i low key wanna start a QOTD thing at the beginning of every chapter would anyone be into it HAHAHA
just coz i love actually talking to u guys
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Addie Phillips @outtalinephillips
whenever i try to take pics of my bestie @boba_blaire
me: "omg u look so cute hold on"
her: "addie stop noo i look ugly...okay wait get my good side tho"
@joshuatbassett kendall jenner could never
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@boba_blaire way to roast ur best friend and wannabe boyfriend
@outtalinephillips @boba_blaire stop being butthurt it's still a compliment u look just as hot
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@username IM DYING AHAHHAHA WHERE'D U FIND THIS GEM OF JOSH @joshuatbassett
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@phanosaur1987 AHAHA @teamsuperllama SHE EXPOSED THE BOY AASHDFKF
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Adeline's POV
"𝐎𝐊𝐀𝐘 𝐈 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 months and months ago can you not! Also ignore Blaire's comment please" I begged as I tried to get his phone out of his hands. He still wasn't done stalking my social media and he felt like revisiting the tweet that was now the face of his contact.
I was at Joshua's apartment. An hour after he left the agency days ago, I texted him first and we got to talking, and he let me know that he was free on Sunday. However instead of us going out somewhere he offered for me to come to his place - and bring the hobby that I wanted him to learn.
So we were sitting on his little balcony, our knees almost touching, with a tote bag full of acrylic paints, wooden canvases and paintbrushes beside us. But we were so distracted from talking that we forgot about painting at this point. We had almost finished the pizza he got and I was just loving the little space he set up.
He chuckled to me as he leaned over, "See no I think even more people should see this - "
"You do know that I'm exposing you in this tweet are you sure about that?" I teased back and he pouted. But he deadass pressed the button, and my phone immediately lit up.
@joshuatbassett retweeted your tweet
"I'm not kidding I will block you sir" I threatened and he tsked but smirked over to me. I was messing around just as much, but he smirked at my very obvious blush - of course I was blushing he was reading my fangirling!
"You're the one bullying me - "
"Hello I am also praising...15 year old you?" I asked with a scrunched up face. He nodded condescendingly, making me groan and shove my face into my sweater. Okay so I put up a pic of my crush when he was 15 and low key roasted and thirsted for him at the same time...and he's reacting to it. Jesus help me.
At the same time, I wondered if anyone would find it suspicious that he was tweeting a post from so long ago, there was a part of me that knew it would bring up questions in the fandom. But hey I asked him not to do it, yet he seemed very keen.
"Blaire was the one who showed me that pic, she just never expected me to expose her like that either" I continued and Josh giggled. It was great to know how he didn't take himself seriously and in general, he wasn't uncomfortable with how I used to tweet about him.
"And she's seriously watched me since Stuck In the Middle days? I can't wait to meet her" he responded and I beamed. Blaire was desperate to meet him but for the last few days she was really needing to catch up with college.
"Yeah I mean we're gonna see her after this for - family dinner" I said hesitantly and Josh chuckled at my tone. I was ready to prep him for this stupid dinner after a while but right now, I wanted to distract myself from it.
"She actually did that thing you did on TikTok, you know where you played Common Sense on the guitar and asked people to duet with you, like she loves you that much" I continued and Josh gasped with content. There was a part of me that thought I was throwing her under the bus but like - she was unapologetically a fan of him so it was fine.
"Really that's so cool! Did you do one?" he asked with even more intrigue and I immediately scoffed.
"Dude a big difference between us is that she can sing like an angel and I'm pretty sure I'm a tone-deaf toad so we can never duet, but either way I don't TikTok at all"I exaggerated and he nodded.
"But I listened to that song on repeat, I related so hard" I added and Josh then looked at me with raised brows. I then felt myself tense up as the memories started coming back. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't want to get into it.
I laughed awkwardly and took another sip of soda. Even recently I still found myself relating to it - knowing you need to let go of someone but emotions were getting in the way. Jordan.
But Josh seemed to read my mind as he changed the subject immediately. I mentioned Jordan once before, but he knew I didn't want to talk about it more. I knew I could rely on him with that part of my life, to understand it, but it was just shitty and I didn't want to bring down the mood.
"If I knew how to teach you singing I would, but okay for now let's do your thing" he said and I clapped my hands together with excitement. I pulled the bag towards me and popped out the wooden canvases.
"You and I sir are going to become the greatest artists right here right now" I announced proudly and I saw Josh smush his face by his hand. That expression alone made me smile wider.
"Adeline Phillips this is going to be a disaster, I know you're like Bob Ross level good, and fast I won't be able to keep up!" he argued as I began setting it up.
"Don't worry we're going to follow a beginners painting tutorial so I'll be right with you" I replied to assure him. He sighed before turning his body so we were both sitting crossed-legged, and our knees were most definitely touching at this point. He had ➗ by Ed Sheeran on shuffle through his speaker and I opened up a Youtube tutorial on a simple acrylic art.
