Before Euphoria, There was Dawn

Chapter 33- I'm Yours

Once Josh had finally calmed down, and I tried my hardest to talk him out of the negative perspective, we lay on his bed in silence. Josh was still under the weather, but he held my hand.

"Do you need anything?"

"I just want you."

I coughed, sitting up. "What?"

His eyes widened when he realized what he had just said. He sat up as well. "Your presence. That's what I meant."

His other hand rubbed the back of his neck, indicating that he was nervous or felt awkward. I laughed slightly. "It's okay. Do you need some time alone?"

"I guess I need to figure myself out, huh?"

I squeezed his hand. "If you need me here, I'll stay."

He shook his head. "Just a few minutes, then after that, I need to get my head together because there's something I need to accomplish."

I cocked my head in confusion. "What do you need to accomplish?"

"Not telling you, sunshine."

I pouted. "Why not?"

He slightly smiled and poked my nose. "You'll find out eventually." He stood up from the bed and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. "I need to get my head straight, okay? Thank you for being here, means a lot."

"Always. If you need me just call, or throw something at my window. I'm always here."

He nodded once more before I walked out of his room, my head still dizzy from all the information.

"Leaving sweetheart?" Camille asked.

"Yeah."

She sighed, rubbing her belly. "I don't know how to feel, let alone can't comprehend what Josh could be feeling."

My heart ached once more. "Me too. He's been through so much."

"I'm just glad he trusted us enough to tell us. He didn't seem like someone that would open up at all when he got here."

I nodded, not knowing what to say. I didn't think I would be able to replay such circumstances to anyone else. That took a lot of courage on his part.

"I believe it's all because of you, though."

"What do you mean?"

"He's grown so much with your help. I want to thank you," she said.

"She's right. Josh has always been a kid to keep to himself since I've known him. He was only glued to his sister, but other than that, you couldn't get anything out of him. He's grown a lot, and that's partly because of you," Richard said, appearing from nowhere.

"I really haven't done much. I just love his company," I assured. "If anything, you guys are the ones who've helped him a lot."

"Oh please. That kid is like a rock. You can't nudge him," Richard said.

I chuckled, understanding what he meant. Josh was good at keeping a lot to himself.

"I didn't know what to do when I found out we were having a teenager over. I mean, look at me," she pointed at her belly. "I haven't even had my child to raise, let alone try to understand how to nurture a teenager. I'm just happy he found you."

I blushed. They made it seem like I was his knight in shining armour or something.

"He means a lot to me," I shrugged.

Camille grabbed my hands, holding them tightly, nothing in her eyes but sincerity. "We appreciate you."

I beamed in happiness as I walked back to my house. The minute I got inside, I witness Kelsey and Troy arguing over what to watch on TV. I shook my head. Sometimes people would think they're the siblings and not him and me.