The Truth Is a Terrible Thing

Josh sat there after Amelia had left, his head resting in his hands. He felt like such an idiot. He shouldn't have said no, he should have told her the truth. He should have gone home with her.

He shook his head, feeling a warm tear slide down his cheek. Amelia was probably the only girl who could make Josh cry over the most simplest things. He had to just get over it, that was the only way he could enjoy himself.

Josh spent another thirty minutes outside before he decided to reenter the party. He suddenly didn't want to be here anymore, he didn't have the urge to drink or the urge to really be around anybody that wasn't Amelia.

He didn't want to watch Amelia and Jaime together.

Josh went into the kitchen to avoid the sweaty crowd of young adults in the room next door. Instead he figured why not hang out with Mike. However Mike wasn't in the room when Josh walked in, but Max and Dan; making drinks for themselves and talking away.

"Where's Mikey?" Josh asks the two boys when he enters.

The boys looked up. "He found some blonde bird and took off to the toilet," Max says with a cheeky grin.

Josh just nods once, before walking over to the island and grabbing a beer from the cooler. "What's got you all down?" Dan asks.

Josh shakes his head, opening the beer and leaning against the counter. He debated with himself about whether or not he should tell the two what just happened, or forget about it and go home.

"Oi, don't give us that! What's on your mind?" asks Max.

Josh rubbed his finger around the rim of the beer bottle and licked the taste of beer off his lips. "Do you-" he began. "Do you think Amelia is gonna leave with Jaime?"

Dan and Max shared a quick glance at each other. "Why? Should she not be?" Dan asked.

"No, he's a nice bloke but think about what happened at warped. He's not right for her."

"And you are?"

"Dan-" Max began.

"I introduced them," Dan said. "She needs someone in her life, Josh. She needs to have a decent relationship with a guy, a good relationship like her last boyfriend."

"You have no idea what he did to her Dan, so don't you dare say that she needs a relationship like her last!" Josh yelled. "Amelia needs to be loved but she's not gonna get that from Jaime!"

It was Dan's turn to yell now, his face burning. "Jaime will at least make her feel loved! Like she's worth something!"

"And I don't?" Josh asks.

"You treat her like shit! The only time you talk to her is when you and Hanna aren't doing that well and even then you keep her in the dark! You only visit when you get into a fight with Hanna. You take advantage of her because she has a weak spot for you and she always has! She looks at you like with out she would die and you look at her like she's nothing! When we're on tour you barely talk to her! You talk to her less than you do with Hanna so don't tell me that you treat her like she's worth something."

Josh pushed himself off the counter and walked over to Dan, leaving his beer on the counter top. "You have no idea what's going on with Hanna and I, you don't know Amelia like I do, what has she ever said to you that proves other wise? Last time I checked you guys weren't that close."

"She may have not said anything to me but talk to Max, she'll tell him more than she'll tell you," Dan spat. He grabbed his beer and headed to the door. "And I hope she leaves with Jaime because at least she wouldn't be leaving with a selfish asshole like you."

When Dan was out of the room Josh turned to Max who was looking at the ground. "Is that true? What he said about Amelia and you, is it true?" Josh asks. Max nods before lifting his head. "What has she said about me?"

"Josh-"

"What has she said about me?" Josh asks again a bit louder.

"Just ask her," Max said before he too left the kitchen.

Josh just stood there in a pool of his own misery and self loathing. Maybe he should just leave it alone; let Amelia leave with Jaime and get hurt but that would be selfish of him. Instead he let the party and heading home, Amelia and Jaime nowhere to be seen when he left.

&&

Amelia laughed as she listened to Jaime and Vic joke around and pick on each other. They were really sweet guys but Amelia couldn't seem to get Josh off her mind. Why was he going back to Hanna? Why didn't he tell her he was going back before the party? These were just some of the questions she was asking herself. She shook her head, looking down at the ground and spacing from the conversation going on in front of her.

"Amelia-" she faintly heard. "Amelia, hey."

She felt someone touch her shoulder, pulling her out of her thoughts. "What?" she asks, confused.

Jaime laughed. It was only the two of them on the back patio now. Vic was gone, and so were the two girls who were all over the boys since they got outside. "I asked if you wanted to leave? Maybe go get some food, I'm starving," she suggests.

