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musedblues · 4 years

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You Make Me Feel Like Dancin’

Summary: Your best friend Lucy introduces you to her new boyfriend, Rami and the other cast of friends she’s been hanging around with. Joe catches your eye and the rest is history in the making.

W/C: 13k

Warnings: Language. Mentions of sex and sexual situations (nothing graphic) But better safe than sorry, so... RATED R!

A/N: This baby has it all! Fluff! Angst! Friends to enemies, maybe? It was originally like... 20k words because I’m a sucker for a backstory but I reigned it in lads. This was all based on a prompt for @royally-rogers follower celebration! Big shout out to the babe herself! Here it finally is, lovies!

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

"Eekk! Come on, hurry!" Lucy squealed, pulling you close to her side.

She was your very best friend. Your partner in every shopping mall adventure, the first person whose opinion on everything you wanted to know. The only time you weren't attached at the hip was when she was working; and lately, she was on set all the time.

Lucy had fallen for her leading man, sometime last month. And it was high time you met the guy who'd been stealing away so much of your dear friends time. The trouble was, Lucy always tried to leave her work behind when the two of you got together. So, tonight was a big deal. Especially considering the rest of the crew of men who Lucy had grown close with were joining you, tonight.

Three statuesque men scattered around a high top table, in the modern wooden pub. Rami must have recognized Lucy's commotion as he stood up to greet the pair of you.

"You're here!" His voice was thick and warm and intimidating, even as he spoke with glee. The dark-headed fellow scooped Lucy into a short and sweet embrace before they both turned to look at you.

"Y/n, Rami." She beamed, holding out her lily-white hand to grab a hold of yours.

"I'm so glad you could join us. I feel like I already know you." Rami gleamed your way.

"And I, you." You pursed your lips into a coy grin, giving Lucy a look out of the corner of your eye. She was practically a live wire, beaming a smile that made her eyes sparkle.

"Well, come meet everyone else!" Rami held out his arm as you and Lucy followed behind the lad to step closer to the table full of charming men.

"Boys, the girls are here! This is Gwilym." Rami pulled out a chair, guiding you to sit next to a tall man with a face like a Greek god. His blue eyes glistened and he smiled right at you as you settled next to him. Lucy hopped into the seat on your left, pointing across the table to another pretty blonde.

"This is Ben," She mentioned, and the guy with the look of a Roman empire greeted you warmly.

"Joe is late, of course." Rami waved a hand at you, across from Lucy as Ben chuckled at his side.

And right in alarming time, a man waltzed up to the table breezing past everyone in a flourish.

"Fashionably late." The slender man with a closed mouth smile winked at Rami and moved to the empty seat across from Gwilym.

"And that's our Joe," Lucy chirped, giving you a look like she had so much more to say.

Even in your best efforts to prepare for such an evening as this, you felt winded by the introductions alone.

"Alright, everyone shut up so I can go on and on about my best friend!"

"Lucy-" You chided with a roll of your eyes. God, you loved her but you were not cut out to be paid close attention too.

"Oh, Luc, please. You know I don't like that sort of spotlight." Joe rang in some transatlantic accent from the end of the table, resting his chin on the heel of his hand as he gave Lucy a wink. He smiled a real smile then, and it was something of a spectacle to witness his features twinkle to life. He was the prettiest of the whole lot. And that was really saying something.

"While I do love you, Joe, I'm about to tell you why you'll all be wise to kiss the ground Y/N walks upon!" Lucy decreed. Before you had a moment shut her down, she was already speaking up again...

"She'd probably kill for me, and I'd probably ask her too, starting with your smart ass." Lucy playfully snapped at Joe who let a sheen of disgusted shock morph his expression. You found he was still attractive even when he looked like a hurt puppy.

"She can cook, she can sing, and she's smoking hot so, proceed with caution boys."

"Okay." You gave your friend a dismissive smile. The boys chattered in at once, all comments directed at Lucy's dramatic speech.

"You should know she talks about you like this when you're not around, too," Rami spoke up from the opposite side of the table. Most boys broke off into separate conversations while you leaned over the table to share your favorite facts about Lucy with her new beau. Somewhere along the way, you had Rami cracking up, catching his breath through choked laughs all the way until the end of your story sharing session. Lucy had to order for the both of you when the time came, as you'd been reduced to tears from all the laughter.

Rami left for the restroom soon after you'd both found composure, and Gwilym disappeared to make a phone call by chance. Joe took that opportunity to trade places, easing into the empty chair next to you like some kind of juvenile Romeo.

"Excuse me, your highness, we need to talk about this whole best friend thing." Joe was sipping some fruity drink from a straw, looking up to you through his long lashes. You'd be lying if you didn't have to take a beat to soak up the look in his dark eyes before you answered.

"What's there to talk about?" You countered, leaning a little closer toward Lucy.

"What's her favorite color?" He shrugged, looking to you through the side of his face.

"Oh, I don't think you're ready to play this game." You pointed toward Joe. Maybe it's because he and Lucy really were close, but something about Joe was already familiar to you. Not at all like you'd just met him. There was something in his persistence gaze that you recognized. Lucy watched on in utter amazement as you and Joe darted through the challenge of who knew her best. Favorite foods, songs she sang in the shower, her middle name.

"Okay... if Lucy had a dog what would she name it?" You doubled down, leaning in to stare right at the guy. Joe was watching you with a coy little grin that flickered a little brighter each time he got an answer right. And he hadn't gotten one wrong... yet.

"Uh..." Joe paused, watching you inch closer, searching your face as if you'd somehow be giving the answer away. "Maybe... uh... Bertha?" Joe tore his gaze from you to flash a hopeful look to Lucy.

"Bertha?" She stifled a laugh. "Joe. first of all, it's a trick question." Your best friend pointed knowingly. "I'd pick a cat over a dog. And its name sure as hell wouldn't be Bertha."

Joe pouted, bottom lip sticking out like a toddler. Lucy decided there was only one way Joe could come back from crashing and burning so severely in the best friend pop quiz. "Both of you go to the bar and order me a drink. The one I like better will be dubbed the winner of my heart and soul."

Joe's smile spread like a wildfire across his face, as he looked to you and cocked his head toward the bar. Oh, it was on. Lucy liked simple drinks, none of that syrup saturated shit. It was one of the first commonalities you bonded over with the girl. You practically raced Joe to the bar, trying not to stare as he hurried ahead of you. He was dressed in sharp bold colors and his figure was perfectly lean. The tired looking bartended gestured your way as you approached the bar, and Joe went first, seeming rather confident.

"Manhattan?" Joe asked, almost like he was wondering if the bartender would know Lucy's preference and approve of his choice. Good one.

"Uh, Sidecar." You decided on the spot, knowing it was something your friend had ordered a time or two. As the bartender turned around to mix your drinks, Rami appeared from the restroom and stopped next to Joe at the bar.

"Oh, please don't make this poor girl try that horrible drink you made up and forced us to try last night."

"Okay, first of all, how dare you." Joe pointed to his friend. Rami looked like he had seen some shit, and you had to chuckle under your breath wondering what Joe subjected everyone too.

"It was bourbon and tabasco sauce." Joe turned to you with a raise oh his thin brow.

"And he tried to add lime juice, like that was going to make it better." Rami waved his hands around, seemingly amazed he'd made it out of the situation alive. Your chortles had blown into laughter by now as Joe sulked in defeat.

"Do you hate your friends, Joe?" You teased, crossing your arms to your chest as the fellow rolled his eyes at you. Your drinks had been finished then; so there wasn't time to feel embarrassed by the way your breath caught in your throat, as Joe failed to think up a comeback and just bit his lower lip through a smile, shaking his head at you.

