The Truth Is a Terrible Thing

Rain.

That's all it seemed to do lately was rain but what should you expect in the spring months of Weybridge? The sky was a gloomy grey, been like that for days, very depressing yet in a strange way relaxing. It gave Amelia an excuse to stay indoors, away from society for a few hours. That's what she really wanted to do with her time; just stay inside huddled on her bed reading an old book. Most people were inside, probably trying to find something to do to pass the time. Some canceled their plans until the rain stopped, but the rain never stopped for tea with friends.

She was curled up on top of the blankets; Jane Eyre resting in her lap. It was only the millionth time her eyes were met with the pages, but it was one of her favourites. She could read it a million more times and it would still never get tiring. The only sounds were the rain hitting the window and the slick turning of each page. Other than that it was silence.

Sometimes she liked the silence, other times it was almost too silent to bare. If it wasn't her flat mate causing a ruckus it was her mates, being loud and annoying as usual. She was expecting one of them to walk in and ruin the silence. She almost counted on it. The bursting of the front door, her name being shouted and when she didn't answer, there would be threats or accusations thrown about. Finally one of them would reach the bedroom door, practically kick it open and tackle her causing her to lose her page. Clearly, this happened more often than not. For now though, she would take in the silence while it lasted. The pure enjoyment of being left alone to her favourite book and the gloomy Weybridge weather.

"Oh, Amelia darling? Where are you?" she hears. She rolls her eyes with a smile, nibbling at her bottom lip as she continues to read. She hears the muffled sound of shoeless feet hitting the hard wood floor, growing louder as they near her bedroom door. "Amelia, are you fucking? You dirty slag you. It's gonna be quite awkward if I walk in on you and some bloke!" She laughs quietly to herself, still reading. The doorknob makes a sound as it's turned from the other side before it swings open and Amelia doesn't even bother to look at the door knowing exactly who it was. "There you are, love," he says, closing the door and crossing the room before jumping onto the bed.

"'Hello Josh," she says, uninterested in anything other than her book.

"'Hello love," he smiles widely at the girl. He looks at her, waiting for her to look at him, just once to let him know she's paying attention. "What ya' reading?" he asks, moving his head to look at the book. He rolls his blue eyes. "Again Amelia, really? How many times are you gonna read this book before you realize it's never going to change. They fall in love, shit happens. It's all the same." Josh crossed his feet, his hands laced together on his chest as he lay opposite of Amelia.

"It's a classic love story you arse, and just because everyone knows they fall in love doesn't make it any less magical when it happens," Amelia closed the book and tossed it aside, giving the boy laying on her bed her full attention. "Now, tell me, what did you come here for and why are you dressed so nicely?" she asks, looking at his black loose fitting skinny jeans, white dress shirt and black tie.

The boy looked at her, offended. "Can't a boy visit his best mate just for the hell of it?" he asked. She gave him a doubtful look. "It's true! I just came by to see if you were still alive and breathing, you didn't answer your cell when I called, and I had some important things to do today, had to dress the part."

"It's on silent," she says, implying her phone, before throwing her leg over Josh in attempt to climb off the bed. Josh looped his arms around her waist, stopping her from climbing over. She sighed and looked down at Josh's smiling face. His blue eyes full of enjoyment. "Oi, let go of me."

Josh shook his head. "Not until you agree to do me a favor."

Amelia knitted her eyebrows together. This was never good. Josh's favors, they normally always ended in disaster. She never willingly said yes either, he always found someway to force her into it. Taking her only towel while she was in the shower, locking her out of her own flat in the middle of winter. He always had his way of getting people to say yes to things because he knew they would normally say no. "I knew it," she rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Franceschi?" she asked forcefully.

"Christ," says Josh. "You don't have to ask like that. I'm not gonna ask you to do anything horrible."

"Just spit it out before I have to slap you."

