A/N: Would you look at that? Another update! I'm no longer gonna be following the MWF schedule I told you guys about because I'm just so excited to release everything. I think I might be more excited than you guys with this story (oops!). Anyway, thanks for the feedback you guys gave for the last chapter. I always love reading what you think and the little theories you gave made me smile, especially since I know what the future holds for our dear Joshaya.
So, without further ado, here's Chapter 4. Enjoy!
Chapter 4: Best Friends in Need
If there was anything in the world that could cheer up Andrew Williams, Josh knew it was the Grab-A-Burger. Before they headed out for their lunch break, Josh noticed something amiss regarding his best friend. It wasn't that Andrew looked sad—Josh knew how Andrew was like when he was sad about something—but he seemed distant. Like, his mind had drifted into a different dimension.
When Josh suggested having Grab-A-Burger for lunch, he expected Andrew to jolt back to life with excitement. The suggestion did reward Josh with a reaction from his best friend, albeit it was to agree to go with him. However, their arrival at Grab-A-Burger didn't change the troubled expression on Andrew's face, even after they ordered and claimed their food from the server.
"Okay, you're really freaking me out here," Josh commented as he watched Andrew mindlessly unwrapping his double cheeseburger. "What's going on with you?"
Andrew bit into his double cheeseburger, eyebrows furrowing. "I'm being tested," he uttered, his gaze transfixed on somewhere behind Josh. "That is all this is—I'm being tested, I'm so sure of it now."
This time, it was Josh's eyebrows that furled together. "Tested? On what?"
Then, as though he flicked a switch, Andrew returned to his old chatty self. "Jasmine!" he exclaimed, eyes glinting with exhilaration.
"What about Jasmine?" Josh queried. He felt himself relax when he realized that, even though it didn't happen instantaneously, Grab-A-Burger did work its magic on his best friend yet again.
"I bumped into her this morning at the printing room and—"
"Oh, did you?" Josh interrupted with a mocking tone of voice.
Andrew nodded. "Moments like that happen organically between me and Jasmine—I don't even have to force them or anything," he rambled with a casual shrug. "Anyway, like I said, I bumped into her this morning at the printing room and I asked her if she would like to grab a drink with me tonight. Of course, being the hard-to-get woman that she is, she refused."
Josh watched Andrew dunked a fry in ketchup before slumping back in his seat. He sported a massive smile on his face, which was a big contrast to how he looked when they first arrived at the burger joint.
"So, Jasmine refused to go out with you—again—and you're happy because . . . ?"
Andrew straightened in his seat and crossed his arms on the table. "I finally figured her out, simple as that," he responded. "That woman lives for challenges. If she wants to be one, then I'll let her be. You know I'm never one to back out of a challenge, no matter how tough it—she—might be."
Josh raised his burger like he was giving a toast. "I wish you all the luck, man. May you win the woman of your dreams."
Mimicking his best friend, Andrew raised a ketchup-dipped fry and said, "Oh, I will."
Josh laughed as he worked on finishing the remainder of his burger. He still had an unconsumed boat of French fries, unlike Andrew, who was constantly switching between taking huge bites of his double cheeseburger and dunking fries in ketchup.
"By the way," Andrew piped up. "How's your big project coming along? Have you found a subject you want to write about?"
With a sigh, Josh replied, "I mean, I found something. I'm still doing some research and brushing up on the details before I present it to Filomeno, but I'm not sure if that'll be enough. Honestly, for me the topic is interesting, but of course, I've got to keep Filomeno in mind. I have to put myself in his shoes, you know? Is this something that he wants to publish in his magazine or is this too easy?"
Josh had something more to say, but he found himself holding back his tongue. He didn't know what prompted his hesitance, but Josh wanted to tell Andrew that he felt terrified. As much as he tried to put on a brave face for everyone, most specifically in front of Filomeno, the five-page spread intimidated him eminently. In five months time, Josh could lose his job. And he couldn't afford to do that—not when he had a good future to secure for him and Sophie.
"Look, I know it's something that you don't do anymore, but why don't you try scoping outside of New York again?" Andrew suggested with caution. He knew of Josh's recent decision to limit his business trips in an endeavor to stay close to Sophie. "I'm sure Sophie would understand. It is your job and your future that's on the line here."
Josh sipped his soda. "I did scope outside of New York. The story that I'm researching is in Connecticut, and with Sophie leaving again for a business trip . . . I think I can actually pull this one off," he responded.
