The Kind of Hoax That Leaves a Lump in Your Throat

I felt the vibrations and his warm breath on my neck before I heard him singing to me softly. My eyes fluttered open and he left a soft kiss on my forehead.

“Morning, gorgeous”

“Morning” I sighed and tried to make my eyes adjust to the bright light of the morning sun.

“You sleep okay?” he asked and I just nodded. “Good”

“What time is it?”

“About half 8”

I just nodded and josh just buried his head in my neck.

“You alright there josh?” and I felt him nod.

“I love you. I feel so stupid that I wasted all that time on other people when I could have had you the whole time”

“Who said you could have had me?” I joked and his head shot up.

“I do actually. Don’t pretend like you didn’t have some weird stalkery crush on me all those years ago”

“Ok I admit to having a crush on you, but it was neither weird nor stalkery thank you very much”

“Alright, calm down love” he chuckled and kissed the end of my nose, “the point I was getting at is, I feel stupid for going out with them. I should have just grown a pair and talked to you”

“Yeah why did you do that?”

“I don’t know, peer pressure I guess. And to take my mind off you. I thought if I had a girlfriend then my feelings for you would go.”

“Great minds think alike eh? That’s kind of how I felt towards Sonnie”

“Seriously?”

“Well kind of” I sad and moved so we were now facing each other. “I mean, I liked him at first, but then I started to fall for you again. But you had Hanna so I thought if I stayed with Sonnie my feelings for you would go. But in the end I realised it wasn’t fair an anyone”

Josh absentmindedly played with my hair as I spoke and when I was done he lace his fingers with mine.

“When you left for college I tried really hard to get over you. Like I knew I was never going to see you again, and it took a long time, but I did it. And then when I saw you again I told myself not to get too attached because it would only hurt again in the end. But do you remember that day I came to visit you in hospital and we went and had coffee?”

I just nodded and he squeezed my hand.

“Well when you were sad and we went back up to your room and we laid down and I held you whilst you cried, I fell in love with you all over again. If that was Hanna she would have been too worried about her mascara running, and I guess that’s why we went down hill from there. Not you though, I just love the way you don’t give a shit about what anyone thinks.”

“Well I care what you think”

He smiled lightly and sighed.

“I swore to myself that day that I wasn’t going to let you slip through my fingers again. That I’d keep you, no mater what it took.”

“Looks like it worked” I whispered and he nodded.

“Ive got you now and im not letting you go” He sat up then and pulled me with him, before brushing some hair out of my eyes. “Violet?” he whispered with a very serious look on his face.

“Yes?”

He went to speak but then sighed and dropped his head slightly.

“I love you”

“I love you too…” I replied and he scrunched his eyebrows together before jumping up off the bed.

“So what do you wanna do today?” he asked his serious tone now vanished.

“Oh, well it’s a nice day, how about the beach?”

“Sounds good” he smiled

“Ok well im gonna go see if my parents are awake” I said climbing out of bed. “Do mind if I ask them to come with?”

“Course not, that’s the whole reason why we came” he said with a little laugh at the end.

“Just checking” I responded before leaving the room.

I pride myself in the fact that I can read josh like a book. And not a hard book with eccentric characters and a strange, twisting plot either. I could read josh like I could read we’re going on a bear hunt. Quickly and easily.

But now I had no idea what was going though that strange little mind of his. He wanted to say something more, that much I knew, but what? Josh never really spoke about things like that unless he had to, like unless there was a reason behind it. I was mulling it over trying to think something but coming up with nothing.

Mum was up, no surprise there really, and dad was just getting up. Again no surprise. I suggested the idea of the beach and they both agreed to come.

Scarborough beach was about a ten minute walk from their house, and josh and i left before them to grab a spot before they came along a little later.

It really was beautiful here. The sea was the brightest blue I’d ever seen and it stretched out for miles, and the sun was blisteringly hot as well. Josh and I sat there for about half an hour before my mum and dad pitched up.

“You been for a swim yet?” my dad asked and I shook my head. “Go on, we’ll look after your stuff” he smiled and josh jumped up, offering his hand out to me. He pulled me up in one swift motion and looked at me expectantly.

“What?”

“You’re not going in the sea with that on?” he said, gesturing to the dress I’d slipped on over my bikini.

“Um no” I said and played with the hem of it.

