You'll Say Yes (7 page)

"This pasta is great, Joshua. Thank you so much for cooking," I said to him when I finished my food.

Joshua smiled. "You're welcome, Abby. My mom always told me to learn how to cook. I have to thank her later."

I smiled back. "Here...let me wash the dishes."

Joshua frowned. "Abby, you're my guest. I won't do that to you."

I shook my head. "You cooked for me. I can have my fair share."

Joshua sighed. "All right."

I grinned in victory as I stood up and collected the dirty plates and glasses. Joshua helped me dry the dishes. We make a good team.

"So..." he said, fidgeting on his feet. "Where do you want to talk?"

I was taken aback for a moment. Dang! I almost forgot the main reason I came here. Joshua raised his eyebrows when he saw my expression. "Um...in the living room?" I suggested.

Joshua nodded and took my hand. He guided me to the big couch, and we sat there facing each other.

"So, tell me about your day?" He asked.

I frowned. "Apparently, Lucas pulled a little stunt by telling Camila that you are my fiancée."

Joshua smirked. His eyes glinted with amusement. "He did?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, that's good."

I rolled my eyes. "And then Camila asked me if Lucas was telling her the truth."

"And...your answer?"

I shrugged. "I didn't say yes or no. I left her guessing."

Silence.

Joshua cleared his throat.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" He asked in low voice.

What do I want to talk about? There’s so much I want to ask him. How he had been doing all these years? What happened to those moments in high school? What was his motivation to hook up with those girls? Were there any girls who interested him?

"Tell me about yourself," I blurted out.

Joshua blinked several times. "What do you want to know about me?"

"Why were you doing those things when we were in high school?"

Joshua sighed and ran his hands through his hair several times.

"I was an idiot back then," he began to explain. "I didn't know what was getting into my head. I couldn't control my actions and my mind whenever you were near me, and Scott made it worse."

I looked at him. "How could you make out with all those girls, Joshua? Are you planning to do that to me too?"

"No!" He answered immediately. His face turned somber. "I will never do that to you, Abby." He sighed again. "I was frustrated; I think, because I couldn’t get close to the girl of my dreams and they just threw themselves at me.

I clenched my teeth. "And playing with their feelings?"

"Abby, please-"

"How could you, Joshua?" I asked in a tight voice. "They might be throwing themselves at you, but you could have refused."

"I know, Abby. I know," he said, frustrated. He stood and began pacing in front of me. "I never held any interest in them. I only had my eyes on you, but I didn’t know how to approach you. It pains me more when you didn't remember me or my promise to marry you."

I turned pale, and my heart sped up. I didn't know how to answer that.

"For all my life, I'm in love with you, Abby. It's always been you. Can't you see?" He asked in a low voice and kneeled in front of me. His eyes full with love and longing. "I can't live without you."

I scoffed. "Well, you were doing fine during high school."

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Abby, please, stop..." he said weakly.

I looked into his anguish face. "You kissed them, Joshua...no, you were making out with them, in the school hall. What were you thinking? Practice makes perfect? Because that was what I heard, 'Joshua Walsh, the greatest kisser'."

He didn't answer me.

I sighed and wriggled out of his hold. I stood up in the middle of the living room. I turned back to him. "Honestly, Joshua. I don't know you. I don't know the real you. I can't marry you because I don't know you--at all."

Joshua didn't move. He stared blankly at the couch in front of him. I sighed and grabbed my purse. "Thank you for dinner. I'm going home now. See you tomorrow in Long Beach."

I walked to the door when suddenly I felt two strong arms grab my waist and turn me around. Joshua held me close to him. His arms caged me.

"Joshua? What are you doing?" I asked, feeling a little scared for a moment. He wouldn't do something to me, would he?

"Abby, please...don't leave. I already let you slip through my fingers once. I don't want that to happen again. I'm sorry for what I've done, but please don't leave me," he pleaded. His hazel eyes glinted with fear and sadness.

"Joshua-"

"Please, Abby. You could hit me, punch me, or hate me, but please, don't leave me," he whispered.

My body was tingling once again, with him hugged me so close.

I sighed. "Who are you, Joshua?"

He looked into my eyes.

