Song: Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time
Summary: Joe decides to get really drunk in Vegas after breaking up with his ex, only to wake up in bed next to one of the most famous people in the business of acting, Caspar Lee, with a ring on his finger. (Or, the classic "we got married in Vegas while drunk holy fuck what do we do" story).
Words: 12,128
Warnings: drinking, divorce, getting married while drunk, mentions of sex while drunk
Author's Note: actor!Caspar can I get a fuck yes?? I'm so hyped for these one shots you don't even KNOW. Also, this chapter has no smut but the last one did. If you can't see it, maybe try following me?? Idk how smut rules work, last time it got completed deleted in BS soz. I think there's a spoiler for my other story in here :// I don't see why ppl would care tho lol (also this one shot is way worse than my last one lolz) P.S: i don't know shit about marriage rules but i don't really care lol this is called AU for a reason js P.P.S: this is way worse than the first one. Hallelujah is gonna set ur screen on fire tho no mixtape will be better than that (please don't roast me for trying teen slang im just trying to be hip)
! ! !
After swallowing his fifth shot of the night, Joe slammed it onto the table of the bar, chest heaving as he gave a silent burp and signaled the bartender to get him another shot. The man just took the shot and gave the small twenty five year old an odd look, wondering if he would get in trouble for giving so much alcohol to a person who looked about ten years old. He just filled it up again (and another one, as back up) and slid it over to the Brit, who gulped it down immediately.
The brunet knew he was going to have a terrible morning. Joe was going to spend it hunched over the toilet, vomiting - wishing he was more dead than alive. He would spend it swallowing more Advil pain pills than he should, gulping it down with water as he curled up on the couch. He would still watch T.V even if the throbbing in his head told him not to - begged him not to. Then he would call Will over and complain to him, only to get a lecture on alcohol abuse. It wasn't anything new to him. Hell, it was practically a daily routine for him.
It's been seven days since Ethan broke up with him. Seven. Mother. Fucking. Days. And yet, Joe noticed, he still was trying to fill that empty hole in heart with vodka and any other drinks the bar had up for grabs.
You're a child, Joe, Ethan had told him that day. It was a good day, until it happened. Joe had just got his paycheck from YouTube, and his 100,000 subscribe plaque had just came in. You can't just spend your whole life speaking into a camera. And I hate the way your fans pester me, ever since you tagged me in that Valentine's day photo. I'm sorry, Joe. I really like you, but, your lifestyle just isn't for me. I'm sorry.
Joe chuckled out loud to himself, taking the shot and drowning it quickly. He always promised himself that he would never cry over a boy who dumped him.
"If a boy doesn't like you for you," his mother told him when he got his first boyfriend, standing at the sink and scrubbing away at a dirty plate; her head turned over her shoulder and looking at her youngest, who was sitting at the dining table. "Don't date him. You deserve somebody who likes you for you, not somebody who doesn't understand or like the way you act. And if a boy ever breaks up with you because of it - don't waste your tears on him. He isn't worth it."
He took that advice quite literally; always being the one to get over a breakup very quickly if his boyfriend didn't like the way he lived his life. Joe exited the relationship with his head held high, repeating what his mother told him over and over in his head. Why he would break the streak of not caring now, he couldn't understand.
Maybe it was because Joe thought Ethan was different. After all, Joe kept their relationship as personal as possible - always asking if he could post this picture on Instagram, always asking if he wanted to be cut out of his daily vlogs. Joe tried the best he could to keep his boyfriend comfortable. Ethan always said he didn't mind the vlogging, the endless hours that Joe spent at his computer editing. On some nights, when Joe would pass out at his computer, Ethan would take the responsibility of cleaning up the dishes even if it was his boyfriends turn, and then make a breakfast for his boyfriend to wake up to.
Their relationship was nice. Joe honestly thought they would be together for a very long time, which he supposed they did. Two years was the longest relationship he had, up until seven days ago.
The brunet laid his head sideways on the table and took out a twenty dollar bill with another ten, placing it on the table and waving at the bartender to come pick it up. Once the man serving him got his money, Joe jumped from the high stool he was on - ankle almost twisting. He mumbled a harsh fuck under his breath before taking his phone out of his pocket, mind fuzzy as he scrolled down to Will's number.
! ! !
"You're a dumb-ass, you know that, right?"
Joe groaned and placed his arm over his eyes, trying to block out the light that attacked at them. His head was pounding and his stomach felt tight. He took the pills Will was holding out in front of his face, swallowing them dry and almost gagging before he took the glass of water from his friends other hand and gulped it down - hoping the awful feeling he had would wash away soon.
"You don't have to get drunk to feel better about this breakup," Will said in his 'fatherly' tone as Joe liked to call it. "You could've just talked about your feelings, rather than numb them with vodka."
"I don't care," Joe whined, eyes squeezing shut as his fingers rubbed circles around his temples. "It's not that big of a deal."
"You could die from alcohol poisoning," Will pointed out, crossing his arms and sitting down near Joe's feet, which were dangling off the side of the couch. (He was too tired and wasted to get to his bed. Will could've carried him to his bed, but he'd rather not get the stench of alcohol all over his new jacket). "That's kind of a big deal."
"I don't care!" Joe repeated, his voice sounded tighter and strained. He hated crying, especially in front of Will. "I don't wanna talk about it."
"You have to talk about stuff to get over it, Joe."
"I'm kinda like Stiles from Teen Wolf," Joe whispered as Will stood up. He tried to make his voice loud and sounding like he didn't care, but he couldn't do that with his best friend. Will knew better than that. "I'm a fan of ignoring a problem until it goes away."
His best friend just walked over and patted his head before going into the kitchen to make him feel better.
! ! !
Joe moved his eggs around his plate; his blanket thrown over his shoulders and hair a mess. His eyes had bags underneath them from not getting a proper night of sleep in about a week, and he felt grumpy and wished he didn't have to go to work today.
"What time do you go into work?" Will asked, stabbing his sausage with a fork and bringing it up to his mouth to eat it.
"Eleven," Joe grumbled, looking down at his watch. It was nine forty, so he had plenty time to get dressed and make himself look slightly nicer. "I'll just get dressed at ten and then leave at ten thirty."
Will nodded, taking a napkin and wiping off his mouth. "Think Chapman will be mad about you going to work with a hangover."
"Chapman loves me," Joe replied. "I wouldn't think too much of it."
His friend rolled his eyes. "Could you be any more cheeky?"
Normally, Joe would snap back with a witty comment. Today, he had nothing to say.
! ! !
Work was absolutely dreadful. He wasn't getting paid enough from YouTube to make it a full time thing, so he resorted to working for the local Newspaper. He wrote about what was 'hot' on Social Media, scouring YouTube for new stars to speak about, writing mostly about how Social Media was growing more and more 'political' since his boss wanted him too. He tried to make it as real as possible, but when the workplace wanted him to use words such as 'fire' and make 'deez nuts' jokes, it wasn't very spectacular.
