Daydreaming | Joseph Quinn

Chapter 2

Disclaimer:
There is underage drinking in this chapter.

You are dressed in your favorite outfit and it shows off your curves beautifully. Your hair is in loose waves and your makeup is natural but pretty. You show up to Noah's apartment a little after 8pm and Finn opens the door and greets you. "Hey, y/n, nice to see you again. Come on in!" So far there's a decent amount of people at Noah's. You scan the room hoping to see Joe, but you don't see him.

Most of the main cast is here, hanging out in the living room, kitchen, and backyard. There's all kinds of liquor bottles and snacks on the counter in the kitchen as you walk in. You are one of the older people here, compared to the rest of the cast. You realize that the younger cast members aren't even old enough to drink, but you're sure it will be fine. Joe Keery walks into the kitchen and you smile at him. "Hey, nice to meet you, I didn't get the chance to say hi earlier". You smile and are thankful for his friendliness. "Hi, it's nice to meet you too. I'm y/n". He nods his head and you realize he already knows your name from earlier today.

"Have you met everyone so far?", he asks while grabbing a beer from the fridge. "I think so, I'm trying to remember everyone I met today". You laugh and stand there, not sure what to say next. He offers you a beer and you take it. As you open the can and take a sip, Joe walks in. "What about this guy, have you met him yet? He's gonna be one of my besties, I just know it".

"Is that right?" Joe says with a laugh and puts his hands on Joe's shoulders and gently squeezes them. You smile at him as he looks into your eyes. "Have you just arrived?" You feel those butterflies acting up again. "Yes, just about five minutes ago. I ran into Joe before I could say hi to everyone else". You laugh and take another sip of your beer, hoping it will relax you a little.

Why am I so nervous around this man!? Chill out, seriously. You snap out of it when you realize that both Joes are laughing together and ask you if you want to head outside. "Sure", you respond and follow them.

As you're walking through Noah's apartment to head outside, you take note of what Joe is wearing. He's wearing light washed jeans with a gray polo and a leather jacket. He's also wearing Adidas. Today was a chillier day in Atlanta, so you don't blame him for wearing the leather jacket. But damn, it looks good on him.

"Y/n, you made it!" Noah comes over to give you a hug. Millie is sitting with Sadie and Caleb. You walk over with Noah and sit with them for a while to chat by the firepit. You take a second to look around the backyard. It's super nice and has an in ground pool and a hot tub. "This is a really nice place". "Thanks, my friends stay here all the time. It's like an Airbnb for us all now", Noah says with a laugh. "That pool though? I'd be jumping in if it weren't so cold tonight", Millie says and you nod to agree with her.

"Pool party?! Let me know when it is Noah and I'm there". Keery walks over and sits down. Noah replies, "it's supposed to get warm starting tomorrow".

Eventually you are sitting by the fire alone and it feels so good to sit and rest quietly for a minute. "Would you like some company?" Joe stands near you but does not sit down. "And a refill?" He was holding two beers, one for himself, and one for you. You can see that he grabbed the same beer you had earlier. It is your favorite, and the fact he noticed was very sweet. You nod your head and smile. He reaches over to hand you the beer and then sits across from you.

"Are you enjoying yourself?", he asks politely. "I am, everyone is so nice. I'm just tired, that's all". "I understand, it's been a long day". Joe takes a sip of his beer, sighs and says, "I shouldn't be drinking this many beers tonight". You look at him and raise your eyebrow at his statement. "And why is that?", you ask with a giggle. "Well, Eddie is in high school after all, and I am far from it. I am trying to look younger by cutting back on pizza and beer". You notice he is the one giggling now, and it's absolutely adorable.

Since you were already curious how old he is, you just go for it. "You can't be that much older. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" He gives you a look and your heart does another flip. "I turned 28 in January". "You can definitely pull off the high schooler look", you say and are surprised you said that out loud. It's probably the alcohol.

"Bless you for saying that". Joe smiles and you can't help but return one.  You sit in silence for a couple of minutes, but it's not uncomfortable at all. Before either of you can say anything else, Gaten walks over and sits next to Joe. "What up guys?" Joe puts his arm around Gaten and you smile. "Hey baby". You start to realize how close everyone is, even the new cast members. You are overcome with gratefulness for this opportunity you have to work with such amazing people.

People started leaving Noah's a little after midnight. Some of the cast members had an early call time in the morning. You have meetings with the head makeup director, Amy, and the Duffers to finalize everyone's makeup looks. You start to make your rounds to say goodbye and head outside to the front when you see Joe standing there.

"Hey, y/n, how are you getting home?" You have your phone out and were about to tap the Uber app. "I was just going take an Uber". Joe shakes his head no. "Noah is letting me borrow his car to drive Finn and Gaten home. I can drive you home too", he offers with that sweet smile of his. "Are you sure?" You ask, feeling like an inconvenience for some reason. "Certain".

Author's Note:
I hope you're enjoying the story so far! ❤️ Thank you so much for reading. Let me know what you think. 🥰