P.S. I Think I'm In Love With You

"So what exactly do you plan on doing?" Alyssa asked, popping a grape smothered in peanut butter into her mouth.

Josh smiled. "Only you would find a way to turn something healthy into something unhealthy."

"Whatever," she said, dipping her finger into the jar and sticking it in her mouth, giving Josh a wide smile with brown gunk stuck in her teeth. (Very attractive, I couldn't help but think with a smile.) "I'm going to take full advantage of my fast metabolism while i can."

"And then you explode," Josh said. "Great plan."

She threw a pillow at him which he easily caught. She glared at him for a second before she continued her snack.

"I just want him to like me. I mean, he's gorgeous. We all know that and, well, I just think it'd be great to be with him." I said, bringing the conversation back to the real reason we were at my house.

"Our Joshy here is gorgeous too," Alyssa said, pointing her sticky index finger at him. "He's a very close second. In some ways, he's better."

"How's that?" Josh asked.

Alyssa shrugged. "You're not a man-whore?"

"That's true, but not the second thing. I'm not that good looking. I'd say I'm average...if even." He looked down and messed with his hands.

Alyssa snorted (another attractive feature of hers). "You don't give yourself enough credit. I mean, have you looked at yourself? You have the most amazing brown eyes I've ever seen, your hair is shiny and soft, which means you've got good hygiene, which is ALWAYS a plus. You have very good bone structure, don't have gross bushy eyebrows, you are completely toned from all that water polo, you have the best smile...do i really need to continue?"

Josh rolled his eyes and shook his head. I looked at him carefully. Like Alyssa said, he was a very close second. Josh's brown eyes turned towards me and I quickly looked away, noticing the small smile on his face when he looked down.

"I think you should go for Josh," Alyssa continued, her mouth filled with peanut butter again. "Every girl and even some guys are after him. You have no idea how many girls try to get me to hook them up with you."

"Really?" Josh asked with an amused smile. "I haven't noticed."

"That's because you're friends with the best girls in the school," Alyssa grinned. "But seriously. Lots of girls come up to me asking if he's ever going to go out with anyone. I mean, we're seniors and he's never actually had a girlfriend. They think your standards are too high or you've got a thing going with both of us. Either way, they're completely jealous. So, I think it's only fair, that Anna goes out with you. She's totally better than that Victoria chick."

"What's wrong with Victoria?" he asked. "You two were the ones that wanted me to go out with her."

"That was before we realized how annoying and clingy she was," Alyssa replied, stealing the words from my mouth.

"She's not that bad," he shrugged.

"Well, I'm gonna put this peanut butter back before I make myself sick," Alyssa said standing up.

"Why do you eat it if you're allergic?" I asked, changing the subject.

"It's delicious, duh," she said. "I'm not THAT allergic. It just makes my stomach hurt. That's all. But if I eat too much it COULD be a laxative, but considering-"

"Ew," Josh and I said at the same time. Alyssa grinned and skipped down the hall and called over her shoulder, "don't talk anymore without me!"

"I'm thinking of asking her to be my girlfriend," Josh said, looking up at me.

"Alyssa?!" I asked in complete shock.

"No," he said laughing. "Victoria."

"Oh..." I said, trying to act casual. "That's...cool."

"We've been seeing each other for a while and I think it only makes sense..."

"Oh, yeah," I answered, agreeing almost immediately. "Totally. If that's what you want." It took everything to take the sarcasm out of my voice.

"Is that alright with you?" He looked u at me and for somer eason, his eyes made my heart skip a beat.

"Of course! Whatever makes you happy..."

"If you don't want me to I won't," he said quickly. For a second, it seemed like he was hoping I'd say that he shouldn't be with Victoria. "It's up to you."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"You're my best friend," he said simply. "You always come first. Even before my girlfriend."

I smiled and leaned over, tkaing his hand in mine. "If she makes you happy, go for it. I'll put up with her. Just for you Joshy."

He smiled, his white straightened teeth showing between his parted lips. Those two awkward years of braces did wonders for his smile. He looked down at our hands and gently stroked my hand with his thumb. I smiled to myself. I loved moments like these. Moments where you can feel how much someone loves you. It was almost tangible.

"Oh, no!" Alyssa said dramatically from the doorway. Josh and I both gave a start, quickly taking our hands away from each other, almost guiltily.

"Did I just miss a moment?" She asked, sitting on my bed.

"Not really," Josh said, not taking his eyes off of me. I awkwardly turned away. "I just decided I was going to ask Victoria to be my girlfriend,"

"You totally did have a moment," she said pouting. "All the interesting stuff happens between you two. But, whatevs. Congratulations, Joshy, even though I think you and Anna would make a better couple."

She wrapped her arms around him which he struggled to unwrap. "I haven't even asked her yet. How do I know she's going to say yes?"

Alyssa and I exchanged "you're joking" looks.

"She's going to jump all over this. She's kinda obsessed with you," Alyssa said, smothering Josh in another hug.

"Let him breathe!" I laughed, jumping onto my bed.

"Jealous?" Alyssa asked with a small grin. She looked at Josh. "Sorry. You're a taken man. I forgot. I won't joke around like that...for a little while anyway."

"Anyway," I said, "let's talk about me getting Aaron."

"Are you sure you want to do this, hun?" Alyssa asked, clutching her stomach, which I assumed had started to hurt.

"Of course, why shouldn't I?" I asked.

"He never has a girlfriend. He just dates, or better yet, sleeps around," Josh said, proving Alyssa's point.

"I'll just wake him up," I replied. It was such a corny joke Josh even cracked a smile.

"Josh's right though," Alyssa said, leaning over her chair. "He's only had one girlfriend and she ripped his heart to shreds."

"Once he sees that I'll never do that to him, he'll fall for me instantly." I said, trying to convince myself as well. How was I going to know he'd fall for me when he could have any girl in the school?

Josh opened his mouth, looking like he was going to argue but closed it. He nodded reluctantly to my plan. Alyssa turned to him and then me, sighing loudly.

"All right," Alyssa said, sitting up. "What's the plan?"