Josh And Georgia The Beginning

Hi all! So this is the official beginning to my Josh and Georgia series, which is actually a book I'm writing in my spare time for kicks. A user commented that some background would add more to the story, so I figured I would try it out. I've never explored other categories, so this is my first strictly romance submission.

This first part is written under Georgia's POV, as are most of our sex scenes because I'm a lady and I know the thought process behind a woman's actions, it's as simple as that. But additional parts in the future will alternate between Josh and Georgia both.

As always, this story is fiction, and my thoughts are my own. Any criticism, positive or negative comments, or anything inbetween are always welcome with me. Let me know what you think!

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-Georgia-

"So, tell me about Mr. Dreamboat. Did he live up to all of your expectations and fantasies?" Veronica asked me.

I rolled my eyes as loudly as possible at her. "I didn't bring it up, therefore I don't want to talk about it. You know the rules."

"Of course I know the rules," she began, "but you know that I need all of the juicy details I can get from you. Nate and I have been together for five years. We're old news. We're good news, too! But still old. So I need to live vicariously through you and all of your hopefully wonderful but always terrible dates. So tell me about Caleb!"

"It didn't go well." I prayed she would let it go after given this piece of news, but I knew that was stupid of me. Veronica was like a tick lodged deep in your skin and hard as hell to pull out when she wanted something. But people were around. Particularly my doctor and Josh. And I didn't want either of them hearing the embarrassing details of last nights' failure.

"Well you know that's not gonna cut it."

"But that's all you get. For now. I'll tell you some other time."

"I need it nowwwww. Please, G? For me?" She stuck her bottom lip out way too far even though she knew this had no effect on me. "Seriously, Georgia. Nate and I haven't had sex in two weeks," she said, whispering the last part to me. "I need these details to breathe life back into me."

"Veronica, I have nothing juicy to give you. It didn't go well, there was no sex, and I won't be seeing him again. Are you happy?"

I glanced over and it was clear that Josh was eavesdropping. He stood down the hallway typing away on his laptop, but his keystrokes had slowed during my declaration. Fucking wonderful.

"Can we stop discussing this now?" I asked.

"What was it this time?" Veronica continued. "Was it another lisp? Did he have a horrible at-home haircut? Were his pants around his ass and not his hips?"

"He chewed with his mouth open the entire meal," I finally said, just to get her to shut up. "I swear I've never seen so much chewed food in a grown man's mouth. It was horrifying."

Veronica stared at me blankly. "He chewed with his mouth open." It was a statement, and she was clearly aggravated. She threw her hands in the air, waving them around like a crazy person. "I give up, G! I don't think you want to find a man, I think you want to find out what's wrong with every man on the planet! It's exhausting-No! You're exhausting. And I say that with all of the love in my heart."

I just stared at her, mortified that this was happening in front of Josh. "I'd really rather other people didn't know about my failed attempts at dating," I whispered to her. "So can you shut the hell up?"

She rolled her eyes and walked away, shaking her head as if I was crazy for wanting a man decent enough to close their mouth while they ate. Having standards makes things better and easier, they don't make you a bitch.

I looked over my shoulder again. Josh was still in the same place, focused on his computer and typing quickly. I walked over to him with some photos of a patient's optic nerve in my hand.

"Dr. Barnes, the photos are back for your patient. And surprise: they're flawless. She's faking this so hard." He took them from me and chuckled while he scanned the images.

"Well, she's got her parents convinced. Too bad she can't convince us, too." He smiled at me and my knees went a bit wobbly. I nodded and started to walk away.

"I'll get her from the waiting room for you, if you're ready," I called over my shoulder.

"Hey, wait a minute. Let me ask you something first." I turned around and he had this look on his face I had never seen before. It was part amusement, part curiosity. He looked like he couldn't believe he was about to say the words that came out of his mouth next. "So, the dating game is treating you pretty terribly, huh?"

I turned every shade of red imaginable, or at least it felt like I did. Josh was the guy that didn't make sense. He didn't have a dad bod, and he dressed like a science geek, and his god awful tennis shoes wore on my last nerve, all things that typically turned me off. But something about him was so attractive to me, and if I was being honest with myself I'd have to admit that I'd been harboring a crush on him since we met.

