Ook, so this was a short wait for the next chapter & I know I should make you sweat it out a bit but I just loved writing this chapter and I'm on a roll, so I do hope you enjoy this.
Thank you to the following quick reviewers of last chapter: .DeViLz SpAwN., Twilighterheart xxxx, Little Miss Bovver, FairySkull, CullensThePackAndMeLove, and Niffer01. You guys have no idea how much your feedback means to me & I can't thank you enough!
Pete stared up at the Imperial War museum, sighing in frustration as he rubbed a hand through his hair. He hadn't heard from Josie in the past 48 hours and it was killing him. He had no idea where Emma lived except that it was a posh flat – that was all Josie had ever said about it. He'd called and texted multiple times but received nothing in return. Josie was terrible at ignoring him so it caused a terrible panic in his very bones that she was managing to stay away so well.
His only option was to find her at work. He paced the walkway, wondering if he should go in or wait to approach her on the way out. There's no guarantee she's even here, a voice grumbled in his head and he knew that was true: her hours weren't set in stone anymore so it was a shot in the dark she'd be here. Finally deciding to chance his luck that she was inside he took the steps two at a time, stopping abruptly at the top at the sight of the blonde girl, standing just through the doors.
Emma locked eyes with him and they narrowed ever so slightly at the sight of him. She hurried through the door, "What are you doing here?" she hissed.
Pete stepped back awkwardly, "I need to talk to her, please." He begged, knowing that Emma must be aware of his behavior that had caused Josie to leave in the first place. His face twisted in agony and Emma's face softened slightly.
"I wish I could help but you know how stubborn she is. She's just scared, give her time." Emma reached a hand out, grasping his shoulder lightly, "Trust me, she'll come back."
He stared into the light blue eyes that were full of concern, "Promise?" he asked pathetically.
Emma chuckled lightly, "I promise. You two idiots were born for each other, she'll break down soon." She glanced at her watch, "Now you should get out of here, she's supposed to be meeting me in about three minutes."
Impulsively Pete leaned down, pecking Emma on the cheek, "Thank you – give 'er a nudge back to me, yeah?"
Emma smiled up at him, "You got it, now go."
Pete turned on his heel, hurrying back to his car. He trusted Emma for the sole reason that Josie trusted her. If she said that Joze would come back to him, he had to believe her. He got into his car, resting his head on the steering wheel as he tried to collect his thoughts. After a few minutes his phone rang and he rifled through his pocket to grab it.
"Aye aye?" he answered reluctantly.
"Hey Pete," Matt said happily, "What's goin' on?"
Pete cringed, even the sound of another Yankee accent made his heart hurt, "Nothin' bruv, 'ow are we?"
"Fancy a pint? Haven't seen you around the past few days." Pete nodded, realizing that Matt had been absent for that terrible night at the Abbey and that he hadn't been back since.
"Erm, I'm not up for it tonight – sorry mate," though he really wasn't. The last thing he wanted was a potential run in with Dave and/or Olivia now that she was back on a permanent basis, "I'll see you tomorrow for the post-draw session though."
Pete knew there was no way he could skip tomorrow night as much as he wished he could. All he wanted was to sit alone waiting for Josie to come back to him, "Sounds good – see ya." Matt disconnected the call and Pete finally started up his car to return back to his flat praying that maybe tonight Josie would be done her thinking and come home.
Everything was such a fuckin' mess: Josie wasn't speaking to him, he wasn't speaking to Dave, the GSE was falling apart and Pete found he didn't quite care in light of losing the love of his life. Pete was amazed at the fact that he could go from the high of having Josie agree to live with him to the low of possibly having their relationship end all within a few short hours.
He felt like it was a struggle just to get out of bed without waking up next to her. Both the time when she'd left for three weeks when her Dad was sick and the two weeks they'd been broken up made Pete realize that he'd slowly built his life around Josie, his happiness was inextricably intertwined with her very being. She was it, he couldn't live without her.
Pete thought back on when her family had been here for Christmas and he'd first had the vision of Josie walking towards him in a white dress, their families and the boys surrounding them as they promised to be together forever. The more he'd thought about it, the more he wanted that to be his future. He'd even gone so far as to ask her father and brothers for permission to marry her. Then he'd bought a ring shortly after that which now sat in his bedside table, waiting for the right moment.
