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beskarandblasters · 11 months

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Waiting Room

No Outbreak!Joel x F!Reader

Inspired by Waiting Room by Phoebe Bridgers

Main Masterlist | Joel Miller Masterlist

Summary: After spending two years at a local community college you’re getting ready to transfer to a four year school away from home and have the “true college experience”. That is until Joel Miller, a 30 year old single dad, moves across the street and you find yourself fixated on him.

Word count: 5.3k

Warnings: reader is able-bodied, canon divergent, age gap relationship (10 years), fingering, vaginal sex, reader is on birth control, no mentions of physical description of reader besides the fact that she has hair and is shorter than Joel (doesn’t specify by how much), angst

“If you were a teacher, I would fail your class

Take it over and over 'til you noticed me

If you were a waiting room, I would never see a doctor

I would sit there with my first aid kit and bleed”

“What a beautiful ceremony,” your mom says as your dad pulls onto the freeway.

“It was alright, I guess. It’s just community college, mom,” you sigh.

“Community college is still something to be celebrated,” your dad chimes in, looking at you in the rearview mirror.

You don’t respond. You lean against the window and let out a small sigh. The end of community college meant one thing; leaving home and going to school. You’re going to the University of Houston which is roughly three hours away from home. Albeit, not too far away but you’re excited to have the true college experience. You’re hoping to make new friends and hopefully meet someone. You had a boyfriend in high school but that was it. Dating is hard when you’re a commuter student who lives at home. But that’s all about to change.

You think about your new life come the end of the summer the whole drive home, not really paying attention to what your parents were saying. But you’re snapped out of your thoughts when your dad turns onto your street and your mom says, “Look, honey. The neighbor across the street is moving in today.”

You look over and see a man standing by a truck in his driveway, holding a baby on his hip. Your dad slows the car down and stops at the end of his driveway. Your mom rolls down the window and says, “Hi! We live across the street. It’s nice to meet you.”

Your mom tells him your names and he smiles at you. You make eye contact but look away quickly, feeling shy.

“I’m Joel Miller. And this is my daughter, Sarah,” he says.

“Let me park the car and we’ll come over and say hi properly,” your dad says.

You groan slightly. You’re not really in the mood to socialize right now. But before you can protest your mom opens the car door and motions for you to get out. The three of you walk over to Joel’s driveway and shake hands.

“I see someone graduated today,” Joel says, commenting on your graduation gown.

“Oh it’s nothing special,” you say, looking down at your feet, “It’s just community college.”

“She’ll be going to the University of Houston in the fall,” your mom says.

“Going away to school, huh? That’s when the real fun begins,” Joel says.

You look up from your feet and look at him. He shoots you a wink and you can feel your cheeks heating up.

“If you need anything at all let us know,” your mom says.

“Thank you, ma’am. I guess I should get this one down for a nap. I’ll see you guys later,” he says smiling at you.

Before he turns to go inside you get a good look at him in the sun, lighting up his features. You look at his form and his arm wrapped around Sarah. He looks strong and muscular, his biceps straining against the sleeves of his shirt. Before you can ogle him anymore he’s back inside his house and your parents start walking home. You turn and shake your head a little before following them.

You don’t see Joel again for another week. During that time you were a little disappointed but you couldn’t put your finger on why. It’s around four o’clock and you’re just about to finish your routine walk and head home when you see Joel on the opposite side of the street heading towards you.

“Hey there!” he says, walking over to you. His gray shirt clings to him with patches of sweat. He must be on a run.

“Hey, Joel… On a run?”

“Yeah, just squeezing one in before I pick up Sarah from daycare. Do you normally walk in the neighborhood around this time?”

Has he been watching you?

“Yeah… I guess I do.”

“We could walk together if you want. I get home from work early sometimes and have time to kill before I go get Sarah.”

Why is he being so nice to you? You’re not used to men taking an interest in you, much less men like Joel.

“Sure. Same time tomorrow?” you ask before turning to your driveway.