You settled back into your seats, and Joe stayed at your side since Gwilym seemed to linger outside the nearest window, chatting on the phone.

"Pick your poison." You turned to Lucy as you and Joe slid her drink orders before her. She hummed in consideration, shooting you a smirk as she reached for the Sidecar.

"Oh, come on!" Joe whined.

"Sorry dear," Lucy said, taking a sip of the drink she chose. "I like this better." Your best friend shrugged, taking another drink.

"But this is my favorite." You grinned, pinching the rim of the Manhattan and pulling the glass in front of you. Joe watched as you lifted the drink he ordered to your lips. You really did like it. And you especially liked the way Lucy's runner up best friend was piercing his gaze into yours.

The night moved on in a flurry of laughter and shared gazes. Gwilym shared his leftovers with you, and Ben insisted you come to his housewarming party over the weekend. You left arm in arm with your very best friend, but you found yourself thinking of Joe.

///

That's how it started.

Every time you saw Joe after that initial meeting was a collection of snowflake-like moments that lead up to an unpredictable avalanche.

The next time you saw the gang was when Lucy fetched you to attend Ben's housewarming. The pair of you danced around his new lush green garden while her other castmates slowly arrived to join the party, practically ignoring other random attendees for a while. Then, Ben, Gwil, Rami, and Lucy all went wild, telling stories to Ben's new neighbors and filling everyone drinks. You, somehow, ended up next to Joe on a patio swing set. The pair of you pointed to the strangers that scattered across Ben's new lawn and made up backstories on their behalf. Somehow, this translated to you and Joe trading your own stories. By the end of that afternoon, you and Joe knew each other high school prom dates and your least favorite parts of growing up.

You went home as an official member of the group chat, via Ben's excitable request.

///

The group chat was the source of every interaction between any number of you from then on out. It was where Ben invited everyone over to meet his new puppy, Frankie, with pictures to prove how sweet she was. A pile of wrinkles, pictured perfectly asleep in the actor's lap.

You drove twenty to Ben's home and Joe answered the door. He kept looking at you like he had a secret to pass on. Like there was something he thought you already knew and should have been mentioning. Regardless of the funny feeling you got when his forest toned eyes focused on yours, you took shots with all his friends and went about fawning over Frankie, like that was your only excuse for being there.

Then, there was the impromptu movie night at Gwilyms. He'd come to possess a VHS player and a copy of the Titanic and was desperate to know if it still worked. The film would pause every thirty minutes while black and white banners flashed across the screen. But watched on, you did. Everyone was hypnotized to sleep by the warbled recording, slowly, one after another, until it was just you and Joe. He sat next to you on Gwil’s sofa, and as you felt your eyes start to droop, another sensation stalled your slumber. Joe's hand had just barely nudged closer to yours. Almost like an accident. Like he'd moved in his sleep. But you cracked one eye open and noticed Joe was still focused on the movie screen. His hand stayed brushed against yours. It was just a couple of knuckles against your own. But it was a burning foreshadowing of a wish you didn't realize had been scratching below your subconscious until now. You drifted to sleep wondering if you'd been dreaming all along.

///

Next, there was a trip to the roller rink, at Rami's request. He held his own in a pair of skates and you figured he'd just wanted to show off. But in his typical, humble fashion, Rami patiently helped Lucy and Gwil learn to roll around the rink with ease. Then there was Joe, who made quite the show of turning his struggled flailing into dance moves. You caught moments of this on camera and posted it to your Instagram story, saying it was blackmail. But really, you just wanted something featuring Joe to look back on when he wasn't close by.

Joe heart reacted to the notification in your DMs that informed him he'd been tagged, and reposted your story his own, with the caption: "If you don't tell anyone its a dance battle, you'll win every time."

There was the time Ben invited everyone to a wine tasting, where you caught more of Joe's tipsy dance moves for your Instagram story. He danced slyly closer your way, as your friends galloped around the gift shop in their own wine-filled hazes. You swore Joe almost kissed you then. He stopped dancing and leaned against the wall you'd been admiring him from. His jungle eyes zeroed in on yours as you suppressed a nervous giggle. When Joe's gaze landed on your lips, Gwil came around the corner with pairs of matching sunglasses he demanded everyone try on. You decided that must have been a part of Joe's imaginary production. A way to get you a little flustered for the hell of it. You decided he'd had one too many complimentary sips of wine.

Then there was mini golf. The final fleck of frozen rain that caused your metaphorical avalanche to topple over in a way you never expected...

///

Joe: Mini golf tomorrow? Here's a link to the place...

Gwilym: I have a fashion show :/

Lucy: Maybe! What time?

Ben: Oh it's ON!

Y/n: Sounds fun to me.

And just like that, you had something to look forward to again. Joe set the time and date and threatened Ben to prepare to battle to the death.

You soared through your workday without a care and checked your phone on the way out to your car.

Lucy: Rami's brother just landed town, I forgot. I'm sorry to cancel last minute!

You missed Lucy. You had barely spent a single moment of one on one time since she introduced you to the boys. To her boy. But you knew Rami was her priority now. You admired how seriously she'd taken her relationship with him and sent a message back wishing her well in her boyfriend's familial affairs.

You raced home to change into something more appropriate. A nice flannel to protect you from the chill of the night since it wasn't quite summering yet.

Then when you checked the time and hurried back to your car, it wouldn't start. You didn't have time to worry about why, or try and fix it yourself. You just ordered an Uber and told yourself you'd deal with it after tonight's fun and games.

Ben was lingering outside the novelty put-put place, illuminated by the blue glow of his phone screen.

"Hey, my car wouldn't start." You shrugged as Ben shot you a curious glance, noticing the SUV you'd hopped out the back of.

"Oh, man. Sorry about that." The stunning blonde pouted, clicking his phone to lock before sliding it into his pocket.

"Party people!" The shout was heard across the sparse parking lot, and it undeniably belonged to Joe Mazzello. He walked toward you and Ben with a smile plastered on his face. He was alive with confidence and excitement, even at the prospect of playing a kid game with his friends.

"Alright listen." Ben countered like a tired coach. "I might have to leave early. If Chris Evans doesn't show up for an audition I'm the only other one on the callback sheet." Ben huffed. Oh, to have such worries.

"Okay, Casanova. Then we better kick this game night into gear." Joe placed either of his hands on Ben's shoulders and shoved him toward the line of families waiting to get in the place. Ben kept fretting over his pending audition, saying that if he scored the part, that he'd have to send Frankie to live with his parents and they'd fall in love with her and she'd never come back home. He hadn't even landed the roll yet, and he was in shambles of worry over the one con that seemed to outweigh the pros of living his dream.

"Ben I live like twenty minutes away. I can watch Frankie if you leave town." You shrugged. You cared for Ben, and you adored his darling puppy.

"You'd really do that?" Ben croaked, nearly moved to tears by your simple offer.

"I'd fly across the world for Frankie if someone wasn't so eager to land the job." Joe's elbow bumped into your side then, in just enough time to make your heart skip a beat. Ben murmured a thousand thank you's as the line slowly moved. As you waited behind a couple of middle schoolers and a family with three toddlers, loudspeakers crackled to life with Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

The speakers echoed into the parking lot, and the tune would have made you think of Joe even if he wasn't beside you, starting to shift his shoulders to the beat of the song. You knew what you had to do. As Whitney's song crept toward the chorus, Joe added more gusto into his dance moves, and you unearthed your phone from your pocket to capture the moment on your Instagram story. Joe lip-synced along to the chorus as he broke out the show choir dance moves and Ben cackled in the background.

