Can You Love a Girl Like Me?

I couldn't sign a reply to Ricky; my brain was still trying to process how absolutely gorgeous this man was.

His hair was shaved into a mohawk and his slate blue eyes sparkled. He just looked adorable with cheeks full of a sandwich. He was like no one I’d ever seen before.

Josh finished chewing then looked up at me, his eyes growing wide, most likely with confusion. He swallowed and started speaking. Ricky interpreted everything he said to me. It was the same story as everyone else, who is she, why are you doing sign language, etc., etc...

As the guys practiced, I couldn't help but notice that Josh stared at me practically the whole time. Every time I would look up and meet his eyes, he'd immediately turn away. I found the little bit of red that would stain his cheeks when he did so was really cute. It made me smile.

When Ricky informed me that practice was over, he said that they were gonna go out for pizza and asked if I wanted to join them. I accepted, and not too long later we were all leaving. There were too many people to fit in one car so Ricky, Devin, and I were in Ricky’s car and Angelo, Chris, Ryan and Josh were in Chris’ car.

Not much went on while we ate. Ricky filled me in on conversations and whatnot and I had a good time. I just feel bad that Ricky has to interpret everything for me. After we finished eating, Ricky took me home and told me he’d pick me up again tomorrow.

After I had settled in and changed into my pajamas, my mother had texted me and told me she was going to come over. I put one of my favorite movies, The Notebook, on the TV and made some tea.

A text from my mother caused my phone to vibrate in my lap and I got up, answering the door.

“Hey Mom,” I signed when I opened the door.

“Hi sweetie, how are you?” She signed back.

“I’m alright; I made some new friends today.” I poured her some tea and we sat down on the couch.

“What are they like?”

“I told you about my friend Ricky right?” She nodded.

“They’re his friends and band-mates. They were really nice to me.” My mom smiled at me and sipped on her tea. I wasn’t sure whether or not to tell her about Josh, considering I’d only just met him. She could tell I was contemplating something, so she looked at me quizzically.

“What’s on your mind, sweetie?”

“I met this guy today, his name is Josh. He’s one of Ricky’s friends. I just, I don’t know if it’s okay to like him because he’s hearing.. I'm afraid to talk to him, I guess. We have sort of...a language barrier, and I don't want to make him feel.. I don't know, bad, I guess? I don't want him to pity me. I don't know, I'm just kind of conflicted about it." My mother nodded and I rested my head on her shoulder.

"Well, I personally think that you'll never know what happens if you don't try. Sure, it might not work out, but at the same time it could work out and maybe he'll be the one. So I think you should talk to him. If he makes an effort to try to talk with you, then you'll know it wasn't wasted effort." She told me, and I thought about it. She was right. Tomorrow I would try to make the effort to talk to him and if he didn't want to talk to me that would be okay. I guess we'd see what happens tomorrow.

Josh's POV.
I couldn't stop thinking about that girl. Jillian. Beautiful name, beautiful face. I did indeed find it quite peculiar that she was deaf, but that only intrigued me more. It'd be difficult to talk to her, considering I didn't know how to sign, but I'd cross that bridge when I got to it.
I looked up as Ricky walked into Chris' basement where my fellow band-mates and I were sitting.

“Hey guys.” He greeted. Everyone waved in response, and Ricky plopped down on the couch next to me. Perfect time to ask him about Jillian.

“So, uh, what's up with that girl you brought over?” I asked, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. I didn't want to seem too caring or too interested.

He looked up at me. “Oh, Jill? She's cool. Sweet, funny, smart. Real sad what happened to her, but she get's through it everyday, and I admire that.”

I hummed in response as I thought about his words. I couldn't wait to see her again. I don't think I'd ever been this eager to talk to someone before, but this girl..she's different. I could already tell I was going to like her a lot.

Jillian's POV.
I woke up the next morning as the sun shined in my eyes, swatting at it with my hand and turning over. After about 15 minutes of trying to fall back asleep and failing, I turned back over and peeked at my phone. _9:36AM. I texted Ricky and told him that he could pick me up in about an hour and a half, and his reply of “Ok, see you soon. :)” came quickly. I got up and stretched, then made my way to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.

