Apartment 405B [Lola Carandini]

Josh laughed, "corny yet entertaining." He nodded after his comment, satisfied with his answer. "Oh, and handsome, can't forget that!" He tried to keep a straight face as he joked too, but didn't have all that much success. Josh shrugged as she asked why they were angry, "lots of difference things. A lot of the premiums are going up at the end of the year, plus we changed our policy at the beginning of the year to no longer include some things and apparently right now is when a lot of people are just now realizing it." He just happened to have to be one of the people that had to deal with all the displeased customers and explain the situation to them and tell them there was nothing they could really do about it.

Josh frowned thinking it was a bad thing he said home. He kind of did, they spent a lot of time here and his actual place stayed empty a lot of the time. Especially as he and Lola got closer and closer the amount of time he actually spent at his own place at night was slim. Sometimes he hadn't even spent the day with her, but ended up sleeping over at her place, especially on weeks where he was really busy. Half the time he ended up at his place was because he had a late night gig or some other plans with his friends.

He was about to open his mouth and apologize when she started saying that after the tour he should bring some of his clothes and things over here. He immediately shut his mouth as she kept talking, but a smile spread wider on his face. "I'd love to," he answered without thinking. She was right about making things easier for him.

Josh nodded, "Oh I do love talking to you," he smirked a little though, "but I mean, you are very, very pretty," He leaned in for a kiss, "quiet is optional, however."

Although Lola's smile didn't quite make it to her eyes, it was still the closest to genuine she'd managed since Josh had come over. "Devastatingly handsome," she assured him, shaking her head. "And incredibly modest, too." She rested her head against his chest, listening as he explained what had people so miffed at work. She couldn't really blame them, even if it wasn't right they were taking it out on Josh. "I guess you can't just tell them it's Corporate's fault," she joked. "It's not like you want to take away their coverage. I get why they're frustrated, though." The other day, there'd been a case in the news about a woman who had some rare condition where fingernails grew out of her hair follicles, and her insurance wouldn't cover the specialists because they were out of state. What was the point in having insurance if they didn't cover you when something went wrong?

She nodded as Josh told her he'd love to bring some stuff over after the tour; it was settled, as far as she was concerned. By then, everything would be back to as normal as it could be, and Josh would have no reason to suspect anything had ever been wrong. Assuming Elle was never given the opportunity to accidentally spill to him, that was. Elle wasn't exactly known for her discretion, but she was a good enough friend that Lola figured she'd be able to keep something like this quiet, given how important it was. "I'll even try to make some room in my closet. If that's not a sign I love you..." she joked.

It was obvious Josh had other things in mind than just watching the movie. Normally, she'd encourage it, especially because their taste in movies didn't really have much overlap. Tonight, though, she had to remind herself not to pull away. It wasn't even like she was against anything happening; she was just too distracted. She returned his kiss anyway, letting him deepen it after a minute or so before pulling back slightly. Even if she wasn't totally into it right now, there was a chance they wouldn't be able to have sex again for a while, between the procedure and his tour. She wasn't really sure how all that worked, in the aftermath, but it hadn't even occurred to her until now that it would seem weird if she had to refuse all sex right before he was leaving for weeks. "You don't need to shower me in compliments, you know."

"I do my best," he joked as she commented about his modesty, knowing she was completely joking but felt like having a little fun with it. He laughed at her Corporate comment, "I wish I could." It would have definitely made everything easier, especially since it wasn't like the people didn't call their corporate office after they hung up the phone with him anyway. He was pretty sure Corporate couldn't care less about all the complaints.

He tried to hide the amusement in his face as she told him that she could clear a space in the closet for him. "I love you, Lola, but lets be real. There is no way you're going to actually make room in that closet. There is barely enough room for your clothes to fit in it." He shrugged, "really, just a drawer is fine. I don't need more than that." Plus, he was sure Lola was just offering to be nice and was pretty sure it wasn't gonna happen in the end anyway.

Josh smiled, "I know" was all he said before he shifted how he was laying so that he wasn't putting a kink in his neck when he kissed her. "I just like to," he added as he kissed her again. He hadn't actually been paying attention to the movie most of the time that it had been on, "you don't want to actually watch this movie do you?" he asked hopefully. She didn't seem all that interested right now but he could just be reading her wrong and she was just tired. He couldn't imagine she actually cared about the movie, she was exactly like him most the time and just watched the movies he wanted to because it made him happy. It was one of the reasons he actually watched The Little Mermaid the other day because she wanted to and it would make her happy. Didn't mean he didn't make fun of the movie though, there were just some things he couldn't keep to himself.

