Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading my story, your comments, and your messages!
I also want to give a special thanks to three other writers who have been helping me with developing ideas and dialogue for this story :) I appreciate all of your help!
Chapter 13: Chicken Soup for Joshua Lyman's Soul
Whatever Josh's study group was muttering to one another after his revelation he didn't know or care. He just let himself enjoy the feeling of her hands rubbing his neck. He could feel the tension dissipate as the knot was worked out. The moment was lost when a customer walked up to the register to order some sort of crazy green tea drink. "Whatever happened to just putting a tea bag in hot water?" Josh grumbled to himself.
"That felt amazing Donna, thank you." He said as the customer walked away.
"You're very welcome. You had a pretty big knot there on the side of your neck, I can see why it was bothering you."
"You have nice hands . . ."
"You have nice shoulders . . ."
"You checking out my shoulders while you were massaging my neck?" He asked excitedly.
"Maybe . . ."
"Crew, I rowed for a long time."
"Mmmm, paid off."
"Yeah?!"
"Yeah, you got some pretty broad shoulders there Josh."
"I'm gonna wrap you up in a big, broad shouldered hug one of these days, Donna. I mean if that's okay . . ."
"Looking forward to it Josh," she said unabashedly with a little grin.
Before he could respond to their banter, they were interrupted by Kevin and Keith.
"Well, cozy McCozy over here!" Kevin said as he gave Josh a hard pat on the back. "Donna can we please get a refill."
"Sure Kevin, be right back."
"Well, Joshua, Joshua, JOSHUA!" Kevin continued. "You've been holding out on us. Didn't realize you had a thing with the beautiful Donna over here," Kevin continued as he nudged his head in Donna's direction. I guess I should have picked up on it, you were pretty quiet anytime we mentioned her or you got defensive."
"Mark is like kinda heartbroken Lyman. You stole his girl," Keith added. Both just really wanting to give Josh a hard time for no reason other than to entertain themselves.
"Mark will get over it. She was never his girl anyway." Josh was having trouble maintaining his patience.
"Still, he's super jealous."
"Whatever."
"So how long has this love fest been going on? Since before law school started . . . Did you meet her here one night . . .?"
"None of your business." Josh didn't want to share any details with his classmates. None of them were his friends, except Oscar. The depth of what he and Donna have he wanted to keep relatively private for the time being. He was feeling emotions that he had never experienced before and his priorities had changed. What was happening between them, although new, was incredibly serious and intense.
"Come on Josh, share with your cohort," Keith chimed in.
"No."
"Come on," Keith continued, goading him.
"What part of no don't you two get!?" Josh snapped.
"Oh he's snappy," Kevin volleyback. "Must be trouble in paradise."
"I'll let Mark know. Maybe it will give him a ray of hope."
"Take your coffee and go, boys. Save all your questions for another topic, like I dunno, our Con Law class tomorrow. If you put as much effort into class as you did with bugging Josh, law school would be a breeze for you two," Oscar said as he came to the counter, grabbing his refill.
"We just want some details Oscar."
"Too bad, go away. Bye." Oscar waved them off and they stood off to the side waiting for their coffees.
"Thanks," Josh muttered as he looked at his shoes.
"Anything for mi amigo. They really have no life. Hell if I know why they are so obsessed with you and Donna."
"Got me."
"Could be that she's so beautiful and kind to everyone, that they all kind of have a crush. So when they started to realize she was involved with someone, it kinda fascinated them. I mean that's my only guess."
"Makes sense." Josh knew Oscar was probably right . . . but he'd admit it, he was a little overprotective and jealous, and he absolutely hated the idea of other men looking at Donna, hitting on her, trying to get a date with her . . . "Bunch a' gomers," he muttered.
Josh's bad mood from his encounter with Kevin and Keith quickly vanished as Donna came back, she had their refills ready. Josh hoped that she hadn't heard anything Keith and Kevin had said. The last thing he wanted was for her to be uncomfortable.
"As promised Joshua, your blueberry muffin."