Amelia thought about it for a minute. Josh would be furious with her if she left with Jaime. Would Jaime be the end of their friendship? Amelia didn't want to risk it but she also wanted to do something different. Josh was her best friend, not her father.

"Yeah," she smiles. "Food sounds….amazing."

She set her drink down on the table before taking Jaime's arm and letting him lead her through the crowd. She bumps into Max, who wasn't as wasted as Amelia had imagined he would be.

"Hey, where ya goin'?" he asks.

"Oh," she looks at Jaime then back at Max. "Jaime and I are going to get something to eat. Have you seen Josh? I don't feel right leaving him here without saying goodbye."

Max shrugs. "I don't know, he and Dan got into a proper argument, I think he left."

"He left?" Amelia's eye widened. "Why did they get into a fight?"

"Amelia-" Jaime began, tugging at her arm.

She holds up a finger, telling him to wait a moment. "They fought about you. I think you and Josh have some things you need to say to each other. Give him a shout tomorrow, he'll be in a better mood tomorrow."

Amelia nods again. "Alright, thanks Max. I'll see ya tomorrow, yeah?" she says, turning to walk away.

"Yeah, and Amelia," she turns around. "Be careful with Jaime."

Amelia eyes him cautiously before nodding and following Jaime out of the house. She rolled her eyes as she walked outside. Why was everyone telling her to be careful with Jaime. He didn't seem like a bad guy, he actually seemed really sweet.

Jaime seemed to have noticed Amelia's facial expressions as she battled with herself in her head. "Is everything all right?" he asks.

Amelia nods, "Yeah every thing fine," she says. A small smile starts to play on her lips, her eyes looking over at Jaime. Amelia bites her lip and moves closer to him, taking a step in front of him. She places a hand on his bicep and flashes a bright smile. "Why don't we just skip the food?"

Jaime smirks, places his hands on her hips and pulling her into him. "I like the way you think."

&&

Josh sat in his flat. The tele was off, the lights were off. Everything was silent. He made a mistake. He shouldn't have come back. he should have gone back to Amelia's.

"Stupid," he says. His head resting in his hands. He looks at his phone. His background wasn't a picture of Hanna, or Hanna and him. It was a picture of Amelia and him at a shop in Greece last summer. He smiles at himself as he remembers the warmth of the sun, the way she kept complaining. Everything about that day was perfect.

"Josh," Amelia whines as he drags her by the hand towards the shops

"Amelia! You're being over dramatic, you can go back to the bookshop later," he laughs.

Amelia rolls her eyes. "What do you need here that you don't already have?"

"What do you need here that you don't-" Josh mimicked. "What makes you think I'm buying myself something, maybe I'm buying something for mum, or maybe Lissa."

"I know you aren't because you already bought them something yesterday."

"Ugh," Josh groaned. "Stop being a proper prat and just have some fun, try something on, like this," he begins, pulling a flimsy, straw hat off one of the carts.

He places it on her head and smiles. "This hat is actually really cute, here-" she pulls off another hat and puts it on Josh's head. "Now maybe all the birds back home won't turn you away."

Josh laughs and pulls out his phone. "We're taking a picture come here," he say, wrapping an arm around Amelia's sun kissed shoulders and pulled her into him. She put a hand on his chest and smiled into his phone. Before Josh can snap the picture Amelia let out a little yelp.

"Someone just grabbed my ass," she whispered.

They both began to laugh, Josh pressing his forehead against hers, he looked down at her as they both laughed and smiled. He didn't realize that his finger hit the screen and he had snapped the picture.

Josh set his phone down and got off the couch. Before he realized what he was doing he was out the door and down the street. Left, left, right down the street, turning corners and avoiding street signs outside pubs. He walks up the familiar pathway, noticing one light was on in the living room.

this was it, he thought to himself. I'm gonna tell her about what happened to Hanna and I. I'm gonna tell her about the fight. I'm gonna tell her everything.

He runs up the front steps and opens up the door. "Amelia?" he calls.

No answer.

"Amelia!" he calls but again, no answer. He hears a noise from upstairs and smiles. He runs across the house to the stairs before taking them two at a time. Making his way down the hall to the last door on the left, he could hear his heart pumping in his chest. He reaches for the door knob but stops as his hand touches the cold metal.

But it wasn't his heart beat that he was hearing. It was the sound of Amelia. Amelia and Jaime, together. Those thumps were not his heart. His heart, was silent.