A Promise Kept - Chapter 3
When Josh heard the knock on his door, he quickly looked at the clock on his microwave. 7:30 sharp. "How did it get to be 7:30 already?" he asked himself. Josh nervously looked around the kitchen and dining room, making sure everything was as set as it could be. He gave his outfit another once-over - he hadn't wanted to offend Donna by being totally casual in his worn out jeans and a t-shirt, but he didn't want to be too fancy. After all, as he'd told himself as he was getting ready, "This is no big deal, it's just Donna coming over for a friendly dinner." So he had chosen to wear a pair of slacks and a polo shirt.
Josh went and opened the door, revealing a very beautiful Donna - although he wouldn't admit that to himself. She too had gone for the in-between-casual-and-formal look, wearing nice blue pants with a matching vest over a light blouse. Her blonde hair was clipped behind her ears with barrettes.
"Hey Donna," Josh said, smiling at her and opening the door to let her in.
"Hi Josh." Donna returned the smile as she walked further into his apartment and set her purse down on a small nearby table. She then turned to Josh, not knowing what to do next.
Josh, who had shut the door, said to her, "You look nice."
Donna blushed a little hearing the compliment. "Thanks," she replied quietly. "So do you." She wasn't used to Josh complimenting her outfits - he rarely did so on her fancy business suits, let alone casual clothes. "So," she said brightly, trying to get past her awkwardness, "what's for dinner?"
Josh smiled and his eyes lit up as he said, "Come on, I'll show you," and led Donna to his small dining room. There sat a table nicely set for two, with the bouquet of flowers in the middle where it would be admired yet not in the way. Josh had decided against candles - "Too romantic," he'd told himself, "and this is *not* a romantic dinner," - but he'd made sure to at least find matching place settings. It wasn't his finest china, but it certainly beat the cheap plastic plates he usually used.
The meal that awaited them looked delicious. A bowl filled with a crisp and fresh Caesar salad sat near the middle, with a basket of steaming garlicky breadsticks near it. On each of Josh and Donna's plates was a huge heap of fettuccini with bits of tender chicken it, smothered in a creamy alfredo sauce. The napkins were neatly folded, and a bottle of white wine rested, waiting to be poured.
Donna gasped quietly when she saw the scene before her. "Oh wow, Josh," she said. "Chicken fettuccini, Caesar salad, breadsticks... did you really make all of this?" she asked, turning to him.
"Yeah," he told her.
Donna looked again at the table, then back at Josh, a somewhat doubtful look in her eyes. They stood like that for a few moments, until Josh could no longer take her scrutiny.
"Okay, okay," he admitted, sighing. "I didn't make it. I ordered it from your favorite Italian restaurant, Al Fresco's."
"I didn't think you did," Donna said, smiling and turning away from him. But it was too late - Josh had seen the look of disappointment in her eyes, and had heard the hint of sadness in her voice.
"But Donna," he insisted, turning her towards him, "I tried to make it, really I did. Here, come and look at my kitchen, see for yourself." Josh took hold of Donna's arm and led her around the corner to the kitchen.
As they stood in doorway to Josh's small kitchen, Donna smiled and put her hand to her mouth, trying to supress her laughter. However, she was unsuccessful, and burst into giggles. The sight before her was just too hilarious not to laugh at.
The sink sat overflowing with bubbles, soaking just a few of the many dirty dishes. It looked as though someone had made an unsuccessful attempt at stacking the pots and their lids neatly, but it still came off as a clutter. Plates were piled with dirty utensils on top of them. The packages of ingredients adorned the countertop, as did some pieces of chopped vegetables. A plate of burnt breadsticks sat on the stovetop, next to a pan of what looked like very thick alfredo sauce.
Donna was still laughing when Josh asked, "What's so funny?" which, of course, made her go into another fit of giggles.
When she finally calmed down, Donna apologized. "I'm sorry, Josh, I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to make fun of your cooking skills - or lack thereof," she corrected herself, giggling again, "it's just... well, it's funny."
Donna smiled, but became serious when she saw Josh's face. "I'm sorry, Josh. I really do appreciate your efforts. It touches me, seeing how much trouble you went to for me."
"Really?" Josh asked hopefully.
"Really," she answered truthfully. "Thank you." Donna reached over and kissed his cheek.
They stood looking into each others eyes for a moment. Then Josh turned and looked at his kitchen. "I guess it is kinda funny," he commented, chuckling at himself. Donna smiled in agreement with him.
