#sweetprfct

You sat next to him in the booth. Joe and his co-stars were laughing talking about a memory from the set, and you couldn’t help but let your mind wander somewhere else. It wasn’t like you were bored with their conversations or anything. You were actually enjoying yourself, but it was Joe’s soft touch on your hand under the table that was distracting you so much. 

“You know you should watch out for Joe.” One of his co-stars told you. “I would run off if I still had the chance.” He teased. 

You laughed softly, shaking your head as Joe wrapped an arm around you. His hand softly caressing your arm and his other hand… well… 

It was doing something that was making your heart race. 

Your hand was set on his lap and his index finger was grazing over your bare ring finger. You couldn’t help but purse your lips as you tried to keep your attention on the conversation in front of you. Joe kept that going for the rest of the night, and he didn’t say one word about it when you got home. So, you let the subject go. 

Then, you noticed one night when you were slowly falling asleep on the bed that Joe was just smiling and staring at you. His fingers caressing your soft cheek, while you were fighting hard to keep your eyes open. 

“Hmm…” You smiled, letting out a soft hum. 

“So beautiful.” Joe whispered, kissing your hair. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Joe.” You smiled, moving closer to him. 

You rested your head on his chest, your fingers finding his as you played with them. Joe then intertwined his fingers with yours and brought your hand on his lips, pressing a soft kiss on the back of your hand. 

“You have no idea how much you occupy my heart.” Joe said. “It’s all yours, darling. All of it.”

“I love you so much.” You smiled, pressing your face on his neck.

Joe held you tighter in his arms as comfortable silence blanketed the room for a moment. You two never really talked about the subject of it, but you knew there was that mutual understanding between the two of you. You just knew. You both really didn’t have to talk about it because what was there to talk about, right? You both already knew where this was heading. 

“You know, there was no other woman I felt this way about.” Joe murmured. “When I first saw you, I knew in my heart that it was you. You’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

You hitched a breath as Joe grazed his fingers over your bare ring finger again. You kept your eyes close, face still pressed on his neck. You didn’t know if you could look into his eyes right now. With the words he was speaking, your heart was beating hard out of your chest that you swore he could hear and feel it. 

“Darling?” Joe moved back a little, gazing down at you. 

You kept your eyes shut and stayed still. Joe’s fingers grazed over your cheek again, his lips tugging into a small smile. 

“You’re the love of my life, you know that?” Joe whispered as you fluttered your eyes open. 

You smiled at Joe, glancing up at him and said, “What’s going on, Joe?”

“What do you mean?” 

“I’ve noticed it lately…” You tilted your head at him. 

Joe raised his brow, pretending like he didn’t know what you were talking about. 

“Notice what?”

You chuckled softly, shaking your head. “Nevermind.”

Joe reeled you back in his arms, kissing your hair softly. “I just want you to know how much I love you.”

You nodded your head, smiling softly as you set your head back on his chest. You didn’t want to say it first if he couldn’t admit it because you didn’t want to look stupid. Maybe you really were being delusional in the first place. Maybe Joe really was just being sweet and wanted to reassure you of his love. 

That was all. 

You finally let that subject go for a few weeks. It didn’t appear in your thoughts again until that one night when Joe had taken you out for a date night. He had suggested taking you into a nice restaurant since it had been a while since you both had gone out on a date. So, you agreed. You dressed up in a nice pale blue silky dress, and Joe was in a nice button up and trousers. You couldn’t help but run your fingers through his curls the moment you saw him waiting for you by the front door.

Joe hummed approvingly as he set his hands on your hips, pressing your body against his. 

“God, I can never get over how stunning you are.” Joe whispered, kissing down your neck. 

“And I can never get over how handsome you are.” You smiled, feeling his hands gently run down your sides. 

Joe gazed down at you, his eyes sparkling before leaning down to kiss you passionately. Leading you out the door, Joe had taken you to the restaurant that he chose, and it was nice and cozy. You couldn’t help but enjoy this moment with him. It really had been a while since you two had spent time together, especially with both of your busy schedules. 

“I’ve missed this.” You smiled, taking a sip of your wine.

“Me too.” Joe took your hands in his from across the table. “Sorry if I have been so busy, darling.”

“Joe,” You tilted your head at him. “I understand. You don’t have to apologize.”

“I know, but still…” Joe took a deep breath, playing with your fingers. “I want to apologize and want you to know that I love you.”

Squeezing his hand lightly, you gave Joe a warm reassuring smile. “Joe, I know. I love you too.”

