Hey guys!
How are you lovely people? I've missed you :)) This was a bit of an impromptu post, I wasn't initially planning to do this, lol! I realized that I'm not going to be around for another week because I've got exams in 2 days (EEEP) and I felt bad leaving you guys for so long so I split a gigantic chapter into parts so at least I have something to share today.
This chapter, again, may not be overly pleasing, but I need to remind you guys that this is a SLOW-BURN story so things will be speeding up, but not at this exact moment. The Long Game is long for a reason and I'm hoping to convey that in all of my stories.
Don't worry about Maya/Riley guys, I would never shake them up. I love them too much to mess with their dynamic, they will always have each other's back!
And lastly, I would like to thank all of you guys. I can't believe we're ten chapters in, but look at us! The love and support you guys have given both myself and this story warms my heart and I cannot thank you enough. To every single reviewer, you guys are incredible! 186 reviews for 9 chapters is no small feat and I take all of your feedback and support into consideration when I write. So many of you have been with me from the start and whenever I see your name pop up it puts a gigantic smile on my face.
I can't wait to keep going on this journey with all of you.
-SleepingStarlight
NOTE: The lyrics at the beginning are from the amazing Lady Gaga, specifically from her song Alejandro. I, by no means, own any aspects of it!
You know that I love you boy
Hot like Mexico, rejoice
At this point I gotta choose
Nothing to lose
Don't call my name
Don't call my name, Alejandro
I'm not your babe
I'm not your babe, Fernando
Josh sang enthusiastically into the whisk he held, spinning in an awkward circle while attempting to mix his pancake batter. Saturday mornings were his personal favourite and there was no better way to celebrate than making a breakfast that was not a rushed bowl of cereal with too much milk.
While he typically attempted to avoid early 2000's music at all costs, the Spotify random shuffle seemed to not be too distasteful this time around so he succumbed to his inner instincts and caved to the Gaga. There wasn't much reason not to in all fairness.
"It's been so long since you last did this that I almost forgot."
Josh turned around with a guilty grin, taking in the disheveled redhead standing across the room who couldn't help but smile at the scene playing out in front of her. After spending her first night at his apartment the year before, he had woken her up in the exact same way, but at the time with Britney Spears. She had thought it dorky at the time, and it still was to a degree, but adorably so. Besides, this was a bit less scarring than seeing his routine to Womanizer.
"What can I say?" Josh teased, walking over and pecking her nose lightly, "It resurfaces on occasion."
"Can it resurface after ten a.m.?" Alina asked hopefully, pattering over to sit on the small island and dangling her feet over the edge. They had managed to find a relatively nice apartment that year without a gigantic price tag and that itself was a small miracle.
Josh laughed lightly, pouring his first pancake onto the griddle and turning to fit himself between her legs. He bumped her nose lightly with his, "Don't the pancakes help?"
Alina caved, his grin was contagious. "They always help," she admitted with a smile, before pulling him in for a brief kiss. Saturdays as a whole weren't as de-stressing for her as they were for Josh, (she usually had to work), but the mornings themselves were heavenly. She grinned into his kiss, tasting chocolate and knowing he had dipped into the chips before even making the pancakes.
Josh had just begun to wrap his arms around her waist when a burnt smell wafted through the air. He detached himself quickly, leaving Alina with her eyes rolling, cursing as he pulled the griddle off the stove, attempting to scrape off his disastrous first pancake. "This is your fault," he called over his shoulder.
Alina hopped off the counter with a light laugh, wrapping her arms around him from behind and resting her chin on his shoulder. "How so?"
Josh put the pan down and sighed, turning around and leaning against the countertop, placing his hands on her hips and drawing her closer. "You're too distracting," he murmured, leaning in and nipping gently on her earlobe. He felt a laugh bubble up past her lips and drew away.
"You know," Alina teased, smiling up at him. "It would be a lot easier to take you seriously if you weren't wearing Hello Kitty boxers."
"It would be a lot easier to focus on my pancakes if you weren't wearing my t-shirt," Josh replied, clearly distracted and running his hands along her sides.
"You're really going at it this morning, aren't you?"
"Mmhhmm." Josh had occupied himself rather quickly, skimming his nose along her neckline.
"Well," Alina drew away from him somewhat reluctantly- he was being adorably affectionate that morning and it was rather hard to resist- but she walked briskly over to the abandoned batter. "We're not doing anything until I have some pancakes."
"I suppose that's fair," Josh smiled ruefully, taking the bowl from her hands and nudging her back to her spot on the counter next to him.
"Although, I've got to ask. What's with the Hello Kitty merch?"