"Next!" Some prepubescent voice croaked from behind the mini-golf ticket both. Joe's attention was torn from his dance break and you caught his shocked disappointment the moment just before the recording ended. Ben cackled with laughter as Joe sulked toward the ticket booth. He bought all of your bracelets that allowed your admission and you grinned gratefully to the guy before racing him to go choose a putter and a golf ball.

Ben was blue, you were orange and Joe was yellow. You kept getting stalled behind little kids, some who seemed to be trying their best, others, who reminded you of Joe- unabashedly enjoying whatever happened and making the most ridiculously enjoyable use of their time. You watched as he and Ben got into an argument over how to keep score, and laughed when Joe tried to mess Ben's shot up. You held your own, barely caring about how well you did, just enjoying the crisp air and the laughter of your pals- one in particular.

"We should get something to eat after." Joe shrugged. You'd ended up on hole seventeen and could see the final hole ahead of you. The jungle-themed play place was buzzing with kids of all ages, but you'd dared to believe you Ben and Joe were having the most fun.

"Yeah! I'm starving." You pipped up, stepping around Joe as he went to retrieve the golf ball he hit into the bushes. You skipped dinner to make it here in time.

"You down to mukbang, Ben?" Joe wondered, stepping back onto the green of the hole seventeen. Ben had pulled his phone out of his pocket and was staring down in a daze.

"Chris Evans backed out..." he murmured in his low tone, reading from the screen.

"Chris Evans back out!" He spoke up once again, turning his stary eyes to you and Joe.

"Get out of here, Ben!" You encouraged, pointing toward the exit, now in the distant view.

"Oh guys, I'm sorry." Ben scrambled to collect his golf ball and putter and Joe encourage his friend to hurry.

"Break a leg babe!" Joe chirped merrily as Ben started to jog away. "Run Ben! Run faster than Captain America!" Joe let his voice carry across the mini-golf field as families turned their heads toward you, and Ben hurried out, throwing his head back with laughter.

"At least we're basically done." You shrugged, watching Ben disappear behind the shack where you left your golfing equipment. You were alone with Joe now, like, really alone for the first time.

"Yeah," Joe seemed to realize, looking ahead at the eighteenth hole, where a group of little kids struggled to play the game. "We could like, quit and go get something to eat." Joe looked to you, raising his brows with the suggestion.

"Still? Even though Ben left?" You wondered. Joe had no reason to want to spend one on one time with you, as enticing as the thought was to you.

"Yeah, you said you were hungry, come on." He decided, stealing your putter and racing past hole eighteen. You laughed and hurried to follow him.

Joe had already disposed of your equipment by the time you'd met up at the exit doors.

"Where do you wanna go?" You jogged, following him out into the bare parking lot. "Oh shit." You realized. Joe shot you a curious glance as you stalled in place, remembering your ride here.

"I totally forgot. I got a uber here. My car wouldn't start." You frowned, thinking that the night had just come to an end due to your vehicular impairment.

"While I don't mind escorting you to a five-star dining experience, there is a pizza place across the street," Joe pointed. "And it looks like heaven."

The neon sign was flickering and the checkered awning was tattered. "Okay fine." You chuckled, following him across the one-way street.

Then, as he held to door open for a young mother and her warbling baby, it hit you. Joe was just being nice. He was that guy. He went out of his way to pour strangers an extra shot of whiskey at his best friends house warming party. He held doors open for mothers carrying babies. He escorted you to this pizza place just because you said you were hungry. He was just kind-hearted by nature, and that's when you realized you had it all wrong. Till now, you'd mistaken Joe's lingering eye contact on you as intentional. You realized that the one time his knuckles brushed against yours was a simple accident. If Joe wanted to kiss you, like you were so sure he nearly did at the vineyard, he would have by now. He was only ever kind to you because that's who he was. That guy. You couldn't possibly face your horrible delusion by letting him know you'd been dreaming of more. Oh, shit.

Joe held the door open for you, as a couple of bells rang from the handle. You wouldn't let your self search for his eye contact not now. You just smiled and kept walking toward a booth in the back.

Joe eased into the booth across from you and spent a very short time figuring out what to order, deciding to split a margarita pizza. Okay, you thought. Just look up, and don't think about it. Just be normal. When you finally locked eyes with Joe, you found he'd already had a steadied a sleepy gaze on you. Your stomach flipped so violently you had to wonder if he noticed, somehow.

"So the Bo Rhap wrap party is tomorrow night." Joe pointed, searching your eyes as you looked right into his, trying to suppress the butterflies that multiplied in your guts. "You should come! I can pick you up if your car won't start. Hell, even if it will."

Joe rose a brow your way when a waiter brought you each plastic red tumblers full of soda. He sipped his drink, his eyes peering up at you through fluttering lashes.

He's just being nice. You mentally cursed. You wound up alone, and he was only trying to make sure you didn't feel out of place, because he was that guy. Your heart was doing somersaults and your mind was racing, each conclusion coming back to Joe. You had been and currently were head over heels for Joe Mazzello.

"Yeah okay." You nodded shyly, hoping to God your voice wouldn't be faulted as you sat coming to terms with your feelings. You could pull yourself together, before falling too deep, right? Couldn't you accept his kind-hearted invitations? Couldn't you keep watching from the sidelines as Joe dance alone at parties? You could live with those blips of heaven on earth, right?

While you waited for your pizza Joe started to gush over his family. How much he missed them and how he simply couldn't wait to return home after all this time. And at the mere mention of Joe being so distant, your heart sunk to the floor. Oh no, you were in a very dangerous way.

"You good?" Joe pointed. You had rested your temple on your hand, propped against the table like a student exhausted by homework. Your mind had yet to stop filling in answers to questions that appeared in droves.

"Huh? Oh yeah, just a little tired I guess." You decided. A better excuse than give the truth away. "Oh don't mind me I'm just trying not to fall for you. Just trying not to ruin this random lucky moment."

"I know it was probably exhausting to lose so hard at mini-golf," Joe smirked at you.

A chuckle escaped your throat but your heart felt as if it might pop. What were you supposed to do? Your pizza came and conversation died out while you picked around pieces. Every passing minute felt like the count down to a life-altering game show. Joe must have noticed how quiet your internal battle made you.

"You sure you good? If you need-

"Uhm, actually," You decided in a flash. "I think I better head home now." You pulled your phone out and order the closest Uber while you spoke. Two minutes away.

"I can take you. You don't have to pay."

"No, Joe. It's fine really." You scrunched your brows together like a weak apology. "I... I need a bit of space anyway. Thank you... for tonight, for everything." You stood in a hurry to leave, feeling conflicted but listening to the panicked voice in your head calling you to go. You shelled out a few pounds to cover the pizza and booked it out of the place.

On the ride home, you posted the video of Joe dancing to Whitney Houston, with the caption: "never a dull moment."

You admired the clip on loop, studying every way Joe managed to make you laugh with a turn of his lips or a perfectly timed flail.

By the time you got home with a much steadier heartbeat, you wondered if you were too quick to run off. You didn't quite feel the need to apologize, but something deep within you took control of your fingers and made you text Joe.

You: Seriously, thanks for the fun night, Joe!

You were grateful to have been invited along to join in the fun. But you knew it was best to take a step back and solve your feelings before they got the better of you. Still, you couldn't fucking resist taking one last stab at pulling a bit of Joe's attention toward you. Pathetic.

Later that night as you slipped into bed, Joe had responded to your text. All he said was,

Joe: :)

Then you just had to check your Instagram. Joe had always heart reacted to the notification in DM's when it showed you'd tagged him in a story. Tonight was different. Joe had opened the DM, but hadn't liked the notification. Nor had he reposted the video.

You did tell Joe you needed a bit of space. But as you started to fall asleep, you wondered if you'd royally fucked everything up by your efforts to keep things steady...

