oh my lorddd.
so the original "L&S" thread froze, and I made a new one.
and now that one froze!
today is not a happy day. :[
so here are the two chapters that i had posted in the other temporary thread (29 & 30), plus chapter 28 since a few of you had requested it:
EDIT - So the main thread froze AGAIN, so I'll use this one until the other one stops freaking out. Chapter 32 and part one of chapter 33 are posted as of 4/25.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:
Joe pulled me closer to his side as Megan and Blake walked closer to us. Either Blake had forgiven Megan for kissing Joe, or he had no clue what had happened. The incident had been all over the news and tabloids, so I’m going to go with option number one. He’d forgiven her.
Megan and Blake stopped in front of us, and Megan said hello to Joe enthusiastically before turning to me.
"Erin, can I talk to you?" she asked. I looked up at Joe, then back to Megan.
"Sure," I said, and Joe removed his arm from my shoulders. I followed Megan to a bench by the bumper cars, and we sat down. She turned her body towards me and looked down at her folded hands.
"I just wanted to say I’m sorry," she said, still staring at her lap. "I never should have kissed Joe. I never should have done most of the things I’ve done over the past few years." She sighed and finally looked at me. "You’ve always had everything I’ve ever wanted. You had Blake, and I thought I had to have him. When I was at your party last summer, I never intended to do anything with Blake. I guess the green-eyed monster finally kicked in. I wish I had never done it … I lost my best friend, and I didn’t even really want to be with Blake. I just felt so bad about stealing him and then dumping him that I felt obligated to stay with him." I could see tears forming in Megan’s eyes, and I let her continue. "And then last week I see you with Joe Jonas. A guy that I’ve had a crush on forever. I wasn’t even thinking when I kissed him. I just did it. And I thought Joe was going to kill me afterward." My eyebrows shot up at this, and she let out a small laugh as a stream of tears fell down her cheek. "You ran off pretty quickly, and he tried to chase you down. After he came back, he dragged me off to the side of the room and started yelling at me. I’ve never felt so bad in my life. He really cares about you, Erin." She burst into full-on tears. "I’m so sorry. For everything."
I sat there, stunned and speechless. Part of me wanted to slap her across her flawless face for what she had done, but the other half of me wanted to forgive her. She seemed so sincere. The Megan that I had been friends with in high school was unbreakable. I’d never seen her cry. I sighed and put my arms around her.
"It’s okay, Meg," I said. "I forgive you." Megan sniffled in response.
I glanced over in Joe’s direction. He was standing with his arms crossed, looking at the ground. He and Blake had apparently run out of things to talk about.
"I’m sorry, Megan, but I have to go," I said. "But we’ll talk more later, okay? Let’s do lunch next week."
"Okay," Megan said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. We stood up and hugged. I told her goodbye, and walked back toward Joe.
Wow, I thought, shaking my head. Talk about unexpected.
"I’m really beginning to regret letting you drive," I said, grabbing onto the handle above the passenger door. "Joe, I can’t die this young."
"Oh, shut it," he said, a smile playing on his lips. "I’m not that bad."
"I know, I’m kidding," I said, releasing the handle. I looked out the window and frowned. "You may not suck at driving, but you are directionally challenged. You just missed the exit." Joe’s small smile turned into a full-on grin.
"I know," he said. "We’re making a pit stop first. And don’t even bother asking where. It’s a surprise."
"You’re kidnapping me?" I asked. "Awesome."
A few miles farther down Interstate 5, Joe got off an exit. He drove down several side streets, and finally pulled into a small parking lot. We got out of the car, and Joe grabbed my hand.
"Follow me," he said, and he led me across the street. I finally realized where we were – Alki beach on Seattle’s waterfront. Joe led me off the sidewalk and down a set of stone steps to the beach below. We walked around a giant boulder, and what waited on the other side made me gasp.
A blanket was spread out on the sand, and a small picnic basket lay on top of it. Several candles were carefully positioned around the blanket, and a boombox quietly played one of my favorite slow songs.
"Joe, what is this?"
"It’s exactly what it looks like," he smiled. "I was hoping you would be up for some desert." I stood there and stared at him, stunned. No one had ever done anything like this for me before.
"How did you…?" I let my voice trail off.
"Kevin helped me out," Joe admitted. "That’s why he and Niki left the carnival early." I looked up at him. The flickering light from the candles was dancing on his face. I smiled and started to take my shoes and socks off.
"What are you doing?" Joe asked with a confused smile.
"You know what they say," I said, taking off the belt around my waist. "Never eat before swimming." I dropped the belt and ran to the water, laughing. I stopped at the water’s edge and turned around, looking back at Joe.
He laughed and shook his head, then took his own shoes and socks off. My breath caught as I watched him tug his shirt over his head, his muscles rippling. My eyes fixed on his tan torso and toned abs. Who knew that Joe Jonas was hiding that under his clothing?
