Authors note:
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I just wanted to write this and get this out because it's in my head and I love writing it!!
And I love this jonas brothers obviously! Ha.
The next morning I feel hungover from all the crying I did last night. A part of me wanted to call Nick after Joe left and confide in him, but knowing about his feelings for me has me hesitant.
I look in the mirror and I have two black eyes and my nose is a bit swollen. I decide to swallow my pride and go get checked out.
I leave the doctors office with good news; my nose isn't broken. It's just going to take a little bit for the swelling to go down and I have to keep icing it.
I apply concealer under my eyes in the car and make my way to my parents house. I see Joes car parked in his parents driveway and I pray he doesn't notice me next door.
My mother questions me about my doctors visit as soon as I walk in, so I give her a quick rundown as the two of us walk into the kitchen. She made us sandwiches; turkey and cheddar cheese.
She used to make me a sandwich everyday to bring with me to school for lunch. You'd think they would get old, but she would always change it up so I wouldn't get sick of one thing. Joe would trade with me once a week because he loved them too.
I sit at the island and take a bite of my sandwich. My mother takes a seat beside me and takes a long sip of iced tea before taking a bite of her own sandwich. We eat in silence and I'm glad she doesn't mention Nick.
When we are finished, I go out into the back yard and take a seat at the picnic table. The sun is shining and the air is warm with a slight breeze. My mother's wind chimes make sweet music as I close my eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.
I hear a noise and open my eyes. The sound came from the Jonas' back yard. Joe and Jenny walk out the back door and immediately notice me. If only our yard was fenced in...
I wave at them and they walk over to me, holding hands.
"Hey Trin." Joe says when they reach me.
"Hey guys." I say, "come sit." I say, though it's the last thing I want them to do.
They take a seat across from me and Jenny smiles, "how are you?" She asks.
"I'm fine, what about you?"
"Great." She says, and turns to Joe with a grin. He returns the gesture and I look down at my hands.
"I was wondering something Trinity." Jenny says and I look at her. She has always called me by my name and not my nickname like everybody else does.
"Okay."
"Would you be a bridesmaid in our wedding?" She asks, her face beaming.
If I say no, they are going to ask why and what would I tell them? I'm not good at thinking of things like that on the spot. So I don't have much of a choice.
"Of course." I say.
"Great! that's great news!" She says, clapping her hands together. I look at Joe and he's just staring at me. I look away, hoping he can't read my expression. I tried to make my smile seem as real as I could but I'm not sure I was very convincing.
Suddenly, Joe's mother peaks her head out the back door. "Hey Trin!" She yells and i wave. "Jenny, i found my wedding photo album i wanted to show you!" she says.
"Okay, coming!" Jenny says and stands up. I feel a tinge of jealousy at how much Joes mom likes Jenny.
Joe stays seated and looks up at her, "Go ahead, i've seen them plenty of times." he says.
"Okay," she starts and looks at me, "See you later Trinity."
"See ya Jenny." i say as she walks away.
I feel Joe's eyes on me and i force myself to look at him. His expression is odd to read and i bite my lip.
"Well..." he says.
"What?" I ask.
"I couldn't help but notice you didn't seem very thrilled when Jenny asked you to be a bridesmaid."
Shit.
"Oh, no i am totally excited." I say. He squints his eyes at me like i'm the sun and I'm burning his eyes.
"Liar." He says, his voice low.
"I'm just not into being in weddings and dressing up and all that." i say.
"Oh." He says, as if he is disappointed with my answer.
"Yeah." I say.
I see movement in the corner of my eye and Nick appears from the front of my parents house. I start to panic at the sight of him. I haven't talked to him since he admitted he has feelings for me.
"Hey guys." Nick says, walking over to us and leaning against the table.
"What's up?" Joe asks, turning to face him.
"I came to talk to Trin."
My palms start to sweat. "Oh?" I say.
Suddenly Jenny pokes her head out into the yard and yells,"Joe, your mom wants to talk to you."
"Okay." Joe calls back.
"Uh, i'll see you guys later." He says before walking away. I watch him walk up to Jenny and she reaches her hand out for his. I look away before they make contact.
Nick takes Joe's spot across from me and smiles a friendly smile at me, "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay." i say.
He rubs the back of his neck and i can tell he is nervous. Nick has always been easy to read, unlike Joe.
"I'm sorry for what i said last night. I know you are going through a lot and that's pretty shitty timing of me."
I shake my head, "Don't be sorry."
"I just don't want to ruin our friendship." he says. Wow, was i really just friend zoned by another Jonas Brother?
"Nothing could ruin that." i say.
"So let's just pretend last night didn't happen then?" He asks. I nod and he smiles, resting his hands on the table in front of him.
"Good."
I sigh, "Jenny asked me to be a bridesmaid."
His eyes widen, "Damn. Well i think we saw that coming."
"Yeah, i guess."
"Well i'm obviously in the wedding too, so at least we can hangout."
"True." i say, though that doesn't make me feel better at all.
A few days go by and I find myself alone on a Friday night wearing sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt, cradling a pint of Ben and Jerry's like it's a small child as I binge watch netflix. Joe and Jenny have been busy wedding planning, and Nick has barely talked to me even though he was the one that said he wanted to pretend that our conversation never happened.