"It was part of a Christmas gift from Riles last year. I've managed to avoid them until now, but I've really got to do laundry so I'm desperate." He wasn't quite ready to re-enter the Matthews apartment under the casual pretence of laundry when they were surely still frustrated with him. The Laundromat around the corner would have to do, despite how reluctantly he would trek there.
"I can't believe that she goes to the same campus as us and I've literally only seen her once- and for like a minute at that! How have her first few weeks been going?"
"I think they've been going pretty well," Josh answered vaguely. He hadn't spoken to his niece since the blow-up and though a large part of him felt incredibly guilty for abandoning his niece during one of the greatest transition periods of her life, he knew that she wouldn't have wanted him there for that anyways, especially not in their current circumstances.
"You don't know, do you?" Alina guessed, as perceptive as ever.
He hesitated clearly, focusing his attention on the griddle. "Um… we haven't talked a ton. She's been busy too."
"Bullshit, Josh," Alina called out, knowing that he was hiding something but deciding not to ask him for details in that moment. He clearly needed time to process. "You should be there for her right now. And her friend Maya; they need you right now. This stuff is hard, I barely made any friends in first year. The first few months were hell."
Josh sighed reluctantly. He knew she was right, but unfortunately things weren't as simple as that.
"Why don't we go for coffee with them?" Alina suggested carefully.
Josh started, nearly pouring way too many chocolate chips onto the griddle. Could it be that simple? Could they actually manage to go out for coffee without being ridiculously hostile? Surely things must have cooled off by then.
"Besides," Alina continued, oblivious to his near mishap. "I barely know them, it would be nice to actually get to know them. They're three years younger, right? We could totally help them out and show them the nicer parts of campus."
Why was the three year age gap so irrelevant to everyone else, Josh wondered, finding himself silently agreeing with Alina's train of thought. He should have been there for them, not complicating their first week beyond repair by delving into emotions.
"You're right," he sighed, flipping the last pancake off the griddle and turning back to face her, this time with a large stack of pancakes on a plate in his. He saw her face light up.
"Can I just say this is an incredible moment?" she grinned, taking in the scene in front of her and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Not only did you just say that I'm right, but you're holding a plate of pancakes and I can't be freaked out by your boxers from up here."
Josh chuckled, it was always the small things with her. He set the pancakes on the counter next to her, leaning back in to capture another kiss, hoping for different results this time around. However, he was sorely disappointed when the redhead gave him a chaste peck and ducked under his arms, grabbing the pancakes and heading towards the table.
She turned back to face him halfway there, laughing sympathetically at the simultaneously pained and bemused look on his face. "I told you I'm going to eat first, now stop pouting and come join me. We can do other stuff after," she insinuated, wiggling her eyebrows adorably.
Josh shook his head with a begrudging smile, knowing how things would proceed as soon as she was finished. She would definitely be late for work that morning.
Riley had just finished reading the economics portion of her textbook when her phone buzzed violently on the coffee table. It had been a relatively peaceful morning, filled with reading and cups of earl grey, but, when her eyes flitted to check the contact, she could have groaned. It was a good thing that she had already finished most of her homework for that weekend- it was unlikely that she would get any more done that day.
From Uncle Josh:
To Riley:
Hey, I know a lot of stuff has been going on lately, but I was wondering if you wanted to go for coffee with Alina and I
Riley sighed, taking in the message with apprehensiveness. She was still low-key furious with her uncle, but knew that it couldn't last. If Maya had managed to almost entirely forgive him, she would have to learn how. Besides, he was family- it was a bit harder to cut people out of your life if you had to still see them at every gathering. Not to mention, she was incredibly curious as to what was so special about the redhead. It didn't seem like Josh to give up on Someday so easily, (that had been a tick of hers ever since she found out), so he must have found something special and she knew she should hear him out if that was the case. So she began to reply reluctantly.
From Riley:
To Uncle Josh:
I'm willing to try this. I guess I can't really stay mad at you forever, can I?
From Uncle Josh:
To Riley:
Hey that parts up to you, but it would be nice to try this. Even if only so that everyone else doesn't try to fix this for us :p
Riley rolled her eyes, in any normal circumstance her family would be intervening, but she knew they were just as offended by recent events.
From Riley:
To Uncle Josh:
Trust me, they hate your guts too. Dad says to do laundry in a river with a stone from now on. Where do you want to meet?
From Uncle Josh:
To Riley:
There's a place near the library called Outlet & Co, it's a really nice coffee spot if you're interested. We can pick you up on the way if you want, I was thinking like one or two o'clock. Is that okay with you?
From Riley:
To Uncle Josh:
I'll just meet you there at one. See you in a bit.
Riley shut off her phone, not waiting for a response. This would be interesting to say the least, and she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to bring Maya. She had been doing so well those past few weeks and this may just be unnecessary pain.
