're paired up." Eyepatch wearing Syd interrupted my musing.
I offered him a weak smile, "looks like it."
"Don't worry," he grinned. "You weren't first on my list either. I know this is just a casual drink."
I blinked, a genuine smile now lifting my lips. "Oh really? And pray, tell. Where did I sit on your list?"
"Sixth. But that's only because you're obviously into Mister Tall Dark and Handsome. I'm not normally inclined to go for guys but even I have to admit to being bi-curious if it involved him." Syd jerked his head at the bar, where Josh and Elena stood.
I pressed hands to my cheeks, feeling the warm flush of embarrassment. "Am I that obvious?"
"You?" Syd chuckled, "nah. Him? Oh, yeah."
"Wait. What?"
"Oh man, you didn't know?" Syd threw back his head, laughing uproariously. He calmed down a moment later, grinning and wagging his eyebrows. "The guy has it baaaaad. Practically salivating over you. After this, you should throw him a bone, let him take you out some time."
I glanced back at the bar, looking at Josh with new eyes. "Huh," I shook my head, turning back to Syd. "So, who was your top pick?"
"Elena."
"Her?" I snapped my mouth shut, immediately embarrassed. "I mean… I'm sure she's nice."
"She's not." Syd grinned, looking back over at the bar. Elena had taken the seat beside Josh, her hand rested on his arm, her body tilted towards his. "She's a complete bitch. Wants kids and marriage in the space of a year. Comes on too strong, cuts you dead if you say one wrong thing. She's uncompromising, cold and has absolutely no game."
"Sounds… delightful?"
He chuckled, turning back to me. "She's the only reason I come to these things. She wants everything I do, and the bonus is I get her. Her body is banging – even if she looks like a schoolmarm. One day she'll see me as a viable partner, and then I'm taking her to bed until she lets down those walls." His eye gleamed. "I can't fucking wait."
"I…" I had no words. "Good luck, I guess?"
"You wanna go double date with them? You get your time in with lover-boy, I'll drive Elena crazy. Win-win."
I tilted my head, considering his proposal. "It'd be rude to interrupt, right?"
