This story is completely fiction and does not imply anything about the true sexuality of any characters involved. I do not as well know about their personal lives and I do not own any of those who appear in this story. To put matters briefly, this is fiction, none of which is true.
Any events or similarities in the story are purely coincidental and all that is written here is based on my own imagination. If you are too young to read this, please direct yourself to a different place.
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Bouncing Back Chapter 3
Josiah showed me around Santa Monica Pier for most of the morning. We had seafood for breakfast, something I haven't really done. After that, we had milkshakes and sat at a bench watching other people pass by. We were both at peace just watching people, until a teenage girl approached us.
"Um, Josiah?" the girl whispered.
Josiah smiled and looked at me before turning to the girl. "Hi there." He grinned.
The girl giggled and I rolled my eyes behind the sunglasses I was wearing. "Just so you know, I freaking love you!"
"Aw, isn't that sweet. Thanks, um,"
"Jessica."
Josiah smiled. "Thanks a lot for those kind words Jessica."
Jessica then pulled out a camera. "Do you mind if we have a picture together. Your friend could take it for us."
Josiah nodded and looked at me. I was concentrating on my milkshake and didn't look at the two of them until Josiah sighed. "Please?"
"What's wrong with your friend?"
I swear if it wasn't for the fact that she's probably not of legal age, I would have smacked her right then and there. Josiah however took the more peaceful route and replied, "Don't worry about him. He's just a little boned up that's all."
Jessica looked confused and Josiah laughed as I looked at him shocked. I finally stood up and got the camera from the girl. Jessica immediately sat beside Josiah and Josiah had his right arm around Jessica's shoulder. I took three pictures on the girl's camera before she finally left us in peace. As soon as she was gone, I threw the milkshake on the nearby trash bin and walked away.
"Oh come on!" Josiah groaned as he came running after me. "What's wrong?"
"You just told a teenage girl that I'm a little boned up." I replied angrily. "I mean what the fuck?"
"I was just joking."
I stopped and looked at him and saw that he was pouting. Damn it, he looked even cuter when he was doing that. I shook my head and stood my ground. "I'm going back to your hotel room."
As I was walking back, he didn't follow me. I made my way near the exit of the Santa Monica Pier and looked behind me. He was still a few feet away but he wasn't moving. My phone rang this time and saw that he was calling me.
"What?" I stated, determined to sound pissed off.
"In case you don't know, you can't get back to the hotel without me." Josiah replied, he sounded like he was fighting back laughter. "And besides, you don't have the room key."
I glared at him knowing that he got me. I cannot go anywhere. I didn't say anything back and we were standing there looking like idiots doing nothing. He finally broke the silence, "Do you know you look cute when you're angry?"
"Shut up." I hanged up and walked towards him. He was still smirking and I stood in front of him and whispered, "And you're such an ass when you're making fun of me like this."
Josiah snickered. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I was just having fun." He held out his hand for a handshake and added, "Peace?"
"We are going to meet with David in an hour, we have to."
Josiah raised an eyebrow. "Going to show me off to your bestfriend?"
"Ha! In your dreams."
"Isn't that the other way around?"
"I'm not the one who woke up with a fucking hard-on and poking me in the ass."
Josiah smiled as if that didn't faze him at all. "You try waking up to a really sexy man and see if you don't get a hard-on."
I was about to retort back but he laughed, ruffled my hair and started walking.
////////////////////////\
"Well I'll be." David stated as he stood up to shake hands with Josiah. "It really is Josiah fucking Hawley."
Josiah smiled. "And you must be the ever elusive David."
"Ah. Angel has told you all about me I see." David replied and sat down. "And I heard a lot about you from Angel just so you know."
"Really?" Josiah looked at me, his smile not leaving his face at all. "What exactly is it that Angel has been saying?"
I quickly looked at David and looked panicked. David pursed his lips and grinned. "You have to get me drunk to know that."
Josiah quickly raised his right arm and told the waiter, "A bottle of wine please for this gentleman right here."
"Oooh, wine at lunch?" David wiggled his eyebrows. "How classy."
"Is that one of the things Angel said?" Josiah replied back.
"Maybe."
David sipped on the mojito he was drinking and I looked at both of them with an exasperated look. "So what has Angel told you about me?"
"For starters you and he go way back." Josiah answered. "You invited him over to stay with you for reasons I have yet to know."
David quickly glanced at me and back at Josiah. "Go on."
"You love drinking; you work for some fancy company that keeps you at working at late nights and you love going out."
David nodded looking impressed. He looked at me and said, "You told a lot."
"Not a lot." Josiah interjected. "We only started talking about stuff this morning."
"I thought he stayed over at your place?"
"He passed out the moment he hit the bed." Josiah snickered again.
David's eyes widened and I quickly interjected, "Nothing happened."
"I never said something did." David retorted.
