▎SAFE HAVEN  ▎
»»————　act two. on the hunt
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ━━ feelings

Josie had not spoken or even seen Glenn since they last spoke. She didn't know what to say. She had ranted to tiff about it, but tiff was joking around, saying that he liked her but Josie wouldn't listen.

But Josie was scared that her friendship with Glenn had been ruined. And she didn't want that. She stood in the Greenes kitchen, making some food for Beth. She was okay now, recovering.

Josie had offered to help Maggie and Riley in anyway, wanting to keep her mind off of things. And Lori had offered to help, too.

The two stood in the kitchen as Josie cut some cucumbers up. She looked up at Lori, letting out a sigh. "Did Rick say anything to you about Glenn when they got back from town? Or what Rick had said to Glenn?" Josie asked, placing her hand on her hip.

"Just that it had gotten pretty bad." Lori said as she cut the chicken up, placing it on the plate. "Why?" She looked up at Josie, who shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know." Josie breathed out, scratching her neck. "He just came back ignoring me, and when I asked what was up, he said Rick told him something and made him realise something else. But he didn't tell me what." Josie explained as Lori smiled at her.

"You're so blind, J." Lori sighed as Josie frowned, raising a brow. "He clearly cares for you." Lori continued as Josie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I've heard that too many times." Josie breathed out, looking down at the food. "He says he froze. Says I got inside his head but didn't say much else...I am confused, Lori."

"That proves my point." Lori smiled at her as Josie groaned, leaning her hands on her hips. "But Glenn's a big boy." Lori said as she grabbed a cucumber and bit into it. "He makes his own choices." Lori said as Josie nodded her head. "J, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Josie sighed as she looked up at Lori. Lori raised her brows as Josie lowered her head, looking around before looking up at Lori. "I'm confused, Lori. You know me, how awkward I get." Josie breathed out. "Feelings creep me out."

"You like him." Lori said as Josie covered her face with her hands, leaning on the counter. "Saw it from a mile away."

"Yeah, okay." Josie breathed out, rubbing her eyes as she looked up at Lori. "But it doesn't matter, he doesn't feel the same way."

Lori raised a brow at her words. "How do you know that, J?"

Josie bit down on her tongue, closing her eyes for a moment. "We, uh, we kissed, back at the CDC. We were both drunk and he said it was just a drunken kiss between two friends." Josie quickly said as Loris eyes widened.

"Wow, I did not expect that." Lori breathed out as Josie nodded her head. "Well, just between us, I'd say he feels the same way." Lori told her as Josie tilted her head. "Really, J. He wouldn't say that to you if he didn't. You both just need to tell each other how you feel."

Josie listened to her words, slowly nodding her head as she looked up at Lori. "Yeah. You're right." Josie sighed as she stood up.

"I'm always right." Lori grinned as she ate a cucumber slice. "It's reminding me back to your teenager days." Lori chuckled as Josie shook her head. "Always come running to me for boy advice."

"Don't remind me." Josie rubbed her forehead, letting out a sigh as Lori grinned at her. "Shane and Rick would always scare them off." Josie chuckled at the memory, as did Lori.

"Don't stress about it, J. Just getting your feelings off your chest." Lori smiled as she squeezed Josie's shoulder.

Beth wasn't in a good headspace, at all. She wanted to kill herself. And Maggie and Riley weren't happy. Josie, Lori and Andrea all sat in the kitchen, Maggie; Riley and Beth's voices echoed in the room.

"Where's Hershel?" Andrea asked as Josie looked up from her legs, sitting on the countertop.

"He doesn't want to find out yet." Lori said as she ate a piece of cucumber, handing one to Josie. "It's a family affair. We'll let them work it out."

"That's working it out?" Andrea said sarcastically, looking over to Beth's room.

"When Beth stops fighting, that's when it's time to worry." Lori said, getting off of the counter top.

"This could've been handled better." Andrea sighed as Josie tilted her head, frown on her face.

"How so?" Lori asked, going back to stand next to Josie.

"You should've have taken the knife away." Andrea said as Josie's eyes widened. "You were wrong, like Dale taking my gun. That wasn't your decision."

"So, you're saying Lori should have let Beth kill herself?" Josie narrowed her eyes at Andrea, shaking her head.

"She has to choose to live on her own." Andrea told them as Josie shook her head, sharing a look with Lori. "She has to find her own reasons."

"Want me to tie a noose for her?" Lori asked, opening the fridge and placing the left over food in there.

"If she's serious, she'll figure out a way." Andrea shrugged her shoulders.

"Doesn't mean I can't stop her or let her know that I care." Lori told her, turning back around to face Andrea.

"That had nothing to do with it, Lori." Andrea sighed. "She only had so many choices in front of her, and she believed the best one is suicide."

"That's not an option." Lori shook her head.

"Of course it is." Andrea continued as Josie narrowed her eyes, shaking her head at her. "She doesn't need to be yelled at or treated like a child."

"Why don't you go in and hand her that knife back then, huh?" Josie said sarcastically, getting off of the counter top. "Or a loaded gun, right? You'll understand if I don't send you in there."

"I came through it." Andrea said, frown on her face.

