I've Never Cried

Chapter Four - "Don't Tell Anyone"

"I've Never Cried"

Chapter Four

'Don't tell anyone'

Scene...

Continuing

Joe's POV 

After Demi had left the room, I'd grabbed the guitar she'd neglected to strum. It was gorgeous, but had an old look to it, as if it had been used for years. Demi seemed to have some sort of glow when she held it. She seemed to be attached to it, like she somehow couldn't get it for herself. I pulled the strap over my shoulder and sat on the provided stool. I strummed on and on, until Nick came into the room asking that we'd leave.

"So, how'd it go, man?" He asked once we were in the car and already on the way home. I smiled at the brief memory.

"Great. She was there again. I asked her out. We're going to lunch tomorrow." I answered simply.

"That's awesome, dude!" He leaned over quickly and touched knuckles with mine. I laughed.

"What about you, man? When are you gonna get a girl?" He looked at me and smirked,

"I've always had a girlfriend, Joe." This was news to me. I had never seen Nick go out unless we were at that stupid museum.

"Really? What's her name?" I asked in disbelief.

"Selena. She's not the 'go out' type, if that's what you're thinking. I see her at the museum a lot. If you weren't so consumed in Modern Arts, you probably would have met her already." He pulled into a fast food restaurant parking lot. Then he turned to me. "Don't tell anyone, alright? You know how Mom and Dad get about this kind of stuff."

"No prob, little brother," I said, leaning over and scruffing what was left of his cropped curls. He slapped my hand away and punched my arm.

"Describe this . . . Demi girl. What does she look like?"

"Well," I began, contemplating. "She's crazy beautiful. She's almost perfectly shaped, and she has a huge . . . yeah." He had laughter in his eyes, and waited for me to continue. "She's tanned, but not like orange tanning bed stuff; she looks naturally, sunlit, tanned. She has long black hair that slides onto her shoulders. And the best part, she's got a KILLER voice. She can really sing. I've only heard her once, but that was enough to know how good she was." 

Nick faced the windshield and let out a heavy breath. "Selena's nothing like that, man. I mean, yeah, she's gorgeous, but she's pretty lanky. She's really tall and skinny, and pale enough to worry. She's smart and opinionated and frustratingly right most of the time. Her hair is in one of those short styles that take forever to get cut perfectly. All the same, she's a piece of work. But all I seem to do is fall harder and harder for her. And that's a big deal, because you know I'm not the commitment type." I leaned back and put my hands behind my head.

"How long have you guys been dating?" I questioned.

"Almost a year, believe it or not."

"A year?" I almost leapt out of my skin. "Why didn't you tell me?" I wasn't yelling, but it was obvious I wasn't pleased with this surprise.

"I've kept it from everyone at risk of embarrassment. I don't want anyone ruining this." I rolled my eyes.

"That's a little stupid, Nick. We're family, not high school preps. We're not gonna judge your relationship with Selena."

"I know, Joe. I'm just not sure yet. I've never felt this strongly about a girl. I just don't want anything to mess it up." I kept my voice as calm as I could, which wasn't much since I was obviously upset.

"I told you about Demi the day that I met her. Normally, I wouldn't tell anyone for a while and wait for things to get serious. But since you're my brother, I told you first." I wasn't angry about what he did, just a little insulted. Nick and I were close, so I didn't understand why he'd think I would embarrass him in front of his girlfriend.

Suddenly, it wasn't only a personal thing to me. It wasn't really any of my business to begin with.

"I'm sorry. Are we cool?" He asked and held out his fist. I sighed and chuckled at the ridiculous argument we'd just had, touching my knuckles with his.

"Yeah, we're cool."

JJDL