Something was wrong with Joshua.

I could tell.

When we got back to the hotel, he didn't even complain about ruining his outfit and being wet. Hell, he smiled at me before he went to go change. That was not a good sign.

I was pretty sure that it had to do with the phone call he took before he went upstairs to change. Some random girl from the group had went up to him and handed him a phone before retreating.

My nosy ass didn't get to hear a word of it, because a surprised look crossed through Joshua's face before he made his way to a secluded corner of the room.

Even when I decided to stretch my neck towards his direction, I didn't hear a single word of what was passing through him and the person on the other side.

The curiosity had eaten at me throughout his entire appearance. I was told that it wasn't a really big one, even if five-thousand people had been there. Which made me wonder what a big appearance was like.

After the appearance, sweet Gola had complained to no end about how much she wanted a damn frappuccino. A person could only hear so much squeaky whining before they pulled over into the nearest Starbucks.

I collected my grande Passion Fruit Tea from the barista, before making my way to a corner of the room, so that I wouldn't be in the way of the other people who were to come pick up their drinks. I sipped at my drink idly , while scanning the room. I could hear Amanda at the front of the line ordering.

I focused my attention on a large vanilla cupcake that was inside one of the display cases. My mouth didn't water for long, because something in the reflection caught my attention. Something red.

No.

It couldn't be.

But it was.

I swished my entire body towards the windows that were located behind me. I nearly dropped my drink when I realized that none other than the Bum from Paris stood in the parking lot. He looked at my straight in the eyes, while my mouth gaped open. My thought process didn't even function because of the shock.

What the hell?

I started to shake my head wildly, looking for someone to confirm what my eyes were seeing. I spotted Joshua standing off to the side, hand holding a vanilla cupcake that I had my eyes on from earlier.

"Joshua!" I yelled through tight lips.

But the idiot didn't even hear me, too engrossed on cupcake bliss. With one last glance at the Bum's red beanie, I quickly walked over to Joshua and gripped his arm. I tugged him back to my previous position directly in front of the window.

"Look," I hissed.

Joshua's timing was terrible, because he decided to take a gigantic bite from the cupcake at the exact moment that I pointed out the Bum. I stared at him with annoyance as his mouth enveloped the cake.

"Joshua! The Bum! Outside through the window!" I yelled more urgently.

"What bum? Lilly, what the hell are you talking about?" Joshua asked in between mouthfuls after finally looking out the window.

My neck snapped back towards the window, sure enough the Bum was gone. I started to freak out, because he had just been there seconds before! Was I going crazy? Fuck. This job was really starting to get to me. I didn't want to accept how crazy I was becoming, and so I said, "Um, yeah you're right." My voice sounded deflated and defeated. Joshua gave me a weird look after taking another bite.

"Maybe you need a cupcake?" He asked with a grin.

I can't explain why, but the fact that Joshua didn't question me further and annoy me like I thought he would really relaxed me. I found myself smiling right back at him as I nodded.

I ate the cupcake while deep in thought. I was probably still paranoid about the Minerva situation and the "You're next." statement. That was it.

It wasn't very late when we got back to the hotel. I wasn't even planning on bugging Joshua on sleeping early, since he still had a couple more hours before it would be considered late to sleep. I was really shocked when he got on the elevator and stated that he was going to bed.

My eyes popped out and my mouth dropped. Joshua going down without a fight? What?

I decided to investigate as to why he was acting so sketchy. Going to bed early, being sweet, and buying cupcakes were not the usual Joshua trademark actions. Something was wrong. Either that, or he was up to something.

I made me way towards Amanda, hoping she could offer some answers.

"Hey, do you know who it was that called Joshua today? He's been acting really weird lately. Not like I care, but I do wonder..." I needed to state clearly that I didn't really care about Joshua and his mood swings. I really was just curious.

"Oh, those." Amanda said like my question was something she had heard before.

"No one really knows, actually. He gets one of them every month and sort of acts different for a while after. Don't worry, he swings back after a couple of days. It used to bug me a lot, but I figured it was his business. You know?" Amanda said.

He got one every month? Like a period?

"Oh, yeah you're right," I agreed trying to smile. Except, no one could say that I wasn't nosy and this mystery was something I really wanted to uncover.

Oh my God, what if it was Joshua's secret baby mama? Or maybe he was involved in some sort of undercover gangster mafia shit.

Alright so that last one seemed unlikely, but the unknown still bothered me. Another question popped up into my mind while I talked to Amanda.

"Hey, why aren't you all over Joshua like the other managers? I mean I know you don't work directly for him, but..." I questioned. It really didn't make any sense. I mean, every female we had encountered so far were all over him. The large hoards of fan girls at his appearances were evidence enough.

Amanda laughed softly before answering "Well, my job is much more important than having a little tryst with Joshua. I mean, he has tried, but I've always been the one to push him away. You have to be professional, you know?"

Did I know? Of course.

Except that Amanda's replies were beginning to annoy me. I couldn't explain what it was, but something about her asking me if "I knew "was bugging me. Was I feeling guilty? No, that wasn't it. Something else.

"Well, I think I'm going to go to bed right about now," I let her know.

"This early? Did you get any mysterious phone calls, too?" She laughed.