Joe smiled slightly, looking down at your fingers. He played with the ring that you had on your middle finger for a moment before slipping it off. You watched as he slid it over to your ring finger and for a moment, you felt your lungs stopped working. You felt your heart almost exploding as Joe smiled slightly before slipping the ring back on your middle finger again. 

“Joe–” You whispered.

“Good evening, I’m Elle. I’ll be your server this evening.” The server stood by your table, giving both of you a genuine smile.

You pulled your hands away from Joe, your index finger and thumb playing with your ring anxiously under the table. Suddenly, the thoughts that you had pushed away from the last few weeks appeared in your mind again. You bit your lower lip, trying to focus your attention back on Joe and the server. You could feel your heart beat a thousand miles per minute, and you didn’t know how to really react with what just happened.

The rest of the night, you tried to keep your thoughts to yourself. You told your mind to be quiet and just enjoy this dinner date with Joe, especially that it had been so long since you both have done this. Joe never mentioned it once during the whole dinner. He acted like nothing happened and what he did was just a normal thing. However, your heart couldn’t fit in your chest anymore. No matter how much you tried to push the thought away, you kept repeating that little scene he did before dinner. 

“Hold on a second, darling.” Joe held your hand before you could open your front door later that evening. 

“What is it?” You turned to face him as he cupped both of your cheeks between his hands.

“I just want to do this.” Joe leaned down to kiss you softly on the lips. 

You chuckled softly, kissing him deeper and pulling him close to you. You wrapped your arms around his neck as Joe continued to kiss you, this time so lovingly and gentle. 

“I love you.” He murmured through the kiss.

You let out a soft hum as you ran your fingers through his hair. 

“Marry me.” Joe murmured through the kiss. 

You froze for a moment, parting from the kiss as you stared at him with wide eyes. Joe, however, gave you a look that was all so loving. His chocolate button eyes twinkled as he caressed your cheek with his thumb. 

“W…What?” Your words stuttered as you processed what you just heard. 

Joe didn’t say anything as he walked around you and unlocked the front door. He turned to face you again, held out his hand and opened the front door of your flat. You gasped softly as soon as you saw what was behind him. The place was lit by candles and rose petals were laid out all over the floor. 

It was like what you saw in the movies. 

“My love.” Joe took your hand in his as you both entered the flat. 

You swallowed every emotion that was coming up in your throat as you watched Joe’s hand reach for his pocket. Then, he gazed up at you, holding a small red box in his hand, and a smile tugging on his lips as he got down on one knee in front of you.

“Joe, I–” 

“Darling, you knew that the first time I saw you, I knew that you were the one. You make me a better person everyday, and I love you so much. My heart is yours forever. Would you do me the honor to spend the rest of your life with me?”

You gasped softly, both your hands covering your mouth as tears welled up in your eyes. Your heart was racing, and you could barely find words in your mind. 

“Will you marry me?” 

“Yes.” You smiled as you helped Joe get up from the floor. “A thousand times yes. Yes to forever with you. Yes to everything with you.”

Joe grinned happily as he took the ring from the box and slid it on your ring finger before reeling you into his arms and kissed you passionately. Everything almost felt unreal as you kissed him back. 

“I love you.” You murmured, smiling happily.

You have never felt this happy before. Your heart was exploding in happiness as Joe kissed you again and held you in his arms. A big wide grin on his face, tears welling up in his eyes the moment he parted from the kiss.  

“I love you.” Joe whispered, embracing you. 

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you stared into his eyes, happiness radiating from the both of you. 

With Joe, it was always going to be yes. 

Forever.

The End.

**********

Taglist:

“Let’s see this new boyfriend of yours, shall we?” Sara teased, grabbing the remote. 

“He’s not my boyfriend.” You gritted your teeth.

She browsed through the movies and put on Anna Karenina. You fell asleep more than halfway through and not because you were bored. It was an interesting movie, but you were too tired and the amount of alcohol you have consumed didn’t help either. 

Although, it seemed like that didn’t stop Aaron’s character from slipping in your dreams.

Grabbing your phone from your bedside table, you saw a notification from Hannah. She texted you the address and time of the event and mentioned that she had dropped off your dress to Sara this morning. You let out a sigh as you ignored the text and opened Instagram. You mindlessly scrolled through your explore page and immediately paused when you saw a picture of Aaron. 

For a moment, you stared at it. You wondered if the mention of his name from last night’s dinner got your phone suggesting these posts now. You hovered your thumb over the picture for a second before actually tapping on it. It was a red carpet event and the photo was taken professionally. His hair was shorter than what he has now. His beard was nicely trimmed, and he was wearing a maroon colored suit. 

He looked… good. 

Hot.

Your mind replayed the events of yesterday from the coffee shop. His voice echoed in your mind again.

