I Swear, I'll Get Out of Here
Summary: Josslyn swore to herself that when the time for college came, she'd leave Port Charles without looking back. And she planned on taking Dev with her.
Josslyn was sitting on her bed when Dev burst into the room without knocking. She raised an eyebrow at that and fixed him with a pointed look, tossing aside the book of greek mythology that she was reading. "You know, it's not to polite to just burst in without knocking." She teased, sitting up on her knees.
He rolled his eyes at that and sat beside her on the bed, his jean clad leg touching her bare one. "I overheard Sonny and Carly in the kitchen." He told her carefully, gazing at her with dark eyes. "Your mom told Sonny that Jax wanted to take you to Australia."
She froze at that before nodding, moving so that she could rest her legs on his lap. "He did. But I said no."
Dev breathed out a relieved sigh, arm wrapping around her legs. "Not that I'm not glad that you're staying, but...why wouldn't you want to get away? I mean you were shot at." His voice broke at the last sentence, remembering how worried he'd been for her, how close he'd come to losing her if it hadn't been for Mr. Phillips.
Her head lowered and she stared down at her lap, fiddling with her hands. "It's...not that I didn't think about it. Because I did. A big part of me wanted to go. But...I have to stay here. I want to be here for Trina and Cam. And I'd miss my mom, Avery, and Donna. And you. But I'd also feel guilty if I left now. I mean...did I tell you that I was looking at colleges in Florida?"
His cheeks flushed as she said that she'd miss him, but he ignored it for now. Instead, he nodded at her question. "Yeah. I thought you told your mom that she was right about it being too far away.
Josslyn bit her lip and shook her head, blonde locks falling around her face like a golden halo. "I lied. I'm still planning on going to college in Florida. I love my family, but I want to have a normal life. I don't want to be scared of being a target. If I stay in Port Charles or even New York, that can't happen."
Dev didn't say anything for a few moments, thinking about what his friend had said. "What happens when you have to apply to colleges?" He wondered carefully, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, drinking her in.
She shrugged. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. It's not as if anyone can stop me from going. I have the grades, I have the money, I've been told that I will probably be able to get a Scholarship. And I'll legally be an adult."
He swallowed back the lump in his throat, pushing back his feelings of hurt to try and be a good friend.
"You're oddly quiet." She commented leaning forward to rest a hand on his cheek, turning his head toward her.
"Sorry." Dev apologized. "I'm happy for you. You deserve to feel safe and to thrive. I'll just...miss you." He confessed. And it was true. He and Josslyn might not have gotten along at first, but then he'd seen her cry when she thought she'd lost Oscar's lock and he'd seen another side of her. As they'd grown closer, he'd begun to like her more and more, as much as he liked to tease her.
Josslyn didn't know what to say in response to that. The expression in his eyes was as honest as his words and it took her breath away. "I'd...miss you too." She answered, gazing at him with wide, shocked eyes. She could swear that when he said those words, he meant it as more than just a friend and she thought back to a couple of weeks ago when Trina had told her that Dev did like her as more than a friend and that he was just trying to respect the man who'd taken him in. It had been hard to believe at first, but now she was beginning to wonder if her best friend was right. Gathering all the courage she could muster, she leaned forward, hand still cupping his cheek gently and pressed her lips to his.
He gasped against her lips before he returned the kiss, his hands going to cup her waist, pulling her closer. Soon, the need for air got to be too much and he pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers as he caught his breath. He knew that it was a bad idea. That he shouldn't be doing this, that he should've pushed her away like had months ago. He couldn't find it in himself to do that, though. He was tired of running from how he felt.
Josslyn giggled softly against his lips before she pulled away so she could look more closely at him. She took in the awe that lit up his eyes, the flush of his cheeks, and how messy his dark hair was after she'd ran her fingers through it. All at once, she was suffocated by affection for him. She felt a determination as she gazed at him. The thought that she had was insane, but she didn't care. Somehow, some way, she was going to get Dev to come with her to Florida when the time came.