#chap 6

"Do you know what happens in the gray zone between a solid and a liquid?" Jeongguk asks, holding up an ice cube.

Slowly looking up from the weekly sales report, you notch an eyebrow. "What?"

Guk extends the ice cube towards you with a smile. "The gray zone."

You pick up your glass of wine, blinking at the sheer largeness of the question.

"Oh come on, Y/N!" he groans, dropping the ice cube in his glass and jumping onto the marble island, "ice is clearly understood. It goes from a solid to a liquid because of temperature but what about sand? A grain of sand is solid, you can roll it around and it stays the same. But if you were to put a million of those hard solid pieces of sand in… let's say a funnel it begins to flow like water. What I'm asking is why?"

When he gets like this, all science-y and all big brain sexy, you can see his eyebrows knit together with sheer delight, his beautiful brown eyes widen with the potential knowledge and you find yourself becoming lost in his queries almost immediately.

"I don't know… why does it?" you inquire, setting down your stack of papers.

"No one knows. Which is why I want to know," he jeers, lifting his glass of whisky with a sly smile.

He makes the corners of your lips tug upwards and suddenly you're smiling at his silly response.

"I like when you smile," he breathes above the lip of his glass.

You narrow your eyes at him playfully and he chuckles deeply at the sight.

It's easy for him to pull your emotions from you now. It's also not uncommon for you to smile multiple times throughout the day.

The deep threat of feeling emotions is always on the backburner with Jeon Jeongguk and he likes it that way.

He hasn't told you this but he doesn't want your money… not really anyway. He shouldn't be paid to hang out with a friend.

Which is what he now considers you. He sometimes enjoys spending more time with you than Taehyung and Jimin. With them, he talks about stuff the doesn't seem to matter like sex or women, sometimes fashion or things of that nature. But with you he's himself, he lets his brain breathe and he speaks freely which is something he hasn't done in ages.

Guk also knows that he flirts with you far too much for his own good but he's fucking captivated and it's the only normal response for him.

"Shut up," you gasp, putting your hands to your cheeks.

Setting down his drink, he grabs your hands.

"Why're you always so cold," he whispers, tutting his tongue to the roof of his mouth with disapproval.

"Cause I'm cold hearted," you jest back.

He rolls his eyes softly, holding your delicate hands within his.

"You're not though, you and I both know this," he murmurs, squeezing your hands softly.

There's this air between you both, it's palpable and volatile in its own right and it'll need to be sorted out sooner or later.

"What about you?" you sigh, resting your hands on his knees.

Oh this.

"What about me?" he inquires, trying to skirt away from the topic as soon as possible.

"Don't deflect. That's ugly," you reprimand him softly, picking up your glass of wine.

He hasn't gone into much detail about himself. He feels as though all the words he could possibly say to explain why he is the way he is will just get caught in his throat and there'll be no way to properly express them.

"Oh come on, Gukkie. You'll need to talk to me sometime. I've already opened up to you far more than I expected to," you say above the lip of your glass.

And it's true. He knows about Jasper and Adi all too well, he knows why you are the way you are and he's still a Stanford drop out with a mysterious background and an ex called Chloe that was way too rich.

"I know, I know it's not fair. But I'm just… I'm not ready yet. I'm sorry," he breathes.

You always tell him that it's okay. You always tell him that you'll wait until he's ready like right now. But he does want to let you in. In some way, he feels like he needs to…

When Jeongguk's phone rings, it rips the pleasant silence between you to shreds and when he sees who's calling well time practically stops for him.

"Oh fuck," he whines, running his fingers through his hair.

You watch on with concern, seeing how his hands suddenly shake of fright and your eyes widen hopelessly.

"Grandmother," he announces, putting the phone to his ear.

"Jeongguk, good afternoon. I'm calling because you promised you'd come for tomorrow's tea time. You didn't forget did you?"

He so totally did.

He wanted to pretend like it wasn't actually happening until well… Now he can't help it.

"No! I didn't forget!" he gasps, chuckling awkwardly and earning a scowl of confusion from you.

"Well good because everyone is expecting you and your girlfriend!"

Oh yeah, he lied about having a girlfriend as well…

Nice Guk.

"M-My girlfriend?" he breathes, looking over your mansion helplessly.

Raising an eyebrow, you fold your arms.

He turns to you and you simply blink at his interaction with his kin on the phone.

Suddenly his expression is no longer lost or scared, suddenly he's starting to grin widely.

"My… girlfriend," he repeats with more confidence.

You know immediately what he's up to and you shake your head fiercely.

When you get up to flee, he jumps down from the marble counter to hook his arm around your waist.

"Of course, grandmother. I'll be there tomorrow for tea time with my girlfriend!" he gasps, holding you still.

"Guk!" you hiss softly, wriggling in his arms.

"Well good! I can't wait to see what sort of disappoint you'll be bringing this time! You could always beg for Chloe back, you know. She'll be there tomorrow with Hamish."

Jeongguk swallows thickly, giving his final goodbyes to the older woman before he tosses his phone onto the countertop.

"Y/N just help me out, please!"

"No! I hate people! You know that!" you whine, stomping on his foot to try and get away.

"Please! Chloe's going to be there tomorrow and I can't face her and my grandmother by myself! Pleaseeeeee?!"