"Thanks," he said with a smile reserved only for her.
"You're welcome. Now go home and get your rest. Six hours, remember. And if you don't follow through, no more muffins . . ."
"Oh geez Donna, please don't threaten to take away the finest muffins in all the land. Don't take Carb Convention away from me." He needed a little banter to end the evening.
"Oh, I mean business Joshua." She stood her ground in the banter session.
"K, fine," he capitulated. He knew from her tone that she meant what she said, and he didn't want to lose muffin privileges.
"Good," She smiled. Night Josh, sleep well."
"G'night Donna," he said quietly as he grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "See you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," her blue eyes shined at the thought of it.
"Night Oscar!"
"Night Donna thanks again for coffee!"
"Anytime Mr. Arroyo!"
Con Law class came quick. Josh wasn't looking forward to it, or rather, he wasn't looking forward to being hounded by his classmates about Donna. He tried to get there as late as possible, without actually being late. He was already in a bad mood when he got there. The thought of Donna painting "Naked Louis" preoccupied his thoughts. He had focused on it all morning. Literally burying his head in his pillow at 10am, trying to "nap through her class", no such luck.
"So what kind of dog ya got?" Phil asked. Ah geez, Josh knew where this was going.
"Uhh a yellow lab."
"So you and Donna ya know like walk the dog? Is that what her chalkboard drawing was?" Mark asked. "Does she like dogs?"
"Yes she likes dogs," Josh was only going to answer Mark's second question.
"Josh you gonna answer our questions from last night, huh?" Kevin asked as he and Keith joined the conversation.
"No."
"Lyman's a closed book, just gonna have to keep bugging him until he caves," Keith said as he got his books out. Josh just continued to ignore them.
"You and Donna seemed happy last night, comfortable with each other." Linda said. Linda was alright in Josh's book.
"Thanks Linda," Josh gave her a shy smile, probably blushed a little too.
"Ahhhh! You see that? YOU SEE THAT? Lyman's in love! This is serious." Josh kept ignoring Kevin.
"Well J, I thought law school was going to be your only focus for the next three years. My mistake. I seem to recall having a very pointed conversation where you said your IQ doesn't break the bank and you needed to spend all your time studying because you want to make it to the White House someday. Well here's a newsflash, Genius. I could have helped you study! But, no, you DUMPED ME and here we are, not even two months in our first semester and you've already fallen hard for an undergrad," Amy's words were biting. "I guess I didn't quite believe you were THAT stupid. Congratulations, you've proven me wrong. For once. And you didn't pick just anyone, no, you go and pick the neediest, most pathetic . . . "
"Amy . . ." Josh's voice was a warning tone. He wasn't going to let her talk about Donna that way. He was prepared to tell her off. She continued anyway.
"Of course she has eyes for you, J. What is she majoring in? Art or something? How convenient for her to snag herself a law school boyfriend, one with a few trust funds at that. Maybe she's not nearly as stupid as you are. I bet she's planning on you supporting her, since she won't be able to find a real job. Even though I hate your breathing guts, let me give you a word of advice. Make sure you always use protection, that way when she turns up pregnant you'll know for sure the brat isn't yours." She whipped around in her seat biting her pencil before he could even respond.
"Oh ouch," Josh heard Phil whisper to Kevin and Keith.
"Oh, didn't realize Amy and Josh used to be a thing!" Kevin whisper shouted.
"I don't need tv. Law school supplies me with plenty of good drama, and I don't even have to pay for it! . . . Well I kinda do, law school is pricey." Keith was getting animated.
"We're gonna have to inquire more about this Amy/Josh thing . . . and how does a person go from dating someone like Amy to someone like Donna?" Kevin feigned deep thought.
Josh's heart rate went up, he gripped the side of his desk. He felt an anger inside him that stirred from some primal response. Amy's attack on Donna's character enraged Josh. He was about to tell her off, and didn't care who heard.