Josh smiled back at her. "Come on," he said, taking her hand. "We better eat before more even more food goes to waste."
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Josh and Donna had a very pleasant meal together. They talked comfortably about almost everything. They talked about the President's upcoming agenda, and trips that they would be going on with him. They talked about the lives of their friends and coworkers - CJ and Danny, Charlie and Zoe, Sam and Mallory, Toby and... well, nobody. They talked about Mrs. Landingham and her cookie jar, and how Donna always seemed to get a cookie but not Josh. They talked about new movies, and how neither of them seemed to have time to see any of them. And despite their differences, they even had a nice, short, friendly conversation about religion. One topic they stayed clear of was family. Donna knew about Josh's father's death the night of the Illinois primary. She also suspected there was something deeper inside of him, something else about his family that he didn't talk to anyone about, but she didn't bring it up - they were having a nice dinner, and Donna didn't want it to become sad.
Even after they had finished eating, Josh and Donna continued to talk. When they didn't have something to say, that sat in comfortable silence. Eventually, Donna sighed and turned the subject to cleaning up. "Well, Josh, we better get to doing the dishes. With that pile already in the kitchen plus these, it'll keep us busy until the staff meeting tomorrow morning."
"Ha ha," Josh said sarcastically. "I'll have you know that I *do* know how to wash dishes."
"Oh yeah?" Donna retorted, playfully. "What kind of soap do you use?"
Josh was silent. Before Donna could make fun of him, though, he said, "You know, Donna, there's this little thing that's called a dishwasher..."
Donna scoffed at him. "A dishwasher is *not* going to completely clean the mess *you* made. Come on, let's go," she said picking up her plate and heading into the kitchen.
"'Come on, let's go'," Josh mimicked playfully in a low voice.
Donna stopped and turned around to face him. "What did you say?" she asked, accusingly.
"I... uh... I didn't say anything," Josh said as he stood up. "Are you hearing voices in your head again, Donnatella?" Josh smiled innocently as he walked past her and took her plate out of her hands, taking both of theirs into the kitchen.
She stood there speechless for a moment. When Josh came back in to get more of the dishes, Donna narrowed her eyes at him, but you could see her hiding a smile.
She and Josh worked well together cleaning up the his kitchen. Donna stood at the sink, soaking and scrubbing the dishes and then putting those that would fit in the dishwasher. The pots and pans she handed to Josh to find a place for. Josh also cleaned up the countertops, took out the trash, and put the leftover food in the refrigerator.
As Donna was washing the last plate, she looked out the window. "Oh wow Josh," she said. "You have a beautiful view!"
Josh watched as Donna stood at the sink, craning her neck trying to see the city sites below. He smiled and laughed gently at her. "There's a sliding glass door to my balcony in the living room. Why don't you go on out? I'll finish up in here and join you in a bit."
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yeah," he assured. "Go on, I'll be there in a sec."
"Okay." Donna smiled at him, placed the last plate in the dishwasher, and went outside. Josh finished wiping the counter, then he took something out of the freezer and washed his hands before turning out the kitchen light and heading out to join her.
Josh turned out the lights in the living room before he went outside. He noticed that Donna had turned on the porch light, so as he went out, he turned it off. That startled her a little, causing her to turn around. He smiled reassuringly at her. "You can see better with the lights off," he told her.
"Yeah," Donna agreed, "you can. It's so beautiful out here, Josh."
Josh agreed, but not just because of the view of the city. Donna was casually leaning on the railing, her elbows propped up on the top bar. There was a light breeze, causing her hair to blow a little. He walked over and stood right next to her, placing his elbows on the bar as well, just barely touching hers.
They stood quietly for a few moments, breathing in the cool air, marveling at the city many floors below them. They couldn't see the White House from Josh's balcony, but they did have quite a view. The Washington Monument stood tall, shining brightly, with the Jefferson Memorial nearby. The Capitol Building's distinct dome was clearly visible on this starry night, and the lights of Rosslyn, Virginia peaked out from the west.
"Wow, Josh," Donna whispered, not wanting to ruin the quiet moment. "Considering that we're in a big city, you can see so many stars out here, as well as the beautiful monuments in the background. You have a gorgeous view."
"Yeah, I know. It's a shame I don't come out to see it more often," Josh said sadly.
"You don't?" Donna asked.
"Nah," he replied. "By the time I get home, it's usually so late that I couldn't care less about looking at the city. I spend some of my days running all around it anyway."
