"Surprise," Lauren said.
Joey looked blankly at her; she'd parked in an unassuming mall parking lot.
"Come on," she smiled, climbing out of the car.
She led him into the department store, navigating to where she knew the Christmas display would be, and sighing contentedly when she saw it.
Joey looked from the display to her, a fond smile on his face.
"Me and Julia would always come here when we did our Christmas shopping," she told him. "But we didn't get a chance this year."
"So you brought me," he said.
She reached out to squeeze his hand. "So I brought you."
She took a few steps forward to look at the display, Joey staying right by her side.
"Look, those reindeer are my favourite. And I love that snowman, but that's new. And-"
She stopped short when he leaned down and kissed her cheek. She looked up at him curiously, resisting the impulse to press her fingertips to where his lips had just touched.
"What was that for?" she asked in a whisper.
He looked up, and she followed his gaze.
"Mistletoe," he said.
She giggled, relaxing. "That's not even fucking mistletoe, dummy."
"Yes it is," he insisted.
"Those berries are red."
"It's a... new species of mistletoe."
She rolled her eyes, tugging on his hand. "Come on, we should get back now."
"Thank you for bringing me here," he said.
"Thank you for letting me," she smiled.
When they got back to her apartment Joey helped her carry the bags in, and she was about to shut the front door behind them when she remembered she left her bag in the car.
"I'll be right back, I gotta get my bag," she told him.
"Do you want me to walk back with you?"
She shook her head. "I'll be fine." And she stepped out the door again and hurried down the path.
That was her mistake.
She'd been making sure Joey was careful all morning, but all it took was a lapse of her own concentration and she was gone, one foot sliding out from under her before she fell down on the other one, it crumpling beneath her.
The surprise and the cold of the ice she was now lying on numbed her for a second, but then she felt the pain. She looked down at her ankle, trying to gauge if it was swollen, and the best she could hope for was that it was badly sprained. There was no way she was standing on it.
She pulled her phone, thankfully unscathed, out of her pocket. With shaking fingers, she typed one word - help - and sent it to Joey, closing her eyes as she prayed he'd see it and understand.
It felt like forever, but she heard his footsteps and heavy breathing and when she opened her eyes slowly he wasn't wearing even wearing his jacket so she knew he'd come as fast as he could.
He looked relieved when she opened her eyes, and he immediately knelt down beside her, cradling her head in his lap.
"Where are you hurt, Lauren?" he asked anxiously.
"Ankle," she winced. He looked down at it and the blood drained from his face.
"Do you think you can walk?" he asked, looking unsurprised when she shook her head no.
"Okay, okay. I'm going to help you up, just put all your weight on me, alright?"
She nodded, gritting her teeth. He slid his arm under her shoulders, and she held onto him as he pulled her upright. They stood there for a second, Lauren swaying as she balanced her weight on her uninjured foot, until Joey must have decided it would be too difficult to move her. With hardly an effort he lifted her into his arms, stepping carefully but surely through the snow and back to her apartment to get her keys before making his way to the car. He got her settled as gently as possible in the passenger seat, and she wanted to thank him but she was still feeling like she was going to throw up from the pain.
She wasn't aware of the drive, or even Joey carrying her into the hospital. Him squeezing her hand as they sat in the waiting room was what brought her back to reality.
"Th-thank you, Joey."
"What the hell are you thanking me for?"
"B-bringing me here."
"What, I was gonna leave you lying in the snow with a possibly broken ankle?" he said, raising an eyebrow at him.
She rested her head on his shoulder. "Sorry for ruining Christmas Eve."
"Hey, hey, don't say that. Do you know what I would have ended up doing today if I hadn't met you? Sitting alone in a hotel room wishing I was home."
"And now you're stuck here with me wishing you were home."
"Here isn't so bad," he said quietly, and Lauren was glad she couldn't see his face because she was sure she would have burst into tears.
"Lauren Lopez?" a nurse finally called.
She had a wheelchair to take her to the examination room, but Joey kept hold of her hand.
"We're going to take you for an x-ray just in case, but it's likely you've gotten away with just a sprain," the doctor said after she'd examined Lauren. "Are you her partner?" she said to Joey.
"No!" they both said at the same time.
"Just a friend," Joey clarified, giving Lauren a nervous smile.
"Okay, you can go back to the waiting room and I'll have someone come get you when we're done."
"You gonna be okay?" he said to Lauren.
"I'll be fine," she smiled.
She realised how much she missed the comfort of Joey's hand once it was gone, and she was relieved when the x-rays were done and she was back with him.
"It is a sprain," the doctor said as she came back in. "We'll send you home with some painkillers, but try and keep it elevated and don't put too much weight on it for the first couple of days. And ice should help the swelling."
"Thank you," Lauren said, as Joey started helping her up.
"And you've got a very good friend there."
Lauren grinned up at Joey. "Yeah, I do."
On the drive home her ankle started hurting again, so Joey got her to take some painkillers as soon as they got in. She didn't feel like eating, so he wrapped her up in a blanket and let her lay in his lap as the meds kicked in. Combined with the exhaustion of the day, they were making her eyelids droop, but she didn't want to fall asleep without thanking Joey properly for taking care of her.
"J-Joey-" she tried to say, but her speech came out slurred.
"Shh," he told her, stroking her hair back from her forehead. "Sleep, Lo."
Lo. She liked that. She fell asleep to the comforting motion of Joey stroking her hair, and could have sworn he kissed her forehead, though it would feel like barely a dream by the time she woke up.
When she did wake up, it was in her bed. She sat up, hearing sound in the kitchen. Wincing as she put pressure on her ankle, she pushed herself out of bed and started down the hallway. But she ran into Joey, coming from the kitchen carrying a breakfast tray.
"You," he said, "aren't supposed to be walking on your ankle."
"I can't stay in bed all day," she complained.
"Come on, I made you breakfast," he said, and she limped back to bed and let him settle the tray on her lap.
She was suddenly very conscious of how she must look, her hair a mess, no makeup, and wearing her glasses which Joey hadn't yet seen. She was still wearing regular clothes, which she supposed was something. But Joey was looking at her with a soft smile on his face, and she took a sip of coffee to hide her own smile.
"Joey," she said, just as he was about to leave her room, and he turned back to her. "I really can't thank you enough for yesterday."
"You've got nothing to thank me for, Lauren. Helping you was the least I could do after how much you've helped me."
She smiled at him, overwhelmed with gratitude. He was about to go again when she called him back once more.
"Joey? I... I liked you calling me 'Lo'," she confessed.
He looked slightly surprised. "You did? I didn't even mean to say it. I thought you wouldn't remember."
"I do remember. And I like it."
He smiled. "Noted, Lo. Now eat your breakfast," he said, and left, Lauren unable to stop the grin on her face.