Be My Escape

“My mum and dad want us to visit this weekend.”

This shouldn’t have been a statement that struck fear into my heart and caused my hair to stand up on end. But, as Josh and I sat on the couch in his and the guys’ flat, it did.

“Uh, what?” I questioned, removing myself from my spot cuddled up next to him into a seated and more upright position.

He shrugged from his spot next to me, obviously completely not fazed by what he just said. “They miss me, and since we’re only about forty minutes away, they want me to come out for a visit and they want me to bring you too.”

He had to be kidding. Not only had we only been dating for a couple weeks, but he still danced around my questions of what we were as if it were no big deal. I still had no idea if he was my boyfriend or friend with benefits or what, and to be quite honest it was irritating me a little.

“Seriously, Josh?” I asked him in disbelief. He gave me a look as if to say ‘well yeah, what of it?’ and I wanted to smack him. “You’re unbelieveable.” I got off the couch and started to walk towards the door, ready to leave the flat and go back to my own, but he grabbed my arm and stopped me.

“What exactly is the problem, Peyton?” he asked, exasperated.

“You’re the problem, Josh,” I said firmly, yanking my arm out of his grasp and stomping out of the flat.

I should have known he would follow me. He always followed me, ever since day one Josh had followed me. I tried to stop him by slamming the door in his face, but he was too fast. He slipped through it before I could. “Mind telling me what the bitch fit is all about and what you’re on about love?” he asked me, following me through the flat before I stopped in the kitchen to get a drink.

I got a glass of water and sipped it, refusing to answer him. I just stared him down while I drank my water. It was like a game, and I’d be damned if I lost.

“What’s up with you today, Peyt?” he asked, frustrated, taking a few steps closer to me.

I couldn’t really blame him, I guess. I was being kind of bitchy. I couldn’t stop myself though. After going a few weeks without Josh giving me a straight answer as to what we were, I was fed up. Now he wanted me to go meet his parents, and expected everything to be okay? He was out of his mind.

I took a couple deep breaths and sighed. “Nothing’s wrong Josh,” I mumbled, shaking my head. “Just a long few days is all. I’m just tired,” I lied to him.

He chuckled slightly and stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling my close to him for a hug. “You’re mental sometimes, love.” He kissed my forehead, and if I wasn’t so fed up inside I would have probably melted and then proceeded to make out with him. But I was, and I was tired, and I just didn’t have the energy.

“So, do you want to come home with me this weekend?” he asked finally as he pulled away from me.

I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to do anything a normal couple would do with Josh until he gave me an answer and told me what we were. I didn’t want to give him the easy way out. And yet, I was. I felt myself nodding and smiling, telling him I would go even though every nerve in my body was tingling and telling me otherwise.

It would be an eventful weekend, if nothing else.

***

I was not dressed appropriately. Whether I was underdressed or overdressed, I still wasn’t sure, but I could just feel it in my gut that I was not dressed appropriately.

There were a million things running through my mind as I waited for Josh to come pick me up. My sweater too low cut. My jeans had too many holes. My hair wasn’t cooperating. My makeup made me look like I was ready for a night on a corner, not a night with Josh’s family.

You name it, I thought there was something wrong with it.

When Josh finally showed up, I was a nervous wreck, and it completely showed. He picked up on my nervous state the second he stepped through my doorway. “What’s the matter love?” he questioned me with a laugh.

“Contrary to popular belief,” I muttered as I slipped on my black flats, “Meeting parents is a nerve-wracking experience.” When I finally had my shoes on, I sighed and said, “Let’s get this over with,” before brushing past Josh and out the door.

“Why are you so nervous?” he asked as he hurried to catch up to me. “My mum and dad will love you, and so will Elissa. Relax, yeah?”

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms in front of my chest. “You don’t know that, Joshua. They could hate me for all you know. I mean, Jesus, you hated me when you first met me. What if they do too?” I exclaimed, suddenly in freak out mode all over again.

Josh laughed and threw his arm over my shoulder. “They will not hate you, love. Just relax.”

I ignored him and continued to freak out internally as we walked outside. Suddenly, I realized I had no clue how we were getting to Josh’s family home. “Uh, Josh? Unless you plan on walking the whole way to your parents’ home, how exactly are we getting there?”

He smirked. “I know this may come as a surprise to you, love, but contrary to popular belief we have these things called cars here in England, and they take us from place to place.”

My face was expressionless as I laughed. “Ha, ha. You’re so funny. Let’s go before I punch you and change my mind about this whole day.”

We climbed into the little black car, which was a whole different experience in itself. This was the first car I had gotten in since my arrival in England, aside from my dad’s car when he picked me up from the airport. I started to get in the driver’s side on accident, but stopped when I noticed the wheel and heard Josh laughing behind me. “Wrong side, you nutter,” he smirked, gently guiding me to the other side of the car so I could climb in.

