Good Night

A/N: at the end hahaha

****

It was almost impossible to catch the girl with her guard down. Her senses were too good. Josh could never surprise her by visiting at random times but he could still try.

Josh unlocked the door of the girl´s apartment. Nichole was at the opposite end of the place, the sun was setting, and its light outlined her silhouette. She was sat by the window on a tall stool, a canvas in front of her and a paint brush on her hand.

Click. Josh camera made a sound; she had stayed still as he had aimed the focus to her allowing the picture to be taken. Josh aimed for another picture but this time she turned to see him with an expression that said “enough” but still with a small smile on her mouth. He took the picture and then he walked towards her. He stood behind her and bent to kiss her cheek. He felt her smile.

“That smells good…” she allowed herself lean back a little and he kissed her cheek again.

“Hungry?”

“Mmmhh” she got up and walked towards the couch where her black gloves were

“You don´t have to wear those” Josh said from where he still was standing close to the half-done painting. She gave him a somewhat sad smile and put them on.

“No, sit down, please” Josh told the girl when she was going to get the dishes. She only raised her eyebrows and took a seat on the stool on the other side of the kitchen island. They never ate on the dining table, she never used it.

“On the dining table, Nic” he took out the dishes

“What´s wrong with here?” a slight smirk on her lips

“Ok, where you want is fine” he leaned to brush his lips to hers

“Always the good guy” she looked at him with intensity in her eyes. He put a plate in front of her

“Look at what I go here, want some?” Josh showed her a dark bottle

“Trying to get me drunk?” Nichole raised an eyebrow. He laughed some nervousness in his laugh.

“Just wanted a nice dinner” he said knowing well how she didn´t enjoy public and crowded places. She looked at him with warm eyes.

“Should I have dressed up?” she smiled standing up as he went to her side

“You look great” he looked over at her denim shorts, sandals and white top with thin straps and small splatters of paint. She laughed

“Less clothing, more skin kind of guy?” she raised both her eyebrows “and I thought my Josh was a good boy” a few blinks and a nervous laughter was what she got

“You know that´s not what I meant…”

“No?” she tilted her head

“I mean… yeah, you look great –he looked at her from head to toes as to prove his point- but that made me sound like…”

“Hey, relax, babe, what is this about? I´m just playing… Is everything ok?”

“Yeah” he smiled and sat “Bon appetite” they started eating.

“I think… -she started talking over the soft music playing in the house, she always played music when painting and that day she hadn´t turned it off when Josh arrived –that it made a deep impression on you when I said that you had this –she reached for his face and brushed a finger over the small mole on the corner of his eye –back when we were at Burgeoys…”

“You were the first to notice it even after not that long” he smiled fondly

“You, to this day, -she moved her hand from his face –are the only one able to know when I am smiling for real”

“I see you”

“And I see you –she smiled –Josh, those amazing eyes talk to me… They´ve gone from deep green to pale a lot tonight… What is it in your mind?” her warm eyes seemed worried, he looked down and shook his head

“It's nothing… over dessert?”

“I want dessert now”

“Ok –he sighed- you told me Camille is out of the country right?” he asked and she nodded “You spend Christmas with her”

“Yeah…”

“I was wondering if you´d come to spend Christmas with me and my family this year…”

“Oh” she said and he looked expectant “Oh, so this is why you brought the wine” she smirked

“No!” he said too fast. She laughed.

“Look –she closed her eyes for a second –I know the Arlington are pretty friendly and too bad that you ended up with a hermit…”

“You don´t have to go if you don´t want” he interrupted her

“Don´t I?” she raised both her eyebrows

“Well… no, if you don´t want to, you don´t have to”

“I´m willing to go out of the cave and be civil for you” she winked

“I want to be with you that night… but I don´t want to force you to go…”

“No?” she glanced the food and then to him and then to the bottle of wine and back to him. He laughed

“That´s just feeding you like you did back at Burgeoys” he winked

“Right”

***

There were many stars that night, the sky was clear of clouds but the wind was cold. There was no moon but the many stars made it ok. The quiet night was interrupted by a melody, many years old, it was a piano playing. Nichole no longer kept her phone in vibration mode, it had been a long while since she got a call to be the monster but her phone in vibration mode still made her very uneasy but this tune made her smile, a tiny almost imperceptible smile.

“Hello Josh” she picked up. The melody that sounded with his call was his, the first one he´d made for her back in the Art Club.

