Thank you for being so patient for this update. As many of you already know, I've been away for a week skiing. It was amazing!
To refresh your memory of where the story is up to, I would recommend you re-read the last few pages of the previous chapter to remind yourself what is going on. Hope you will enjoy this chapter...
"He'll be here any minute," I pace the floor of my room, restraining myself from tugging out my hair whilst sweating anxiously about the upcoming evening. I am dreading it so badly!
"Who? Nathan?" Lacy speaks out from my bed, cross legged already with a burger in her hand.
"No!" I snatch the food from her hands and take a large bite, chewing monstrously to calm my queazy stomach. With a repulsive glare, Lacy grabs the burger back.
"Hey!"
"Sorry," I sigh and lick my barbecue source fingers dry. "It's just Josh text me he is going to be here in ten. That was eight minutes ago!"
"Calm down," Lacy grips onto my shoulder blades and shakes me senseless. Her eyes lock with mine and we both exhale in unison which steadies my rapid heart beat.
"Thanks. But I'm still nervous... Anything can happen. And with Nathan here too, gosh Lacy, I don't know what I'm going to do-"
"What happened to being calm?" She rose her left eye brow with the upwards curl of her lip. With a humours laugh I am able to relax my shoulders as I giggle at my best friend.
"Wait, why did you even invite Josh then?" She asks with a questioning tone.
"My mom," I answer flatly, raking my fingers through my hair. "She made me invite his family as we went round to their house the other week." I inform her with rolled eyes.
"Oh ok... And why are you two dating again? I swear you told me he tried to rape you or something."
"Lacy! Quiet! My mom is downstairs," I hiss whilst closing the large gap between us so we can communicate by whisper. The last thing I want is my mom to listen in and hear all of this.
"Sorry," she whispers, leaning in to hear me.
"Listen, I'm only doing this to protect Nathan- remember? If I date Josh and keep him happy, Nathan's reputation will be fine and I can continue to try and dig out the real him."
"So what will happen if you break up with Josh?"
"I don't know exactly but he's threatened me with Nathan's popularity. Josh could do anything to humiliate him and if he goes back to being shy and shuts himself away from the world, away from me, then there's no hope in getting the real Nathan back. I can't let that happen Lacy. He means so much to me." An instant wave of heat radiates from my cheeks. The scarlet colour of my skin makes Lacy giggle as I push her away. "You know what I mean," I add hesitantly.
"Yeah ok," she laughs. "I'm sure you're doing the right thing."
"Doing the right thing seems like a challenge, more like impossible when I don't even know what that is." I turn my head to the wall and let my eye lids fall heavy and close. Two hearts are on the line here: mine, and Nathan's. I can't mess this up.
"Paige! Guests are here!"
"Crap!" My whole body leaps into the air with a sudden shiver of panic. "Lacy, what do I do?"
"Stay calm," she advices, jumping to her feet and meets me by my bedroom door. "You'll be fine."
Tentatively turning the handle, I emerge out from my room with Lacy not far behind. The stairs descend in front of me, my mom already stood at the door.
"Julie! Jenny! So nice to have you here. Come in, come in." I watch from the safety of the second floor as my mom greets the Johnsons and the Crawfords into our house. They both arrive at the same time- how convenient.
"Nice to be here, where's Paige?" I hear Bailey's sweet voice chirp, her long chestnut hair now in view.
"She's upstairs, I think," as my mom replies, all heads turn up in the direction of the landing. With a timid smile, I stand upright and make my way down the stairs. Greeted with open arms and a dominant smirk, Josh pulls me towards him and into a strong hug.
"Hey babe," his voice is husky against my ear, resulting with me gulping loudly to swallow his words away. Once he releases me, my eyes wonder to the side and Bailey looks up at me with a confused expression. Head tilted, she continues to stare at me with searching eyes.
Then I lock eye contact with Nathan. He brushes his shoulder past mine and as he left, my eyes catch onto his when he turns his head around for one final look. Soon he is gone, Bailey following him into the kitchen.
"Hi Josh," I say whilst reluctantly letting his hand take mine.
"Where's the food? I'm starving," he winks. I send Lacy another apprehensive gaze but she just motions me into the kitchen. All I can do is follow Josh, and hope for the best.
Time drags with every puff of smoke evaporating into the air from the barbecue my mom is trying desperately hard to run. With my feet up on one of our old decking chairs, I lean back and try to enjoy the sun soaking into my skin. However with the suggestive grins and winks transmitting from Josh's body language beside me, I found it excruciatingly hard to focus on nothing. As well as Nathan in the corner of my eye, pushing Bailey on my old swing set at the bottom of the garden, my attention is far from relaxing.
"Another hot dog love?" My mom offers from the barbecue stand, a burnt looking piece of meat swished between two sides of a bread roll. I shake my head with a scarce smile, squinting as the sun beamed into my eyes.