"Relax, take a breath, do not let her get to you. She's not worth it. She's just saying spiteful things to get under your skin. Don't let her win," Oscar whispered to Josh as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Josh hadn't even heard him sit down, but apparently Oscar had witnessed the whole thing.
Josh did the only thing he could do. He buckled down and gave all his attention to Con Law for the next three hours.
Between the comments from his classmates and thinking about Donna painting "Naked Louis," his day had sucked. It was only when she smiled at him as he walked into Cabbot's to study did he feel better. And of course, her chalkboard made him laugh.
Okay, Okay. I might have been a part of my high school's senior prank. The one where we brought three cows into school (what it's Wisconsin, we like cows!) and labeled them 1, 2, and 4. Administration spent all day looking for Cow 3 . . . ;)
- Donna
"You didn't!"
"I did Joshua."
"Did you get in trouble?"
"Can't get in trouble if they can't figure out who did it. And they can't punish a whole class of 350 students."
"Oh you're incorrigible Donnatella Moss!"
"I will have you know that no cows were harmed in the Madison West Senior Prank class of 1989!"
"Well, I love your cow drawings. Very cute."
"You like cows Joshua?"
"I like them if you like them."
"K, I guess you like them then."
"Ummm, here's my chalkboard," he said sheepishly. He kind of put his feelings on there today:
"Josh had a rough day. Between his classmates being jerks and thinking about naked art class, all he wanted was to see Donnatella. Day 3 of 19!"
Below was a stick figure with crossed arms wearing a Mets hat and a Harvard sweatshirt. A little rain cloud over his head. Of course, the arrow note said "Josh looking upset".
"Josh," she whispered compassionately. He was looking down at the floor, scuffing his foot against the wood.
"Josh?" she said again, sweetly.
"Yeah," was all he said quietly.
"Hey, look at me."
"Yeah," he said as his big brown eyes reached her deep blue ones. The emotions from the day clearly reflected in his eyes.
She grabbed his hand from the other side of the coffee bar with both of her own. "I'm sorry you had a bad day. I'm sorry your classmates were jerks and I'm sorry that my painining class makes you uncomfortable. You can always talk to me about it. I'm here to listen."
"Thanks . . . I just feel a little ummm, insecure about it I guess. You look at these Shakespearean-looking art guys and I get nervous that ummm, ya know you might like how they look more than you uhhh like how I look and ummm stuff . . ." He looked at the floor again.
"Joshua Lyman. Look at me please," she said tenderly. He did.
"I'm in no way inspired by drawing the male models I see from time to time. I don't even see them as a person when they come in, it's the same as looking at a bowl of fruit. I'm inspired when I look at you, Josh." She squeezed his hand and ran her thumb over his knuckles.
"Yeah?" He asked, hope laced in his voice.
"Yeah," she said with a smile and that familiar head tilt that he loves to see.
"I feel better about that now."
"Good. Now how do we get you to feel better about your jerk classmates?"
"Just being with you and ya know, sharing a muffin. And this . . ." he said as he looked at their hands, his fingers laced through hers. He loved the look of their entwined hands. "This helps a lot."
"I can do that," she gave him that brilliant smile of hers.
"K, thanks."
"Oh and Josh?"
"Mmmm?"
"Louis doesn't have broad shoulders," she said with a wink.
On Wednesday night, Josh walked through the door to Cabbot's and all but fell into his chair at the coffee bar, his backpack sliding off his arm to the floor.
***Achoo*** ***Sniffle Sniffle***
"Joshua Lyman, I told you not wearing a coat and going out with wet hair would get you sick," Donna gentle scolded him. She had seen him all of ten seconds, and knew he wasn't feeling well.
"I'm, not sick Donna. I'm just congested, allergies," he said as he continued to sniffle and let out another long sneeze followed by a groan.
"Just allergies, Josh?"
"Okay fine, sick."
"Go home."
"What?"
"You heard me Joshua, go home."
"No, I changed my mind, I'm not sick. Staying here, spending time with you." ***Achoo!*** "Ugh, I hate sneezing." ***Sniffle Sniffle***
Donna gently placed her hand on his forehead. "Josh, you feel like you have a low grade fever. Go home and sleep Pumpkin Patch."
