Happy Birthday, E! I <3 you !!!
NOT TODAY
Another night, another show. “Where are we?” I asked as Kevin flat-ironed my hair, getting it stage-ready.
“Scranton, Pennsylvania,” Dad grunted from the corner where he was doubtfully eyeing my skin-tight, canary-yellow jeans.
I caught his look. “The girls will love them, Dad.”
Dad scoffed. “Those girls would love you in a tu-tu, Joe.”
My eyes lit. “Next show? Please?”
“No!” everyone yelled, and I made a face.
“Fine. Spoilsports.”
Mama Jonas walked in. “Please tell me I did not hear ‘Joe’ and ‘tu-tu’ in the same sentence.” I opened my mouth to beg her, but she held up a hand. “Not happening, Joseph.”
I pouted as we prayed , then headed onstage. More songs, more screams, more signs professing love. It was all the same--then, whoa. Second row, sassy grin, holding a sign that made me blush. She and her friend were going nuts, bouncing around, singing every word to every song. I had to laugh, and pointed her out to Nick, who waggled his eyebrows at me.
Well, nothing could come of it, especially since we didn’t even have a meet and greet that night for her to happen to attend. But she was my entertainment all night long. She went starry-eyed during Hello Beautiful, but the way she danced to Burning Up almost left me breathless.
Then the show ended. She winked at me, and I had to grin and wink back. She faked swooning and laughed--then I was urged offstage and she was gone forever.
When we finally left the venue we headed to a nearby Rita’s for dessert. We were ordering when I looked across the restaurant--and there she was. She was sitting with the girl who had been with her at the concert. She still had that sassy gtrin and those playful, mischievous eyes. Well, if this wasn’t fate, what was?
Erica was involved in a hysterical, giddy discussion on the concert with her friend Kara when the restaurant manager walked up to her. “Miss, the young man over there wants to buy you an Italian ice.”
Erica, surprised and amused, looked where he pointed and nearly lost her breath. Joe Jonas shot her a lazy glance, winked with a seductive half-smile, and turned back to conversation with his brothers. Instantly, Erica jumped into the flirtatious game. Twisting her mouth wryly and quirking her eyebrows up, she responded, “Tell him that line only works in bars.”
The manager chuckled and walked away. Erica acted entirely disinterested, not even watching the man pass on her message. Her heart was pounding. With deliberate absentness, she ate her cream ice, head down. A pair of metallic Converse sneakers stopped by her seat, toes pointed straight at her. “Hey.”
She slowly ran her eyes upwards: chiseled legs wrapped in skin-tight, hip-hugging, neon yellow jeans; narrow hips; snug t-shirt over tight abs and a broad, muscular chest, black, wavy hair--and deep, hot fudge eyes staring at her. “Well, hello, gorgeous,” Erica drawled, letting her eyes drift over him again. He blushed fiery red. “You mean you’re not used to this yet?”
He shook his head quickly. “I’m, uh--my name is--”
“Let’s not pretend you need to introduce yourself, Joseph Adam. I’m Erica.”
Joe nodded, still blushing. “Nice to meet you, Erica.” He hesitated, then asked hastily, “How did I manage to lose control of this situation so quickly?”
Erica smirked. “I tend to have that effect on people.” She laughed. “You’re not as good at this as people say you are, are you?” She watched him drop eye contact and stare at the floor, every exposed patch of skin scarlet. She decided to take pity on him. “You want to sit down?” As he nodded, she shifted over and let him sit beside her. “So--your show was awesome. Kara and I were just talking about it.”
“Thanks.” He hesitated. “It, um, looked like you had a good time.”
“That we did!”
For the next hour, Erica talked to Joe. Nick wandered over, followed by Kevin, and they struck up a conversation with Kara. Erica never let Joe get the upper hand; she had him blushing all night long. Finally, Mr. Jonas, who had been playing the silent observer for some time, declared that it was time to go. Joe stood and Erica followed him up. “Nice to meet you, Joe.”
“You, too, Erica.” They both opened their arms for a hug at the same time, laughed, and leaned into each others’ embrace. Joe’s muscular arms wrapped tight around Erica and his soft lips tenderly brushed her cheek. “Can I get your number?”
She nodded. “Sure. You want me to put it in your phone, or you want one of my preprinted guy-asked-for-my-number cards?”
He scoffed. “I’m beginning to figure you out. You’re not serious.” Then he studied her smirk. “Or… are you?”
She laughed. “Hand me your phone.” He did, and she keyed in her number. “Later, baby.”
The other boys walked away with Papa J, but Joe hung back. He rested his hands on her shoulders, pulled her close to his body, and brought his lips to her ear. His hot breath tingled, and his mouth brushed her earlobe. “You’re acting so tough,” he whispered huskily, “but I know that inside…” He brushed the side of her neck with the backs of his knuckles. “Inside, you’re trembling.”