"I'm fine mom," I call out as she looks at me with a begging plead in her eye. She drops her shoulders and slithers back to her seat beside Julie. I know what she's thinking, she misses having a man in her life that can work a barbecue sufficiently, a man who will appreciate her cooking after a long day at work even though he really wants a take away but will eat it just to please her. As I watch my mom studying the relationship between Mr and Mrs Johnson as they hold hands and converse about their summer holiday in Miami, I knew she misses being in love.
When dad left, she cried for weeks. If every tear of sorrow had been collected in a glass jar, it would have been full within the first month of the divorce. I know there will be someone else out there for her... Maybe not the men she fantasises about whilst watching crime series on TV. But there is a true gentleman that I am sure is just around the corner. She deserves a man back in her life. I think we all do, both of us.
"Hey, come on." Using my hand to shield the blinding rays of sun light streaming through the trees, I squint to see Josh extending his hand out for me to hold. I stare at him confused.
"Pardon?" I ask him to repeat, clueless on why he was heading towards the back door. I follow him and watch as he begins to climb the stairs. "Where we going? This is my room," I say matter of factly as he walks in uninvited as if he owns the place. "Josh?"
"Hey, quiet baby. Don't talk," his breath mixes with my heavy breathing as he gently presses me against my bedroom door. With a tender stroke against my skin, he let the back of his hand glide down the side of my neck. My breathe hitches at our dangerous proximity, his touch soft and not as intimidating as before. It takes me by surprise. "See, I can still make you feel this way." He repositions his hands so they are holding my waist.
"Josh I don't want to-"
"Calm down babe. You just keep your pretty mouth closed, ay princess." I watch intently at his every move. Effortlessly sweeping back a lock of my hair behind my ear, his hand rests around my neck and stirs my face up to his. Our lips remain parted, our mouths inches away. Our steady breathing is the background music for the silence we were glued in.
"Josh..." The words crumble in my mind as his hips lean against mine. Breathless, he captures me off guard with a sealed kiss. The room circulates with a warm fall breeze, blowing threw my hair. The glisten that crosses his eyes mesmerises me. Why is he being so gentle? Has he really changed back into the guy I used to love? Can he change back to that boy I couldn't get enough of?
"Promise me something," he whispers endearingly between my cheek and neck, his hot lips skimming my skin. His voice still takes me by surprise.
"What is it?" I gulp, my mind spinning with a tumult of dizziness and uncertainty. The air cools a little, my curtains flapping around the edge of my window sill.
"Promise you will do whatever I say," a deep husk rasps in the back of his throat. My chest tightens. His hand sneezes my hip.
"Like what?"
"Just promise me that no won't be an answer," the gentleman once stood in front of me is shadowed by a devious smirk, a smirk I have grown to instantly recognise and the danger that flashes with it. My heart rate increases with every inch his fingers lowers down my leg, leaving a discomfortable mark of fear beneath.
"I can't promise anything," I say with pierced lips, tightly pressed together, his bloodstream flowing colder.
"You say yes, and no one gets hurt," a growl rolls off his tongue and into the air separating us, getting thinner and thinner by the second. Tensing up with sheer panic, I consider every option possible of how to escape this situation. Unfortunately, the threat is too high.
"D-don't do anything to me," I stutter pathetically with a quivering jaw. His grin grows, opposite my downcast gaze, my eyes straining to avoid his attention.
"Oh princess," he begins again, this time taking a step back from me. "When have I ever tried to hurt you?" Distant footsteps tap across my wooden floor. My head rises and I gasp inside at the sight of Josh shirtless with narrowed eyes.
"What do you want me to do?" I tremble like a deer in the headlights, his body over powering for all the wrong reasons.
"Get on the bed," he orders.
"P-pardon? No."
"Oh princess, that's not an option," his teeth grind together, sending a shiver down my spine like an electrical current. His fist pounds against his palm as his eyes darken. "I'll ask you again: get on the bed."
"No." I decline once more, this time more convincing. My pulse quickens dramatically.
"Looks like you chose the hard way." He approaches with flexed muscles and a powerful glare- what have I got myself into?
A/N-
Wow! Josh really won't quite until he gets Paige where he wants her.
1st... Does anyone know his plan?
2nd... Will his plan even work?
3rd... What would you do in Paige's situation?
So glad I was able to update- really missed writing and all you amazing readers! Please comment any opinions.
Also, don't forget that the deadline for my writing competition is tomorrow. I will post the winners in a private update. For details to enter, read my chapter titled: COMPETITION. If you want to enter but haven't sent me your entry yet, message me on the private messenger here on Wattpad.
In other news, chapter one has reached 100 votes!!! So pleased! Love you all
More coming soon... Xx