"Your hand feels good."
"Your bed will feel even better, I promise."
"But I will miss you."
"I will miss you too."
"Today is day 4 of 19 Donna . . ."
"It is," she said with a smile as she affectionately brushed his hair back.
"Can I see your chalkboard before I go home?"
She smiled at him as she grabbed her board.
Hi there! If I had to pick, I would say that my favorite dessert is chocolate cake and my candy of choice is Swedish Fish! I guess I'm hungry today!
- Donnatella
"I like cake too Donna."
"You seem like a guy who would like cake."
"I love cake."
"More than blueberry muffins?"
"Hmmm, tough call. Nah, blueberry muffins and bagels are my favorite. Especially with coffee." ***Achoo!*** "Ugh."
"No coffee tonight Josh, you need sleep. I will give you tea."
"Donnnnnna. I want coffee."
"Will you settle on decaf?"
***Achoo! Sniffle Sniffle*** "K, gimme decaf."
As she started to fill his cup, Josh smiled, thinking about all the little things he had learned about her through her chalkboard notes since late August. But before he left, he had to make sure of one thing, "Donna," ***sniffle sniffle*** "You aren't hungry, right? Your chalkboard says your hungry." He needed to know that she wasn't hungry before he left, or that if she was, she had something to eat. He would get her anything she wanted to eat, sickness and sleep be damned.
"Oh, I wrote that a few hours ago. I ate my salad since then, so I'm good. I just have a sweet tooth today. Thank you for asking though." She said as she smiled at him and handed over his coffee cup with a to go lid.
"You're welcome. I just don't want you to be hungry."
"Well that thought is reciprocated. Here's your salad. Try to at least eat a little of it when you get home, k?"
***Ahh-ahhh-ahh choo!*** "Ugh, that one hurt. Ahh-kay Donna I will try to eat some of it. Thank you for my salad and coffee Blue Eyes, even if it is decaf."
"Night, night Pumpkin Patch."
"Night, night," ***sniffle sniffle*** he said quietly as he squeezed her hand, and with much effort threw his backpack over his opposite shoulder.
As he made his way to the door he turned to wave at her. He hated being sick and that he had to cut their time together short. Even though she had said she wasn't hungry, she still had a sweet tooth, and Josh wanted her to feel satisfied. He made his way to the diner down the road and purchased a slice of chocolate cake. He walked back to Cabbot's and straight to the coffee bar. She looked at him surprised.
"What are you doing here Josh? Go home and go to bed," she said with concern, but was clearly happy to see him.
"I wanted to get you chocolate cake first, Blue Eyes. Satisfy that sweet tooth of yours." He handed her the to go box and grabbed her other hand. They looked at each other for a moment, just smiling and enjoying the last few seconds they had together that evening.
"Ahh-kay, bedtime now." ***Achoo!***
"Bedtime, Joshua. Thank you for my cake."
"You're very welcome. Anything for you Donnatella, anything."
"Anything?"
"Anything." ***Sniffle Sniffle***
"K, then I want you to go home and sleep. I want you to feel better."
"As you wish." And with that he gave her hand a little squeeze, like he always does when they part, and headed home. He was out the minute his head hit his pillow.
Thursday for Josh was a blur. He ended up sleeping in until nine, sleeping nearly fourteen hours straight. He had tried to focus on his Contracts book, but instead spent most of the time sneezing, coughing, and blowing his nose. He turned the TV on for a while, but felt his eyes glaze over as he found himself nodding off. This cold had really knocked him out. At least Donna would be happy to know that he got plenty of sleep. "Donna," he whispered out loud as a smile came across his face. He was really looking forward to seeing her that night. Seeing her would make him feel better.