Slowly you settle yourself, turning around in his grasp until you're looking up at him with only mere inches away from one another. "You owe me answers then if I'm becoming your escort here."

He rolls his eyes hard, combing some hair back behind your ear. "Fine, but just know that my grandmother is very difficult to please."

"So am I," you retort, turning around on your heel.

"I know," he murmurs, folding his arms and biting his lip nervously.

Well… you'll get all the answers you wish to know and more tomorrow it seems.

The escort couldn't sleep last night, he tossed and turned with Hawking by his side. Every single waking second felt like the worst fever dream of all eternity.

Just knowing that he would have to tell you everything for you to be ready to go to his grandmothers is a scary thought.

He handled your baggage well, but what about his baggage? Would you judge him for his life? Would you hate him for who he turned out to be and why?

So sullenly with a huge cup of coffee and big bags beneath his eyes, he enters your mansion with the spare key you hide beneath the marble statue outside.

To his surprise, you're not up yet.

A thought springs to mind that you stayed up late because you were so curious about him that it was eating you alive last night.

"Y/N?" Guk calls, his voice echoing throughout the large, vastness of your mansion.

He waits a moment, sipping his coffee. When he hears no reply, he's almost sure that you couldn't sleep because your curiosity was killing you.

He begins up your spiralling staircase, looking around at all the sterile wonder this large home has to offer.

He stops at the top of the staircase, staring deeply into the large aquarium that could easily fit fifty fish but your goldfish Piranha is the only one that takes up space in the vastness.

Everything in your life seems to be some sort of symbolism.

"Hey buddy," Guk whispers, crouching down to watch the fish swim to and fro.

The goldfish seems so carefree and with only ten seconds of memory, he can understand why it'd be such an easy state of mind to live in.

Jeongguk watches the pretty orange and black fish for a moment more before he's taking off to your grandiose bedroom.

He knows for a fact that all of these extra rooms within this mansion are completely bare.

It's like you have no memories you wish to keep and you don't dare fill up rooms that could potentially hold weight within your life. You could simply pack up your goldfish and be out of the house before tonight's moon rises.

Your bedroom door is open and he peeks in with little care until he sees you still asleep.

You're dressed in a sheer black satin gown, the straps falling carelessly over your shoulders. The sheets are billowed out and all over the place but you however lay pristine beneath them. Your hair is splayed out on the comfy looking pillows.

But what catches Jeongguk off guard is your expression while you sleep.

You look so soft and so inviting. Your eyebrows aren't knit like most times that he sees you and you're truly serene in your unconscious state.

"Wow," he breathes under his breath, leaning against the door frame of your room.

You look so tiny in your massive bed. Your lips are parted for each soft, carefree breath you take in your slumber and all the escort can think of is how pretty a color they are.

His mind flits to numbing thoughts, like running his thumb over them or gently kissing them until they're a darker color from wanting. Guk wants to pull the oxygen from your lungs with such furious passion. He wants to take you in his arms an--

Suddenly then it's too much and his pink hued cheeks show the emotions that lay stirring in his brain.

He clears his throat loudly, trying to ebb away embarrassment but it stirs you from your sleep too.

When he catches his mistake, he ducks out of the doorway in hopes that you hadn't seen him.

"H-Hello?" you call weakly, your voice laced with sleep.

Jeongguk combs his fingers through his hair, trying to find the will to tuck back every thought before he's stepping into your doorway once more like nothing happened.

"Morning, get up sleepyhead. Times awaistin'," he beams, putting his coffee cup to his lips.

"What fucking time is it?" you grumble wearily, reaching over to look at your phone.

When you move, the way your breasts sway beneath the flimsy silk has Jeongguk planting his feet to the ground in hopes that he doesn't fucking keel right over.

"Time to wake up! We got a lot to do today!" he replies loudly.

Your scowl at him by no means puts him off. If anything he adores it.

"You have a lot to learn," he breathes, watching as you sit up against your headboard.

"I have a lot to learn about what?" you inquire in a mumble, closing your eyes.

"You have a lot to learn about me," he answers, leaving your bedroom altogether.

You decided to take breakfast in the backyard, calling Mercurios to deliver breakfast pastries and coffee.

You can tell that Guk is nervous, he keeps rambling about unimportant shit like he's got some sort of tick but instead of scolding him like you would with literally anyone else -- you just look over your rose bushes.

You don't have many hours left now before you depart to his grandmothers but you're not going to force him to speak of bad memories if he's afraid. It took you a long time to even be comfortable enough to speak your truth.

"I had a fish too when I was younger named Denmark," Guk reveals awkwardly.

"Oh how lovely. What kind?" you inquire, setting down your croissant.

"B-Beta fish," he replies, clearing his throat.

You hum pleasantly, picking up your espresso.

"Oh my God, I'm stalling so badly!" Jeongguk whines, covering his face.

You hum in agreement once more. "You know so much about me Guk and you never judged me. How could I ever judge you? Don't be nervous."

The escort takes a deep, shaky breath staring at you with concerned eyes. He scratches at the tiny stubble on his chin with a sigh. "Alright, let me just get it out then… I guess."

You turn your full attention to him, ripping a piece of your croissant and popping it into your mouth.

While he stares at you, his eyes almost deem to glaze over in a way. He feels like he's staring at a thousand memories all at once and none at all.

