Feelings - A Hosie Story

Chapter 3 - "Someone's staring"

It's been over two weeks since Landon left and since then Hope has barely left Josie's side. Lizzie had been there sometimes too, but more often than not it has been only the two of them. It was the perfect distraction for the two, they'd been relieved to get away from all the relationship drama, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt. In fact, they'd also spent some of the time ranting about how annoyed they are that Landon left the moment things got difficult. Hope finally realized that it was his pattern. Something happens, life gets hard and Landon runs away. It has always been this way and Hope doesn't see it changing.

It's like Josie said, Landon made his choice. Now, Hope is making hers. She is choosing to put it all behind her and move forward in her friendship with Josie. It feels like they've become much closer. They spent that day shopping, they shared some of their feelings, and their friendship is now stronger than ever.

This brings us to today, where Josie is in her room, listening to Lizzie talk. The blonde had seemed excited to share what she is sharing, and being the kind sister that Josie is, she listens, though she is not sure she can do so for much longer. She loves her Lizzie, but sometimes it gets too much. Sometimes she realizes how codependent they are, and she knows they should spend some time apart. So, when her twin finishes talking, she decides that she's going to leave for a bit, perhaps she could go and see Hope.

"Hey, um, I'm gonna hang out with Hope for a bit. I'll see you later." She says, and it's not a lie, because that is what she is going to do. Besides, Hope has told her plenty of times that she is always welcome in her room.

"Okay," Lizzie responds, watching her sister walk towards the door. It opens, a quiet creaking noise following. "I'm glad you two are talking again." She adds, a smile on her face even though she claims she doesn't like Hope, much less Josie and Hope together.

Josie stops and turns back, her smile matching Lizzie's. "Me too." She says and then finally leaves (and if she stayed for half a second longer, she may have heard Lizzie say "Blind idiots", but she didn't).

Josie looks across the hall and stares at the number on Hope's door. She debates on actually going in. It's late. Hope could be sleeping, or on a run, or just not in her room, but then again it couldn't hurt to try. She walks the few short steps it takes and knocks, waiting for a response.

"One second!" Hope shouts from inside. Josie giggles at the shuffling sounds coming from the other side of the door, waiting patiently for Hope to appear.

"Josie!" Hope blows some hair out of her face. "What a pleasant surprise." Josie looks at Hope, glancing down at her clothing. She takes note of how pretty Hope looks, even with the paint splashes that stain the material.

"I can see you've been painting," Josie says, walking in after Hope steps to the side.

"Yeah. I've been working on this new piece after classes a bit for the past two days. You like it?" Hope points at the canvas. It is a beautiful landscape, with a waterfall and a lake. There's a ton of wildlife surrounding it, bringing in all kinds of colors. There are still parts that need to be finished. Josie admires the piece, in the same way that she has always admired Hope's artistic skills. It makes her want to be as good as Hope, to be like her in that way.

"Are you kidding? It's like the best piece of art I've ever seen, alongside all of your other incredible creations that is." She compliments.

"Stop it, Saltzman, you're making me blush." Hope covers her cheeks with her hands, feeling the heat radiate from the skin. They pause for a moment, grinning at each other. This is the sort of dynamic they've built between each other recently. It's soft, yet also teasing. Kind, but also full of humor.

"Sorry that I disturbed you. You can keep working. You won't even know I'm here."

"Okay, well you are welcome to sit on my bed or whatever. I have a few snacks in that drawer over there if you get hungry." And Hope goes back to her painting. Josie pulls her phone out of her pocket to scroll through social media.