"I'm Joshua Arthur Walsh, the man who loves you and wants to marry you. The man who has been in love with you since we were kids. The man who wants to do anything to keep you with me. The man who will wait forever for you to love me."

I gaped at him speechless.

Lord, how could this man choose me over the others? I gulped and stared back into his eyes. "Have you really changed?"

He smiled dreamily. "Yes, I have, Abby. I want to be a better man for you."

We stayed like that for a moment.

"Um...Joshua, you can release me now." He looked at me anxiously, seemed afraid I might decide to run out the door. "I'm not going anywhere," I added.

He nodded slowly and released his hold on me. "I'm truly sorry if I scared you."

I pursed my lips. "Well, you did a little bit."

He chuckled, and I smiled. He looked over at the clock. "It's still early. Do you want to watch a DVD?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

We chose to watch Law Abiding Citizens. We sat on the couch and I made myself comfortable. Joshua looked at me.

"You can lean on my shoulder if you want to."

I froze and stared at him. His eyes were smoldering, and I felt a knot in my stomach. I nodded weakly and scooted closer to him. I leaned my head against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around me. I closed my eyes when I inhaled his scent. He smelled good and I felt calm. I smiled and opened my eyes.

"Are you comfortable?" He whispered.

"Yes. Thank you."

He smiled as we turned our attention to the movie.

Somewhere in the middle of the movie, my long hours of work finally hit me. My eyes went heavy, and I fell asleep. I felt like I had just fallen asleep when someone gently shook my shoulder.

"Abby, this couch isn’t that comfortable. Let me move you to the guest room," I heard Joshua's beautiful voice say.

My eyes fluttered open, and I saw Joshua hovering over me.

"What time is it?" I asked sleepily.

"It's nearly eleven. Please, Abby, just sleep in the guest room," He said, again.

I shook my head weakly. "No, I can go home. I haven't packed for tomorrow."

I started to get up, but Joshua held me. "Absolutely not, Abby. You're too tired to drive. You can pack tomorrow. Besides you'll ride with me to Long Beach."

I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "But, I didn't bring my toothbrush and-"

"Silly girl," Joshua said, whilst ruffling my hair. "I have a spare toothbrush and you can wear one of my T-shirts to bed."

Honestly, I didn't have the energy to fight him so I just nodded.

Joshua helped me to the bathroom. He gave me a brand new toothbrush before leaving the bathroom to give me some privacy. I brushed my teeth and combed my hair with my fingers.

I stepped out of the bathroom and headed for the guest room. A king-size bed with a golden comforter beckoned me to crawl underneath its warmth. Joshua gave me a T-shirt and sweat pants.

"Good night, beautiful. Sleep well," he said, lovingly and kissed my forehead.

He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. I changed into Joshua's T-shirt which was too big for me. It fell upon my knees. I decided not to wear the sweat pants. I turned off the lights, crawled under the comforter, and quickly fell into a deep slumber.

.

I don’t know how long I've been asleep for when I woke in the middle of the night. I blinked several times and realized I was in Joshua's apartment.

Suddenly, I felt a presence next to my body, and I jerked away. I saw Joshua laying beside me with a white T-shirt and pajama pants on. He curled up beside me on the top of the comforter. He looked peaceful and untroubled.

I looked into his face and slowly raised my hand to stroke his hair. His reddish hair was soft and smooth.

Seeing his sleeping face made my body warmer. Joshua stirred a moment under my touch, and I pulled my hand back. He shivered, and I frowned. He must be cold. I got up and opened the closet to find a blanket. I selected the thickest one and covered his body to keep him warm.

Joshua snuggled deeper into the pillow and seemed comfortable. I smiled and crawled back under the comforter. I looked at him for a moment before kissing his forehead.

"Sleep well, Joshua."

I woke up to the shrill of my BlackBerry alarm clock. I reached for my purse sleepily and snatched the phone out. I looked at the time on the screen. Five thirty am. I huffed into my pillow and looked at the figure that was asleep beside me.

Joshua still curled up and seemed unaffected by my alarm. I studied his face, his masculinity, his strong jaw and his perfect cheeks. As I was looking into his beautiful face, I remembered how close our bodies were yesterday when he hugged me. I could feel my cheeks getting warm.