“Sure thing. See you tomorrow!” he calls before heading inside.

The next day rolls around and you walk to the end of your driveway, waiting for Joel. You feel butterflies in your stomach and your legs feel like jelly.

Stop. He just moved here. He’s probably lonely, you think to yourself.

You see his front door open. Once Joel spots you waiting his face breaks into a smile. You give him a small wave and meet him in the street.

“Ready?” he asks.

You nod and start walking. It’s a bit awkward at first. You don’t really know what to say. You think about the neighborhood; people watching you two from their front windows and wondering what business you have being together.

“You okay, sweets?”

You feel your heart drop to your stomach. The nickname. Where did that come from?

“I guess I’m just nervous is all.”

“Why’s that, sweets?”

“I’m not sure… I guess I’m just worried about what the neighborhood will think… seeing us together.”

“We’re just on a walk. But if you want we could always head back to my place. Are your folks home?”

Your heart leaps at the thought of being in his house alone with him. But not in a bad way. You want that so badly. You want nothing more than to spend alone time with him while he calls you cute pet names.

“No they won’t be home until after six… After this street we could go to your house if you want…”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll follow your lead.”

You both go silent again. You pick up the pace a little, eager to make it back to his house already. When you reach his driveway he leads you inside and says, “Make yourself at home. You want a glass of lemonade, sweets? It was a scorcher out there today.”

“Uh, sure,” you say, sitting down on his couch gingerly.

After a moment, he returns to the living room and sets two glasses down on the coffee table. You sit there in silence, awkwardly sipping your lemonade, waiting for him to say something.

“So why do I make you nervous, sweets?”

“I guess… I’m just confused as to why someone like you would be interested in someone like me.”

He falls silent. Maybe you were wrong. Maybe he wasn’t actually into you. Maybe he was just being friendly. He sets his glass down on the coffee table and leans closer to you.

“Someone like me?” he asks.

“You know… someone older, someone… cooler. Someone attractive.”

The words were just slipping out.

“So you find me attractive?” he presses further. You’re facing each other now, trying so hard to read his facial expression and body language.

“I… Yes. Yes, I do,” you admit.

“Wow. Didn’t think a pretty girl like you would be into an old man like me.”

You stare at him with wide eyes, in disbelief that he just said that; that he just called you pretty. Your face feels hot and your head feels fuzzy. Without thinking, you lean forward and press your lips against, half expecting him to pull away. But he doesn’t. In fact, he melts into your touch, pulling you closer. His hands find your hair. You’re feeling brave now. Not only did you kiss Joel Miller first but he pulled you closer. You brush your tongue against his lips and he hums into the kiss, parting his lips slightly to let you gain access. He tastes sweet from the lemonade he was just drinking. He pushes against you lightly, coaxing you to lay down the couch. He decides he wants his tongue in your mouth now, pressing it against yours. You part your mouth as he explores it with his tongue. You whimper a little bit underneath him, making him moan into your mouth. You want more. You can’t get enough of him. You reach your hand down to the waistband of his pants but he pulls away.

“Let’s save that for next time, sweets.

He wants a next time, you think to yourself.

You nod and he kisses your forehead. You stay there like that for a moment, underneath him and staring into each other's eyes.

“I guess I should get home,” you say.

He nods and pulls himself off of you. You stand up and try to fix the back of your hair, a little matted from your couch make out session. You get nervous for a second, worried about what the neighbors will think seeing you leave Joel’s all frazzled.

“Same time tomorrow?” he asks, leading you to the door.

“Actually… Can we walk somewhere else? Maybe the park… and maybe a little bit later? Maybe around 6:30?”

You wince, worried that he’s going to be offended that you don't want to be seen with him. But he’s not.

“Sure thing, sweets. I’ll see if my brother, Tommy, can watch Sarah after work. Wanna meet me there?”

“Sure… See you tomorrow, Joel,” you say, reaching for the door handle.

But before you can leave he grabs you by the waist and kisses you again, catching you off guard.

He pulls away and says, “One for the road.”