Fuck me, what have I done? I've driven away the best thing in my life, he thought as he sped towards his flat, praying that he'd get the chance to actually give her that ring one day.
Josie snuggled up against the warm body, smiling slightly in her sleep at the sight of clear blue eyes and the shaved blonde head. Squeezing tight to Pete she frowned slightly, Hmm – weird he's become soft and feminine like.
"Jesus Christ, Josie, not again!" the loud shout startled her awake and she saw to her embarrassment she'd been cuddled up against Emma rather than Pete. Her face turned bright red as Emma glared at her due to the rude awakening and at 3 o'clock in the morning no less.
"I'm sorry," she cried, "I'm just so used to sleeping with Pete."
"Ugh," Emma gave a disgruntled snort at the early time as she snapped the bedside light on, "So stop being a big baby and go back to him. I could deal with sharing a king sized bed with you if you'd just stay on your side. But nooo, lover-lady has to snuggle. And it's all night too, don't you need space of your own?"
Josie moved way over to the other side of the bed, hanging her head in shame. She'd been staying at Emma's for the past few days and each morning they'd go through this where they'd wake up and Josie would be practically on top of Emma dreaming that she was with Pete.
"I really am sorry but I'm still too chicken-shit to talk to him. What if he rejects me?" Josie asked helplessly.
Emma fought the urge to smack her friend in the face as she rolled her eyes, "You. Are. An. Idiot. Pete would throw himself in front of a bus if you told him you'd think it was funny, he loves you, he'll always want you – you're quite fit, you know?"
Josie hit Emma lightly, "I'll grow old and ugly and he'll trade up for some young hussy."
"Oh my God, you're infuriating," Emma said in frustration, "Just talk to him please. He made a mistake by chatting up an ex then by having a go at you for your friendship with Dave but I guarantee he regrets it. Just, just talk to him," she begged.
Josie's eyes narrowed with suspicion, "You sound mighty sure he's sorry – you haven't talked to him, have you?" Emma averted her eyes away from the intense stare Josie was giving her and as it was too early in the morning to come up with a decent lie, Josie cried out in horror, "Traitor! You talked to him? What did you say? More importantly, what did he say?"
"Argh, you're sucha brat," she groaned but continued nonetheless, "He came by the museum, looking for you of course and it was lucky I ran into him first, who knows what you would have said – that insane temper of yours surely would have come out." Josie rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut, too eager to hear what had happened, "Anyways he was practically begging for any information about what was going on in that silly head of yours."
"And what did you say?" Josie asked desperately.
"Nothing. I didn't tell him how you decided you wanted to be his wife even though he's never asked," Josie felt a stab of pain at her heart and Emma flushed at the look on her face, "I'm sorry Joze that was cruel. But I really didn't say anything – I told him you'd go to him when you were ready. I still don't get why you think he'll reject you, he looked so anguished and in pain after just two days without you. He's so in love with you it's a bit unhealthy."
"I dunno Em," she whispered in a soft voice, "You didn't see him with that blonde wench, I've never felt so ridiculously jealous in my life."
"Well," Emma gave a casual shrug, "Now you know how Pete feels when he sees you with Dave, the boys and pretty much every other man that's laid eyes on you. Puts his jealousy in to perspective, doesn't it love?"
"I hate you," Josie said, crossing her arms across her chest, "But I suppose you do have a point, I never thought about how he felt when he was in the all macho, possessive boyfriend mode – I just thought he was being a pain in the ass."
"Well now you know. Now I am begging you Joze, talk to him. You're both so stubborn but you need each other. Fuck you've no idea how lucky you are," Emma mumbled almost to herself.
"What do you mean?" Josie asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
Emma sighed, "Joze you've found your match, the man that's absolutely perfect for you, that would do anything for you. Your life is like some plot from a movie. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous – I date men for their status and it's shallow and miserable. I'd give anything to have what you have."
Josie flushed red, never realizing that Emma of all people with her money and stature would ever want something she had, "I'm sorry Em, I've been a fool – a selfish prat to not even think about how you're feeling when I'm going through these drama fits."
"Oh stop," Emma said as she brushed a tear from her eye, chalking up how emotional she was to the early hour, "You're one of the lucky ones; I'm sure my perfect guy is out there somewhere."
The two of them laid there in silence and Josie bit her lip in deep thought, thinking over everything they'd talked about and everything she'd thought of over the past few days. Without Pete in her life to talk to constantly or hug or kiss she felt off and just not herself.