///

The next day was torture. Absolutely agony. You spent silent breakfast avoiding all motivations, and lunchtime pouting when none from Joe appeared. The wrap party was tonight. He invited you. You said yes. But that was before you left the pizza place in a rush. And you'd still never called off those loosely made plans.

So around dusk, you hovered over Joe's name in the contact list, wondering if you should send another text. The thought seemed all too desperate. Asking if your plans were still on was exactly the kind of behavior you were trying not to succumb to. So you waited a little while longer.

But as the sun dipped below the horizon, your heart seemed to fade with the light. Was it wrong to be sad? You wanted space. You needed space. But just from Joe. Just from your feelings. Just time to figure out how to stop your thoughts of Joe from whirring into romanticism.

///

"It's midnight! where the hell were you? I thought you were coming!" Lucy stood in your doorway wearing a sequined party dress, and big worried cartoon eyes.

You sulked in your pajamas, gawking in disbelief to your friend who was concerned enough to come knocking on your door without calling first.

"Come in." You shrugged, almost nervously. Lucy had come to track you down. She must have been expecting to see you tonight. You must have let her down.

"You were supposed to be at the party! Didn't Joe invite you last night?" Lucy fretted, sashaying behind you, kicking off her heels as you lead her to your living room.

"Last night was weird. I haven't heard from him since." You revealed, the pair of flopping onto your patterned loveseat.

"Joe made a really big deal over asking you to the party." Lucy eased, wringing her hands and looking to you as she tried to understand why you hadn't shown up. "I just got worried when I hadn't heard from you at all today."

"He did... ask me." You sighed, slinking into the sofa and wishing it would swallow you whole. Your feelings felt so minuscule now, in the brink of explaining them to your best friend. This all felt too much like a low budget high school rom-com.

But Lucy eventually begged you to tell her what was going on. So, you gave her a play by play of what had been on your mind the past couple weeks. You told her how you felt about Joe. And exactly when you realized it. You told her how you could never stop thinking of him, even when your mind went blank, it always came back around to Joe. You told her how it scared you to feel that way and why you left Joe alone in the pizza place. You wanted space to figure your feelings out, but how maybe you'd only made things worse. How maybe his leaving you hanging tonight must have been payback for your basically ghosting him, last.

"Well, I'll talk to him, love." Lucy decided like a mother after you'd spilled your guts.

"No, you don't need to do that." You chuckle remorsefully. "If we were supposed to like... ya know... we would have by now." If he really meant to hold your hand he would have. If he really meant to kiss you, he would have. But he didn't.

Lucy just gave you a purse-lipped grin before standing to make hot cocoa. She rummaged through your cabinets as if they were her own and you loaned her a pair of pajamas you knew you'd never get back, because who wanted to lounge around giggling at Parks in Rec in a ball gown?

Lucy fell asleep on your sofa in your clothes while you suppressed thoughts of her stupid, pretty, friend.

///

Two and a half weeks passed until you saw Lucy again. Bohemian Rhapsody was finished being filmed, and everyone had gone their separate ways.

Lucy was always busy, but she invited you to help pack her things for a trip to America, where she'd be staying with Rami for the first time. The pair of you left each other with long faces but how could you not be excited for your friend, on her way to mingle with the future. To build her life alongside someone who adored her the way she deserved to be adored.

You spent the next week desperately alone, your only company being the characters on the telly. Till your phone rang at the break of dawn, tearing you from sleep.

"Y/n!"

"Joe?" You worried over his random call, and the alarming tone if his voice.

"Y/n, I'm in New York and it's not right," Joe whined like a boy. He was well and truly drunk, you didn't even have to ask. Chatter clouded the background of his call and he was still mewling pathetically as you proceeded it all.

"Why are you calling me?" You wondered honestly. If he was all the way in as New York, and as hammered as he sounded, you were no use.

"Because... Because..." Joe sounded as if he were trying to pick between one answer or another. "I miss my friends." He decided in a slur.

"Uh-huh." You croaked, gazing out your darkened window as this bizarre interaction went on. You could hang up...

"See, I miss everyone so much. And I'm no good all on my own. I don't know what to do now. What's my job now?" Joe let a little hiccup escape his throat and somewhere between his incoherent rambles you felt anger bubble within you. Joe had everything. He had a contact list full of friends, and endless options of fun to have. But he'd called you.

"Your job is to smile, Joe. For the cameras and for pretty girls. New York is no different than London."

"Yeah." Joe seemed to agree. "But Lucy said..."

"Lucy?" You realized, all of a sudden. Of course. She'd totally put Joe up to calling you, and saying something. And you knew the girl had only done it out of the best of intentions. But Joe had only managed to phone you after a slew of drinks, hopefully, so he could move on without the memory of speaking to you the next morning. He wasn't calling because he wanted too...

"Call someone else Joe. Get a ride home, okay?" You huffed, trying to sound fed up. But your voice only deflated as your anger turned to something a little more bittersweet.

///

You watched the seasons slowly change and spent Christmas with the people you loved. You scrapped snow from your car windows and drove to work as silence filled your mind. Your free time was far less enchanting, with Lucy always gone. She never came back from New York, when she left that first time. But she facetimed you every Sunday, to weep over how in love she was, and to fill you in on all the group chats you'd failed to keep up with. Then she'd ask how you were doing and the two of you would pretend the pixilated date was the same as any other.

Your days were full of work, and your nights were exceptionally bland. But one, miraculous and furry hope gave you something to look forward too.

Ben landed the role in some action movie. You kept your promise to watch over Frankie while he spent his days in Italy, covered in fake scars. ///

Frankie was a bundle of pure joy. You stopped in to let her out every morning before work, on lunch breaks and again on your way home. You took full advantage of Ben's Netflix, and stayed a little later each night because Frankie was the dearest company you'd had in months. She snuggled up with you during movies and followed you around every corner.

You sent photos to Ben and he usually responded almost immediately with crying emojis and every different heart shape.

You posted a few shots of your daily walks to your Instagram story but saved one very special selfie for your feed. It was a photo of you and Frankie laying on Ben's bathroom floor. You'd tripped over the edge of his laundry bin, and Frankie came to check out all the commotion. She laid down across from you and looked in the floor-length mirror like it was a camera and you were on The Office. You clamored to grab your phone in time for the photo, and you did.

You asked Ben for permission to showcase his darling fur baby on social media and he agreed without hesitation.

But almost immediately after slapping a filter on and posting, you regretted it. Comments from user names like queeniedarling123 and hoemazzelo flooded your notifications.

That's Frankie! Tell Frankie I love her!

Are you and Ben together?

I thought you were with Joe? We demand Joe and Frankie selfies.

Your heart dropped then. You thought of taking the photo down, but it was already liked by a few thousand. So you quickly moved to make your account private and deleted a few select comments that really made you queasy.

When Ben returned home, he came bearing the news that he would have to leave again very soon. You could tell he wanted to ask, but something held him back. So you stepped up and offered to hold your spot, checking in on Frankie while Ben was away.

Through the next couple of months, you kept up the same schedule, taking the pup on walks and sending photos to Ben. You realized that the best kinds of friends trusted you to linger around, even when they were miles away.

///

Lucy facetimed less, but when she did, the chats lasted for hours. You managed your slumber party rituals as best you could while separated by a screen. But somedays the distance made you feel exceptionally alone.

When your phone rang, midweek on your lunch break and Lucy's name popped on the screen, you worried. She would facetime you on schedule like it was set in stone, and text in between with any trivial news. She never called. In the nanoseconds it took you to answer, your mind buzzed with every bout of horrible news your friend would have reason to call in the middle of the weekday with...

"Hello?" You asked, standing alone outside of your car, stalling your return to work.

