Reckless

Josh.

I poked my head up from the pad of paper in my hands as I saw Dan outside the balcony struggling with the screen door. With a loud THUNK, he finally got it open.

He smiled. “Not to interrupt your writing process, but the lads want to go out to a bar or something-”

“Bit late for that mate. But brilliant,” I nodded. I needed a beer. “Let me just finish this thought.”

Looking back down at my new, annoyingly shiny and weird smelling notebook, I wrote out the last few lines of a song on my mind. It looked good in my mind and I knew what I wanted to write; there was just something in the way. A block in my inspirational highway that couldn’t be broken.

Dan paused at the door. “You should shower. You’re hair looks more and more like a nest every day.”

“Only if you put some pants on.” I said, looking at Dan as he stood there in his boxers without a shirt, “You look like a prick.”

He shrugged as he shut the door more easily then he’d opened it, and left me alone. But it was just too frustrating. I never liked forcing myself to write. When I did that, this all felt more like a bloody job. I didn’t want it to feel like that. Maybe I’d see a pretty girl tonight or something. Maybe I’d see the pretty girl from the cab and hassle her for my notebook. If she even had it.

I walked back in the hotel room to see Dan still without his clothes going through his computer and Chris lying on Dan’s bed texting. Probably his girlfriend.

At the mention, I checked my phone as I walked into the bathroom. And, per usual, there was one text from Hanna. I sighed as I opened it, already knowing what it was about to say. It was a text I’d seen too many times, I text that had fooled me time and time again. But not this time.

I miss you. I’m sorry. We should talk. Call me? xxx

I let out a breath and closed the bathroom door. I pressed the delete button after a few moments of staring and telling myself “no”. Deep down, there was a part of me that wanted to forgive her. That would be so easy. But I couldn’t, not again, not ever again.

The only thing Hanna was good for anymore was inspiration, and even that pool was running dry. Our relationship had run a long, messy course. But it was finally done.

With one last look at my phone I turned on the shower and stripped down. Once I was in, I let out one long, loud breath. I was trying to have fun here, I was. Fuck, we were a bunch of twenty-year-olds in Los Angeles, it shouldn’t be that hard. And I hated feeling like such a fucking pussy. Christ, I needed drinks.

But as I thought, I heard talking outside that I didn’t recognize instantly. It sounded like a female voice- and not Dan just being an idiot- but an honest to god girl in the room. I rolled my eyes. He’d probably already found someone to exploit.

Though the voices kept getting closer and closer to the bathroom. I stood there for a moment, just peeking out of the curtain, when all of a sudden the door flung open and my body was sent flying against the wall.

“He’s right in there. Don’t be-”

“DAN, what the fuck!?” I shouted as I peeked out again. “Who the hell is-”

But soon my eyes caught with a familiar face. I stared for a moment as Dan took his queue to leave the room, closing the door behind him. I stuck my entire head out of the shower as I stared at the beautiful girl with short blonde hair and expensive clothes. And then it hit me.

“Wait, you’re the girl from the taxi!?”

She laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, um, hi. So I have your book-”

I nearly jumped out of the shower and hugged her. “You’re fucking joking! You have it? That’s amazing, um, I would come out and hug you but-”

“No um,” She nodded, smiling a beautiful smile, “take your time. I’ll just sit out here and wait.”

“Brilliant, yes, that’s… great. Good.”

I slapped myself mentally for one, being completely naked and inside a shower, and for sounding like a fucking idiot. But I shower quickly before grabbing one of the hotel robes off a hook and throwing it on my body.

“Yes, but Serena and Dan are the classic couple you know? I feel like I’ve rooted for them from the beginning. I can’t just switch sides-”

Dan groaned. “But you CAN! Serena and Nate are undeniable, Louisa. Come on. They both come from a similar place, they both understand each other, and they’ve always been friends.”

“And that’s the thing!” Louisa said excitedly, turning to Dan as she sat on my bed and he sat at the desk, “They already know each other, they’re already going to get along. But Dan and Serena defy so many laws. I just feel like they deserve to be happy together. It was the goal from the beginning-”

I coughed, bringing both eyes to me as Chris let out a breath like he was happy that conversation at ended. I could only wonder how long it would have gone on had I not stepped in.

“Josh!” She smiled, holding up the book. “There you are. I found it on the taxi, and I promise I didn’t read it or anything, but I just thought it was probably important.” She sighed. “Sorry, rambling. But here.” She stood up, handing me my old notebook.

I smiled as I took it, finding her absolutely adorable. “Fucking Christ, I think I owe you my life. How’d you even find me?”

“I googled ‘british band josh’, and your band’s Wikipedia from there.”

A chorus of “aaah”’s when through the room as I nodded, peeling through my book. “No, but seriously, this means everything. I think my band was about to skin me.”

“It’s true.” Chris said, not looking up from his phone.

“No issue,” Louisa said as she stood up, walking towards the door. “But I have to go. It was nice to see you again, Josh. And nice to meet you, Chris and Dan.”

Dan pointed to her as she was about to go. “We will finish this Gossip Girl chat.”

She laughed. “I look forward to it. Hopefully you’ll have clothes next time.”

Dan laughed, but all I noticed as how she was polite, too. Her bright smile swayed with her skirt as she gripped the handle and slipped out of the door, almost like a ghost. There was an easiness about her, that behind that make-up and those prissy clothes, there was someone real and genuine.

Quickly, my body still only covered by a robe, I walked out of my hotel room after her.

“Louisa?” I called.

She turned just as she was about to turn down a hallway. “Yeah?”

I paused. “Just, thank you. Really.”

“Josh, it was no problem. It was my moral duty.”

“ASK HER IF SHE WANTS TO GO OUT WITH US TOMORROW.”

I paused, letting out a sigh as Louisa giggled at Dan’s request. Sometimes he could be so obnoxious.

“Dan, I’m sure she doesn’t have-”

Louisa shook her head softly, a beautiful smile on her lips. “I’d love that.”

“Well, good then." I paused. "Meet us here at like, 9?”

She nodded. “See you then.”

And she was gone down the hallway. I smiled slightly. That was unexpected. Slowly I turned and walked back into the room, only to see Dan’s cheeky smile back at me.

“You can thank me later for that, Joshua.”

I gave him a face like I didn’t know. “For what!?”

“For getting you a date.” He shrugged. “I like her.”

I let out a laugh. “It’s not a date. And you only like her because she likes to talk about your girly TV shows. Which isn’t weird, because she’s a girl.”

Dan rolled his eyes and turned back to his computer as I threw on a jumper and some shorts before taking my seat back on the balcony. I wasn’t exactly inspired yet, but I felt something inside of me starting.

Like there was something more to be discovered, something that was on the very tip of tongue.