“Where are you?”

“Whoa, wait! What´s with that question?” just like the phone in vibration feeling like anybody wanted to control her made her uneasy. She heard Josh take a deep breath on the other end.

“I´m at your place, it´s almost midnight and you´re not here”

“Nope, I´m not there”

“Nichole…” he said in a tone with a mix of irritation and worry

“Hey, why are you at my apartment? You´re supposed to be at your family´s place”

“Yeah… -he took a minute to answer –I wanted to spend some time with you” he said and she felt warmth spread through her body, she smiled.

“What if I was asleep?”

“Then I was going to surprise you”

“Are you drunk?” she teased him

“Do you take me for an alcoholic?! –he said and she chuckled –but tell me where you are so I can go to you”

“Guess” she was already coming down from the roof

“I brought dessert” he said and she heard the sound of plates

“That’s cheating”

“It is not” she heard the smile in his voice “now… it might not be complete if you are not here… it looks really good”

“Don´t touch my dessert” she said just for him, she didn´t really care that much for dessert, she even had at least three different kinds of dessert in the fridge

“I think I´ll have the cherry…”

“No, you won´t” he heard her voice in the apartment. He went towards where he heard her voice

“Where were you, beautiful” he asked kissing her cheek

“On the roof. Why are you here? I thought you were coming until tomorrow”

“Tomorrow is in less than an hour”

“When did you become such a smartass?” she had a crooked smile

“Back in high school” he winked making her laugh

“If you had told me where you were I could´ve taken it to you” he handed her a plate with a piece of cake and a cherry on top

“It was cold up there”

“That might have been better”

“There´s still the balcony if you’re that hot” she smirked taking a bite of her dessert, he narrowed her eyes.

***

“Nic, Nichole, gorgeous, wake up” she heard Josh´s voice very far but she knew he was close. They had set up a blanket on the balcony´s floor and taken her laptop to watch a movie.

“Did the movie end?” she lift her head from his shoulder as she felt his arm around her

“Yeah… a few minutes ago… Let´s get you to bed…”

“´m tired… don´t wanna get up” she had placed her head back on his shoulder

“Have you been staying up?”

“Mmhh”

“Why?”

“Nightmares” she mumbled

“You should´ve called me” he kissed her forehead

“Just dreams” she mumbled again

“You´re really tired…” he chuckled

“…”

“What are you doing?” her eyes snapped open when she felt his arm under her legs and the other around her back. He lifted her

“I´ll take you to bed” he had a gentle voice

“I can walk, Josh!” she tried to stand but he held her closer to his chest as he started to walk

“Put me down!”

“Nope”

“Josh”

“Merry Christmas, gorgeous.”  He brushed his lips against her. She buried her face in his neck as if it was embarrassing. He chuckled. He lay her on her bed and put a blanket over her. “I´ll go close the balcony´s door” he whispered, she just hummed.

“I´ll come back later” she heard his voice followed by a kiss on her cheek. The clock on her nightstand announced it was two thirty in the morning. She caught his wrist as he was leaving.

“Stay” her voice was merely a whisper. Josh wasn´t sure if he had heard correctly but then he saw her move over leaving some room on her bed. He sat and removed his shoes. He had stayed a few times but only when they accidentally ended up falling asleep. She had never invited him to stay and she had never accepted his invitations to spend the night either. He lay on his side, facing her. Tentatively, he passed his arm over her waist. She tensed a little but quickly relaxed and moved closer. He felt her breath on his neck, it tickled, he, then, felt her take a deep breath and she smiled against his skin.

“I hear your heart” here was some humor in her voice “Do I make you nervous?” she said against his skin and he thought that it was impossible for her to get closer but he was wrong, she moved closer to him.

“More like crazy…” his voice was husky

“I´m sorry” she started to move away but his arms stopped her

“Believe me, I don´t mind”

“Josh…” she whispered as she buried her face in his neck. He felt her eyelashes brush against his skin when she closed her eyes.

“Good night, gorgeous” He sighed contented and allowed his eyes to close. Sleep came quick. 

**********

I don´t know about this one... There´s a big part that I took out of this and it´s actually two different FF put together... I really like the part that I had to delete from this one but idk I don´t think the characters are ready for the events in it even if this is has little to do with the main Double Life story... As always, I haven´t read it over... but I wanted in here so...