The conference couldn't have been more boring if the professor had actually fallen asleep.

For some reason, everything had been annoying Tamara pretty much the moment he started to talk to all the training doctors in the room. His voice, which was set at a monotone, droning volume, annoyed her. The way he walked back and forth instead annoyed her. The seat she was sitting in annoyed her.

The guy sitting directly behind her especially annoyed her.

But that had nothing to do with the conference and all to do with what had happened that morning before they'd arrived.

And she couldn't even try and over analyse it like she normally would have because the old professor kept asking them to take notes and answer questions, like they were in high school again.

The way Josh had acted, she wouldn't be completely surprised.

Four hours later, and she was out. And more annoyed then when she'd first gotten in.

"Hey, Tam, do you want to go grab lunch? We're heading to MacDonald's in half an hour." Sasha asked as she strolled up next to her once they'd all exited the conference room. Tamara stretched, her left elbow cracking as she extended her arms and nodded.

"Sure. Who's all going?"

"Most of us. And Josh."

Tamara rolled her eyes. "Sash, Josh could have been included in the 'most of us' category." She glanced up, seeing him walk towards her and Sasha and she almost sighed in relief. He must be over it if he's coming over to talk to her-

And he walked straight on past. Like she was freaking invisible.

Ignoring the small ball of discomfort that had moved into her stomach, Tamara turned back to Sasha and bit her lip. "You know what? I might just grab something at the hotel."

"And how are you going to get there? Josh drove you here, remember?" Sasha rose an eyebrow, folding her arms over her chest. "Is there something going on with you two?"

"No," Tamara lied quickly. "Josh is just being...Josh."

Sasha nodded in understanding. "I get it. Brits, they're so temeremental."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"My cousins live in England. Trust me, I know what's its like when they act like those damn bulldogs."

Tamara smiled, but she had a feeling Josh wasn't just being a Brit. She had a stronger feeling she had something to do with it.

What if he actually wanted to kiss her? Like, he was looking forward to it or something? Okay, so it had been obvious he'd wanted to, but so had she. But Tamara had just assumed that he would have played it off like he always does and made a joke about it.

Maybe he was insecure about how he kissed.

Tamara snorted. That wasn't the problem, because he kissed like a fucking legend, and she was not going to stand there and lie to herself.

She liked it.

Very, very much.

Sighing for what felt like the tenth time that morning, Tamara followed Sasha out into the car park and was slightly relieved when she realised she was going with Sasha because Josh's car was already gone.

"So how'd you find the conference?" Sasha asked conversationally once we were moving down the road towards MacDonald's.

"It was okay, I suppose. Do you know what was annoying me though?" Tamara asked, and Sasha shook her head, letting her continue. "The professor wouldn't stop pacing. I mean, you're not a on treadmill, just stop walking for two seconds so I don't have to keep turning my head to watch you."

Sasha burst out laughing. "Are you sure there's nothing going on between you and Josh?"

"Seriously? I talk about the professor and you bring up Josh?" Tamara groaned, leaning her head back against Sasha's passenger seat. "I can't escape the guy."

"Sorry, but you just seem like you're in a really bad mood since I knocked on your door this morning. Or maybe it's me your mad at." Sasha gasped, continuing. "Did I seriously interrupt you two having sex and now you've been horny all morning?"

"Sasha!" Tamara yelled, half amused, half shocked. "I have not been horny all morning! Josh and I were not about to have sex!"

Well, not really. They still had clothes on when she knocked on their door this morning.

"I'm just saying. Sexual frustration can be a bitch. Take it from someone who sat next to a Roman God all throughout senior year."

"Did you ever just bang him?" Tamara asked, suddenly finding this whole situation amusing.

Sasha shook her head, a pout appearing on her face. "No, he turned out to be gay. Here's the kicker, he liked my brother."

"Well, I'd be darned." Tamara laughed with Sasha, suddenly glad she had a girl on this trip, just to chat with and feel better about what had happened this morning.

It still hadn't made her forget completely, though. She could still feel his hands on her skin, his lips on her neck...

The car jolted to a stop as Sasha parked, snapping Tamara out of her reminiscing. Blushing even though Sasha had no idea what she was thinking about, Tamara scurried out of the car and waited for Sasha to lock her car before walking into the MacDonald's to meet the others, who were in the process of ordering their food.

