𝑻𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 | 𝙹𝚘𝚎 𝙹𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚜

CHAPTER 7

Many thoughts were going through Riley's mind, as she was suddenly staring at her coffee. From the corner of her eye, she could see that Joe's leg was moving up and down – a clear sign of nervousness. But she couldn't be the reason behind his stress, right? More importantly, what other reason could he have that could not wait for a more reasonable hour? Not that she wasn't enjoying the scenery or the coffee and, dare she say it, his company, but Riley would have loved to sleep in for a little bit longer.

She watched as the young man turned towards her and seemed to search for the right words to say. For someone who write songs for a living and thrive by being in the spotlight, he really was speechless, she thought to herself as she watched him struggle. It was comical... and cute.

''Look, I'll just come out and say that I'm sorry. I was a real idiot yesterday and it wasn't nice of me to welcome you that way.''

She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a small, genuine smile. ''It's okay. We all have tough days. Besides, if Kevin and Dani would have thought that it would be an issue for you, they wouldn't have brought me here this weekend.''

Her revelation brought a smirk to the young man's face – beneath the shy and polite exterior she walked around with, it was clear that the young woman was smart and, if provoked, could hold her own. He'd been able to see it the previous night when he'd try to push her buttons a couple of times. It hadn't been in his plans when he'd decided to join his brothers and their wives for a small getaway, at first, he didn't even know that one of their friends would be part of the trip. Although he had been surprised at first, he also knew that his brothers wouldn't invite someone they didn't fully trust.

Maybe that was the reason why Joe Jonas felt like he could put his guard down for a few days. After months of stress due to what was happening with Sophie back home, it felt nice to be treated like a normal person by a stranger. Someone capable of putting him back in his place without being one of his brothers. It was refreshing.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that he'd unintentionally walked in on the conversation the two women were having in the kitchen the night before. He'd spent the dinner lost in his own thoughts, wondering how someone could go through so much at such a young age and bounce back. And, if he couldn't really relate to what she had been through, he knew he was lucky to have his family – as chaotic as it was sometimes, by his side. The past few months had been challenging and his coping mechanisms were not always admirable, and yet he was able to play music with his brothers, they had fans that were, for the most part, standing by him and sending support.

He watched her take a sip from her cup and slightly leaned towards her, as if to share a secret. ''I think we're going to be great friends by the end of the weekend.''

She scoffed and gave him the side eye. ''That's what you think? You're still doing tryouts, boy.''

''I bet you by the end of the weekend we'll be good friends AND I'll get that drawing for a tattoo'' he challenged her.

''We'll see about that, Jonas.''

What was originally supposed to be an hour by the lake turned into two hours and endless questions were being asked back and forth – it was just natural. They were just two strangers spending time together to get to know each other. Joe had even forced her to grab his guitar and learn a few chords, but the young woman quickly realized that her artistic side should remain on a canvas. Riley learned that he was spending his time between his place in L.A and New York, but that he had a soft spot for the latter. He explained that they were currently working on another album and that he was looking forward to spending the holidays closer to his hometown.

Riley could tell he wouldn't go into details regarding his situation and would rather dodge certain things – and he was good at it, thanks to his media training. Nonetheless she appreciated that he was still sharing things with her, as if she had been a family friend for years. In a way, she was.

Joe looked at his phone and whistled, surprised. ''I guess we missed the breakfast. The others are probably up by now.''

Riley laughed and stood up from her seat. ''We should go before they start a search party.''

''Don't forget our challenge.'' Joe reminded her, also standing up and grabbing his things before they made their way back to the cabin.

The only reply he received from the redhead was her rolling her eyes at him. But deep down, they both knew that the challenge would be pointless – they were already passed the stranger's phase. While it took her some time to warm up to Nick when she met him, it was different with Joe. Not that she didn't consider Nick to be a sweetheart, truth is, they all were, in their own way. But there was just something about Joe Jonas that hit differently. It was like he could understand things on a different level.

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I'm sorry for ending the previous chapter the way I did and for the cliffhanger.
I promise, the next chapter is already in writing at the moment and will be updated soon. :)
Happy (belated) holidays! xo