But I wasn't being honest about that. Or what he asked me.

"Not all of it, no. Veronica's just being dramatic again."

The skepticism in his eyes was clear. I wasn't being very convincing.

"Okay, so I've had some misses. But that's how you weed out the bad ones to find the good one, right? So in all reality, I'm winning the dating game by kicking out the losers." I was immediately aware that I sounded like a total psychopath. But Josh just smirked at me. He was clearly enjoying this.

"Tell me the thing that ruined it for you with the last three guys, not including the neanderthal that chewed with his mouth open." I loved that he clearly thought that trait was as repulsive as I did. But I still hesitated, not wanting to put my psychosis on full display. "Come on," he urged, "I'm actually trying to help. If you're being ridiculous I'll tell you, point blank. That should give you some insight on whether or not you should be more forgiving on dates or not."

I hated that what he was saying made sense. I didn't want to do this. Baring my dating problems to Josh was such an unappealing thought, and my stomach clenched even further as he continued to stare directly into my eyes.

"Fine," I said, feeling my face returning to its favorite shade of fuschia. "The guy before Caleb still lived with his 'ex'," I told him. I watched him wince at that, knowing I wasn't wrong on this one.

"Please tell me they had separate bedrooms," he said quietly.

"It was a studio apartment," I verified as he shook his head in disbelief. "The guy before him failed to return any of my calls after a very brief and slightly tipsy makeout session in my car."

"Why your car? Did he not pick you up?" he asked.

"He apparently wrecked his car several months before and 'felt more free without it tying him down'," I explained, knowing it sounded just as crazy as when I'd heard the line for the first time.

Josh was shocked, it was written all over his face. "Where are you meeting these people? It's like there's a group of assholes that are magnetically drawn to you."

That stung. I ducked my head as I turned an even brighter shade of red somehow, my stomach revolting at the feeling of being so utterly destroyed in front of someone that I tried so hard to impress.

"No no no," he said quickly, realizing what he'd said. "I don't mean that there's anything that you're doing to attract them, or that you're doing anything wrong. That came out inappropriately, and I'm sorry."

"That's fine. You're probably right anyway. The third guy expected me to pay for dinner, which I know is a slight offense compared to the rest, but-"

"No, that's completely unacceptable. If a guy asks you out, then the guy pays. Period." He looked affronted, and a little ashamed that he had ever asked me this particular question. I had unloaded Pandora's Box on him, and he was totally unprepared. "I'm sorry you've had such shitty luck with these guys."

He stared at me for a moment, his eyes earnestly searching mine, willing me to believe that he was sorry for not only what he'd said, but also for the string of bad luck I'd been dealing with.

"That's the name of the game, huh? But honestly, I'm tired. I don't really have it in me to continue this shit." And in that moment I meant it. I was fucking exhausted. I had been on so many dates in the past three months alone, and I was sick and tired of all of it. Veronica was probably right: it wasn't the men who were the problem, it was me. I was too judgemental, too focused on every flaw I found. I was the bad luck.

"Listen," Josh said, bringing me out of my mind and back to the real world. "And hear me out before you get all weird on me."

"I make no guarantees." He chuckled at this, just a small smirk appearing on his face.

"Fair enough. But what I'm proposing is that I take you on a date."

"No."

"And then I can see how you are on these dates that are going so terribly."

"No."

"And then if it is something you're doing, or a way that you're acting, I can tell you. Then you can decide if it's something you want to change, or if you just want to continue what you're doing. Either way, you'll know."

"N.O.," I enunciated. "Why would I want to go out with you just so you can judge me all night? That sounds absolutely awful."

"I wouldn't be 'judging' you," he said slowly, "just offering advice, or lending a hand towards your future endeavors. However you want to look at it."

It was my turn to stare at him. In any other situation I would jump at the chance to spend time with Josh, alone and outside of work. But not like this. I was so embarrassed that I was pretty sure my skin would never return to its natural pallor. I searched his face, trying to see if he was making fun of me, or setting me up for some big joke. Look at the lame girl that no one wants. He would figure out every single one of my flaws. He would see that I really am nothing special, just like every other guy I had dated recently.

"You want to take me out?" I asked quietly.