“I literally live across the street,” you laugh.

“Doesn’t matter,” he says, pressing a kiss on your forehead, “See you tomorrow, sweets.”

He lets go of you and you leave. You feel his eyes on you as you walk home. You reach your front door and you turn around to get one last look at his house. To your surprise he’s still there. You give each other a small wave before you go inside. You close the door behind you and lean against it, smiling like an idiot. You go to your room and think about what you’re going to wear tomorrow.

After a while you hear your mom come home.

“How was your day, honey?” she calls to you.

“Really great actually…”

“That’s good to hear,” she says.

You smile to yourself, thinking about how she doesn’t know the reason why. It feels good to have a little secret like this. You go to bed that night finding yourself unable to sleep. You’re too busy thinking about seeing Joel tomorrow.

You wake up for the day and hope it goes by fast. Between making a shopping list for school, picking out your outfit and eating lunch the day doesn’t drag on too long. You get ready and put on a blue and white floral dress with white converse. Not really ideal for going on a walk but you’re hoping it’ll be more than that.

You go to grab your keys to leave but you decide to leave a note for your parents. You make up some lie about getting ice cream and seeing a movie with some friends from high school that were home for the summer. You leave the note on the kitchen counter and leave, getting in your car to drive to the park. The whole drive to the park you’re nervous. You never even confirmed if the plan was still on; if Sarah could go to Tommy’s. You decide that you’ll wait until six before going home. You pull into the parking lot and wait, twiddling your thumbs and switching between radio stations. After a while you see Joel’s black truck pull in and feel relieved. The park is a little dead today which makes you feel relieved even more. You get out of your car to meet him and he immediately greets you with a kiss.

He pulls away and says, “How was your day, sweets?”

“Just got a little better,” you reply, smiling at him.

“Only a little? After tonight you’ll think differently,” he teases.

You walk around the park together as it gets darker and darker. He tells you he’s a contractor. He tells you about his daughter and how her mom left them soon after she was born. You tell him about school but you choose to not talk about leaving in the fall… He listens to you and makes you feel seen; makes you feel wanted. You haven’t known him that long at all but you can feel yourself falling for him.

Eventually you two are the only ones left at the park as the sun starts to set. You’re sitting on a bench, thighs pressed together. The anticipation in the air is heavy as both of you know what you want. You want him to act on it first. You turn to look up at him and as if he reads your mind he caresses your face and kisses you. You press against him more, turning the kiss into full blown making out.

He pulls back and whispers against your ear, “Wanna go back to the truck, sweets?”

You nod and rise from the bench. He keeps a hand on the small of your back on the walk back to the truck. He opens the door to the backseat and you slide in as he follows and closes the door behind him. He wastes no time kissing you again, but this time he pulls you into his lap. You grind your hips against him as his hands roam your thighs. His calloused hands from manual labor contrast with your soft skin. It reminds you how much of a man he is. You feel his fingers tugging at the seam of your underwear so you spread your legs a bit wider. His fingers tease your entrance making you moan against him. He brings his fingers to his lips to moisten them but before he can slide one in you stop him.

“Joel… I have to tell you something.”

“What is it, sweets?”

“I’ve… never had an orgasm before.”

“Oh baby I’m gonna make you feel so good.”

He slides a finger into your already wet cunt. You rest your head on the back of the seat beside his head and close your eyes in pleasure. He was right; you already feel good. And just off of one finger. He curls in against your walls as you whimper beside his ear. He inserts another finger and you feel yourself expand to accommodate how wide they are. He pumps them in and out of you faster and faster. You feel yourself get close to the edge. And that’s when he brings his thumb to your clit rubbing small, fast circles around the sensitive bundle of nerves.

“Cum on my fingers, sweets. Let me feel it.”

You whimper and nod against him, so close but not quite there yet. He curls fingers up against your g-spot in a “come here” motion and that’s when you cum hard. Your release drips down to his wrist, leaving it completely soaked. You moan his name over and over again as you ride out your high, grinding against his hand in the process as he whispers words of praise against your ear.