An overwhelming need to feel Pete's arms around her and to be sleeping in his bed caused her to leap from the Emma's, "Ok," she said, making a snap decision, "I have to talk to him now."
Digging through her overnight bag she pulled on a pair of jeans, throwing a sweatshirt on over her as she ignored the shocked look on Emma's face, "Love, its three in the morning – don't you think you should wait?"
"I can't," she replied truthfully. She couldn't stand the waiting and not knowing what Pete was thinking. She just wanted to either get on with moving forward with their relationship or have it end now but regardless of which way it panned out she couldn't take the anxiety anymore or the pressure she was putting on her friend.
Emma blew a puff of air out before getting up and rifling through her bag. She threw a set of keys at Josie who looked surprised when they hit her and fell to the ground, "Take my car idiot – Pete would kill me if I let you take the tube at three AM just to talk to him."
Josie crossed the room and pulled Emma into a hug, "Thank you," she said softly, "For everything. I don't think I tell you enough how much I appreciate you. You're the only girl that's ever been able to stand me."
Emma snorted, "I doubt that, you're just not girly enough and were probably quite stuck up but for most part I do love you. Who'dve thought the English rose would be best mates with the uncouth Yank?" she asked jokingly, "I know you're off work tomorrow for finals so call when you can and let me know how it goes."
"I will," Josie promised before gathering all of her belongings and walking quickly out of the flat. She was suddenly wide awake and eager to get to Pete's as quickly as possible. Reaching Emma's car she slid behind the wheel, speeding into the dark streets anxious to reach him.
3:01. 3:11. 3:33.
Pete continued to stare at the clock, watching the numbers change, willing himself to fall asleep. He rolled over carefully, avoiding the wide open space in his double bed as he punched his pillow into a more comfortable shape. As he lay there, wide awake, he touched the empty space, trying to envision Josie lying in it rather than who knows where she was sleeping. He shut his eyes, flipping through the memories of her in his head, smiling to himself slightly at how happy they had been and how beautiful she was and wondering when in the hell she would come back to him. Emma had said she would but he was impatient, wanting her back now.
His memories were so vivid the scent of apples assaulted him and he could almost feel her slight weight on the opposite side of the bed, he could even hear her voice whispering, "Pete. Pete."
"Ouch!" the sharp finger poke into his side caused his eyes to snap open and to his shock Josie was seated Indian-style on her side of the bed, wearing an amused smirk at his astonishment.
"I thought I'd have to shake you awake, ya lazy bum," she joked lightly while Pete stared at her warily, trying to figure out if he'd finally lost in and was hallucinating due to exhaustion. He reached a hand out slowly, drinking in the sight of her in case she was a mirage and would disappear when he tried to touch her. He touched her hand softly and taking that as all the confirmation he needed that she was real he dragged her into his body, hugging her tight and burying his face in her hair, breathing in deeply. Josie wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself flush against him and placing a tentative, soft kiss to his neck.
"Josie," he breathed into her hair, kissing the crown of her head softly before relaxing his grip but keeping his arms locked around her, "Fuck babe, please don't leave me ever ever again," he begged, kissing her forehead tenderly as he spoke, "I'm sorry I was sucha twat."
"I'm sorry too Pete, for running out like I did." She whispered softly, "I just had to think a bit."
He felt his breath catch in his throat. So this was it. Four in the morning and she was finally ready to talk, "About what?" he asked in a strangled voice.
"Us," she replied simply, "How I'm an idiot that can't live without you and I had to come to terms with that before making sure you even wanted me."
Pete sat there shocked at her words, he'd fully expected her to say she wanted no part of this life anymore and that she thought it should be over and it was best they break up. He opened his mouth to respond but stopped when she placed a finger to his lips to shush him.
"Wait – just let me get this out." She drew in a deep breath, before locking eyes with him. Pete sat across from her on the bed, holding her hands in his while his heart pounded in his chest as he stared into her brown eyes waiting for her to start, "So, here's the thing: I've known I loved you probably since our first date at Pizza Hut and I had the violent urge to smash the waitress's face in when she was desperately throwing herself at you."
Pete chuckled at the memory, smiling softly since whatever she'd decided seemed to be a good thing for them, "I think I just never understood the full scope of just what you've done to me."