"I do. I think it could be helpful for you, and I don't mind your company. So why not? It's not as weird as you're making it out to be. We're friends, right?"

"Yeah, we're friends," I agreed. Because we were. Working for asshole doctors and asshole patients and seeing devastation every day together really bonds people. I was like this with all of the residents, and I loved the relationships we had. But was this different because I had other feelings for him besides our obvious friendship?

I decided it wasn't. I decided to focus on the friendship, to be myself and not some nervous Nancy, and to try and figure out just what the hell I was doing wrong.

"Okay, let's do this," I said, feeling uncertain but ready to take a leap.

"Yeah? I really think it's a good idea. It might be eye opening," he told me. He had that smirk back on his face again. I absolutely adored that smirk.

"Maybe. I'll try to keep an open mind," I said. I turned away from him, calling the next patient back to his exam room. "And you pick the place," I whispered to him as he walked towards the room.

"Meet me at Pinewood on Saturday at seven," he whispered back as he finally greeted the patient. "Hey, I'm Dr. Barnes. I'm going to get things started for you."

And just like that, I had a fake date with Josh Barnes.

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"I've decided I don't want to go through with this." I was looking through my closet, realizing that everything I owned was either stained (work), ripped (my dog), or made for lounging on a couch. It was five o'clock on the Saturday in question, and that left no time for shopping.

"Let me just bring over some clothes and get you ready." Veronica's voice came through on my phone's speaker loud and clear. She was so giddy about this, but all the while I was feeling more and more nauseous by the minute. "I am fantastic at last minute makeovers."

"No makeovers, " I said flatly. "I can't try too hard. What if he thinks that I think it's real? Then he'll be totally creeped out. He was perfectly clear on the fact that this is an experiment, and I need to treat it as such."

"But he also wants to see exactly what you're like on these dates so he can pin down any potential problems. So you have to treat it like it's real otherwise he'll think you aren't taking this seriously enough."

"Goddamnit, why do you have to turn everything around on me?" I whined.

"Listen, if you won't let me come over then at least let me pick out your outfit. Remember those jeans you bought a couple of months ago? The ones you never wore and are at the back of your closet that looked dynamite on you? Get those and shimmy into them, because they make your ass look ah-maze-ing." I walked to the back of my closet and then found the jeans she was referencing. They were fairly tight in the butt and legs, and I was sure that he would get the wrong impression from them. "Then look for that plain black shirt with the straps that cross over your chest. Just enough cleavage to make him want more without being a total slut." I tried on the shirt and had to agree with what she was saying. I looked okay, definitely decent enough to go out on a fake date. "Get your sandals, do a half up-do, and minimal makeup. Look natural."

I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. This was so out of my comfort zone. Meeting up with strangers and dining with them in the hopes that we magically hit it off is nerve wracking enough. But now Josh is thrown into the mix, and I'm a wreck. Then she chose the worst thing to say.

"What if he falls in love with you tonight?"

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I walked up the sidewalk to Pinewood at ten to seven, hoping I would arrive first. I hate walking in, looking around like I'm lost, and then stumbling over to the table because my knees turn to jello every time I enter the date zone. It's tiresome, and really sets the mood for a horrible time.

But when I walked in Josh was standing off to the right of the hostess stand. He smiled at me when I walked in, and I couldn't help but grin back at him.

"Glad you made it," he said, sticking out his hand. "I'm Josh."

I snorted and quickly reigned it back in. "Oh, so we're doing the stranger thing?"

"Do you already know all of the men you go on dates with?" he asked.

Touche.

"Fair point. I'm Georgia." I reached out to shake his hand, and he squeezed mine just a bit as we locked eyes. My heart rate jumped.

"Nice to finally meet you, Georgia. You look great tonight, by the way."

I'm surprised I could walk to the table because I was officially a puddle at this point. I was melting for him already and the night had only just begun. Before I knew it we were seated at a small table near the bar. I watched as he took a sip of water, wondering what would happen next. Would the awkward conversation come first, or the look in his eyes that clearly says that he won't be calling me again after tonight?

"What kind of drinks do you typically like?" he asked me, going in a different direction.