I waded into the water, kicking at it with my feet. I heard Joe jog up behind me, and then I felt a set of arms wrap around my waist.
"Joe, no!" I cried half-heartedly as he picked me up. "Put me down!"
"No way," Joe said, laughing. He spun me around in his arms so I was facing him. I wrapped my legs around him, and cupped his face in both of my hands. As I pressed my lips to his, Joe began to wade farther out into the water. After a few seconds, I broke the kiss and opened my eyes. He had a mischievous smirk on his face.
"Hold your breath," he said. Before I knew it, we were both tumbling into the warm saltwater. I surfaced and wiped my eyes. Joe came up in front of me, and flung his wet hair back off his face.
"Not funny," I said, attempting to look angry.
"Yes, it was," Joe said. I splashed him, and he leapt forward and tackled me in the water. We came up laughing, and he pulled me close to him.
"Have you ever felt like you’ve known someone your whole life, even if you just met them?" he asked, reaching up and pushing the wet hair off my face.
"Absolutely," I replied, running my hands over his bare chest. "I feel that way with you."
"Me too." Joe leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. It was a soft kiss, almost teasing. A far cry from our hot, passionate kiss on the Ferris wheel. But it was just as wonderful, and it still set off fireworks in my head.
It seemed impossible that I had only known Joe for less than two weeks. I had fallen fast, and I no longer questioned whether Joe had feelings for me. I knew he did. I knew that what he said was sincere, and he showed me a side of him that no one else saw. To everyone else, he was a comedian. But he allowed me to see the caring, sensitive side of him.
All of a sudden, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew what I needed to do. I knew what was right.
"Joe?" I asked, breaking our kiss.
"Yeah?"
"I choose you."
"What?" he asked, his forehead wrinkling in confusion.
"I choose you," I repeated, running my fingers through his wet hair. "I want to be with you. Only you." Joe grinned, and pulled me against his bare torso in a hug.
"Erin," he whispered in my ear, "will you be my girlfriend?" I pulled back and looked at him.
"Of course," I said, nodding. Joe’s lips came down and met mine, and I melted into the kiss.
Now all I had to do was break my best friend’s heart and pray that he still wanted to be friends.
Wonderful.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:
I awoke the next morning to the sun shining through the window of Joe’s hotel suite and into my eyes. I yawned and rolled over in the high-thread-count sheets to find Joe’s side of the bed empty.
After Joe had asked me to be his girlfriend, we’d gone back to the blanket he’d set out in the sand and laid down together. We’d accidentally fallen asleep on the beach, and had finally made it back to the hotel around 3:00 in the morning.
I sat up in the bed, and saw Joe come out of the bathroom. He’d showered, dressed, and styled his hair.
"Good morning, sunshine," he said, walking over to the bed and giving me a quick kiss. "Order anything you’d like for breakfast. I’ve got to jet, but I’ll be back in a couple hours." He made a face. "I have to meet up with the rest of the fam to do damage control."
"Damage control?" I echoed as he turned and walked toward the door. He pointed at the laptop sitting open on the table before walking out of the room. I got up and walked over to the computer, and I gasped when I saw the screen. The front page of a popular gossip website was open, and one of the headlines immediately jumped out at me.
"Jonas Brother No Longer Carrying V-Card?"
On the screen were several photos of Joe and I that had been taken the day before. One was of us kissing on the Ferris wheel, with me straddling Joe’s lap. Another was of Joe and I kissing in the water at Alki, when I had my legs wrapped around him. And the third was when we had fallen asleep on the blanket, with me clinging to his half-naked body.
As if the photos weren’t enough, there was also a descriptive article about Joe and his assumed "hook-up". While it never flat-out stated that Joe was no longer a virgin, it hinted very heavily at it. Which was far from the truth; the most that Joe and I had done was kiss. But to anyone looking at the pictures, it was easy to assume that more had taken place than just a steamy make-out session.
To make matters worse, Joe’s purity ring had fallen off while we were in the water, and he hadn’t been able to find it. The writer had brought up the fact that at the beginning of the day Joe’s ring had been in its rightful place on his left hand. In the photo of Joe and me lying on the blanket, his hand was sans ring. So to anyone reading the article, it appeared that something inappropriate had happened, and Joe had removed his ring.
I groaned and put my head in my hands. This was so not good. A wave of panic swept through me. What if Joe wanted to take a step back in our newly-formed relationship? Or what if he wanted to bail on me completely? It had taken a long time and a lot of convincing to get myself to trust another guy after what had happened with Blake last year. After falling so hard for Joe, I don't know what I would do if he was suddenly yanked out of my life.