"Where's your lady going to this time?" Andrew inquired before he shoved some fries in his mouth. News of Sophie leaving town wasn't new to Andrew any longer. Just like Josh, he grew accustomed to her constant absences.
"Los Angeles," Josh answered. "She's going to this four-day fashion convention hosted by Valentina Mendez. Andrew, if you saw her face when she told me that her favorite fashion designer was going to be there, you wouldn't be able to say no to her. To Sophie, Valentina Mendez is like the fashion goddess—other designers be damned."
Andrew nodded. "Trust me, I know," he enunciated. "Remember that one time the two of you invited me over for dinner? Yeah, when you were in the bathroom, Sophie didn't hesitate to talk my ears off when she saw the preview of Valentina's new summer line collection."
Josh chuckled. He pushed off his boat of fries to the side, feeling his appetite diminish. "I wanna say that I felt sorry for you back then, but I really didn't," he teased, reaching for his soda cup and taking a quick sip.
"Listen, I wish I could give you a better advice in terms of your big project, but what I can tell you right now is that you shouldn't give too much thought into it," Andrew advised, ignoring Josh's teasing as he began cleaning up his side of the table. "Just know your story and trust your abilities. Present that idea to Filomeno and if he ended up not liking it, you still have time to scope for a new subject. You never know, the story that you're actually meant to write about might just be in front of you this whole time."
"If this is your way of asking me to write about your buzzcut for five pages, then it's definitely not working." Josh stood up from his seat and chucked his crumpled greasy wrapper and empty soda cup in the garbage can. He likewise disposed of what little remained of his fries.
Andrew scrapped his garbage as well. "Ah, so you finally admit that you're jealous of my hair."
"What hair?" Josh mocked, which earned him a light punch on the shoulder from Andrew.
Josh laughed while the two best friends began their walk toward the exit. As they exited the establishment, Andrew emitted an emphatic groan that caught the attention of a group of high school students making their way inside the burger joint.
"I am not looking forward to going back at all," Andrew complained as he caught sight of the street that led back to People's Verse's office building.
Andrew didn't have to name names, Josh knew that only one person could annoy him to wit's end—Randell Dodson. He was one of People's Verse's employees, who worked in the same department as Andrew and who was extremely clear with his devious intention to sabotage everything that Andrew did.
"What did Dodson veto this time?" Josh asked, turning his head to look at the disgruntled expression on Andrew's face.
Andrew exhaled, stepping to his left to avoid colliding with a passerby. "He said he didn't like the font color of the heading, which is absolutely ridiculous because I'm using the exact color scheme that Filomeno wanted to do for that page. I'm serious, Josh, Dodson's definitely going to catch these hands one of these days. Ever since he got that stupid promotion, he thinks he can just boss me around and get away with it."
"Just take it easy, man," Josh advised, reaching over to pat his best friend on the shoulder. "Dodson can't suck up to Filomeno forever, you know that. Besides, if it makes you feel better, I heard Jasmine's not his biggest fan either. At least now the two of you have something in common. You guys can talk about how much you hate Dodson."
"Is there any chance that Filomeno sent out an email telling us to take the rest of the day to ourselves?" Andrew stated, taking out his phone from his pocket. He pouted when he realized he didn't have any email notifications from his editor-in-chief.
"That's very unlikely. The only thing that could lift that man's spirits up is his own daughter. Bethany could trip while walking down the street and Filomeno would cancel all of his meetings in a heartbeat just to check on her," Josh replied as he pushed the pedestrian button to cross the street.
Andrew lifted his chin in thought. "Maybe if we kidnap Bethany . . ."
Josh laughed. "Sounds tempting, but no. I have a job to save, remember? If anything, I'd be running at superhuman speed to rescue Bethany. Maybe that'll make Filomeno take my name off his list."
The "Walk" sign lit up and the two best friends crossed the street.
As soon as they were off the crosswalk, Andrew turned to Josh and asked, "How did it go with Frosty, by the way? Did she agree to work with you?"
Josh smiled. "We're functioning under a rather peculiar business deal, but it's going well so far."
"She seemed to know her way around the break room very well, though," Andrew noted. "Did you notice that? If she visits Zay all the time, I wonder why we never see her around at the office."
Josh shrugged. "Maybe Zay's keeping her holed up in his cubicle all the time to prevent her from getting harassed by Dodson," he reckoned. "You know he's never one to choose his victims."
"You just have to be at the wrong place at the wrong time," Andrew agreed with a scowl.
