Skipping Stone.

The moment the group of them left Parker’s family home was the moment Josh suddenly sensed a change in the girl. It was subtle at first. He noticed that she suddenly became very irritable. Not having time for Josh and not into any sort of sexual advances. Josh had been around his share of woman and understood that every month there was a week of hell. But that week of hell turned into two. He noticed that their usual constant flow of communication was dwindling down. The phone calls during the day were soon resorted to a missed call a day. The constant banter between texts had slowed down drastically. There were no cheeky comments and cute pictures she would often send him, there was nothing. Josh just blamed it on her work. He saw less and less of her. Her job kept her away most of the time while his tour life was picking up. The day before he left for a short tour across the pond, the two of them spend a night out of town. Josh’s pleads to just stay at her flat were shot down as Parker insisted that they were to have a few drinks with the lads. And when the night ended instead of embarking on a night of passionate sex all Josh got was a kiss on his cheek and a short ‘be safe’ and that was all.

It was already on the third week of odd feelings towards the two. Josh often found himself on his downtime looking over her twitter and instagram. He didn’t care that he seemed like a bit of a stalker but it was what he had to result to just to see what she was doing with her day. He checked his messages skimming over unanswered ones from his mates before clicking on the very slowly active conversation between him and Parker. He was growing tired of the one word answers and the uninterested responses. He had asked her what she had on tonight to which she responded with I’m going out for a few drinks with a friend. Josh instantly responded with curiosity to see what friend she was exactly speaking of but he didn’t get an answer until an hour later.

You wouldn’t know him.

That was all that was said.

“Josh, we have a signing in 10.”

Josh’s sad eyes turned away from his phone to see Rob standing there with his large arms crossed over his chest. He merely nodded his head not bothering on texting back. He shoved his phone into his pockets before walking off the bus with his head down completely confused as to what he had down to make Parker so distant.

While Josh was at a constant worry about his relationship with Parker, Parker was trying her best to forget. Ever since that night on the rooftop of her family home, she saw something in Josh was absolutely scared her. The way he looked at her, she couldn’t get it out of her head. She liked Josh, she liked him a lot and she figured that was the problem. She was afraid of falling for a boy like him, because she knew deep down a boy like him would completely ruin her. So she distanced herself. She threw herself into her line, into her job. She tried her best to ignore his calls and fight the urge to just see him, to feel him and worse of all, to touch him. Josh was like a drug to her a drug that she was quitting cold turkey or at least the best way she knew possible. So when the cute photographer Warren showed interest in the girl, she went with it. At first she was hesitant but the more texts and calls she received from Josh the more she released she needed to do this. She agreed to a date and here she was sitting across from him.

Warren was the completely opposite of Josh. Warren was dark, tall and extremely stacked while Josh was light, medium and soft. Warren sat across from her with the devilish smile as his dark brown eyes stared back into her. Warren was very much mature and very much a man. Parker couldn’t deny her attraction to the man but he wasn’t Josh and maybe that was a good thing.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

Parker smiled softly before nodding her head. “Everything is lovely, thank you.”

“You look a bit lost.”

“A lot on my mind,” she admitted before sipping on the beer in front of her.

“Anything I could help you take off?”

“Are you being cheeky?”

She noticed the wide grin on Warren’s lips as he shook his head with a chuckle. “Of course not,” he said with a wink before picking up his glass of Brandy. “Unless you want me to be,” he said placing his glass back to the table all while licking his lips.

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Will you let me know when you figure it out?”

“Oh you’ll know,” she said with a smirk before picking up her phone. “It’s rather hot in here,” she said looking at her reflection in her phone. “I look a hot mess,” she said fixing her hair hearing him chuckle.

“You look stunning, love.”

“You’re just saying that.”

He shook his head with a laugh. “I’m not one to lie.”

“All guys say that.”

“Unfortunately I’m not all guys, I’m blunt and most girls don’t take to it well.”

“There’s a difference between blunt and being a complete twat.”

Warren nodded his head with a laugh. “And which do you believe I am.”