Lola was quiet for a minute after Josh admitted he wished he could just refer people and their complaints to Corporate, more troubled by it than she expected. "Do you even like working in insurance?" she asked after a minute, continuing to stare at the television because it was easier than looking him in the eyes. Although anticipating her father's reaction was enough of a reason alone to go through with getting an abortion, it was this kind of thing, too, that made it worth it. Going through with the pregnancy would almost surely have meant Josh got stuck in a job he wasn't crazy about just because it was steady work with a decent income, and she didn't want that for him. Hell, she didn't want that for them. "I mean, I get it's because the music thing hasn't really taken off yet, but... I don't know. Is there something else you'd rather be doing as a 9 to 5? You just don't seem to like it much."

It probably shouldn't be as big of a deal as it suddenly was to her, especially because a lot of people Josh's age hadn't managed to find something they loved yet or gotten a job in their preferred field. But facing a decision she knew would change her life forever - and Josh's, too, if he ever found out - it seemed asinine to think that making it might not even prevent him from making the sacrifices he'd have to if she didn't make that decision. "You went to school for business and accounting, right? What did you picture doing after you graduated when you were there?"

She frowned at his expression after she'd offered him room in her closet, not exactly thrilled by how quickly he'd dismissed it as an impossibility. "That's the whole point, Josh. I'm trying to be serious," she told him, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Maybe I have... a few too many outfits in there, that I could either store or donate. The whole point, though, is that I want to make room for you. And really, you should hang your work shirts anyway, so they don't end up with weird creases."

"Well, thank you," she murmured as he told her he just liked complimenting her, blushing a little. She didn't think she'd ever get used to it, coming from Josh, which was why it was so much easier to play it off like a joke. It wasn't like no one else had ever told her how pretty she was, but it was just different coming from Josh, the way he looked at her. It was like he really saw her, not just blue eyes or good skin or a nice body. There was a tenderness in his compliments, even when he was joking around, that always kind of caught her off guard. She smiled slightly against his lips as he asked her if she really wanted to watch the movie, not at all surprised by his bluntness and warming up to the idea a little. She doubted she could get herself to totally be present in the moment right now, not entirely, but the realization that this could be the last time they made love before his tour did a lot to change her perception. She'd been serious the other night when she'd told him she trusted him around all those girls, but that didn't mean she trusted them, and it hadn't exactly been in her plans to send Josh off on the tour looking at over a month of forced celibacy by the time he got home. "Mmm. You know, I think I can be convinced that you offer me a more entertaining way to spend the night than Mark Wahlberg. He's an attempted murderer, you know."

Josh shook his head as she asked if he liked his job. "It's a job, I guess. I needed a job when I moved here to be closer to my family after college. I kind of just took the first job I was offered and I've been there since. I don't really like it but it's good money and it makes sure the bills get paid." He smiled, "and makes sure that I can take you out to nice places." He sat in silence for a few minutes as she asked him if there was something else he would rather be doing 9 to 5 and what he had wanted to do right out of college. "I'd rather be an accountant somewhere, if I don't have music. It's just not really possible to switch jobs right now. I have some vacation time built up at my job for when I go on tours. I've been there for years, so they are willing to work with me on all these stuff." He shrugged, "I always hoped I'd make it in music, which I guess is why I never tried to find another job."

Josh's smile just widened, "Sorry, I didn't mean..." he caught her gaze an held it, "I would love it if you made room in your closet for me. It means the world to me that you actually want to do that." He leaned in for a quick kiss, before adding, "I love you."

He shifted so he was on top of Lola, deepening the kiss. "What, not into bad boys?" he mumbled against her lips. His hands bearing most of his body weight, planted on either side of her on the couch.

Lola frowned as Josh told her he didn't really like his job but it paid the bills and ensured he could afford to take her out. "We don't need to go out, then," she insisted, really not wild about the idea that even part of the reason he was staying in a line of work he didn't like was because he thought he needed the money to spend on her. "I'm not saying you should change careers today or anything. I get the vacation time thing, I do. Just... you know, maybe after you use that up, you should think about it. Even if the music thing does work out, it doesn't make sense to sit around doing something you don't even like in the meantime." She bit her lip, trying to think of a way to explain her concern without seeming totally over the top about something that should probably be a much more minor issue right now. "I just don't want you to risk something you meant to be temporary becoming permanent, just because you wound up investing too much time in it and don't want to start over, you know? And if that means less fancy dates for a while, I'm fine with that."

