SEGAN
“Did you see that fight right outside the bar?” I ask Augustine from the back seat.
Tonight is Voss’s birthday, so we all went out to help him celebrate. The crowd was insane, but it was such a fun night. It’s a quarter past one, and Adam is driving me back to my house now, and I can’t wait to climb into my bed and pass out.
“How could I miss it?” he drawls. “Everybody saw it.”
Laughing, I say, “True. That little guy looked scrappy as fuck, though. Given the chance, he probably could’ve taken the bigger one.”
The guys and I had a handful of tequila shots while we were there, and my mind is a little foggy right now. I pull my phone out of pocket, more disappointed than I should be to see that none of the notifications waiting for me are the one I really want. Josiah is supposed to come home today, and I was hoping he’d text me when he did. I don’t know why, though, because I’ve spent the better part of the last two weeks being flaky as fuck with him.
I couldn’t even begin to tell you why either. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to talk to him or that I didn’t miss him, because I did and I do. This distance has been driving me insane, and all I want is to be near him, hear his voice, inhale his scent. But instead of doing something about it, I ignore him and make an ass of myself.
The thought of texting him crosses my mind, but like every single time it’s happened over the last two weeks, I ignore it, shoving my phone back into my pocket. I’m nothing if not stubborn as all hell.
I must pass out in the car, because next thing I know, my body’s being jerked as I’m startled awake. My eyes fly open, the dome light from the car blinding me, the breeze from beside me letting me know the door is open. Glancing over, I’m met with a very annoyed looking Augustine.
“Why the fuck are you looking at me like that?” I grumble, straightening the Dixxon shirt I’m wearing, my eyes straining to adjust to the light.
“We’re home, and someone’s here waiting for you,” he mutters, like doing his job is so frustrating.
“What do you mean, someone’s here?”
“Why don’t you drag your drunk ass out of the fucking car and take a look for yourself?”
Whistling, I tease, “Wow, someone’s grouchy.”
I hear more than see him sigh, and I bite the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing. “Boy, get out of the damn car before I kick your ass.”
Doing a quick feel around, I make sure I have all my shit before I slide out of the seat. It’s a fairly cool night, the breeze feeling good. Adam drives away almost as soon as I shut the door, probably wanting to get home and climb into his own bed as much as I want to climb into mine.
It’s not until Augustine and I reach the stairs to my porch that I remember he said someone was waiting for me. Augustine doesn’t bother waiting for me as he unlocks the front door, going inside, and leaving me out here with—
Glancing over at the figure sitting on the porch swing, it’s obvious, even in the darkness, who it is, my heart thumping in my chest at the sight of him, here at my house.
“I wasn’t expecting you…” I say, my voice coming out broken and raspy.
“My flight landed this evening, and you’ve been ignoring me, so I decided to come over here and make you talk to me.” Josiah scrubs a hand down his face, looking as tired as I feel. “Except you weren’t here.”
I sit down beside him, his warmth and scent calming my nerves instantly. “It’s Voss’s birthday. We went out to celebrate.”
He nods. “Sounds fun.
There’s this uncomfortable air surrounding us that wasn’t there before he left for Nevada, and I know without even a shadow of a doubt, it’s my fault.
“Did you take care of everything you needed to in Nevada?” I ask, trying to soften him a bit.
Elbows rested on his knees and his hands clasped together in front of him, Josiah peers over at me, his face unreadable, making the knots in my stomach tighten. “Yup. Got it all situated.” He returns his focus to my driveway before adding, “Although, you’d know that had you not ignored me the whole damn time I was there.”
He’s mad.
And he has every right too, but goddamn, it still stings.
We both go silent for a moment, neither of us knowing how to navigate this conversation. The cicadas chirp into the otherwise quiet night while Josiah and I sit side by side awkwardly. It’s deafening, everything not being said right now. It’s sobering as fuck, too.
After a few moments, Josiah lets out a deep, frustrated sigh. “You know, as much as I want to sit here and argue with you about how much your silence fucking sucked the last few weeks, that’s not even why I’m here. I came here tonight to talk to you about something I found out last night about your mom.”
My mouth goes dry, my stomach lodging itself clear into my throat. Whatever this is can’t be good. So, standing up off the swing, I glance over at Josiah and ask, “Want to come inside for a drink?”