I sighed. "I'm going to the washroom. Could you get me a Caesar's salad and the beef bites?"
David nodded and I left for the washroom.
As soon as I was gone, David leaned forward. "We have at least fifteen minutes to talk about him."
"He takes that long in a washroom?"
"Knowing that you're here, he has to make himself look like the sexiest motherfucker in this damn restaurant." David laughed. "You know he likes you."
"He never said that."
"Josiah sweetie, I know my friend. I've known him since the third grade." David explained. "I was the first person he came out to. I was there when he told his family; I was there on every breakup, heartbreak and dilemma."
"He's been through a lot I assume?"
"Oh yeah. His parents threw him out, do you know?"
Josiah's eyes widened. "For being gay? Shit, that's rough."
"Luckily my parents took him in. His parents have this tight religious thing going on and they are so anti-gay, it's sickening. He was 16 back then."
"And he has never talked to his parents?"
"As far as I know, never." David took a sip from his drink. "He talks to his two sisters though. But one is back in the Philippines and the other lives in Toronto. He's the only one here."
"I didn't know."
"What about you?" David asked. "You could tell me everything you told him."
Josiah smiled. "He's coming back."
"What?" David looked back and saw me walking back. "Damn. Just promise me one thing Josiah."
"What is it?"
"I don't know what's going on with this. If it's just friendship or whatever but do take care of him for me, will you?"
Josiah nodded. "I will."
"Good. `Cause I have a lot of connections just so you know. So if you make one wrong move."
Josiah laughed and I sat back down. "What's so funny?"
Josiah shook his head. "Nothing. David was just telling me this funny story you did when you were a kid."
My eyes widened. "You didn't!"
"Guilty as charged." David shrugged.
////////////////////////\
"David's nice." Josiah mentioned as the two of us were in a cab back to Santa Monica. He invited me back to his hotel room and since David has to go back to work and I have nothing else to do, I accepted.
I nodded. "Yeah. David could be a lot to handle but he's the best friend a guy could ask for."
"He told me about what happened between you and your parents."
I stopped and looked out the window. Josiah reached for my hand but I jerked it away. He then said, "I'm sorry I brought it up."
"It's been ten years." I replied.
"I left my wife."
This time it was me who looked at him and he was the one looking out the window. He was rubbing the finger where his wedding ring was supposed to be. The only thing I could ask was, "When?"
"Two months ago before I went to L.A." Josiah replied. "I woke up one morning and I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. The love that I thought I had was gone."
"How did she take it?"
Josiah shrugged as he slumped down. I could tell that he was getting upset at this. I reached for his hand and he held it tight. "If you don't want to talk about it," I started.
"I have to be honest with you." Josiah replied.
The taxi stopped and the two of us released hands. We got off the taxi and went up to his hotel room again. I could feel the tension between us as the elevator went up. When he opened the hotel room door, I could see that his body is all tensed up. I touched his shoulder and he jumped. "You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. Sorry about being like this. I thought I was okay, apparently not." He laughed nervously.
"You don't have to tell me if you can't."
"I want to." Josiah stated. "Angel, I know it's been like a day since we met but I feel really close to you for some bizarre reason."
"Must be because you saw me listening to your songs." I joked.
Josiah laughed and punched me lightly on the arm. "I want to know you more but I feel like it's only fair for you to know more about me."
"Well for starters you know that my parents hate my guts." I laughed. "I have two sisters, I am an author, I hate heights and I cannot eat fish."
Josiah cocked his head to the right. "Really? Fish?"
"I just find it extremely gross." I shuddered. "Your turn."
"I studied in Nashville, I've been back and forth in L.A and my wife's name is Hana."
"Hana Hawley?"
Josiah shook his head. "Yeah, she was adamant too at first but hey, she took the name anyway."
"So what happens to the two of you now?"
"I don't know." Josiah sighed. He lay down on the bed and sighed. I walked over there and sat beside him. "She wants to work things out, see if there's still hope."
"Well is there?"
Josiah shook his head. "I don't know that too."
"Well how are you going to know if you're all the way here in L.A. and she's in Minnesota?"
"How'd you know that?"
"You're a public figure, just Google your name and you'll find stuff about you." I grinned. When Josiah glared at me, I laughed and added, "Maybe I should have told you that when you were saying random stuff about you."
"You think?"
"So?"
"Well the thing is, she's not in Minnesota."
"Where is she then?"
"Remember when I said I got a hotel room since the house I'm living in is need for fixing?"
"Yeah."
Josiah stopped and waited for me to process that thought. My eyes widened and stated, "No way."
"She and I have been living there ever since I decided to move to L.A. to pursue my music." Josiah nodded. "Well, until two months ago."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So I'm going to cut this here. I plan on diving into the back-story first and I hope you all agree with it. Let me know what you all think, I love to hear from my readers. Email me at lups272@yahoo.com with all of your suggestions. Thanks for reading!