As the two best friends turn the corner, Josh didn't have time to stop himself and collided with a brunette, sending her stacks of binders tumbling to the concrete ground. The impact didn't faze the brunette as she carried on with her phone conversation.
"What do you mean they bailed on hosting Thanksgiving?" The brunette paused to let the speaker from the other end of the line reply. She adjusted her thick-rimmed reading glasses that rested on the bridge of her nose.
Josh and Andrew bent down to help the brunette gather her fallen binders and the loose sheets of paper that slid out. She hadn't yet given the two men a glance as she remained concentrated on her phone call. The frown on her lips and her knitted eyebrows gave Josh and Andrew the indication that the conversation was nowhere near pleasant.
"I hosted Thanksgiving last year and you and I both know how that went!" the brunette exclaimed, still sitting on her heels on the ground. "I know that was last year and things would probably be different this time around, but do you really think everyone wants to see another episode of 'When's the Baby Coming?'"
The brunette got up to her feet, and Josh and Andrew followed suit. They both stood there with the brunette's binders in their hands, waiting for her phone call to end. Neither of the two wanted to intervene because they both saw how engrossed she was in her conversation.
"Yes, you're right. Let's pick this up again tonight. Good luck with your meeting." She paused again. "We'll figure this one out, I promise. I love you, too."
The brunette ended her phone call and only then did she notice Josh and Andrew standing in front of her. She flashed them a tensioned smile and said in one breath, "Ain't nothing better than my husband telling me that his parents bailed on hosting Thanksgiving this year and I'm apparently next in line for the throne."
Without waiting for a reply, the brunette grabbed her binders from Josh and Andrew's arms. She uttered an apology and thanked them before she adjusted her reading glasses again.
"Good luck with hosting Thanksgiving," Andrew told her.
"And you're welcome," Josh added with a smile.
The brunette gave them a smile in response before she resumed her journey down the street. Josh and Andrew watched as she brought out her phone again and dialed someone's digits.
"Hey! Are you available for a late lunch? I'm stressing and I need to rant," was the last thing Josh and Andrew heard the brunette say before the crowd swallowed her.
"You asked to see me, Mrs. Friar?" Maya greeted the second she sat herself down on the seat across from Riley. The latter had a bunch of papers sprawled on the table, which made her easy for Maya to spot.
"I believe I did," Riley replied, taking her eyes off the paper she was grading. Abigal Adams High School had a pep rally that day, canceling all her afternoon classes. Nevertheless, Riley worked to finish the papers she needed to grade. The week proved to be a hectic one for her; the least that she could do to ease her tension was to lessen the workload she had to do before the weekend.
"So, what's up?" Maya inquired, peeking at the papers on the table and recognizing the name of the student. Riley always yapped about how much she adored her students, and Maya genuinely loved to hear about them. It was nice to see Riley's students progress as the school year went on.
"Oh, you know, just grading papers," Riley replied. "I want to get these done before the weekend. Lucas agreed to let me tag along with him to his business trip to San Francisco. I told him I won't be much of a distraction because I'm going to be hanging out with Isadora the entire weekend."
"How is she doing, by the way? I haven't heard from her since she and Farkle moved in together."
"Isadora's doing great—they're both doing great," Riley replied. "I told her I'll be in town over the weekend, and with a single snap of her fingers we have a spa appointment."
"Hmm, that sounds really nice," Maya commented. "I wish I could come, but . . . you know, priorities."
Riley hummed in agreement before she took a reasonable amount of ungraded papers and pulled an answer key from a blue folder. Making sure to grab a red pen in the process, Riley handed the items over to Maya.
"Will you help me grade these, please?" Riley pleaded with a smile that she hoped would make Maya help her. It wasn't that the latter needed convincing, but this wasn't the first time Riley asked her best friend for some assistance. She knew how slothful Maya could be when it came to grading papers—Math papers.
Much to Riley's relief, Maya readily took the papers from her hands and began correcting some of the students' work. By the fifth paper, Maya had most of the answers memorized. She breezed through the rest of them.
"I'm hoping this isn't the only reason why you invited me here for a late lunch. You did say you wanted to rant," Maya declared, marking a student's answer to question eighteen as incorrect. "Also . . . where's the food? I'm starving!"
"Auggie's bringing it over," Riley answered. "And no, helping with grading papers is not the primary reason why I asked for you to meet me here. I was on the phone with Lucas a while ago and guess what he told me."