Somehow, he made it through his Contracts class. He folded himself up in his Harvard sweatshirt, and didn't care who said anything snarky about his undergraduate alma mater. He spent all class sneezing (much to the vexation of several classmates), and tossing tissues into the trash can he had placed by his desk. He didn't really absorb anything from the lecture. He knew his weekend would be spent reviewing the material, but he didn't mind, since he could study at Cabbot's while Donna worked. Hopefully he would be feeling better by then.
He said a quick goodbye to Oscar, letting him know that he would be at study group, despite being as what Josh described as, "half alive." Once he got back to his apartment, he dropped his backpack, tripped over it, said a few choice words, and took a long hot shower, his second one of the day. With what energy he had left, he put his Harvard sweatshirt back on and a pair of sweatpants, and made it to Cabbot's by 5:30.
"Oh Josh, you look like you still aren't feeling well," Donna said, her voice filled with concern. She placed her hand lightly on his forehead, brushing his hair back.
"Mmmmm I feel better now."
She smiled a little at that, but was still worried about him. "You still have a fever."
"I slept for fourteen hours last night." He said proudly. "I followed your instructions. I listened." He gave her an impish grin, followed by several sniffles.
"Mmmm I'm glad you listened. Sleep will help and it appears you needed it. Are you hungry?"
***Achoo!*** "I'm not really sure, I mean I haven't eaten anything all day, but I suppose I should eat, whether or not I feel like it . . . Do you have anymore cake?" ***Sniffle Sniffle***
"Nope, sorry."
"Hmmm, okay then. How about a blueberry muffin."
"Sorry Pumpkin Patch, we sold out. Those were a hot item today."
"You didn't save me one!? Donnnnnna. You know it would make me feel better." ***Achoo!***
"Nope, sorry. Any food with immune-suppressing sugar and fat is a no-no, Joshua."
"Bagel?" He asked hopefully.
"Nope. Sorry. Bagels hardly have any nutrients and they are also made from refined flour, so they will cause your blood pressure to spike and drop, leaving you with barely any energy."
"But Donnnnnna," he whined. "I already ***sniffle*** don't have any ***sniffle*** energy, a bagel couldn't hurt. Carbs make me feel better. Carbs and coffee." ***Achoo!***
"Sorry, you aren't getting either. You're having tea with honey and homemade chicken noodle soup."
"Donna, I don't want tea- wait, did you say homemade chicken noodle soup?" His interest peaked.
"Mmmmhmmmm. Just for you."
"Just for me?" He asked, dimples appearing for the first time that day.
"That's right."
"You made it, just for me?" ***Sniffle Sniffle***
"I did."
"When did you find time to do that?" He asked, somewhat concerned. He didn't want her losing sleep over anything.
"I'm a great multi-tasker Josh. I multi-task."
"Yeah? So what were you doing while making this chicken noodle soup of yours?" ***Sniffle Sniffle***
"Laundry and homework. Possibly dancing and singing to New Kids on the Block . . ."
"Yeah?!" Josh perked up at this. He pictured her dancing and singing through her little kitchen, stirring the chicken noodle soup, and glancing at her homework. He would love to see that.
"Maybe . . ." she said coyly.
"You're cute."
"I'm gonna grab your soup. Don't go anywhere, sicky."
"There is nowhere else I would rather be Donnatella."
While Donna got his soup ready, Josh pulled his books out and settled in to his seat at the coffee bar.
"You gonna sit here tonight?" She asked as she placed a hot bowl of soup and a roll in front of him along with a mug of tea.
"If that's okay?" He asked softly as he reached for her hand, rubbing his thumb back and forth over her soft skin.
"Of course it's okay, Josh." Donna said reassuringly, "I just don't want your study buddies to get upset with you."
"I don't care what they think. Well, except Oscar, but he won't mind at all, that I'm ya know, over here," he said with a shy smile, before continuing, "I don't feel well and I just, I just . . ." He was having trouble expressing his feelings.
"You just want to sit here, eat your soup, and read your books . . ."
"And hold your hand," he added shyly, with a little smile, looking at her with his tired, deep brown eyes.
"You can do that Josh."
"Yeah?" ***Sniffle Sniffle***
"Of course," she whispered, giving him an affectionate smile.