"My grandmother," he begins nervously, "is very rich. Richer than… God anybody I've ever known. But my family, my immediate family, is very, very poor. My grandmother and grandfather were two of the first people to ever make store bought kimchi in Korea. They made… a fuckton of money. But they're the type of people that wouldn't give their kids money because they wanted them to make something of themselves."

Jeongguk sets down his coffee, stirring it with his spoon continuously until it seems like it's going to spill right over the edge.

"My mom and dad aren't very… resourceful or smart. My mother never followed in her rich parents footsteps because she felt slighted by them and we ended up living incredibly poorly in a one bedroom apartment for four people. Me, my older brother, my mother and my dad. It was fucking disgusting, there was bugs everywhere and mice and… it was nasty."

Your heart aches as you watch the escort. You watch his eyebrows knit with pure pain and it makes you ache long and deep throughout all of your limbs.

"It was… It was fucking ridiculous how I had to wear clothes that were way too big for me, with holes in my shoes when we went to my grandparents estate for Chuseok or any other Korean holiday… and my grandmother wouldn't care, y'know, she would just tell me to live better when I grew up."

Nothing surprises you anymore but you can't help but be offended and angry for the small boy he used to be.

You shake your head simply, burying the scoff you want to emit deep within your chest.

"A lot of people say that smarts sometimes skip a generation and I was born with an IQ of 165 which is higher than Stephen Hawking, by the way. I was, well I still am, incredibly smart and I always did well in school. I liked school even if people bullied me for being poor because I was fucking good at it. I liked being the best. If I'm being honest, it felt amazing."

You smile at how innocent his expression is when he looks at you, like he's back to being an eight year old that got the highest score on his math test.

"When my grandmother found out how smart I was she was so happy, she wanted me to make something of myself. So she promised me that if I got into a good college to do something respectable she would pay for my tuition. So I worked my fucking ass off to do it. I graduated high school early and got into Stanford when I was seventeen."

"Wow," you breathe, putting your manicured hand beneath your chin as you listen intently.

Jeongguk hums in agreement, picking up his coffee to sip it.

"But," he begins again, something in his tone becoming angrier and bitter, "my grandmother only promised to pay for my tuition. And she wouldn't help me with anything else. I didn't have money for food or for the dorm, I didn't have a car to get to campus of even money to take the fucking bus. She really screwed me. So for the first year, I got by with literally nothing. I couldn't get a job, I wasn't legally an adult to work. No one wanted to hire a kid that was smarter than them to do anything and be held liable by the government."

You cringe softly at his sharp, hurt words.

"Oh Guk," you breathe, grabbing his hand.

He squeezes yours reassuringly before giving you a gentle smile.

"Even on campus, girls thought I was pretty hot even if I was younger than them. And I liked that because everyone used to bully me when I was younger. A couple of the older frat guys eventually offered me a job offer. Y'know, take Liza Crankle to the Beta Phi mixer and they'll give me a hundred bucks or fuck Petal Hubbard in the back of the library for three hundred… things like that… I was so fucking broke and so desperate that I ended up doing everything they asked of me. I was making money hand over fist and suddenly I could afford a nice apartment, could afford something more than cheap, tasteless ramen from the dollar store."

You understand him, he makes his story so heartfelt and so exasperated that you can't help but nod your head along with each word he speaks.

"But after a time the older guys graduated and I was eighteen without any more random income from getting into some girl's pants. The last thing Tony, the guy who kept paying me to do stuff with women, did was hand me a business card for At Your Service. His parents own it. So I started working there immediately. The cash is fucking gold most of the time and I was having the time of my life but my studies kept slipping because I was in dates more often than being in class."

Jeongguk cringes visibly, setting down his coffee. He takes a long, heavy breath before sighing.

"My grandmother was getting reports from the dean on how I was doing in school and she found out I was doing poorly so she started having me followed… When she found out I was an escort…" Guk doesn't continue for a moment, letting the memory wash over him like frigid water, "She slapped the dog shit out of me. She was beyond livid and my first reaction was to get angry. She paid for my tuition, sure, but she didn't help me with any-fucking-thing else. So she told me to quit At Your Service and get a different job like a waiter or something. But I was making like two thousand dollars a week! I could never do that as a waiter! So I refused…"

"What'd she… What'd she do?" you inquire softly.

"Pulled the funding for my schooling," he replies.

He sounds exhausted even talking about the subject.

"Oh God," you breathe, squeezing his hand.

"There was no way I could make fifty six thousand dollars a year to finish. If I tried I-I wouldn't even be in class! So… I dropped out. And I was fine with it for a while, I missed learning to be honest but I distracted myself with clients and sex for a long time. Then I met Chloe, who you'll have the complete displeasure of meeting later."

Just hearing the name of this mysterious Chloe sends you practically rabid. So far what you do know about the wench is that she hurt Jeongguk beyond comparison.

"She's gonna be there?" you ask, widening your eyes.

"Oh yeah! My grandmother loves the little harlot. She's old money, my grandmother eats that shit up like caviar. You should see the two of them… Fucking baffling," Guk seethes through his teeth, slamming his fist down on the table and flattening one of the macarons to a pancake.

"Oh…" you mumble.

"Mhm. Let me tell you all about the devil in prada," he begins with a dark, angry chuckle, "Chloe first hired me to go as her date to her father's sixth wedding. I have tattoos and piercings so she really wanted to just make her dad livid. He's a pretty nice guy, by the way, he just picks conniving women… He raised one too. The thing about Chloe is that she's a fucking good actress. Oh Christ, she's fucking good."