"We're coming home!" Lucy informed merrily. She sounded as she were on a bus, now. Muffled voices and metallic clangs screeching in the background.

"Home?" You asked hopefully.

"Listen! We've rented a cabin for this weekend and everyone is coming to celebrate the last weekend of the decade. So I'm gonna come by your house tomorrow round five, yeah? Pack warm clothes and maybe some board games!" Lucy informed you all at once.

"Tomorrow?" You spun around, looking around the snow-covered parking lot. "I mean, I am off work but are you sure-"

"Tomorrow round five! It's going to be a good time okay? Joe is going to be there. I'll see you soon love, okay, bye!"

Lucy ended the call before you had time to protest or ask any more details. Were you being warned or enticed?

///

From the outside, the cabin looked more like a resort. You supposed that when a handful of actors who'd just been in a blockbuster vacationed together, this was somehow justifiable. How had you found yourself in the midst of all these people's lives? How were you worthy of four nights in a cabin with just as many levels? Lucy was the first one inside, greeted by a chorus of warm hello's. She and Ben shared some kind of knowing smile as the blonde man rose from a massive leather couch he was sprawled out on. He was dressed in designer joggers, and there was a large fire crackling from behind some painted bricks in the living area. The floor plan went on for ages, tall ceilings held up by wooden beams that lead your eye toward the open kitchen in the distance.

"Hello love." Ben stretched his arms over his head as he walked toward you. He found no qualms in grabbing your head in both his hands and planting a kiss on your forehead. Your insides had been abuzz with nerves, but a softer fuzzy feeling warmed your heart at Ben's gesture.

"Sorry we're late to the festivities. The weather, you know." You sighed, looking at Ben who was already waving off your apology.

"Better late than never! We've been stalling the party until you showed." Gwilym rounded the corner dressed like he might have been camping outback, layers of thermal decorating his tall frame. Rami trailed in after him, taking Lucy's matching overnight bags in clutch. Behind him, his twin brother.

"At long last! Sami, y/n, y/n Sami!" Rami's brother was just as handsome as the actor himself, and you were certain he was full of his own dynamic qualities. You'd also caught on to the few slight hints Lucy dropped about Sami to you. Painting a glorious picture of her boyfriend's brother, ultimately for you to yearn over, fall for so you could like, be one big happy family or some best friend bullshit. But other than a kind smile your way, Sami seemed to hold little interest in you, and your interests were occupied vastly by the one person you had to see appear.

"Come pick a room!" Lucy called after you, and you had no choice but to follow her orders. There were eight bedrooms. Eight. Rami and Lucy had snagged the biggest, and Sami had chosen the one at the opposite end of the hall. Ben and Gwil had taken the only two rooms on the third floor, and that left you to choose between the middle of this hallway or the basement. And you really didn't want to treck all the way back down to the basement with your things. So you darted into the room nearest the bathroom and were charmed to see the sleeping quarters weren't outlandishly lavish. The cabin still held the charm that any good cabin should, with wood paneling and a quilted iron-framed bed. Just as you dropped your duffle bag onto the dresser in the corner, Lucy came in to tug you back downstairs.

The boys were breaking out the liquor and the festivities were abound. You settled between Ben and Rami on the massive leather sofa, clinking your red solo cups of whiskey together and cheering to the gathering.

"Joe said he'll be half an hour more." Gwil grimaced looking at his phone screen. You were glad for the warning. More time to practice how you'd act once he landed. But you did a damn good job of pretending that wasn't what you were doing at all. You listened to Sami tell you about himself and laughed when Gwilym spilled his whiskey all over his trousers, complaining about how he couldn't change because he'd been wearing both pairs he'd brought, at once. It was all fun and games, which lead you to discussing such.

Sami revealed that he'd never played beer pong. Ben dashed toward the kitchen to collect solo cups, and before you knew it a game was set up on the coffee table. Then the front door opened. The lads abandoned their excitably flutter around the beer pong table to greet a frigid looking Joe.

"You're just in time for beer pong! But I think the only room left is the basement, mate." Ben patted his friend on the shoulder as you sat stone still on the sofa, watching the scene unfold. Joe didn't seem to mind the boarding situation and moved to hug Rami on his treck to abandon his things. Just before Joe left the room, his eyes drifted to notice yours. You'd planned for this; to see him. But all the things you practiced saying or doing were coated in white-out, and as soon as Joe's eyes met yours, they moved on. Oh, this wasn't going to go well, was it? He seemed happy. He seemed like he could care less that you were existing in the same space as he was. That only made you realize that the work you'd been putting in to ignore your feelings for Joe had worked. You'd definitely been ignoring them. They hadn't gone away at all.

You sipped your whiskey to look preoccupied, and let out the breath you'd been holding as your friends bustled around you without a care. Ben was pouring beer into the cups on the coffee table, and Rami was explaining the rules of the game to his brother. When Joe reappeared, shy of his coat and looking a little warmer, he was appointed to Lucy and Ramis team, where Sami belonged swearing he needed all the help he could get. But you had Ben and Gwilym. What could go wrong?

Were you doing this right? You'd played beer pong before, but you were playing a harder game of trying to avoid Joe's eyes. You weren't even sure if he had cast a single glance your way. You weren't sure of anything besides how awkward you felt. But the more you drank the less you worried. Everyone else seemed to be letting loose just as well, you were certain you'd never seen Gwilym so wasted, (funny considering he spilled more whiskey than he drank earlier.) Ben would cheer for everyone no matter who was playing, and Lucy was practically falling asleep at the wheel. Under Rami's wise direction, Sami played just fine, your team was loosing after all. But maybe that's because Joe kept switching the rules around.

He would rearrange the cups and allow way more redos than necessary, especially when you wound up playing against each other. You stood and waited for Joe to make his winning shot until somewhere around the seventh time he missed. When Joe reached for the ping pong ball again and you'd had enough.

"No, come on, you don't get another chance." You huffed. Those were the first words you'd spoken to Joe since you'd seen him tonight. He looked up at you with a roll of his stunning eyes.

"We've been playing by the same rules all night." Joe countered cooly.

"Yeah, for Sami's sake. Not yours. It's over anyway!" You gestured wildly. Rami drunkenly nodded with you in agreeance, somehow lifting Lucy from her alcohol-induced sleep on his lap. When your best friend's feet hit the floor, Lucy and Rami slinked off to bed.

"You can do it!" Ben weakly cheered from the armchair behind you. Joe lifted a brow and gestured toward his friend from the opposite team.

"He's not on your team!"

"But I'm almost done! You can't change the rules all of a sudden." Joe fired at you, seemingly genuinely angry.

"But you can?" You countered. Gwilym chuckled from the sofa beside you, and when you tuned your attention back to Joe, he just gave you a shrug as he lifted the ping pong ball in the air.

"Oh, fuck off." You groaned, reaching for the last cup of beer and taking a swig as you stepped over where Sami had passed out on the floor near the fire. Joe watched on is disbelief as you stomped up the stairs, in a hurry to outrun your regret. You shouldn't have snapped at him like that. You should have just kept your anger bottled up like you had been all along.

You dashed into the room you'd chosen and shut the door behind you. It was quiet. The loud laughter and chatter from your friends had ended and it was time to go to bed. Thank God you had so much to drink, or your thoughts would have certainly kept you awake all night.

///

You woke up with a dull ache all over and had to talk yourself out of from under the warm quilted covers. A hearty breakfast was just what you needed.

At the bottom of the stairs, you were greeted by Ben who was munching on a cheap granola bar. Joe was at the table, scrolling through his phone in his damned dinosaur patterned pajamas like it was Christmas morning. You held back an audible scoff as you gently tore the granola bar from Ben's hands, skipping over a proper good morning.