"Good morning, Joe!" Emma, one of the people who worked in the same department as him, said as he walked in, handing him a cup of coffee she got from Duncan Donuts. She grew attached to him for some reason he will never know, but he didn't mind her. She was sweet, it's just annoying when she's all happy and chirpy when he comes into work with a hangover.
"Hello," He said politely, only to have her follow him to his cubicle. He felt like shooting himself as she decided to talk his ear off.
"Have you finished the Adele album review yet?" She asked, only to continue talking and not retrieve an answer. "I just finished mine on Demi Lovato's new album. I never really listened to her music before, but I enjoyed it, I guess. Do you like Demi Lovato? You seem more like someone who enjoys bands, though. I don't know, your music taste doesn't really strike me. I guess it's true what they say, you can never judge a book by its cover!"
I really shouldn't have helped you out on your first day, Joe thought, hoping he wasn't clutching his coffee hard enough to make the lid pop off.
"I really like doing album reviews," She rambled on as they approached Joe's cubicle. He dropped his bag of things near his open door and placed his coffee on the table. "I hope I get to do another one soon."
Joe nodded and gave a smile, not knowing how to respond.
"Since we're on the topic of music, I was wondering if you wanted to go to my party on Saturday," She said with a hopeful voice, a grin splitting open on her face. "There's not many boys, just my brother and his friend, but, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun! It's my bachelorette party. I'm getting married to my girlfriend Gaby in two months!"
"That's nice," Joe said, nodding along. "Where's it going to be?"
"Vegas," Emma said. "Me and a couple other workers are taking four days off. I hope you can come! You have my number, if you need anything. I have to go back to work now. If I don't call my fiance during lunch, or if she's busy, I'll come and tell you where everything is."
"Oh, don't threaten me with a good time now," Joe said. It meant to be said sarcastically, but Emma just strode away with a smile on her face, floral dress flowing behind her.
She really was sweet, but Joe didn't know how to act around her. He didn't want to be rude and tell her to fuck off because his head hurt, but he also wanted to be rude and tell her to fuck off. It was kind of a loose - loose situation. He supposed he could go to Vegas, though. He may not know anybody, but it may be good to go to her party. It'll give him a chance to maybe forget about Ethan, and get over him.
! ! !
Joe was half-asleep at the keyboard; slight drool slipping from the side of his mouth and eyes slipping shut, upper body leaning towards his computer from exhaustion. You would think drinking coffee would help, but he seemed to immune to it. He was practically draped over the computer when Emma bounced in, looking happy as she shook his shoulder to wake him up.
The brunet blinked and looked up at her, confused at where he was for a second before sitting up straight and clearing his throat.
"It's lunch time," Emma said. "I tried calling Gaby, but it seems like she's busy since she didn't pick up. Anyways, I printed out your own fancy invitation since I finished my work early."
Joe blinked again as a floral sheet of paper was pushed into his face, taking it slowly and looking down at it.
You have been invited to Emma Laven's Bachelorette party!
Taking place at Georgia Road's Grand Casino - 1298 we 097 Ave
No sort of formal attire! Wear whatever makes you comfortable.
Be there by 8:30 on Saturday, January 30th.
Remember, be there or be square!
Joe read over it, faltering slightly when he got to the "be there, or be square!" part. His old principal used to say that, trying to convince kids into attending drama and dance shows. He just looked up and Emma and gave her a nod, his head still pounding and begging him to go home to sleep.
"I'll be there if I can," Joe replied. "Sounds like it'll be fun, though."
"I know you may be uncomfortable with a bunch of people you don't know being there," Emma said. "So if you don't want to go, it's fine."
"No, no," Joe replied quickly, seeing her smile falter slightly. "I'll go, for sure. Um...is it okay if I bring a plus one?"
Emma's grin was now back with full force. "Yeah, of course!" She glanced over at his clock and her mouth rounded. "Oh shit, it's already time for me to turn in my review. Anyways, see you later, Joe!"
The boy just looked down at the invitation after she left, staring at it for a moment before turning back to his work.
! ! !
"Why can't we go, Will? Give me one reason why we can't go."
Will sighed as he looked over at his best friend, who was sitting across from him with his arms crossed. They had both been home for about two hours, and all Joe wanted to do was talk about this bachelorette party his friend invited him to, in Vegas of all places. He didn6't want to go, and when voicing that opinion, triggered Joe into a full out temper tantrum.
"I don't want you going to Vegas," He said calmly, poking at his steak with his fork. He made dinner only to try to get in Joe's good graces again, only to have him say stubbornly that he will not eat until Will says yes to going. "I've had to pick you up dead drunk from bars for the past couple of days, and you going to Vegas? That's a big no no. There will be alcohol, and guys, and people who can take advantage of you; steal your money, fuck you under the use of alcohol - it's a big no in my book. I don't want to go, and I don't want you to go either."
Joe puffed out his cheeks, giving a big exasperated sigh. "You'll be with me, Will. I don't see what the big deal is."
"I don't want you getting anymore drunk," Will said, for what seemed to be the millionth time.
"You're going to be there!" Joe argued back, slumping in his seat. He felt his stomach growl and he glanced down at his plate full of food, wishing he could throw away his dignity and just stuff his face. "I promise I won't drink at all, or take any drinks people give me. Besides, this girl is really sweet. I don't think she'd take us anywhere bad."
Will put more steak in his mouth, trying to avoid his friends eyes; which were now rounded and looking at him. His mouth was also in a slight pout. He wouldn't give up on saying no, though, no matter how much Joe begged for him to go.
! ! !
You know what? Will thought to himself the next couple of days, as he folded up his clothes and placed them in his suitcase. Fuck Joe. Fuck him and his stupid bambi eyes.
! ! !
The hotel they pulled up to was massive. The front of the building looked like it was in the shape of a 'U,' the front door in the middle of two curved sides. It didn't look like it was a large hotel; probably only three stories tall, but it did look expensive. It was midnight by the time that they arrived, so it was dark; but there was the faint sound of music being played, and the two mini fountains with dolphins facing each other were glowing a light blue. There were some people walking in, all looking rich, and...fancy. Joe and Will both felt out of place as they got out of their Uber in skinny jeans a t-shirt.
"It's really warm here for nighttime," Will observed as he went to the back of the trunk to pull out their luggage. It was only two; one for Joe, and one for Will. (Well, a quarter for Will, considering Joe stuffed some other stuff he just had to have in his friends suitcase).
"That's because we aren't in bloody England anymore," Joe scoffed, taking his own suitcase and undoing the strap so he could carry it on his shoulder. "It may be cold to them, but not for us."
Will went back round to pay the Uber, told him they both had their stuff, and then stepped back to watch the man drive off. He then picked up his own suitcase and followed Joe into the hotel, his heart starting to beat faster as he saw the inside. It looked just as good as the outside; the wall next to the elevator having professional art hung on the wall, vases placed in glass containers so they would break. As he walked up to the front desk to get their room card; Joe wandering around the room with big eyes, he felt as if he was being judged.