I looked at the computer screen again and noticed that there were already a couple hundred comments on the article. I hesitantly clicked on the comment link, only to partially regret it a few seconds later. The Jonas Brothers fans were ripping me apart. Thank God that I had so far remained anonymous - the article had only named me as the "same mystery brunette the accompanied Joe to the CD release party".
Tears began to fill my eyes as I continued to read the comments. These fans were cruel; many made horrific remarks about how Joe was too good-looking for me, and a couple of them had even said that I needed to die. I knew that I shouldn't let a few (hundred) catty comments by a bunch of girls get to me, but the remarks were difficult to ignore. Strewn among the mean words were a select few comments saying that if Joe was happy, they were happy. But those nice comments were few and far between. I clicked out of the window, stood up, and walked over to the bed. I dramatically flung myself down onto the soft mattress and curled up, hugging a pillow against my chest. I softly sobbed until I drifted off into a light sleep.
I woke up a couple hours later when the hotel room door opened. I rolled over and saw Joe walk into the room. He looked stressed, but I could tell that he was trying to cover it up. He walked over to the bed and flung himself onto it in the same dramatic fashion that I had earlier.
"How did it go?" I asked, propping myself up on one elbow. Joe sighed.
"About as well as it could possibly go," he said. "Which isn't saying a whole lot."
"Joe, I'm so sorry," I said, my tears from earlier returning. Joe rolled over to face me, a look of concern on his face.
"Baby, no," he said, wiping away a tear with the tip of his thumb. "You didn't do anything wrong. We didn't do anything wrong. You have nothing to be sorry for." He lightly kissed my forehead and pushed my messy hair out of my face. "We explained everything to the press, and I ordered a new ring. Whether they believe what I said or not, it's not our problem. It'll blow over eventually. Some celebrity will get busted for driving drunk again, and they'll move onto that."
"How are your fans going to react when they find out you're off the market?" I asked. Joe rolled onto his back and looked at the ceiling.
"I didn't tell them," he said. "And I think we need to keep it on the down-low for now. Not forever. Just for a while." He turned over to face me again. "Please don't take it the wrong way. I like you a lot, Erin. And I don't want this to come in the way of us being together. Do you understand why I don't want to bring that up right now?"
I nodded. As crazy as it may sound, I did understand. I knew there were several reasons. I knew that the brothers' fan base would be greatly impacted if people knew that Joe was taken. I also knew that if word got out that I was dating Joe Jonas, I would suddenly be thrown into the spotlight. And I didn't know if I was ready for that. So I was okay with people not knowing about us.
When I told Joe this, he smiled and leaned over, kissing me gently.
"And that," he said between kisses, "is why I like you."
"And this isn't exactly low-key," I mumbled into Joe's lips, smiling.
"Well," Joe said as he pulled away from me and grinned, "I meant we only have to keep our relationship on the DL when we're in public. But in private," Joe paused mid-sentence and kissed my neck softly, "we can do whatever we want." I sighed and closed my eyes.
"I definitely like the sound of that."
CHAPTER THIRTY:
"She's not going to hate me, is she?"
"No, Joe," I reassured him. "My mom's going to love you." I glanced over at Joe, who was sitting in the passenger seat. "Although she may hate your shirt."
"What's wrong with my shirt?" Joe pouted as he glanced down at his chest. He was wearing a pink long-sleeve button down with the sleeves rolled up, and a skinny black tie hung around his neck. He almost looked like he had invaded Nick's closet.
"Nothing's wrong with it," I said, smiling. "But my mom isn't exactly the most fashion-forward person. She still wears baggy 'mom' jeans and souvenier t-shirts."
It was Friday, the day after the gossip scandal starring Joe and yours truly, and so far we had managed to lie low. I had taken the day off work yesterday and holed myself up in Joe's hotel suite. I'd had a lot of time to think, and I had decided to take Callie to the horse show in Portland that weekend. Joe had stayed true to his word, and said that he would go with me to cheer me on. It had taken two phone calls to his parents and a lot of convincing, but they had finally agreed to let him go. But only if Big Rob went with us. So Nick and Kevin remained in Seattle with their manager and publicist, and Joe and Big Rob would leave the horse show Saturday evening. From there they would drive back up to Seattle, meet Nick and Kevin at the airport, and fly to New Jersey to meet up with the rest of their family.
I still couldn't believe that the brothers' two-week visit was almost over. But they had a tour to return to. The longest I'd gone without seeing Joe in the past week was two days. How was I going to deal with not seeing him for months on end? And to make matters worse, on Sunday when I would get back home from the horse show, I was supposed to have dinner with Kory to tell him about Joe and I. Ugh.
