Remember When?

[Eve Mallory]

Eve allowed a gentle smile to line her face. She usually smiled when Josh was around, she would probably be a wrinkly old woman for how often she'd smile, but her face was young and impish now so she wasn't stingy with them, as if she could help it when she smiled at Josh.

"Thank you for carrying me."

[Josh Jordan]

"No problem. You know I never have a problem doing anything for you," he replied. "I have to take care of you and that involves carrying you for various reasons." Josh gave her a wink, but didn't move his hand from her cheek. He was slowly losing his own battle, but it was alright with him because it was Eve that was causing it.

"And you know that if you ever need something that I'm not already doing, all you have to do is ask."

[Eve Mallory]

Eve barely opened her eyes to look at him through her lashes, " I don't ..." she brought her hands up to his then held it in hers, " I don't know really why you do all that you do for me...but thank you."

[Josh Jordan]

"Cause you're my Eva," he replied. "Ever since we were little I wanted to do everything for you. You've made everything more fun and I want to keep it that way. I couldn't even fathom growing up without you there because you were the peacekeeper between me and Lance." Josh gave her a soft smile and tilted his head a little. There was more he wanted to tell her, but he kept it quiet. It would wait.

[Eve Mallory]

Eve sighed resting contentedly where he had placed her. She was his Eva, and she liked it that way. She didn't want things to change but she could steadily feel things changing between them. She didn't know if they were changing for the better or not, but if there was even the smallest chance that she could lose the Josh she had now, she was terrified of what change might bring. Still it was wonderful to dream...

"I'll always be your Eva Josh."

[Josh Jordan]

His smile was still evident on his face. "I'm glad we think the same way." Again, he rubbed his thumb over her cheek. Josh studied her for a moment. "Slide over," he said in a whisper. He wanted to lay down beside her. The couch was big enough to support them both without Josh falling off, or Eva being squished.

[Eve Mallory]

Eve did as he said careful of her ankle and slid over on the couch she was actually quite happy he had decided to join her although she didn't realize at first that was what he intended to do. She was glad that they weren't being awkward about the kiss, they weren't talking about it, but they weren't being awkward about it.

[Josh Jordan]

Josh joined her on the couch careful not to hit her foot. "Lift your head up a little bit." He slid his arm underneath her head. Giving her a goofy grin, Josh made sure that she was comfortable as he was. "I remember when we used to do this all the time. It was always nice then, like it is now."

He stared down at her for a moment. Thinking about moments they ended up having together. "I remember I had a slight lisp and couldn't say Eve, it would always come out Eva. Lance teased me about that sometimes." Josh gave a chuckle. "And since then you have been my Eva. I used to get mad at Lance whenever he would take you off somewhere and didn't let me go along."

[Eve Mallory]

She did as he asked as he got situated she smiled fondly at the memories he evoked in her mind. This was theirs, their right, and their almost need to be close to one another.

"I think he did that to make up for the times you took me away, but I've always loved being your Eva." she told him, she laughed slightly, " I was the only girl around for you boys to practice your wooing on...then you went to school."

[Josh Jordan]

"Probably so. I wouldn't doubt that coming from Lance," he said laughing along with her. "I've always loved that too, obviously, and I've always enjoyed being your Josh. We've always had the time of our lives some how or another. It's not the same if one of us isn't there, well, at least to me it's like that."

Again, Josh smiled at the memory. Those were always fun times. Usually, Josh would give up and just kiss Eve on the cheek. A few times he had just ran away from her afterwords, but then he started to just stick around. "Going to school without you was hard. I didn't have you to help me out and stuff, but I did have Lance, although I think he went doe eyed over Genevieve when he first saw her." He gave a slight chuckle. "But I still wrote you. I still have all your letters in my trunk."

[Eve Mallory]

"She is very pretty." Eve said softly, " And he's not the only one who went doe eyed." she laughed and poked him, " I'm glad your parents like her." she said leaning on him and laying her head on his shoulder.