You can barely even function as he speaks, he's acting so angry and appalled -- so emphatic with his words that you're captivated instantly.

"She was pretty. Probably still is, her surgeons are good at keeping her fresh as a daisy. And those were the days when I wanted to fucking bang a cantaloupe if I was gonna get paid for it--"

You can't help your giggle at his ridiculous words and it makes Jeongguk smile widely.

"I still like the way that sounds," he whispers, leaning back in his chair.

You've suddenly cleared all of the anger from his bones with one simple laugh and he's fixated on the way your nose scrunches sweetly.

"So… Chloe?" you inquire.

Clearing his throat, he comes back to reality with a wink that could light the flames of Hell itself. "So I got invested really quickly. I thought she was hot, she was rich… Whatever. Sex wasn't even on the damn table for that wedding but that was alright with me. She acted like she had a good, rich personality, it got me interested and then suddenly the wedding was over. A few weeks go by and I'm still thinking of her when she books me again but for a friend's birthday party… Anyway, she did this about seven more times. She kept getting me more interested in her, she liked all the things that I liked and then finally she paid me to have sex with her. I felt like the fucking president because it was all coming full circle."

You're waiting for the bitter end here and it doesn't disappoint with Jeongguk's next words.

"But it was all fake. We started dating after that night like really dating and I ended up leaving At Your Service because she didn't like it. She wanted to be my sugar momma or whatever the fuck and I was nineteen then so I was like 'fuck, that's dope'. It was not. It turns out that she did research on me and everything that 'we had in common'," he exasperates, curling his fingers to make big air quotes, "was just perfectly researched information. Chloe doesn't have an interesting bone in her tiny body, okay? She doesn't fucking know how to be a person. She uses her money like that's the only thing she's got… Because it is! And then when I found out that we had nothing in common, fuck, she was boring as sin. We started fighting about every-damn-thing. I would sleep on park benches instead of going home, because she made me move in with her! I wanted to fucking--"

Jeingguk begins to wring his hands up in the air and shakes them viciously as his face begins to turn pink from anger.

"I wanted to fucking hurt her sometimes! Or… myself. It was so toxic, Y/N. I can't even put into words just how toxic it all was, seriously. But she would always apologize and I would always forgive because I was scared. She broke me! I didn't have a job or a place to live, she made me dependent as hell!"

"Gukkie," you breathe softly, rounding the table to give him a hug.

He wraps his arm around your waist, pulling you down into his lap like it's normal between the both of you and when you go to object he just hooks his chin over your shoulder. "Just get used to it, I'm doin' it at the wedding too."

He won't say it out loud for fear that it'll scare you but you're comfortable as hell on top of him and you look damn good sitting in his lap like this.

"So, anyway, I started spending more time away from home so I didn't have to fight with her or even see her really. I started spending a lot of time with Jimin and Taehyung, my two best friends and it was better like that for me. But not Chloe, obviously, she started having me followed by a private investigator and she knew I fucking hated that because of my grandmother when I was at Stanford so apparently she literally gave zero fucks about how I felt. She was sure that I went back to escorting and fuck, I wish I did because that would have just pissed her off more. Taehyung and Chim told me, 'Dude, you need to break it off with her. Even if you're scared, it's scarier to be treated that way,' and they were right, y'know. Which isn't often, by the way."

You turn towards him, leaning your lower back against the arm of his chair with a soft smile. "Your friends sound nice."

Guk only rolls his eyes with a chuckle. "They're alright. Maybe you'll meet them one day."

"Maybe," you agree.

The escort sighs softly, leaning back into the chair. "So I broke up with her and it hurt to do it but I did it and it's probably the best thing I've done in years. Got back into escorting and… yeah. That's it. That's my story."

"Do you miss studying?" you inquire, watching him sip his coffee.

He hums thoughtfully, wiping a drop of spilled coffee or two off his upper lip. "Sometimes, yeah. I really love to think and learn. But I can't afford it now and… I'm older. My brain's probably all fried or something."

"From having sex with cantaloupes for money, no doubt," you jeer good naturedly.

"Did you just make a joke?!" Guk gasps, pinching your side playfully.

"I can be funny," you murmur, folding your arms.

He smiles widely, wrinkling his nose with the cute action. "I guess you can."

You sit in silence for a moment and it's so comfortable that you zone out.

"Oh, I wanted to tell you. I'm not taking your money for the wedding."

Your eyes widen and you stutter on syllables before you're able to reply. "Yo-Wh-I… What?! Why?!"

"Cause you're my friend. It's more like a favor. I'm not taking your grape blood money," he breathes, turning his nose up to you.

"Oh Guk, you can't be seriou-"

"As serious as a heart attack. Plus, you're basically paying for it today when you pretend to be my girlfriend," he shrugs nonchalantly.

You look at your phone only to sigh. "I should get ready for the big game. What kind of girlfriend do you want? Sassy and strong or glamorous and deadly?" you inquire, standing up.

"Just you," Jeongguk replies, following you.

"So… depressed?" you ask confused.

"Nope," he beams, popping the 'P', "you're sassy and strong, glamorous and deadly. You're all of it."

"Oh please," you scoff playfully, heading up your spiral staircase.

