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"I hope so?"
Josh laughed as he stood up and walked away, giving me a small fit of nerves being surrounded by a group of people I didn't really know.
"So hey," James said on my left, drawing my attention instantly. He almost rivaled Josh in the hotness department. "I really like your podcast."
"You do?"
"It's great. And I've got to be honest." He paused to glance at Josh's retreating back. "It's much better now with the two of you."
I couldn't help the snort that came out of me. "Thanks?"
"No offense to my man Josh. The guy can seriously write. But he needed someone to play off of for the podcast, you know?"
Nodding, I said, "I know what you mean. It's fun though. I love it."
"Good. You guys are great together."
"Wow. I appreciate that." And I really did. For a moment, there was an awkward pause, and I racked my brain for something to say. "So how do you and Josh know each other anyway? High school? College?"
"Nah. I met Josh after college through that guy over there." He nodded towards someone whose name I couldn't remember. "Damien was my neighbor when I first graduated from UCLA, and Damien and Josh played baseball at SDSU together, well, until, you know..."
"Ah, right." Josh's injury, something he really didn't speak of much.
"Yeah. That." James raised a brow. "I assume you know."
"He mentioned it once."
"Yeah, apparently, it totally destroyed him at the time. He hasn't picked up a baseball ever since."
"Really?" That was incredibly sad and depressing to me for some reason. "But physically, he can, right?"
"Absolutely. He could if he wanted to. Not professionally, of course. But just for fun." James shrugged then took a sip of his beer. "So hopefully, we'll get to see you again on Josh's birthday in two weeks."
My mouth fell open oh so elegantly. "Josh's birthday is in two weeks?"
"Yep. Exactly two weeks after mine."
"Oh, wow." I wondered why he hadn't mentioned it to me. "Do you know what his plans are yet?"
James laughed. "We just usually go out. Kind of a last minute thing like with me."
"Why am I not surprised? A bunch of single dudes," I blurted out, the strong margarita obviously having an effect on me.
Thankfully, James didn't take offense and chuckled. "Hey, I'm engaged. I have a beautiful fiancée who's in Florida for work."
"Oh, well, pardon me." I kind of wished I could meet this beautiful fiancée.
"But yeah, some of these guys might be single forever," he said, smiling and nodding towards a dude with sour cream on his chin.
I covered my mouth as I laughed, feeling kind of bad for the guy. Right then, an idea popped into my head for Josh's birthday, something that was a bit of a gamble, to be honest, but something that could also be both fun and immensely meaningful to Josh.
"Hey, James," I said, catching his attention again. "Can I get your phone number? I have something in mind for Josh's birthday, but I'm going to need your help."
"Oh, yeah?" He looked surprised. "Of course."
Glancing towards the bathroom area, I saw Josh heading back our way. So I quickly grabbed my phone and input James' number. Man, I was sneaky.
And when Josh sat down, he had no clue what I had up my sleeve or that James and I had just discussed him. But I had a gesture in mind, a gesture that would hopefully show Josh how much I cared about him... and cared about this thing growing between us.