“Ive seen you in less” josh whispered cheekily, loud enough for just me to hear, and I could feel the heat rising to my face. Whilst he was looking at the floor I quickly pulled it off and josh’s head snapped up.

Zahra had picked it out for me. Her and Oakley were going away soon too so we went shopping for holiday type things, swimwear being of them. I was a total mess when it came to things like this, and it wasn’t really my style what she picked out for me, but she assure me it was fine.

It was red and white striped with blue straps and a weird little frilly bit on the bottom half. It had a sort of 50’s vibe to it and was definitely growing on me.

Did I just say vibe? I think ive been near josh too much.

Josh’s eyes grew wide at the sight of me, and I quickly grabbed his arm as I ran to the waters edge. I thought it was going to be cold because that’s what the seas like in England, but it was surprisingly warm.

Josh and I both ran out to as far as we could before we just decided to dive right in. when I came up for air josh was out a little deeper than me and he waved me over.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to stand up” I called. And he just laughed before grabbing my hand and pulling me out to where he was. He grabbed hold of my waist and I wrapped my legs around his waist and encircled my arms around his neck. “You’re too tall”

“Stop complaining” he said before he kissed me. It started off innocent, but it got very heated very quickly. I pulled away, gasping for breath and josh just smiled.

“My parents aren’t that far away, you can’t do that, they might be watching”

He kissed me again, but this time he caught my bottom lip between his teeth and pulled.

“vi, its fine” he whispered huskily.

“Yeah well I’m the youngest, so I’m like their baby. I can’t be seen doing things like… that” I exclaimed and josh just laughed. We stayed in the water for about another 15 minutes before we went and dried off.

“violet love, I need the loo, you wanna come with?” my mum asked, and I nodded, pulling my dress and shoes back on.

“I will never understand why women have to go to the loo together” my dad commented and josh just laughed.

“I’m with you on that one mate”

“boys” my mum sighed and we went to the loo. After she was done I started to head back but she grabbed my arm. “you fancy going for a walk?”

“yeah sure, that sounds nice” I replied and we headed off in a different direction.

We walked along the beach, talking about anything that came to our minds when the conversation turned to coral.

“now im guessing this is shot in the dark, but I don’t suppose you’ve heard from your sister? She moved back a few months ago and I haven’t really heard from her since”

My mum always got upset over the fact that coral and I never got along. She kept saying that in the end, we might be the only family each other had left and always prayed that someday we would work out our differences.

“yeah I have actually, she’s living with me”

“sorry, what?” my mum asked a little astounded.

“yeah well, she’s got a job doing some modelling, and she does a few shoots where I work. She was only gonna stay for a bit until she could afford to go somewhere else, but now I think she’s just going to stay”

“that’s just… wow. And how are you two? I mean are you being civil with one another?”

“actually mum we get along just fine. She’s changed a hell of a lot since she’s been living with me. she more grown up now, and she looks really different too, look” I said pulling my phone out and showing her the most resent picture of her I had.

Sonnie took it when he came round one day. Coral was sitting next to me on the sofa, her arm around my shoulders and our smiling faces were squished together.

The ever present smiles on my mums face grew about 10 times wider and I saw the few tears escape from her eyes.

“Im so happy violet” she laughed and then pulled me into her arms. “You have no idea how proud of you I am. You’re getting on so well without us” she said pulling back and looked at me through narrow eyes. “Are you happy?”

“Honestly? I don’t think ive ever been happier”

“That’s all ive ever wanted love” she replied before we made our way back over to josh and my dad, why were talking animatedly about something I didn’t understand.

Football probably.

I sunk down next to josh and he kissed my forehead.

“And where have you been?”

“Mum and I just went for a walk”

“Ah I get it, ladies things yeah? You talk about me?”

“No why would I want to talk about you?” I asked teasingly and he jutted out his bottom lip. “Aw baby cakes, don’t do that, you know I love you” I cooed and he just shrugged.

“Yeah, yeah” he said and then suddenly picked me up and ran with me to the sea, before flinging me in. I eventually came back up for air and he couldn’t stop laughing. “That’s for that time in Brighton when you got my shoes wet” he said laughing.

I made a chopping movement with my arm, sending a wave of water his way, but he somehow managed escape it and ran back up the beach. And as I walked back up to where we were sat I realised something.

I really had never been happier.