Josh was no where in sight, but his car was here, so she assumed he was in the bathroom and lined up to order.

About five minutes later, she finally got to the front of the line and smiled at the guy serving, to realise she had no idea what she wanted because her mind had been preoccupied.

"Oh, hi, can I please get a...oh god, what do I want?" Tamara muttered, tapping her foot at her own impatience, scanning the board quickly.

"Are you going to order today or should I wait until tomorrow to order another plastic burger?" Josh's voice said in an annoyed, gruff tone behind her, and Tamara spun to glare at him.

"Excuse me, but wait your turn."

"I have been for the past three minutes while you've just stared at the board like a simpleton."

"Well, I haven't decided what I want yet."

"Really? Here I was thinking you were just admiring the low prices on the nuggets."

"Josh, if you don't stop bugging me I'll drive my heel into your crotch."

"Well that wouldn't achieve anything because you still wouldn't have ordered-"

"Uh, excuse me miss?" The MacDonald's worker piped up. "May I suggest getting the Big Mac deal? It comes with chips and a drink, a dollar off."

Oh great, she thought. Saving a dollar on a stupid burger meal. "Yeah, I'll get that, thank you." She said, tossing a twenty dollar note onto the counter.

They guy hurriedly got her change and handed it over, and Tamara stepped aside to let Josh brush past her to order. His shoulder touched her side, sending tingles along her skin. Then he stepped away politely, without even looking at her.

Tamara bit her lip and stepped over to where Sasha was waiting for her own burger. Sasha opened her mouth to talk, but Tamara held her hand up and closed her eyes. "Don't ask."

Sasha's eyes twinkled when she answered. "You two are so having sex tonight."

Tamara groaned. She didn't even have time to deny what Sasha had said because Josh had stopped beside them both, waiting for his order too. A tense, jerky silence surrounded them, and Sasha stepped forward slightly, giving them a little space in case Tamara wanted to talk to him.

But she didn't.

The silence continued, until she couldn't stand it any longer. "Josh."

"Yes, Jacobs?"

"Why are you mad?"

He turned to look at her, and frowned. She didn't miss the surprised emotion pass through his eyes though, so she knew he was. "I'm not mad."

"Then why are you acting weird?"

"Because I'm British." He deadpanned, not even trying to make the sarcasm sound convincing.

Tamara rolled her eyes, getting annoyed all over again. She was getting nowhere with him. "That's not the reason. It has something to do with this morning. Don't even try to deny it."

Josh stared hard at her for a second or two, then his eyes became flat again, and he replied. "You're right. It does."

"Now we're getting somewhere." Tamara breathed, waiting for him to talk.

"You see, I realised just how much of a mistake it was to kiss you this morning, but I didn't know how to tell you not to get your hopes up because that will never be happening again, so I just avoided you for the morning."

Tamara didn't quite know how to respond, so she just opened and closed her mouth like a fish until Josh snorted and started to talk again. "What? You thought I actually wanted to kiss you? I couldn't exactly push you away while you were all over me like that. You seemed to eager, it was too mean to push you away too suddenly. Would've hurt your feelings."

"Well I'm glad I know why you've been such a class A prick this morning. I was starting to get a little worried that you might have cared a little. Would've made things a bit more complicated." Tamara said, and she heard how flat her voice had got, how cold her eyes felt.

"Don't have to worry about that, love. I don't care."

"Good thing we cleared that up." Tamara said, coughing slightly to cover up the surprisingly large amount of hurt trying to push it's way to the surface of her skin. Turning quickly, Tamara was saved by the MacDonald's worker who was calling out her order. Walking forward quickly to retrieve it, she clutched it with shaking hands and muttered a thank you before spinning and finding Josh right behind her with an expression that looked kind of like regret, but she just shoved around him and paused, remembering something.

"I'll arrange a ride home with Sasha tomorrow, so you won't have to put up with me any longer."

He didn't even get a chance to reply.

Tamara walked right to the end of the table that the doctors and nurses were sitting, and dug into her food before Sasha could ask her if she was alright, or if she could dwell on his words any longer.

Don't have to worry about that, love. I don't care.