"Let me make you a real breakfast." You begged like a worried mother. Ben shrugged happily in agreeance, following you in the kitchen. You took the chance to teach some pseudo cooking class while Ben stole his granola bar back and leaned against the counter watching you. You found a few eggs and some other breakfast staples hiding in the cupboards, talking through every step like this was your audition for the Great British Bake Off. Ben chuckled at you along the way offering no other help. Sometime during your lesson over how to best fry bacon, Joe strolled over and shifted his weight next to Ben.

"You're doing it wrong." He noted. As if there were one right way. Even you knew that wasn't true.

"Yeah yeah." You pushed, trying to keep your cool. There was no need to let his presence make you manic any further. But then Joe stepped closer, taking your place in front of the stove to finish what you'd started without asking.

You huffed in disbelief, sulking over to stand next to Ben.

"You should help me make something in the morning." Ben shrugged, polishing off his granola bar. You happily agreed and managed to let Joe take over the last half of breakfast. There was more than enough to serve everybody as they slowly appeared, each more hungover than the last. Lucy drank coffee like it was her job, hardly enjoying the taste as much as she longed for it to cure her ailment. You sat with her near the now-empty fireplace, snuggled under a single blanket and sharing a laugh about one thing or another. When the girl reached to take another drink of coffee, she peered in to find her mug empty. The coffee pot was also visibly empty from the kitchen and Lucy let out a groan.

"I don't want to go all the way over there. But I need more coffee to live." You couldn't help but chuckle at her dramatics, considering jumping to do what she could have just as easily done. But Joe was on it. And out of nowhere, in some moment of daftness- no, true wonder, Joe turned to you and asked if you wanted a cup, too. It was like he'd forgotten you were supposed to be at odds with each other. Like he'd never know you were at all. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you wanted to drop it just as easily. But your sharp tongue had a mind of its own. You gave Joe an empty "no" and couldn't even look in his eyes as you spoke. God, this was going to be a long weekend huh?

Lucy gave you a look then. It was a cross between 'Whoa, what was that for?' and 'Oh God are you okay?' You pretended not to notice. You went on ignoring Joe when he was in the room. Thankfully a couple of classic films played on the TV and Sami held your attention in between, asking about how you and Lucy met. As the sun dipped low through the patio doors, your party longed to be entertained. It was Ben's idea to play charades, and you almost enjoyed playing along. But Joe was raking in points for his team left in right like this was some sport he'd been playing professionally. You tried not to roll your eyes, but let out a sigh of relief when the game finished.

"What now?" Gwilym looked at you. Maybe it was because you were the first person in his line of vision. Or maybe this was your divine chance to have a little fun.

"Let's do karaoke." A devilish grin spread across your face as Lucy squealed in delighted agreeance.

"That's not at all fair," Joe spoke up from the sofa near your side.

"If you get to turn charades into the dam Cannes Film Festival, I'm calling karaoke." You pointed right at him. So far, you'd let Joe shift your mood into something sour, but this was your vacation too, and Lucy was already setting up karaoke of the flatscreen. You were up first, and weren't shy about belting out Oh! Darling in front of everyone, most of whom danced and backed you up with their own array of vocal talent. You laughed as Ben and Gwil danced together, and even tossed Joe a glare as he sat watching you from the sofa, biting his lip to keep from saying something he would regret you were sure. It felt magical to finally let go, and to have a reason to scream, melodically so. Joe must have known what you were singing about. Hell, everyone probably did. But soon everyone was singing together and you were worn out by your efforts to steal a little thunder. A pipping hot shower was in order.

You bathed, soaking up every way you'd felt for the past 42 hours and letting your fleeting thoughts wash away. You'd sung your heart out, and now you felt your tension melt under the hot water. You felt almost like everything was going to be different back downstairs. After you were squeaky clean, you shimmied into a super large sweatshirt and a pair of leggings, heading back down the stairs to join the gang in what was supposed to be a carefree weekend in a super large cabin. Outside the distant patio doors, you spotted Gwilym and Ben pelting each other with snowballs in the setting sun. Lucy was lingering near the end of the hall, checking her cellphone. As you approached her, Joe appeared in your sight.

"Do you wanna order pizza?" He asked, looking to his friend with a quirked brow. Lucy seemed to consider for a moment before shaking her head with a shrug. Joe started to walk away in acceptance when you noticed Lucy's neutral expression morph into a barely noticeable frown.

"Uh..." Lucy cautioned, strangely enough, to stop Joe in his tracks. The man spun around to look her way.

"How come you didn't ask y/n?" Lucy countered. You could see in her eyes, she knew she was walking a thin line. But it was already crossed, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Joe turned his eyes toward you, they were blank as ever. You had to stop yourself from holding your breath.

"She doesn't." He decided on your behalf.

"Well, how do you know? You didn't even ask me." You wondered in a pissed off tone. Joe clenched his jaw, looking all around as his heels slowly turned the other way like he wanted to walk away from this. But you, for some reason, couldn't let that happen.

"What you don't have a good enough comeback for once?" You snapped, shifting a little closer toward the man.

And that's when everything exploaded. You'd seen it in movies and read it in books, the trope where a pair of people bicker over each other in an incoherent fashion. You didn't think it was appliable to real life. But it was happening now. You were arguing over ordering a fucking pizza. Joe was going on about how he "knew you would have said no just because I was the one asking." And you were standing your ground, arguing that he'd "never even given you a chance to answer!" It was so dumb. It was the stupidest squabble you'd ever been apart of. You weren't even sure if Joe heard you, or if you were speaking clearly between his own pissed off rambles. You were both just arguing at each other.

"Stop!" Lucy's shrill tone cut through your grumbled arguing. You and Joe had no choice but to shut up on command and turned your shocked glares to Lucy, who spoke up once she had your attention. "I figured things might be weird but this has got to end."

In one swift move, Lucy grabbed your wrist in one of her hands, and Joe's in her other. Your shared bickering started back up the moment your best friend marched the pair of you down the hall.

"Go down there," Lucy released her grip on you first once you were on the landing of the basement bedroom Joe had been occupying. "And don't you dare come out until you've settled whatever the hell you have to settle!" Her eyes bore into Joe's as she turned the inside lock for effect, and slammed the door on her way out.

"I mean it!" Lucy's shouts were muddled through the door as Joe sighed, spinning around to shuffle down the small flight of stairs that led to his room. You stared at the doorknob in disbelief, knowing full well you could unlock it, and leave. You could even go home if you wanted. But... you didn't really want to be anyplace else, did you?

You swallowed your pride as you sulked down the staircase, fully prepared to finish dishing out the last of this crash and burn with Joe. The basement room was dimly lit by a lamp beside a quilt covered bed. A small window was covered with insulation near the ceiling, and the wood-paneled walls were bare, save for peeling wallpaper, a clock and a calendar, like this was some kind of bomb shelter. Fitting for the explosion to finish here.

"I guess we don't have to like each other, but maybe we can pretend in front of the others-" You started meekly, standing in the middle of the room.

"That's the problem! I do like you." Joe groaned. He was sat on the end of a quilt covered bed, looking utterly exhausted.

"You didn't even look my way until we started playing beer pong!" You reminded Joe of the half-hour you spent ignoring each other at the start of last night.

"And you didn't have much to say until you started shouting about beer pong!" Joe countered, crossing his arms.

"Shit." You let out a sorry chuckle. You were tired of shouting. It was time to stop running in circles.

"I mean... I wasn't really mad about the beer pong was I?" You breathed shakily, staring a the rope rug under your feet. You were finally all alone with Joe and it felt worse than you thought it could have. But the time for talking about why was now or never.

