"Hey ally, we need to talk. Call me when you get this” Was the message on her voicemail when Ally McBride pressed play on the voicemail. It was from her best friend for 10 years named Josh. Knowing that he was dealing with some problems with an old friend, she decided she’d call him back once she had gotten out of her work clothes and into something more comfortable. She took off the jacket she was wearing and placed it on the bar in her kitchen as she made her way down the hall to her bedroom.

As she entered her room, Ally turned on the wireless speaker to play music as she entered her closet to find what she wanted to wear. Work that day was rough. She was the president and CEO of the family owned company that her great grandfather began back east. She was thankful to be able to run the company from her office in Los Angeles. It was a demanding job, but she loved it seeing the finished product when a home was completed. Home construction and architecture work was her pride and joy. Ever since she was young she would shadow her mother on different job sites to see how each home was built and that’s when she developed a love for it all.

The moment the third song ended on her phone, Ally ended the song and pulled up the phone application to dial Josh’s number. As she waited for him to answer, the blond woman made her way down to the expansive kitchen to find a snack to eat. On the fifth ring Josh answered, “Ally?”

With a laugh Ally shook her head, “Hey Josh is that how you answer all your calls?”

Josh sighed as he answered back, “not everyone I know is named Ally besides I saw your name and that damn picture you took without me knowing of you and Melissa on that trip you two took to the Bahamas last year. Did you know I still don’t even know how to get rid of it.”

As she found the makings for a sandwich, Ally gasped in mock at his comment, “What? Hey that was a classic picture, don’t hate on it.”

Josh rolled his eyes at his friends comment as he made moved the chair he was sitting in over to the desk next to the soundboard in his home recording studio, then replied, “Of course you think that, and I’m not hating on it, I just would have preferred that my friends weren’t getting molested by that guy standing between you two.”

Noting the love her best friend had for her and her sister, Ally smiled, “aww you do love us and here I thought you hated me for all these years.”

Josh sighed knowing Ally had been through a lot in her life and what her current boyfriend had been doing to her confidence. He placed his hand on his face as he responded, “Of course I do. You are my surrogate sister along with Melissa. By the way when is she coming into town?”

After she took a bite Ally grabbed the napkin she had placed next to the plate she had set her sandwich on, then teased, “Do you have a thing for my sister? cause eww that’s kinda weird I mean you say we are siblings Josh.”

As he shook his head with a laugh Josh smiled into the phone, “You know what I mean Ally. Besides I have a date with Laura again.”

Ally’s eyes grew wide as she thought of the woman Josh was interested in. Laura was an amazing woman who had been there when her sister was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, and stayed with her through chemotherapy. With an endearing smile Ally tenderly asked, “So, you think you’ll make it official with her soon?”

Josh sighed, “Im not sure. Laura just told me two days ago that she’s not sure if she wants to keep going with us.”

Ally shook her head as she sighed with sympathy for her best friend, “Im sorry Josh. Im sure the right woman will be out there for you.” She heard a beep and noticed it was her boyfriend Aaron on the other line. With a bit of hidden panic she continued, “hey, Josh let me call you back Aaron is calling me. I promise we’ll talk about whatever it was that you were so anxious to talk to me about ok?”

With a nod Josh replied, “Ok McBride, I’ll be waiting for that call.” With that the two friends ended their call.

As Ally answered the call from her boyfriend her hands shook in fear.

She pressed the screen to allow herself to answer Aaron’s call as she took a deep calming breath, “Hey babe.” She answered.

Aaron’s voice was cold, “Why the hell did it take you so long to answer? Were you talking with that faggot?”

Ally prayed for strength to talk for fear that he’d come over and beat her like he had a couple days ago for not replying to a text he had sent her asking where she was. She shook her head as tears filled her eyes, “No, I was listening to a voicemail from Rob about a delivery from Max.”

Aaron calmed and sighed a bit, “I’m sorry baby, I am just really stressed because my boss is just giving me a hard time about this client we have. What if we went out, you know you and me. For a few drinks?”

Ally could already tell where that would lead, He would come get her at her home in the Hollywood hills and take her to some posh nightclub or bar, he then would get so drunk he’d touch her in ways that would cause her to feel less than a woman and more like an object. As she thought for a split second, she realized she needed to answer him, “yeah, sounds fun.”

With a conniving smile and victory in his voice, Aaron replied, “great, I’ll come get you. I love you baby.” With that he ended the call.

