Chapter Text
Jote was just a friend.
Technically, Joshua didn’t lie when he said that; the two of them had this sort of “mutual understanding” going on since they met in Gen Chem three semesters ago. They decided to wait until graduation before making it official, but as far as they were concerned they were already dating—not that anyone needed to know or care.
That, of course, didn’t stop Clive from prying into his affairs worrying about him, Dad from grinning at him knowingly while patting his shoulder in approval, and Mom from launching into one of her usual tirades about “not wasting time on such dalliances, lest you fail your courses due to your own foolishness”. The last one was frankly insulting, but Joshua had learned to brush it off over time; he was planning to move out for good soon anyway.
In any case, such thoughts were not suited for today, for he was meeting with Jote for a movie and coffee afterwards, before she starts her internship at the infirmary hospital next week. Joshua had been looking forward to their date, and had spent a lot of time picking out a present with Clive’s girlfriend, Jill. (At least she was supportive and did not pry as much as his family did.) Right now, he shifted nervously in front of the ticket booth, the small, pink paper bag clutched tightly in his hand behind his back.
Jote arrived a few minutes before the time they had agreed upon, her face flushed probably from having rushed from the bus stop. “Sorry I’m late,” she apologized while panting, and Joshua waved it off with a chuckle, “I also just arrived.” Jote sighed in relief, placing a hand over her chest to calm herself.
She was truly adorable like this: short, messy brown hair not bound in a nursing cap for once, face brightened with minimal glitter make-up and light pink lip gloss. Jote wore a white cardigan over a cream-colored chiffon blouse, partnered with a rose pink knee-length pleated skirt and heeled sandals. Joshua rarely saw Jote in anything but her white nursing uniform on most days, so seeing her dolled up like this (and having her to himself for today) was more than he could ask for. “You look great,” his compliment came earnestly, and Jote smiled, blushing, before gently picking a piece of lint off the shoulder of his hoodie. “You too, Joshua.”
Funnily, there were only two films showing in town over that weekend: Barbee and Oppen Heimer. Both were released on the same day, and the hype surrounding the films’ “rivalry” despite their widely-contrasting nature resulted in them being promoted together instead in the weeks leading up to what became a joint premiere. That said, dark, depressing stuff were not suited for today, so they made the obvious choice.
The cinema was around one-third full by the time the movie started. Joshua kind of understood the hype among his course mates after they had watched the Barbee premiere earlier, but seeing it for himself now, he had to admit that its story was actually pretty decent, childhood nostalgia aside.
Beside him, Jote was completely engrossed, freely chuckling to herself during a particularly funny chase scene between Barbee and some black suits. Bits of caramel popcorn were stuck on the edges of her mouth and for a moment Joshua was distracted, tempted by the fleeting thought of licking them off her lips as he kissed her, but he shook his head vigorously instead and took a huge sip of soda.
Around the climax of the film, it was Jote who seemed uncomfortable this time, repeatedly rubbing her arm as if to calm her nerves while her eyes darted across the other occupants of the theater. "What's wrong?" Joshua asked concernedly, gently slipping his hand through her arm. Jote turned to him gratefully, looking slightly relieved as she tried to settle down once more. "I... just feel out of sorts. Like we're being watched? It's just me, though," she exhaled, shaking her head.
Joshua narrowed his eyes; so it wasn't just him who thought so. The feeling had started after he took notice of the popcorn around Jote's mouth. Someone definitely followed them here, and he had a pretty good idea of who it was. He gently squeezed Jote's arm again to get her attention. "It's not just you, actually," he affirmed, peeking from behind his seat towards the balcony area, with Jote hesitantly following suit.
Seated at the very back were three tall figures huddled together in an attempt to remain unnoticed while trying their best not to react to whatever was happening on screen, and Joshua knew all of them. He and Jote exchanged glances; she cocked her head to a side in confusion while Joshua merely nodded, sighing in mild annoyance. He sank back even lower into his seat, and Jote tried to comfort him. "They're probably only worried," she whispered to him.
"I know, but..." He trailed off, deciding to just abandon that line of thought instead. It wasn't a good feeling to bring back home later, especially not when he was supposed to have a nice afternoon away from it. Having Jote worry about him on top of that was way worse, of course. Joshua took one last glance behind them; their three followers hadn't yet noticed that they'd already been spotted. A mischievous grin grew on his face. "Never mind."
He held out his soda cup to a confused Jote: "Can you hold onto this for a while? Ah, you can drink from it if you want." Ignoring the way his friend's face grew red as she turned away, Joshua whipped out his phone and sent off a short but sweet message to one of the three, before settling down again, much more relaxed. That should take care of things.
After a short while, he heard the faint buzz of a phone from behind them followed by a strangled choking sound, and triumphantly crossed his arms. Jote was resisting the temptation to peek behind them to see what happened, so Joshua calmly placed a hand over hers, eyes still on the screen. "It's okay now," he whispered to her.
Jote was still pouting—adorably so, if Joshua had to describe it—but she decided to drop the matter, too, with the film ending soon. She turned her palm up to meet Joshua's, hesitating for a while before linking their fingers together. It wasn't the first time they had done so in their years of friendship, and haven't gone any further than that, but it was how they both found comfort in each other in their own small way.
“That was fun,” Jote said lightly, clutching a small Townberry plushie as they waited at the bus stop. They ended up staying out later than they had planned, window shopping while sipping their coffee, then playing at the arcade for a while. Joshua was grinning all the time as he watched her attempt the crane game again and again until she got her desired prize; she’d always been amusingly competitive like that.
Jote’s ride was arriving in five minutes. Joshua brought out the small paper bag he’d failed to give her earlier. “Um… Jote?” She smiled at him questioningly, causing him to almost drop it.
Her eyes were on him the entire time as he gingerly unwrapped his gift to show her: a sterling silver butterfly necklace with a simple chain, weakly reflecting the light from the bus stop as Joshua’s hand trembled ever so slightly. Jote was speechless for a while, only reaching out to touch it when he held it closer to her. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“A good luck gift,” Joshua explained, as if it were a question instead. That was definitely not the intention he had in mind when he had bought it, but by the way Jote smiled as she held the necklace in her hands, she definitely more than got his actual message. Their “mutual understanding” was about to become something more, and his breath hitched at the very thought.
“Here, let me put it on for you,” Joshua offered, casually stepping behind Jote and fixing the clasp of the necklace in place. His fingertips almost lingered on the nape of her neck, but he pulled his hands back and shoved them in his hoodie’s pockets to keep them from shaking further. Jote faced him again, almost twirling, briefly looking down to admire her new jewelry before meeting his gaze. “Thank you, Joshua. I love it.”
The bus arrived moments later, and Joshua and Jote said their goodbyes. Halfway up the steps of the bus, Jote quickly turned around, grabbed Joshua’s shoulder and planted a soft kiss onto his cheek. Before he could process what had just happened, the bus had already left, with Jote already comfortably seated as she waved to him from afar.
She really was strangely competitive even in moments like this, Joshua ruefully mused to himself as he walked back home, shivering. Maybe he really should open up to Clive about Jote, after all, before he worries too much for his own good. He also made a mental note to swear Dion and Terence to absolute secrecy the next time he met them, seeing as they both knew as much as his brother did—and maybe ask for relationship advice, too, while he was at it.