Maya's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
"His parents bailed on hosting Thanksgiving this year, so they asked me to do it—again," Riley announced exasperatingly. "For once, I was happy that I wouldn't stress about it like I did last year—and you know how terrible last year was—but now . . . and then there's that thing that's definitely going to add to the stress."
The inaugural year of Lucas and Riley's marriage, a particular issue came forth between both parties' parents. It wasn't because of any unpleasant tension among the two parties; the issue rooted mainly from both Lucas and Riley's parents wanting the couple to have their first child. Riley didn't feel that she was ready for it, and nor was her husband, but their parents had been encouraging them to get on with it, saying how excited they were to have a grandchild to care for and spoil.
"The Friars and the Matthews finally realized that Auggie is already too grown-up to spoil, so they're pressuring us to give them a grandchild as soon as possible," Riley informed.
Maya sighed. "Why can't you just straight up tell them that you're not ready for that yet?"
"I'm going to," Riley said with finality. "I'm going to talk to Lucas tonight and tell him that we'll let our parents know together that we're not ready to have a child yet. Lucas's busy with his company and I'm handling about a hundred kids five days a week."
"Good for you," Maya responded. "I'm sure the parents will understand. At the end of the day, it's still yours and Lucas's decision to make. This is your family—your future family—we're talking about after all."
The food that Riley ordered earlier arrived and, with a quick 'thank you' to Auggie, the two best friends dug in.
"Anyway, enough with this baby talk," Riley stated as she drizzled some olive oil dressing on top of her salad. "De-stress me before I get stressed again because of the Thanksgiving dinner. Talk to me about your life. What's new with you?"
Maya finished her stack of papers. She capped her red pen and said, "Life's been busy recently. As far as I'm concerned, there aren't any new gallery events coming up around the city, so I've been spending less time in my studio, which I hate, by the way. I'm still creating pieces, but I'm not as strict with my time as when I was doing those five pieces for the Atford Gallery. Other than that, I'm currently handling two new clients: one for Tan House Events and one from Canvas. Both of which demands a lot of my time."
Riley's eyebrows rose, impressed. "You know, I still don't get how you manage to do everything in twenty-four hours. Do you still sleep?"
Maya laughed. "In the long run, you just gotta learn how to manage your time if you want to survive in this cruel, cruel world."
Riley passed her best friend a look that implied she made a good point. "Tell me about your projects," she goaded, ridding herself of the dreadful thought of menu planning for the Thanksgiving dinner next weekend.
"I got an email from my Canvas account two days ago from the board director of NYC Lends a Helping Hand Committee. They wanted to host a benefit concert in support of child violence, and she asked me to be the team's Creative Art Director for the project. I accepted, of course. The job was for a reputable cause; I didn't have to take a second to think about jumping on board."
"That's amazing, Maya!" Riley responded ebulliently. Her eyes glinted with admiration for her best friend.
"I know," Maya agreed. "We're holding our first meeting on Monday. Leigh said we're going to talk about the basics of the benefit concert and all the artists she's considering to become part of the whole shindig. It's happening in February of next year, which gives us three months to work on it."
Riley enthused further about how incredible it was that her best friend took the job and that if Maya ever needed an additional pair of hands, she would be more than inclined to lend hers. She'd always been involved as a volunteer in beneficial cases like these, even back when she was still in high school.
"Anyway, about that other client—"
Her phone chiming with a new message interrupted Maya. She took it out from her bag to see that the text was from Leigh.
Leigh Robinson —Hey! Are you free to meet up today? I want to talk to you before our first official board meeting on Monday. I thought I'd ease you into what's gonna happen before I submerge you with all the work. Call me as soon as you're free.
Maya typed a quick reply, which included the time and place she had at the top of her head.
"Duty calls," Maya informed Riley afterward, waving her phone in the air. She stood up from her seat and placed the papers she marked on top of the stack of graded papers. "I gotta run. I'll call you tonight, all right? Let me know how it went with Lucas."
Riley nodded. She stood up from her seat and leaned over to press her cheek against Maya's in a goodbye kiss.
"Tell Lucas I said hi!" Maya called out before she disappeared through the crowd of customers waiting to get their caffeine fix.
There you have it! I know there weren't any Joshaya moments in this chapter, but I wanted to showcase the main characters' friendships outside of each other. Also, I wanted to introduce two of the three subplots of this story, which are Jasmine and Andrew's little "romance," and Lucas and Riley's marriage. The third subplot will be revealed later on. Lastly, I also foreshadowed a little something in this chapter. Let me know what you guys think it is.
Thanks for reading guys! I'll see you in the next chapter.