"Then what?" Joe wondered. It sounded like a plea. His tone had dropped an octave as he leaned back, propping his hands behind his back. A sign that he was all open to what you had to say next...

"Oh, God... I'm going to sound so dumb." You realized, covering your burning face in your hands. As you thought back to what upset you so greatly in the first place, you realized you were going to seem horrifically stupid mentioning it after so long.

Joe wait for you to go on and you knew there was nothing to do but dive headfirst into the thing you'd been avoiding forever. You drew your toe around the rug's circular pattern as if to gear up for your next question.

"You never... the wrap party. The next day we were supposed too..." It was too embarrassing to address directly.

"You... you said you wanted space." Joe's eyes were wide under his furrowed brow, but his voice was less gruff than before.

"Yeah, space, not an ending!" You emphasized. Joe looked utterly defeated, then. "I guess I should have made that a bit more clear." You sulked in realization.

"Shit. This whole time I'd been waiting for you to give me another green light. I thought I should have kept my distance until you said."

The air between yourself and Joe had always been supercharged with tension. You never knew what was going to come next. When the tension turned negative, it never went away. It just stayed there, festering until now. Until you saw him again and the space between you clicked back together, perfectly fitted, but clouded over by every conclusion you'd each come to on your own.

"And I kept waiting for you to call. I guess we're both a couple of idiots, huh?" You shrugged. There was nowhere left to go but forward.

"Well, I did call, eventually." Joe challenged. He was drunk then. You didn't let it count. But now, you wished you would have. You started at the carpet, understanding that he was right, and fate had might have been swayed. But this tiny, bomb shelter turned basement bedroom was all you were left with. A silence filled the air as you found the right words to speak.

"I'm sorry." You fessed through a grimace. "I'm sorry about beer pong. And for all the other stuff, I just let my feelings get the better of me the past two days."

Joe gave a single nod, chewing his lip as his brows slowly pushed together. You stood, closing in on yourself while you waited for Joe to say something, anything more.

"Your feelings?"

"I've always had feelings for you, Joe. They've just been hurt is all."

"Does that mean you still have feelings for me?"

"Seems that's the case." You nodded sorrily. "I know I've got a funny way of showin' it."

"Well cut it out, I'm the funny one." His brow was still furrowed but his tone was the lightest it had been all weekend. A grin flickered to life on your face as you looked up to Joe, who was still sat on the edge of the bed staring up at you.

"So, can we be done fighting?" You asked with a hopeful hint in your tone, still keeping your arms crossed all the while. You missed having fun with him. But you understood if all bets were off, by now.

"Well, I haven't apologized yet," Joe said.

"Why would-?"

"I'm really sorry I just let you go like that. I shouldn't have. And for hurting your feelings. For what it's worth, I haven't stopped thinking about you once."

"Oh."

He looked up to you, totally spellbound. No words came as he willed them out through a weak gesture. So Joe caught his lip between his teeth and bore his shinny eyes into yours. All you could do was what came naturally. You uncrossed your arms and held them out like a peace offering.

Joe slowly rose from the edge of the bed, keeping his eyes on you. He seemed cautious of getting to close, cautious of mistaking your intention and spinning into another round of shouts. But you kept your arms outstretched, and Joe accepted your embrace with his even stronger pair of arms, totally wrapping them around your middle.

"We can be done fighting, now." Joe muffled into your hair after a moment of all-encompassing peace washed over you. Your arms latched around his neck as you melted into his long-awaited hug. Before you could totally lose yourself in Joe's arms, you had one last thing to say...

"I promise to start saying what I mean, from now on." You spoke into Joe's shoulder. You could spend all day apologizing and coming to an understanding, but you couldn't leave the room until some resolve took place.

"And I promise to listen better." Joe spoked pointedly, slowly starting to pull away from the embrace.

"Do you think Lucy will let us out of here now?" You laughed. You'd nearly parted, but his fingers were still splayed over your ribs.

"I dunno. She said we had to settle everything, and... I don't think we have." His voice was a whisper, and it was in that moment everything about the moment hit you like a rushing wave. The way he smelled like a Christmas candle, his big hands pulling you closer toward his warm body, the sound of him sucking in a breath to hold, everything.

Joe kept his gaze in you while his eyes started to close, enchanting yours to do the same. Then he kissed you. Like really kissed you. Joe's lips pressed against yours as if he was trying to meld your worlds together in one perfect motion. His mouth was warm against yours. When your lips parted with his in a slow-paced sync, you decided it was quite possibly the best kiss of all time.

When Joe stopped kissing you, you could still feel his hot breath on your lips as you stood there utterly stunned.

"I've wanted to do that since the day I met you," Joe whispered. You allowed your hands to slink back around his next then and initiated another short and sweet kiss, a gesture that meant your interaction didn't have to end there. When you pulled away and Joe's lips chased your own, you were hooked.

"What else have you always wanted to do?" You wondered with a coy grin. Because you felt, then, like you used to with Joe. But better.

He tightened his grip around your waist and started to walk backward toward the bed; keeping his pretty jungle colored eyes glued in yours. And when he eased onto the mattress you didn't see a point in holding back any longer. You practically jumped into Joe's lap, attacking him with kisses. He actually giggled.

When Joe let his brilliant fingers creep bellow your sweatshirt that was three-time too big for you, he unclasped your bralette in nanoseconds, like he'd done it a million times. You were far too anxious to shed your layers and nearly knocked Joe in the nose with your elbow in your hurry.

"Easy there," Joe chuckled, watching your garments fall to the floor. That's when he pulled your hips flush against his own and nipped at your neck in the process. You couldn't help but let out a yelp of surprise, overwhelmed by the intensity of your interaction.

You and Joe became a mess of giggles and fumbles. You reprimanded him for yanking your hair and he almost fell over trying to take his pants off. It was wonderfully hilarious. Your laughter dissolved into contented sighs when your hot skin stuck together, when your kisses felt more like you were trying to devour one another.

When you finally eased into Joe's lap completely, you had to plaster your hand over his mouth to quiet his groans. You couldn't be sure if your friends could hear the next floor up. You almost wondered if they had been crowded around the basement door, trying to listen in on what kept you and Joe away so long. But all your thoughts were soon occupied by Joe and the way he was making you feel.

You found the best way to keep quiet was when Joe flipped you over and captured your lips in his. You traded sighs as soon as the escaped, and your toes curled while everything came together at the center of you and Joe.

After your vision went white, and Joe nuzzled his head in the crook of your neck, you found the cabin was deafly quiet.

"Why did we never do that sooner?" Joe's voice rumbled against your neck. His body was pressed warm against yours. As you took a beat to consider his question, Joe propped himself up on an elbow so he could look at you.

"I thought you were just... I dunno, I thought you couldn't possibly feel the same."

Everything was out in the open now, and Joe was still gazing at you like you lit up the sun every morning, so it might shine just right for him, and him alone.

"I was always kind of head over heels if I'm being honest. But I never imagined you'd feel the same. That's... that's why I left the pizza place. I didn't want to freak you out."

"Okay, well let's make a pact to say what needs to be said in a timely manner. Because that's exactly how I felt too." Joe sort of nodded, moving a strand of your hair from your eyes. You had only ever dreamed of a moment like this. What if that's all this would ever be, now? A memory to keep you occupied?

"So, what now?" You were almost afraid to ask. But after everything, you knew you had to.

"We'll figure it out. But together this time around, yeah? We should be together." Joe gleamed, tracing a finger along the curve of your hip. You couldn't be sure if his touch gave your chills, or if it was the look in his big adorable eyes.

"Really together?" You rose a brow.

"Facebook official, drive-in movie date, vacation cruise together."

