"i hate you", you say, as soon as you hear a 'hello?' at the other side of the line.
"what?", he laughs awkwardly.
joshua frowns. what do you mean you hate him? why do you hate him? what's even going on?
"i- what- wait, are you drunk?"
"a bit, yeah", you sigh. "it doesn't change the fact that i hate you. so, so much."
"wow, okay", he breathes in, taken aback. this is gonna be a good ride. "why do you hate me?"
"because i'm right here", you open your arms, even though he can't see it. "you have all of me for you, and you can't fucking see it. you just hate me, so i might as well hate you back."
joshua frowns once again, trying to find the right words.
"i... you're my best friend, what do you mean by that?"
"THAT'S IT! DID YOU HEAR IT?", you scream, and he gets his phone away from his ear. "you just said 'best friend'. ugh, i don't want that."
and right there, it clicks. oh my god, it clicks like it never clicked before. joshua gets what you mean, and by god, he hopes you mean what he thinks you mean.
"wait... what? what do you mean you don't want that?"
"i just... oh my god, this is so embarrassing, i'm so drunk", you sigh, head spinning around. "i just... i don't know, i might like you, okay? a lot, by the way. and i don't wanna be your friend anymore."
he laughs - and you're almost offended by that.
"so you wanna be more, is that what you're saying?"
"i don't know, you keep laughing at me."
and he almost laughs again, but he can imagine your pout and reddish, puffy cheeks and your messy hair. you must look cute.
"okay, why don't you hold onto that to tell me tomorrow when you're sober, um?"
oh, joshua can so picture you stomping your feet right now.
"yeah, but it's better that way", he says with a smile. "maybe... maybe, if you're sober, i can tell you back that i like you too and i don't want you just as a friend neither. how does that sound?"
you think for a while. on his side of the line, there's only a fade noise of a random song playing at the club you are right now.
"hm, i don't like it. it sounds fake."
joshua laughs once again. "you're so drunk right now."
"yeah, i might be", you sigh. "i want you."
"i want you too", he nods. "but in the right way, okay?"
and you wanna say no, you wanna throw a tantrum and tell him to come get you, you wanna be as dramatic as you can be; but the reasonable side of you doesn't let you. so you just-
"yeah, okay", you roll your eyes. "can i see you tomorrow?"
"i'll be texting your friends to know you're safe and the moment you open your eyes tomorrow, i'll be by your door. does that sound good?"
"okay then", he relaxes. "take care, okay? and don't forget..."
"i love you too", he confesses for the first time, before hanging up on you.