"That's true," Donna admitted. "But still... if I had a view like this, I'd sit out here in the evenings and at night all the time, just to relax." Donna's eyes were shining as she thought about relaxing on a balcony with a beautiful view in front of her.
Josh smiled at Donna's lit up face. Then he noticed her shiver a little and wrap her arms around herself. "Are you cold?" he asked her.
"I'm fine," Donna said unconvincingly. She smiled, trying to assure Josh she wasn't that cold, but he wasn't fooled. He walked back inside and grabbed two coats from his hallway closet. Josh had his on by the time he got back outside, and placed the other around Donna.
"Thanks," she said quietly, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink at Josh's kindness.
"You're welcome," he said, his voice equally as quiet. Donna wasn't shivering anymore, but Josh couldn't make himself move from his position behind Donna. He kept his hands on her shoulders and forearms, rubbing them gently.
Donna may not have been shivering on the outside, but she was shivering inside at Josh's touch. Donna closed her eyes and, not realizing it, leaned slowly backwards until she found herself wrapped in Josh's arms.
When Donna opened her eyes and realized where she was, she reluctantly pulled away. Josh, too, realized the intimacy of their situation and backed up a little, not looking Donna in the eyes.
"Josh," Donna said, hesitantly, "what... I mean... what happened to you today?"
"What do you mean?" asked Josh.
"You're... I don't know exactly, but you're different today than you were last week, or even yesterday. Don't get me wrong," Donna added in a hurry, smiling at Josh, "I really like the 'new you'... you're nicer, and sweeter to me now. I mean you gave me the day off, cooked - well okay sort of cooked - me my favorite meal... I love seeing this sweet side of you, Josh, but... what made it come out?"
Josh lifted his head up and looked into Donna's eyes. He saw many emotions on her face and in her eyes - curiosity, of wanting to know why he had changed; joy, at seeing the kinder part of him; a little bit of fear, not wanting his sweet side to go away. But Josh also saw something he'd never seen before. Maybe it had always been there, he had just refused to see it; he saw love. She wasn't letting all of it show right now, but Josh definitely saw it. And at that moment, Josh knew that the love in her eyes reflected in his own.
"You did," Josh said quietly. He moved closer to her and took her hands in his. "Donna, when you came and bailed me out of jail today, I was so grateful to you." Josh chuckled, remembering the events of the day. "I don't know what I would've done if I had to call someone else. I don't know anyone else who would do for me what you did, Donna. But then, during the ride back to the office, you didn't talk to me. I could see you were sad, and mad at me, and I couldn't stand you being upset with me. I missed you. I missed your playful teasing, and weird facts about other countries. You weren't the same person, and I know it was my fault. And I know you didn't believe me about me keeping my promise, either, and you had a complete right not to. I've been an idiot, Donna, and I'm sorry it took me so long to see that. You've always been more than just an assistant to me, you know that. You're one of my best friends." Josh took a deep breath before he continued. "But it's only now that I realize you've become more than just a friend to me. I've fallen in love with you, Donna."
Donna just stood there silently, listening to Josh as he opened up his heart. Even after he'd said the words, she wasn't entirely sure she'd heard them correctly. But she saw the look in his eyes, and knew that his feelings were real.
Josh took the opportunity of her being speechless to assure her of his love. He moved one hand under her chin, and slowly lowered his head towards hers. Then, gently, their lips met. It was a soft kiss, but one filled with lots of love, hope, and promises for the future.
After the kiss finally ended, they just stood there, looking into each others eyes. "I love you too, Josh," Donna finally said, breaking the silence.
Josh laughed gently at her. "I was wondering if you were going to say that." He kissed her again, this time with much more passion. His arms stayed on Donna's waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
When the kiss ended, Josh and Donna just stood, holding each other in a tight embrace. Donna still had her arms around Josh's neck, and Josh was resting his head on hers, stroking her long blonde hair with one hand while keeping his other arm protectively around her waste. They were so relieved they had finally found each other, they didn't want to let go.
Josh was the one who eventually spoke first. "You know, there is a desert inside sitting on the counter. Would you like to go have some?"
Donna pulled away and looked up at him. "You didn't try and make it, did you Josh?"
He laughed. "No, I entrusted desert to Sara Lee this time."
Donna smiled widely. "In that case, I would love some."
Josh and Donna walked back into his apartment, their fingers laced through each others, Donna's head leaning on Josh's shoulder. They had finally found happiness with each other.
***The End***