Josh smirked. "Feisty, I've always found that sexy about you, Howell," Josh laughed as Amelia slapped his chest with a giggle. "Okay! Okay, the lads and I want you to come out tonight," he said, motioning his hands as if to say, 'I don't know.'

Amelia raised an eyebrow, sitting back on Josh's lap. Josh pursed himself up on his elbows. "What do you mean 'come out?' come out where?"

Josh chuckled. "To a pub, obviously. If you don't come Max is going to be rather pissed. You wouldn't want to upset little ol' Max now, would you?" He smirked.

Amelia pulled on the sleeves of her cardigan so they covered her small hands. Biting down on her thumb nail she shrugged. "I don't know, Josh. I'm not really in the mood today"

"You're never in the mood," said Josh, rolling his eyes. He grabbed her hands and pulled them away from her mouth. "Come on, I told them I would bring you. I can't show up alone. Please?" He pouted, pushing his bottom lip out a little, his eyes growing in size.

She bit at her lip, her eyes looking everywhere other than Josh. She couldn't stand when he gave her that look. Those bright blue eyes of his looking at her with an endearing gaze. Though her attempts at avoiding eye contact with him, Amelia's gaze slowly shifted from the window to the boy underneath her. With a sigh of frustration she gave in. "I particularly hate it when you give me that look, Josh James."

Josh's smile only grew. "I particularly hate it when you call me Josh James. Now lets get you dressed," he slapped her leg causing a yelp to escape her lips. She jumped off Josh and took a few steps back as he threw himself off her bed and made his way to her wardrobe. He pulled open the double doors and took a step in, flicking on the light. "We need to take you shopping," he said, wrinkling his nose as he looked around the wardrobe.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you were gay."

"You're such a comedian," Josh smiled, rummaging through her clothes. The god awful sound of hangers rubbing against the metal filled the wardrobe to the point Amelia couldn't take it. It was like having finger nails dragged across a black board.

"Wait," she said walking further into the wardrobe. "I just bought this yesterday. I was gonna save it for my birthday dinner with mum and dad tomorrow but maybe-" she stopped as she pulled out the turquoise bag, a blue ribbon tied at the top kept the handles together. She walked out of the wardrobe, Josh following close behind. Josh closed the doors to the small wardrobe before walking over to the bed where Amelia stood. Her freshly painted fingers pulled gently at the blue ribbon. She turned towards Josh, wrapping the ribbon around his head before tying it up in a bow.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

Amelia smiled and shrugged nonchalantly. "Making you look cute. You could use all the help you can get."

Josh laughed sarcastically. "Quit it, just open the damn bag so I can see what retched thing you've bought yourself now."

Amelia glared at him, her hands pulling open the bag. She dug her hands into it and pulled out a pair of cream coloured ballet pumps. Setting them on the bed so Josh could look at them, she pulled out a spaghetti strap dress. The bottom half a cream colour, the top a pinkish, split in half by a black band. Josh grabbed it out of Amelia's hands. He pressed it against Amelia's body and nodded.

"Alright, it'll have to do for now. Get ready, the lads want us there by six," he said before leaving the room.

Amelia rolled her eyes once the door closed and sat down on her bed, pulling off her shoes. She tossed them aside and stood up unbuttoning the blue and white stripped cardigan that hugged her body. She couldn't help but think that this dress was too much for a pub, but then again Josh's current attire was too much. All in all, if she had changed her mind on what she was wearing Josh was sure to be mad even if he didn't like what she chose.

She finished getting ready and walked out of her room and into the living area. Josh sat on the sofa; his feet crossed each other on the coffee table. The football game played on the TV when she ventured into the large front room. She liked her home. It was her fathers, before he realized that having two homes in one town wasn't the smartest of ideas. Still under his name and fully paid for he gave it to his daughter and whomever else she chose to let live there. Everyone seemed to want to do things at Amelia's. Movie night? Amelia's. Dinner? Amelia's. Party? Sadly, Amelia's. It's not that Amelia didn't like that people enjoyed her home over most it was the fact that half the time she couldn't get rid of whomever was there at the time.