“You did so good, baby.”

You move your head to look him in the eye after you finish coming, his fingers still inside you.

“Thank you, Joel.”

“I’m glad I could help, baby.”

You kiss him as he pulls his fingers out, whining at the sudden absence inside you. He pulls away and brings his fingers to his mouth to taste you, closing his eyes as he does.

“You taste so good, baby. So sweet.”

You reach your hand between your legs and rub where his cock was straining against the fabric of his pants. He pulls his cock out and gathers more of your release, spreading it on his cock in preparation to fuck you.

“You ready for me, sweets?”

You nod and lower yourself onto him, feeling his cock spread you apart. You stay still for a moment, letting yourself get adjusted to his size and looking into each other's eyes. After getting comfortable you grind yourself against him, hitting you in the most perfect angles. He hands grip your waist as he looks up at you while you fuck yourself on his cock. You feel yourself getting close again; your walls tensing up around him.

“That’s it, baby. Cum again for me,” he says, looking you in the eye.

You cunt pulses and flutters around him as you cum again, ripping through your core. Your hands find his hair as you finish coming, also sending him to the edge. His hands move to your hips to pull you off of him, but you bring a hand to his chest and say, “It’s okay. I’m on the pill.” He nods and you grind against him once more. He shoots his load into you, coating your insides with his warm release.

You both stay there pressed against each other and panting. The inside of the truck is steamy, condensation hanging on the windows. You look at each other with sweaty faces and pupils blown wide. You kiss again, not needing to say any words about what just happened; you both feel the same way.

“I wanna be the power ballad that lifts you up and holds you down

I wanna be the broken love song that feeds your misery

And I can wish all that I want, but it won't bring us together

Plus I know whatever happens to me, I know it's for the better”

And so the rest of the summer you and Joel mess around, finding places to fuck where no one would suspect a thing. Your parents are none the wiser at first but eventually you start to run out of excuses. Joel’s brother, Tommy, on the other hand sensed that something was there from the beginning but chose to look the other way. He’s happy to see that Joel is enjoying himself again after Sarah’s mom left but he worries that you’re too young and naive for Joel. And throughout the whole summer Joel never puts a label on what you are despite how badly you want to be official. But it’s not smart. Not when you’re sneaking around behind your parents back and not when you’re about to go away to school. But the truth is you love him so much and you’ve never told him.

It’s the night before you’re about to leave and you’re laying in the bed of Joel’s truck. He decided to make this time special, bringing you somewhere with less light pollution so you can stargaze and lining the truck bed with pillows and blankets.

He’s between your thighs, cock buried deep in your cunt as he fucks you relentlessly. You try to take a mental image of him above him above you with the starry night sky behind him. You never want this to end. With one last slam of his hips you’re coming around him, gripping his cock like a vice. He paints your walls with thick ropes of cum, burying his face in the crook of your neck. He pulls out if you and collapses next to you, pulling you against him.

“I’m gonna miss you, Joel,” you say into the crook of his neck.

“I’m gonna miss you too, sweets,” he says, running a hand through your hair.

You look up at the stars as you lay against him, tears springing in your eyes as you think about leaving him. You both lay there talking about anything but tomorrow. But soon enough it gets late and you have to get home. You have a three hour drive ahead of you tomorrow. You slip on your clothes and get out of the truck bed, dragging your feet to the front. The drive home is silent, both of you not knowing what to say. But as he pulls up to your house he stops you before you can get out. He leans over and kisses you passionately before whispering against your ear, “One for the road”.

You feel tears sting your eyes again as you get out of the truck.

“Goodbye, Joel,” you say, closing the door behind you. Tears are rolling down your face now as you walk to the front door, stopping to turn around and watch him pull into his driveway.

The drive to school the next day was dreadful. Realistically you should be excited about this; it’s all you ever wanted. But you’re missing Joel. You hadn’t exactly talked about what would happen with you two once you left.

