"You kissed him?" Raven asked
"Yes" she stated smiling
"I don't believe you, I can't believe you initiated it like whaaaat not shy scary Aubrey"
"It wasn't that Aubrey that's why, it was the tipsy Aubrey, his mom told me one drink won't hurt and I had like four"
"She was trying to loosen you up, I have got to get you drunk"
"No you will not, I'm done drinking for the rest of my life, the confidence it gives me is dangerous" she said truthfully.
It was the reason she rarely drank. Aubrey was the type of person to get married to a stranded if she'd had enough to drink.
"Was it good"
"Yes it was like Cinderella but like now I'm nervous"
"Cinderella? And why are you nervous?"
"Like a fairytale. And because what if I just become on of the girls he just has sex with"
"You know about that?"
"Doesn't everyone?" Aubrey asked.
She knew Josiah was a manwhore because everyone on campus talked about it, usually Aubrey minded her business but she had found herself listening to other people's conversations lately, specifically the ones about him.
"Hm, we'll from what you've told me maybe you're different to him"
"Maybe" she said shrugging
"Well are you going to see him today"
"No he's going to New York with his family for the rest of the break so I won't see him, but we texted each other"
Usually his family spent New Years with Josiah's dad side of the family in New York and didn't come back until winter break was over.
"About?"
"Just the stuff we always talk about, we didn't say anything about the kiss, maybe he forgot"
"Or maybe he's waiting until he can get his hands on you again so he can show you how he feels" she said smiling and raising his eyebrows
"You're so nasty, I don't plan on having sex with him though"
"And why's that?"
"Because I've never done that before and I'm not just going to do it with just anybody, I want it to be special"
"So you're a virgin?" She asked
"Yes but I tried once with a guy in 11th grade but I backed out because it was just too big so I just decided to wait and now I'm in college a virgin"
"Well if you backed out because it was too big don't do it with Josiah because I heard he is packing" she said as the two laughed
"I'm older now and plus it can't be that big and it's all just rumors anyways"
"Yeah you just keep telling yourself that"
——————————————————————-
"Josiah you're sweating, take off this jacket" Melissa said pulling his jacket
"I'm not hot, just nervous" he said standing up to walk around the airport gate
"He's an aerophobic" Joanna said laughing watching him walk back and forth
"Stop laughing at your brother Joanna, have some sympathy" Melissa said
"She can laugh, the boy is too old to be afraid of a plane, we deal with this every time" Joseph said.
Melissa and Joseph often took sides with the kids and Joseph was mainly on the girls side. He didn't like how she babied Josiah just because he was deaf.
"I need something mom" Josiah said he said insinuating drugs.
He'd been afraid to get on planes for a while and his mom usually gave him sleeping pills so she didn't have to deal with him having panic attacks on the plane.
"I'll give you something when it's time to board, for now just sit and relax okay?"
Josiah simply sat down and closed his eyes while leaning his head back until it was time to board the plane. Josiah took deep breaths as he walked down the plane aisle.
They had gotten first class tickets because their father didn't like coach. Melissa decided to switch seats with Joanna and sit next to Josiah since she could tell his was in distress.
"Josiah relax, here" she said handing him a pill which he immediately swallowed without water, he wanted to go to sleep as soon as he could. He was already feeling jittery and wanted to take his shirt off and they hadn't even started flying.
In the mean time he pulled out his phone and decided to text Aubrey, he didn't want to make things weird so he decided not to speak on the kiss.
Josiah~ Aubrey!
Aubrey~ Yes? Why are you yelling?😂
Josiah~ I wanted you to know it's urgent and to hurry and you did so
Aubrey~ aren't you on a plane? Shouldn't you be on airplane mode
Josiah~ we haven't left yet and there's WiFi on the plane if we had but the reason I texted you is because I'm afraid to fly and I'm trying to pass time
Aubrey~ you wanna play pool? It's fun beating you?
Josiah~ no I should be sleep in like 10 minutes my mom gave me drugs
Aubrey~ wow your fear of flying must be really bad then huh?
Josiah~ Very.
Aubrey~ awe☹️ Well try to relax k?
Another reason he found himself drawn to Aubrey was because she had the same qualities as his mom. She liked making sure he was okay and was just very motherly altogether.
Josiah~ my eyes are closing Gn.
The medicine made him fall asleep immediately, all his worries ceased as he closed his eyes.
Aubrey~ Gn text me when you get off the plane
"He went to sleep fast" Joanna pointed out
"Yea he did what did you give him? horse tranquilizers?" Joi said
"I gave him something he needs and that's all that matters" she said
———————————————————————
"Josiah you're getting tall" His aunt, Wanda stated. She said that every year and he'd been exactly 6 feet tall for a couple of years
"Thanks I guess"
"A handsome young fella too" His great-aunt, Yolanda added
"Thank you" he said before trying to make his way back to the guest room before they began trying to talk his ear off.
"Come sit down and talk to us, I know you got all the girls in school huh?" His other aunt, Georgia said coming down the stairs said making him internally sigh.
"No, not really" he said sitting in the chair across from them, he didn't really feel like having the girl conversation with anyone anymore especially since he was feeling so conflicted about it.
"He's lying, he brought a girl over for Christmas Aunt Yolanda" Joanna said inserting herself in the conversation. Josiah smiled but on the inside he was upset, he wanted to go upstairs and wait until his cousins got there.
