✓ | 𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 ; joseph quinn

chapter twenty-five

TWENTY-FIVE

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TEN MONTHS LATER
MAY 2023

"Joni!" The boy called to the girl from the other side of the room.

"Yeah?" Jonalynn was standing in front of her magnifying, convex mirror, finishing up her final makeup touches before the big day. "I'm almost done here."

Joseph came up from behind her, almost catching the girl off-guard and kissing the top of her head. She almost jumped from shock before giving her boyfriend a 'really?' kind of look as she held the mascara brush in her hand.

"Don't worry about it. You look beautiful." He smiled at her in the mirror.

It wasn't anything special for others but Joseph and Jonalynn believed it was important for the two. Joni was finally getting back into her typical life, reviving her acting career after a year-long hiatus. It might've not felt long for others but it felt long for Joni. After a year of not working and straight-up therapy, the girl finally felt that she was ready put herself back into the industry. The industry was still the same old, messed up business but she already knew that. She knew what she was walking into but it wasn't going to change her opinion on her comeback or anything else.

In regards to Joni's comeback, her friends decided to throw a party down in Los Angeles. Surely, parties weren't her thing, but since she thought it was a big deal, she couldn't see the harm in it.

As for the happy couple, Joseph and Jonalynn hasn't encountered any major problems in their relationship ever since. From the day they were reunited at the airport 10 months ago, they had to talk. That was it. As simple as that, Joni just had to talk to him. Joseph was all ears, listening in to every single Joni had to say.

~

Later that evening, at the party, it was packed of people. Many of whom Joni knew personally, but a lot were just friends of friends who came to support Joni and her comeback into Hollywood.

"Joni!" Joni was on the outdoor balcony, where everyone was, when she heard someone calling out to her. She turned around to see none other than her former costars from the Fear Street trilogy, Fred and Olivia.

"Hi!" Jonalynn gasped out of surprise, giving each one of them a quick hug before Olivia was still holding a big gift bag, in which was supposed to be given to Joni. "Oh, no, you didn't need to bring me anything."

"Well, we haven't seen you in three years, so you're gonna get this whether you like it or not." said Fred, as he pulled apart from his hug with Jonalynn. "Besides, this was all Liv's idea. I just had to pay."

Joni chuckled at her two friends before taking the gift in her hands, looking around for assistance on where to put it. In just a few moments, Joseph had just found her, asking if she needed anything, by looking at the lost expression she had on her face.

"Um, I just don't know where to put this." She said, holding up the gift bag

"Oh, no worries. I'll put it with the others." He said, taking it from her hands.

"Wait. Others?" She asked, closely following behind Joseph who had just led her to the room where a bunch of other gifts for her sat. "Oh my god, this party was a terrible idea."

"Well, you're here, and I'm here and that's all the matters." Joseph said softly, before leaning in and closing the gap between his lips and Joni's, generating a soft, tender kiss. As soon as they parted, Joseph covered her eyes with the palm of his hand as he gestured towards the presents in the room. "Just don't look at the gifts."

Joni grabbed his wrist to take his hand away from her face. "You're crazy." She joked as someone came barging into the room where they stood.

"Joni, we've been looking all over for you." Keery said before looking at Joseph, who was still attached to Joni's hand.

"What about moi?" said Joseph.

"I saw you like two minutes ago so I couldn't care less."

Joni giggled at the banter between the two before she planted her gaze on a few other friends who were making their way up to her.

"Hey, Joni." Charlie and Natalia said at the same time before greeting her a quick hug.

"Hey, guys." She said, hugging the couple back, smiling.

"Joni!!" A very familiar loud and raw voice came from behind her, but before she could confirm who it was, the figure came up from behind to give Joni the tightest hug she could ever receive.

"Maya, let the poor girl breathe." said Keery, who was gently trying to pry her off Joni.

"Sorry, sorry!" Joni turned around look at Maya, who had the brightest smile on her face. "Joni, I missed you."

"Didn't you guys go out for lunch the other week?" Keery cut into the conversation. Maya and Joni gave each a side-eye before bursting into a fit of laughter, only to confirm that they did, indeed, went out for lunch the other week.

"As much as I hate to breakup this nice little conversation here, me and Jo were in the middle of something here." Joseph said, playfully laughing along with the others.

"Oh, sorry!" Natalia said, as she dragged herself and Charlie out of the room without further doubts.

Maya gasped at the couple. "Oh my god, were you two..." The girl pointed her finger back and forth between the two, smirking.

"Ohhhhh." Keery said, playing along as he winked at Joseph.

"Ew, no. Oh my god, no." Joni laughed, pushing Maya's finger away from her. "You two are disgusting."

"Hey, hey. Who was the reason you two met? Oh right, this guy." Keery pointed his two thumbs at himself, standing with pride.

"Okay," Maya turned to face Joe, looking him in the eye. "But who actually introduced Joseph to Joni? Me." She had a hard emphasis on the word 'me.'

"Okay, but-" Joe started again before Joseph cut him off.

"Alright, that's enough." He tried to push them into the direction of the door as Maya called out to Joni.

"Oh okay, we have to leave right now apparently. Okay, well, I'll see you later, Joni, right? I'll save you from this strange man who's trying to kidnap you." Joni laughed at Maya's joke before her and Joe were escorted out of the room by Joseph.

"Anyways, where were we?" He smiled at the girl. Joni smiled and shrugged sheepishly before Joseph gently took her jawline his in palms to lean in and kiss her. "You know, someday I'll marry you, Jonalynn Andrea Rosales."

"You're so cheesy." She teased him, laughing and playfully pushing away his face so she wouldn't have to deal with him.

"So what?" He responded like it was challenge before he leaned in and kissed her once more, like it was the only thing he wanted to do.