"Uh, yeah, I have a reservation here? It's under Will Darbyshire. Room for two." He tried to sound sophisticated and formal as he spoke to the employee, but he just sounded like a teenage idiot. Which he wasn't. At all.
"Here," The employee said, typing on the computer and checking what room number it was before she reached down underneath the table and pulled out two cards; a shiny number '7' on it. "Room for a couple. Enjoy."
Will felt his face heat up, thinking about correcting her for a moment, before just shrugging it off and walking back over to his best friend - although, now the whole hotel supposed they were boyfriends - and handed him a card.
"We got room seven," Will said, observing his card before he saw a 'floor two' on the top right corner. "Floor two."
"Nice," Joe said, looking down at it with a nod. "Two is my lucky number."
They both walked over to the elevator and opened it, stepping into it. Joe looked down at his watch with a yawn as Will pressed the floor they needed to go to.
"I'm so tired," The shorter male whined. "It's twelve thirty!"
Will shook his head, about to snap back with a well maybe we shouldn't have come then, but bit his tongue to keep himself silent.
They stayed in silence for a moment, Joe humming some Adele song under his breath before there was a ding and then the elevator doors opened.
"This place is so nice," Joe thought out loud, walking out of the elevator to look at a wall. He looked to his left, to see another dead end, and then to the right to see the rooms. He walked through it and saw a '12' to the left and a '11' to the right. He went down the right side, looking for their room number.
"And expensive," Will said, only to have Joe ignored him.
The small boy was the first to find the room, humming and taking his card and putting it in with a success. "Yay! Suite, home, suite!" He cheered.
"That doesn't even make sense," Will complained, only to trip over Joe's luggage which he just dropped at the front door, running into their large room.
This was going to be a long weekend.
! ! !
When Joe was dressed and dragged his suitcase over to his bed, (which was the larger one, much to Will's dislike. He tried to tell him that he would fit better in the smaller one considering Joe was small, but only got a pillow thrown at him) he went down to the end of the hallway, going to get a bucket of ice. It was about one o'clock now, and as Joe picked at his tights, rolling up his large sweater so he wouldn't get water on it, he felt himself growing more and more tired.
He was stopped when he saw a tall blond man entering his room, stopping in his tracks and feeling the breath knock from him as he realized who it was. The man looked over his shoulder, and looked over Joe's body before looking into his eyes. Joe felt his cheeks flush and continued to walk, even if his brain was screaming at him to reach out to the man and ask for a photo and an autograph.
The mans door shut and Joe immediately did a U-turn, forgetting about the ice and going back to his room as quick as he could.
"Will!" Joe whisper-shouted, considering he left their door open, shaking his best friend who fell asleep with the t.v on. "Will wake up!"
His friend cracked his eyes open with a groan, almost hitting Joe until the boy climbed onto his bed, face glowing with excitement.
"What do you want?" Will whispered, voice laced with sleep.
"I just saw Caspar Lee!"
! ! !
Caspar wished he could say he hated his best friend. He really wish he could, but he couldn't, considering he didn't actually hate his best friend. He was just a little bit annoyed that he was forced to come all the way down to Las Vegas just for a bachelorette party. Sure, Josh and Emma were both like siblings to him having known them for about his whole entire life, but he had to cut off filming for this.
"You couldn't have done this when you had a week off?" Oli had asked, sunglasses in his hands as he glared at the Californian sun, taking out his phone to call the Easy producers.
"They weren't engaged when I had a week off," Caspar said with a slight tone of amusement in his voice. "So no, I couldn't."
"You better be glad you're a grade A actor, Lee, or I would've dropped your ass a long time ago."
Caspar did have an excitement for going here, but didn't exactly enjoy all of Emma's friends. Sure, some of them didn't even look twice at him considering they weren't sexually attracted to men, but a couple were annoying the crap out of him. One was from England, who seemed to be reading too much fanfiction. She thinks that because a celebrity walked into her life, she's going to have this adventure or something. Imagine the look on her face when Caspar told her he liked men. Priceless.
The others were just gazing from afar, nothing too bad. It was just annoying have eyes on him all the time, have whispers about him go on behind his back. They were here for Emma getting married, not to try and sleep with her brothers best friend.
Imagine the fanfiction, Caspar thought amusingly as he walked up to his door, pressing the card key in. My Best Friends Brothers Best Friend. Amazing.
He heard shuffling behind him and looked over his shoulder, examining the boy that stopped in his tracks to gawk at him. Caspar knew the other male must've been older, but his looks seemed to have kept him youthful. His tights clung to every perfect curve his legs had; the over sized light blue sweater making his eyes stand out over the rest of his features.
As he locked eyes with the boy, the boy started to move, walking past him without another glace, but with a blush on his face that wasn't there before. Caspar entered his room with a small smile, wondering what the small boys name was.
He heard the boy run past his door a few seconds later, a small squeak being heard that the male probably didn't notice fall from his lips. He felt a smile cross his face, wishing the boy stopped to ask for an autograph.
! ! !
The next morning was dreadful. Joe had turned on the T.V to find one of Caspar's movies on at one o'clock and ended up watching it, staring at the man's face just to make sure the person he saw in the hallway was him. He really hoped he ran into him again, just to ask for maybe an autograph if he plucked up the courage to. He would never want to make the man uncomfortable - especially when he may be here on vacation.
At eight o'clock in the morning, Will drew back the curtains and let the bright sun leak into their room; sighing with content as he heard his best friend groan in agony.
"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!" Will said, smiling as Joe pulled the covers over his head, subtly tugging it off as he walked past.
The brunet sat up straight, trying to blink his sleepiness away. "Why the fuck are we up so late? The party is at eight thirty!"
"Emma sent out a mass text message last night, did you not see?" Will asked, before taking his phone off the charger and tossing it over to his friend; almost hitting him in the face if it weren't for Joe's reflexes.
Joe unlocked his friends phone (his password was his girlfriends name, ugh, Joe hated couples) and went to his text messages, Emma's popping up immediately.
Emma: hello everyone! I know it's very late right now, but Gaby flew up to see me and guess what, we're having the wedding the weekend! I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, but it's going to be nothing big. Just our friends and closest family members. We're having a large breakfast tomorrow morning at 6, and then rehearsal for the wedding at one, and then dinner at 8. Again, so sorry for the inconvenience. It was a surprise to me too!!
Joe groaned and let his head slam against the pillow. "I hate people who are in love! This was supposed to be just are party, not a wedding. I can't just show up in jeans and t-shirt!"
"You can buy a tux or something later," Will said. "Right now we need to get dressed for breakfast. These are your friends, after all."
Joe groaned and got up out of bed, nearly falling over as he made his way to his suitcase.
! ! !
The breakfast that was laying out in front of him, wasn't breakfast. It was a feast for the Queen. The table was long and piled with all sorts of food; the only ones he could indicate being bacon, eggs, johnny-cakes, pancakes, waffles, and grits. The rest look like food that only rich people ate.