Another comfortable moment passed between them. Holding her hand instantly made him feel better, he let the warm current wash through his body. He felt connected to her. He couldn't explain it. You just had to feel it to understand it.
"Eat your soup, Joshua." I'll be right over here."
"K," he said as he carefully brought the spoon to his mouth, drinking in the warm, flavorful liquid.
Josh was still enjoying his soup, studying, and watching Donna busy herself with customers and make drinks when he heard the familiar voices of his study group walk through the door. Of course he heard Kevin first, it's hard to miss Kevin's booming voice.
"Hey Donna, can I please have a drip coffee? Thanks," Kevin asked as he turned to Josh with a big grin. "Lyman. Are you ditching study group? Just gonna hang out with your girl here?" He asked as he winked and nodded to Donna. Josh saw her blush.
"Yeah, I'm all settled in here."
"Where did you get the soup?" Kevin asked moving forward with the conversation. "I didn't know they served that at Cabbot's. Looks freaking delicious, smells amazing too."
"No Kevin, they don't sell it here. I will join you guys on Monday," Josh hoped Kevin would get the hint that he wasn't interested in having this conversation.
"So you bring it with you or . . .? OH! She made you soup, didn't she?! Donna made you soup!" Josh, still for the life of him, could not understand why his study group was so interested in his relationship with Donna and the fact that she gave him soup. He didn't respond, he just ignored Kevin and kept trying to read.
"Lyman you are one lucky son of a bitch," Kevin said as he laughed and clapped his hand on Josh's shoulder and walked back to the table. Of course, with Kevin's loud voice, he heard every word that came next at the table.
"So Lyman is ditching us tonight. Donna brought him some soup, which looks amazing, so he's sitting up there. I mean he can eat his soup over here, we'll let him."
"Oh that's nice of her," Linda said in passing as she flipped through her planner.
"Ugh she made him soup? I wish she made me soup. What's so special about Lyman anyway?" Mark asked, still feeling the sting of his unrequited crush.
"We aren't even here for five minutes and already we're talking about the fucking barista!?" Amy was fuming as she slung her books on the table, just walking in to Cabbot's.
"Well actually, we are kind of talking more about soup," Phil added.
"Soup?" Amy asked with a scowl.
"Yeah. Donna brought Josh soup."
"Who the hell cares!?" Amy asked impatiently as she rolled her eyes and sat down in her chair. "Let's get going with Contracts. I'm not sitting here listening to this all fucking night."
"We're all here, so yeah let's do this," Keith added as he flipped through his textbook.
"Well, everyone except Lyman, he'd rather spend time with Donna than us," Kevin said as he chuckled and sipped his coffee.
"God, Kevin! He's sick, stupid! . . . He's sick and he wants to spend time with Donna. Get off his back. All of you. You've been hounding him all week. Don't you have anything better to talk about?" Oscar had had enough. "You know what, I can't do this tonight. I'm going to get more done sitting over there with Josh."
"Ughh, one thing we actually agree on. I've heard enough about her," Amy mumbled.
"No Amy, you are actually a huge part of the problem. You have been nothing but disrespectful to Josh and to Donna, ESPECIALLY Donna. It's disgusting."
And with that, Oscar collected his books and walked away from the table and towards the coffee bar.
"Hey Josh, you got room for one more?" Oscar asked as he reached the coffee bar.
***Sniffle Sniffle*** "Oscar, hey. Yeah as long as you don't mind sitting next to a sick guy."
"Ha! Been sitting next to one in my law classes, so it's cool amigo," Oscar winked at Josh and put his hand on his shoulder. "Hi Donna!"
"Hi Oscar! Are you joining Josh?"
"Absolutely. The company over here is much better."
"Well sit down and I will get you some soup. You're both going to take these Vitamin-C packets. You-" she pointed at Josh, "So that you can get better, and you-" she pointed at Oscar, "So that you don't catch what he has. I will come back with water and you can mix them in," she said as she walked off to get Oscar some soup and a little more for Josh.