I laughed with her before I replied, "Nah, just feeling a bit tired. This job can be hell sometimes."

Alright, so I was lying. I wanted to find out more about Joshua, but I didn't want her to think I was nosy, even if I really was.

"Hah, goodnight then. Oh! Lilly, tomorrow is pretty much my birthday. The group and I are gonna go out for some drinks tonight, but we're really going to celebrate tomorrow. Want to join? I figured since I was going to spend my birthday in the UK, might as well make it worth remembering." She told me in happy tone.

I really wasn't the party type. Alright, so maybe I had never really been to an actual club or party before. Except that I really was starting to like Amanda and I knew that Joshua would most likely go. Figuring that I most likely had to keep that boy in line, I nodded.

"Sure, sounds good." I said.

I made my way to the elevator after talking to the front desk about Joshua's whereabouts. They told me that he was in one of the upper suites before handing me a room card. The women from the front desk were still gushing about my 'wedding' and thought that I had lost our key. Jesus, relentless was what they were.

I figured that I would just ask him outright. I mean, I sort of had a right to know these things. It was my job.

I found the room without much difficulty even if it was in a floor much higher than mine. I knocked a few times when I reached the door. I didn't want to intrude on anything, either.

I was nosy, but at least considerate right?

I stood in the hall for several moments. I was sure that he would have heard me. Unless, he lied to me and wasn't there. With panic, I slid the card into the slot and turned the door handle.

The room was five times bigger than my own. It was also much more richly furnished and had a giant king sized bed in the middle. Oh yeah, this was a suite. I scanned the mattress for the lump that would be Joshua, except the thing was flat as a board. Had he run away again?

"Joshua," I yelled through the room. I hadn't bothered to turn the lights on incase he was sleeping. I got no response.

Fuck.

My panic increased when I noticed that a door, probably belonging to a balcony, stood open. Why would he go as far as climbing down a balcony? He could have just left through one of the other exits. I thought all of this as I made my way towards the outside.

Obviously I was being irrational again. The room was several feet above the ground. So, he could not have climbed down.

My thoughts halted when I caught sight of him. He was sitting with his legs hanging out of the balcony rails, his back straight to me. The texture of his hair was the only thing that could be seen from the light that the moon provided.

"Joshua," I yelled through the silence.

He twitched as if it was the first time he had heard my voice. It probably was, because he had looked really deep in thought before I had interrupted.

He turned to me without sliding his legs out from the rails. Recognition passed through his eyes when he caught sight of me.

"Lilly," He said, voice low.

"What are you doing out here? I thought you were going to bed," I faked an exaggerated motherly tone.

He gives me a small smile before turning back in the direction where he had been staring at.

"Just...thinking. I'll go to bed in a bit, promise" He says honestly.

Even though I didn't really dislike this Joshua, it was throwing me off. How the fuck was I supposed to give him orders if he was following them?

Alright, even I accept that what I had just thought made no sense.

Huffing, I poked my skinny legs through the bars, same as he.

Bending my body into a sitting position, several inches away from him, I spoke.

"What was that phone call about from earlier?" I question.

Joshua breathes for a long time without saying anything.

"Just, no one." He finally lets me know.

His response annoys me.

"Look, it's sort of my job to know these things. It's a bad thing isn't it? Are you some sort of Italian mafia king or something?" My eyes narrow in suspicion. I know I'm being ridiculous, but I want to get a response from him.

"Lilly, I'm Brazilian." Is all he states.

"Whatever, are you gonna tell me?" I probe some more.

His eyes turn to me, and I feel something change. Call it dramatic or whatever, but I can really tell the moment the button clicks.

"My family that's all," He says with a hint of sadness.

Oh. I was not expecting that.

For some reason I my mind had never wondered if Joshua had any family. It was obvious that he did, yet he had never talked about them. I hadn't either, so I just thought it hadn't mattered. Apparently, it did though.

"Oh, um, bad news?" I'm not really good at handling important emotional things, which I had a feeling this was.

"Yes, but not really. Same news." He does a bad job of explaining.

My eyes question his and prompt him to say more.

He sighs before continuing, "Just some news about my mom and sisters. Things are a lot better now, but they didn't use to be. Modeling saved my family, did you know that?"

His question mildly shocks me. I never thought that something superficial could have a deep meaning.

"No, how so?" It seems I'm full of questions tonight.

"It's sort of embarrassing. I just miss them. No big deal, I'll feel better later," He smiles, trying to be a trooper.

But I don't buy it. This stuff really seems to affect him. It's affecting me too, because I never thought that Joshua could actually have feelings like sadness. I was never really good with emotions, so I didn't know what to say in this situation.

I settled for catching him and myself by surprise.

I didn't think twice before I did it. We both felt shock when my arms wrapped around his neck in a hug.

Never slow to adjust, Joshua took his advantage. I see his lips coming closer, but I don't do anything about it.

BLEH, I don't know about this chapter. I'm bad with emotional shiznit just like Lilly  :P Lol hope you guys like this side of Joshua. Comments, votes, and fans are much appreciated! It's the stuff that keeps me writing! :D I should probably go to sleep now (I have school tomorrow), I was just on a writing roll today. Her herr.