I listened to his steady breathing and didn't stop to wonder how this man could still be in love with me all these years later. I sighed and looked toward the ceiling. What did I do to finally be 'engaged' to this man? I shook my head and got out of the bed.

I went straight to the bathroom to brush my teeth and had a quick shower. I changed my clothes into my yesterday outfit and walked out of the bathroom.

Amazingly, Joshua was still asleep. I guessed he had a long day of work too.

I took my BlackBerry with me and headed for the kitchen. I opened the fridge, hoping I could cook a decent breakfast for both of us.

I decided to cook scrambled eggs and make sandwiches.

I started to cut and fry the ingredients when my phone vibrated. I turned off the stove and looked at the caller ID.

Stella.

"Morning," I greeted her.

"Abby, good morning. Wow, you’re already awake?" Stella asked me, full of surprise.

I chuckled. "Of course, silly. I have to drive to Long Beach. It's a long journey." I turned stove back on and making our breakfast.

"Hey, are you cooking?" She asked, again.

I rolled my eyes. "Just sandwiches and scrambled eggs, Stel. Nothing more."

"Ok, then. So, is Joshua coming to Long Beach, too?"

"Yes, he is," I answered her while my hand was busy with the frying pan.

"You'll see him later. By the way, what is this reunion? I never had the chance to ask him about this." Well, it was because a lot of things happened that kept me distracted.

"It's a high school reunion."

My hand stopped. "Say that again?"

"It's a high school reunion," Stella repeated. "And maybe a small reunion for the five of us."

I rubbed my temple. I turned off the stove and put the eggs into two separate plates.

"A high school reunion and a small reunion for the five of us. Joshua never told me about this." I took the plates to the dining table.

"Well...Joshua asked me not to tell you," She sounded guilty.

My body went rigid. "What?"

"I didn't know what his motivation was, but I think he wanted to surprise you."

I sighed. "What is it with Joshua and telling me the truth? I guess the two things work separately. And I hate surprises."

Stella giggled. "It will be great, Abby. I'm on my way to Long Beach now. See you there."

At the same time, Joshua appeared in the kitchen still in his T-shirt and pajama pants. His hair still unruly red that made him look sexier.

He moaned. "Smells good."

I froze.

Stella gasped.

Crap!

"Abigail Annabel Bennett, who the hell is that?" Stella's voice raised two octaves.

"Er..."

"Abby, are you having a sleep over at Joshua's?"

"Um..."

Joshua looked at me.

"Who is that?" He asked.

I gulped. "It's Stella."

He smirked and raised his hand, indicating for me to hand him the phone.

"Hello, Stella...I'm fine, thank you...of course, I'll be there. I'm riding with Abby, by the way..." then he laughed. "No, Stella. It's not what you think. Abby was too tired to go home, so I offered her the guest room...I won't lie to you...no, I won't take advantage of her...alright. See you there." He hung up the phone and gave it back to me.

I scowled at him and tossed my phone on the kitchen counter. "So, high school reunion, huh?"

Joshua grimaced. "I'm sorry. I had all the intentions to tell you, but I guess I had too many distractions."

I huffed and sat at the dining table. "A high school reunion? I hate high school reunions."

Joshua chuckled, and his face turned somber immediately.

"Um...thank you for the blanket," He murmured.

I turned to him as I took a bite of my sandwich. "No problem. I didn’t want you getting a cold." I smiled coyly. "So, am I still a somniloquist?"

Joshua tensed and looked at me. "Abby..."

"I still remember you telling everyone I was a sleep talker. Thank you for that and forget it! I'm not going to the reunion!"

I grabbed my phone and headed to the guest room.

"Abby, wait!" He shouted and rose from his seat.

I grabbed my purse hastily and got out of the bedroom.

"Abby, please listen to me!" He said while following me around his apartment.

I turned to him with anger in my voice. "What the hell do you want from me, Joshua? I don't understand you. Why didn’t you tell me about this?"

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry."

"It's not enough!" I said, sternly. "You say sorry all the time, but you end up with repeat performances."

His shoulders slumped and he raised his head to look at me. His hazel eyes were full with sadness. I braced myself not to fall for his charms. "I really wanted to tell you, honestly! Long Beach High is hosting the reunion. My father told me about this, and I really wanted to come with you, also this is my opportunity to meet with your parents."