Ally set the phone down and wiped the tears from her eyes. She was a prisoner to him and his love or so that’s what he called it. That’s what made her so thankful for Josh and his friendship He loved her in the most pure way. He let her be who she wanted to be and treated her and her sister as though they were his sisters. He was there for her when Aaron first hit her. He kept his thoughts about the situation to himself, but she knew if he knew the full extent of what Aaron was doing to her, Josh would kill Aaron with his own two hands.

She looked at the clock and realized it was 5:30 pm which meant Aaron would be over in half an hour, Ally quickly cleaned the area and ran to her room to change, Tonight was going to be a long night.

A few hours had passed as Ally lay curled up in a fetal position at the bottom of the stairs with pain ripping through her ribs from the fall she took when Aaron shoved her down the stairs. The minute she landed at the bottom of the stairs he sneered at her helpless frame as he took a swig from the bottle he held then left the house. The sound of her doorbell caused her to turn her head toward the door that was only thirty feet in front of her. She whimpered out, “help me, please!” The doorbell rang again then the sound of knocking could be heard as she slipped into unconsciousness. The last thing she heard and saw was Josh entering her home and yelling out her name.

After the paramedics took Ally to the hospital Josh spoke with the police officers and told them what he knew of Ally’s situation. He only hoped that Aaron would be found and that Ally was kept safe from her abuser. As he sat in a wide back single chair in the waiting room of the emergency room, Josh observed the nurses chatting at their station about a concert coming up. He observed a few teenagers with their parents talking somberly amongst themselves. He felt alone at that moment and wondered how his friend was doing.

The Police had taken a report from both josh and ally a few weeks after the incident. As they went through the process of filing a restraining order on Aaron, josh had a sinking feeling that his friend would not be the same. He offered his home to her so she wouldn’t be alone as she was struggling with nightmares from that night. Ally had defiantly refused his offer.

As Ally sat in Josh’s studio, she watched the worry etch further into his eyes. She then gently stated, “I know you mean well josh, but I’d feel weird staying here when I live down the street. If you are worried about me then call me or text or better yet come over and check in.” Josh stopped playing with his pen that he had been twirling through his fingers as he faced ally. His heart knew she was trying to be brave, but he saw right through it. He then said, “I know you want me to get out of your hair Al, but…”

Ally cut him off at that moment, “JC I know you are worried about my nightmares, but I need to figure this out on my own. I love you, but please understand I want to at least try to do this.” Silence is what welcomed her as she watched her friend sit back in his chair, she knew he loved her as his best friend, this was a side she rarely saw of him the side where he was about ready to overstep his bounds and take over. She moved her own chair close to his. He knew she was serious when she started using his stage name. He then sighed. “Ally I just want to be sure you are ok. I can’t help it. I don’t see the glow in your eyes like I used to and that scares me.”

It was a battle of wills at this point, would she cave like she had many times because she knew he was right? Or would she forge her own path and follow her own feelings? The war inside her head to be freed from Aaron and his prison was fiercely outweighing the kindness and gentleness of the man she knew cared for her. Shaking her head, Ally stood her ground, “JC I love you, but I need to do this. Please understand I have been with him for 5 years and its been pure hell I want to sit in a room and know what it feels like to not have to worry that I didn’t call him on time to check in.” She took Josh’s hands into her own and squeezed his fingers trying to convey her own love for him and the gratitude for all he had done for her.

He knew he had lost the battle, but the war was going to come at some point. As he squeezed her hands as she had done his, he reluctantly smiled. He also knew she needed this, but something kept saying he shouldn’t leave her alone. With that thought he spoke cautiously, “just know we are all here for you, aka me, Lance, Michael, my parents, Melissa. We all want to see you happy again.”

Ally stood and wrapped her friend in a tight hug, “I know, I am so thankful for you all. But at this moment I need to get home and work on this development I recently was made aware of.”

With a tight hug around his friend’s waist, josh pushed his chair back to look up at her and shake his head, “you are always getting out of things because of work.” He sighed then stood. Peering down at ally josh swore she was small enough she could fit in his carry on which happened to be sitting by his front door to remind him to grab it as he was leaving for New Orleans for work. The tall brunette held his blonde friend to his side as he chided, “if and when you find the time, can you check on my plants then?”

Laughter all be it gentle and airy though it wasn’t the same full laugh he knew was her filled the room. As Ally gently swatted josh’s arm she teased, “you know me the green thumb who can only keep weeds alive since they grow like crazy around here.” Her thoughts went back to a time josh had gone to the vma’s with his four group mates to perform a poorly kept secret of a taste of what their music was like back in the late 90’s early 2000’s and he had asked her to care for a plant that was given to him by his then girlfriend. Little did josh know ally had no idea how to care for plants in the slightest. Humans she could take care of with no trouble.