I pushed the unhappy thoughts from my head as I pulled my car into the gravel parking lot at Clearwater Farm. Just enjoy the time you have left with Joe, I told myself. As Joe and I got out of my Lexus, a sleek, black SUV with tinted windows pulled up beside us. Joe and I walked over to the driver's window and told Big Rob that we would be riding with my mom and Ingrid to the show, and that he could follow behind the truck and horse trailer. Joe and I grabbed our suitcases out of the trunk of my car and tossed them into the SUV.
I slung my purse over my shoulder, and Joe grabbed my hand as we strolled into the barn. We walked down the concrete aisleway, and I spotted my mom jumping out of the horse trailer parked behind the barn. She walked into the barn and spotted Joe and I.
"Hey sweetie," she said as she came up and hugged me.
"Mom, this is Joe," I said after she let me go.
"Ahh, yes," she said, looking him over. "You're the boy who has kept my daughter from seeing me since we left Texas." A look of panic crossed Joe's face. My mom broke into a grin. "I'm kidding, sweetheart." She leaned in and enveloped Joe in a hug. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too, ma'am," Joe said, flashing his mega-watt smile and turning on the charm.
"For goodness sake," my mom stated with a laugh. "Call me Debbie."
My mom grabbed Ingrid as she walked by and quickly introduced her to Joe.
"We're all loaded up if you guys are ready to go," Ingrid said after the hellos had been exchanged. Joe and I nodded, and set off toward the truck.
Ingrid climbed into the driver's seat, and my mom joined her up front. Joe and I got into the back, and buckled up. As Ingrid put the truck in gear and pulled out of the driveway with Big Rob following, my mom turned around in her seat and looked at Joe.
"By the way," she said. "What on earth are you wearing?"
"Come c me. - Mom."
I read the text message on the screen of my phone, and then looked over at Joe, who was flipping through the channels on the hotel television.
"Hey, I'll be right back," I told him and pushed myself off the bed. "My mom wants to talk."
"Okay," Joe nodded, smiling.
I walked out the door and knocked on the door of the room next to ours. My mom had always been extremely overprotective and cautious, especially when it came to my love life, so you can imagine my surprise when I learned that she was okay with Joe and I sleeping in our own hotel room. I guess when the guy has publicly taken a vow of abstinence, it's much easier to trust him.
My mom opened the door, greeting me with a warm smile. I walked into the room, and sat down on one of the beds. Although it was nearly 10pm, Ingrid was still at the show grounds, getting the horses ready for the next day's classes. My mom walked over and sat down next to me.
"You probably know what I want to talk to you about," she said.
"I'm going to take a wild guess," I said sarcastically. "Joe?"
"Bingo," she replied. "You two seem pretty serious. Didn't you just meet him?"
"At the airport in Texas," I said, nodding. I laid back against the fluffy pillows on the bed. "I like him. A lot. But it's not that serious yet. It's not like we're going to run off to Vegas and get married. We're taking things slow. Especially since he leaves tomorrow to go back on tour." I groaned. "It'll be the first obstacle in our relationship." If you didn't count the Megan drama at the CD release party. Or the steamy photographs. Or the accusations that I de-virginized him. But there are some things that moms just don't need to know.
"Sweetie, Joe seems like a wonderful guy," my mom said, putting her hand over mine. "And if you're happy, then I'm happy."
"Aww, thanks Mom," I said. I sat up and gave her a hug.
"And I never thought that you'd find someone who is more clumsy than you," my mom stated, laughing.
Joe, my mom, Ingrid and I had all gone out to dinner after getting everything settled in at the show grounds a couple of hours earlier. Throughout the meal, Joe had kept us all entertained with his stories of life on the road, which included a few of his unfortunate spills, both onstage and off.
I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Funny, Mom."
My mom and I talked for a while longer, until Ingrid came into the room. Deciding it was probably a good time to hit the sack, especially since we had to be at the barn at 6:00am, I told my mom and Ingrid goodnight and walked back to mine and Joe's room. When I walked into the room, Joe was climbing into one of the two queen-size beds. I grabbed a plain black tank top and a pair of comfy shorts out of my suitcase, and went to the bathroom to change.
A few minutes later, I climbed into the same bed as Joe. He rolled over to face me, our bodies just inches apart. He smiled at me, and pushed a stray strand of hair off my face.
"Are you okay?" Joe asked. He moved his hand down to my arm, and began to lightly run his fingers up and town the length of my arm, sending shivers through my body.
"Yeah," I said. "Just nervous about tomorrow."
"You'll do great," he assured me.
"I hope so," I said as he scooted closer to me, his bare torso pressing against my chest. "I've just been out of it for so long ... I don't want to make a fool of myself."
"You won't," he said, softly kissing my forehead, then the tip of my nose. "Just go out there and do the best you can."
"No matter what happens, I still have the best cheerleader ever," I smiled.
"That I am," he said, smiling as pressed his lips to mine.