Part 3

Josh walks out of the apartment and turning back in the direction of the pub strides along the road. At first he can't see anyone on the street let alone Grace and he's really starting to worry. Where is she? But as he rounds a bend he spots Grace sitting on a bench and he stops. Realising he has been holding his breath he takes a deep breath to fill his depleted lungs and then waiting a moment until he is breathing normally again he starts slowly moving in her direction.

Grace is looking down at her hands and doesn't look up as Josh stops in front of her even though she knows it's him. His accusation really upset her and she doesn't know what to say to him. She can't even look at him. But it was never her intention to punish him by not following him home she just needed to think.

Josh watches Grace for a minute as she continues to look down at her hands. Then sighing he sits down beside her with his arms leaning on his knees. "Grace I'm sorry I know you didn't invite that kiss. It's just that it drove me crazy to see him kiss you."

Grace turns to look at him finally "Josh you know I love you right?"

Now it's Josh that won't look at her as he shrugs "Yeah I know it."

"Then why did you get so angry over something that I had no control over and didn't want to happen anyway?"

Josh sits back and looks straight ahead. He's uncomfortable talking about this but he has to explain his behaviour. "It's just ever since we got together I've been waiting for something to go wrong."

Grace shakes her head not understanding "Why?"

"Because I figured that I would eventually have to pay for what I'd done. For messing with a marriage, for taking my happiness at the expense of someone else's. I've always had to pay in one way or another for my actions. I thought this would be no different."

Grace stares at his averted face. She's stunned. She had no idea that Josh felt like that but thinking about it she knows she shouldn't really be surprised. After what he told her about his brother it's no wonder his view of the world is skewed. Cautiously she tries to set his mind at rest. "Josh it doesn't work that way. You don't get punished for being happy and anyway it wasn't just you, if anyone was going to be punished for what happened between us it would be me. But apart from that you know that every thing wasn't right between Connor and me anyway because if they were nothing would have ever happened with you or anyone else."

Grace stops and waits for Josh to look at her before continuing "but everything is right between us or at least I thought it was…"

"Yeah Grace everything is fantastic between us, I'm sorry."

Grace smiles and standing reaches out and grabs Josh's hand. Then pulling him to his feet puts her arms around his neck "then you've got nothing to worry about right?"

Josh smiles slightly "Right."

"Now can we go home so I can show you how right things can be between us?"

Josh leans down and kisses her hungrily. He loves it when she teases him like that with promises of what's to come. "Definitely" he says putting his arm around her and pulling her close he heads them in the direction of home.

Grace puts her arm around Josh and slides her hand into his back pocket.

"Grace stop that" Josh says sternly "or I will take you into the bushes and we will discover what there is to know here and now."

Grace laughs "Okay Josh." She loves that she can get to him so easily.