I raised my eyebrows. "My parents?"

Joshua nodded slowly. "I want to talk about our...current...relationship."

I threw my hands in the air. "Do you still want to keep this 'engagement' thing? I’m trying to get to know you again and telling me the truth could be a good start." My eyes narrowed. "Are you going to force me to marry you? It won't happen, Walsh!"

Joshua sighed and laughed nervously. "I'm not going to force you to marry me. I just want a chance to prove myself to you that I'm worthy your love and hopefully become your husband. Well, technically, we’ve been engaged since we were kids.”

Oh, joy! I've been engaged for almost nineteen years.

I hung my head in my hands. "Oh, Lord!" And then I looked up to him again. He still stared at me with his piercing green eyes. I sighed. "I'm not going," I said again and turned to open the door.

"I'm asking you to go as my date!"

My hand stopped; my heart rate picked up, and I turned around to look at him. "What?"

Joshua took a few steps towards me. "I'm asking you as my date."

I still stood there in a daze.

Joshua stopped a few inches from me. "I'm sorry for the bad memories I gave you when we were in high school, but it's a time to show them what we really are now. Don't you think?" He asked.

"What? That we are engaged?" I asked, sternly.

His eyes glint with humor. "It's an added bonus, I think. Besides you promised my parents to visit this weekend."

I cursed under my breath. Yeah, using the guilt card!

I stared at him. "You know what? High school reunions are the last thing on my mind, right now. We had a bad record of relationships, and suddenly we appear to have a relationship. I don't want the reminder of all those girls you've kissed."

"Will you stop that? That was seven years ago, Abby. People changed," He said, sternly.

"Do you?" I looked at him. "And what is this small reunion for, the five of us?"

He sighed. "It's a reunion for you, me, Stella, Evan, and Kimberly. That was my idea. We'll have lunch tomorrow at my house."

I raised my eyebrows and gave him a shaky laugh. "Kimberly, Joshua? Really? She's not a good friend of mine. She always glared at me when you came near me. I think she likes you."

Joshua scoffed. "No, she doesn't. She just doesn't like to be the second person from the highlight."

"Right. And does that thing make the situation easier?"

Joshua rolled his eyes. "We're not kids anymore, Abby."

"Whatever!" I said, rudely and went to the kitchen. I took my plate and headed into the living room.

"What are you doing?" He asked in amusement.

I turned on the TV. "Eating."

Joshua still stood there. "I have a dining table, Abby. Why don't you eat with me in the kitchen?"

I looked at him. "No."

He sighed and headed for the kitchen. I ate my breakfast in a gloomy mood. This was worse than hearing Camila's nasal voice everyday at the office. I was highly irritated with him. How on earth do I break our childhood 'engagement'? I refuse to marry him, but my parents and his parents already agreed. Perhaps if I spoke to them that I disagreed, they will consider it. I sighed. It was hard, but I could try.

Joshua took a shower after eating his breakfast.

He packed quickly while I was still watching the meaningless show on the TV. One hour later, I went to my apartment with my Sedan while Joshua was following me from behind with his car. I felt like I had a stalker.

I got out of my Sedan after I parked in the parking lot. Joshua followed me to my room.

"Sorry. My place isn't nice like yours," I said in low voice.

He shook his head and smiled. "Your place is warm."

I raised my eyebrows and cleared my throat. "Alright, just wait here while I to pack."

Joshua nodded and turned on the TV.

I went into my bedroom and opened my closet. I selected some necessary outfits and a black dress for the reunion. I buzzed between my room and bathroom to pack all of my things. After changing my clothes, half an hour later, I was ready and told Joshua we could go now.

We got walked out of my apartment at eight thirty am.

The journey to Long Beach took approximately three-and-a-half hours.

"Are you sure you could drive three-and-a-half hours nonstop?" I asked him.

He grinned. "We could stop for snacks or the restroom."

I nodded as he turned on the engine.

Well, Long Beach...here we come!

~O~

We stopped twice along the journey, mostly to buy snacks and use the restroom. We didn't speak much during the ride as well. Finally, Joshua rolled his eyes and broke the silence once we crossed the border of Olympia.

"Are you going to give me the silent treatment until we arrived at your dad’s?" He asked, desperately.