"Perfect too," he mumbles under his breath, following you up.

What Jeongguk does know is that he would never have gone to this tea thing at his grandmother's if he wasn't going with you. He would have found any old excuse to get out of it. Even going as far as to tell her he was on the way as he sits in his briefs at home with cheese dust over his bare chest -- he's done it before. But you… you make him want to show you off. He wants you to gain that confidence and he wants to be by your side for a while.

A loud screech of a chair across the linoleum floor made Joey jump in her seat, her eyes flicking up from the zoned in focus of her lunch. Alexis gave Joey an eye roll, sitting down next to her at the small table in a huff as she plopped a container of quinoa salad in front of her. Joey snorted. “Been that kinda day already, huh?”

Alexis leaned forward, her blonde hair sliding off the slope of her shoulder. “I had one kid tell me to ‘go to hell’, and that was before the first tardy bell even rang,” she puffed out, peeling off the top of her plastic container. “I just wanna sit here with you, eat my lunch in peace and not think about those heathens for the next twenty minutes.”

Lifting a bite of grilled chicken breast to her lips, Joey chuckled. “I’m so glad I teach Kindergarten.” 

Alexis shot her a smile. “By the way,” she paused to finish chewing, “what happened to you on Saturday? I know you said you were going out with that firefighter guy…” 

“Ugh, that guy was a total joke,” Joey scoffed, taking a sip of her water. “He pretty much said, without actually saying it, that I was too fat for him.” 

“You’re kidding me?” Alexis gasped. 

“Nope.” 

Her friend shook her head, her brows pulling in. “What kind of girls does he usually date then? Ones made of air?” 

“Yeah...the blow up kind apparently,” Joey said with a giggle, “But...I did go over to Niall’s later that night.” 

Alexis’ blue eyes went big. “That’s where you went? To his house?” 

She nodded, taking another bite of food. “Yeah, we ate some dinner, had some wine–a lot of wine–and watched a movie. I ended up staying at his place, so it’s a good thing you let Sadie out for me.” 

“Wait…” Alexis said, holding her hand out at Joey, “you slept over there?” 

“I didn’t sleep with him, like, in his bed or whatever,” Joey tried to explain, “I slept on the couch. It was really late and I had way too much wine and I guess I passed out on him.” 

“On him?” 

“Yeah, we were, like, kinda cuddling…”

“You were cuddling?!” Alexis screeched.

Joey pushed the back of her hand to her mouth to keep in her laugh at Alexis’ overreaction. The blonde was full on shocked. “We both had a lot of wine, so…” 

“So…” 

“Seriously, it was nothing, Lex!” 

Alexis rolled her eyes and grabbed her bottle of iced coffee. “Mmm hmm...” 

Sitting back in her chair, Joey wrinkled her brows. “What?”

“Nothing,” Alexis shot back, fighting off a grin as she took another bite of her salad, “So are you guys still just friends?”

Joey huffed out a breath as she put the lid back on her empty lunch container. “Yeah, we’re cool. He definitely doesn’t see me as anything more than that.” 

“Are you sure about that?”

“I mean, I haven’t asked him, that would be weird,” Joey scrunched up her face, “but yeah, I swear it’s totally nothing more than friends, no matter how much I want it to be. And I’m good with that. I’ve accepted my fate.” Joey pushed out a short laugh as she peeked down at the orange sitting next to her water. 

“Okay,” Alexis said, “well, what did he say to you the next morning?” 

Joey shrugged. “Nothing? When I woke up, he was still asleep on the other side of the couch. I guess he had slept out there with me, which is kind of sweet if you think about it. But, I didn’t want to wake him, so I just left.” 

Dropping her fork into her bowl, Alexis leaned back in her chair. “You just left?” 

“Yeah?” Joey bit at her lip, wondering if she had made some kind of mistake by not waking him up before she left. “I did text him later to tell him I had a good time and everything. He was okay. I just...I didn’t really know what to say to him.” 

Alexis licked across her lips, her brows raising. “So nothing else happened then?”

“I told you he doesn’t like me like that,” Joey reiterated with a shake of her head.” 

“I still don’t believe you.” 

Joey rolled her eyes. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter anyway, because I’m giving up on dating. It just doesn’t work for me. I’m too flawed.” 

“Oh!” Alexis spit out, reaching over and patting Joey’s forearm that was resting on the table. “Oh my God, I forgot to tell you that I met this guy the other day–,”

“Ooooh Lex–,”

The girl pulled her face in. “No, not for me, you crazy,” she joked, “yeah right, I have a kid. But I met him during the orientation for rising 6th graders last week and I think you two would actually be really cute together. He’s a math teacher over at East Valley Middle. Super cute, smart, great smile. I told him about you and he seemed pretty interested…”

Letting out a sigh, Joey folded her arms across the edge of the table. “Are you seriously trying to set me up right now?” 

“Well, if this thing with Niall isn’t really a thing, then what’s one more date?”

Joey picked up her water and took a small sip, her eyes glued to her friend. “What’s his name?”

“Ross.” 

“Ross?” Joey squeaked out. 

Alexis chuckled. “Just...go with it. Believe me, this could be good!” 

Taking in a deep breath, Joey pondered over her friend's statement for a moment, realizing that she did have a point. What harm would it do to give this Ross guy a chance? Surely if Alexis thought they’d be a good match, it should at least be a decent date, right? And if her weird growing feelings for Niall obviously weren’t coming to a reciprocated fruition, why should she just give up all together? 

