Chapter Forty-One: finally dating
Callum's POV

Josh stared at me with narrowed eyes and I swear on my fucking life I could've turned away and thrown up right then and there.

I mean it's one thing to kiss your best friend all the time but it's fucking insane to ask them out after 17 years of absolutely nothing but friendship and then one year of quick pecks and weird moments.

We just kinda sat there in silence for a minute before I decided I couldn't take it.

"Josh." I said my tone almost warning.

"Yes?" He asked, his face a bright tomato red.

"If you don't say anything soon I'm going to vomit."

The mention of me spewing out all of the damn food we ate snapped him out of his daze and he blinked a few times.

"Uh, What was the question again?"

Oh my fucking god. I thought, absolutely embarrassed.

I mean I've been in relationships before but they were never serious, ya know? It was the casual girl telling her friend that 'we talk' and people assume you're dating. I've never had anything with a serious label on it. I've never had to ask someone that's seen me fall off of my fucking roof if they'll go out with me.

That's another kind of embarrassment.

I groaned and rubbed my face with my hands. "I asked if you'll go out with me. Like as my boyfriend."

Josh coughed a few times before laughing, "Uh, why?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I swear to god he's gonna be the fucking death with me. What does he mean 'why'?

He must've realized how he was sounding because his eyes widened and he shook his head. "Not like 'why should I date you' but like, why me? I mean you're all... hot as hell, and I look like a burnt piece of toast, ya know? I'm just shocked like, there's so many other people out there and-"

I made a face at him and his stupid rambling. "Okay you wanna know why?" I adjusted in my seat and turned completely towards him. "First of all, Ive known you for seventeen years. I know that you're terrified of moths, I know that your favorite color is green and that you love to watch the sunrise especially if it's foggy outside, but you don't want to wake up to actually see it. Second of all, you've been there with me through everything. And I mean everything Josh

"Like all the times I went to the hospital, or when I got in a fight at school and you stood up for me, or when I had an awful night with my parents, when my sister went missing. Thirdly, you're so amazingly important to me Josh. Like sometimes I look at you and it's like, I want to fucking punch you in the nose because then I'd have something to comfort you about like you comfort me."

At that he laughed and I saw a glimmer in his eyes. I didn't care if this moment was cliche and gross. I didn't care if I cringed about this for the rest of my goddamn life. I didn't care if I woke up one morning and wished I couldn't done this somewhere better than in my fucking truck.

"Fourthly Josh, you accept me and you forgive me. I mean, I can name so many times when I lost my temper, whether with you or somebody else but you didn't call me an asshole or a fuck up like my parents did. Instead you just let me calm down, and breathe and when I was calm you never looked at me different, you always just looked at me like I was your best friend and that hasn't changed once for the past seventeen years.

"Fifthly, It's kinda weird that we've been like..." I coughed awkwardly, "Kissing every once in awhile without actually being labeled as anything."

Josh glanced away, his cheeks a shade of red that, even in the dark car, I could see. His brown eyes were so sparkly and I found myself wondering how he could see himself as lowly as he does.

"And finally, even though there are so many more reasons I could list off, but these are the main ones." I took a deep breath, "Finally Josh, you are so much more beautiful than you think you are. On the outside and on the inside. I'm only attractive if you take a glance at me Josh, but you're so much different. I like everything about you. And I don't want another guy out there Josh, because honestly I don't think there is someone more attractive to me than you. I want Joshua Hernandez." I smiled at him before looking away in utter embarrassment at the gushy moment.

Really Callum? Gotta be all soft and shit. I semi scolded myself at the cliche ness and then glanced back to Josh.

"Wow." He said before running a hand through his hair and I had half the mind to throw him into a fucking tree because I just spilled my heart out and his silence was giving me heart arrhythmia. "I just don't know what to say I'm sorry." He whispered and I felt my stomach sink.

Say yes. I thought, practically in desperation. I wasn't going to tell him that though, I wanted him to say yes but if he wanted to say no I wasn't going to try and change his mind or anything.

"I mean-" he quickly added looking up at me, "I mean I want to say yes. Like really really badly but what if... what if we just end up ruining our friendship? I mean you've changed my life in so many ways and turned the bad years into good years."

He paused and I saw a glisten in his eyes.

Josh's POV

I was gonna cry.

"This last year has been the happiest year of my life, and I hope that we can have so many more but I'm scared Callum, what if this just messes it all up?" I looked into this shining green eyes and almost threw up myself.

He was just as afraid as I was.

His eyes were slightly narrowed as they searched mind and I swallowed hard as I fought down tears.

Call me a pansy or a wuss, this is an emotional moment. When I say this last year has been the happiest year I don't exaggerate, Callum truly has made my life priceless.

Callum let out a breath of air and ran a hand through his hair. "I thought about that. But I don't think it would. I think it would be like upgrading from something to premium, if the premium sucks than you just go back to the original. We've been through so much together Josh, I genuinely don't believe that we'll grow apart."

I stared at him for a second. I could tell he was probably losing his shit as I sat in silence.

I took a slow inhaled and slouched my shoulder before feelings happiness swell in my chest, my stomach twisting into knots as I turned completely towards him. "I trust that." I said and swallowed hard. "So I'm gonna say: of course I'll go out with you, as... uh... as more than best friends."

Callum broke out into a grin and leaned his seat all the way back until he was laying down. "Oh my god, thank god." He said covering his eyes as he laid down. "I was this close to fucking throwing up and shitting myself at the same exact time." He said, "I'm so relieved I think I need a nap, that was way too much stress in just a few minutes."

I laughed and any stress that we'd lose each other was instantly thrown away at his stupid goofy smile as he stepped out of his truck.

I followed his direction and he walked over to me, practically beaming.

It's such a strange and insane feeling to be able to make someone you care about look so happy.

"Let's go inside and go to sleep, I was so stressed I think I aged ten fucking years." He said as he locked his truck.

"As long as you don't have that mullet in ten years than I'm okay with that." I said and he rolled his eyes.

"Don't lie Josh, you love my mullet." He ran a hand through it.

"Keep telling yourself that, Callum."

Then Callum laughed, "If I looked so bad, then you wouldn't have said yes." He sent me a wink before opening the front door and I internally freaked out.

I felt like an eleven year old girl getting smiled at by her celebrity crush.

But feeling stupid and immature was totally worth it, especially when Callum walked to the kitchen, grabbed a package of crackers and lead me to my room saying:

"Let's eat crackers and watch scary movies as a couple." All the while stuffing his face full of ritz.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🙃 this chapter was so- cLiChE.

But I hope you enjoyed. I apologize for not putting this out sooner... the ever famous writers block decided to pay me a visit.

I hope you guys enjoyed and...

This was the last chapter.

It's heartbreaking 😭 I might do an epilogue and maybe I'll do a second book based off of their journey while dating :))

Comment/vote <3

And thank you all for being patient. This book is going to be heavily edited too, because there are so many contradicting things and toms of spelling/grammar errors.