My entire life, all I wanted was a fairytale romance. That came crashing down when my parents divorced. Mom got custody of me and we got the house. Dad tried to be involved in my life but eventually, all I got from him was a birthday card in the mail and a check, a Christmas present sent in the mail, and the monthly alimony check.
The divorce was rough. Dad was cheating on Mom because of her drinking and shopping addictions. Mom claimed she was always drinking or shopping because Dad was always at work. I wasn't really surprised that neither one of them wants to take the responsibility for the divorce. I guess I should be happy neither one of them blamed me.
How could they? Neither one of them was around long enough to blame me.
Four years ago I started working on set for Stranger Things. I started out a normal assistant for anyone and everyone on set but eventually, I got promoted to personal assistant for the woman in charge of costumes. In between seasons, I've been going to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising or FIDM. I hope to eventually work as a costume designer.
Over the last four years, I've become great friends with the cast. Specifically Joe Keery. Maybe it's because we're the same age. Maybe it's because when we first met, neither one of us was really sure what we wanted. Joe was hesitant about his role and I was hesitant about my job. We bonded over venting and drunkenly blurting out our insecurities.
Over the last season, I've noticed Joe slightly start to change. He's made a bigger effort to stop by and say hi every morning. When he comes in for a fitting or to get something fixed, he spends the entire time asking me about school and the next step I had to take in my career.
With all the time Joe spent with me, I soon realized that I was falling in love with him.
I tried putting it off for as long as possible, but it was useless. Joe was too easy to fall in love with. Every time he'd make me laugh or make me smile or make me feel like the only woman in the world, I'd hear my mother's voice and would snap out of it.
"Don't fall in love, Y/N," she'd sigh. "It's a trap. That man won't take care of you. Only you can take care of yourself. Don't fall for it. Don't be gullible, Y/N. Only silly girls are gullible."
"Earth to Y/N?"
I jumped out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Joe holding out the jacket he wears throughout season 4.
"Sorry," I said softly. "Did you need something?"
"One of the seams is starting to rip," he said, slowly. "Matt sent me to have you fix it. . . Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said quickly, clearing my throat. "You said a seam was ripping?"
"Yeah," he said still looking at me oddly. "Right here."
I took his jacket from him and instantly found the tare. I carried it over to my desk and started pinning it. I looked up and saw Joe still watching me.
"I can bring this to you once I'm done," I said, my cheeks burning. "You don't have to wait."
"I don't mind," he shrugged. He walked over and sat on the stool I used for fittings. He sat like that, neither one of us saying anything while I finished fixing Joe's jacket. I was just snipping off the spare thread when he cleared his throat.
"What are your plans this weekend?" He asked.
"Nothing," I shrugged. I stood up and signaled for him to come closer. He looked at me strangely before turning around and letting me help him put on his jacket.
"Really?" He asked before turning around and fixing his jacket. "You've got no plans?"
"Nope," I said, sighing. The look in his eyes made my breath get caught in my throat. "Did you. . ."
"How about I take you out?"
"Take me where?" I asked, my stomach doing a weird flip.
"To dinner," Joe said with a small chuckle. "Maybe a movie or we could. . ."
"You mean like a date?" I asked, softly cutting him off.
"Exactly," he smiled.
"Why?"
"Why what?" Joe asked, still his teasy self.
"Why do you want to take me on a date so badly?" I asked.
"I was kind of hoping that you'd, you know. . .fall in love with me."
"You don't want that," I mumbled looking down at my hands.
"Yes, I do," he insisted. I shook my head and took a step away from him.
"No, you don't," I insisted right back.
"Why wouldn't I?" Joe asked, slowly starting to get more serious. "Y/N, you're an incredible girl. You're smart. You're funny. You're sweet. You're honestly unlike any girl I've ever met."
"Stop!" I yelled, tears building up. "Please stop," I whispered.
"Y/N," he said under his breath.
"Falling in love is make-believe. And besides, I'm not the kind of girl who gets the guy," I said shakily. "I'm not the one who guys all secretly fall in love with. It just doesn't happen okay?"
"What makes you think. . ."
"Nick Walters."
"Who's that?"
"He was my best friend all through elementary and middle school," I said, wrapping my arms around myself. "End of middle school I made the dumb mistake of telling him that I thought I was in love with him. He didn't feel the same way. In fact. . . He laughed."
"He what?"
When I looked up at Joe, I instantly saw the anger in his eyes.
"I lost my best friend and my first love in a matter of five minutes," I whispered, tears building. "I've been too scared to. . . to fall in love again."
Joe's eyes softened when he saw the tears threatening to fall. He slowly took a step closer to me.
"Nick was a jerk," Joe said as clearly as he could. He started to reach for my hand but stopped himself. "But forgetting about him, can we go back to what you said earlier about falling in love? Why do you think it's make-believe?"
I wanted to tell him, but if I did. . .
"Just don't make fun of me, okay?"
"I'm not going to make fun of you," Joe said instantly.
"After everything with Nick, I watched my comfort movie, the 1997 Cinderella with Brandi. In it, Bernadette Peters sings this song warning her daughters that falling in love was a trick."
"A trick?"
"Falling in love is falling for make-believe," I recited. I cleared my throat before adding, "And it's also exactly what my mom said to me when I came home crying that day from school."
Joe gently grabbed my hands, pulling me closer to him. "Not every relationship is going to end," he whispered. "Some last. . ."
He didn't finish. Instead, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to mine. Every part of me screamed at me to stop, that he was just going to break my heart. But there was a small part that wanted to believe what he was saying.
A small part of me wanted to believe in love again.
I broke the kiss, breathing heavily. I stepped back a little, but I didn't go far. I didn't want to go far from him.
"If you want me to fall in love with you," I whispered, "there's something I'm going to need you to do."
"Of course," he said quickly. "Anything."
"I need you to promise me something," I said, still a little nervous. I took a shaky breath as I continued, "I need you to promise me, Joe, that you aren't going to break my heart."
Joe gently grabbed my chin, making me look up at him. He moved his hand so he was gently holding my cheek.
"You don't have to worry about that, Y/N," he whispered. His voice sent chills up my spine. "I could never break your heart because I'm already in love with you."