Peeking back over at her best friend, Joey gave her a sweet smile and nodded her head. “Okay, fine. Give me his number.” 

•

Niall pulled into the studio parking lot late that Monday afternoon. He had a recording session planned, one of many for the week, and even though he was in the midst of creating his 3rd album, there was only one thing on his mind. Joey. He sat in his car after easing it into a parking space and turned off the engine. Scratching at his grown-in beard, Niall turned to stare out of his side window, and under the disguise of his sunglasses, his eyes trailed a couple holding hands as they walked by with their dog. 

It wasn’t like he had expected her to be there when he woke up on his couch that Sunday morning, really, he had no expectations at all, and he knew that he had no right to. But a tiny part of him just wished she would’ve stayed. That he could have made them some coffee, had breakfast and maybe hung out a bit. Regardless of how he felt about her, and knowing she probably would never feel that way about him, he just loved being in her company. He loved to see her bright smile and hear her infectious laugh. He loved the way she flipped her hair over her shoulder when she spoke or how excited and animated she got retelling stories to him. He loved the way she looked at him, the way her skin felt under his fingertips. The way her body felt so natural nestled up against his. 

It had been a longtime since he felt that way about anyone. And the only thing he wanted was for her to feel that same way about him.

The sound of his text tone jolted Niall out of his mini daydream. Furrowing his brow slightly, he reached over and grabbed his personal phone from the cradle of the passenger seat. It was her. 

J: Hey, so I know this is probably ridiculous and I don’t want to be one of THOSE girls, but I just want to make sure we are okay? 

J: I really am sorry for just leaving your house without waking you up or saying goodbye yesterday. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to say lol

Niall chuckled as he read over the text. The fact that here she was, texting him about the very thing at the very moment that he was thinking about her...it made him smile. A faint warmth started to swirl in Niall’s belly and he pulled off his sunglasses, quickly shooting Joey a text back. 

N: its really no problem, love . We are okay , I promise ya

J: Good. Okay because I was just a bit worried since I hadn’t heard from you since our texts yesterday. 

J: But that’s just me being irrational and anxious as usual lol

N: hahahahahhaa

N: Sorry for not texting back , I get kinda lost in me work when it gets Busy like this . I’m actually sittin in the studio lot right now 😂

J: Oh geez, I didn’t mean to fuck you up with work. Just text me back later then. I just wanted to make sure we were good. 

N: Yeh we’re good darlin . I’ll text ya later

J: 😊

He breathed out a half smirk and licked across his lips. At least he knew that he was on her mind as much as she was on his. And that thought was going to make the rest of his day fly by.

•

Joey held onto Ross’ number for the next couple days. She knew she should just bite the bullet and text him, there really was no harm in it, but there was something inside her that was making her hesitate. That wouldn't let her take that leap. She could argue that it was Niall, but they had only texted a few times over the course of the following days, and it was back to being their normal friendly banter and laughs. So really, Joey wasn’t sure that was it. 

Maybe she was just scared. 

But by Thursday night of that week, after pushing away the anxiety that she had been building within herself, she decided to just do it. And she did. And he was surprisingly...really great. 

He was very kind and respectful, super funny and they had much more in common then she had anticipated and it got to a point that they were talking so frequently, that Joey almost forgot about Niall. Almost. Ross asked her out for that Saturday night and she happily accepted. 

He was taking her to a local winery and Joey was beyond excited as she had never been to a winery before but had always wanted to go. That Saturday afternoon came and she was busy getting ready; having put on a cute flowy dress with a modest split up her left leg, a pair of low wedge sandals and was planning on topping it off with a big floppy sun hat that she had borrowed from Alexis. She had just finished blow drying her hair into long waves when she heard a knock at her door. Glancing at the clock, Joey crinkled her brows at who it could be considering it was almost an hour before Ross was expected to pick her up. 

Sadie was already barking at the threshold of the front door by the time Joey had walked out of her bedroom and when she opened it, she was more than surprised to see Niall standing there. 

“Niall!”

His light blue eyes slowly spanned down her body, and she giggled as he rounded his lips and blew out a low whistle. “Wow, Jo,” he muttered, catching Joey’s stare, “you look…really fuckin’ nice.”

She smiled and bashfully peeked down at her outfit. “Thanks,” she said before moving aside and holding open the door, “c’mon in.” 

As Niall stepped into her apartment for the very first time, he was immediately bombarded by a tiny little fluff ball of crazy eagerly jumping up at his feet. Niall crouched down to show some attention to the dog and Joey eased the door closed as she kept her widen stare on the two of them. Niall gently ruffled his big hands around the little pup’s face, even leaning in to let her give him a tiny lick on his cheek. Sadie was not only being friendly towards Niall, but wasn’t even barking at him and Joey couldn't believe it. 

“And who’s this little cutie?” Niall asked, peeking up at Joey.

She crossed her arms over her chest, her lips resting in a part. “Her name’s Sadie,” Joey started, a look of pure amusement befalling her face, “and holy crap, she’s letting you pet her? Niall...this is crazy, she doesn’t like anyone.” 

He laughed. “I’m a dog whisperer, didn’t ya know?” 