Danielle texts me and invites me over to her and Kevin's house for their annual game night and I decline which makes me feel bad but I just don't feel like going out tonight. Especially with all of the awkwardness.
My phone vibrates beside me and I grab it. Joes name appears on my screen and I just stare at it. He doesn't text me much anymore, but it doesn't stop me from opening it.
Joe: heyyy, how dare you skip Kev and Danielles game night :P
A warm feeling floods through me and I smile. God I am such a sucker for him.
Me: sorry, just felt like being a bum tonight.
Joe: it's not the same without you here. You never miss this.
I want to say it's unlike him to say stuff like this to me but that's just how we are with each other. If only he knew how much his simple words have an impact on me.
Me: I'm sorry!
Joe: can I come over?
What? He can't be serious? Is he going to bring Jenny? I look around my room, panic fills me.
Me: seriously?
Joe: yes, it's boring here anyways.
Me: what about Jenny?
Joe: she's working and you know she doesn't care.
Me: Okay, then sure.
Joe: Be right there.
I jump up off the couch, running into the kitchen and throwing my ice cream in the freezer. I run into my room and throw on a tee shirt and a pair of jeans, clearly winded by all the running i'm doing.
I clean up the living room until i hear his car pull into the driveway. I walk up to the door and am about to open it before he even walks up but decide against it. I don't want to look that desperate. Plus, why am i acting like this? It's just my best friend who's engaged, coming over to hang out with his best bud.
He knocks on the door and i wait a moment and answer it. He's in a black tee shirt, and his curls are sticking up everywhere. He smiles shyly and i could melt in my spot. He is the most attractive guy i've ever seen.
"Hey." he says.
"Hi." I say, my throat feeling dry.
I let him in and walk with him into the kitchen, "Did you want anything to drink?" i ask.
"Got any alcohol?" He asks. I turn to look at him, expecting him to laugh at his own joke, but his face is blank. He's serious.
"Really? Are you okay?" i ask.
He nods, "Just the whole wedding planning has stressed me out lately. I just need a night of relaxation with an old friend."
I smile and walk over to my cabinet where i have a bottle of whiskey. I grab two shot glasses out of the cabinet and carrying everything out into the living room, setting it on the coffee table. Joe and I have only drank alone together one other time, and it was way before we were the legal age.
I sit down on the floor, my back against the couch. Joe turns on my stereo, just loud enough for us to hear it and then sits the same exact way beside me, brushing a hand through his hair. I'd do anything to run my hands through it.
I fill each shot glass half way and set the bottle down. Joe grabs his and looks at me, waiting for me to grab my own, so I do.
"Cheers." He says, knocking his glass against mine and I giggle.
I sip it all in a quick gulp and it's immediately burns it's way down my throat. I want to gag but I don't. I don't drink often, so I'm not used to the sensation. Joe doesn't even grimace and grabs the bottle and refills for us.
"I didn't know this much shit went into wedding planning, you know? I thought if we were keeping it small then we'd have less to do. But my mom is helping her and wants it to be this extravagant event." He says, downing his next shot.
If this is what we are going to talk about all night, I'm gonna need to get drunk to be able to listen to it.
I drink my shot and smile, "A lot goes into a wedding, Joe." I say.
"You're right. I think it's just cause of how soon it's happening."
"Right." I say, grabbing the whole bottle and taking a sip. He laughs at me.
"Just going for it, huh?" He asks.
I giggle, my face feeling warm from the whiskey. I've always been a light weight.
"So what's new with you?" He asks, taking the bottle from me and taking a sip. I watch his lips press against where mine just were, and wonder what it would feel like to kiss him. I get a chill just thinking about it.
"Not much. Same old boring stuff."
He turns his body towards me and leans his elbow on the couch, "Remember the first time we drank together?" He asks, humor written on his face.
I laugh, "Of course."
"I was still half drunk when I got home, my parents were pissed."
"My parents were upset with me but they were happy I was safe with you and we were smart enough not to drive."
He adjusts his arm and it presses against my shoulders, the warmth from his body on mine. Surely he doesn't realize what he's doing.
"They always trusted us together." He says lowly.
One of my favorite songs comes on then and I close my eyes, leaning my head back a bit. Man, the whiskey is working.
Suddenly, I feel his fingertips brush against my cheek and I open my eyes, startled by his contact. His glossed over eyes scan my face and I can tell he is feeling the effects of the alcohol too.
I lean my face against his hand and he cups my cheek. My face is surely red and on fire, though I blame his touch for that.
"Trinity..." he says, his voice coming out deep and raspy. My breathing fastens and I feel dizzy.
Suddenly, a knock on the door snaps us out of our trance and we both jump up to our feet, just merely missing bumping our heads together. He grabs the bottle and shot glasses and goes into the kitchen, leaving me alone.
I walk over to the door and look through the peep hole and my eyes widen, it's Jenny and Nick.
I take a deep breath and exhale as I open the door, putting on a smile. Jenny smiles at me, "Hey there, we heard Joe came over and thought we could all hangout." She says. Not a hint of accusation or jealousy in her voice.
"Come in." I say, gesturing for them to follow.
I make my way into the kitchen with the two of them in tow. Joe is leaning on the counter, drinking a glass of water. Jenny runs up to him and gives him a hug. He looks at me over her shoulder, his expression unreadable. What the hell happened between us?