Payton tried to calm her nerves as she raised her hand to knock on the door in front of her. She'd been standing in front of this door for the past ten minutes, and she wasn't even sure why she was still there. After a deep breath, she knew this whole thing was stupid."At least you still have your pride," she mumbled as she turned to leave.Karma being the pain the butt that it was chose that exact moment for someone to open the door she'd just turned from. Figured."Hey. Can I help you?" the guy at the door asked."No, it's fine. Bye.""Oh! You're Payton! Right?"Karma wasn't just a pain in the butt, it was a bitch. She sighed and looked at the guy in front of her to see if she knew who it was. She didn't. He was built a lot like Josh, but he had reddish hair in a short, clean cut."Finished checking me out? I can wait. Honestly, I don't mind.""Oh my-""No! Sorry. Holy shit, don't be mad. I mean between last night, and then I've obviously embarrassed you. I didn't mean to make thing
Josh walked over to Payton's room right on time. He didn't have a clue why tonight was the night after so many times of asking her out, but whatever. He wasn't going to question it. She'd worked hard to keep her distance since they'd talked after their date. Josh considered himself a patient man, but if she hadn't come to see him, he wouldn't have even thought twice about never talking to her again. He had just been so frustrated and confused, that he was about to write it off. There was something about her plea, though, "Just don't give up on me."He had tried to call and tried to get a clue as to what Payton had in mind, but she wouldn't budge. She just told him to dress for outdoor weather, and so he had put on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. When he knocked on her door, and she opened it, he took her in. She looked beautiful even in her jeans, tank top, and a flannel shirt that she wore like a jacket."Ready?" She asked."Yeah, where are we headed?" Josh asked trying agai
"Shit!" Josh exclaimed as he sat straight up in bed. This was the second time he'd overslept this semester. He was usually an early riser, but it seemed like something was plotting against him.Realizing he had less time than he thought, he grabbed his cell and looked up Payton's number. When it went right to voicemail, he hung up without leaving a message, and dialed her room."Hello?""Hailey? It's Josh.""Oh, hey. Payton's not here.""Do you know where she is?""I'm pretty sure she's at the library. She headed down there this morning, and I haven't seen her. I can try to call her if you want.""I just tried, and it didn't even ring. I was supposed to pick her up in..." Josh trailed off glancing at the clock, "five minutes. I'm running late, though. Will you tell her I'll be there as soon as I can?""How much is it worth to ya?" Hailey teased."Just let her know.""Yeah, yeah. You'll be here ASAP. Got it.""Thanks, Hailey.""No, problemo."Looking in his dresser, Josh grabbed the fir
Josh stretched and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "What the hell was I thinking?" he asked himself. In an effort to save some cash, he'd booked a long trip that included leaving early and multiple layovers. All that resulted in a flight that landed in New York late the night before, and with the early morning he'd had, he was dragging ass.He had thought for a millisecond about hitting the gym, but could barely get his brain working enough to sit up. Running wasn't going to happen. A shower. That was all he was going to do before his brother arrived.Josh had just finished getting dressed when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it up and smiled at his brother standing there with his trademark smirk on his face."You look like shit," Jax said in lieu of a greeting."Good to see you too."Jackson moved in to hug Josh, and after a quick one, Josh let him in the room. He hadn't seen Jackson for a year, and it seemed like something was totally different every time. The first
Josh had acted on an impulse when he landed back in Wichita and called Hailey to see when Payton was coming in. While he was in New York, he'd thought about their relationship, or lack thereof. He had even confided in his brother, which he hadn't done in a long time. He knew that he wouldn't be able to mend the relationship with Jackson overnight, but they had both taken steps to put the past behind them. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he had his old brother back.The conclusion he'd come to was that maybe having to work to be with someone wasn't such a bad thing, if they were worth it; he was pretty sure that Payton was worth any work he had to put into their relationship. Jackson had a good laugh at his expense when he found out how hard he was having to work after Josh put his mind at ease that she was nothing like Ella.Josh had been watching crowds of people leave the terminal for a couple hours, but this was it, this should be her flight. He had already second an
"Earth to Josh!" Wes said as he threw a towel at Josh's head after they'd finished with soccer practice."What the fuck man?"Wes nudged Geoff, "See what I mean, Geoff? All spaced out." To Josh he said, "We just wanna know why all of a sudden you're off in la-la-land with rainbows and unicorns coming outta your ass.""Noneya. Go meddle in someone else's life.""Hey, you don't have to go all batshit crazy. I'll take puppy and kitty's Josh any day."Josh had been in an exceptionally good mood ever since he'd returned from New York. Soccer was going well, he was enjoying working with the basketball team, classes seemed to be easier, and even though his roommates were annoying at times, they were all having a blast. He and Payton had been spending more time together, and he felt like they were finally getting somewhere. She was opening up, and he was finally starting to understand where she was coming from. The night before during their walk, they'd really had a heart to heart talk. He tho
Josh was confused as to why Payton didn't want her grandpa around. If he'd been injured, or was in the hospital, there was no doubt that his parents would be there with him."Shh, calm down. Everything's gonna be fine," he said, trying to soothe her.She tried to speak several times but couldn't seem to form the words. Eventually her breathing slowed, her eyes shut, and she was asleep again. Whatever had been going into her IV was knocking her out. He hated that she was so out of it, but glad that she looked better. He had really been worried about her the night before.He tried to help out as much as he could by giving them information about her past medical conditions, and the head injury she'd told him about, but he didn't know much. They weren't giving him much information either since he wasn't her next of kin. Since he got to stay with her, he didn't push it.A knock sounded and jerked Josh out of the nap he'd almost gotten to. The nurses had been coming by every couple of hours,
Taking a seat on the side of the bed, Josh grabbed Payton's hand, and squeezed it gently. "You never really answered, how are you?"Payton laced her fingers through his and sighed, "Better I guess. I hurt, but it's a different kind of hurt now.""What can I do to help?"She shook her head, "Nothing. I feel bad you missed your classes.""It wasn't a big deal," he told her, and then bent to press a kiss to her lips. Seeing her there in the big bed, looking so fragile, made his heart ache. He knew he had feelings for her, but when he saw her in so much pain, he realized just how much he cared about her. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to take that away from her and make it so she would feel better.Suddenly a loud grumble broke the silence in the room. Payton blushed, "Sorry. I wasn't hungry earlier when they brought dinner.""You want me to go get you something?"She shook her head and then looked away. He had only known her for a short time, but he could always tell when she wasn't