So the whole thing was a big scheme cooked up by Lauren to try to get Josh and I back together. Unbelievable!

So on Friday Josh called Alex because he thought Lauren needed to talk to him. Lauren completely freaked out and went nuts. Josh and I thought it was really strange but we didn't know what she was making this whole story up. So Alex came down that night and he was really confused. Josh told him that he needs to talk to Lauren.

Meanwhile, Josh offered to take me out to a nice restaurant for dinner. I jumped on the idea because it meant that I got a nice meal and some time with Josh. We went into Princeton to a place that Mr. and Mrs. Anderson like but there were no tables. We ended up walking around trying to find a place to eat. We eventually gave up and headed to a diner...what else? I had a nice time talking to him, but he felt bad about promising me a meal at a nice restaurant so we agreed to go back to the restaurant for dessert at the bar.

As we were walking to the restaurant I mentioned that I wanted to try a glass of wine to see how I handle it. He took my car keys and agreed to make sure that I wouldn't make a crazy, tipsy fool of myself. We went in and ate, drank, laughed, and flirted...at lot. It was the best date I've had in a long time...figures that it would be with Josh. Why can't I have a great date with anyone else?

When we got back to the townhouse we were walking towards the door when Josh grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him. He said he had had a great time. I told me that I did too. We stared at each other for a minute and then he said, "I've missed you so much." The way he said it, and the way he was looking at me had me melting like a lovesick fool. I told him that I missed him too and he pulled me close and kissed me.

The front door opened and Alex was standing there looking very uneasy. Lauren was behind him smiling and she said, "See?" Alex gave her a look and said her name in a stern voice. Josh and I realized something was up. We went inside and Lauren started to tell us that she's not really pregnant and at first we thought she had made a mistake, but Alex forced the issue and soon it became clear that she had made everything up.

I could see the muscles in Josh's jaw twitching as he tried to keep it together. I have never seen him look so angry before. Understandably so! He flew across the country to comfort and support her and she was making the entire thing up. She said she was doing it because she wants us to be together and since we weren't talking she had to come up with some plan to get him to fly home. I don't understand why it's so important to her that we're together.

Josh was just all around mad. He flew across the county, he felt lied to, he and I shared my pregnancy scare to make her feel better and she used it, she manipulated us, and she kind of set me back on my quest to get over Josh. I couldn't even deal with her. I just walked into the kitchen and stood there while Josh continued to let her have it in the living room. Alex finally decided enough was enough and took Lauren back to Jason's.

Josh found me in the kitchen and asked how I was. I told him I was in a state of disbelief. It was just so weird. I would never have believed Lauren could do something so deceitful. We stood there in silence for a minute trying to take it all in. Then he said, "I'm sorry she tricked you into seeing me when you didn't want to." I told him that it wasn't his fault and that seeing him wasn't the worst thing in the world.

Somehow I ended up in his arms. I looked up at him and said, "This is exactly what she wanted." He shook his head and said, "This isn't about her. It's about the fact that I still love you so much." He kissed me again and we completely forgot about Lauren.

The next morning Lauren apologized again. Josh hugged her, told her he loves her but he's still furious with her. She seemed to accept that. Alex took her back to Connecticut. I drove Josh over to his parent's house in Pennsylvania. They were so thrilled to see him. He didn't tell them about Lauren's little stunt. He told them he flew home to see me and they didn't question it. We ate lunch with them and spent the afternoon there.

I was tired so Josh drove us back to Jersey. I was quiet and he asked if I was okay. I was thinking how easy it was for the Andersons to say good-bye to him. I realized it was because they knew they'd see him again soon. I told him this and he said, "You could see me again soon too. We could try to do the long distance thing." I sat there thinking about it but I knew we can't do it. He's busy with work. He'd be working late and lose track of time but I'd be sitting at home waiting for his call and wondering what he was doing and who he was with. We'd plan a weekend together but he'd get stuck working on a project and have to cancel and I'd be crushed. The reasons we didn't try the long distance thing the first time haven't changed. We rode the rest of the way home in silence.

We agreed that we wouldn't be sad. We enjoyed the rest of our weekend but we also understood that we were past our expiration date. I took him to the airport yesterday. I smiled, told him I love him and kissed him good-bye. He asked if we were going back to our previous arrangement (us not talking for awhile). I told him it had to be that way for now. I can't get over him when he's around. It is just too hard.

So that's everything in the condensed version...and even that was long. I'm mad at Lauren for putting me through all of this again, but it does help a little to know that he still loves me as much as I love him. Still, I feel set back a bit. I caught a whiff of his scent on my jacket this morning and I closed my eyes to take it in...just not a good thing when I'm trying to get over him.