Glancing at his watch, josh knew he was cutting it close to get to the airport in time. He smiled at ally, “ok, I’ll call Lance. Ive got to go. Can you get the door when you leave?” after much assurance from ally that she would be fine, he left his home hopeful that the nagging feeling in his gut would just go away.

It was two days since josh left for a recording session with a new artist. Ally couldn’t shake the hollow feeling that had quickly filler heart and mind. She felt like she truly had changed when Aaron pushed her down the stairs of her home, she could still hear his voice telling her that she was not worth it, that she would never amount to anything. She knew in her heart Josh was right. She knew she needed help, but she desperately hoped and prayed that this would just be a phase. She was curled up in bed under the covers; she felt safe, she felt a sense of normalcy, but she couldn’t shake the images of Aaron’s face.

As the memories came to the forefront of her mind, Ally could hear Josh’s ringtone on her phone. With a groan she rubbed her eyes trying to rid them of the dark circles and the memories as she retrieved the object she was searching for. Swiping to answer the call Ally put on a smile, “hey josh!”

Skyscrapers is what met Josh’s view as he opened the curtain to his hotel. He no longer toured the world, but he loved seeing the cities he was able to travel to when he was producing other musicians’ music. Listening to his friend greet him over the phone josh thanked God he was hearing her voice, “So, did binge watch your show since a new season is out? Or was it another nightmare?” He could in his mind’s eye see her jaw drop, then he continued, “before you say anything Al, I just worry about you and want to make sure you are ok. I don’t care if you aren’t great in fact, I expect you to have a rough time, that idiot had no idea how to treat a woman and what he did to you would scare me too.”

Ally closed her eyes tight as tears filled them. She wanted so desperately to say yes to him that what he was saying was true, but she didn’t want him to stop him from his work that he loved so much. She had placed him on mute for a second then took a deep breath as she came back on the line, “I’m fine josh. Don’t worry about me.” A picture of the two of them caught her eye, it was sitting on her dresser and displayed the two of them at a party with her sister and brother-in-law on new years eve. She remembered that was the first time in years josh came to the annual party alone. It was the same night josh told her he loved her. Ally brushed it off as a friendly love but after he kissed her at the stroke of midnight she wondered if it was more. Coming back to reality, Ally unmuted herself and buried herself further into her covers. She lightly laughed though it didn’t reach her soul, “in fact it’s my day off so I’m all cozy in my bed and you are keeping me away from my shows I’ve been meaning to catch up on.”

Knowing she was trying to get him to leave her alone Josh shook his head and replied, “ok I’ll leave you to Steve Carrington, I still find it weird you have a tiny crush on the guy he’s what 20 years younger than you?” hearing Ally gasp in fake anger, he chucked as her voice came through the line, “Joshua, you are impossible. I hope Reggie drives you off a bridge.” He knew she wasn’t wishing harm on him; this was their thing. He loved her, he felt terrible for confusing her a few years ago at the new year’s party Melissa and her husband threw, he was a tad drunk that night and felt sorry for himself that he just hadn’t found the right person for himself. Shaking his head, Josh smiled, “alright fine, if you say so.” At that moment his watch chimed with a reminder for him to meet the new artist, “I need to go, talk to you later Al.”

After the call ended, Ally set her phone down on the nightstand, pulled the covers over her shoulders and fell back to sleep.

Two hours until he was home in California, two hours until he was in his own home. Josh had spent two weeks in New York, not just working but also playing tourist. He loved the city and loved the people, but only when he visited. He promised himself he would never move to Manhattan even if someone paid him enough money to move. Shifting his weight on the seat next to the window on his flight home, Josh also thought about the last conversation he had with Ally before he got onto the plane. She sounded off and some of the things she said caused him to wonder if something had happened.

His mind replayed the conversation as if it was happening right then, “If anything ever happens to me josh, promise me you will take care of melissa and nick.” Stunned by what his friend was saying, Josh blinked then struggled as he responded, “yeah Al of course I will, but you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.” Ally sighed, “I know, you know just in case anything ever does.” At the end of that conversation, Josh called Lance, but he was busy, so he spoke with Michael. “Hey Michael, listen I am about to get on a plane to come back home, but Ally doesn’t seem like herself right now and I’m a bit worried about her.” He rubbed his face willing the feelings he was having to go away. Michael stopped chopping the lettuce he was cutting for his salad, as he listened to his husband’s former bandmate. “Yeah C, I can do that.” He knew Ally was Josh’s best friend, they were in Orlando together when Josh was in the MMC then introduced him to Joey.

