Demi's POV
"Demi, PLEASE come!" Selena begged.
I rolled my eyes.
"Ugh, you know the clubs aren't my thing anymore," I said.
"Come on Demi. I FINALLY got someone to babysit Jordan and you can't just go out with me one time?" Selena begged. "Not to mention you're moving to New Mexico and we won't see you anymore," She said.
I sighed knowing I was about to give in.
"Okay, fine," I said.
"Yes," She said with a smile.
I remembered when there was a time that I was the one begging Selena to go to the club. Now, it seemed to be the other way around. Even though her and Justin were now married and had a son she seemed to be loosening up a lot more than she used to be. I, on the other hand, preferred to be a homebody now.
-
"Ugh! I'm so glad we came!" Selena said excitedly as we danced.
I had spent the entire evening with a fake smile on my face. I finally sat down on the nearest stool and took a deep breath. I ran my fingers through my hair and looked down with a sad look on my face.
It wasn't that I wasn't having fun or didn't want to have fun. I was cherishing every moment I got to spend with Selena before I moved but clubs gave me anxiety now. I still hadn't even taken a sip of alcohol since the incident with Kevin. I was so cautious now. It was both a blessing and curse.
Not to mention there was so much going on in my mind. For starters, I was getting divorced after a three year long marriage. I really thought Max would change but I could see I was clearly wrong. Even though we constantly fought and I resented him eighty percent of the time, it still hurt. This wasn't how I pictured my first marriage ending.
My thoughts were interrupted by a stranger bumping into me.
"Hey!" I said in an irritated voice.
"Sorry, these clubs are so small and packed I-," The voice stopped and I looked up to see a face I never expected to see raising a familiar eyebrow at me. "Demi?" Joe asked.
"Joe?" I asked standing up. "Oh my god! How have you been?" I asked.
"I've been good," He said pulling me in for a hug. "How about you?" He asked me.
"Never better," I lied.
It was quiet for a second as we both sat and soaked up the moment. It had been about a year since we had spoken last.
"What are you doing here?" He asked me. "I know you hate clubs," He said.
I rolled my eyes playfully.
"Selena," I replied.
"Say no more," He joked.
He looked over at me and flashed his signature, charming smile that suddenly made all of my problems go away.
"What about you Mr. Dad?" I asked him.
"Just taking a break," He said quietly as his smile shrunk a bit.
We both continued to sit in the silence. It was a bit awkward. Neither of us were saying anything yet neither of us wanted to say goodbye.
"Do you want to get out of here and catch up?" He asked me.
I flashed him a genuine smile.
"I would love that," I said.
-
"Okay, so I've been dying to ask you," Joe said. "How is your marriage actually going?" Joe asked me.
"You know I can't lie to you," I said. "I'm actually getting divorced," I admitted.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Joe said.
I gave him a small smile.
"It's okay. I'm actually handling it very well. I'm definitely not the same broken, young girl that I used to be," I said to him.
"I can tell," He said giving me a genuine smile. "If I'm being honest with you Dems, I've always thought you could've done better than that guy," He admitted.
I knew he was right. He even tried to warn me before I got married. I guess I was just so young and dumb, I didn't care to listen.
"Where's he at now?" He asked me.
"He's actually in jail," I said. "We got into a really bad fight a couple months ago and he's been in jail since," I said. "You know me. I just love toxic men," I joked.
He chuckled a bit.
"Maybe, but you have the best intentions," Joe said.
"So, how's Madison and Sophie?" I asked him trying to change the subject.
"To be honest, I don't know," Joe said shoving his hands in his pockets and looking down as we walked through the parking lot.
It was dark and I couldn't see much but even through the street lights I could tell he was struggling to hide his feelings. This was a look I knew all too well from Joe. He was pretending to be okay. I wanted to press the issue and see what was really going on but I knew he would tell me eventually.
"Is she walking yet?" I asked him.
He shook his head.
"No, but she has been talking a lot. Her favorite word is Da-da," He said giving me a proud smile.
Soon his smile faded.
"I just haven't seen much of her lately," He admitted.
"Why?" I asked him.
He looked at me and bit his lip nervously.
"About a month ago, Sophie and I got into an argument. I can't exactly remember what started it but it was something stupid. Sophie was having one of her little episodes again so I decided to take Maddie and go to my grandma's," I said. "Then Sophie just started throwing shit at me. Then she started hitting herself and acting crazy. Everything happened really quickly and before I knew it the cops were there and I was going to jail for domestic battery. Now we've got a protective order against each other," He said with the most ashamed look on his face.
"Wow, I'm so sorry," I said to Joe.
And I thought my life was bad.
I knew Joe had his flaws. Joe was a lot of things but I knew he would never hit a female. He was a lover, not a fighter but he fights for what he loves.
"You want to get out of here?" I asked Joe.
He nodded his head.
-
Before I knew it I was staring at my ceiling laying in my bed next to Joe. We were talking and laughing and catching up. He was helping me get over the issues I was facing and I felt like I was doing the same for him.
"Remember when Justin was so hungover he was running from the gin?" Joe asked me with a chuckle.
I laughed along with him as I remembered our trip to Galveston.
"Oh my god, how could I forget?" I asked.
"We've sure had some unforgettable times together," Joe said.
I looked over at him as he laid in my bed shirtless with his hand behind his head. He looked so sexy I wanted to just eat him up.
"We have, haven't we?" I said with a gulp.
If you would've told me twenty-four hours earlier that I would be laying in bed with my first love, I would've told you that you were nuts. Yet, here I was. Somehow even though it had been so long every time I was around him it felt like no time passed at all. Our lives were so different, yet when we were together we were the same people we used to be.
I wondered if we would sleep together. I wondered if we would talk tomorrow. A billion questions rushed through my mind.
"You know, you're still my favorite person to pillow talk with, right?" He asked me.
"I'm honored," I said with a smile as I snapped out of my thoughts.
Suddenly Joe wrapped his arm around me and pulled me onto my chest. It got quiet and my thoughts slipped away. I no longer cared what would happen the next day. I was only concerned about the moment.
I still wasn't sure if it was a dream or not. I had missed these arms more than anything. It felt like I was home.
I was going to soak it all in and enjoy it while I could.
I knew in the morning it would all be gone and the world would go back to how it was. I closed my eyes as I felt more peace than I had felt in a long time.
Tonight though, we were our past selves for a moment.
I was Demi. He was Joe. We were us again.
Even if it was only for one night.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*chefs kiss*