Like He Never Left

chapter 30

Cocking my head and raising my hands as if to say "Surprise!" I plaster on a smile and nod. "Yeah, it's me." I clear my throat when I don't get anything out of her. "Are you uh, are you okay? I can always come back later."

She too puts on a fake smile and shakes her head. Opening the door wider for me, she gestures for me to come in. "No I'm good. Everything's just fine." The door closes behind me, and Jake trots over to me to sniff me before sitting at Josie's side. She blows out a deep breath from her mouth, glances around the room, and claps her hands down low by her hips. "What can I do for you?"

I take in her frazzled appearance to try to put the pieces together. Her hair is a mess on her head, and her clothes look slept in. There are mascara smudges beneath her eyes, telling me she's been rubbing her eyes a ton. 

Did she get into a fight with James? Did they break up?

It's really not my business, but I want her to know that I'm here for her.

"What happened, Josie?" I ask her bluntly, and her breathing stumbles as her eyes widen. 

"I, what? Nothing happened?"

The pitchy voice tells me otherwise.

She wraps her arms around herself and walks over to the couch. She sits on the very edge of it like she's waiting to shoot up at any given moment. Her knee bounces up and down in a quick rhythm, radiating anxiety. 

I take a seat on the chair perpendicular to her and place a hand on her knee to stop it. "Tell me what's wrong, Jo."

She bites her bottom lip, obviously debating whether or not to dive into it. "James is moving to Berlin and he asked me to go with him," she rushes out, biting her lip again. 

It takes a moment for her announcement to register within me, but when they do, I begin to panic. Before I burst, I force myself to calm down. 

"Really? When?"

She rubs her face and nods. "About three hours ago. Got into a huge argument about it too. Like really big. And then you know me. I'm on my sixth cup of coffee, black. Not doing so hot, Colt. I'm not doing so hot," she rambles anxiously.

Josie's always been on the go, so she and more than one mug of coffee don't mix very well. Which is why she liked the alcohol. It slowed her down. 

I have to get her moving. 

I stand up and reach my hand out to her. "Let's go for a walk."

She doesn't hesitate. "Okay."

She leaves my hand hanging and marches straight for the door, but I grab her arm and stop her. 

"Coat first, freeze later," I remind her. I dig through her closet and grab her a jacket, helping her with it. "There."

We leave Jake in the house before we set off at a brisk pace.

I haven't seen Josie like this in a long time. I mean, I saw her emotionally wrecked a few months ago, but this is different. She's not sad or depressed or even pissed off, but instead anxious and nervous.

And then it dawns on me that she's probably worried that history is going to repeat itself and that she's going to be abandoned. 

"Hey Josie?" I call.

"Hey Colt?"

"James isn't going to desert you."

She stops mid-track and blinks at me, and in seconds, she's completely sobered up. Swallowing thickly, she shakes her head minutely. "You don't know that."