Page 124 of Faking Forever 1
“What about all the other girls?” I look up at him. He shakes his head, sipping water from his cup on the counter.
“Fillers? Let’s put it this way—they didn’t stick around for obvious reasons,” he says, taking another sip before setting it down. “Every argument led back to you. I denied that part of our relationship. My feelings.”
I wanted more information—all the information I could get.
Was I the conflict in every relationship, or was it more than me? Hecouldjust be making my head big, which issomean if he is.
“It isn’t the same thing, but Nick felt pretty strongly about you, too. He never said anything directly, but it showed in his behavior.” I swivel in the chair to face him. “He suggested that I didn’t know any better because it was my first relationship.
How couldIpossibly know what boys like, right?”
Josh scowls, moving closer to my personal bubble. “Well, you know whatIlike. That speaks for itself.” He tucks a few flyaways from the sides of my hair behind my ear.
I wrap my fingers around his wrist, puffing up my upper body to kiss him. The side door opens, and the sound of bags comes rattling through it, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
300
PEACE TREATY
“Hey.” My dad clears his throat quickly at his attempt to distract us.
Josh eases his mouth from mine. He sits in the seat next to me, licking his lips and tightening them like he was holding back a multitude of words and insults.
“I can see I interrupted something—”
“—We can clean up and go.”
I halt his words with mine, already exhausted. Standing from my chair, I grab my hand towel.
“Don’t. Sit down,” my dad says, walking over to the other side of the island. “I want to talk to you,bothof you.”
Josh looks at me and simultaneously my eyes shoot in his direction. Turning my head to my dad, I return to my seat.
This had to be satire. He’s only fucking with us so he could yell at us in the end. He’s too calm.
“I don’t know what we didthistime, but please get it over with.” I clutch the hand towel, locking a confident glare at him.
“Relax, Paisley. It’s the opposite. I want to…” He briefly closes his eyes with a deep breath, exhaling his words. “I want to say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was a jerk-off to you, and Joshua, I
apologize for being an ass.”
What a way to make me eat my words. Truthfully, I didn’t consider him coming around so soon. Josh and my father were never close, per se, but when your best friend has a kid, and you do, too, I guess it just makes sense that they spend time together. That doesn’t mean you expect them to date, but I need a thorough explanation for why he didn’t see this coming.
“What’s making you change your mind? Is it Mom?” I keep 301
FAKING FOREVER
my attitude stagnant.
“Pea…” Josh looks at me with worry, wrinkling his eyebrows.
“It’s okay,” my dad butts in, “I’m attempting to accept the two of you. I’m not exactly happy, but you two are grown.”
He doesn’t mean it. At least not entirely. He’s cringing at every word, but Ishouldgive him points for cutting the mob FAKING FOREVER
boss act and apologizing for nearly killing Josh. “Thank you.
I’m—” Josh begins.
