Page 16 of Spotlight on Poppy

As he pulled up, he saw Poppy sitting on the front steps of the inn all by herself. She was looking at her phone. Her shoulders were hunched and some of her hair hung in front of her face. She didn’t look like herself, she looked upset. If he had to guess, he wagered the cause for her current state was a current resident at the inn. Anger surged in him, but he bit it back. He checked his phone to see who he was here to pick up. It was under the name Sam Smith. It only just then dawned on him that Poppy was using her brother’s account.

He stopped and instead of just rolling down the window like he would for any other passenger, he put the car in park and got out to talk to Poppy.

"Hey Poppy, did you by chance call an Uber?"

She looked up at him and gave a half smile.

"I did, I should’ve known you'd be my driver," she said, sounding a little defeated.

"I mean, I can let Ol’ Henry come and pick you up, but I have it on good authority his car smells like feet.” He gave her a small smile. “There are only so many of us in Mystic Falls."

"No, it's fine. I'm kind of glad it's you" she said with a weak smile.

Those words pulled him to her more. He walked over the stairs and offered her a hand. She took it and the same magnetic pull was there. It felt like he was being pulled into her orbit. He just wanted to pull her close and hold her. It took all of his willpower not to do just that.

"You are probably wondering why I'm here?" She asked.

That was actually the last thing he wanted to discuss with her. He knew why she was here, and he did not want to discuss Damien St. fucking Cloud with her.

"I came to work on my character with Damien," she continued.

Josh nodded and kept his eyes on the road. Why was this dickhead hiding her? If he was dating Poppy Smith, he would be shouting it from the rooftops, not treating her like a secret. And he would never make anyone he was dating call a fucking Uber. He kept his eyes looking straight ahead so Poppy wouldn't see his contempt for that man.

"Where to, Poppy?" He asked.

"My car is in town by the theater. Can you just take me there?"

"Sure thing."

Josh tried to calm his racing mind. In his head all he wanted to do was hold her and tell her that she deserved much better than him. She deserved so much more than the way he was treating her. She deserved someone who would dote on her and help her to shine her light brighter, not someone who would use her and hide her light, but that wasn't his place. He had no say in how Poppy lived her life. He had no claim to her, no matter how much he wanted to. And he really wanted to claim her, protect her, worship her, cherish her, but none of that really mattered if Poppy didn't want that too.

Josh glanced over and Poppy was scrolling on her phone, frown still firmly planted on her face. He gripped the steering wheel as they turned onto Main Street, driving until he saw her car. Putting his car in park he turned to look at Poppy. Her dark hair was down and there was a stray lock falling across her face. His hand twitched with the need to tuck the strand behind her ear. But then what next, because if he was that close, he would want to touch her face, and if he touched her face, he would want to kiss her full delicious lips, but that is not where they were. So, he just smiled at her and waited for her to finish what she was doing.

She reached for the handle, but hesitated. "Hey Josh, can I ask you a question?" The look on her face was tentative. Josh was not used to seeing the look on her face. She usually knew exactly what she wanted and exactly how to get it.

"Of course," he answered.

"What do you think about Damien?"

Fuck. This was not what they needed to be talking about.

"I think he's talented..." was all Josh could think to say.

"I know that, but I mean like as a person. Do you think he's a good person?"

"I don't know him, so I can't really say,” he answered, hoping it would be enough to change the subject.

"I know, but what is your impression of him? What are your thoughts?"

"I don't see how my opinion of the man makes any difference."

"It makes a difference to me." Poppy paused and looked Josh in the eyes, the look on her face pulled at something inside of him. It pulled at his need to protect her, but also to bear his soul to her and that was new. "You are such a great guy and I trust you. I’ve known you most of my life, and I’m feeling confused right now. Hannah is gone and Sam is staying over at the Glenn's and is so busy and I just haven't had anyone to talk to. Please, just tell me what you think."

Josh tried his best to navigate this minefield. He didn't want to say the wrong thing. Situations like this spiked his anxiety. He didn't want to say things to upset Poppy. Telling the truth in this situation could upset her, but if she needed someone to talk to, he would of course be there for her.

He mulled his words over carefully before he said, "I think he is talented and I'm glad he is here to help the show, but I also don't trust him very much. I feel like he is trying to work an angle, I just don't know what it is. He is only here for a couple weeks, and I just don't want to see you get hurt."

She paused. "Hurt? Why would I get hurt?"

---