"How much money does this girl have?" Will whispered to himself, just as Emma approached them. She wore a sundress; her bangs tied behind her hair and the rest curling down past her shoulder blades.
"I'm so glad you could make it, Joe!" She said excitedly, pulling the brunet into a hug he wasn't expecting. He tensed and just placed a hand on her back, not one to be rude. They lingered like that for a moment before pulling back.
"I wanted to introduce you and Will to my brother and his best friend," Emma said, taking her coworkers hand and starting to pull him somewhere. Joe shot a look over at Will, who just shrugged.
They followed her all the way to the end of the table, where a boy with red hair was sitting, staring down at his phone and typing away at it.
"Josh," Emma said, letting going of Joe's hand. He looked up, raising one eyebrow. "This is my friend Joe, and his friend, Will."
She waved her hand over each of them; both Joe and Will giving an awkward smile. They weren't really the people who were very fun and warm with introductions, instead they were awkward and...odd. It was almost as if they were the same person.
"Hello," Joe said, waving a hand since he didn't know what to do. "I'm Joe."
"Will," His friend said, giving a slight nod of the head.
"Hello," Josh replied. He sounded as if he didn't want to be there either, like he had someone better to speak to than two people his sister was introducing him to.
"Nice to meet you."
"Where's Caspar?" Emma asked. "I wanted to introduce him to them too."
Joe practically screamed when she said Caspar's name. It can't be Caspar Lee, he told himself, whole body tensing. He could just imagine Will rolling his eyes at his stupidity. Maybe it's another Caspar. Maybe it's Casper with an 'e,' not an 'a.'
"He's in the bathroom right now," Josh told Emma. "He should be out in a moment."
"Alright," Emma said, pulling out and seat and ushering Joe into it, who sat down awkwardly, tilting away from Josh. "We can sit here and wait until he comes."
Will sat in the seat next to him; seeing the look on Joe's face and almost laughing at it. Emma and Josh started talking about something and Joe leaned over, his voice a harsh whisper.
"They could be talking about Caspar Lee," Joe whispered, making sure they didn't hear. "I told you I saw him in the hallway last night!"
"It's probably not him," Will retorted. "It could be another Caspar."
Joe huffed, crossing his arms. "Caspar Lee is basically one of my favorite actors on this whole entire planet. If this is actually him, I may pass out."
"You won't pass out," Will replied. "Because if you pass out, I will kill you."
Joe just whined slightly and slumped into his seat.
! ! !
"Caspar's here!" Emma said, lightly slapping Joe's arm and pointing over to where her friend was walking towards them.
Joe looked over, and felt his heart jump in his throat; clutching his jaw so he wouldn't accidentally yell out something no one could understand. Regardless of Will telling him over and over that there was no way Caspar Lee of all people would be in this hotel - he was probably filming for the new project he was working on. As he watched the man walk over though, he felt like screaming and jumping up and down and yelling I TOLD YOU, WILL! WHAT DID I TELL YOU? I TOLD YOU. repeatedly until Will bowed down to him as if he was a God and Caspar got down on his knee and took his hand in marriage. That didn't happen though, as he walked over Joe just held back a large grin and turned to his best friend, raising his eyebrows.
Will just rolled his eyes. He was never very fond of Caspar's movies, anyways.
"Hi Caspar," Emma said when he walked up, giving him a quick hug before turning to Joe, who was practically screaming inside. "This is my friend, Joe. The one I wanted to introduce you to."
"Hello," Joe said, trying not to feel so giddy and excited as he spoke to Caspar. He was trying to act cool, as if it wasn't a big deal but holy fucking shit he's meeting Caspar Lee what the FUCK. "I'm Joe, yes, that's me." He would've slapped himself if he was trying not to scream and cry and gush over meeting one of his most favorite actors. "I brought my best friend, Will, with me." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
"Hello," Will said, not going off his tangents like his friend did. He kind of wanted to jokingly mock Joe by saying yes that is me, I am Will but he decided not to.
Caspar racked his eyes over Joe quickly and gave a small smile. "Didn't I see you in the hallway last night? You were going to get water, or something. You had a bucket in your hand."
Joe felt his cheeks redden slightly, giving a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I um, I went to get ice. Which I did, because uh - we needed it."
Caspar nodded. "I liked the sweater you were wearing."
If Joe were wearing at sweater right now, he would make sweater paws and press into his face, trying desperately to hide his dark blush and large smile. He didn't have it on, though, so all he could do was give a large smile and nod.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
They all lingered like that for a moment, making small talk before Emma got up from her seat near Joe; Caspar making up some lame excuse to sit in it.
! ! !
"You need to calm down," Will said when they were back in their room, watching as Joe ran to his suitcase to get changed into his bathing suit.
Caspar and Joe spent the whole entire breakfast talking, sometimes Will butting in to same something, only to be ignored. His best friend was acting as if he met a God; putting his chin in his hand and giving goofy smiles and laughs, practically becoming completely infatuated with the movie star. The movie star seemed to be coming completed infatuated with him, too. He caught Caspar staring at Joe when he wasn't looking, eyes lingering more than they should. He caught the South African smiling when Joe spoke of something he thought of passionately, going out of his ways to impress him with stories about where he went all over the world.
Will was glad he was being able to hang out with one of his favorite people, but he couldn't help but feel iffy about the whole situation. He only came here because Joe said it would get his mind off of Ethan, and he was, but now he was getting his mind onto somebody else. Somebody famous. What will Joe do when Caspar and him part different ways? After all, Caspar travels a lot, and Joe sits in his bedroom filming videos and never leaves outside of his comfort zone.
It was worrying.
Will couldn't bare to think of Joe getting his heart broken again, but as he got dressed for the pool and then gave him a big hug, repeating thank you for letting me come thank you thank you thank you until he finally bounced out of the room; he didn't say anything.
He just face timed Arden, pushing the thoughts to the back of his head.
! ! !
Joe again and Caspar basically clung to each other after they came back from the pool. They spoke all through wedding rehearsal (deciding to just get married in a Vegas church. The things you do for love) and dinner, only stopping to go to bed; where Caspar called him on his phone and decided to speak to him all night.
! ! !
The night of the party ended up being exactly like Will's prediction, much to Joe's surprise. He thought that Emma would be having just really drinks and casual socialization for her party with some other stuff. He didn't think there would be waiters carrying around shots of alcohol, or girls laughing as two others ate whipped cream off of their body. There were two food tables and the boys immediately stapled themselves to it, watching the girls walk by in short dresses bunched mid-thigh. From what Joe knew, he, Will, Josh, and Caspar were the only males who would be there.
"Thought you said there wasn't going to be any alcohol," Will said, picking up a random piece of food and sticking it into his mouth, chewing on it just to keep him busy. "Guess that was a lie."
"I didn't know, okay?" Joe said, crossing his arms. "I thought a girl like Emma wouldn't be into this sort of stuff."
"It's Vegas, Joe. There's a reason they ask for I.D just for entering it."
Joe just let his mood turn sour, glaring over his friend. "You don't have to be such a dick head to me, yanno? It's not like I meant to do this."