“Is this going to be our meeting place?”

Maybe you need to start looking for a new coffee shop to go to. 

You shook the thoughts out of your mind and exited the app. You couldn’t help but blame whatever system Apple did with their phones because ever since the mention of his name from last night’s dinner, he started appearing in your explore page. 

Your feet touched the cool wooden floors and led you out of your bedroom. You could hear some soft clattering from the kitchen and as you passed through the living room, you saw a black garment bag hanging on the back of the sofa. 

It must be the dress Hannah dropped off. 

“Good morning.” You murmured, opening one of the cabinets and grabbing yourself a mug. 

“Good morning. Hannah dropped off the dress this morning.” Sara said, taking a sip of her tea.

Your eyes shifted towards the garment bag that was on the sofa before paying attention to the coffee that you started brewing. In all honesty, you were dreading going to this party. You told yourself that you were going to show up for Hannah for just about an hour and then leave. 

It was a Saturday. You wanted to relax on your sofa and read a book instead.

“It’s tonight, right?” Sara asked when you didn’t say anything. 

“Yeah.” You sighed, pouring the hot coffee on your mug and stirred it with the creamer. 

“You look excited.” Sara chuckled at your bored expression. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be that bad.”

You glanced up at her through your mug as you sipped your coffee. “Oh yeah? Do you want to come with me then?”

“Oh, no thanks.” Sara immediately said, holding up her hands. “I actually… um… I have plans tonight.”

“Oh?” A playful smile tugged on your lips as you leaned your hip against the kitchen counter. “Do tell.”

Sara rolled her eyes, and you could see that she was holding in her smile. She took a sip of her tea, her cheeks turning into a shade of pink. 

“Well, since you will probably come home late tonight…” Sara murmured. “I was going to ask if I can bring someone in here. We’re planning to have dinner and a movie.”

You were smiling so much, your cheeks were hurting. It has been a long time since Sara was interested in someone, and you were excited for her because with the way she was reacting right now, it seemed like this person was different. She never reacted like this before with her exes when they first started talking. 

“That’s fine by me.” You smirked. “Who is this person?”

You rested your elbows on the counter and rested your chin on your knuckles as you wiggled your eyebrows at her. You didn’t recognize who this Sara was in front of you, but she looked so adorable blushing like this. 

“It’s not something serious.” Sara explained. “Eli and I started talking lately, and we have been…well… flirting? But I don’t know yet. He’s one of the engineers in NASA.”

Sara shrugged, her face red as a tomato now. She took another sip of her tea. You watched her fingers tremble around her cup, while she continued to hide her face behind it. 

“Okay.” You grinned widely. “Well, I hope you and Eli have a great night. If you do decide to do something though, please don’t do it in the living room.” 

Your voice was in a teasing tone as you ducked your head from the incoming piece of toast that Sara chucked at you. 

“It’s not going to end that way!” She exclaimed. 

You laughed at her as she turned bright red and flipped her brunette hair over her shoulder. She rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen with her cup of tea. You continued to laugh softly as you drank your coffee.

“Wear something green!” You called out from the kitchen. “It makes your eyes pop!”

You hear the slam of her bedroom door from down the hall as you chuckled softly. Speaking of something to wear, your eyes shifted back to the sofa. Your smile slowly disappeared, your lips twisting to the side. Knowing Hannah, she probably had given you a dress that would look very provocative and would make you uncomfortable the whole night.

Setting your mug down on the counter, you walked towards the sofa and unzipped the garment bag. There, you saw a long black dress. It was simple. There was a plunging V neck and thin straps. You picked up the dress and stood in front of your long length mirror and saw the high slit. 

It didn’t look too bad. 

Honestly, you expected worse from Hannah. 

________

You sat in front of your vanity later that night, doing your makeup and curling your long hair into waves. You sat there for a moment and stared at yourself, letting out a deep breath. You mentally told yourself to just have fun and to stop dreading this party so much. You knew you felt like an outsider in these parties, but you have to keep your confidence intact. You need to at least try and have fun. 

Deciding that you were going to be different tonight, you chose a dark red lipstick and slipped off from your robe to put on the dress that was hanging in your closet. You stood in front of your mirror and couldn’t help but think that the slit of the dress made your legs look nice and long. Even the plunging V-neck was making the girls look good. 

Adding a simple necklace, you grabbed your clutch and car keys and  walked out of your bedroom. You sent Sara a text that the place was all hers before leaving the apartment building.

