The Truth Is a Terrible Thing

The coffee shop was quiet as Amelia sat at the table with her coffee held tight in her hands. The heat from the white cup was practically burning her hands through the sleeves of her shirt that covered up to her knuckles. Josh said that he had to meet up with the lads for a quick writing session and then go back to his flat in order to get some clothes before going to throw around some ideas for the new Down But Not Out range. So there Amelia was sat with her coffee and Desiree.

"Did you talk to any of the guys about Josh?" Des asked as she ran a spoon through her tea. The only thing she ever drank; tea and water. Amelia always figured that was why Desiree was so skinny. Desiree had the model figure. Perfect porcelain skin, tall and skinny figure. She had thick black hair that hung down her back in perfect straightness. Here eyes were a gorgeous hazel, and her lips full and pink. Amelia had always envied Des for her looks. She was surprised Josh wasn't all over her every time she walked into the room.

"I talked to Max and he said that he would try to talk to Josh but that was three days ago and I haven't gotten the chance to talk to him since."

"Josh has been at your house for the last three days?" Des asked surprised. Amelia nods. "How long does he normally stay when they fight?"

"Two nights at most," says Amelia. "It's been four."

Des nearly choked on her tea. "Four nights? Jesus, him and Hanna must of really gotten into it."

Amelia shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee. She hadn't thought much of how long Josh had been staying at her flat. She knew it was odd that he was there for so long but she didn't mind, she wasn't going to send him home. Not if he didn't want to go. She figured he would leave when he's ready or when Hanna called and oh how she would hate the day that comes. "I told him to tell me when he's ready and so far he hasn't said a word so he must not be."

"Or he's holding something back," Des smiled.

"I like to think thats not the case," she sighed. "I don't know what to do about it. I think I'm overreacting about everything, I should probably just drop it."

"You're not overreacting," Des laughed. "You're just being a concerned friend. Has he been acting different? you know, like being more fun, or acting more of a prat then he already is."

Amelia picked at her nails that were resting on the white table. "Not exactly, I mean he has been more touchy lately but if I was to grab his hand or try and hug him he would sort of push me away and get angry."

Amelia hated how Josh was acting since the movie night with the lads. One minute he wants to be with her, holding her and acting like such a smut but if Amelia tried to even lay a hand on him he would snap as if a switch went off inside him. He would back away or make up some excuse that involved him busying himself.

"Maybe he broke up with Hanna," Des shrugged before taking another sip of her hot tea.

Amelia shook her head and laughed. "Josh would have at least told me that and why would be be staying at my place?" Des shrugged. "So enough about Josh, tell me about this bloke you want me to meet."

Des smiled brightly at the sound of that. "Oh you'll love him his name is Tyler, he comes into the magazine shop all the time. He has black hair, blue eyes, and is absolutely gorgeous. He's from Wales, ya know."

"No," Amelia says rolling her eyes. "I don't know."

Des rolled her eyes at her friends sarcasm before continuing. "Anyways. He's really sweet when he comes into the store and I think that you'll be perfect for each other. Maybe he'll help you get over Josh," she said with a shrug as she mixed her tea.

Amelia's eyes shot up at her friend. Get over Josh? she thought to her self. Why would I need to get over Josh? "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Oh don't play dumb Amelia. You've been in love with Josh since the day you first met."

Amelia blinked at her friends words. In love? With Josh? she never.

She could recall the day she first met Josh. How he was this short chubby little boy that lived next door and she, the new neighbor. She remembered walking next door with her mum; Amelia attached to her moms side. Her mom knocked on the white door; holding Amelia's head into her side. A little chubby boy had answered the door, his short brown hair sticking up and his bright blue eyes filled with curiosity. Amelia was drawn to his eyes. Well more like drawn to him. She suddenly didn't feel nervous anymore. She let go of her mothers side and walked in front of the boy, sticking out her hand.

"Hello! I'm Amelia Howell. We just moved in next door. It's nice to meet you," she smiled brightly.

Josh smiled shyly at her before shaking her hand. "Joshua Franceschi," he says.

"Where's your mum Joshua?" Amelia's mother asked Josh. Before Josh could answer his mum came around the corner and soon the two women were engaged in an intense conversation.

Josh looked down at his feet. "Do you want to come play with me?" he had asked.

Amelia nodded as Josh took her hand in his and led her to the back yard.

Amelia smiled to herself at the memory. The memory that changed her life for the best. Josh had been her rock since then. The one to keep her from floating away into the oblivion of her imagination. If it wasn't for him, she would more than likely be in Antarctica singing songs to penguins.

She shook her head quickly, coming back from her thoughts before looking across the table at Des. "I'm not in love with Josh, Des. You know this. We're just really good friends. How many more times am I going to have to explain this to you?"

"Until you guys stop acting like you're in a bloody relationship," she yells a little loudly. "Look Amelia, I've only known you since we were sixteen but I've seen you with other guys. I see the way you look at them. Like the way you looked at Mark when you two dated. It was nothing compared to how you look at Josh. You look at him like he's your everything, like without him there you'll die."

Amelia dropped her head, looking at her coffee. She remembered Mark. The boy who she thought she loved. The boy that left her on the side of the road in London because she brought up the fact that Josh had seen him with another girl a week previous. The one that made her realize that being in a relationship was overrated. "Mark was a mistake okay? He was just a stupid fling that ended badly."

