Firmly Grasp It (teehee: Nothing dirty I swear)

Chapter Seven

-Back at Demi's new apartment-

"What about the paparazzi?" Joe asked.

"They don't know where I live yet. Trust me."

She finally unlocked the door and Joe came in with admiration. It was like a mini mansion. It even had a chandelier!

"You can go sit on the couch. It's to your left, down the hall, and it should be on your right. You can't miss it. There's no door but there's a huge door way."

Demi ran towards the kitchen to grab some water. Her hands were shaking because of the nervousness she's feeling all up in her stomach.

I hope this goes well.

She rushed back to her living room where Joe was sitting on the couch with his elbows on his knees and his hands being palm-to-palm as they divided his face in half.

"That wasn't like you to cry like that and trash things around," Demi said handing him a drink.

All he could say was, "Thanks."

"Oh, I told Nick that you came over. He's definitely not too thrilled about his 'dressing room make-over,'"

"Why'd you bring me here anyways?"

Demi said putting her water bottle down and making herself face him.

"Because I can't take this anymore. This...this...US. Jemi. Joe and Demi. I read tweets about us. Interviewers always teasing me about you. This whole night. This is making me go out of my mind, Joe."

"I understand. I'm sorry..."

"Joe..." Demi sat back and lifted her knees to her chest. "What I want to know first is why didn't you return my phone calls and my text messages?"

He sighed. This was gonna be a rough night.

"I knew you were hurting. I didn't want to make you think that I'm leading you on. I was trying to distance myself so that neither of us would get hurt."

"What do you mean 'neither of us'. I thought you were happy with your girlfriends."

Joe chuckled sarcastically.

"You'd think that. But those weren't real. It never felt real with them. At least not as real as I'd felt with you."

Demi's stomach was starting to take twists and turns.

"Demi, everytime they kissed me...all I could..." He turned to her. "All I could ever picture was your lips on mine."

"Then why'd you let me go?" Demi's voice cracked as she struggled to get the words out while she met Joe's honest eyes.

"Because I love you enough to know that there's better out there and I still..." Joe trailed off.

"There may be better out there but I chose you. I even fought to keep you but you just let go. Do you know how hard it is to part from the one that you truly loved? Making it seem that they don't love you anymore? What we had was real, Joe."

At this point, Demi was bawling her eyes out like there was no tomorrow. Joe scooped her up in his arms and into his lap as she continued to bawl.

"It's okay Demi," Joe soothed as he cradled her in his arms as his tears ran down.

Fuck. I'm crying again.

"What are we doing? What is this?" Demi asked through her sobs.

"We're going through this realization together."

"Realization of what?"

She lifted her head to look at Joe.

"Of how much of a mistake I made. How much we've learned from what we've been through. Of how much I realized I want you to be mine. Not because you're just any other girl. Which you're not. But because you're my best friend and you know me more than I know myself."

Joe sat up while Demi was still on his lap and she was still being cradled.

"I'm sorry." Joe apologized once more. He then wiped Demi's tears that appeared to fall down even more.

They got closer to each other. Their faces nearly inches apart as it had been in her dressing room earlier that evening. Demi dodged another shot at a kiss and hugged him really tightly making him fall against the backrest of the couch.

"It's okay."