"How am I supposed to believe that when you've been getting drunk almost every single day since Ethan broke up with you?" Will raised his eyebrows, feeling his tolerance for Joe vanish. "Hm?"
"What the fuck is wrong with you, Will?" Joe asked, crossing his arms and glaring at his best friend. "You're seriously being such a dick."
"Whatever," Will grumbled, taking another piece of food and putting it in his mouth. "Go get drunk off your ass for all I care."
Joe turned on his heel and walked off, not giving a glance back to his friend. I wasn't even going to drink until now, he thought to himself. Until this fucking dick decided to be a major asshole. What the fuck is his problem? It's not like I'm his child or whatever.
The brunet grabbed the first shot he could get his hands on, tilting his head back and placing it on his lips; downing it quickly before moving onto his next.
! ! !
Joe somehow found himself stumbling outside after about a half-hour of taking any sort of drink that came his way - head buzzing and feet dragging behind him as he found his way into a garden that was near the party room, sitting down on the edge of the pavement. He looked out at the garden; eyes unfocused and blurry as he studied the pink flowers planted in a garden bed.
He took the empty shot glass he had in his hand and brought it up to his face; between where his eyes met the bridge of his nose. He just simply stared at it - body waving side to side slightly and pressing a hand to his chest when he felt the need to throw up.
Joe sat there for a moment, before laying his back down against the cold tile, feeling it press into his back. He let the shot glass fall to the floor with a clank and stared up at the sky, hand now on his stomach and mouth slightly open as he breathed heavily.
He didn't hear anybody approach, and didn't notice Caspar staring at him until he walked over to Joe, standing over him. From Joe's position you could see the bulge of his zipper and the bottom of his chin. His white dress shirt was rolled up to his elbows and it was halfway undone, showing off his bare chest, which seemed to have patches of soaked through alcohol on it. Caspar sat down right near Joe's head, still staring at him.
Joe stared at him back, eyes rolled back. He felt giggles erupt from his chest when Caspar burped loudly, clenching his hand in a fist and slamming it on his chest.
"I 'ust burped," Caspar slurred, Joe lifting his upper body up as he giggled like a little child.
"It was funny," Joe replied. He drawled out funny, letting the 'y' sound draw out for a moment before he sat crisscrossed applesauce on the ground, still giggling slightly.
"You're im'nature," Caspar said, crossing his arms. He didn't seem as drunk as Joe; probably do dumb shit since his judgment was completely useless under the influence of alcohol, but not drunk enough to forget everything that happened when he woke up with a terrible hangover he had in the morning.
He didn't really mean to get this drunk, thought having one two glasses would be fine. He didn't want anybody to catch him doing something stupid - considering it's happened before. (Caspar Lee? More like Caspar Pee! Watch the video of this movie star pee into a tree in the middle of an expensive hotel here, on ExclusiveHollywood.com!)
Caspar didn't really enjoy tabloids like that coming out, but Josh talked him into doing whatever for the night. ("C'mon, dude! You've haven't had fun in about six months because you've been so busy filming Easy. Have fun, and let loose a little!") He thought he would hold himself back a little bit, but once he started, he couldn't stop. He drank random drinks, danced with random people, and the moment he needed to take a breather, he stumbled outside to see the small boy he's been fond of for the past day he's been there.
He cared more about Joe than any other random holiday fling he's had. He felt comfortable speaking to Joe, loved to see the giant smile on his face when Caspar told him a funny story. He wasn't just physically attracted to the brunet, (the time they spent at the pool was honestly very nice, seeing Joe walk around in just shorts) but he was also emotionally attracted. When he went to bed last night, he found himself yearning for Joe's touch. He wanted to sleep with Joe. Not sex wise, but...couple wise. He wanted to feel Joe pressed up against his side, hug his waist. He wanted to hold his hand, and kiss his forehead.
He wanted to date Joe. And it sucked, because he knew that after this; they may never see each other again.
"You look deep in thought," Joe said, reaching over and poking Caspar's nose with a small giggle. "Very serious."
Caspar wrinkled his nose, putting his hand over it. "Don't touch my nose."
"Why not?" Joe hiccuped, chest heaving up slightly. "It's fun."
Caspar smirked at him and leaned forward on his elbows, skin pinching into the first and tiny specks of gravel that was spread out on the ground.
"You wanna have fun, huh?" He said, giggling when Joe nodded his head, hiccuping once more. "I know a place where we can have a shit ton of fun."
"Where?" Joe said, eyes going wide and leaning down to Caspar's face, just a brush away from their noses touching. "I wanna have fun. I haven't had fun in a while."
Caspar grinned and got up, taking the brunet's hand and bringing him with his as he stood up, Joe still close to him.
"Follow me."
! ! !
Why must the sun be so bright? Caspar thought to himself, groaning as he cracked a eyelid open, only to squeeze it back shut as the bright light slid into them. His head was throbbing, brain feeling as if it were two sizes to big for his skull. He turned over in his bed, only to have a soft whine come from beneath him. The South African peaked an eye open again, blinking until he forced it to adjust to the light. He looked down and saw Joe's head resting on his hip, wrapped up in the white blanket that they were both entangled in.
Caspar was fully awake now, jerking up and looking down at the brunet in his lap, eyes wide. His hair was messy, no shirt on. Caspar pulled the blanket that was resting against his hips and look underneath it.
Fuck.
! ! !
Joe sighed in content as he rolled over on the soft mattress, opening his eyes slowly and letting his eyes focus in on the wall in front of him. It was painted silver, gold lines painted across every other inch in horizontal lines. He sat up in his bed and stretched his arms, yawning loudly and then letting his arms fall down. His insides felt nasty; but he tried his best to ignore it. After all, he looked as if he was safe in his bedroom. His stomach churned, threatening to come up his throat and he winced, placing a hand over it and laying back down; trying his best to ignore the migraine he woke up with.
"Will?" He called out, voice hoarse from going dry in the middle of the night. "Are you awake yet?"
The brunet went to swing his legs over the bed, only to be rewarded with a sharp, tingly, pain shooting up his spine. He winced and moaned slightly, forcing himself to stand up, only to have one leg go slightly limp. He looked down and panic settled in, noticing he was completely naked. Joe reached over to the bed and wrapped the thin white sheets around him, face going blood red.
"What the fuck?" He whispered to himself, now looking around the room for a pair of his clothes, only to be met with nothing. He groaned and started to walk, right leg falling behind slowly from the pain in his ass.
He took in the objects of the room; decoration from the hotel, and then the suitcase that was open in the corner, clothes spilled out everywhere. Joe bit his lip and limped over to it, taking a pair of boxers and a large t-shirt that fell down to his mid-thigh, changing into it quickly.
So I fucked a stranger, Joe thought, feeling embarrassed as he walked into the bathroom of the large suite, washing off his legs and using the toilet; cleaning parts of his body that had dried fluids on it. He blushed an even brighter red, feeling nasty as he let the cold water wash away the dirt on his arm. May have been nice to wake up with someone, though.