She smiled when he brought up the letters, " I must have sent one every day...your trunk must be full with nothing but my letters." she shook her head with a laugh, there were days that she sent more than one to him, especially if he had replied to her, she sent Lance letters as well, she had missed them both very much.

[Josh Jordan]

"Yeah, Genevieve is pretty, but you give her a run for her money. You're very pretty too," Josh said seriously. "You just like to hide yourself, but I know what you really look like. If you just opened one day, I bet you that you'd have guys lining up to you, asking you do the dance." He gave her a wink. Eve was really pretty, and Josh didn't just say it because he liked her, or just because she was his best friend either.

He started to play with her hair and they laid there. "Oh, it is full of them. I never did throw a single one away. I'll show them to you whenever we get back to school. I re-read them sometimes."

[Eve Mallory]

She flushed at that but turned into him slightly as he played with her hair so that her head was on his chest. she wasn't sure when their friendship had changed that this was more and more acceptable but it wasn't as if either of them were uncomfortable holding on to each other.

She smiled, "I'd like that." she said, "To see them that is...and laugh at the things I wrote...you must have thought I was awfully silly." she shook her head, she had wrote about how much she missed him, and how things weren't the same without him or Lance, she had probably in her mind sounded like a whiner but she had been honest and surgar coated a lot of the letter so it only sounded as if she missed him terribly.

[Josh Jordan]

"I never thought they were silly. I still don't think they are silly," Josh said. "I think that they are the best letters I've ever recieved. I still enjoy reading them. In fact, I've always got a giddy like feeling whenever I read them, even though I've read them numerous times." He smiled gently and gave her a wink. "It just reminds me how much I missed having you around, and how much I enjoy having you around all the time."

[Eve Mallory]

She held him a little tighter thinking of those times...thinking of her father, " I missed you...so much" she whispered with her eyes closed. She never wanted to think of those days when they had been separated but she had been thinking about them a lot lately, and now just thinking of how much more lost she would be if he left her. Unbearable thoughts.

They weren't talking about what happened earlier apparently but it was still with her and she wouldn't know what to do if Josh left her now, and soon she wouldn't know what to do if he didn't do it again.

[Josh Jordan]

"You're not going to have to worry about missing me anymore Eva," he whispered. "I'm always going to be here, promise. It will always be the two of us, and then of course there's Lance and Genevieve, but you know what I mean. I don't plan on letting you go." Josh wished that Eve would realize that he meant more than friends.

The kiss was still on his mind as well. He wondered what Eve thought about it. Obviously, she hadn't thought anything bad of it because of the position they were in now. Josh wasn't going to voice anything about the kiss to try and avoid anything awkward from going on.

[Eve Mallory]

She smiled then slowly, definitively, "Yes...I'm starting to believe you." she said a bit coyly, "You'd never lie to me would you Josh?" she asked although it was more of a statement than a question and she was happy with the answer her head and her heart gave her. Josh was hers for as long as...well for quite a while at least. That kiss...maybe he was interested in her...and while she didn't know what all that would entail, she had a pretty good feeling that he'd explain things to her soon enough.

[Josh Jordan]

Josh couldn't help but feel excited and giddy like when she said that she was starting to believe him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad when he finally did get enough courage to tell her how he felt.

"Of course not. There's no reason to ever lie to you. I only speak the truth to you, and I'm happy that you're finally starting to believe me. I've been trying to get you to believe me for the longest."

[Eve Mallory]

Josh was the best painkiller Eve knew, of course nothing was touching her ankle and therefore hurting it but the fact was she simply didn't feel pain when he was around. She wondered where his parents and the rest of them were and when they were coming back but for the moment...well really for all eternity, she didn't mind just resting in his arms just the way she was.

[Josh Jordan]

The thought of his parents coming back or appearing at any given time didn't really occur to him. Even if the thought did cross his mind, he wouldn't care. After all, he and Eve had been in positions like this before. It was nothing new.

He continued to play with her hair. Josh just watched her for a moment, and he found himself smiling. If he had enough courage, he would tell her right then, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. "Is your ankle hurting?"