Joelle
"Wait, so there's a guy?" Blake's tone of complete disbelief was almost amusing, but his facial features were even better. It was like he had been told that Starbucks now delivered. Eyebrows were raised, eyes were wide, mouth pursed. "Explain right now, Jo, or I'm calling mom and dad."
We had met up for dinner at a small diner to catch up on everything that had happened since our last family get together. We also hadn't had a lot of one-on-one time, since we had always been surrounded by either our sisters or our parents. It was nice to sit and talk, not worrying about who else could hear.
I loved my parents more than anything, along with my sisters, but Blake and I had a connection that couldn't be explained by the best scientists - we understood each other without anything needing to be said. Kind of amusing, since we weren't even blood related siblings.
"We're not in grade one anymore, Blake." I rolled my eyes, though it was hard to hide my smile. "Don't overreact, okay? He's a good guy and doesn't need the third degree."
"He has to be an amazing guy if you gave him the time of day. What's his name? Do I know him?"
"I was going to ask him to join us for dinner, but only if it was okay with you. Then you can meet him." I shrugged, being a bit obvious in not giving the answers that Blake asked.
It was a last minute thing, and usually I wouldn't have told Blake at all. I knew that I could trust him with my life, but I was always a bit wary to tell him about any type of relationship because he got protective - fast.
Zayn and I would have stayed a secret to my family, if I hadn't realized that the likeliness that eventually the media would catch drift of me was high. Luck had been the only thing keeping the world from knowing about us. The last thing I needed was Blake calling me up, upset that he hadn't been the first to know that I was now 'buddies' with Zayn Malik.
So I called up Zayn, informed him that my very strong, very protective brother needed to meet him. Then I met up with Blake for dinner, deciding that today was as good as any. Sooner it happened, sooner it was over with.
"So what you mean by 'going to ask him', is that you already asked him and that he's on his way. Am I correct?" Blake smirked, and I cursed the fact that he could see right through me.
"Basically."
"Do I at least get to know his name?"
"I was hoping you would forget about that small piece of information," I pouted. Blake was one of the only people I could freely express myself with.
"Looks like you won't have to tell me. I have this strange feeling that his name is Zayn Malik and I do know him. At least I know of him." Blake said in a tone that made me turn around quickly towards the entrance of the diner. Sure enough, in a leather jacket and looking completely out of place, Zayn had just noticed and started speeding toward us.
"Surprise?" I offered weakly before sliding over for him.
Zayn, however, didn't immediately sit beside me. Instead he offered a hand to shake Blake's. "Hi, I'm Zayn. Joelle's boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Blake echoed, turning to me with a side smirk and an eyebrow raise.
I blushed and looked down. Zayn looked with confusion at me before nodding.
"Strange - Joelle hates that word." My brother was close to laughing as Zayn slowly lowered himself into the seat beside me. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Blake. The brother who only just found out five minutes ago that his favorite non-twin sister is in a relationship."
"Now you've met, now we can go our separate ways. Bye." I resorted to being my awkward self, suddenly uncomfortable with my two worlds colliding. I didn't even bother pretending to get up, because these two would be able to see straight through my act.
"So, what's it like being in a boy band?" Blake folded his hands on the table, staring straight at Zayn. Considering that Blake seemed like the type of guy who was in a gang and could beat you up in a second, it was surprising that Zayn didn't even flinch at being stared down.
"A lot cooler than I thought it would be," Zayn replied in a level voice, it seemed to match my brother's perfectly. "What do you do for a living?"
"Photographer. I have a couple studios in the states, it seems to be the best place for business. I do mostly landscaping," My brother brightened as he talked about his profession, and it made me smile that he was so proud of his work. I realized that we were both incredibly lucky, that the thing that paid our bills made us happy. It wasn't like we woke up dreading work every day, there was always a sense of adventure. I knew that I would be able to do something I loved, same went for Blake.
"Blake Parker, yeah?" Zayn's eyebrows furrowed together as if the name registered somewhere in the back of his mind. He looked adorable, with his focus being on trying to figure out how he knew that name. Then, it seemed like something clicked. "My mom has a bunch of your pictures in the house, you're pretty huge in the U.S. She had them ordered online, that's why your name seemed familiar."
Blake seemed completely shocked, but that soon drifted into surprised pleasure. "That's really cool, mate. I actually have a studio opening up here in London next month, you're invited to be Joelle's date if you're in the area."
"I'd love too - I head out for tour on Thursday, but if it's over one of days off, I'd love to join Joelle. I can buy a couple pieces too, my mom would be ecstatic to have some signed ones." Zayn gave a smile.
I hadn't truly noticed, but somehow my hand had ended up in Zayn's in the past three minutes and was resting on his knee. It had been so subtle and so normal, that my brain hadn't processed it. Though it didn't seem to pass by my brother's radar, as he was smirking in my direction and there was a definite sparkle in his eyes.
"This is weird, I don't know how to feel about this. Should I feel happy that you two are getting along?" I asked after they had been talking about photography for a good ten minutes. I had stayed quiet the entire time - which isn't exactly out of character for me. It was, however, strange that they acted as though they had known each other for years. I was starting to feel like they had completely forgot about me. If Zayn's hand hadn't occasionally tightened around mine, I would have assumed I was invisible.
"You have a famous boyfriend and a famous brother, I think you can be happy that we get along." Zayn teased and Blake grinned.
"Wouldn't call myself famous, mate."
"You're well-known in the photographer business, that classifies you as famous." Zayn brushed off Blake's statement as if he was being silly. I completely agreed with Zayn, Blake's photos were gallery worthy and I liked to brag that my brother could do such amazing things with a simple camera.
"Technically speaking, Joelle is famous too. Most people know her as one of The Mess' best radio personalities. They know exactly who she is just by her voice, I categorize those people as hardcore fans." Blake joked, breezing into the conversation like he was getting paid for it. Another way you could tell that we weren't at all related - he had an easy time conversing with people he just met. I once joked that we stole each other's careers.
He had the job that required no talking, while I had the job where all you did was talk. Photographers were usually known to be quieter and more thoughtful, while radio personalities usually were thought to be hyper, loud and talkative. But the two of us liked to prove stereotypes wrong.
"I just can't believe I'm dating the Joelle Parker," Zayn raved with a smile etched across his face.
I used the hand that was not in his to smack his shoulder lightly. Blake grinned. "You guys are perfect for each other."
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Dedication to FakingBritish. Your username is awesome.
What are the thoughts on the new cover? It fits the story better, especially with the upcoming events.
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I went to go see ELF the Musical because a bunch of my friends were in it and it was bloody fantastic. SANTA. I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM!
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