"And just what have I done to you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
Josie rolled her eyes and the sight was so heart achingly familiar Pete thought he was going to cry with joy that she was sitting in front of him, "Didn't I tell you to shush while I get this out?" she wagged a finger at him before continuing, "What I mean is I found out that you're it. I can live without being in the States, I can live without seeing my family all the time, I could even think about living without cheese but I can't live without you."
Pete felt his eyes water as he stared back at her feeling happier than he'd ever felt, "That would've been Notebook- esque if you didn't mention your obsession with cheese. But that's alright by me cause I've told you before: nothing in my life except being with you makes sense."
Josie let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She'd tossed and turned for hours over the past week and finally, in the middle of the night she realized she wanted Pete forever, she could deal with giving everything else up as long as she was with him. And once she'd determined that she decided he had to know immediately.
"And I finally know how you feel too…ya know, the whole insane, all consuming jealousy bit you do?" she smirked at him as he narrowed his eyes slightly but allowed her to continue anyway, "So I guess seeing you with blondie made me sorta realize how you feel whenever you see me with any of the boys or guys from school and I know it's just cause you love me crazily just like I love you." She gave a casual shrug as she finished explaining all that she'd figured out.
"I see," Pete said back slowly as her words sunk in.
"So you love me?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and Pete grinned at her, pulling her into his arms before kissing her lips softly.
"I love you," he whispered. As he stared down at her, tracing her jaw line lovingly, stroking her soft, pale skin, smiling at the dusting of freckles across her nose and the way she shuddered under his touch. He leaned forward, kissing her lips softly as he thought carefully before continuing, knowing it was finally the right time to ask what he'd been thinking about for months, "And I want you to marry me."
Josie felt her heart stutter to a stop before restarting frantically in her chest as Pete rolled her under him and laid her carefully onto the bed. He reached into his bedside drawer and Josie saw him remove a small, black box from its depths, "I've had this fer ages and this isn't how I planned it but when has anything with us ever gone smoothly?"
He got off the bed and knelt on one knee in front of her, "I wasn't lookin' for you but that day almost a year ago, I found you and you've made me realize that I never knew happiness before you. I can't live without ya Joze – marry me," he whispered the last words, almost pleading with her as he held up a ring. Pete felt his blood thundering as he stared at her, waiting for to answer and praying with all his might that it'd be a yes.
Josie's eyes welled with tears and she stared back and forth speechlessly between the ring in his hand and the clear blue eyes waiting for her response. Finally realizing this was actually happening she leapt off the bed, tackling him to the floor and showering his face with kisses while saying 'yes' over and over again.
Pete lay flat on his back on the floor with the wind knocked out of him by the force of her body, reveling in the feel of her lips on his face, shocked she'd said yes. Finally, he seemed to realize the magnitude of what had just happened and leaned up to capture her lips with his, kissing her deeply as she moaned softly into his kiss. He eventually pulled away, leaving both of them breathless, "I can't believe you had a ring," she said in wonder, nuzzling her nose against his as she straddled his waist.
"Had it since the end of December, right after I met yer family," he replied as he rolled her over carefully before lifting her up and placing her on the bed. He smirked down at the look of shock on her face as he began slowly removing her clothes.
"December?" she asked, her voice hitching as he inched her jeans down her legs.
"Yep – and don't worry: I did it all proper and shit, asked yer Dad and brothers for permission," he grinned down at her bare legs before pulling her forward so he could pull off her t-shirt, stealing another kiss in the process.
"You've certainly got a way with words babe, 'proper and shit'?" she questioned, arching an eyebrow but unable to stop the foolish grin that painted her face.
Pete returned her smile that neared face splitting when he pulled her shirt off and realized in her haste to get here she didn't put a bra on. He leaned forward to kiss his favorite freckle softly, "Mm, I missed you. Now you really are mine forever," he kissed his way up her collarbone, sucking lightly at the base of her neck smirking when she moaned softly.
Josie pulled Pete's shirt off, running her hands down his back, "Forever with you sounds perfect to me. I can't believe you actually want me to be your wife." She said in disbelief, arching her back when he moved down her body, kissing his way along her naked skin.
"My wife," he breathed out reverently, "I can't believe you actually want to marry me."
She wagged her left hand that now held a simple, elegant platinum band with a tastefully sized diamond. Loving the weight on her finger, she ran her hands through his hair lightly, "Well you're stuck now babe, no take backsies."