"Jooooosh. Mi Amigo, por favor, Can I have her pleaseeeee?"
***Achoo!*** "No. I found her first."
"Fine," Oscar sighs, but he quickly perked backup as he sees a bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup being placed in front of him. "Gracias, Donna."
"Prego, Oscar! Eat up boys. Joshua, I will pack the rest of the soup up for you to take home. There is about five days worth," She says sweetly as she places her hand on his cheek.
"Thank you," he says quietly, as he leans his cheek into her touch and enjoys the feeling of her thumb rubbing against him as sleepiness start to invade his body.
For the next hour and a half, Oscar and Josh covered an extensive amount of material for their class. Josh, at Donna's urging, finished his mug of tea and Oscar downed two bowls of chicken noodle soup, promising Donna that when he had time, he would make his mom's Pozole and have her and Josh over for dinner. The evening rush at Cabbot's had died down and Donna was able to read for her Shakespeare class right across from Josh as he studied. They didn't say anything to one another as they both did their work, but their hands were locked together, fingers exploring, and looks of affection were passed between the two, speaking volumes. Josh eventually lost the battle against sleep as he gave in and rested his head on his book, not caring that he was at Cabbot's. Thirty minutes later, Donna gently rubbed his shoulder and whispered in his ear,
"Josh, wake up sleepy, Oscar is going to drive you home."
*** Sniffle Sniffle*** "Oh, I uh, uh, I fell asleep?" He asked, still in a sleepy trance.
"Mmmmhmmm. It's okay. You don't feel good. Go home. Get some rest, I will see you tomorrow."
"Chalkboard. I didn't see yours tonight. I always see it. Lemme see please," he asked as he blinked his eyes to help him wake up.
She smiled and went to grab her chalkboard. He reached in his bag to grab his. Of course, hers was a fantastic drawing of Jacob, Daniella, and Buddy, all wearing jackets, walking in the park. Under it was a note that said:
A PSA from your Lead Barista, Donna!
Make sure you are dressing warm when you go outside! The weather is changing. Keep your fur friends warm too! Oh, and if you go outside with wet hair, wear a winter hat! ;)
Josh's board had a stick figure, laying in bed with a thermometer in his mouth. Of course, there were arrows that said "bed", "thermometer", and "sick guy."
Hi, this is Josh! It's day 5 of 19! Don't be a Jacob and get yourself sick by going outside with wet hair and without a jacket. Jacob should have listened to Daniella . . .
"Yes, indeed!" She laughed as she looked at his chalkboard. "Jacob should have listened to Daniella."
"Jacob was just too excited to see Daniella that morning and give her a Caramel Macchiato that he didn't bother with drying his hair and throwing on layers in lieu of his jacket."
"The jacket that should be at your apartment, but is in Westport?"
"The very jacket, Donnatella," he said with a grin.
"Well, when Jacob is sick, Daniella will always bring him soup," she spoke softly.
"And when Daniella is tired, Jacob will always bring her coffee or tea . . ."
"Jacob's sweet."
"Only for Daniella."
"Okay, times up. Jacob say goodnight to Daniella, Daniella say goodnight to Jacob," Oscar said with a little chuckle. "Hey in this universe, what's my name? Olly?"
"Olly works. You can be Olly," Donna said with a grin as she got Josh a to go cup of tea and a coffee with cream for Oscar.
"Go sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, feel better."
***Achoo!*** "K, g'night" Josh said as he gently squeezed her hand. ***Sniffle Sniffle***
"Night, sweet dreams. Night Oscar! You get some sleep too, you don't want to catch this."
"And sleep is important, it's good for your health," Josh cut in as he looked at Donna with bright eyes, remembering her words.
"Yes, sleep is very important for your health," she said with a smile.
"Sleep. Got it. Will do. Night Donna, thanks again for the soup!" Oscar said as he grabbed Donna's bag of soup for Josh and they walked out of Cabbot's, but not before Josh turned around to smile at Donna one last time for the evening.