Chateau <Joe Keery>

3 - I understand.

I walk into my apartment with a wide smile across my face and a warm feeling in my heart. I throw off my shoes and dance to my room. I do my nightly routine and hop into bed. My phone buzzes right as I close my eyes. I grab my phone quickly in hope that it was Joe.
It wasn't Joe. It was my poor boyfriend. My heart sunk. All that warmth was gone. How could I do this to him? But, I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't mean to fall out of love. I wasn't cheating on him. Why did I feel so bad?

<Headed to work now. Love you❤️> His text read. <Have a good day. Love you too> I responded, feeling horrible about lying to him.

It was almost 6am when I called off work so I could catch up on the sleep I had missed. The only reason I was able to sleep was because of how exhausted I was from laughing so much with Joe.

12:36pm, the clock read. I groaned as I got up and walked out of my room. I gasp at the sight of someone making food in my kitchen. "Oh, hey, sunshine." My boyfriend said. "Heyy, what are you doing here? I thought you were at work." I said, sitting down at the island. He walked over to me and kissed my forehead. "I asked for a longer lunch break to see you. You've been really down lately, I wanted to do something nice for you. Like waffles and bacon." He made my favorite food just because he thought I was sad. How could I not love him? What was wrong with me?

I smiled at him and looked down at my hands in my lap then, noticing Joe's number was still there. "Hey, I'm gonna go change my clothes. "Okay, your food will be waiting." He replied. I went to my room and threw on a long sleeved shirt to cover the pen ink on my arm.

I sat down with him and ate my food. "How was your night?" He asked. "Oh-uh- good." I replied. "Really that boring?" "No, no, I had fun. I just got back really late so I'm pretty tired." "Well, I should get back to work and you can take a nap. Sound good?" I nodded with a smile. I watched as he walked out the door.

I looked over at the fridge as I washed the dishes and saw a picture of Carson and I from the day he asked me to be his girlfriend. I took the plate in my hand and threw it at the floor, shattering it into pieces. "Fuck!" I scream. I start crying and sink down to the floor next to the broken glass. I wipe away my tears as my eyes continue to fill up. My hand reaches down to my pocket, pulling out my phone and dialing the number that was on my arm. The phone rang for a moment before it was finally answered.

"Hello?" I grew calmer hearing the familiar voice. "You told me to call you when I need someone to talk to. And I really, really do." I said as I cried. "Hey, what's going on?" Joe said, sounding genuinely worried about me. "I'm sitting on my kitchen floor, sobbing next to a broken plate that I threw when I saw a picture of him and I." Though I didn't clarify who I was talking about, he already knew. "He surprised me with my favorite food on his lunch break that he asked to get extended so he could make sure I was okay because he thought I was sad. I don't understand what's wrong with me." "No, nothing is wrong with you. It is not your fault if you fall out of love. You can't control that." He reassured me. "What do I do? I don't want to hurt him." I heard him sigh. "I think you should talk to him about it. That doesn't mean you have to break up. It just means you two can talk about whether or not you can save your relationship. And don't beat yourself up about it. This wasn't your fault." He said, sympathetically. "Thank you, Joe. I just need to think on it." I said before hearing someone else say, "Joe, cmon, man. Get off the phone, they need you on set." Then I heard Joe reply, "Give me a minute, it's important." I smiled to myself. "I'll let you go now. I don't want to get you fired." I said. "No, it's fine. They can wait. I said I would be here for you and so I am." He insisted. "Joe, seriously, I'll be okay. You've already done what you promised. Now, get back to work and we can talk later." "Fine but I'm calling you tonight so you better answer." He said. "I'll see what I can do." I sarcastically said and he laughed. "Okay, talk to you later, Olivia." "Bye, Joe."

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Joe and I had fallen asleep on the phone almost every single night for 8 months. I would call him for my triumphs and defeats, as would he to me. I hadn't seen him since we met and I was really missing him. It's crazy how close I could get with someone I met one time.

I thought about what Joe said over the months and decided, breaking up with Carson was the best thing to do for the both of us. So, I asked him to come over at 5pm to talk.

At 3pm I FaceTimed Katie. "Hey, Livy!" She screeched. "I'm breaking up with Carson." I blurted out. "What? Why? What did he do? I swear to god I'll kill him." She said. "Kate, calm down. He didn't do anything. It's my fault." I said. "What happened then?" "I don't love him anymore. I don't know why. But I can't keep lying to him. He's coming over at 5." "I'm sorry, let me know how that goes. Are you okay?" I sigh. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. I talked to Jo- Jake and he calmed me down and made me realize that this is for the best." I'm not sure why I avoided telling her about Joe. "Good, I'm glad. I got to go but let me know if you need anything. I love you." "I will and I'll fill you in later. Love you, bye."

4:57pm. I almost backed out until I heard a knock at the door. I open it and let Carson in, sitting down on the couch with him.
"I don't know how to start this. But, uh- I want you to know you did nothing wrong. You've been amazing this entire year and a half. I care so much about you and I don't want to hurt you. I really don't. But, I can't keep going with this. I'm not good for you. You deserve better. I hate that I'm doing this. But I need to. Not just for you, for me too. I'm so sorry. We need to break up." I said while tears ran down my cheeks. He looked at me with tears in his eyes which only broke me more. I hated that I had to do this.
"It's okay. I understand. I knew something was going on. I didn't think this would be it but here we are." He said with a light giggle at the end.
"I'm so sorry." I whispered. "It's okay, Olivia. I'm not mad at you. I understand. You can't control who you do and don't love. It just happens. I just hope you're okay." I wipe my tears and huff at myself. "Are you gonna be okay?" He asked. "I hope, are you?" "In time." He responded.

We talked for just a bit longer before he left. I flopped onto my bed and cried for a couple hours. I took a shower, grabbed a bottle of wine and laid in bed, watching 'The Office'. I made sure to text Katie an update along with my other friends.

By 11:30pm I was getting pretty tipsy. My eyelids started to get heavier and heavier until I jolted up at the the sound of my phone ringing. I grab it from my nightstand and smile. Joe.

"Heyyy, Jooe." I spoke into the phone. "Hey, Oliviaa. Are you okay?" He asked. "I'm okay. Hey, FaceTime me, I wanna see your face." I said, my slurring together. I pull the phone from my ear and answer the FaceTime. "There you are." I said, happily. "Are you drunk?" He asked with a laugh. "Maybe just a little bit." I said, giggling. "How was work today?" I asked. "It was good, we got a lot done today. I assume you talked to Carson?" I let out a deep breath. "Yeah, I broke up with him. He was really sweet  and he understood. But, I'm okay. I'll be okay." "You wouldn't lie to me would you?" He asked. "What, no, never!" I said, dramatically, making him laugh. "I like that." I said. "Like what?" "Your laugh. It makes me feel warm." He smiled. "I told the cast all about you." He said. "Does that mean I'm famous now?" I asked with a fake gasp. "Yes, you're officially famous." We both laughed. "I miss you too much. Can you come back now? For me?" I pouted. "I wish I could, really. But, work is tight right now and it's hard to get enough time off to fly out there." He explained. "That's a load of bullshit. Don't they know that I miss you so much?" He laughed. "Ya know, I could fly you down here." I tilted my head slightly. "Seriously, I'll pay for your ticket and you can stay with me. I have a spare room." He continued. "You would do that for me?" My words slurred together some more. "Of course I would, Liv. I miss you too so, really, I'm being benefited here." "Well, text me the information once you get it. I may pass out any second now. Just a warning." He laughed at my words. "I will. Goodnight, Olivia." He laughed softly when he got no reply.