A Smile So Genuine

"Josh! I told you guys he was here!" It was Chase's sister, along with a group of her friends. They were practically fainting at the sight of him. I didn't want them to see me. I had enough of fans for one day. I felt Josh push me towards the stairs. "I'll meet you back at the car." Chase was already handing me a towel, throwing it over my face. I heard Josh walk out of the pool.

"Hello girls! How are you Becky?" Sam pulled my arm and lead me out the front, making sure the girls didn't get a glance at me. I felt like i was back in L.A., the body guards keeping me away from everyone.

Sam hugged me tight. "It was really great meeting you." I smiled at her, nodding my head. She handed me Josh and my stuff. "Thank you Sam. Keep in touch, ok?"

I walked away towards Josh's car, but I heard Sam call my name. When I turned around, she was running up to me. "He really loves you, Charlie. I've never seen him like this. Just don't hurt him, ok?"

I looked into her eyes. She was furrowing her brows at me, biting her lip. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "I never would."

Later that night, I was laying quietly in my bed waiting to hear Josh's footsteps up to my door. His lips touched my ear and his strong arms wrapped around my waist. We sat there in silence for a while, just enjoying the feel of each other.

"What are you thinking about babe?" Josh's voice tickled against my skin.

I closed my eyes and pressed my lips together. "Us?"

He pulled me to him so that our eyes locked. He reached up and stroked him thumb against my skin. "Can I tell you a secret?" I nodded my head.

"I'm not an expert at relationships. I'm not gonna know how to handle every fight we're gonna have because I'm not perfect." His voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

He is perfect, I thought. He's always been perfect to me.

"We're still young. There is so much that I don't know yet, so much that we will learn." He gripped me tighter, pulling me closer to his body.

"But I'm willing to risk everything I have, take chances, and learn everything I need to know just so we can be together. Just so I won't lose you. This is gonna be hard. We're gonna be a part a lot, but I will never give up on us."

I felt a warm tear trickle down my face. Josh pulled my chin up to meet his eyes. They were sparkling, tears threatening to fall. I couldn't put into word what I felt at that moment. It was quiet around us, the moon shining through the window. My heart was beating so loud, so hard I thought it would come out of my chest.

It's hard to describe love. It hard to describe exactly what you feel, exactly how you react. I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted him to understand how he was my world. How he made me happier than anything. I've been in this haze for a while. I was afraid I'd never escape the life I had, the life that put me in the spotlight. But at this moment, it was just us. There was no crowd, no cameras watching. Just Josh.

I felt his thumb wipe the tear away from my eye. He caressed my cheek and smiled his crooked smile. This was the moment I wanted to live in forever.

"The song in the club? That was about you." He smiled bigger, chuckling a bit. "And it was beautiful."

I reached for his face, desperate to feel his skin under my finger tips. I wanted all of him for the rest of my life. I let my fingers roam his skin, feeling every contour, every freckle, every bump. I wanted to remember this feeling forever. My fingers found his soft lips and I smoothed them over.

"Josh, promise you'll never leave me? Promise you'll never forget this moment." His hands slid up my sides. I felt insecure for a moment, like this was all going to be pulled away from me. Any moment now, he'd be gone, like a dream. I close my eyes, trying to hold back more tears. I couldn't bare him letting go, and I needed to know he never would.

"This is the happiest I've ever been. I couldn't forget this if I tried." His hand was on mine now, pulling it down from his face. He laced his fingers in mine, squeezing tight.

I reached up with my other hand to brush the wetness from his eyes. "I met you for a reason." His eyebrows furrowed as my hand pushed through his hair. "Why is that?"

I smiled, letting the tears fall onto my cheeks. I pressed my lips against his, whispering against them. "To feel loved."