𝑻𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 | 𝙹𝚘𝚎 𝙹𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚜

CHAPTER 6

Thankfully, after the heavy conversation they'd just had, things had gotten back to normal and the atmosphere in the kitchen felt lighter. And it remained that way throughout the diner. The brothers having been on tour for most of their life had shared funny stories and touching encounters with fans. It was evident to Riley that they truly loved what they were doing and considered themselves lucky to be where they were.

Although the conversation flowed easily, she couldn't help but subtly look at Joe, who had taken a seat at the end of the table, and who was unusually quiet. Of course, he'd participate by adding a few comments here and there, but something had changed from the moment they were sitting outside. Riley only hoped that it wasn't because she had crossed the line – she didn't want to ruin the weekend by saying something weird.

Later that night, after having a few more drinks with the Jonas family and having a good moment, Riley retreated to her room with her sheets of paper and a head full of ideas. After changing into something more comfortable and removing all her make-up, she sat on her bed and started drawing. She didn't where to start nor what the result would be, but soon, her bed was covered in papers.

''Your bed looks like my studio when I start to write songs.''

Startled, Riley looked up, only to find Joe arms crossed, leaning against the bathroom door. He too had changed into something more relaxed and was still sporting the same look he'd had during diner. Except that this time, he looked more tired than earlier. Looking at the clock on her bedside table, Riley realized that it was almost one in the morning. She was so busy picking up her drawings that she hadn't realized that Joe had moved closer to the bed and was now looking at some of her drawings.

''These are great, Riley. Can I look at them?''

Unable to answer, she nodded her head and watched as Joe took a seat next to her. Joe Jonas is sitting on my bed. With me. Riley tried to find interest in putting her pencils away to ignore the dirty thoughts dancing in her head. She may not have been the biggest Jonas Brothers fan there is, but she had eyes. And let's just say that the man sitting next to her was far from difficult to look at. She could still not tell why he was suddenly acting normal and not like the jerk he was when she met him earlier that day.

''You're really talented you know? Maybe by the end of the weekend you could draw a tattoo for me?'' he looked at her, now with puppy eyes.

She narrowed her eyes at him, ''if you are nice, maybe I'll think about it.''

He smiled and kept looking through the remaining drawings, ''Seriously though, you give life to those drawings, and details are great to. It's not like writing a song where you use words to describe things. With a drawing or a painting, you need to make people feel things through something they see on paper, if what I'm saying makes sense...''

It did make sense to Riley. So much so, that she had no idea how to answer. For one, it takes an artistic person to understand, but it also takes a sensitive individual to understand that emotions can be perceived through any form of art. As much as he was often acting like the comical brother, Joe Jonas was also a very sensitive person and treated art with a lot of respect.

She watched as he placed the drawings into a neat pile on her bed before getting up. As he was about to go back to his own room, he turned around and seemed to search for the right words to say.

''Tomorrow, there's something I want to show you. We should go before breakfast. Grab your sketchbook, too.''

Curious but also speechless, Riley nodded and watched him leave with a smile towards her. What the hell was that?

* * * * * *

When Joe said they should go out before breakfast, she had no idea he meant that they would be out the door by 7:00 AM. Literally. Riley thought that for a man who lived the rockstar life and who'd had a few drinks the night before, he would sleep for a few more hours. He'd woken her up with two coffee mugs in his hand and his other hand was occupied by an acoustic guitar. After having threatened to hit him with his own guitar, and him laughing at her for not being really frightening, he left the room to let her get changed and soon, they were out the door.

Riley was thankful that it wasn't too cold outside, and that Joe had thought about making them a cup of coffee. They walked side by side in silence for a few minutes, but unlike their first encounter, it was not uncomfortable. After a few minutes of them just walking in silence, Joe stopped walking and pointed in front of them, making Riley look up, too. In front of them was a beautiful lake, surrounded by colorful trees and nothing but silence. Maybe waking up early was worth it, after all.

''And here I thought you were bringing me here to kill me.'' she joked while Joe smirked.

''Now why would I do that?''

''I don't know. Isn't it why you brought a guitar with you?''

They took a seat on the wooden chairs that were installed near the water and, judging by it, it was obvious that it was a place where the brothers came to have a quiet moment. So why bring her out there?

''Actually, I thought it would be a good source of inspiration for you. Sometimes I come here when I want to work on our songs.''

She smiled at him and took a sip of her coffee, enjoying the fresh air around her and the beautiful nature in front her.

''And also... There's another reason why I brought you here.''

__________________

I am an awful person!
But I promise, the next chapter will arrive pretty soon.
Again, thank you for the votes and amazing feedback. :)
xo