"I do." You giggled, pulling Joe down for a quick kiss. He held on to you and kept you against him as you both drifted to sleep, together.

///

Your eyes fluttered open reluctantly. They wanted to sleep, but your stomach wanted food, much much more. You had skipped dinner last night, after all.

The clock on the wall read somewhere around five in the morning, and Joe was sprawled out beside you, draped in dark green sheets like an angel.

"Hey. Joe!" You whispered, snuggling closer. You could have left him to keep dreaming, but you only had a day and a half left in the cabin to spend every waking moment making up for all the times you'd missed together.

Joe grumbled, shifting into consciousness.

"I'm going upstairs to make cookies and if you don't come with me, I'll be absolutely heartbroken." You plead through a sleepy whisper.

"I'll do whatever you want for the rest of forever," Joe smirked, keeping his eyes closed as he pulled you closer against him. You'd never felt more content. As Joe's secure embrace started to lull you back into a daze, he suddenly jolted awake, ready to do your bidding.

"The last one upstairs is lame and gets one less cookie." He decided calmly, searching for his discarded pajamas pants. You stretched into the day with a smile. How'd you get so lucky? Just hours ago you and Joe were passing cold glares across the massive cabin. Now, you could hardly keep from clinging to the guy as you lazily crept upstairs.

The kitchen was empty, decorated with a few discarded mugs and some paper used to keep score for last night's game of charades. There was a dark navy light creeping past the patio curtains, a hint of the coming sunrise.

You and Joe kept mostly quiet as you found a tray to bake on and threw together ingredients for a cookie recipe you had a keen memory of. He kept stealing bits of dough and pretending to fall asleep against the refrigerator while you rambled about the baking process.

While you waited for the cookies to bake, you shared a single cup of coffee and talked. You talked about the days when you were just getting to know each other. You found out for every moment back then, that you'd gravitated near Joe, that he was equally as nervous of the magnetic pull between you two. He laughed about the time he nearly held your hand on Gwils sofa but admitted he was more petrified than a virgin schoolboy to cross any lines with you. You laughed too, admitting that you were sure you had been overthinking everything.

Then the timer went off on the oven and your scrambled to keep the noise down, creating more of havoc by doing so. You kept laughing and ate a few cookies before they had time to cool down- and then just kept laughing. Sleep-deprived chuckles of unadulterated glee. Everything was finally the way it should have been.

You were busy cleaning up the last of your early morning baking mess, scolding Joe when he offered to help clean, but only kept reaching to grab a cookie.

A different voice called from around the corner, then. Ben sauntered around the kitchen island, rubbing his eyes.

"You've either finally stopped fighting, or you're laughing like loons at seven in the morning because you both snapped, and a murder mystery has taken place." Ben reached for a fresh-baked cookie quirking his brow your way as you spun around to put the clean cookie sheet back in the cabinet.

"Oh, yeah," Joe beamed, rising out the coffee cup you'd shared. "We kissed and made up."

"Oh my God!" Ben practically rocketed through the raised roof off the immaculate cabin. You spun around, fleetingly worried over his cries. But then took another bite of his cookie and said something more. "Finally!"

"Finally?" You scoffed, moving to bodyguard the cookies before any more could be stolen. You'd already had a few and the others would be pissed to wake up and find that you'd never saved any for them.

"Yeah, finally," Ben spoke through a mouthful of cookie, reaching into the fridge for some milk.

"All Joe has ever done since you've met is drone on about you." Ben pointed the jug of milk your way. "And all you ever did was check his Instagram like four times a day, more when I wasn't around to spy I'm sure."

Ben moved to the cabinets to find a glass while Joe cocked a quizzical eye your way. The man with faded copper hair and earth-colored eyes moved to stand by your side. His smirk widened as you studied his face, considering every moment you'd glanced his way before now. You hopped for an infinity of shared glances, from here on out.

"Alright, come help you said you would," Ben demanded, setting up the stove with a few pans. Oh that's right you promised to make another breakfast alongside Ben, this morning. Soon, the three of you were bustling around the kitchen whipping together an English breakfast for your crew of friends. You plated the last of the cookies and set them at the center of the table, surrounded by dishes for everyone to fill up.

Gwilym was the first to appear, happy as ever just to be apart. Rami followed close behind. He suggested you go wake Lucy, who apparently refused to leave the comfort of the warm cabin bed. You could hardly blame her.

"It's a brand new day!" You hollered dramatically, bursting through Lucy's door and waltzing up to the lump she'd reduced herself to under the sheets. Your best friend groaned in protest, but when she pulled the sheets from her face she was grinning like mad.

"We made breakfast. You'd better hurry before the good stuff is gone." You informed Lucy, flopping onto the empty side of the bed at her side all the same.

"Oh, who's we, then?" Lucy chirped, propping her head in her hand against a slew of fluffy pillows. She was even radiant in the early morning. A visual display of all the beauty she'd stored up and selflessly showered you with over the years. She was the best friend you ever had.

"Me and Ben, and Joe." You shrugged, settling against the pillows.

"Sooo..." Lucy hummed, glancing at the painted nails on her free hand, then batting her lashes back up to you. "It worked?"

"You devil." You hissed through a smile. You knew Lucy hadn't necessarily planned to lock you and Joe away together, but you also knew that while you stayed hidden away, that Lucy had her own hopes of the outcome. She maybe even went so far as to cast a spell or two.

"It worked!" Lucy decided, based on the smile you tried to keep hidden between your teeth.

"Okay, it worked! You're a matchmaker, damn it!" You squeaked as Lucy sprung from her relaxed pose to throw her arms around your shoulders. "Thanks for being you, Lu." You cooed after hugging her back. When Lucy sat up next to you, she leaned close to pass along a secret.

"I only stayed up here so Rami would send you, so you could spill your guts in private. I simply can't go on with my day until you give me every gory detail."

After chastising your friend, you told her everything. She stifled giggles and awes and her eye's sparkled while you spilled the details that you lived through last night, and early this morning. She, like Ben, was naturally elated that you and Joe had finally wound up together. She said that you and Joe deserved each other. Lucy promised you that she would always be around to help you get the things you deserved in life. After a few sappy best friend speeches shared on the massive kingsized cabin bed, you left the room together.

You somehow ended up carrying Lucy down the stairs on your back, nearly toppling down the last couple of steps. Gwilym was there to steady your antics. The rest of the vacation went on with the same unbridled glee.

Everyone sat around together, laughing. You played board games for hours on end, told ghost stories, and made even more cookies. Somehow, Rami ended up teaching you how to do the salsa. You'd didn't know it, but Joe caught your dance lesson on camera. You found out later that night when he posted it to his Instagram story.

You ended that final night in the basement, by choice.

When the morning came and you and Joe laid awake together and began to say goodbye. But you didn't feel sad. Joe filled your head with visions of your next meeting. He planned dates and surprises out loud as you lay together, relishing the closeness you'd always dreamed of. You had him, now. Joe was a collection of atoms, willingly existing just beneath your fingertips. He spoke of attaching himself to your hip the very second the next opportunity arose.

You helped each other get ready to leave the cabin going so far as to imagine coming back with everyone next year, together. All your friends dragged haphazardly packed bags to the living room, you didn't feel sad to leave them, for once. Everyone awaited separate ubers to separate places, but you still had your group text. You still had concert tickets to buy and bistros to try out, together.

Joe kissed you in front of everyone before you parted. It was a display that put all your friends at ease. A gesture that seemed like promised that everything was the way it was meant to be. You had Joe now, and even though everyone was happy to accept the long-awaited fate, you were the most ecstatic of all. You finally had Joe. Even as he reluctantly clamored into his ride and you lagged behind, you were finally together.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

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