All I Wanted: A Joshayley Fanfic

Chapter 18 - Looking Up

*JOSH'S POV*

"You're not going anywhere without me." I tightened my grip on her jacket, refusing to let her get away from me. I can't lose her again. She looked like she was going to collapse; I was supporting her whole body weight - which wasn't much.

Her face was clouded over with vexation. "You didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?" She shoved me feebly in a futile attempt to shake me off, but I was much too strong for her. "And get off me. My plane's about to leave." She looked back at the line of passengers that led up to the door of the terminal, which was dwindling to just a few dawdling people fumbling around in their purses, looking for their tickets to show to the attendant filing them outside.

"You mean our plane. Hayley, I won't let you do this. If you're going, so am I."

Hayley's eyes widened in realisation, and she looked from the pass in my hand to my face, and back again. "Why?" She asked almost inaudibly.

"Because I love you. Now, if I let go of you, are you going to run through that door? Or are you going to hear me out?" I eyed her carefully, watching her chewing on her bottom lip. "You might as well make it easier for yourself. If you try and get away from me I'm just going to chase after you."

Despite her efforts to subdue it, a tiny smile pulled on her mouth. "This better be good, Josh Farro. I paid over two thousand dollars for this ticket."

"You and me both," I muttered under my breath. I don't think she heard me, though. "What, may I ask, were you going to do in England?"

"I don't know." She said bluntly. "I hadn't really thought it through. Hang out in London, maybe?"

I looked at her incredulously. "Hang. Out. In. London." I repeated. This crazy, amazing girl is going to be the death of me. Just then, the porter looked over in our direction, annoyed. I realised we were the last two people in the waiting room.

"Are you two going to hurry up, or not?" He asked gruffly.

"Sorry," I replied. "Change of plans. We're not going to be getting on this plane after all."

He rolled his eyes but didn't bother saying anything else; he shuffled through a door marked 'Private' and left us alone. Hayley followed him with her eyes, probably aware of the fact that her last chance of boarding that plane had just walked out of the room.

I released my hold on her. "Can I talk to you now?"

"Hang on a minute. Just let the circulation return to my limbs," She quipped, shaking her arm by her side. I shook my head teasingly. I wasn't holding onto her arm that hard.

I guided her back over to the chairs and sat down; she did the same, and then we were both quiet as she had her head down, staring at her hands and twiddling her thumbs. I coughed nervously, sensing that the next few minutes were going to be a lot harder than it had been so far. Hayley didn't want geniality now; she wanted an explanation. And frankly, so did I, although I'd managed to piece together most of the story by now. We needed to address what had happened - but I didn't know quite where to begin, or how she would take it.

Hayley chewed her fingernail, eyes still averted to the floor.

"Isabelle told me everything." I said at last. Hayley's head shot up. "It wasn't too long after you called me. I think she felt guilty she hadn't said anything earlier. She told me... She told me what Jenna had said to you. About how she said she was having a baby. Our baby." She remained silent. "Hayley, I swear to you that she was lying. I can't... I don't know how to make you believe me. But you have to. Jenna and I have barely touched recently, let alone..." I broke off. "Hayley," I said her name again, trying to coax a response out of her. "I would never do that to you. Please trust me on this."