write me a new chapter, love
you can be the author
and i will be the pen

March 17, 2015

My phone buzzes next to my ear, lulling me from unconsciousness. I wait for Jordan to yell at me to shut the phone off, but then I remember that she's away for the weekend at Luis's parents. I roll over and glance at the screen, and a bleary, contented smile covers my face. 

"Hey," I answer, my voice rusty with sleep.

"Morning," Josh murmurs, and a chill goes down my spine.

I will never get tired of this. Before the last two weeks, I hadn't even known it was possible to so perfectly and incandescently happy. 

"What's up?" I answer, sitting up in bed and rubbing a hand across the sleep lines on my face.

"Wanna hang out today?" he asks, already knowing the answer.

"We've hung out every day this week," I tease, "you're going to get tired of me."

"I'm pretty sure that's impossible." I can hear the smile in his voice. "I'm grabbing muffins at the caf for breakfast. I'll be over in fifteen."

"Okay, but I have to actually do some homework today," I insist, "bring a textbook or something so you can at least pretend to study."

He laughs noncommittally and hangs up. I can't eradicate the smile that's been plastered on my face for weeks. I thought it would take us some time to figure out our new relationship, but the transition has been seamless. After all this time, we've fallen together perfectly.

I jump out of bed and change out of my PJs into gym shorts and a tank top, pulling my wild curls into a messy bun. My heartbeat jitters with excitement at seeing Josh; every second away from draws airs out of my lungs, and even the anticipation of seeing him is exhilarating. I pull out the copy of 1984 I'm reading for class and a stack of sticky notes and set them on my bed. As easy as it would be to ignore everything in my life besides Josh, I can't let my grades suffer in my final semester on campus.

A knock on the door sounds, and as soon as I swing it open, I jump into Josh's arms and kiss him, my feet flying off the floor. He lifts me into the air and kisses me back, laughing against my lips at my enthusiasm. 

We untangle ourselves and curl up on the floor against the bed, munching on blueberry muffins. My head leans against his shoulder, and one of his hands rests on my leg. 

"You look cute when you're sleepy," Josh murmurs, tucking a stray curl behind my ear. 

I grin at him, eyes crinkling. "You look cute all the time."

Josh plants a kiss on my nose and wraps his arms around me, pulling my head to his chest.

"I'm so happy," I sigh.

Josh looks down at me, and the smile on his face sends me back in time to the first time I saw him with Haley. I remember looking at the smile on his face and the way his eyes turned into crescent moons. I could tell he was happy then, and today I see that happiness reflected back at me. I'm the reason he's happy. That smile floods me with warmth from head to toe. Josh reaches for my chin, tilting my face up to meet his in a soft kiss. 

"I have to study," I finally say, grabbing the neck of his flannel shirt and pushing him away from me gently.

"I was hoping you were joking," he answers, kissing the corner of my jaw.

"Nope." I wave 1984 in front of his face. "George Orwell can't wait."

"Cheating on me already," Josh says, snatching the book from my hand and holdingit out of my reach with a devilish grin.

I reach past him, grabbing the book and falling laughingly into his arms. 

"I actually have to study," I say, rearranging myself so that I'm sitting in between his legs and leaning backwards against his chest. "And you're really distracting."

I open the book to the page where I left off, feigning serious contemplation. Josh leans in, his breath hot against my neck, kissing the soft skin under my jaw.

"If you think this is distracting..." he murmurs softly.

I laugh and swat him playfully. "Okay, now we're actually studying."

"Yes, ma'am," Josh answers with a fake salute.

As I lean against his chest and try to focus on Orwell, I am distracted by the organic comfort between us. Josh has pulled out a page of notes and is lackadaisically scanning them. One of his hands rests on my leg, his fingers drawing patterns across my flesh. 

Time passes gently, like the trickling of water over stones. It feels like a dream, like if I pinch myself, I'll wake up and Josh will be gone. I have to hold on to him just to remind myself that this is real. A thousand pestering questions linger in the back of my brain. Will this last beyond today? Will it last forever? Though I will gladly embrace any time we have together, I am realizing that I can't imagine ever having enough of the two of us. I can't imagine living life without him beside me. I can't imagine being content with anything but forever. 

Eventually, Josh interrupts my reading. "Let's get lunch. There's a great pizza joint down the road."

I toss Orwell to the side. "Yes. Pizza. Let's go."

Josh laughs as he rises fluidly from the floor, pulling me up with him. "That didn't take much convincing."

"You're hard to resist," I answer, stepping closer to him so I'm looking straight up into his eyes.

His broad frame towers over me, making me feel tiny and protected. He loops his hands around my neck and bends down to kiss me softly. I lose my worries and myself in his kiss.

March 26, 2015

The sky and the stars are the canpoy and candles to our evening walk. Almost every night, Josh takes me on a walk to the empty field past the ski hill. During the day, it's just another golden-green field, but at night, it's lit by a thousand stars and there's no one here but the two of us.

When I hold Josh's hand or wrap my arms around him, it's easy to let the questions and anxieties slip away; however, when I can't touch him or feel his presence, the doubts are overpowering, pestering like an incessant woodpecker. I know Josh, and I know that his entire focus is on the moment, centering on the here and now. He is fully invested in every second we spend together. I, on the other hand, am constantly looking towards the future, and I know how easily things can fall apart, like the night after the bar. I want some reassurance that he wants the same future that I do. 

I'm going home for Easter in just a few days, and I want Josh to come with me. AJ won't be there, and Dad said that Josh is welcome to come for the holidays. After what Josh did for me when Gramps was hospitalized, my family is in full support. I know inviting him home for a holiday is a big step and we've only been together for less than a month, but I want him to start to see our future together. I've been waiting for long enough.

As the grass brushes our legs while we walk through the field at dusk, I step in front of Josh and face him, my eyes beseechingly on his. I know he can see straight through me, so I don't try to hide my disquietude.

"Josh," I start, eyes cast down. "Do you...do you see us having a future? Do you want one?"

Josh tilts my chin up with a thumb and centers his gaze on me earnestly. His eyes blaze so bright that the stars dim in comparison.

"Of course," he answers decisively. "I'm all in, Rach."

"Me too," I answer with a grin. "So how would you feel about coming to my house for Easter break?"

"Well, I've already met your parents," he responds with a grin.

"Yeah, we're kinda going through the steps backwards," I add with a laugh.

"And my house isn't really somewhere I want to spend a lot of time these days," he adds more solemnly.

He doesn't have to explain any more; with a disapproving father like Lyndon Hunter, I wouldn't want to go home either. I feel a little guilty for taking Josh away from his sweet sister Ellie, but he doesn't deserve to spend time with a man who only tears him down.

"So?" I answer, biting my lip pensively.

"So," he says, a slow smile taking over his face, "let's do it."

With those words, all of my fears are assuaged. Our future is a dream that may become a reality. 

~~~~~

(So sorry for the delay in posting new chapters! I was snowed in for a week!)

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that happy chapters aren't exactly my specialty, but writing these two happy is such a treat. I've been waiting the entire book to make them happy together.

What do you think? Is it going to last? 

Thanks for reading, I promise I'll keep up to date with updates this week! You're all the best!

~ Hannah