HARD TRUTHS
JOSH
The spoon clinked against the edge of the tub as Vivien pulled out another bite of ice cream, licking it off slowly before offering me the spoon. I took it, scooping up some for myself, my eyes drifting over to her as she curled her legs beneath her.
“So,” I said, swallowing the cold sweetness before meeting her gaze. “Why’d you become a teacher?”
Vivien tilted her head, considering. “Because I like bossing people around,” she said with a straight face.
I huffed a laugh. “That checks out.”
She grinned before shrugging. “Honestly? I always liked kids. They’re weird and unpredictable, but they’re honest. And they don’t hold grudges–well, most of them don’t. I had one first grader try to curse me once because I wouldn’t let him eat glue, but, you know, that’s just part of the job.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “So, you enjoy near–death experiences?”
She smirked. “Only the ones that involve tiny humans wielding Crayola markers like weapons.”
I handed her the spoon back, watching as she took another bite. “How are you still single?”
The question left my mouth before I could think twice, but the
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second it did, something in her face shifted.
Vivien dropped her gaze, her fingers tightening slightly around the tub.
I sighed. “You don’t have to answer-”
“No,” she interrupted softly, taking a deep breath. “It’s okay.”
She looked up at me with a sad smile, exhaling slowly. “I was engaged when I was twenty–three.” She paused, her fingers tracing over the lid of the ice cream. “He was the love of my life.” A small breath. “But he died in a boating accident.”
The words sat between us, heavy and quiet.
I didn’t say anything. What was there to say?
I just sat there, letting the silence stretch, letting her own grief settle in beside mine.
After a moment, I swallowed hard. “I guess you would understand more than anyone about…”
“Your wife,” she finished softly, meeting my gaze.
I nodded, my throat tightening.
Vivien was the one who convinced me to send Laura to Germany. She had been the one to push me toward hope when I was too fucking scared to take that step myself.
I inhaled deeply, running a hand over my jaw. “Well–I didn’t get the best news, but… I think somewhere deep down, for the last two years, I knew she wasn’t there anymore, you know?” My voice was rough, quieter than I meant it to be. “Her body was,
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but she wasn’t. I could feel it.”
Vivien nodded, taking another bite of ice cream, and when she pulled the spoon away, a tiny piece of chocolate chip clung to her chin.
I smirked. “You got a little-”
I reached forward without thinking, brushing my thumb along the spot, but before I could wipe it away, her hand caught my wrist.
I froze.
Slowly, she guided my hand closer–her gaze locked on mine, unreadable, cautious.
And then-
She lowered her mouth to my thumb, her full lips parting as she sucked the chocolate off, her cheeks hollowing ever so slightly.
My jaw went slack.
The minor discomfort in my pants turned into a raging fucking hard–on.
I swallowed hard, my pulse hammering as she pulled back, her lips releasing my thumb with an audible pop.
And all I could do was sit there, staring at her, my heart pounding against my ribs like it was trying to `break free.
She released my hand, and her eyes flickered down–straight to my crotch.
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There was no hiding it.
Just like she couldn’t hide the fact that her nipples were peaked against the thin fabric of her dress, her cheeks flushed with something that had nothing to do with embarrassment.
Her gaze lifted back to mine, steady but soft. “Josh… it’s okay, you know.” Her voice was quiet, careful. “If you need to go slow
I shut my mouth, my jaw. tightening as I stared at her. At her full lips, slightly parted, still glistening from the ice cream
And I thought about how they would taste.
Before I could stop myself, I was leaning in, my hand reaching behind her neck, my fingers curling into the silky strands of her hair.
Her breath hitched.
But she didn’t pull away.
If anything, she leaned in, too.
And then, just before our lips met, she whispered, “Josh…”
I paused, every muscle in my body coiled so tightly I thought I might snap.
She swallowed, her hands resting on my chest, her fingers flexing against my shirt. “Are you sure?”
Fuck.
I wasn’t sure about anything.
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But when I looked into her eyes, wide and searching, when I felt the heat between us, the way my heart pounded, my blood surged–I knew one thing.
I wanted this.
I wanted her.
So I answered the only way I could.
I closed the distance.