“Another thing I need to work out.”

Parker was enjoying her night with Warren. His banter was on point and not to mention his confidence was extremely sexy. They ended the night with a quick kiss to the cheek and Parker was on her way. She ended back at the empty flat, pulling off her heels and tugging off her trousers. She sat herself on the edge of her bed. She looked down at the unopened texts, five to be exact. As she scrolled down the messages, she noticed that two were from Josh. She felt her heart fall as she glanced down at the light. She felt uneasy but nonetheless, she scanned over his words.

Well I’m about to play the show. I hope you have fun tonight. Don’t get too pissed xx

Parker felt queasy. She missed Josh, more than anything. Even the mention of his name caused her heart to quicken and her stomach to turn. She looked at the newest text from the blue eyed boy.

The show was completely mental. Going out for a few drinks with the lads, wish me luck yeah? I miss you babe xxxx

Her heart shattered at the simplest of sentences. I miss you babe mad her body melt with complete guilt. She knew this was better off, she knew he was better off. When she went onto her instagram and uploaded the newest picture. She didn’t know why she did it. She knew he would see it. But as soon as the check mark appeared just above the picture and the words doneflashed there was no going back. With a sigh she leaned back into the bed awaiting the inevitable.

“I miss you too.”

Josh was sitting at the bar with a wide smile on his face while his Malibu and diet coke was held in his hand. He watched his mates yell at the top of their lungs and just being completely mental. He loved that about them, they didn’t care who was watching they were going to do as they please. Just when Josh was about to stand and make a b-line to his group of friends calling him over, he felt his phone vibrate from inside his chest pocket. A grin spread to his lips knowing it could only be one person or at least he hoped it would. He anxiously pulled his phone from his pocket and much to his delight it was merely just a notification from instagram. He usually would just through his phone back in his pocket but he took a better look and noticed the name at the top ParkerJay and he immediately checked. And the moment the picture loaded his heart stopped. There she stood looking absolutely breathtaking in a pair of maroon trousers and a black shirt. And then he noticed the bloke besides her holding her rather tight. His jealous broke through, he felt sick to his stomach at the sight of his hand hanging low on her waist.

Lovely night with @Warren_Jenkins

Josh instantly clicked on the bloke’s name being sent to his page. He thanked the lord above that his profile wasn’t private. The first picture caught his attention, he clicked to enlarge and he instantly wished he hadn’t.

My beautiful date for the night.

And Josh lost it.

He instantly went to his contacts clicking on her name and brought his phone to his ear as he walked through the bar making his way out into the cold. It took about four rings before she finally answered. Josh felt his heart stop instantly as he felt his eyes water up for no reason at all.

“Hello.”

“What have I done?”

“Josh?”

“You know it’s me,” he spat with annoyance. “What have I done?”

“You haven’t done anything.”

“Well obviously I’ve done something,” he said as he heard her sigh on the other end. “You’ve been distant for weeks. I just figured it was your period and then just blamed stress from work but obviously it was for other reasons. How long have you been seeing him?”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Now isn’t the time to become the usual girl, how long?”

“Tonight was the first date.”

Josh nodded his head feeling the anger raging inside him. “What have I done?”

“Josh, you didn’t do anything.”

“Why are you doing this then?” he asked and just when Parker was going to speak up, Josh cut her off. “Things were going well, perfect actually. What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes you do,” he spat into the phone.

“Things just don’t work out sometimes.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes,” she said and Josh could notice the harshness in her voice. “We wouldn’t have worked out. I told you from the start that I liked you more as a friend than anything else.”

“So you want to be friends?”

“Yes.”

“Well alright,” he said with a bitter laugh. “Friends it is Parker.”

“Please don’t be like that.”

He let out another laugh before shaking his head. “You can’t tell me how to act.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah me too,” he said licking his lip in desperate need to get completely pissed. “I got to go.”

“Where are you going?”

“Bye.”

And with a click of his phone, Josh adventured back to the bar. He traded in his Malibu and diet coke for something a lot strong. Anything to forget his friend Parker Johnson.