“Yeah, I see that!” she said with a chuckle as Niall stood back up. They both watched as Sadie happily toddled off in search of her warm comfy spot on the couch. 

Niall stuffed his hands down into his pockets as Joey brushed past him to grab her bag from one of the kitchen stools. He took a few steps forward, glancing around her small apartment for a moment before landing his stare back over to her. “So, what’s up Niall?” Joey casually asked, feeling his eyes on her as she dumped out the contents of her bag onto the countertop to organize her things.

He pushed out a reserved laugh and reached up to run his fingers through his hair before pointing over at her. “Are ya busy? Goin’ somewhere?” 

Tucking some hair behind her ear, Joey peeked over at Niall from the corners of her eyes. She hesitated to tell him exactly what she was up to, she wasn’t sure why and she gently cleared her throat. “I’m actually getting ready to go out.”

“Oh,” Niall said, licking at his lips as he gave her a nod, “that’s cool. I didn’t mean to drop in on ya like this outta nowhere…”

Joey shook her head. “No, please Niall, it’s totally fine. Any other night of the week and I would be in my pajamas stuffing my face on my couch, so...please, don’t worry about it.” She paused, flicking her eyes over his. “You can come by anytime you want.” 

A smile took over his mouth before he slightly bit it away. “Yeah, I was just stoppin’ by to see if ya wanted to hang out. Do a bit of shoppin’, maybe some dinner...I dunno.”

“Oh...” Joey said, her shoulders fell to a slump and she paused putting her things back into her bag. “That actually sounds really great, and...normally I would be all over it, but...I, um, I have plans. Another date.” 

Niall raised his brows. “You do?”

“Yeah,” Joey said, closing up her bag and walking back over to where Niall was standing. She hooked her hands on her hips and slightly tipped her head to the side. “Some teacher that my friend, Alexis set me up with. He seems like a nice guy.”

“You’ve talked to him?”

She nodded. “Quite a bit actually. Not through Tinder or anything, but we’ve been texting.” Niall gave her a slow nod, his eyes dropping to the floor at his feet. He stayed quiet, and she watched as the tip of his tongue just barely pushed out to run across his lips. Joey shrugged her shoulders in a soft sigh. “So, yeah, I dunno, just thought I would give the dating thing one last go. I guess, that’s kind of pathetic.” 

Niall peeked back up at her. “No, not at all,” he snapped back with a shake of his head. His face was slightly scrunched in and the tone of his voice was indicative that he was not having any of Joey putting herself down. For any reason. 

She breathed out a sweet smile and flipped her hair over her one shoulder with the comb of her fingers. “But, um, we were just gonna go to this winery for a few drinks and dinner, maybe we can hang out afterwards? I mean...if you still want to.” 

The look on Niall’s face softened and he gave her a smile. “Uh, yeah, I don’t want ya to, like, end your date all early and shit ‘cause of me though.” 

“Oh no, I’m not really expecting this to go anywhere anyway, so it’s fine,” she laughed. 

“Alright.” 

“How about I text you when I’m done and we can meet up for drinks or something?”

He gave her a nod. “Yeah, that sounds good.” 

“Cool.” 

They both stood silent for far longer than the words that had left their mouths and dreamily stared into each other's eyes, oblivious to the surges of feelings that were firing through the other the longer they stayed locked in the heavy gaze. And it wasn’t until Niall broke his eyes away from the intoxicating heat of hers and cleared his throat that Joey was able to properly breathe again. “I’m gonna, uh, go get some food ‘cause I’m fuckin’ starvin’,” Niall blurted out, stumbling back over towards her front door and grabbing at the handle as he turned to look back at Joey once more. “But I'll see ya later?” 

She nodded as Niall lifted his chin to peek over at the tiny dog that was laying on Joey's sofa. “Bye Sadie,” he called out, making the young woman cover her mouth in a laugh. Niall settled his eyes back on her with a lopsided smirk and a subtle quirk of his brow. She felt as if she could nearly faint just from that one look. “See ya, Jo.” 

Biting at her bottom lip, Joey eased a hand up to give him a wave. “Bye, Niall.” 

•

Alexis was right, Ross had a great smile. He showed up at her door right on time, dressed in a nice pair of fitted slacks and a polo shirt and had even brought her flowers. It was a simple, old fashioned gesture, but it was sweet of him and Joey couldn’t wipe the flattered grin off her face. He drove them to the winery, not too lost in conversation on the way, and his manners; opening the car door for her and pulling out her chair as they sat down at the table, were impeccable. He seemed almost a little bit too good to be true. 

But Joey quite liked him. He was averagely handsome with dirty blond hair and brown eyes and he was kind of reserved, but still very interested in whatever Joey had to say. They had a good laugh, bonding over their work as teachers and the fact that they both owned tiny dogs with big personalities and as the date went on, Joey started to wonder if maybe this could actually turn into something. 

Upon tasting their fifth and final wine, a fragrant and overly sweet dessert wine that left a satisfying tingle on Joey’s tongue, Ross held up his glass to clink against hers. She obliged with a giggle. “To Alexis,” he stated, “for being a good matchmaker and introducing us.” 

“And for pushing me to go out on just one last date,” Joey added, taking a sip of her wine. 

“One last date?” 

