about it, a sign that you don’t trust him Nor?” Josh was not dressing up anything today. He was being dead straight with his answers. I guess I needed him to be blunt, but I still didn’t enjoy hearing it.
“Shut up Josh, you are not helping.” I was annoyed he lacked the sugar coating I was normally used to. I needed for him not to point out the obvious flaws in my relationship.
Josh then laughed at me.
Why was he laughing at me? Did he think the note was funny? Did Josh find humor in the fact that I didn’t fully trust Clint? I couldn’t stop and dwell on why Josh found this amusing even though it made me want to punch him in the throat. I had to keep going, because there was more I had to show him.
“That’s not all Josh,” I said, annoyed that he continued to laugh. This wasn’t what I needed from a friend right now. I needed answers, I needed sound advice, I needed to know that I was worried about nothing. I needed reassurance I wasn’t being a fool.
“There is more?” Josh asked. I nodded, got up and went to my bedroom and returned with another item. I placed the box in front in front of Josh on the sofa, who looked to me and shook his head. “I’ve seen your engagement ring from Samuel. Why are you showing this to me again Norah?” He looked confused, and was still half snorting at my lack of trust for Clint.
“This ring Josh,” I started to say, “is not from Samuel.”
Silence.
Josh’s body froze like he had died on the spot. He didn’t move. He didn’t breathe. I was going to poke him until I saw his breathing change from non-existent, to small shallow breaths.
“Are you...” It was the only two words Josh could manage. I saw his hurt straight away and felt I had to quickly appease it.
“Oh no, no, no. I’m not engaged. I found this ring in Clint’s sock drawer. He hasn’t asked me yet.”
Josh looked stunned, just staring at me for more of an explanation. I wasn’t sure what was going through his head. He just swallowed and waited for me to say more.
“I wasn’t snooping, I was genuinely in need of a pair of socks. Obviously if there is any truth to this note, I need to know before this occurs,” I said, pointing to the box.
Josh stared at the box with a look of fear on his face, like it was going to explode in front of him. After a minute, he turned to me. “Would you really say yes Norah? Even if there is nothing to this note?” The amusement he had was long gone and now I saw something else. He looked worried. Very worried.
“I don’t know Josh. Things keep changing. Clint and I have been fighting. There is this note. I am also feeling...”
Josh picked up on my hesitation and zoned in on it. “What are you feeling Norah?” Josh’s green eyes burned into mine and I couldn’t help but feel the attraction again. I shifted away from Josh on the couch, distancing myself, trying to keep my stupid animalistic desires in check.
“Different. Just different is all.”
He watched as I tried to talk about something I was still very confused about. I glanced at the box and note and back to Josh, hoping he would give me advice. Something that would help me decide what I should do.
“Look Norah, I don’t have much to say about this.” Josh held up the box with the ring. He hadn’t even opened it up to look. “But in regards to this,” Josh picked up the piece of paper in his other hand, “if you are not going to be upfront and ask Clint, then you’re going to have to try and catch him out with whatever it is you think he is doing.”
I sighed and took the note from Josh’s hand, staring at it again, like I had a million times already.
“But I have no idea what the note could mean Josh. That’s the problem.”
Josh shook his head at me. “Well if you want to know the truth about this note, you are going to have to get creative Nor, be your own detective.”
He did have a point. I would have to take matters into my own hands if Samuel wasn’t going to tell me why he left the note. Actually, all Samuel had done was try and drive a wedge