"Are you staying for dinner Joshua?" Dani chimed suddenly almost making me jump.
Josh smiled sweetly at Dani, "I would love to."
"Fantastic," she said grabbing some items from the fridge, "you can help make the salad."
Josh chuckled and stood from his chair, "Yes Ma'am."
"So, how is the homework coming along?" she asked handing Josh a large bowl and a bag of fresh spinach.
"I just have this rough draft to do and I am done."
"Is that so?" Kevin asked entering the kitchen and causing me to jump again.
"Would you two stop doing that...sneaking around here and popping into the room all loud."
Kevin cocked a brow in disbelief before taking a seat in Josh's chair and picking up my history packet. "You know if you just rushed through this and wrote down random answers I am going to trash it and make you do the whole packet again."
"It's correct," Josh declared causing my brother's head to pop up, "I checked it."
"Well, I'm her professor, I will be the judge of that." Kevin said sharply before turning his eyes back to the packet. Skimming the pages quickly he looked up at me in amazement and I was sure he knew it wasn't my work.
"What?"
"It's correct." Kevin gushed, "good job kid."
"Josh is a very good tutor," I said giving my eldest brother a smile, "maybe you should hire him."
"Mmmmmhmm..." Kevin sneered, "I have a feeling he would be willing to do it for free." Josh quietly nodded his head in agreement and continued to make the salad as Kevin turned his attention to my math packet. "Speaking of history...let's talk about yours Josh...you were kicked out of multiple schools for fighting, destruction of property and drugs, is that right?"
"Kevin, enough." Dani scolded shooting my eldest brother eye daggers.
"That is NONE of your business," I snapped appalled.
"YOU are my business," Kevin said holding his ground, "If he plans to hang around you, I want answers."
"My mom left when I was Ellie's age," Josh said seemingly unscathed by the uncomfortable situation. "When I was about ten my dad started drinking...a lot."
"You don't have to tell him anything Josh," I spat interrupting.
"He started knocking me around. I couldn't stand up to him so I started fighting everyone else...it got me kicked out of four schools," he said finishing the salad and passing the bowl to Dani who stood there looking shocked. "I was at the next school for about two weeks before the guidance counselor confronted me and I told him about my dad, he said I was lying that only poor people beat their kids and he called my dad...needless to say my dad wasn't too pleased with me running my mouth so the next day I took a bat to the counselors car."
"Good!" Dani spat, now clearly on Josh's side.
"Dani!" Kevin scolded.
"What? The man deserved it...if it were me I would have taken the bat to him...what a jerk breaking a student's trust like that...only poor people beat their kids...stereotypical ass." I struggled to hide my giggle at Dani's hormonal outburst.
"And the drugs?" Kevin continued on with his interrogation as if he had not heard Josh confess the horrible things his father had done.
"After that I started hanging out with other privileged kids with issues...unlimited money and parents that didn't care enough to supervise led to lots of drugs."
"And you think that's ok?" Kevin scoffed.
"No, but at the time it is what made my life tolerable." Josh said wiping his hands on a dish towel "I should probably go."
"No!" I stood from my chair and threw a glare in my brother's direction, "You said you would stay for dinner....please stay."
"Yes Joshua, please stay," Dani mirrored my plea, "I promise to make my husband behave, we didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
Josh chuckled and nodded, "Alright, is there anything else I can do?"
Dani smiled, completely smitten by Josh's charm. "If you could go check on the girls for me, maybe keep them entertained for a few minutes while I finish dinner and Cee works on her homework that would be great."
Josh smiled genuinely, "No problem."
"Great," Dani said throwing some pasta into a boiling pot on the stove as Kevin took place beside her at the counter and started to chop some peppers for the salad, "Just straight up the stairs and follow the noise...can't miss them."
I watched Josh disappear up the stairs before turning my glare back to my brother, "I cannot believe you! What the hell was that?!"
Kevin looked up from the counter and pointed the knife warningly in my direction. "First of all, watch your mouth...and secondly, you are my baby sister and he is a punk kid with a bad reputation that clearly likes you so I will ask him as many questions as I see fit."
"You could have handled that situation a little bit better Kevin I agree with Cee." Dani said pointing the wooden spoon in his direction.
Kevin looked at her before turning his eyes back to me. "No need to gang up on me ladies...I was simply trying to get to know him, the intimidation factor was a test."
"And?"
"And he passed...he seems to really like you." Kevin confessed causing me to sigh in relief.
"So does that mean I have your permission to go out with him?" I asked raising my eyes with my sweet smile.
Kevin's eye's snapped up. "Has he asked you?"
"No, but if he did . . . I...well, would you be ok with that?"
Kevin cocked a brow suspiciously. "What is your game Cecelia?"
"No game." I defended, "I'm just trying to see where you stand on the whole idea."
"How about you finish that homework." He grumbled avoiding the question and chopping the veggies with more purpose than necessary.