"Well, for mixed drinks I like fruitier options, but no coconut. And I typically stick with vodka or tequila. I'm not a whiskey fan."

"Got it," he said as he started to scan the drink list. Then he looked up and that smirk was back. "Can I pick your drink?"

"Oh... I don't think so. I'm kind of picky when it comes to drinks."

"Come on, let me try. You pick the one you would get, and then see if I pick the same thing. It'll be fun." The smirk grew into a smile, and I wanted to keep it there.

"Fine, pick my drink. But if I hate it you're buying me a new one. And I get to pick yours."

"Deal," he said, eyes moving back to the menu. "I do like whiskey, and bourbon. Vodka makes my stomach feel like shit." The smile turned back into a smirk, and he glanced up at me briefly, eyes meeting mine for just a moment before going back to reading. I quickly looked down at my menu as well, trying to pick out something he might hopefully enjoy, and also trying not to be the creepy girl gawking at her fake date.

"Hi, I'm Courtney!" our waitress greeted us as she appeared at our table. "What can I start you off with? Drinks, appetizers? You name it, I'll get it."

Josh raised his eyebrows at me, the same way we did when a patient or doctor was being completely ridiculous around us. And this girl was so perky it was insane, and impossible to miss.

"Hi Courtney," Josh started as he put back on his friendly face. "We're doing things a little differently tonight. I'm going to point to the drink that I want to get for Georgia," at this he pointed at me, "and she's going to point to the drink she wants to get for me. But! Don't tell us what the other ordered. We want to see how well we know each other."

He made it sound kind of romantic somehow. I bet he does this with all of his dates. My stomach tumbled at the thought. I didn't want to be lumped in with his escapades.

"Ohmygod," Courtney said, turning it all into one word. "That is so totally cute! Okay okay okay, let's do this. I promise, mums the word." She mimed zipping her lips shut and then stared intently at us, waiting for us to point out the drinks we wanted. She wrote down the order and then smiled at us before walking away towards the bar.

"Wow," I said as soon as she was out of earshot. "She is exhausting. Her energy level is through the roof. Do you think she did cocaine in the bathroom on her break?"

"Most likely, and then followed it with two shots of espresso." He laughed and then said more quietly, "At least we're so totally cute."

It took me a moment, but I realized after a few seconds that I had stopped breathing. The look on his face when he said that last part was almost lustful. I wanted him to look at me like that all of the time.

"So, do you have any brothers and sisters?" he asked me, leaning back in his chair.

"Are we really going to do this? I'm the same here as I am anywhere, so if there's a problem with me then you already know about it," I told him matter of factly. And it was true. Putting on an act, wearing a disguise, it wasn't something I was capable of. "So go ahead and tell me. Spare me another completely embarrassing date."

"Georgia." He leaned forward and looked directly at me, completely focused on me. I wasn't sure I'd ever had his attention like this before, but under these circumstances I wasn't sure how I felt about it. "You aren't whatever those assholes have made you think you are. Trust me: I wouldn't be here if I thought you, or this, was a waste of time. So push the negative thoughts aside for one night, and just have a good time with me. Okay?"

And in that moment I wondered if I was already falling for him, not just crushing on him at work. My workplace crush only took me so far, but sitting here with him and listening to him talk to me like this... it was different.

I let out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. But you know how much I like to complain."

"I definitely do," he said, chuckling a bit. He continued to lock eyes with me, and when the waitress appeared he didn't even glance at her at first.

"Time for mystery drinks!" she exclaimed. Courtney held out a tray that clearly had some drinks on it, but a black cloth napkin had been placed over them so we couldn't peek too early at our chosen drinks. "Who wants to go first?!"

"Ladies first," he said, gesturing to me.

Courtney reached under the napkin and pulled out a tall skinny glass containing a pink drink, and a smile spread across my face. "If this is what I think it is..." I said, pausing to sip the drink and then smiling even wider, "then it's exactly what I picked. Is this Up For Anything?" I asked Courtney.

"Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod! Yes! This is amazing!" Courtney was all but jumping up and down, hindered by the remaining drink on her tray. But this time her energy was infectious. I looked over at Josh and he was lazily grinning at me, completely ignoring Courtney. "Now you!" She reached back under the napkin and pulled out Josh's drink.