"It was more than bad Amelia. He cheated on you, several times might I add. He was a sick kid. Acting all sweet before he turned into the worlds biggest twat," Des spat. Desiree wasn't exactly a fan of Mark, well nobody was. Desiree had a drawn out plan to bomb his flat sitting in her closet for 'safety measures.'

It had been a year since Amelia last saw Mark. Last she heard he was living in Manchester with his newest girlfriend. Some American he had flown over to the UK. Seemed fact enough to Amelia; he had probably gone through every women in England; If that was even possible.

Amelia sighed. "Look, I'm over it, okay? I'm doing fine without him, I'm doing fine being single, and I'm not in love with Josh."

"Yes you are," Des mumbled into her tea cup. She set the cup back onto the table and looked up at her quiet friend. "I know you're doing just fine with the single life but I still think you should meet him. Just let me give him your number and we can see where things go from there. Just one date, Amelia. Thats all I'm asking," she begged.

Amelia scrunched up her nose in thought. She didn't really want to go out on a date with some guy she had never met but she also didn't want to upset her friend. She hated dates, they were always so awkward, and at first they're quiet before things start to pick up; thats when it goes south. They start to show you more of who they really are and all the dates Amelia had been on ended in disaster. "Fine, you can give him my number but one date Desiree, thats all he gets."

"Yes!" Des said in excitement, throwing her hands in the air and nearly knocking over her tea cup. "You won't regret this!"

Amelia stood up gathering her coat. "I already am," she mumbles. "I've gotta go clean up my flat before Josh gets back. I'll call you later, yeah?" Des nodded as Amelia tossed some money down onto the table before exiting the small coffee shop on the corner.

&&

The sky was pitch black, not a single star in the sky or cloud or well anything. The moon was gone, the sun was gone, hell even the buildings had vanished. Everything was black. It was only her; standing the middle of the darkness without a clue of how she got there.

"Hello?" she called out to nobody in particular hoping, praying, for an answer. With out a sound in return Amelia began to walk into the darkness, her feet heavy. She walked and walked for what seemed like forever and it's quite possible it could have been, until the figure of another person came into view. She noticed the familiar denim jacket, the gray beanie and the dark pants. She approached him slowly. "Josh?" she whispered.

Josh turned his head to look at her. His eyes puffy and red; his cheeks wet. He stood up quickly, still crying. "Amelia, I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Amelia shook her head, running into his arms. She wiped away the tears on his cheek the best she could with the sleeve of her jumper. "Josh, why are you crying?" she asked so sincerely she though she might cry herself.

Josh just shook his head, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. "I'm so sorry," he said again.

"You're sorry about what Josh?"

"I'm sorry for ever falling for you. I ruined you, I ruined us," he says as he pushes Amelia away gently. Amelia opened her mouth to speak, but Josh cut her off before she could begin. "I think it's best if you leave, Amelia. Go do what you wish, you won't see me again. I promise you that."

Amelia's eyes began to water, tears slipping from behind their barrier and onto her pink cheeks. "Josh, you don't mean that-"

"But I do," he nods as he begins backing away from her. slipping further and further away into the darkness. "You'll be better off without me, just leave and please, don't come back," he says before the darkness swallowed him whole.

Amelia was awoken from her dream by the sensation of someone sliding into her bed. The bed moving underneath her and someones arm snaking around her waist. . She let out a small groan, adjusting herself. "Did I wake you?" Josh asked.

Amelia nodded, her eyes closed. "What time is it?" she mumbles.

"11 pm," he says.

Amelia shot up in her bed; looking at her clock sitting on the desk across the room.

11:23

Amelia groaned and lay back down on the bed, rubbing her face. "I've been asleep for 11 hours?" she asked more than stated.

Josh let out a chuckle. "You were tired, so what. You need to sleep, and now that I'm here we can sleep some more."

Amelia snuggled into him, burying her face into his chest. "I don't know if I'll be able to sleep now," she confessed.

Josh placed his chin on top of her head, pulling the blanket over them. "What will help you fall asleep?" he asked.

Amelia shrugged nonchalantly, picking at her nails. "Just talk to me I guess," she says. "About anything would be fine."

She felt Josh nod. He moved to look down at her; placing a finger under her chin. She looked up at him. "Want to tell me why you were crying when I walked in here?" he asked in all seriousness.

Amelia didn't recall crying or even falling asleep crying but she did recall the dream. It was so vivid, and so real that she didn't know if she should tell him. "I had a weird dream."

"About?"

Amelia looked down at her hands before mustering up the courage to tell him. She looked back up at him. "You."

Josh smiled. "And what about me?"

"You told me to leave and never come back," she whispers. "You told me thats what was best."

Josh felt a pang in his chest as he heard the hurt in his friends voice. The shakiness of her words as if she believed it were true. Josh pulled her into him even more; holding her tight to his chest. "I would never send you away Amelia, ever."

"It just felt so real, Josh. You told me-" she stuttered. "You told me you were sorry, sorry for ruining what we have. It just made me realize how much my life would suck without you."

Josh looked down at her. "I'll always be here, Amelia. Through everything, you got that. I love you, and whether you like it or not I'm here to stay. We're gonna grow old together, like we promise when we were kids. Even if we're not married, it'll always be you and I, old and together because that's what best friends do."

Amelia smiled into his chest, a few tears running down her cheek. He wiped them away with his thumb, smiling sweetly at her. "Night Josh," she whispered.

"Night love," he said, kissing the top of her head.