This Is Primetime

Matt was still asleep when I got up the next morning. I didn't know if I was up this early due to excitement that he was home, or because I was worried about Josh. It was probably a combination of the two.

I made a pot of coffee and was halfway through my first cup when Matt wandered into the kitchen.

"Good morning!" I greeted him in a cheery tone.

He blinked groggily a few times, trying to adjust to the bright fluorescent lights in the room. "Morning. Why are you up so early? I thought you liked to sleep in on your day off."

"I do. But I didn't want to waste the day away by sleeping. I know you were only gone for a couple of weeks, but it felt like forever."

"It really did," he agreed. "So tell me," he poured himself some coffee and yawned. "What kind of trouble did you and Markie get into while I was gone?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Besides the obvious?"

He sat next to me at the table, giving me a sympathetic smile. "Sorry. I meant other than that."

"Pretty much nothing. After that shit went down, we just kind of hung around by ourselves. I talked to Leilani at work; she seemed to believe that Stacey would snap out of it and everything would be okay again. Now Josh is alone and miserable. I wish I knew why she broke it off. It's not like he wasn't sorry about it."

Matt shrugged as if it wasn't really a big deal. "Shit happens, Beck. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do to stop it."

"Yeah, I guess. But it still sucks."

His eyebrows pulled together over his warm eyes. He didn't say anything, but I knew that he was thinking hard. And I could guess what it was about. He knew as well as I did that things could get a hell of a lot more complicated now if we let them. I, for one, had had enough drama lately. I didn't want this to get any worse.

I pushed my coffee off to the side. "What would you say to me making you a big 'welcome home' breakfast? I didn't really get the chance to do anything like that yesterday."

Matt looked over at me, grinning. "I'm still not used to having someone here that knows how to cook. But I feel bad making you do all of that on your own, so I'll help out, okay?"

I learned that Matt wasn't actually a bad cook, he was just usually undermotivated. There isn't much that you can make for just one person and not have leftovers for a week after, so he just usually didn't even try. I managed to set the toaster to the wrong setting and completely blacken the first piece of bread I put into it, which made Matt laugh so hard he had to clutch his chest to catch his breath.

"How do you fuck up toast? Even I don't wreck it that bad!"

I tossed the charred bread into the sink, since it was still too hot to throw into the trash. "Shut up. You can make the damn toast, then, and I'll take over the bacon."

"Works for me," he switched me places.

We ended up making way too much food for just the two of us. Everytime we finished making one thing and put it in the oven to keep warm, we would think of something else that we wanted to have. Eventually, the oven was so full of platters and tinfoil-covered plates that we couldn't close it. Matt called up the rest of the band, making it seem as though I had planned on making this much food the whole time, just to surprise them. Josh declined the offer, saying that his mom was making him breakfast as he spoke. I didn't know if it was true or not, but it was believeable. His mom would do anything for him. Mike and Leilani had already eaten, and they were supposed to go and visit Mike's parents for the rest of the day. In the end, Ian was the only one who agreed to come over.

"It's about damn time you showed up," I said into the intercom as he waited for me to buzz him into the building.

"Let me in! I'm starved!"

I laughed as I hit the appropriate button and released the lock on the doors down below. I walked over to the front door of the apartment and unlocked it so he could walk right in. Matt was occupied by bringing out all the food and arranging it so that it fit on the tabletop, all the while mutterring under his breath about eating pancakes for a month straight. I reached up into a nearby cupboard and got out some plates and glasses, then dug a few kinds of juice from the fridge.

"Whoa. Breakfast of Champions, huh?" Ian laughed as he scanned the overfull table.

"Only the best for you," I flashed him a wide, childish smile.

"How did you have the patience to make this much food?"

I glanced at the clock and noticed for the first time just how long it had taken us. It was past noon. "Well, we were expecting more people, obviously. So you'd better eat a ton. You could stand to gain a few pounds, anyways."

"Hey," he crossed his arms. "That was uncalled for."

The intercom buzzed loudly, and both Matt and I gave one another confused looks before I walked over and hit the appropriate button. "Yeah?"

"Hey. I changed my mind. Can I come up?"

I paused, shocked by Josh's sudden and unexpected arrival. "Yeah, of course." I buzzed him into the building.

It seemed that Matt and Ian were just as stunned, since nobody spoke until Josh walked casually into the room. He strolled over to the table and sat down, pouring himself a glass of grape juice. Matt and Ian sat down beside him, all of us trying to shake ourselves from our stupor.

"So how are you today?" I asked, grabbing another plate from the cupboard to accommodate the late arrival.

"Better. I just decided that I don't need to sulk by myself. I might as well hang out with people that actually want to spend time with me." Josh replied.

I saw Matt look over at me sharply, but I ignored it. I knew that Josh wouldn't hang out all day; he would most likely leave when Ian did. Matt and I would still get some time alone together.

"Well eat your heart out," I told him. "Literally. I don't want to eat leftovers for a week."