Satisfied with Josh's acknowledgement that she'd been serious in her offer to free up some closet space for him, Lola returned his kiss. She was willing to drop it for now, even if a drawer and some space in her closet was essentially a gateway they'd need to talk about. Just because she wasn't ready for them to totally move in together now didn't mean a few months, a year down the road, that would be the case. Truly, it wasn't even an issue of not being ready for that, given that it didn't seem like that huge a leap from what they were doing now, given how much time Josh already spent here. It was just that she still felt she had something to prove to herself, being on her own.

She sighed against his lips before returning his kiss, breaking away after a minute just long enough to tell him, "Only into you." His weight wasn't uncomfortable above her, and she settled into the kiss, letting her hands slide up under his shirt after a minute. She wasn't exactly into it the way she usually was, but the familiarity of his touch was still oddly calming.

Josh looked at her confused, but kept quiet as he listened to her. He couldn't help but smile at her concern. "I may not like my job all that much, but if you're worried that my commitment to you is the reason I'm not changing jobs, you don't have to worry about that." He shrugged, a smile still on his face, "I know you would be okay with less fancy dates. Hell, I think you sometimes enjoy us staying in and ordering pizza and cuddling on the couch more than me taking you out to a really nice place for dinner. I don't know why I haven't really changed jobs, but whether I change jobs or not, there's a lot to think about." He frowned, "I get my parents live here and so not being able to afford rent if I can't find a job is not much of an issue, but bills and you know, eventually I'm going to want to be able to afford to buy you a really nice engagement ring. I don't want to settle for something less than you deserve just because I can't afford it, you know?"

He figured it was probably not the best topic to keep talking about before he leaves town, but at the same time it was things they needed to talk about and there was never really a 'right time' for these kinds of discussions, especially since some of this stuff he didn't realize she had an opinion on. He did get that she wanted him to be happy and his job wasn't making him happy, he understood it. He just wasn't sure if switching up things right now was all that plausible.

He smiled as she told him that she was only into him. She always had a way of calming the nerves he didn't even know he had. Sure, he was worried she would find someone else when he left on tour, but at the same time he knew how much she loved him and that it really wasn't even a possibility. At least, he was pretty sure it wasn't. He moaned as her hands grazed the bare skin of his abs. After a minute or so he pulled away, standing up, pulling her up with him, "bedroom." It was more of a statement than anything, after all he knew she wouldn't want them doing it on the couch.

"I like pizza," Lola answered with a shrug, like that said it all. Josh was completely right, of course. She liked the occasional fancy date and the opportunity to really get dressed up - mainly for the compliments he gave her on those occasions - but it really wasn't that important to her. Most of the time, she really did prefer the quiet night in, watching a movie or playing a board game instead of being wined and dined. Call her sentimental, but it was how they'd spent basically the first year of their relationship, before she'd told her dad about Josh, so it was more meaningful. Especially now, when they had the opportunity to go out but consciously chose not to, to just stay in and enjoy each others' company.

She frowned as Josh told her it was a lot to think about, knowing she had to tread carefully because there was no real reason - at least not one she was willing to share with him right now - for her to be treating this with such urgency. "And I get that. I'm not saying I think you should call in and quit tonight or something, just... I'm not sure if saving up on vacation time and knowing your boss well enough he'll work with you when you have to go away are reasons to stay. Because that's something you'd be able to achieve at a job you'd really like, too, except the longer you put it off the longer it will be before you get to that point with a new company, you know?"

Biting her lip as Josh told her he wanted to make sure he had enough money to buy an engagement ring she deserved, Lola wasn't sure how that was supposed to be evidence he wasn't sacrificing happiness in his career for her. "Except we just finished talking about how the timing isn't right for that yet, anyway," she reminded him, arching her brows. Truthfully, it kind of felt like they were already engaged, with all they had talked about marriage and the future. It was just, well, a really long engagement. "And that's really sweet, but really? That's kind of a defeatist way of looking at it, unless you think you can really.... appraise my value in your life or whatever. Like, give me a price tag? And really, that would be pretty insulting, so-" She broke off, leaning in to press her forehead against Josh's, dropping a soft kiss on his lips. "It's not about the cost of the ring or the size of the stone, Stupid. It's not really about the ring at all, except in what it represents."

"We'll talk about it more after you come back from the tour," she compromised, willing to drop it for now. She shivered a little as she felt Josh run his hands along her body, staring up at him until he moved closer and she had to close her eyes as he drew her into a passionate kiss. It was still almost two weeks before he'd leave, so he had no reason to think this might be the last time they slept together before then, but everything was sort of intensified for Lola since she knew that could very well be the case. She let him pull her up off the couch and stumbled for the first couple of steps as she followed him, until her brain actually caught up with what he was saying and she nodded, allowing him to lead her into her own bedroom.