"Ohh so she met your mom and dad it must be serious" Wanda said
"No she's just someone I'm friends with"
"Just a friend that he likes" Joi said making Josiah sigh
"Don't be shy, I remember when you were little you were so talkative, what happened to that boy?" Yolanda said
"He went deaf" he said leaving Yolanda speechless. They actually forgot he couldn't hear because of how well he read lips.
They really didn't have much to say after that because he ruined the vibe so he took it upon himself to go upstairs and be bored until his favorite cousins came. In the meantime he texted Aubrey.
Josiah~ you up for pool?
He texted laying flat on his back. While waiting for a response his mind wandered on to Christmas night and their kiss he hadn't thought much about it since it happened because he was so busy.
He thought about whether she was in to him or if she was just drunk either way he enjoyed it. He got more of a feeling out of that than he did when he had sex with random girls and it was weird to him. He swore to himself his freshman year he'd lay off relationships and Aubrey has him feeling otherwise. It was 30 minutes before she texted him back.
Aubrey~ Just got off work but yes I'm down to beat you in pool once again
They played one round of pool and Aubrey won for the 50th time against him. He wasn't bad at the game but Aubrey was just too good she had 689 wins on the game.
Aubrey~ Anyways hows New York?
Josiah~ it's boring right now, none of my cousins are here yet and my aunts just got done harassing me
Aubrey~ Harassing you about what?
Josiah~ basically you
Aubrey~what about me? Omg did your sisters tell them I'm ugly?
Josiah simply laughed.
Josiah~ No they think I like you and they wanted to know more about it but I left
Aubrey~ well do you?
Josiah~ like you?
Aubrey~ if you don't and I just made it awkward we can just talk about something else
Josiah~ I kissed you didn't I?
Josiah wanted to avoid just coming out and saying he had feelings for her for as long as he could. He did indeed like her but he didn't want a relationship just yet. He knew Aubrey wasn't going to be just someone he could have sex with and leave.
Aubrey~ no I kissed you
Josiah~ well it's a two person thing so we kissed each other I guess and nobody pulled away so that means we're on the same page
Aubrey~ you broke it down horribly😂 we can talk about that when you get back. You wanna see my latest painting?
———————————————————————
A few days later
"Aubrey this is Leah, my girlfriend" Raven said introducing the two
"Girlfriend?" Aubrey asked
"Yes, we made it official, I'm a one woman woman now" she said smiling
"That's great, it's nice to meet you Leah" Aubrey said going in the kitchen. She wasn't about to pry any longer she honestly didn't care about their relationship.
"You too" Leah said dryly. She already didn't like Aubrey just based off of the fact that she was now Josiah's friend, especially after she heard that the two kissed and Josiah was having feelings for her.
Aubrey noticed the energy she had towards her but she truly didn't care. She thought maybe she was having a bad day or she wasn't a people person either way Aubrey went back in her room to listen to music and study.
She was nervous because Josiah was coming back and they were going to have conversations about what they wanted from each other. She was terrified that he'd just want to be with her for sex like every other girl on campus. She didn't want to rush into a relationship either, she just wanted to let things fall into place.
A few minutes later she heard his voice in the living room and got up to look in the mirror before walking out and seeing him.
"Aubrey, you finally came out your room" Raven said looking at both Josiah and Aubrey
"I was just out here like 15 minutes ago" she explained while Josiah took it upon himself to go in her room.
After finishing a brief pointless conversation with Raven she went into her room. Josiah was touching things on her desk and didn't notice her come in.
"Hi" was all Aubrey could say as he turned around making him jump.
"Sorry" she said noticing she scared him.
"If I'm turned another way just tap me, the shoulder lurking is scary" he said
"Okay, how was your trip?"
"It was cool, I was with my cousins the entire time exploring New York and doing things I'm sure my mom wouldn't approve of"
"Did you have your issues on the plane again?" She asked
"I have them every time Aubrey, but enough about what I did, what did you do for New Years"
"Me and Raven watched the countdown and she tried to get me drunk so I would be all woo hoo"
"Well why didn't you"
"The last time I had alcohol in me I kissed you, and about that, I don't want to be one of your whores" she said coming straight out with it.
"one of my whores?" He asked laughing a little
"The girls you have sex with, I don't want to be that"
"I wasn't planning on making you that and how do you even know about that?"
"Well, people talk and what do you plan on doing then?"
"I don't know honestly but if I was going to just have meaningless sex with you we would've done it already" he said laughing but he was semi serious, he never spent this much time with a girl he was just trying to have sex with.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I mean I'm not ready for a relationship yet but I want to be more than friends with you Aubrey"
"That sounds like what you do with the girls I don't want to be"
"No that's just sex, I want to work towards something with you Aubrey" he said
"Okay, I can deal with that, but I have a few rules"
"Alright, shoot"
"I'm not having sex with you until we're in a relationship so I don't mind you still doing what you do with the other girls but I'd just like to not hear about it, and I'm not going to do this forever so be ready in a few months, can you deal with that?"
"Yeah I guess, I have question though"
"Well what is it"
"Can I do this?" He asked kissing her deeply with tongue while grabbing the back of her neck
"Yeah y-you can do that, do it a lot" she said smiling making him laugh