Joe moved down his arm, ready to wash his hands when he finally noticed the piece of silver on his ring finger, causing full fledged panic to flood his stomach and he bent over the toilet, finally allowing himself to throw up.
! ! !
I'm not married, he thought, cleaning up the toilet and himself, making sure it looked like nobody was there. His eyes darted everywhere but the ring, although he wanted to just stare at it. I'm not married, I'm too young!
The boy walked out of the room, tiptoeing to the living room, where he saw Caspar, not facing him; hands on one hip and the other one holding a phone. Joe would've yelled if he let himself. He slipped the ring off his finger and clutched it in his palm, ready to dart out of the room if needed.
"I fucked him, Josh! I fucked Emma's friend, the one she like, worships." Caspar was saying, running a hand through his hair. Joe saw an identical ring to his own on his finger and almost threw up again, head now pounding with anticipation. "No, I didn't! And if I did, why would I want to fuck Joe?"
The brunet felt his heart clench and ignored it, starting to move to the door leading out of the room.
"Yeah, well duh, he is. But we were drunk, what if someone saw us do something? I can't remember anything after taking him to Georgia's bar, because we got so wasted." Caspar paused. "I'm just gonna go and wake him up...yeah, yeah, I'd definitely just kick him out."
Joe slipped out of the door, closing it slowly and limping off to his room that was just down the hallway, wiping at his eyes - the cold sliver pressing into his cheek.
! ! !
Will opened the door after Joe gave five hard knocks, forcing the tears off of his face and feeling stupid for how he was crying over someone he barely knew. Someone who probably wanted to do nothing with him anyways - after all, Caspar is a movie star. He could have so many people waiting in line to climb into his bed.
Will was blinking away sleep as he opened the door, glancing down at his friend in confusion before Joe pushed past him, refusing to let his friend say anything.
"Whoa," Will said as Joe ran in, blinking his sleep away once more before letting the door click shut.
Joe went to the bathroom quickly, locking it behind him and letting himself break down when he was in the safety of being alone.
"Joe?" Will asked through the door, trying to open it and meeting with no success. "Joe, are you okay? I'm sorry for being an ass last night, Joe, I just don't like seeing you drown yourself in Jack Daniels."
"Leave me alone!" The brown haired boy shouted from behind the door, sniffling loudly and wiping his eyes. "It doesn't matter okay; you were right and I was wrong!"
"Joe," Will shook the doorknob slightly, trying to open it. "Joe, please open the door. Speak to me, dude."
Joe took a deep breath, not replying.
"Joe?"
The boy put his head in his knees and letting himself sob.
Will sat on the other end of the door, listening to make sure his friend didn't hurt himself.
! ! !
The thing Joe liked most about Ethan, was that they could communicate. He knew him for some long that he was comfortable with speaking to him. Ethan always let him know that whatever Joe wanted to talk about, no matter how embarrassing, or uncomfortable, he would listen to best he could. He helped Joe a lot with his communication issues, but they wouldn't help for this. He couldn't face Caspar, he just couldn't.
He missed Ethan. He wished he never got onto YouTube and created an account, never decided to start filming stupid shit. He's been getting tweets from people, asking him when his next upload is gonna be, but he hasn't respond. He just sent out a tweet saying he was on vacation right now.
Why can't you vlog?
Pleasseeee vlog ily x :P
No vlogging?
He hasn't properly been on YouTube since Ethan broke up with him, and after this, he probably won't. He doesn't want his viewers, young girls and boys, to find out he decided to be reckless in Vegas, got drunk, and married somebody.
Joe didn't want to be that person. He wanted to make people laugh, make them happy, and not inspire them to do dumb shit like he did. He was so torn at the moment; one moment hating himself for making YouTube and the other thinking that he didn't want any of his viewers to end up like him.
The crying stopped a while ago and he was just staring at the ground, eyes unfocused. He wanted to ask Caspar what happened last night, why he woke up naked in his bed and why he was saying he wouldn't sleep with him, why he had a stupid fucking ring on his finger.
The boy closed his eyes, wishing he didn't have to face anybody.
! ! !
Will decided to go to Caspar for answers when he heard soft snores coming from the side of the bathroom door. He sighed and called out with him, being met with silence again. He shouldn't have been such an ass last night. He should've just helped his friend before it got to late - hating himself for not lending a helpful hand when Ethan broke up with him.
He simply got him comfort food and turned on Netflix, just letting him cry into his shoulder.
Will never was one for giving advice. He hated getting personal with people, but he should've just once - considering Joe was his best friend.
He went over to Caspar's room, but knocked on two people's doors that weren't him. He just knew he was down the hall, so it was just a stoke of luck that he knocked on the correct door.
The South African opened the door almost immediately, looking...well, in simple words, he looked like shit. He had a stained white shirt on and loose pajama pants, his hair tousled everywhere.
"Oh," Caspar said in surprise, realizing who Will was. "Um, hello. Do you need something?"
"Joe isn't talking to me," Will said, not sugarcoating anything. "And he locked himself in the bathroom. I just wanna know if you have anything to do with it."
Caspar's eyes went round when he said Joe's name, fists clenching at his side. "Joe's with you? Is he okay?"
"No, you dumbass," Will snapped. "I just told you he's not talking and locked himself in the bathroom; does it sound like he's okay?"
Caspar groaned and ran a hand through his hair, opening the door some more and walking into his hotel room, Will following behind him.
"What happened?" Will said again.
Caspar inhaled deeply, letting out a deep breath. "I slept with Joe."
Will narrowed his eyes. "What the fuck, dude? Why is he crying, then? What the fuck did you actually do?"
The boy was starting to sound like all broken record, but he really needed to know what was going on; what Caspar did.
"I don't know!" Caspar exclaimed. "I just woke up naked with him so I went to call Josh to figure out what to do because we were both wasted as hell last night, then I went to go check on him, and he was gone."
Will sighed, and looked over Caspar, to find a small silver band wrapped around his ring finger.
"What's that?" He asked, pointing to Caspar's finger.
Caspar looked down at it, observing it before shrugging. "Just a ring. I probably got it last night or whatever."
Will almost slapped the actor. He really almost did. He let out an exclamation of exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air.
"Caspar! It's on your fucking ring finger!" Will shouted, arms still wavering in the air.
"So?" Caspar asked, one eyebrow raised.
Will let his arms drop, gaping at the man. "You only put a ring on that finger if you're married, you oblivious asshole!"
The brown haired boy could literally see the gears turning in the South African's head; the boy just staring at it and thinking before his mouth dropped open and he looked at the other male; mouth rounded into the shape of an 'o.'
"Oh shit."
"Yeah," Will said, voice laced with anger. "Oh shit."
"Oh no," Caspar said, placing his hands over his face and groaning. "I fucked Joe and married him."
"While drunk." Will said, before giving a couple of slow claps. "Good job."
"Don't be all funny now," Caspar warned with a glare. "I'm freaking the fuck out."