The move in goes alright. Your parents stick around a bit too long, just wanting to make sure you’re going to be alright. Luckily, you have a single on the off chance Joel comes to see you. But that seems few and far between. You’re three hours away and he has Sarah at home. When is he ever gonna have the time to come see you?

Two weeks pass and you don’t hear from Joel. He knows how to reach you. He has your phone number and you have his. But you’re too nervous to call him first.

“I wanna make you drive all night

Just because I said, "Maybe you should come over"

Wanna make you fall in love as hard as my poor parent's teenage daughter

She'll be the best you ever had if you let her”

That is until one Friday night when you come back from a frat party drunk out of your mind. Your feelings get the best of you and you call Joel. His gruff voice answers with, “Sweets?”

“Joellll I miss youuuu,” you say, slurring your words.

“I miss you too, sweets. Are you alright?”

“I just came back from a party,” you whisper.

He chuckles, “I’m glad you’re having fun, sweets.”

“You should come over,” you whine.

“You serious?”

“Mhmmm.”

He sighs, feeling conflicted before answering, “Fine. I’ll leave in an hour. I just have to bring Sarah to Tommy’s.”

“Thank you, Joel. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me neither, sweets. See you soon,” he says before hanging up.

You fall into bed, sleeping the best you’ve slept in a while knowing that Joel will be there in the morning.

You awake to your phone ringing. You roll over and look at the contact and see that it’s Joel. You pick up and he says, “Alright sweets I’m here. What building?”

“Building 2A. I’ll meet you outside,” say before hanging up.

You rush to get changed and smooth down your hair. You leave your room to go meet him, anxious to see him again even though it’s only been two weeks. You leave the building and step out onto the quad and see him there standing in the middle of the grass, hands in his pockets. His face brightens as he sees you. You run over to him and wrap your arm around it. It all feels like a movie.

“You have no idea how much I missed you,” you say into his chest.

You feel his arms embrace you as he says, “Missed you too, sweets. You wanna let me inside your dorm? I feel like I’m getting weird looks.”

You pull away and look around to see handfuls of students sitting on picnic blankets in the grass. Some of them were looking at you two, some weren’t. Regardless they were all freshmen and sophomores judging by the looks of them. And they weren’t used to seeing a thirty year old man standing in the middle of the quad. You take his hand and lead him back to your building, signing him in before you take him to your room.

“Wow, no roommate, huh?” he says.

“Nope,” you say, giving him a smirk.

That was all he needed. His lips come crashing against yours and his large hands envelope your face. He pushes you back towards your bed across the room and you oblige, falling down on it so he can hover over you. He presses sloppy, wet kisses down your jaw and neck, nipping at the soft skin ever so slightly. He pulls off your sweatpants and trails his hand from your knee and up your thigh. You spread your legs open for him, wanting him inside you already. He stands for a moment to pull off his pants and shirt as you take in his naked body before removing your own shirt. He takes one look at you and says, “Already so wet for me, sweets,” as he rubs his fingers along your entrance. He collects some of your wetness on his hands and slathers his already hard cock before thrusting in slowly. Even though it’s only been two weeks since you last had him you had to get adjusted to his size for a moment, holding your breath as your walls expanded around him. You exhale and he thrusts in you harder, picking up your thighs with his hands and learning down, folding you in half. This angle is intense for you and you never last long with it. He slams his hips into you, filling the room with the lewd sound of skin slapping against skin and your own moans. You’re sure anyone on either side of you can hear right now but you’re too blissed out to care. He thrusts into you one last time and you come undone around him, your cunt fluttering on his cock. The sensation of your release makes him cum too and you’re filled with the familiar feeling of his cum shooting into you. He pulls out and lays down next to you on your shitty dorm room mattress, holding you as you close your eyes and melt into him.

“How was the drive?” you ask after a moment.

“Uh, not terrible,” he says.

“… Maybe we could do this more often?” you say, nervous to hear his response.

“Maybe, sweets,” he says, pressing a kiss to your temple, “But I can’t stay that long, baby. Tommy can’t watch Sarah that much longer.”