"And became such a productive member of the group." Lori uttered, picking up some of the plates. "Let Maggie and Riley had me this their way."

"I contribute." Andrea defended herself. "I help keep this place safe."

"Like shooting Daryl?" Josie asked, raising a brow as Andrea's face fell. "Yeah, what a damn contribution you've done." Josie sarcastically clapped her hands together as she walked past Andrea and out of the house.

Josie was with Lori in the house, cleaning up when they heard Maggies worried yells. The two quickly went to Beth's room, opening the door to see Maggie hitting the bathroom door. "Maggie?"

"She's in there. I heard glass." Maggie quickly told them as Josie went to the door. "Don't do this, Beth. Don't do this. Open up, please." Maggie pleaded as she hit the door. "God, I left her with Andrea." Maggie said as Josie turned to Lori.

"Fucking bitch." Josie muttered as she quickly left the room, ignoring Lori's calls for her to come back.

She stormed out of the house, looking for Andrea. "Josie?" She turned to Tiffany, seeing Glenn beside her.

"Where's Andrea?" Josie asked, her face telling the two everything. "Tiffany, where is she?"

"I-I don't know." Tiffany shrugged her shoulders as Josie sighed, walking straight past them.

She then saw Andrea running towards the house, making Josie glare at her. "I heard. Is she all right?" Andrea panted as she stopped in front of Josie.

"Why do you care? You literally handed her it on a silver platter!" Josie yelled at her, pointing a frustrated finger at her. "You left her, Andrea!"

"Is she okay?" Andrea sighed as Josie scoffed, running a hand through her hair.

"I don't know, Lori and Maggie are trying to get her out of the bathroom." Josie hissed as Andrea breathed in. "This is your fault, Andrea, and god forbid anything happens to her..." Josie breathed out, shaking her head. "Stay away from her and her family." She hissed one last time before storming away, her fists clenched to her sides as she walked back towards the house.

"Josie." Tiffany jogged to her side, Glenn following behind her. "Are you okay? Whats happened?" Tiffany asked her as josie shook her head.

"Andrea happened." Josie said, scowl on her face as she turned to Tiffany, her eyes glancing at Glenn, then back to Tiffany. "Uh, I'm gonna go back in the house." She quickly said, not giving any time for Tiffany to say anything.

Beth was fine. Hershel stitched her wrists up and she wanted to live, she didn't want to die. Josie was relieved she was okay.

She sat on the porch, one of Dale's books in her hand and a blanket Riley had given her. She bit down on her thumb, flicking through the pages.

She lifted her head when she heard footsteps, bitting back a sigh as she saw Glenn. Josie casted her eyes back down, ignoring the fact her leg was bouncing.

Glenn cleared his throat, making Josie look up. "Can I?" He pointed to the chair next to her, making her nod her head. He sat down beside her, looking at the book in her hand, then up at her.

"Tiffany send you?" Josie asked, not looking up from her book as Glenn turned to her. It would only make sense that Tiffany would pester him to do so.

"Uh, no." Glenn shook his head as Josie raised a brow, looking up from her book and in his direction. "I...uhm. I just wanted to say that I was sorry, for what I said to you." Glenn said as Josie closed the book in her hands, looking up at him. "I shouldn't have blamed you.

"It's fine." Josie said, nodding her head. "You almost died, you panicked. It's understandable." Josie shrugged her shoulders as Glenn let out a sigh.

"No, I don't mean about that." Glenn shook his head as Josie frowned. "Rick told me something and it made me think..." He started as Josie bit her tongue.

"What did he say?" Josie asked, leaning her chin on her palm as Glenn breathed in, looking everywhere else but her. "Glenn, just get to the point." Josie sat up, as Glenn ran a hand through his hair.

"I didn't want to die...not before telling you how I feel about you." Glenn admitted as Josie's eyes widened, slightly, sitting up completely as Glenn turned to her. "The kiss was real to me, but I didn't want it to make it awkward between us. I didn't want to risk our friendship-"

"The kiss was real to me, too." Josie spoke, looking down at her hands. "I didn't want to say anything and I lied to myself." Josie breathed out, looking up at Glenn. "We have nothing to risk." She shrugged her shoulders. "You mean a lot to me, Glenn." She told him, turning to face him as Glenn faced her. "I didn't want to loose our friendship, so I said it didn't mean anything." She explained as Glenn nodded his head, listening to her words. "But it did...it did to me. And I realised that I liked you a while back, but I didn't want to say an-"

Josie rambling was abruptly cut off as Glenn cupped the sides of her face and pressed his lips against hers.

Josie was taken back at first, but, she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. She smiled into the kiss before pulling back, resting her forehead on his. "I'll take that as you feel the same way." She grinned slightly, making Glenn chuckle, nodding his head.

— madeleines notes

AND THE BABIES ARE FINALLY TOGETHER AHHHHH

took them yoinks didn't it!

But Jo is such an awkward person, idec. She just gets so awkward in situations and starts yapping... ( me ) she's literally my spirit animal.

BUT ARG I CANT GET ENOUGH OF THEM

Next chapter is gonna be so sad... I'm sorry Josie... :(

12 April 2024
2038 words