“Keep laughing it up asshole,” I hissed, dropping myself into the seat in a huff.

Josh just continued chuckling softly while shaking his head at me.

Josh drove and we were silent for a little while. I let my thoughts get the best of me, the same things churning in my mind over and over again: am I dressed appropriately? Will his parents like me? Why is he even bothering with this if we aren’t in a relationship right now anyways? The last question was the result of me still being bitter of my whole situation with Josh, but I couldn’t help that. I had told him since day one that I wanted to know what we were, and he still hadn’t given that to me yet. So yeah, I was bitter.

I wasn’t going to let it get to me, though. I was going to try and have a nice night and get in Josh’s parents’ good graces.

I sighed, realizing I owed Josh an apology. “Sorry,” I mumbled, continuing to stare out the windshield without looking at him.

He grabbed my hand with his free one and set it on top of his knee. I looked over then and saw he was smirking. “It’s alright, love. Meetin’ parents is stressful,” he reasoned for me, which I was grateful for. I wasn’t about to tell him the other reasons why I was in a bad mood tonight, and if he didn’t ask for them then they would stay secret.

“Just relax, though. They’ll love you, I promise.”

I didn’t argue, and instead just smiled and nodded. We would just have to wait and see.

***

“Joshua!” was the first thing I heard when I climbed out of Josh’s car. I looked up to the porch of his home, only to find who I assumed was his mother to be standing at the top of the steps, her hand son her hips and a scowl on her lips.

I tensed almost immediately, and since Josh’s hand was on the small of my back as he guided me towards this terrifying woman, I knew he could tell. He leaned down and whispered, “Relax, love,” but it didn’t help.

He sighed. “Mum, can you not terrify the poor lass the second she sees you? ‘Cause that’s exactly what you’re doin’ to her right now.”

The scowl on her lips almost immediately disappeared as her gaze traveled over to me. “Oh! I didn’t see you there, love. Hello!” she smiled, her arms opening to envelope me into a hug as soon as Josh and I got on the porch.

I hugged her back and said my own greeting before pulling away and shying back while Josh greeted his mother. “Hi, mum,” he laughed as she hugged him tight. “Mind tellin’ me what the yellin’ and scowlin’ was all about?”

“You didn’t tell me you were comin’ home this weekend, boy. I don’t have a proper dinner prepared!” she exclaimed, slapping her son on the shoulder. “While I’m glad to see you, I’m still not prepared. Come, come though,” she said, ushering us both inside. Josh kept his hand on my back, which was comforting but at the same time nerve-wracking.

When my mind caught up to what his mother had said, I gasped and stopped him. “She didn’t ask us to come?” I hissed quietly.

Josh shrugged. “Not really, no. She’s been tellin’ me to come home for dinner so I figured I’d surprise her. Problem?” he smirked, and I almost smacked him.

I refrained, and instead shoved him ahead so he’d keep going into the house and I could follow him. We walked into the kitchen, where his mother was standing with who I assumed was his sister. “Joshy!” she smirked at seeing him. “Making your grand entrance,eh?” she teased, walking over to hug him. When they pulled back and she spotted me, she said, “Oh! Didn’t see you there. And who’s this, Josh?”

“This is my friend Peyton. She’s Max’s step-sister,” he informed his mother and sister.

A million things went through my mind as I received a hug from Elissa and she ushered us over to the table. Josh calling me his friend was the first and most important. I was his friend? Only his friend? It irritated me, and it even hurt a lot. I knew we hadn’t labeled our, well… whatever we had. But he could have said just about anything other than calling me his friend.

I pushed it aside, figuring I’d ask him about it later, and focused on his family.

“Where’s dad?” Josh asked, taking a seat next to me at the kitchen table.

“Watching the football game, what else?” Elissa rolled her eyes.

Josh patted my knee and said, “Want to meet my dad?”

I shrugged and started to get up, but Elissa stopped me. “No! Let her stay here and have some girl time, will you? She’s probably only been around you guys for awhile and could use some sanity.” She winked at me to show our sisterhood bond and then Josh laughed and left me alone.

I wanted to scream, “NO! COME BACK!” but I knew that would be the most inappropriate thing I could do, so I stayed there at the table with Josh’s sister.

“So, you’re from the states?”

I nodded. “I live in Boston and go to college there, actually.”

She nodded too. “What brought you to dreary England then?” she laughed to show me she was kidding, but that she was also curious.

“My dad, actually. He owns a publishing house in Reading and that’s what I’m basically majoring in, so he got me an internship for a few months.”

“Wait, so your dad is also Max’s dad right?”

I nodded.

