Under Seven Minutes // Private RP

Josh’s mind went white. She was so close—her body pressed to his—her arms around his neck—

What was she doing to him?

“O-Oh,” he stuttered, “That’s—That’s good. I slept well.”

Laura finally pulled away, stepping back, missing his warmth immediately.

“That’s good,” she fingered her hair, “I’m glad you did.”

Finally, he could breath again.

Josh exhaled shakily, trying for a wobbly smile. “Are you going to lunch?”

“I am,” Laura nodded, her smile only increasing when she saw his smile. But then she remembered who his heart belonged to, and it dropped slightly. “I usually eat lunch with Gray, but…” she offered a shrug at the end.

“He’s with Violeta,” he finished, the words blowing out of him like a lengthy sigh. “Maybe…” He bit his lip. “You could join me instead?”

“I don’t want to bother him. I figured I’d them space,” Laura shrugged as if she wasn’t bothered, but his next words caught her off guard. The smile returned to her face. “I’d like that. A lot.”

Fiddling nervously with his glasses, Josh offered her an excited smile. “Great, where do you want to go?”

“Outside?” Laura suggested, finding his fiddling adorable. Her mismatched eyes drank him in. “In the courtyard.”

“I meant to pick up lunch,” he amended, “And I can pay. But the courtyard sounds great.”

“Oh,” Laura blinked before she ran a hand through her hair. “Um, you don’t have to pay. I can buy my own lunch. I usually go to Gray’s uh mother’s café with him, but… yeah.”

"I'll pay," Josh insisted, pushing a hand through his messy brown hair. "Don't worry about it. If not Gray's mother's café, then where do you want to get food from?"

“Well… I do have a question, Josh,” Laura tilted her head to the side, a sly smile on her features. “Can I ask?”

"I'm a little scared," he laughed in response, quickly taking hold of her elbow and steering her out of the path of some students, "About what your question might be. But ask away, Laura."

His hand on her arm ran a shudder through her, but Laura pretended it didn’t.

“You’re right in being scared,” she grinned when they stopped. “But my question is… by any chance, is this lunch a date?”

Josh's smile faltered for a moment, her question taking him completely off guard. "Well…" he said slowly, mustering the immense courage to look her in the eye, "It would be nice if it was. But since… well, you know… It's not really fair to a special girl like you, is it? If a guy took you out on the date and made you feel like a rebound girl, that is." He exhaled shakily, cheeks going pink again. "You look really, really good, though."

Laura’s heart dropped, but she didn’t show it on her face. She merely shifted on her feet, the smile still on her features.

“You know, a ‘no’ would have been much better,” she joked, rubbing the back of her head. “I was just kidding. I was flirting, but um, yeah. And thank you, Josh. I’m glad you think so.”

Oh.

Josh's heart broke a little for the second time in twenty-four hours. You completely misread that…. you idiot. You absolute idiot. "Oh," he said quietly, struggling to keep his expression neutral. Failing miserably, he glanced away. "I'm really stupid, aren't I? Let's just go get lunch."

The look on his face immediately made her regret her words.

Goddamn it, Laura. Fix the mess you created.

I don’t want to be the rebound girl,” Laura said out quietly, gripping her arms tightly. “I think you’re an amazing guy, Josh. I think you’re really, really amazing, but I don’t want to be the rebound girl.”

"I don't want you to be the rebound girl, either," Josh answered quietly, lifting a hand to rub absentmindedly over his aching heart. "Pretend I never said anything. Where are we going to pick up lunch?"

Stupid, stupid Josh…. Why was he always getting his heart broken by girls that were too good for him? He fell for them fast, much too fast…..

“Do you think you could ev—“ Laura shut her mouth immediately, shaking her head. She shouldn’t have asked that question. If she hadn’t, she could still act normal with him. But she had to open her mouth like that. He still liked Violeta, for God’s sake. What was she expecting? “Er, we could her a burger…”

"There's an A&W close to here," Josh answered, already beginning to walk down the hallway. "They've got good burgers. And no antibiotics in their meat."

Laura stared at his back for a couple of seconds before she followed after him. She should have just chosen blue instead of pink for the other eye.

“Ah,” she forced a smile on her face before she sighed. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

"Do you want me to go?" he shrugged, successfully mustering a nonchalant expression. "I mean, I'd like to have lunch with a friend, but if you want me to leave, I will."

I don't want things to be awkward between us..

“I don’t want you to,” Laura responded in a way that it sounded nonchalant. “Is it okay if I still flirt with you? It’s a bad habit I can’t get rid of.”

Mostly because I can say things that might sound suggestive but can be considered a joke.

Josh's heart squeezed painfully.

Are you trying to hurt me, Laura?

But he gave an uncaring shrug instead. "You can do whatever you want."

Laura’s face fell. He acted like it wasn’t a big deal. She didn’t know what to say.

“Never mind,” she shrugged. “Do you still like her? Violeta, I mean?”

"Can we talk about something else?" Josh asked after a brief moment of silence. Something that doesn't hurt to talk about? "I have no idea. Maybe. I don't know. Do you like Gray?"

“No,” Laura replied quietly, looking away. Of course he still did. Why wouldn’t he? Just because she came along didn’t mean she could erase his feelings for her. “I don’t. Gray’s always been a friend. Can I ask one more question?”

Josh exhaled slowly, but gave a small nod. "Sure. On one condition, though—–No more of this awkwardness after I answer. Alright? Normal friends."

“As long as my question doesn’t make this awkward,” Laura mumbled, scratching her head. “Because I think I might make it awkward again.”

And I don’t want to be friends. Being friendzoned sucks.