The conversation lulled as we ate. I was impressed by the amount of food that we got rid of, but there was still a lot on the table when we'd finished. I began putting it into empty containers, but instead of putting them in the fridge, I set them down in front of Josh and Ian.

"What's this about?" Ian asked, inspecting the outside of the container carefully.

"It's a care package. You guys won't have to cook for two days!" I tried to sound enthusiastic.

"I don't cook anyways," Josh pointed out.

My fake smile fell and was replaced with false anger. "Fine, be that way. I'll make Matt eat it while I'm at work and can't cook for him."

"You know, I managed to feed myself before you lived here," Matt argued playfully. "I'm not totally helpless."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure you like it when you don't have to fend for yourself."

"It is kind of nice to have someone pamper me just because I came home," he admitted, smirking at me.

"Shut up." I shot back, unable to think of anything to properly counter his words.

"Well," Ian get to his feet and gathered up his care package. "I should go. I'm trying to do my laundry today. And I guess I left my place in a huge mess before the tour, so I should probably attempt to clean that up."

"Thanks for coming," I told him. "And thanks for taking home some food."

"Anytime. Seriously, anytime you have a home-cooked meal that you want to pawn off on someone, call me up."

Once Ian was gone, it was just the three of us again. A thin layer of tension settled between us, but I ignored it. I didnt want things to continue to be this awkward. I pulled my chair closer to Josh at the table and tried to read his face.

"Really, Josh, how are you doing today?" I repeated my earlier question, hoping to get a real response.

He looked over at me. "I've been better, I can tell you that right now. I wasn't going to come here, but apparently Mom was eavesdropping on my phone conversation. She told me that I wasn't allowed to sulk at home while all of my friends were worried about me."

I pursed my lips for a moment, trying to think of how to phrase what I wanted to say. "I'm always going to worry about you, Josh. No matter the situation. But I know that, if you need space, you can handle this on your own. I just need you to tell me what you need me to do."

"You're doing fine, Becky. Just the fact that I know you want to help is a big deal. Same to you, Matt," he added, casting a glance at Matt over his shoulder.

My eyes flickered up to Matt, who was casually observing our discussion. I'd almost forgotten that he was still here.

"Everyone else wants to help, too," Matt told Josh. "Mike and Ian, and I'm sure Andrew and Chris. They've always had your back."

Josh nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's true."

"I know that there isn't much we can do to soften the blow of a breakup," I continued. "But anytime that you just need to get away, call us. We'll take you to a movie or to the bar, or wherever else you might want to go."

"A breakup," Josh mumbled the words to himself in a low voice. "You know, we were fighting before I left, too. Nothing major, just a few little things. But she'd never gotten mad about the little stuff before. I guess I should have taken that as a warning."

"Girls get pissy over dumb things all the time," Matt leaned forward across the table. "I wouldn't have thought it was a sign, either."

I scowled at him. "I swear, if you say anything about that time of the month, I'll punch you right in the nose."

Matt grinned triumphantly at Josh. "See? Thanks for proving my point, Beck."

"Anyways," I ignored Matt's latest comment. "You've been through breakups before. You're the only one that knows what you need most. So just keep me up to date, okay?"

"Alright. Next time you guys ask me to do something, I won't wait for my mom to force me to do it."

I didn't wait for Matt's approval before I opened my mouth next. "We were talking about catching a movie today. Want to come along?"

"Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun. It's been awhile since I saw a movie."

I took the remains of the leftovers and put them in the fridge. Matt and I quickly got ready, since neither of us had taken the time to do so before we had started cooking. I didn't apologize for inviting Josh along. We would still have all night alone together, and I knew that Josh would have done the same for either of us if we'd needed him. I just didn't like the idea of him being alone right now. Matt didn't say anything about it; I was hoping that he was thinking the same as I was.

Once the movie was over, Josh thanked us and went home. Matt and I headed back to the apartment.

"So what's the plan for the rest of the night?" I asked as I locked the door behind us.

"I kind of feel like just hanging out here like we did last night. How about you?"

I nodded, stretching out of the couch. "Sounds perfect."

"I think that Josh really appreciated everything that you're doing for him," Matt said, sitting down by my feet.

I sat up next to him. "Are you mad that I'm trying to spend some time with him?"

He laughed at me. "I couldn't be mad at you for that, Beck. If you weren't such a sweet girl, I might not like you as much. How could I get pissed off when you're just trying to help out a friend?"

I cuddled up against him. "Good. If it ever starts to bother you, just tell me."

"It's not like you would stop, even if I told you to," he didn't sound even slightly upset by the observation.

"You're right. But I like to let you believe you have some sway with me."

He put his hand gently against my cheek and leaned in close. "We both know I could have a little bit of sway if I really tried."

And then his lips met mine. The kiss was soft, and a little unsure, but I felt like it was long overdue. How long had the two of us been avoiding making a move like this?

When we broke apart, I couldn't stop myself from smiling at him. "It's about damn time you kissed me."