Tamara bit into her burger harshly, not even caring that it tasted like regurgitated mince.

You seemed too eager, it was too mean to push you away too suddenly.

Bullshit. He was just as eager as she was.

Would've hurt your feelings.

Well he could go eat shit off a donkeys hoof, for all she cared. Josh Munroe could go sit on a cactus and get attacked by a swarm of really large mosquitoes.

But it still wouldn't change the fact that it did hurt her feelings. That he had just hurt her feelings more then she would've liked.

And her burger was shit. Obviously when they charged her a dollar less, they took the flavour out of the meat patty too.

So, all in all, nothing was going Tamara's way today. And she was kicking herself for even wanting to come on the damn conference in the first place.

Once they'd all finished eating, Tamara exited MacDonald's before anybody else and was standing next to Sasha's car before anyone could try and talk to her. She watched Josh exit the building with Nathan, and their gazes locked for a moment.

Then Tamara looked down, her eyes threatening to burn.

And she was mad at herself because Josh had every right to say those things when she'd told him she thought kissing him was a mistake too.

Sasha unlocked the car and they drove back to the conference in silence, because no words had to be said. Sasha would have heard what Josh had said to her, and Tamara was grateful the other woman wasn't trying to push her to talk about it. Tamara wanted to just forget the whole damn weekend.

* * * *

Nothing was on TV. Like, absolutely nothing. Not even a re run of Friends.

And that show was on every single fucking night. That's how bad Tamara's night was going. She had spend the second half of the conference taking notes and listening to the professor like all the others, but inside, her gut had been churning and she had just felt low.

And now it was ten PM and she was all alone in her hotel room because Josh had gone to the pub with Nathan and a few of the other guys and she had politely turned down Sasha's invitation out to dinner.

"Guess it's just you and me, TV." Tamara muttered as she flicked through the channels, landing on some random baking show where the contestants treated cupcakes like they were their children and they were more dramatic then those people who went on those Survivor shows.

"What am I thinking, I love Survivor." Tamara said to herself again, glancing down at what she was wearing. She had slipped on her old university top again, and removed her bra because she was all by herself and the under wire had been annoying her, go figure, and a pair of black leggings.

Just as she settled into a more comfortable position against the pillows and the headboard, there was a frantic knocking on the door, and Tamara groaned, getting up.

"That better be room service." She muttered, grabbing the door handle and opening the door.

"Good morning, love." Josh smiled, his grin sloppy and drunk. "You look lovely! Did you dye your hair?"

"Josh," Tamara moaned, closing her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. "You're drunk."

"How dare you!" He half shouted, trying to frown. "I'm perfectly sober."

Nathan appeared beside him, a sheepish look in his face. "Hey, Tammy. Sooo...Josh is drunk."

"Thank you for that input Nathan." Tamara said, and Nathan chuckled before rubbing the back of his neck. "Thank you for getting him back safely, too."

Nathan smiled, then walked off to get back to his own room.

"So, is there hungry, hungry hippos in here? I love that game!" Josh said happily, and Tamara helped him through the door, making it to the bed before he collapsed on top of it.

"I'm on a cloud." He moaned, trying to kick his shoes off but failing miserably.

"And I'm obviously getting punished for having to look after you, you asshole." Tamara hissed, looking down at him.

Josh grinned, shaking his head. "Can you help me, love? My laces aren't coming undone."

"Your shoes don't have laces, Josh."

"Oh. Am I even wearing shoes?

Tamara sighed. It was going to be a long night.

And Josh seemed adamant to stay up for the whole damn time.

* * * *

So...I haven't uploaded this for a long, long, LONG time, and that's still an understatement.

I would just like to apologize to you people who were reading this story, I feel so incredibly horrible and bad and mean for not uploading for so long, but I kind of fell outta love for this story and didn't know where it was going, so I started writing others to get back into the swing of things and take a break from this one...and it turned into a rather extended holiday.

So if you amazing people could please forgive me! :) Thank you for reading, or reading again, and I promise you I won't make you wait so many more months next time!

Oh, and I'm going to go back and edit the chapters before this one because I found a lot of mistakes when I was going through them before, but nothing will change in the story!

Thank you again for reading, I hope you enjoy!

:)

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