“Okay… How much longer do you have?”

“Probably another hour until I have to leave.”

You nod and lay back down against him, sadness washing over you again. You lay there together catching up until he has to go. You tell him how school is going and he tells you how home is. He checked on your parents after you left, making sure they weren’t too upset in your absence and you thank him for that. But the talking comes to an end as he gets to get dressed. Before he leaves you kiss him and say, “I love you, Joel,” not really expecting an answer back. Which you don’t get. He kisses you again and says “Bye, sweets.” You spend the rest of the day in bed, feeling emptier than ever.

And now you’ve sort of fallen into a routine with Joel where you call him to come over. And he does when he can. Normally you just have sex and lay in bed together. Occasionally you’ll go out for breakfast before he has to go back but that’s as far as dates go for you. He can never stay for more than a few hours with Sarah at home. You start to feel hopeless with the whole situation. You wanted more than this; you wanted a real relationship and he just can’t give it to you. He hasn’t said I love you back at this point either and you’re growing frustrated. You’re in college with a sea of available men and you’re pining for the thirty year old dad who’s three hours away. You decide that if the opportunity comes along for someone else, you’re not going to pass it up.

It’s November now, right before Thanksgiving break. You called Joel in your drunken stupor the night prior but he didn’t pick up. At this point you can’t take it anymore; you’re done with being strung along. You always thought to yourself if he’s driving three hours a couple times a week to come see me, he must love me right? But you never get any confirmation.

You’re pacing back and forth in the lobby of your building, your mind is going in a thousand different directions. You’ve barely been able to focus on school during all of this and the friends you’ve made so far have noticed a change in you. You’re spiraling, wondering why you even put yourself in this situation to begin with.

But you’re snapped from your thoughts when the cute guy from your philosophy class taps you on the shoulder. You turn to look at him. He seems nervous.

“Oh, hi,” you say, feeling shy. The only man you’ve really interacted with at this point has been Joel and you’re not used to talking to someone new.

“Hey, um I’m Sean. We’re in Philosophy 315 together.”

“Yes I remember you. How are you doing?”

“I'm good… I was just wondering… After the break did you want to go out sometime?”

Fuck it. Why not? You have someone here in front of you telling you directly that he wants to take you out.

“Sure,” you say, pulling out a piece of paper and writing your number on it, “Call me when break is over, okay?”

He takes the piece of paper from you and nods. But behind him you notice Joel who just witnessed everything. He doesn’t say anything, turning on his heel and leaving.

“Would you excuse me?” you say to Sean before running out of the building, not waiting for a response. You follow Joel all the way to his truck before he turns around and asks, “What the fuck was that?!”

“He asked me to go out. Big fucking deal.”

“And you said yes?!”

“Why not? I’m getting really sick and tired of this. You don’t get to continue fucking me after I tell you I love you when you don’t say it back. You don’t think I’m not going to try and move on?”

He sighs. He realizes he’s in the wrong. But instead of confirming his love for you he says, “Sweets, I don’t think this is working out for us anymore. You’re away at college like you’ve always wanted to be… and I think you deserve the full experience… with someone your own age.”

Tears spring to your eyes and he grabs your hands. Deep down you know he’s right. You know this is for the better.

“I know, Joel. I’ve been thinking about this too… it’s for the better.”

“It is, sweets,” he says, pulling you in for a hug and kissing your forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he continues, “It was wrong of me to string you along like this.

You nod against him, your tears staining his shirt. He caresses your face and gives you one last kiss.

“One for the road,” he murmurs against your ear.

He gets back in his truck and you walk back to the edge of the parking lot. You turn to watch him leave, tears rolling down your face. You watch him until he’s out of sight. You sigh and walk back to your building, feeling a weird mixture of sadness and relief. It was for the better.

“I never grew up with you

And you're not my waiting room”

End note: I hope you liked the lyric header with Phoebe's handwriting!!! Love my queen🖤 Let me know if this ripped out your heart like it did to mine 😍 xoxo

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