Besides, Riley took a deep breath, she needed some answers for herself first. Then she would find the best way to explain everything to the blonde. At least, that's what she told herself as she grabbed a sweater and pulled it over her messy mop of brown hair.
Josh pushed his phone into the pocket of his jeans, falling back onto the bed as he ran his hands through his hair. He knew he had to update Alina before she fell into whatever bear pit of emotions was about to proceed. He had just begun to formulate how he would approach the topic when the bathroom door suddenly opened and the aforementioned redhead walked out, wrapped in a towel.
"What's up with you?" Alina asked, placing her hand on her hip and taking in his stance. "I thought you'd be more gung-ho about my shift being cancelled."
"Trust me," he chuckled lightly, "I am." He reached for her hand lightly and drew her closer. "I'm just a bit nervous about lunch with my niece."
"Why?" Alina asked softly, realizing that perhaps the problem was more deep-seated than she had perceived.
"Yeah, I actually wanted to talk to you about that."
Alina narrowed her eyes, very few good things ever started that way.
"You met Maya earlier when they came to the apartment to pick me up," Josh paused, the next part would be the hardest. He wanted to be honest- he had always tried to be (though the levels of his success did not always correlate with his efforts). But, this had to be as painless as possible so he wasn't entirely sure what light to present it in. That being said, he didn't have five hours to create a concise plan, so he started describing what could easily be a long story in a few sentences.
"When we were younger she had a huge crush on me. It was a big deal for her. I told her that she was too young for me more times than I can count, but she never really let it go."
Alina sighed, this was a bit more complicated than she anticipated. "Did you like her?" She by no means saw Maya as a threat, a childhood infatuation wasn't usually a cause for worry. But, she could see clear as day the beautiful girl's appeal and knew it was better to ask rather than find out later. Besides, she and Josh had been together for a while now, and that he was willing to talk to her about this already spoke volumes.
"I think I might have," Josh admitted, his head bowing down slightly. "I told her that maybe when she got older we could try to work something out."
"But, then we got together," Alina finished, finally realizing why the situation with Riley was so strenuous. Best friends did not take kindly to people who fucked up their counterpart, familial relations aside.
"Yeah," Josh echoed quietly. "I didn't even tell her, she found out that day she met you."
"Wait," Alina stepped back from him, turning slightly pale. "She found out about us that day?! Josh, it's been a year and a half! How could you do this to her?!"
"I- I" Josh stuttered slightly, surprised with her reaction. He knew all that to be true, but he had expected her to be more concerned with the state of their relationship rather than Maya's feelings.
"For god's sake Josh," Alina cursed, running her hand through her wet hair, "no wonder she looked like she saw a ghost when she walked into the apartment." She began to put the puzzle pieces together, "And I kissed you before you left! Oh god, do you have any idea how much that must have hurt her?"
"Trust me, I know," Josh murmured, glancing down at his folded hands, empty after she had backed away in shock. He knew how terribly things had turned out, but it was slightly discerning to see his girlfriend reacting in that manner. Not necessarily unjustified, but discerning nonetheless. "I was stupid and a coward. I know I hurt her."
"That's why your niece has been avoiding you, isn't it," Alina questioned, already knowing the answer. It was what best friends did for each other. Though the blow may not have cut Riley as deep, it was there nonetheless.
"Yeah."
There was a silence that seemed to envelope them at that moment, each thinking through how they could move forwards from this. Josh couldn't help but feel that he had messed up absolutely every aspect he had any control over, and that was a painful thought that he hadn't been quite ready to face until that moment.
Alina moved first, walking back to sit on the bed next to Josh and gently taking his hand in hers- rubbing her thumb across his knuckles soothingly.
"You messed up, kid," Alina said softly. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that we found each other. I love you. But, you really should have told her."
"I know."
"Is this going to be a bit of a make-up lunch?"
"I think it might be," Josh responded. "But I don't think Maya's coming, it might be easier to talk with Riley first anyways."
Alina furrowed her brow at his comment, it seemed more logical in her eyes to tackle the root of the problem, but he knew the two best so she let it go. There was something about the situation that she couldn't quite pinpoint. She was grateful that Josh felt that he could confide in her about this, so many people would just avoid it. She was angry with him because he really did act stupidly. She felt bad for the two girls and for having likely ruined their first week at NYU. And, she was nervous. This would be a much heavier conversation than she had expected. But, family was complicated- she of all people knew that.
Quick Author's Note:
There is a lot more Joshaya in the next chapter! I hope you'll stick around for it and persevere through the Josh/Alina centric moments that I know bother some of you a lot, LOL. I never thought they were too bad, even kinda cute!