"I love how I am expected to be all honest and forthcoming but with you guys there is this gigantic grey area," I scoffed turning my eyes back to my paper now highly annoyed.
**********
"Why do you have that scar on your eye?" Ellie asked jutting her finger toward my left brow as I sat at the miniature table in the center of the room.
I chuckled , this was at least the tenth question I had answered since being seated not two minutes ago, I was starting to see where Professor Jonas learned his interrogation technique, "I got hurt when I was younger,"
"What did you do?"
I shrugged ,"I fell and hit my head on a table."
She scrunched her tiny brows clearly not satisfied, "Why?"
"Does your mommy ever tell you not to run in the house?"
Ellie cocked a brow, "Yea....why?"
I pointed to the scar, "That's why."
"Ewwww" she said examining the scar once more in fascination before completely changing course, "What is your favorite color?"
"Green."
"Do you like marshmallows?"
I chuckled, "Yes."
"What about Auntie Cee, do you like her?"
I nodded, "Yes."
"More than marshmallows?"
A smile tugged at my lips, "Yes."
"Did you kiss her?"
I cocked a brow, "No..."
"Why?"
"Dinner is ready," My eyes shot up to see Dani standing in the doorway, a large smile on her face. Both girls darted past her and toward the stairs, pulling myself up from the tiny interrogation chair I followed in tow. "Well?" she questioned cocking a brow as I attempted to exit past her.
"Well what?"
"Why didn't you kiss her?" She asked boldly, "It's obvious that you care for Cee otherwise you wouldn't have come over here and done all her homework just to make sure she wouldn't get into trouble."
"What?" I chuckled as if what she were accusing me of was ridiculous, "I didn't."
"Relax Joshua, I have no intention of telling Kevin," she said patting me on the back as we headed for the stairs, "there are worse things a boy could do than keep CeCelia out of trouble, I think it's sweet."
***********
"Thank you for coming over today." I said pulling the front door closed and escorting Josh down the front steps after dinner. He shrugged before shooting me a smile, "It was no big deal."
"It IS a big deal," I countered, "I would have never gotten that work done without you... and I'm sorry about my brother, he isn't usually such an asshole, the boys just get really weird when they know I like someone."
"So, you DO like me," Josh said cocking a brow.
I shrugged internally cursing my verbal slip, "Maybe...don't you like me?"
Josh nodded, "More than marshmallows."
I cocked a brow, "Is that so?"
"Yup," he said popping his P for emphasis. "I had planned to keep the depth of my like for you a secret but Ellie is quite the little interrogator."
"What other questions did she ask you?"
"Let's see, there was what's your favorite shape, animal, cartoon, cereal, food, icecream, what I wanted to be when I grew up, how much money I had, if she could have my money, how I got the scar on my eyebrow, favorite color, did I like marshmallows, did I like you, did I like you more than marshmallows, have I kissed you and why haven't I kissed you..." Josh said recalling the list of questioning from my pint sized niece.
I couldn't stifle my giggle, "Wow...sounds like she has WAY more information about you than I do...I don't even know the answers to those questions."
"Circle, Monkey, Spongebob, Frosted Flakes, Pizza, cookies and cream, I'm not sure what I want to be...maybe a doctor, I had twenty-three dollars in my wallet but I gave her a dollar 'cause I couldn't seem to tell her no, hit my head on a coffee table thanks to dear old daddy but told her it was because I was running in the house, favorite color is green, I like marshmallows but I like you more and I haven't kissed you...YET." Josh said catching me up to speed.
"So, why haven't you kissed me?" I said repeating Ellie's question.
Josh smirked, "I told you, you're going to have to kiss me."
I stood there for a moment in an emotional tug of war, did I want to kiss him? Yes, I absolutely wanted to kiss him...did I have the lady balls to do so? No, no I did not.
"See you tomorrow." He said giving me a smile and turning on his heels to leave.
I let out a growl of frustration, "You frustrate me to no end, you know that?"
Josh turned around abruptly and cocked a brow, "O..k.."
"The boy is supposed to be the one to make the first move!" I spat frustrated. "Nevermind, I'll see you tomorrow." I turned and took one frustrated stomp toward the house before Josh's hand grabbed my arm swiftly pulling me back around and he brought his lips to mine. The kiss was soft...slow... perfect. Pulling me flush to his body he cupped my face with his hand and deepened the kiss. It was the kind of kiss that girls dream about,the perfect ones you see in movies...the ones you daydream about for hours afterward and when he pulled his lips from mine I nearly whined in protest.
"See you tomorrow." He repeated giving me a devilish smirk before turning and walking off leaving me in my post lip-lock fog.
Chapter End Notes:
*BIG EYES* *Fist pump* 'bout friggin time. I heart Joscelia. REVIEW AND VOTE LOVELIES!!! Chilton is ranked 35 in fanfiction WHAAAAAAT? You guys rock!
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