Erica tried desperately not to react, but failed. The thrill that ran through her made her shudder against him, and he felt it. She tried to recover, regain control of their dynamic. “You--” she took a deep breath. “You’re shaking inside as much as I am.”
“Think so?” His hand caressed her cheek.
“Mhm.”
“You thought right,” he breathed.
“Joe!” Nick called. “Let’s go, man!”
“Coming!” He let her go and stepped back. “I’ll call you.”
“You better,” Erica shot back with a playful glare. As he turned to walk away, she watched him intently, shaking her head in wonder. Those jeans…
He glanced back, saw her studying him, and went red even as his swagger intensified. She smirked and winked. Even at the last moment, she had the upper hand.
A week went by with no phone call. Erica dealt with the thought that Joe was a ladies’ man and probably had a hundred--no, a thousand--girls’ numbers to choose from.
Her phone ran as she was studying and chatting with her KERNT friends on AIM. She absently typed a message to them.
QueenE: brb phone
“Hello?”
“Hey--Erica? It’s Joe Jonas.”
QueenE: JooOOOeeee!!!
The IM screen filled with confused responses from the rest of KERNT.
KitKat: What’re we looking at?
GirlfriendN: I’m lost.
BabyRay: Same.
Tinerpoo: No idea. E?
She tore herself from the conversation and answered, “Yeah, it’s me. Wassup, gorgeous?”
“Nothing much, um, beautiful. I wanted to call you before but I didn’t think I knew you well enough to call at two AM.”
“I probably would have been up anyway. Call me anytime, boy.”
“I’ll remember that. How are you?”
“Good. You?”
He laughed. “Well, that’s a little vague. I’m busy, but having a good time. Life’s crazy. Now--what’s up with you?”
“What’s it to you?”
He stumbled over himself. “Well, when you, um, when you like someone--or when--um, you want to know about them. But if you don’t wan--”
“I’m studying for chem class. Very lost. And eating. And chatting with friends.” That made her remember her friends, who had since decided she was being random and had moved on to other subjects.
Queen E: joej
Queen E: on the phone
Queen E: with me
Queen E: brb
She had to laugh silently as all her friends were rate limited from spazzing. “You’re a popular guy.”
“Am I popular with you?”
“Eh.”
“Eh?”
“‘Eh’ translates to a definite yes.”
“Ah, I see. You redefine a lot of words.”
“I’m just awesome enough to do that!”
“I believe it. You can redefine my vocabulary any day.”
“That was cheesy.”
“Oh, but you liked it.”
For the next three hours, until almost two in the morning, they talked, bantering and picking at each other, but with a current of affection beneath it all.
That phone call began a long string of conversations over the next six weeks. Her friends still got rate limited when she said she was on the phone with him, but she no longer had the adrenaline rush when she saw Restricted on her caller ID. Instead, she was filled with a sweet, playful rush that improved her mood no matter what she was going through.
It felt like forever before it happened, but finally, a month and a half after meeting, Joe was going to be in the area again. “I have most of the day off,” he told her excitedly, “and then the next evening. And it’s all yours.”
“As if it would be anyone else’s,” she retorted, but on the other end of the phone, she was glowing.
The day finally came. Erica spent a long time getting ready, but still dressed casually. They were just hanging out for the day, at her house, going to see a daytime movie, and catching lunch and maybe dinner together.
But when he showed up at the door, he looked like the diva he was. Skinny jeans, hair perfectly styled, face clean shaven and casual sports jacket thrown over a snazzy band tee. She ran her eyes over him like she had the last time she saw him, but this time he didn’t blush. He leaned against the doorframe, his posture dominant, expression wry. “Liking what you see?”
“Eh, it’s alright.”
“And I know what ‘eh’ means to you.” He grinned. “So, ‘eh’ to you, too.”
She held back the blush that almost came to her cheeks and smirked instead. “Psh. I’m always ‘eh’.” She stepped away from the door and let him in.
He looked around as he entered the house. “Hey, it’s nice in here. Smells good.” Then he sniffed. “Oh, wait.” Leaning over to her, he said, “Yeah, that’s definitely you. Lovely.”
Erica simply smirked, pretending not to be affected by his words. They hung out for the next few hours, playing back and forth at each other, grappling for control. Finally Joe suggested they go to a movie, and they did. Side by side, his leg pressed against hers the whole time, and he rested his hand on his knee. She did the same on her own knee. Halfway through the movie, his hand slid over to cover hers. His fingers curled between hers and his thumb stroked down the side of her hand. In the darkness of the theater, Erica let her guard down and blushed, knowing he couldn’t tell.
When the movie ended, he didn’t drop her hand and she didn’t try to make him. They walked out hand in hand and headed to a nearby Japanese hibachi grill for lunch. Erica noticed that people were staring, and she said as they left the restaurant, “Are you going to get mobbed?”
He shrugged. “I shouldn’t. I dressed down so I wouldn’t be noticed.”