“Small world!” she exclaimed with a smile. Mrs. Franceschi walked over and sat with us then, a smile on her face as she did so.

“So are you and my Joshua dating then? Not to intrude,” she added quickly, obviously feeling a little guilty for being nosy. But I couldn’t blame her, really.

I shrugged. “Just friends.” I wanted to add apparently but I refrained.

Elissa smirked. “You like him, don’t you? And I don’t mean in a friendly way, I mean in a you want more way.”

I sighed, but didn’t answer. Mainly because I didn’t have an answer for her.

The look on her face quickly turned sympathetic as she reached out and patted my hand son the table. “It’s okay, love. He likes you too, I can tell. He’s probably just havin’ a hard time showin’ you that. His last girlfriend proper screwed him and I’m sure he’s just tryin’ not to rush into anything. But I can tell he likes you.” She offered me a smile, which actually surprisingly helped. I felt a little better.

I thanked her but didn’t say naymore because then Josh and his father showed up. Mrs. Franceschi clapped her hands and said, “Well, who’s hungry?”

***

“Peyton, you make sure you get Josh back here sometime soon so I can give you a proper dinner,” Mrs. Franceschi called to us as we were leaving the house.

I just laughed. “That was more than a proper dinner, Mrs. Franceschi. Thanks again!”

“Come see us before you leave, love!” Mr. Franceschi called, and I assured him I would.

We said our final goodbyes before climbing into Josh’s car and heading out.

We were quiet for a few minutes, probably taking in the events of the night. But then Josh grabbed my hand and kissed it quickly. “I told you they’d love you.”

That was all it took for me to be reminded of what he had called me when we first got there. I just nodded though, choosing not to say anything until we were home safe. I didn’t need Josh crashing because we were both angry at each other.

When we finally got back to our flats, Josh was irritated with me. I had been silent the whole ride home, and I still hadn’t said a word as we stood in front of my flat.

“What the bloody hell is wrong, Peyton?” he asked me finally, frustrated.

That was all it took.

“Nothing. Your parents loved me, your friend, which is what we wanted right?” I spat.

He groaned. “Oh come off it Peyt.”

I shook my head furiously and glared at him. “No, Josh. You’ve made it perfectly clear that you want nothing more than a warm body around. I’ve been trying to get you to come out and say what you want out of me all week, but you won’t. Tonight, when you said to your mom that I was a friend? That just showed me that you don’t expect anything to come of this.”

He shook his head slowly. “That’s not fair, Peyton. You haven’t been grilling me all week, first off. You asked me a couple times, and I said we’d figure it out. That does not in any way translate to me saying I only want to be friends. I’ve never wanted such an opposite thing from you.”

I stopped then and stared at him. This was it. He would either tell me he wanted to date me, or he would reject me and I would go inside and cry.

We just stared at each other for a few minutes. I figured he wasn’t going to get the hint, and I really was going to end up going inside and crying my eyes out. But then those fateful words escaped his lips.

“Be my girlfriend, Peyton.”

It wasn’t a question, and it required no affirmation. This was what I had been waiting for, after all. I threw him a bone though and answered him by attaching my lips to his own.

We stumbled inside then. I'm not sure either of us was expecting it, considering we had just been yelling at each other only moments before. But it was happening.

We stopped in the entryway, Josh pushing me against the doorway rather roughly. He pulled his lips away and attached them to my neck, almost immediately finding my sweet spot. He knew me too well, clearly. I didn't hesitate to wrap my legs around his waist while he gripped my thighs. Before I knew it, we were traveling through the apartment, back to my bedroom.

When we walked through the door, he set me down on my own two feet and we attached our lips again. I thought of turning the light on, but didn't bother because I was too wrapped up in Josh to do much of anything else.

Our shoes went first, almost simultaneously. Then he was pulling at the hem of my sweater, and I pulled it off over my head while his own t-shirt was yanked off too, being thrown across the room. Next, my jeans were being tugged at. Of course, I had to be wearing skinny jeans though, the most impossible piece of clothing to get off in a hurry.

Josh backed me up against the bed and I lay down on it. He unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them off me in a flash, which surprised me more than anything, and then was getting out of his own.

Before I knew it, we were tangled in the sheets of my bed, Josh hovering over me while I clawed at his back. He trailed kisses from my lips, down my neck, all over my chest, and back to my lips again, driving me insane.

I brought my hands up to his cheeks, bringing his face to my lips and kissing him full on, biting his bottom lip gently, earning a groan from him.

Everything after that was a blur.

And then it was over, and Josh was falling asleep next to me with his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me close to him while he nestled his head in my neck. Suddenly, I was so blissfully happy that I didn't think anything could go wrong, ever. Then I fell asleep with a smile on my face and not one nightmare entered my head that night.