As my french vanilla brewed, I went to the bathroom and turned my water on to blisteringly hot. I stripped my clothes off and stepped in, closing my eyes as the water beat down onto my skin. I washed up then got out and wrapped a towel around my body and one on my head . I went to my bedroom and grabbed my underwear, slipping them on then going over to my closet. What to wear..

After maybe 20 minutes of intense searching, I figured out what I would wear. I picked a black and white dress that came to a few inches above my knee and a pair of black flats. You just want to look good for Josh. I put a headband with a bow on it atop my head and a bow bracelet as well. I went back to the bathroom and did my make up speedily, trying to give myself enough time to drink my coffee. I looked myself over in the mirror and smiled. I did a pretty good job today.

I went back to the kitchen and grabbed my coffee cup, pouring some coffee into it then adding cream and sugar. I sat down at the table and looked at my phone as I sipped my hot drink. It was 10:42, so I had maybe 15 to 20 minutes until I assumed Ricky would be here. I was excited and a little nervous to see Josh again. I had no idea how he felt about me. He could've hated me for all I knew. I just hoped that I'd talk to him today and maybe find out.

Just as I thought he would, Ricky texted me about 15 minutes later, informing me he was outside. I rinsed my mug out in the sink and grabbed my purse, making my way out and downstairs quickly. A wide smile found its way onto my face as I met Ricky outside the door to my building. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. I returned the hug and he pulled away, smiling.
“You got a hot date or something that I don't know about?” He signed, looking down at my outfit choice. My cheeks flushed pink, and I quickly signed a reply.
“No, no, I just thought that I would look nice today..” He smirked at my franticness.
“You like one of the guys and you're trying to impress him, aren't you?” I sighed. Even though it hadn't been a very long time since we met, this boy could read me like a book, so I nodded.
“Please don't say anything.. I don't even know if I actually like him yet. I hardly talked to him yesterday..”
“Of course, but who is it?”
“Josh. He's really cute and kind of weird and I like it. Is he nice? Should I- Should I try to talk to him? Or is it pointless because I don't want to make a fool of myself.” Ricky watched my frenzied signing with a raised brow. He thought for a moment before he started signing.
“Personally, I think that he thinks you're cute but he's afraid to talk to you. But I also think that he's afraid to get hurt again. His last girlfriend, Ryan, cheated on him while we were on tour like five times and he didn't find out until she accidentally called him while she was with another guy.” I frowned. I couldn't believe that someone could do that to a person. It's horrible.
“So, if you do talk to him and start liking each other or whatever, take it slow. And whatever you do, just please don't hurt him. He's had enough of that already.” Ricky signed, looking at me. I nodded, chewing on my lip.
“I wouldn't hurt him even if I wanted to.”

When we arrived at Chris' house, I took notice of the fact that there were only two other cars here besides us. Looks like no one's really here yet.. What if Josh isn't coming? What if I never see him again? I looked up as my door was being opened, and Ricky stood next to me, looking down at me worriedly.
“You okay, Jill?” He asked. I nodded quickly and unbuckled my seat belt, sliding out of the car. Ricky shut the door and lead me up to Chris' front door, opening it and pulling me inside. I watched as his lips moved, feeling slightly jealous that he was able to hear and speak normally with his friends. I shook the thought away and followed him down the stairs. In the basement, Chris, Devin and Josh were sitting on the couch looking over a notebook. They all looked up in unison as we entered the room. I waved at them when Ricky signed that they had said hello. He took the seat next to Chris and smirked, the only seat left being next to Josh. My eyes widened and I started signing quickly.
“I don't want to sit there I changed my mind I cannot do this he's gonna think I'm dumb oh my god please give me your seat.” The boys watched as my fingers moved rapidly, their eyes turning to Ricky when I stopped. He signed slower than I, his sentences making more sense than my own.
“Just relax, Jill. He's just a person. He's going to think you don't like him if you can't even sit next to him.” I inhaled a breath and sat down, trying to act as normal and inconspicuous as possible. Josh looked over at me and smiled, and I swear I thought I was going to die. I smiled back though, a blush lightly dusting my cheeks. I'm already blushing and it hasn't even been five minutes. God, today is going to be interesting.