This was from my unfinished story, ACCIDENTAL SMILES, that I wrote during NaNoWriMo in 2008. ChickLit is definitely not my strong point, but I 'll always be a hopeless romantic. I entered it into Phase One of Wattpad's Next Rising Star competition.

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"Beth, wait!" He caught up to me and put his hand on my arm, stopping me and directing me to face him. I wasn't appreciative of his suggestive force, so as he pulled me around, I pushed him with my other hand, my tears of emotional frustration finally releasing after a night of hell.

"Just go home. Leave me alone!"

I would have continued to beat upon his chest in fury if he wasn't stronger than I, and he eventually pinned my arms to my chest in a firm bear hug. At this time, I was sobbing like an infant, unable to contain my sentiments while being supported in his arms. I let him hold me then, and his firm grip eventually became a comforting embrace as we made our way over to the front porch stairs.

We sat in silence until I calmed down, and after a few deep breaths, I composed myself, mentally preparing for what was about to come out of my mouth.

"I hated being with you tonight."

He was silent. His gazed remained straight ahead, as if he was focusing on something out in the middle of the street. Whether or not he was going to respond, I did not know, but I had to continue with my train of thought or else everything would be moot.

"I hate people thinking we're together when we're not. "

"I can't control what other people think, Bethany," he responded solemnly. His eyes remained on the unseen target in the distance.

I lowered my eyes to the ground at that point, mustering up the courage to press forward. "No, but you could damn well do something about it."

Josh turned to me at that point, his eyes piercing but his expression neutral.

"We've talked about this before-"

"And I want to talk about it again!" I spit in retaliation.

The porch light illuminated his face as he finally stood up in front of me. His frustration was obvious, but I was going to stand my ground, just as I had every other time we attempted to have this conversation.

"You know we've been over this." Captain Obvious was stating the obvious yet again.

"And every time it ends the same way - you have the last word, and I remain unsatisfied."

"And what satisfies you, Bethany? Do I need to get down on one knee and profess my undying love for you? Is that the only thing that's ever going to make you happy?"

"Well, no-"

"I don't know what to do with you anymore. You're my best friend; I don't know why that isn't good enough for you."

"I never said-"

"Don't you understand what could happen to us if it never worked out? Do you realize how horrible it would be if suddenly we weren't even friends anymore?"

I don't know if it was something in the way he sounded, but I looked up to him at that point. His eyes were pleading, his body language desperate. The sincerity of his tone left a guilty pit in my stomach, and after holding his gaze for a moment, I returned my eyes to the ground as my cheeks flushed.

"I'm sorry..."

Josh sighed. "So am I." He sat down next to me again. "You have no idea how much I want to be with you, Bethany. But I just can't bring myself do it. "

Uncertain that I heard him correctly, I looked over to him. He was already looking at me.

"What are you so afraid of?"

"Hurting you."

My heart beat uncontrollably; I had to turn away from him lest the street lights betray my emotions. I didn't have anything else to say - how could I top that? We sat in silence for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was only a few additional minutes. Eventually Josh stood up, brushing off his jeans. He leaned over and brushed a strand of hair out of face, which drew my gaze to his.

"Go get some sleep, okay? It's been a long night. I'll talk to you in the morning?"

I nodded, ever so slightly, and he kissed me on the head. Our usual farewell.

"Good night, Beth."

With that, he turned on his heel and took his leave.