Joey locked eyes with Ross, and for a split second she thought she could see blue. His blue. That heart-stopping baby blue with swirls of gold, swimming endlessly over her own and something quickly snapped her back to her date. She swallowed hard, willing herself to be content with the dark brown that was staring back at her. Ross smiled and curiously raised his brows. He really did have a beautiful smile. “Well, maybe I could be talked into another one.”

He licked across his lips. “I hope so,” he mentioned, “because I really want to take you out again.” 

It was the first time in years that Joey had heard those words. It was the first time that she had even contemplated a second date. And it was the first time she decided to say yes. They spent the next twenty minutes chatting and giggling, finishing their wine before Ross paid the check and asked her if she needed a ride home. 

Pushing in her chair, Joey flipped her hair over her shoulder and softly shook her head as they began to walk towards the entrance of the winery. “I appreciate it, but I’m okay. I’m actually meeting a friend for drinks.” 

“Oh, okay,” he said, holding out his hand to her, “well, it was a joy to meet you, Joey.” 

She shook his hand with a smile. “Yes, it was good to meet you too. I had fun!” 

“I will…text you tomorrow? And we can figure out a plan for our next date, sound good?”

“Sounds great,” Joey nodded

And with a wave and goodbye, Joey watched as Ross walked out of the door and hopped into his car. The second her date had pulled out of the parking lot, Joey yanked her phone out of her bag to text Niall. 

J: Do you know where Italiano’s is? 

Expecting to be waiting for his answer, there was barely any time for the little dots to make an appearance on her screen before Niall responded back. It made Joey snicker. 

N: Yeh. Are ya done ?

J: I’m done. 

J: You want to meet at Italiano’s? My brother works there and they have a decent house Chianti if you fancy that kind of thing.

N: So yer british now eh ? hahahaha 

J: Just trying to fit in with you 😉

N: LOL 

N: meet ya there in 30 ?

J: Sure. 

Clicking into her Lyft app to order a ride, Joey was just about to choose when another text from Niall popped up at the top of her screen. 

N: So I finally get to meet the fam ? Must be gettin serious 😂😂😂😂

Joey rounded her shoulders in a laugh, shaking her head as she finalized her ride and stepped outside to wait. 

•

As usual, Niall was already waiting for Joey out front of Italiano’s as her ride pulled up. He tilted his head in a goofy grin, scrunching up his face as he bent over to wave at Joey through the car window. She couldn’t help but break out in a fit of laughter as she climbed out of the car and rushed over to him. Joey practically jumped in his arms, bringing him into a tight hug. It felt good to be near him again. The sense of calm that came over her the second he was in her vicinity, Joey couldn’t compare it to anything else in the world. Niall buried his face against the side of her head, his eyes slipping closed for a moment as his arms wrapped around her waist. 

After a few more seconds, they pulled away and both fiddled nervously with their hair before Niall let Joey lead the way inside. Ramona greeted them both, her eyes going wide at the sight of them together before Joey was able to bring her back down to earth and ask her for a seat at the bar. She fought her coy smile as she led them to their seats and Joey had just started to introduce Ramona to Niall as Carter walked up. 

Joey almost couldn’t believe how personable and lovely Niall was, though given how well she knew him, she should have. Her brother was not always the most easy person to talk to or get along with, but after the two of them conversed for a good five minutes, it was clear that they got on like a house on fire. Carter left them to their drinks and to tend to his other tables, and Niall turned to look over a Joey. “He’s a good guy,” he remarked.

Joey nodded and took a sip of her vodka soda, having decided that she had had enough wine over the past week to last her a lifetime. “He really is, I think he likes you too. And that’s...rare.” 

“Really?”

“He doesn’t like many people.” 

Niall laughed and set down his glass of wine. “Kinda like Sadie?”

A snort slipped past Joey’s lips, her head rolling back onto her shoulders as she giggled. “I guess you’re a people whisperer too, huh?” 

“Another one of my many talents.”

She bit at her bottom lip before pulling the straw of her drink into her mouth. “Full of surprises.” 

Niall quirked a brow. “Ya don’t even know the half of it, baby.” 

Rolling her eyes, Joey could feel a flush rise to her cheeks and she set her drink down, clearing her throat. “So, I’m, uh...gonna go out with that guy again.” 

“Are ya?” Niall replied, his jaw tightening slightly.  

“Yeah,” she went on, peering over at him. “I didn’t really have any expectations for our date, but it was fun! He’s a nice guy, the date went well, he didn’t even try to kiss me–”

“Amateur.”

She chuckled. “It was respectful, Niall,” she continued, Niall bowing his head in a smile knowing that Joey had taken his joke lightly, “and we had a lot in common...I dunno, I just felt like maybe I should give it a try, ya know? Give him a try.”

Running his tongue across his lips, Niall hooked a hand over his knee as his gaze settled on the light brown of hers. Joey had this undeniable sparkle in her eyes, it was something he noticed every time he looked at her, and it never failed to make his insides turn to mush. “You like him?” Niall asked her, taking another sip of wine. 

Joey dropped her stare to her lap, watching her fingers slide the split of her dress closed over her thigh. Taking in a deep breath, the clattering noise of the restaurant around her began to drown out and it was as if the only sound she could hear was that of her heart, thumping faster and faster in her chest. Slowly glancing back up at Niall, she caught his stare, the dark of his eyes having grown the longer he kept them on her. 

She raised a shoulder, the corner of her mouth tugging up. “Yeah, I think I do.”