She took another step into the room, clearing her throat in attempts to get Josh's attention. He turned his head around, looking at her for only a second before returning his gaze to the television. His head quickly snapped back around as he jumped up. He tried covering up his actions by coughing into his fist. Like that would work. "You look," he began, eyeing her up and down. "Amazing."

Amelia blushed. "Really? It's not too much for a pub?" She moved her legs, standing on her toes one leg at a time as she examined her dress.

Josh shook his head. "Of course not. You look beautiful, as always," he smiled causing Amelia's cheeks to become even more rosy. "I thought you were going to look like a total train wreck though."

"You always know how to ruin a perfectly good moment, don't you?"

Josh smiled. "That's just what I do, love." He shut off the television and sighed, grabbing his jacket. "Right, you're ready, yeah?" Amelia nodded. "Good. Let us proceed to get completely wasted."

With a roll of her eyes Amelia grabbed her coat and followed Josh out of the front door and down the path way. "Are you going to at least tell me what pub you're taking me to?"

Josh shook his head. "If I did that it wouldn't be much of a surprise, yeah?"

"Who said anything about this being a surprise?" She questioned, raising a thin eyebrow.

Josh laughed. "It's a saying, It's not really a surprise. Why on earth would we surprise you? You're not that special."

Amelia scoffed. "You're such an arse, Josh James." she laughed as they walked along the pavement.

Josh cringed. "Why must you call me that?"

"Because it annoys you, yeah?" Josh nodded. "Then there, the more it annoys you the more I say it. Josh James, Josh James, Josh James, Josh Ja-"

"Keep it up and I'm gonna toss you in front of the next car we pass." He smiled sweetly.

Amelia Pouted. "You wouldn't do that. You love me too much."

Of course I do, always have always will, Josh wanted to say but Amelia cut him off too quickly.

"Where's Hanna?" Amelia finally asked, though it had been on her mind for a few minutes now. Josh and Hanna were normally always together. Practically inseparable since they started dating. She was clingy when he was home but away, he was lucky to hear from her at all. Maybe a few calls here and there, some visits when she had time. Amelia was always questioning what their relationship was based on when Josh was away.

Josh shrugged nonchalantly. "At home, I told her that I just wanted to spend the night with you and the lads."

"And she was okay with that?" Amelia raised an eyebrow, skeptical that Hanna would actually let Josh spend time with someone other than herself.

Josh shook his head with a smile. "No not really. She thinks that I won't come home tonight."

"Will you?" she asks, sticking her hands into the pockets of her pea coat. "Go home tonight, I mean."

Josh's smile only grew as he shook his head. "Probably not. I've done nothing but spend time with her," he threw his arm around Amelia, bringing her into him. "I miss you sometimes, even if you are only a twenty minute walk away."

"She's gonna be furious. Hanna doesn't like me much does she?" Her words dripped with sadness as they left her mouth. Amelia didn't like when people didn't like her. She knew she couldn't be liked by everyone but when someone like your best friends girlfriend hated your guts, it hit home. Amelia never did anything to hurt Hanna, never got into a fight, or caused drama. She didn't like Hanna but she was still civil around her, Hanna though, was not.

Josh looked down at Amelia; his soft blue eyes saw the sadness in her green ones. He looked away almost immediately. Those eyes of hers were almost too much to handle. He looked ahead of him and sighed. "She doesn't hate you; she just thinks I rely on you to much for stuff. She says we're too close."

"Too close?" She asked in disbelief, pulling away from Josh just a little to get a better look at his face. "She keeps you away from-" Amelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What I mean is, you would think she'd be happy you have all these friends you're so close to. Someone to help you with things when she can't."

"I know, but let's not talk about Hanna right now, yeah? Tonight is about you, me, and the lads, celebrating. "

"Celebrating what?" she asked as they neared the middle of town.

"You'll see," he smiled down at her before kissing the top of her head gently.