Michael looked at the lettuce then knew as he heard Josh speak of his concerns for Ally, that his lunch was going to have to wait. “Do you need me to go over there?” Michael questioned as he placed his chopped lettuce into a container and placed that into the fridge.

Josh shook his head, “No, I know she’ll be pissed if I send one of you guys to check on her.” He sighed, “Michael what would you do? I mean she won’t really tell me what’s going on.” Michael understood his friend’s concern, but also knew Ally’s feelings on the situation as well. Leaning against the kitchen counter, Michael took his phone and moved it to his other ear as he heard his husband come through the door then said, “I can have Lance give her a call.” Lance had just opened the fridge to grab a water when he heard his name then looked to Michael in question. Michael put his phone on speaker, “Josh, I just put you on speaker Lance just walked in.” The three men spoke of their concerns for their friend and decided that they would call her sister and brother-in-law to see if they would help stage an intervention to try and convince Ally to get help.

Blinking at the sunlight streaming in through the window Josh hoped the intervention would work to help save his friend. He knew the signs were all there but didn’t want to voice what he feared was there. His best friend was depressed, she was dealing with PTSD, like he had when he stepped foot on ground zero soon after September eleventh and saw the devastation that had occurred on that tragic day. He shook his head and closed the window to block out the light so he could take a nap on the flight, he just only hoped she would take the help.

Nervous anticipation is what Aly felt as she stood at baggage claim waiting for Josh to come through the exit. Lance and Michael had come to visit after they had called her about remodeling their home. After an hour talking with them, she felt a little less tense and nervous, it reminded her of how Josh is with her. She knew without them saying anything that josh was the one who called them to investigate how she was doing. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other Ally looked at her watch to see if Josh had messaged her, seeing that he had not she continued to wait for him.

Row after row passengers began to file off the plane sure josh had chosen a spot closer to the front but still had to wait for his turn to get his bags in the overhead bin. After he got his things from the bin, Josh made his way to the main concourse of the airport. The moment he reached the baggage claim he spotted Aly looking at her phone most likely responding to a text. From his perspective he noticed she had lost a bit of weight and wondered if it was just because he had been gone and never noticed or she truly was losing weight?

Ally’s eyes shifted from her phone to the man who was standing in front of her. With enthusiasm she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a hug then said, “hey, glad to see you home. How was New York?”

As he hugged her, Josh laughed then replied, “It was good, Reggie took good care of me.”

Ally shook her head then smiled, “good, I’m glad.” She untangled her arms from around her friend and placed her arm through his, then gestured to the outside world and asked, “shall we get out of here before the tabs decide to make up wild stories about you and me?”

Josh laughed then hoisted his book bag over his shoulder then responded, “Nope, lets get moving.”

On the car ride home the two friends chatted about the goings on in each other’s
Lives while Josh was gone, Ally told him of a new building contract she had and the new shows she was watching. Josh knew she was avoiding the real topic of what was really going on with her. He didn’t want to push her, but he also cared a lot about her and wanted to make sure she was safe, that she knew she was loved and cared for, that she knew she didn’t have to face what she was dealing with alone.

Josh was in his own head about different topics, one of them being how much he wanted to help Ally when he was brought out of his thoughts by Aly calling his name. Josh shook his head then responded, “sorry, I was spacing it there for a minute.”

Knowing her friend had a lot on his mind since the girl he was seeing finally called it quits with him while he was away, Ally knew he was beside himself once again, internalizing everything that happened during the relationship. The blonde-haired woman sighed, “Josh, are you doing ok?”

Shaking his head, the brunette sat a little taller in his seat as he turned his head to her as she drove the pair through traffic back to his home, he then replied, “yeah I was just thinking of the fact my bed will be calling my name the minute I walk through the door.” He chuckled.

After a half an hour they had arrived at his home, as Josh got his things after exiting Ally’s car, he decided to ask Ally if she wanted to stay for a bit while he unpacked. To his disappointment she declined.

Once Ally was home, she set her keys on the counter in her kitchen then set her phone on its charger. When Josh asked if she wanted to stay with him that night, she wanted to say yes because the anxiety and memories were becoming more and more difficult to handle. Ally could barely eat without feeling like she was going to be sick from the mental state she was in. Two days prior she had spent the better part of her day in her closet crying and surrounding herself with her favorite blanket that Josh had given her for Christmas one year along with some slippers that her mother had given to her last year.

