Uncharted Territory

The airport was nearly as busy when we landed as it was when we first left, and grabbing up our bags and getting out of the terminal took no time at all for Josh and I. After barely half an hour, we were back out on the sidewalk and ready to hail our separate cabs to go to our homes on opposite sides of the city.

I was just about to grab mine when Josh reached out for my hand and pulled it down, turning me to face him.

“Why don’t you just come to my place with me?” He asked, biting his lip nervously. “Just for a bit. If you’re not ready to go home, that is.”

As nice as that sounded, our vacation was over, and I had a real life I had to get back to. “I have to be at work in the morning.”

Josh shrugged his shoulders, smiling at me gently. “So do I.”

I looked at him while he just looked back at me, his soft grin lighting up his whole face. All my life I had been mostly powerless when it came to saying no to Josh, so I nodded my head in agreement, and we hopped in the same cab and took the short ride back to Josh’s place.

His far too expensive car was still sitting in his driveway, having not been driven since we left, and a red Mercedes was parked next to it with the distinguishable ‘NAT XOXO’ license plate. I turned to look at Josh, and he looked just as surprised to see her there as I was.

“Should I leave?” I asked Josh, my mouth growing dry as I forced myself to look at him.

He looked back at me and shook his head quickly before reaching for my hand and squeezing it softly. “No, I want you to come in.”

I nodded my head in response, though my heart was beating so quickly I didn’t have enough control to do much else. Luckily, Josh grabbed my bag for me and led me to the front door of the large house he’d bought not long ago.

When he opened the door, Natalie was sitting on the sofa, a shocked look on her face when she turned around and saw that I was there.

“What are you doing here?” Josh asked when his and Natalie’s eyes met, him closing the door behind us.

“I just – I thought we could talk,” Natalie stuttered as she stood up from the sofa before her eyes flipped over to me. “What is she doing here?”

Josh reached over for my hand, squeezing it tightly as he took a step closer to me. “I invited her.”

My lips trembling, I turned my head towards him, speaking softly to him. “Should I go?”

“No,” Josh said quickly, turning his head to give me a reassuring smile. “I want you here.”

“Don’t you think it’d be best if she left, Josh?” Natalie questioned him, throwing her hands on her hips as she looked at him with a glare.

He shook his head quickly as he whispered to me “stay” before looking at Natalie again. “Natalie was just leaving.”

“We need to talk about this, Josh,” Natalie said, taking a step around the couch so there was nothing in between us and her except the air.

Josh breathed out, pressing his lips together while his eyes went to slits. “Shouldn’t you be talking with Mark?”

“I don’t want to talk to him,” she said, shaking her head quickly. “I want to talk to you.”

Josh sighed, his mouth set in a grim line. “I don’t want to talk to you, Natalie. Not anymore. Not ever again.”

Natalie let out a long breath, shutting her eyes briefly before opening them again. Her eyes were soft as she looked at Josh again, and I wondered for a moment if she was actually hurt by it all.

“When you want to talk, you know how to get ahold of me,” Natalie said, turning around Josh and I to head back to the door.

Her hand had just reached the doorknob when Josh spoke her name, causing her to turn back around.

“Natalie, wait,” he said, his hand dropping from mine so he could hold it out to her with his palm facing up. She looked at him softly, the corners of her lips working up to form a small smile. “I’ll need your key back. I don’t want you over anymore.”

Natalie sighed before reaching onto her key ring and detaching the key Josh had given her several months ago. It fell into Josh’s hand and he shoved it down in his pocket before he spoke again. “Goodbye, Natalie.”

She said nothing else before she turned back to the door and stepped out of it, shutting it behind her and leaving Josh and I alone again.

He let out a long sigh, rubbing his hand against his forehead before he turned to me again.

“I’m so sorry, Erin,” he said, shaking his head in embarrassment. “That was terribly awkward.”

“It’s okay,” I replied, giving him a reassuring smile. “You can talk to her if you want. I’d understand.”

Josh shook his head quickly, reaching his hand out to take mine again. “I don’t have anything left to say to her. I couldn’t care less if I ever see her again.”

“Josh, you were going to –”

“I know, Erin,” he interrupted. “I was going to do a lot of things, but I’m not anymore. You have no idea how happy I am right now. I’ve been waiting for you my whole life, Erin. Please, don’t let her ruin it.”

All I could do was smile at him while I shook my head. “I won’t. I promise.”

He smiled back at me – the first real smile he’d had since we saw Natalie sitting on his sofa. His free hand moved up to my cheek, rubbing over it once before he placed a soft kiss against my lips, which sent a shiver down my spine.

“How about I take you on a proper date?” He asked, pressing his forehead against mine while he smiled at me. “Before we have to go back to the real world in the morning.”

I nodded my head happily, kissing him once like he had done to me. “I’d love that.”