The next two hours were filled with laughter, stress and content as we worked together to paint on our canvases. He managed to paint a dot on my nose as I was concentrating so hard on the gradient sky, and he made fun of how I poke my tongue out when I'm in the zone.
Throughout the day I loved posting about it on my Instagram story, but I didn't tag him in anything because I didn't want that attention to be blown out of proportion. Because...well I don't know...I was just a friend he invited for a day at his place. And I didn't want to make it awkward by fans finding it and creating a whole other story. This fake story for the family dinner was enough. And I was just his friend...
But I didn't know why he seemed a little sad, when he wasn't able to repost my stories to his Instagram. It's not like he used the app that much anyway?
"I finally found something that you're not perfect at Allstar" I teased as I looked at his final artwork. He did the gradient soon enough, and then just started painting random things on my leg. I started working on a second painting and he was on his stomach facing me, trying to paint a zoo on my leg and I giggled so many times since it tickled.
"Painting is not one for my repertoire Adeline, yours are just amazing though" he replied as he laughed at his own work. I didn't even care that he stopped painting with me though, since his focus was more on me after that - wait what?
"Thank you, but I do love the artistry that you've displayed on...this part of my kneecap" I added as I pointed to the little birds he painted. I looked up to him and saw him gushing slightly but it only made me giggle more.
"Thank you I'm basically Bob Ross's other son. I call them 'the birds of Common Sense' " he replied and I shook my head as I laughed, "sun's going down though, you think we should head over to Blaire's now?" he then asked and I paused for a few seconds. The time was nearing, but I just didn't want it to.
"Y-yeah for sure, I'll just pack this up and I can drive us there," I replied without really looking at him. He then nudged my arm and I turned my head.
"Is everything alright, you prepped me enough for this and it's gonna be fine, plus you'll have Blaire with you," he assured and I smiled weakly for his attempt to make me feel better. He was really good at that. But that was only the surface issue.
"Yeah I know, I guess...I'm still just nervous if it goes badly and they don't like you or something. I've already warned you but I think you already know those women - particularly Aunty G - are very blunt with their opinions" I rambled and Josh laughed back.
"Oh yeah trust me I figured that out from our first meeting" he replied and we laughed together.
"Okay well, I'm definitely helping you clean up at least - my house my rules" he added with a wink.
"He's gentlemanly and yet somehow also misogynistic, ladies and gents" I jeered and he let out a loud laugh. It was so nice that I was the one who got that laugh out of him sometimes.
I was having so much fun with Josh, just him and me on his balcony - nothing else interfering. I don't think he understood how lucky I felt but overall how content I was getting to know him, on our own terms. And I knew he probably didn't feel how I was feeling, but it still meant something to me that he was the first boy I felt comfortable around after so long.
But once he walks into my house, where my family could interrogate him and poke into our lives like it's their job, it could all be over. The story of us ends right there.
What if he gets overwhelmed, he finally realises what a stupid idea this was, and he walks out for good? I found myself wanting to be closer to him than anything, but also holding myself back like my life depended on it. But my life almost did depend on that?
I couldn't deal with another boy hurting me. I didn't assume Josh could, but I would be breaking my own heart by thinking we had an actual chance together.
He was well aware that I knew about him before he knew about me, so I answered every question he had for me - so we could have an even playing field. Our conversations on Instagram - now via text and calls - was regularly beginning with a question about me. It's like I was a storytime channel for him. I found myself getting sick of talking about myself and I thought he did too, but he never once sounded disinterested. It was a good, new feeling.
But I also knew that he had plenty of female friends in his life, and I was probably just another one. I was just in a different world to that because I didn't have many guy friends growing up, so I was just the kind to crush on any guy that gave me attention and couldn't get over it for ages. Hence, Jordan.
So I stopped any thought I had about Josh that went into a phase of genuine affection, romantic affection. Because I didn't want to break my own heart.
We both got up to clear his balcony but as I started moving things around, I saw him text rapidly on his phone, like he just needed to get something down and he walked away from me as he did. "I'll just uh - be back" he muttered before he continued walking.
He didn't want me to see it. I chose to just ignore it again. But it happened quite a few times when we hung out. I wanted it to not bother me, but it was a weird kind of secretive.
But again, who am I to be bothered by that?
No matter what, he was someone who was helping with a ridiculous situation since he seemed to find it hilarious. I was starting to see that side of it too, but I just hoped he'd continue to see the bright side of it.
Because I couldn't think of why else he'd be doing this.
─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
--- notes ---
this was just a lil build up chapter before the very much talked about dinner begins!
and for u to read into how addie was feeling through all this since we know where
josh is at
bye y'all, votes and comments about the story really help me out!! ❤️