✓ | 𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 ; joseph quinn

chapter twenty-three

TWENTY-THREE

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"I told you I would call back." Joseph said on the other end of the line.

It was noon in Toronto and 5 p.m. in London, and the couple had finally found a timing to reach each other and finally talk.

"Yeah, I didn't doubt it."  Joni chuckled over the phone. She was sitting at her desk, typing on her laptop. "I waited."

Through the call, Joni heard a little scoff, only for her to recognize it as Joe's little laugh. The one she loved hearing. She just wished she could hear it in-person.

"I really missed you, Joni."

"I missed you too." Joni couldn't believe it. That those words actually rolled off her tongue like it was nothing. It seemed like not just a month ago, she couldn't even say the L-word.

"How- How have you been?"

Joni paused. She didn't have the mental capacity to ever prepare for this question, especially coming from her boyfriend over seas.

"Uh, it's been, um." Her words were almost falling apart but she knew she had to be honest still. "It's been pretty shit."

"Yeah, I could only imagine." He said. "It's been kinda lonely without you here."

"Heh. Yeah." Joni sighed before continuing on with her words. There was nothing she could say that could make this possibly better. "I'm sorry, Joe."

She could hear him sigh on the other end of the line. "Joni, I said it's fine. I just, I just really miss you here."

The girl paused once again. His words shattered her heart internally and wouldn't even know how to properly respond. She was at a loss for words whenever it came down to this.

"I fly back to L.A. tomorrow." He said after a moment of an awkward silence.

"Yeah, I heard."

"Oh, okay." Joseph paused, like he was waiting for her to say something else.

"I'm flying there tomorrow too."

There was another pause on the call.

"Joni, you better not be fucking with me right now." Joseph laughed in between his words. He couldn't believe what the girl had just said.

"I'm not." She laughed along. She knew herself that it was too good to be true. But it was all true. Her plane ticket that she had just bought within the time frame she spent between her last call with Joseph and now.

The honest trust behind her reason for flying to L.A. wasn't all Joseph's schedule. L.A. was her second home, which meant she had everything there. Even her main therapist that she had contacted hours before when Joni had her epiphany regarding the state of her mental health. She needed to seek the obvious help she needed. When she just couldn't understand it before, she understood now.

"Oh my god." He breathed into the phone. Joni could feel the sigh of relief through his tone, and felt the need to smile to herself. "Holy shit. Oh my fuck."

Joni couldn't help but laugh at him. His priceless reaction brought a feeling of ease to her. One feeling that she could finally feel when she was with Joseph.

"Okay. Calm down."

"Okay... I can't? Jo, you can't just pull up with this information out of nowhere like it's nothing. Are you sure this is real? Are you even real? Am I even speaking to the Jonalynn Andrea Rosales?"

"Would it help if I showed you my fucking social security number?" She joked.

Joseph chuckled at the little joke she made. Not because of the joke itself, but more on the reason that she could finally joke around without struggling. "No. Haha. That won't be necessary. I hope."

Joni's smile stayed on her face for a while as the two stayed talking on the phone, catching up within the last month they spent without each other. From Joseph's crazy fan encounters to Jonalynn's little break from the internet and media, it was no surprise that the couple had absolutely no trouble connecting with each other once again. They shared laughs, exchanged jokes. All they could just hope for was to never lose it again.

"Wait, so when are you supposed to get there? L.A. I mean." Joseph asked, cutting the conversation topics short.

"I think it's supposed to be like around 6:30 when I arrive."

"Shit. I think I get there at around an hour later. So 7:30."

"Oh, that's fine. I'll wait."

"What?"

"I said I'll wait. At the airport."

"No, yeah. I know what you mean. It's just that, are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Oh, uh. Okay." Joni could hear Joseph sigh on the other end of the line, like she wasn't supposed to hear but she did.

"I'll text you when I land." She stated, trying to get their plans straight.

It was usually difficult to ever plan about being at the airport, especially with others and when you're famous and everyone knows your face. But Joni didn't have any plans or a busy schedule anymore in order for her to struggle with the plans.

"Oh, okay. Great! Um. I guess I'll see you then?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

"Okay. Bye, Joni."

"Bye, Joe. I love you." The words she finally managed to slip out of her mouth with no struggle. It was like an everyday phrase she used.

"I love you too, Joni."