Erica raised an eyebrow as they rounded a corner into a narrow, empty alley on the way to the car. “You, Joe, are such a rockstar. You even dress up to dress down. You think you’re incognito?” She scoffed, stopped, and ran a hand carelessly through his silky hair several times. “At least mess up that perfect hair.”
She let her hand drop from his hair, but he grabbed it and brought it to his warm cheek. Slowly, he took a step forward, and another. Once again, she found that standing her ground was not helping her resist the things he was doing to her heart. Then, once he had stepped chest to chest with her, he bent his head and captured her mouth in a soft, hesitant first kiss.
Instantly, her hand went back to his hair, pulling him towards her without thought. The kiss intensified quickly and their caresses still battled for dominance. Every sound one of them made, every moan or whimper, was a victory for the other side. By the time they broke apart, both gasping for breath, she was pressed up against the wall and both her hands were tangled in his hair. “Man,” he panted, “I’ve never had a first kiss like that before.”
“Yeah, well,” she smirked, crossing her wrists behind his neck, “I don’t do anything halfway.”
“You’re telling me,” he murmured as he covered her mouth with his again.
They eventually made their way back to his rental car, a big black SUV with dark shaded windows. She reached for her door, but he slapped her hand away. “Me gentleman, you lady. I’ll get it.” She laughed and let him open the door, then slid in. She pulled her legs in and let him close the door.
When they got back to her house, they spent the rest of the night hanging out, sitting on the couch together and exchanging playful banter, occasional soft words, and more frequent teasing kisses. Her mom made them dinner and brought it to them, her eyes flicking back and forth between Joe and Erica. It was obvious she was very pleased with the situation. It became even better when Joe jumped up and introduced himself to her, shaking her hand and nodding his head respectfully. She beamed, darted an approving glance at Erica, before exiting the room to leave them alone.
“You’re a suck-up,” Erica proclaimed as they ate.
“That’s me.”
At just before midnight, he headed back to the hotel where he and his family were staying, promising to come back the next evening, after the string of appearances and interviews they had. She didn’t want to let him know she was waiting by the door, so when he knocked at just after five, she waited several seconds, hand on the doorknob, before slowly turning it.
She opened the door and he smiled down at her. “Hello.”
The look in his eyes and the deep richness of his voice melted her heart, but she tried not to show it. “Yo.”
He shook his head, a scolding smile on his face. “Not today, Erica.” He took her hand and casually ran his fingers up and down her forearm. “Today, you’re not faking tough. Today I’m going to make you show me your reaction to every little thing I do. Because I know you’re not as sassy as you’re acting.”
“Oh, you think I’m no--” she gasped as he kissed the delicate skin behind her ear. “Oh.”
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he sighed, and she knew he was purposefully letting his hot breath run over her neck.
“N-no,” she said. “Tell me.” He was doing things to her, taking over her heart and stripping away her witty, cynical defenses. And she loved every minute of it. This new, surrendering personality was thrilling in its own way.
He slid his arm around her waist. “Let’s go inside. Then I’ll tell you a hundred times.”
She let him pull her inside, swinging the door closed behind them, and they tumbled onto the couch together. He pulled her into his lap and smiled. “Now… how beautiful you are.” He ran his fingertips down either side of her face. “Your eyes take my breath away and your smile stops me in my tracks. The way you move keeps my eyes on you--I just can’t look away.” He was leaning towards her, eyes intent on her mouth, hands gentle and tantalizing on her jaw. “And your mouth… oh, your mouth.” He flicked his eyes up to meet hers momentarily, then settled his lips against hers as if he never wanted to lift them away again. When he finally did pull away, he murmured, “Possibly God’s most perfect creation.”
Erica tried to find something clever to shoot back, but she couldn’t even think straight. Her head spun and her mouth tingled. And that was how the rest of the night went. Every time she tried to throw up her tough, seductive, flirty exterior, he would do or say something that would leave her totally surrendered to him.
At about eleven o’clock, they were sitting, cuddled together on the couch. By that time, Erica had pretty much given up fighting him. She was content to let him love her with his soft touches and charming tongue. Quietly, he sang, “She’s the kind of girl that you see in the movies, seen her in my dreams--now she’s lying next to me.” Smiling, Erica tipped her face up to kiss him, and he moaned softly. It was probably their thousandth kiss of the night, but it hadn’t lost a bit of magic.
“Erica,” he said in a gentle, tentative voice, “you’re my favorite girl, you know that?”
“Oh, there’s more than one, is there?”
He let her get away with that jibe, and responded, “There are thousands. Hundreds of thousands who would take me if I wanted them. But you’re the one I want.” He propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at her, his eyes soft and caring. “So… I know it’s a lot to ask for you to commit to someone as tough to be with as I am--I’m always gone and girls all over me and everything, but I’m asking you…. I--will you be my girlfriend, Erica?”
She looked up at him and smiled, her heart nearly bursting with joy. But she knew she could win this last battle. Raising her eyebrows, she smirked and shrugged. Quietly, just before her mouth pressed against his, she muttered, “Eh.”
