Page 1 of Loving Josy
Prologue
Josy
Ilook at myself in the mirror, checking my reflection. My short shorts and tank top paired with my white chucks look good on me. I fluff my hair a little so my curls bounce and apply some light makeup before spraying on my favorite perfume. Today is the day I’m going to kiss the love of my life for the first time. He doesn’t know he’s the love of my life yet, but he will soon.
I’ve been obsessed with Noah since I was fifteen years old. Now, in my senior year of college at almost 22, I’m ready to finally let him know he’s everything to me. I’ve been crushing on him since I was a freshman and he was a senior in high school. Back then, he only saw me as a friend. I was the friend who attended all his basketball games, cheering on the sidelines. I was also the friend who introduced him to a lot of my friends, and he had the audacity to date a few of them but never me.
When he graduated, he stayed in town and started working at a construction company in a nearby city. That gave me the chance to see him on the weekends when he wasn’t too tired, and we could hang out with his group of friends. Time passed, and I graduated high school. That’s when he started looking at me differently. He never said anything, but I could see how he sometimes stared too long, or the simple touches that anyoneelse might see as innocent but meant the world to me. I lived for those tiny touches that made my heart gallop and turned my body into molten lava.
I left for college and only saw him when I could drive back to Honey Springs. Those short weekends were the highlights of my months. Then one day in sophomore year he started texting me. At first, the texts were just to check on me, but over time our friendship evolved into something more. Since then, every morning and before I go to bed, I have a message from him. During the day he also texts me whenever he can take a minute from work. I can’t name what we are now; I just know that I think about Noah every day and can’t wait to graduate and move back home. He hasn’t made any promises to me, he hasn’t even hinted that he’s interested in me. But why would he talk to me all the time if he didn’t like me? The only reason I can come up with is that he’s waiting for me to come back home to tell me how he feels.
My best friend Violet says I should take my chance and let him know how I feel with a kiss, and today I plan on doing just that. I don’t need words; I just have to show him how I feel with just a kiss. We plan on meeting at The Honey Tavern around seven and I’m almost done getting ready. I make sure that I look good one last time before I head out to my car. Driving slowly, I take deep breaths to calm my racing heart.Can I really do this? What if he doesn’t feel the same? Oh my goodness.I concentrate on arriving alive and not crash. My hands are trembling, and I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my chest.
When I arrive at The Honey Tavern, I park my car in the first available spot, my heart hammers as I see Noah near the side of the building. He is talking with someone and pacing from side to side. The Tavern is located in the center of the city and is very popular with the locals so today the parking lot is full. I guess everyone came to have a good time on a Friday night. I haven’tbeen back to Honey Springs in months, and seeing Noah even from a far fills me with excitement. He looks so gorgeous in his signature ripped black jeans, black shirt, and black biker boots. My nerves threaten to take over, but I push them aside.Today is the day.
Grabbing my phone, I text Violet.
Me: I arrived at the Tavern and he is here.
Violet: Good. Are you ready? OMG, I can’t wait for you to kiss him.
Me: What if he doesn’t want me back? It would be so embarrassing, Vi.
Violet: He won’t do that. For years he’s been texting and calling you. He IS interested. Just take deep breaths and go out there and kiss your man.
Her words make me brave.
Me: Text you later with the details.
Violet: You can do it. Have fun tonight. I am about to nurse Adrian, so I will be living vicariously through you. I expect all the details.
Me: I know. Give kisses to my godson.
Violet: Stop texting, bitch, and get out of the car.
It’s maddening how well Violet knows me, sometimes better than I know myself. We met on the first day of our freshman year, thrown together as roommates by the luck of the draw. From that moment on, she was my anchor in the chaos of college life. For two years, we shared late-night study sessions, takeout marathons, and endless talks about our dreams and fears.
Then she met Taylor. It was a whirlwind romance that turned her world upside down. By the end of our sophomore year, she was packing up her things to move in with him. When she called to tell me she was pregnant, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. At 20 years old, Violet was leaving school, getting married, and starting a family in Maryland.
Now she has a new life, a husband, and Adrian, their four-month-old baby boy. I miss her fiercely, but technology softens the ache. We talk every day, our voices bridging the miles between us. Still, it’s not the same as having her here. She’d know exactly what to say to calm the storm in my chest right now.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I shove my phone into my purse and step out of the car. The cool night air wraps around me, carrying the distant hum of laughter and clinking glasses from the tavern. My heart races, each beat a hammer against my ribcage. It’s time.
I tread carefully across the gravel parking lot, my shoes crunching softly with each step. The glow of the tavern’s porch light bathes everything in a golden haze. I walk toward Noah near the side of the building. His back is to me, and there’s a woman in front of him. I can’t see her clearly from this distance, so I move closer to get a better view.
As I draw nearer, the details come into focus. The woman is petite and strikingly beautiful, her blonde hair cascading in soft waves that shimmer under the porch light. She’s wearing a tight, emerald-green dress that clings to every curve, the necklineplunging to reveal a generous amount of cleavage. Her heels are high enough to make her legs look endless, and her laughter—a light, flirtatious melody—floats toward me, twisting the knife already lodged in my chest.
They’re standing so close, their bodies nearly touching. My stomach knots.Who is she? I’ve never seen her before.
Noah’s voice drifts toward me, low and intense. “I told you there’s nothing going on.” His tone is sharp with frustration. His free hand rakes through his hair, a gesture I’ve seen a hundred times when he’s upset.
“Josy’s just my best friend,” he continues, his voice softening. “I don’t see her like that—she’s like a little sister to me.”
The words hit me like a slap to the face, stopping me dead in my tracks.
The woman tilts her head, her lips curling into a knowing smile. She places a manicured hand on his chest, her long, red nails trailing over his shirt. He doesn’t step back. Instead, he leans closer, his fingers brushing her cheek as if she’s the most delicate thing he’s ever touched.
“I need time with my friends, too,” he says, his voice quieter now, almost tender. “I can’t spend every minute I have free with you, honey.”