The blonde woman shook her head and made her way to her room closed the door and pulled the blinds shut. She just wanted the world to fade away and wondered why she was even here if every time she finds a guy she’s interested in, they end up hurting her in one way or another; Aaron physically and emotionally hurt her, Bryan cheated on her and Luke? She didn’t even want to get started on what happened there. Those thoughts plagued her now. She just wished she could find a good man like Josh, someone who cared for her, loved her, and treated her well. After Ally had changed into her pj’s she crawled into bed and pulled the covers over her, she only hoped she could get some sleep.

Down the street Josh was sitting at the bar in his kitchen looking through some emails he had gotten while he was on his flight. After he finished his emails, he looked at the slew of texts he had received from people including one that caught his eye from his lawyer who was helping he and Ally with a restraining order they had placed on Aaron. Josh opened the text to see the Lawyer had asked that Josh call back at his earliest convenience. He checked his watch, seeing that it was late, he decided he’d call back tomorrow.

With a yawn Josh decided he should turn in for the night. As he did his normal check on the doors and the security features he had on his home, Josh made his way to his room. After he got ready for bed he sat on his bed took his phone out and sent a text to Ally, “Hey, hope you have a good night sleep. We should hit up Ruby’s tomorrow since you are so determined to have me go.” He tapped send then relaxed under his covers then fell into a good nights sleep.

The sun seeping through the curtains is what woke Josh the next morning. Turning onto his side he noticed the flashing of his phone notifying him he had an incoming call. He picked up the phone and noticed it was Michael calling him. Josh sat up in bed rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then answered the call, “hey Michael…”

The conversation revolved around plans of having Josh join Michael and Lance on their new podcast and what everyone had planned for the week. The conversation ended with Michael asking if Ally was doing ok since neither Lance nor Michael had heard from her since they were supposed to go over plans for the remodel of their home. This news triggered concern for Josh. Looking at the clock on his phone Josh bid his friend goodbye. He then called his lawyer.

After a busy morning making calls and getting ready for his day, Josh called Ally to see if she felt up to going to the restaurant.

Ally sat curled up in her closet, she had yet another nightmare and all she wanted was for it to go away. The fear, the anxiety, and the constant feeling that she wasn’t worth the time. She was thankful for Josh and his friends; they showed her there are good men out there. Her thoughts were a jumble in her head. Pulling her knees closer to her body, she bowed her head and willed the tears to come but they never did. Some time had passed to her felt like hours when the sound of her phone ringing broke her from the stupor, she was in.

Forcing herself to get up and put on a brave face was all she could do at the moment. Finally making her way to the dresser where she kept her phone, Ally noticed the picture that appeared and smiled.
“Hey Josh, why are you calling me this early?” She asked. Hearing Josh laugh on the other side was like feeling his caring hug.

The singer composed himself, “early? I don’t know what planet you’re on but here on earth, in LA its ten in the morning.” He stated with amusement.

Rubbing her face Ally nodded, “got it, so what’s up?”

Josh grabbed his keys, as he made his way to his garage, “want to go for a ride down the PCH? Hit up Ruby’s?”

Ally smiled, “sure you do need to learn the fine delicacy that is the cajun fries.”

Laughter filled the garage as the door was opening as Josh asked, “perfect now do you want to ride in a car or ride the bike?”

The blonde smiled at the thought of feeling the wind on her as she remembered when her best friend showed up to her house with a bright yellow helmet on and a blue one, he extended to her with excitement rivaling a five year old on Christmas day, as he said, “come on I just bought this bike that can get us to where we want quickly.”

She shook the memory from her mind to bring herself back to the current conversation, “definitely the bike.”

With a wide grin, Josh grabbed the extra helmet he had, “ok I’ll have to hang up with you so I can actually come get you.”

Ally nodded, “see you in a bit.”

The two friends ended their call and Josh only hoped he was doing what was right. He heard one of the nurses say that victims of abuse sometimes have PTSD, sometimes they have anxiety, sometimes they will have depression, and sometimes all of it. He said a silence prayer as he drove to Ally’s that he would know what to do.

As Ally waited for Josh, she put a bit of makeup on freshened up her hair a bit and looked herself in the mirror when she was ready, she made her way down to her the foyer of her home to get her riding jacket. Once she had the jacket, she could hear the engine of Josh’s bike pulling into her driveway she looked out the window and saw he was about to take off his helmet, Ally opened the door and waved, “I’ll be out in a minute.” Checking to make sure she had her ID, keys, and phone Ally nodded and went out the door locking it as she went.