Vince didn't know what to do. He looked at Tom and he was still looking at him with those massive eyes, he didn't know what he was thinking. Vince didn't know what he wanted or what he was going to do next. He pulled his legs closer to himself and rested his nose on his knees, staring out in front of him and waiting to hear what Tom had to say next. It was his turn to speak, after all.

"I'm not only with you to get at Josh," Tom finally said. "If I was, do you think I'd really come out and find you?"

"Yeah, whatever," Vince replied, still not believing him.

"Look, if you don't believe me, then--"

"Don't do that to Josh!" Vince yelled. "Did you see his face?!" he asked, leaning his head up and looking at Tom. "He was obviously hurt by it. I couldn't look at him when you did that, that's why I ran."

"I'm not with you just to get to Josh," Tom repeated. "I like you, Vince."

Rhys and Joe suddenly turned up, walking by the pond and then turning to spot Tom and Vince. Joe was holding a baguette and Rhys was nibbling on some lettuce. They were both arm-in-arm and Joe was the one to go over to them.

"What are you doing here?" Joe asked, taking a bite of his baguette that looked to be filled with ham and lettuce.

"Vince wasn't feeling too good," Tom explained, looking at Vince who was still curled up in a ball.

"Are you alright?" Rhys asked, finishing his lettuce and kneeling down to get a better look at Vince.

Vince looked up at Rhys, observing his smiling face and decided to put his feet on the ground and grab Rhys' hand, pulling him aside for a second out of earshot from the others.

"Can I ask you something?" Vince asked, letting go of Rhys' hand and leaning in close to make sure they really couldn't hear him.

"What?" Rhys replied, suddenly becoming concerned, if not slightly confused.

"Does Tom like Josh?"

"Well..." Rhys said, looking towards the floor and biting his lip. "They sort of used to have a thing going on a few months ago, but Tom called it off, he never told anyone why."

Vince raised his eyebrows and looked over at Tom who now had Joe sitting by him, waving his baguette about and talking about something that was obviously hilarious.

"What about Josh, does he still like Tom?"

"Yeah, a bit," Rhys said. "When Josh cries, it usually has something to do with Tom..."

"Oh."

"...That or he's fallen over and hit his head or if someone's said something mean about him...or if someone hides his shoes, or if his hair--"

"Yeah, alright!" Vince interrupted, putting his hands on his hips and sighing as he looked back at Tom. "I think he's only with me to get at Josh," he confessed, making Rhys drop his jaw.

"You're together now?!"

"Well, not really...well, yeah....I don't know!" Vince said. "I don't know where we are right now but he kissed me in front of Josh and the look on Josh's face..."

Vince remembered how Josh had looked and shut his eyes as if Rhys were Josh standing in front of him.

"Shit, really??" Rhys replied. "Is he okay?"

Vince opened his eyes again and knew right away from Rhys' reaction that something like that would definitely affect Josh. "I don't know, I ran out here so I don't know what happened after."

Rhys looked out into then distance and wrinkled his brow. "Knowing Faris, he probably got pissed at Tom and went to see how Josh was. He's always had a soft spot for Joshua."

Vince looked wide-eyed at Rhys.

"Oh no, not like that!" Rhys said, shaking his head slightly. "We all have soft spots for Josh, he's like an infant we have to look after, you've seen what he's like," Rhys giggled.

"Yeah," Vince replied, laughing and remembering how clumsy he could be.

"Should we go back now, then? They're probably wondering what we're talking about for so long..." Rhys said, walking off in the direction of the bench.

"I think I prefer Josh."

Rhys turned around quickly and pushed Vince further away from the bench. "What??" he whispered, looking back to where Joe and Tom still were to make sure they couldn't hear.

"Well...with Josh, I don't think he'd be as confusing, and he's really cool," Vince said, nodding his head and thinking about Josh again.

"What about Tom??"

"I've realised, I don't care what Tom thinks," Vince said, smiling like he'd discovered something new. "He kissed me in front of Josh and made Josh do that face, that's wrong. ....I've gotta tell Josh how I feel," he decided, heading in the opposite direction.

"Wait!" Rhys said, holding Vince's arm. "You can't."

"Why not?"

"He's not there anymore," Rhys said.

"What?" Vince asked, turning back towards Rhys.

"Joe phoned Faris about fifteen minutes ago to tell both of them to go and get ready for an interview we've got in about an hour, that's where we were off to when we saw you and Tom here."

"Okay, phone him and tell him I want to speak to him," Vince said.

"Okay," Rhys said, getting Josh's number up.

Vince noticed himself starting to shake and he ruffled his hair slightly, licking his lips that had started to become slightly dry.

"No reception. They're probably on the tube," Rhys said, pulling an apologetic face. "Sorry, Vince."

"Shit," Vince cursed, biting his lip and trying to think fast. "Can you tell him later, then? I just want him to know, okay?"

"Okay," Rhys smiled.

"Don't just say 'okay' and then not do it, you've got to promise," Vince said.

"Yeah, I promise!" Rhys laughed.

"I've gotta go, just tell them I say bye," Vince said, directing his head at the bench and running off in the direction of the shop.

"Why am I the messenger today?!" Rhys asked, watching Vince run off.

*

Vince rushed into the shop, immediately heading towards the stairs and running up them, looking in his bedroom and the bathroom, anywhere that Josh could be.

"Josh?!" Vince called out, refusing to accept that he had gone.

"Josh is gone, Vince," came a voice from behind him.

Vince turned around and realised it was Howard.

"Faris too..." he added, sighing.

Vince huffed and kicked the edge of the sofa, throwing himself on it and burying his face in his arms.

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself, little man," Howard said, joining him and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I needed to see him..." Vince said. "I needed to tell him how I felt, Howard," Vince said, leaning up and looking at Howard.

"You'll see him again."

"Yeah, what if I don't?" Vince replied, raising his voice and trying not to actually think of the possibility that it could be the last time he ever saw Josh.

"Don't you have Josh on the celebrity radar thing?"

Vince opened his mouth and raised his eyebrows, throwing his arms around Howard. "Howard, you're a genius!" Vince exclaimed. "I'll search for him in a couple of hours, Rhys told me they're off to an interview anyway."

"If you knew that, why did you go looking for him?" Howard asked, laughing slightly.

"I just did," Vince said, leaning his head back on the sofa and noticing something white lodged between the end of the sofa and the cushion.

He pulled it out and realised it was a tissue smudged with eyeliner, slightly torn at the edges.

Josh? Vince thought as he held the tissue in his hand and frowned slightly as he imagined Josh crying into it. He held the tissue close to his heart and thought of Josh, probably the sweetest person he had ever met.