"So is Joe!" Will yelled, pointing at the door as if he was there. "He just got dumped by his stupid motherfucker of a boyfriend and came here to get his mind off of it - not marry someone!"
"Okay!" Caspar shouted, placing his hands up in surrender. "Just...go get him, and I'll talk to him."
"How about you go get him?" Will snipped back. "God gave you two feet for a reason."
Caspar gave him a glare. "I wanna think about what I want to say."
"Fine," Will replied, throwing his hands up in the air. "Whatever, I'll go get him. I'm just saying, if it was you, he may open the door."
He left, and Caspar collapsed onto the couch in his suite, groaning loudly.
This is why you don't drink in Vegas.
! ! !
"Joe?" Will asked, knocking on the door softly. "Joe, are you awake?"
The boy behind the door blinked his eyes open, headache having dulled to a faint throb. He was curled up by the door, still wearing Caspar's over sized clothes. He sat up slowly, back and bum screaming in pain as he did so. He whimpered as he got up, unlocking the door and opening it, looking up at Will in confusion.
"What year is it?" Joe asked, shuffling from the bathroom and yawning widely.
"Joe, what's on your hand?"
The brunet froze and clutched his hand, fingers brushing against the cold band on his finger. He must've put it back on without noticing it. Joe swallowed and waved back at Will, going over to his suitcase to find his own clothes.
"Nothing you need to worry about," Joe said, limping over to his suitcase.
"Joe," Will said, walking over to him quickly and grabbing his shoulders, making his friend look up at him. "I'm not going to judge you. What happened?"
Joe stared at him, eyes turning glassy and unfocused. "It doesn't matter," he whispered, fingers still brushing over the ring. "He doesn't want me."
Will's eyebrows knitted together. "What?"
"Caspar and I did stuff-"
"I know," Will whispered. "Why'd you leave?"
"He said he didn't meant it," Joe whispered again. "He said he wouldn't do it, especially with me. He doesn't like me, Will. So it doesn't matter."
He wiped his eyes and grabbed clothes, Will's hands falling from him.
"He wants to speak to you," Will said.
"Well I don't want to speak to him. I want to go back home."
"Joe-"
"No, Will." Joe said with a strict voice. "You were right when you said I shouldn't drink, even if it makes me feel better...I won't be doing it again."
"I'm not here to give you again lecture," Will said to his friend, blocking his way back into the bathroom. "I'm here as your best friend to help you with this."
Joe sighed, clenching his clothes in his hands. "I don't want to see him, or speak to him. At all."
"You sort of have to, though." Will said. "You guys got...yanno, married. Plus you...yanno."
"I'll do it after a shower then," Joe replied, pushing past him and going to the bathroom. "It'll help me recollect my thoughts."
! ! !
"I don't know what to do," Caspar whined to Oli, placing a fist on his forehead. "I can't believe I got married to somebody while on vacation."
"That shit happens all the time, man." Oli sighed from the other line, staying silent for a moment before continuing on. "We just shouldn't let this leak out to the public. We just somehow get you divorced and-"
"I don't even know if he wants to see me," Caspar whispered. "I think he overheard me with Josh and got the wrong idea on what I was saying because he didn't hear what Josh was asking."
"Well what he was asking?"
"If I was looking for a quick fuck while I was drunk," Caspar replied, staring up at the ceiling. "I said I would never do that, especially with Joe."
"Yikes," Oli hissed. "That could've hit a nerve. You barely knew him though, right?"
"Yeah but I kind of wanted to ask him on a date." The actor admitted. "He's the only holiday romance I would want to keep."
"Maybe don't get divorced?"
"Dude."
"Just a suggestion," Oli replied. "Bouncing ideas off you, seeing how it works."
"I hope he doesn't take this too serious..." Caspar groaned, hitting himself on the head. "I thought Emma was the one getting married, not me."
"Hey," Oli said with a light heart. "Maybe you got married to an Elvis impersonator. That'd be cool."
Caspar hit himself on the head again.
! ! !
Joe spent about an hour in the shower, standing underneath the water until it from hot to cold; until his fingertips dried out. He washed himself slowly, caressing his body softly with the wash rag the hotel put in the shower. He ignored the ring as best as he could, wishing he wouldn't have to deal with this situation. If he listened to Will - didn't get drunk, none of this would've happened.
He sighed as he turned the shower off and stepped out onto the towel he laid on the floor, so he wouldn't get water everywhere. The small of his back still hurt, random pains shooting up his spine at random times.
How rough did Caspar go? Joe thought, drying himself off. I feel like he shoved a fucking baseball bat up my ass.
He tried to make light of the situation, but it was only eleven o'clock. He should be relaxing and eating whatever they had down in the hotel cafeteria; flipping through a book or making and quick video for his viewers to explain why he pretty much disappeared off of YouTube for a while. But, instead of that nice day, he was having an absolutely terrible one.
Joe got dressed in one of his over sized sweaters; the color a deep maroon. He always was told it was feminine of him to wear this, but he didn't care. It wasn't hurting anyone, so why are they so bothered by it?
He pulled up his sweatpants and didn't pick up Caspar's clothes; telling himself he'll just throw them somewhere later.
"I'm out of the shower," Joe said as he walked out, the cold air hitting his face and making him shiver slightly. "I feel a bit better now."
"I know this sucks," Will said, getting up from the spot he sat on the bed. "But it'll be over before you know it. Promise."
"I want it to be over now," Joe said, sighing. "I can't believe I did this. I'm never ever getting drunk again. Ever."
Will just clapped a hand on his back before walking over to the front door, opening it and nodding his head to the side; Joe's stomach in knots and heart clenching as he walked in the direction of Caspar's room.
! ! !
Caspar answered it after two knocks, opening it and looking straight at Joe when he saw him. He cleared his throat awkwardly and without saying anything, opened the door and let both him and Will in. Joe shuffled in, fingers twitching underneath the sleeves of his sweater - Will deciding to stay by the front door so they could have their privacy.
Joe didn't want to speak to Caspar. He really didn't. He didn't want to see him, hear him, talk to him, didn't even want to think about him. This week has been a terrible one, but he's going to have to deal with it.
The brunet sat down on the couch, looking up at Caspar; who was fidgeting with his thumbs.
"So," Caspar said, letting out a deep sigh. "We got married...yay."
Joe brought his legs up to the couch, hugging his knees and placing his chin on them. "It's not very yay for me. Can't we get divorced or something?"
The blonde placed a hand over his heart, about to make a joke about how much that heart, but deciding not to. He subtly moved the hand up to his shoulder and grabbed it, shuffling through his brain to try and find something to say.
"I don't know what to say," Caspar admitted.
"Then why do you want to talk to me?" Joe replied harshly, anger dripping from the words. "If you don't know what to say, then why do want to talk to me?"
"Because I want to fix this," Caspar said, only to have Joe cut him off with more anger, his legs falling neck down to the floor.
