"I've Never Cried"
Chapter Forty-three
'Just LET Me. '
Scene...
Continuing
Joe's POV
Demi started to head straight for my car, and quickly I followed after her, ignoring my brother and his ex, who were staring me down.
"Demi, wait," I said as she placed her hand on the handle of the passenger door. "You can't seriously be mad at me for something that I don't even remember." I'd had enough of the insanity. It had been over two months, and I was not going to let her slip away from me that easily. She was going to see me fight; I refused to lose her again.
"I don't think I need to explain to you all of the reasons I can be mad at you, Joseph."
'Joseph '. Yikes. That was a game changer.
At that point, I was ready to scream. Right then, everyone around me didn't want what I wanted, and I was absolutely sick of being beat down.
"I'm done with this, Demi." She released her grip on the handle, crossing her arms and pulling her eyebrows upward. I turned away from her briefly, in an effort to control my anger that was rushing in like water.
"Done with what?"
"I'm done with you resisting my fight. I'm done with Selena and all of her drama. I'm done with Nick and all of his anger. I'm just done with it. THIS," I pointed at Selena and Nick, "Is not what I wanted for you, okay?" I stepped closer to her.
"I never wanted you to spend your birthday like this; fighting and yelling and all of the new discoveries. I have been working my ass off for you because I love you that much. But everyone here is forgetting that I've been hurting too." She opened her mouth to speak, but clearly I was having none of it. I never got to express how I felt, because I was too busy focusing on how everyone else did. I was tired of taking the high road. If Selena and Demi got to hash it out, and Nick got to throw punches, I damn sure was going to get out everything inside of me too.
I gripped her shoulders, staring her directly in her eyes.
"You told me to fight for you. So STOP trying to keep me from doing that, and for God's sake just let me already." I released her, and turned around to my brother and Selena.
"That includes the both of you. You both know how hard I've been working for her. I've had enough of the both of you constantly changing your minds. Hash out your own drama and leave me the hell out of it. Get in the damn car, Demi."
I'd never spoken to her that way, nor did I plan to in the future, but I was at my wit's end. Everyone around me was pushing me around because I was in a vulnerable place. But I was finished with the constant guilt and pressure to make everything right on my own. Selena and Nick had their issues that they'd have to figure out for themselves, and I wasn't going to stick around to mediate. As far as I knew, I'd done everything I could, and it was time for some reciprocation from everyone else.
I didn't wait to see how Demi felt about the way I spoke to her; I was too pissed to care. Instead, I walked around to the driver's side of the car, got in beside her, and we pulled out of the driveway.
-----
The ride to the museum was silent; an insane amount of tension between Demi and I. It wasn't until we'd gotten about a mile away from the museum that she finally decided to speak.
"I'm sorry," she said. Had she said anything else, I would have ignored her. But an apology was surprising. I glanced at her, my eyes returning back to the road ahead of me.
"For what?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"You made a good point back there. . . I forgot that you were hurting too, and I forgot that you were trying so hard because I told you to. I guess I was a little too selfish." From the corner of my eye, I saw her take in a deep breath and run a hand through her hair.
"When I talked to Nick on the phone, he told me to try to remember your character, and not just . . . what you did. I didn't listen to him then, but I should have. I know you're an amazing man, Joe. I think I've just been too hurt to care how anyone else felt. And that wasn't okay."
I could feel a smile curling up at the corners of my lips, and for the first time, I felt a piece of my heart begin to heal itself. I was so tired of being and feeling wrong. It was nice to finally be told that I was right.
"Even so," I said, instantly calmer. "I deserved everything I got."
We pulled into the lot of the museum, which was closed because it was so early in the morning. Hurriedly, I got out of the car and walked around to Demi's side, opening her door for her. Holding her hand as she stepped out of the vehicle, I felt a bit more settled now that everything I'd planned for her was back on course. The only discrepancy was my brother, who I'd gone to the house to get in the first place. He wasn't with us, because I'd left in such a rage, but in a way, I was happy that Demi and I could be alone.
"What are we doing here?" Demi asked me as I shut the car door behind her. I kept my hand in hers, and she didn't seem to notice.
"This is where I've been every day since the last time I saw you."
"Why?" We stepped into the hall of modern arts, and I could feel my heart beginning to thud with anxiety.
"Because when you love someone the way I love you, the way you see the world around you changes." As we stepped in front of the door of the brand new room, I stepped in front of Demi, holding both of her hands in mine. "You remember how we met?"
"Of course," she grinned. "It wasn't that long ago."
For the first time in over two months, Demi and I shared a genuine, heart-lifting laugh. Seeing her smile right then, in just that sliver of time, validated everything I knew to be true.
"Regardless," I continued once our laughter had settled. I pointed to the adjacent door. "It was in this room."
"Joe, where are you going with this?"
"I want you to see how much I mean it when I say that I'll do anything for you. Hopefully, this will prove it."
While Demi maintained a puzzled look on her face, I opened the door and led her inside.
JJDL