"You'll be lucky if I ever let you outta this bed, let alone ever remove that ring," Pete said seriously as he made his way back up her body to capture her lips again, kissing her deeply. He cradled her face in his hands, stroking the soft skin at the base of her neck as she smiled into his kiss. Keeping his lips locked with hers he pushed her back slowly onto the bed, breath hitching in his throat as he felt her bare legs wrap around his waist, pulling her body as close to his as possible.
"Fuck I missed you," Pete whispered resting his forehead against hers, his breathing labored at the feel of her under him.
Josie smiled up at him, "Well good – get used to me, I'm not going anywhere," she kissed him passionately, dragging her nails along his bare back lightly. Pete rolled them over, placing her on top and she kissed her way down his chest before snaking her hands into his boxers, stroking him softly. She inched his boxers off slowly as she grinned devilishly at him, kissing the tip so lightly he may have imagined it. He was painfully hard for her and she seemed to be choosing the worst time to tease him as he felt her hard nipples brush against him.
"Tease," he managed to choke out causing Josie to giggle lightly as she finally made her way back up to him she kissed him roughly before lowering herself onto him. He stared up at her, groaning in pleasure as he watched her eyes close with the intensity of their meeting.
They made love slowly and more passionately than they'd ever done before. Hours past before Josie finally collapsed onto Pete's bare chest, trying to catch her breath as she traced his West Ham crest lightly with her pinky. He snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her tight to him and kissing her head softly, "I forgot just how intoxicating you are future Mrs. Dunham," he whispered into her ear with a grin, "and exhausting."
Josie smirked up at him as she snuggled into the crook, placing her left hand on his chest and watching the early morning sunlight sparkle off her ring, "Mmm, you sound like you have a bit of a spring cold, you should call-out of work and spend the day getting bed rest," she wagged her eyebrows at him suggestively.
He tickled her side lightly, debating if he'd be able to get away with missing work when he remembered what today was, "I wish I could love – but I promised the boys we could watch the draw in class today and the twats that fill in would never let 'em."
"Engagement sex all day versus football with football winning? Sounds about right for us," she mumbled, trying to sound disgruntled but the smile that hadn't left her face gave away her true feelings.
"Oi don't be a tart, if I 'adn't promised the boys I'd skip in a heartbeat," he kissed her shoulder lightly.
"I know, it's very admirable of you to think of the boys like that," Josie said truthfully as she tried to fight the exhaustion that was threatening to overcome her. She gave a huge yawn, "I'm sleeeepy."
Pete tilted her face up for a goodnight (well, good morning) kiss, "Not my fault you waited until four in the mornin' for a serious conversation," she rolled her eyes at him but returned his kiss eagerly nonetheless.
"Not my fault you decided to propose at four in the mornin'," she mocked him slightly before kissing him again.
They lay in silence for a few minutes, both starting to drift off into sleep when the blaring sound of Pete's alarm clock startled them wide awake, "Fuck," he groaned, slamming his hand down on the snooze button, "Gunna be a long day but so amazingly worth it." He pressed his lips to hers again, rolling onto her still naked body and feeling himself grow hard again.
"Seee, your body says you want to stay with me instead of being with ten year old boys," she said, making a face when she realized how creepy that came out.
Pete snorted, the moment ruined as he kissed her shoulder lightly before rolling out of bed, "You workin' tonight?" he asked as he searched for a clean outfit to wear to work.
Josie pulled a face, "Ugh no, I have finals at school so I'll be in the library all night." She held her hand up, watching the diamond sparkle, "So not fair – I wanted you to ravish me," she pouted.
Pete grinned as he stopped getting ready and walked back to the bed to lean down to kiss her, "We've got all our lives for me to ravish you, promise." He ran his hands through her tangled hair, "Fuck I wish I could stay with you right now though," he whined.
Josie smirked, pushing him away with her foot, "We've got all the time in the world. Now go get ready before I tie you down and make you stay."
He leaned back over the bed again, pressing a kiss to her lips then kissing up her jaw before whispering, "I love you. Afternoon session before studying?" he asked desperately, needing to have her again.
"Course, now go – I'll be here waiting, wearing the exact same thing I am now." He smirked down at her, giving her one final kiss before striding into the bathroom to get ready for a long day. The only thing that would get him through it would be the thought of what would soon be a reality: Josie walking down the aisle in a white dress to become his wife. She was officially his.
Thoughts?