"Just divorce me," Joe snapped. "It's not like you care about me anyways, so it doesn't fucking matter. I'm used to being rejected just fucking divorce me. Find the place we got hitched at and - just -" Joe waved his hands around, cheeks flushed a bright pink from anger. "Divorce me."
"Joe, it's not that easy-"
"Why, huh? Because you're famous? Caspar Lee has a reputation, and that reputation isn't to be a human that makes mistakes like the rest of us?"
"No, because I actually sort of wanted to date you!" Caspar interrupted, making Joe go quiet. His lips pursed together and his eyes were glassy, hands crossed tightly across his chest. "I actually really like you, and was going to ask you on a date."
Joe wiped his eyes away. "I hate you. I really hate you."
The South African felt his heart sink in his chest, seeing as some tears fell from his eyes and down to his chin.
"I hate you because I'm supposed to be here getting over my ex, not...falling for someone. I'm here to fix myself, not break myself."
"We can always just deal with this later," The taller male whispered, Joe still avoiding his eyes and wiping at his face; the sliver band catching Caspar's eye. "Still stay in touch, let you get better before we deal with this."
Joe closed his eyes and placed his head on the back of the couch. "What about you though? How are you gonna handle being married?"
"We'll hide it, I guess." Caspar said, chewing on his bottom lip. "Stay married until we figure something out."
A silence hung in the room for a moment.
"I'm sorry," Joe said, the words a knife cutting at Caspar's heart.
"Don't be."
! ! !
7 months later.
"Hey, Joe!" Emma said as she passed him in the hallway, giving him as giant grin. His eyes caught the diamond ring on his ring finger and he smiled tightly.
Joe hasn't spoken to her properly since Vegas. Sure, they still waved as they passed each other in the hallway, but every time he saw her; Caspar would pop into his mind. It's been only seven months, and while they still texted each other in a while, nothing had happened. He's been over it for a couple of months now, but the idea of calling Caspar - Skyping him so they could sort this mess out - was absolutely terrifying. Caspar kept telling him it's okay kept telling him I don't like anybody so this is no big deal; I never wear my ring, everybody thinks I'm single.
Joe's been back of YouTube, uploading weekly. He has over five hundred thousand subscribers, and it's so overwhelming - in a good way. He's meeting more friends, getting himself out there. He's never been happier.
Sure, he still felt a faint pain in his chest when he thought of Ethan, but he gets why he left. He wanted privacy, and even if Joe tried his best to give him that, it's hard to have that when you're popular on a website such as YouTube.
"Hi," Joe waved, walking past her. He thought she was ask him something - anything. He had to write an article on Caspar's new show. Maybe she'd stopped an ask about that? He missed speaking to her. Was ready to get over himself.
She just walked past, though, and he could hear the click of her heels disappear after a moment of walking.
He took out his phone and went to recent text messages.
4 weeks ago.
He hasn't spoke to Caspar in four weeks, but has seen his face everywhere.
Joe sighed sadly and placed the phone back into his pocket, continuing with his walk to his cubicle.
! ! !
"That's a break everyone," The director yelled through his megaphone. "Take ten."
Caspar walked off set and to his dressing room, shaking off the leather jacket he was wearing. Nobody stopped to talk to him, knowing how cranky he's been every since he came back from vacation. He's been snapping if you did something wrong, refusing to speak about his personal life to his coworkers, and liked to spend his time alone in his dressing room. He tried his best not to be snippy, but hasn't spoken to Joe in months and it's starting to set him off.
He didn't want to bother the brunet, so he decided to only text him every once in a while. But this whole 'once in a while' thing was getting out of hand. They were married, for God's sake, and the only time they truly talked about it, was the day they agreed whenever Joe got over whatever he was going through, they would speak about it. Months later, here Caspar is, staring at the other male's contact information and forcing himself not to call. Not to text.
Caspar wasn't a burden, and he wouldn't want to act like that - especially to Joe of all people. He wanted them to be in the same place again. He wished it could be the night of the wedding, where they actually spoke normally before never speaking again. They sat alone, speaking to each other. Not about marriage, but just about themselves in general.
Just thinking about it made sadness trace around the South African's heart.
He sat down on his chair, pulling out and staring at Joe's contact information once more.
He almost pressed call.
Almost.
! ! !
It was only two days after his pass by with Emma when Joe plucked up enough courage to call Caspar. He only complained about it twice to Will before the more responsible male told him to just swing, even if he may miss the ball. Joe thought it over and over again in his head, before he came to the conclusion that it wasn't as bad as speaking to him in person. Then the images of Caspar in bed with someone else, someone famous - one of the pretty people on the show he had to watch - with him. He thought maybe Caspar had met someone new, was ready to divorce him so he could go on to some other person.
The thought made his stomach sick, but again, he told himself; it wasn't as bad as confronting him in real life. At least if he threw up, he wouldn't have to see the actor's face.
He decided to do it on full charge when Will wasn't home. It was eight o'clock at night, around dinner time for Joe. He was sitting on his couch, the T.V muted but still on; so the glow of it could make him feel less lonely in the empty room.
Joe wrapped himself up in a blanket, shivering slightly from the cold, before he finally pressed call; his ring feeling more cold than usual.
! ! !
At first, Caspar thought he was going crazy. There was no way Joe was calling him. Not in the middle of a dinner party for his T.V show. He was sitting at the dining room table, watching the director say his speech. Caspar was rethinking his own memorized speech; only five more minutes until he went up there himself.
Then, he felt the vibration in his pocket. He got annoyed for a moment, taking his phone out, ready to press decline; only to see Joe's name flash across the screen. His heart jumped into his throat.
He could get in serious trouble with Oli for this.
He could get in serious, serious trouble from the producer for this.
He may even get fired.
He still took the call anyways, running from his seat and to the hallway of the hotel as fast as he could, answering it just in time before it went to voicemail.
! ! !
"Hi," Caspar breathed. "You called."
"I did," Joe said from the other line, his face flushing at Caspar's airy tone. "I want to talk."
"Okay," the other respond. "I could get into a lot of trouble, but...it's worth it."
Joe smiled.
! ! !
5 years later.
"Dad! Dad!" The young girl yelled, tugging on the sleeve of her tall fathers jacket, staring up at him with round, green eyes. The man turned his attention to her, raising one eyebrow. "Can I go on the swing with Mason? Please?"
"Of course," He said, shooing her off. He was going to warn her not to just jump off mid-air like she's done before, but wasn't able to since she shot off to her friend, legs practically a blur from how fast she ran - pulling her blond hair up into a ponytail as she did so.
"She may join track one day," His husband said as he joined him, slipping one arm through his and laying his head on the taller ones shoulder. "She's very fast."
"I know," Caspar said, turning sideways to kiss Joe's forehead. "I still can't believe we have her in our lives."
"Well," Joe replied, teasingly. "Thank Vegas for that."
Even if Joe was joking, Caspar really did thank Vegas. If it wasn't for taking that vacation years ago, he wouldn't have gotten married - even if it was reckless abandon - to the best man he's ever known, and had a daughter with him.