Arriving at the hotel that Hannah texted you the address to, the front of the building was filled with black cars. Drivers dropping off celebrities and influencers. Some were driving their own car and handing their keys to the valet. You found Hannah waiting for you just by the front doors. As soon as you handed your keys to the valet staff, you saw her long blonde hair in waves. She was wearing a sparkly baby blue long dress that perfectly fit with her curves. 

Hannah always looked stunning. Her makeup team always made sure she was perfect in every event and sometimes, you felt a little jealous with how perfect she always looked. Even when you two were just casually hanging out and grabbing dinner, she always looked beautiful.

Almost unreal. 

“Hi!” Hannah greeted you with a smile as soon as she saw you. 

She pulled you into a hug before tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. She studied the dress that she gave you and shook her head, delight and approval sparking in her eyes.

“I knew that dress was going to be amazing on you.” Hannah said, locking her arms with yours. 

“You look stunning too, Hannah.” You smiled.

She led you inside the building, down the hall, and into one of the big ballrooms. The music was blasting and a crowd of people with different statuses in Hollywood were talking amongst each other. On the back corner, there was a backdrop with the movie’s title plastered on it. Influencers were taking photos and videos in front of it. 

Studying the room, you started to immediately fall out of place. 

“So, why did you invite me?” You asked Hannah as she led you towards the open bar. “I thought you’d bring your new boyfriend as your date.” 

Hannah ordered you an espresso martini—your favorite— and a mojito for her. 

“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes and handed you the drink. “That asshole is long gone.”

You took a long sip of your drink, letting the alcohol burn your throat and sending heat down your whole body.

“What happened? I thought you guys just started dating?”

“He was using me for fame.” Hannah scoffed. 

“Oh,” You bit your lower lip. “I’m sorry, Hannah.”

She waved her hand in front of her face and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. He was an asshole anyway.”

“Yeah, but still–” 

“Anyway, what’s going on with you?” She cut you off, setting a hand on her hip.

You shrugged and drank your espresso martini. “Nothing new. Just working, you know?”

“You’re still working in that lab?” She scrunched her face. “Sweetie, you’re too pretty for that.”

“I like it.” You shrugged, finishing the rest of your drink and ordering another one.

Hannah shook her head and started talking about the movie. She was telling you about the struggles she faced on set with her co-stars, and in a few minutes, you had finished another drink. The more people entered the ballroom, the more uncomfortable you were, so you kept ordering more drinks to ease the feeling.

Hannah’s sentence was cut off when her attention was caught by a few people that were standing in the middle of the room. You didn’t even have the chance to see who it was before she grabbed your hand and dragged you towards the middle of the room. You looked around the room, apologizing to the other guests as you both made your way through the crowd. Your drink was still in your hand, and your fingers gripped on the glass tighter as you tried not to spill anything.

“Hannah.” You murmured, trying not to trip in your heels.

“Hi!” Hannah greeted the two older men and an older woman. 

They gave her a kiss on the cheek before Hannah pulled you close to her side and introduced you to them. You gave them an awkward, shy smile and shook their hands.

“They are the producers of the last movie I did.” Hannah told you.

“Are you an actress too, sweetheart?” The older woman, Elsie, asked.

“Oh, no.” You shook your head. “I’m just accompanying Hannah for tonight. She’s the actress.”

“Well, that’s too bad.” One of the men, John, said, his eyes studying you intently. “With that pretty face, you would look good on camera.”

The corner of your lips twitched into an uncomfortable smile as you slipped your arm away from Hannah. The two men were disgustingly checking you out, and you didn’t want to be part of this conversation anymore.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you all.” You said. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to use the ladies room.”

You squeezed Hannah’s arm before you made your way through the crowd. Your feet were hurting from your heels, and you felt nothing but disgust from the way the two men were looking at you. If they were looking at you like that, you wonder if they did the same with Hannah when they first met her. A dark, deep pit formed in your stomach as you let your painful feet lead you out of the ballroom. 

Maybe you shouldn't have left Hannah alone with them.

The moment you exited the double doors, it felt like you could breathe again. You set your hand over your stomach, feeling the rise and fall of it. You walked down the hall and found the women’s lounge and immediately slipped yourself inside. The lounge was empty, and it had a little sofa in the corner. The music from the party had muffled through the doors, and it was just you and the silence of the room. You sat on the sofa and unbuckled the strap of your heels, letting your feet finally breathe. 

“Thank god.” You whispered, leaning back against the sofa. 

You laid your head against the back of it and closed your eyes. Your breathing had finally settled back to normal as you let the silence of the lounge enveloped you. After a few minutes, you heard the door open and your eyes immediately snapped open. You heard three girls giggling and stopped in front of you as you straightened your position from the sofa.

You swallowed the embarrassment that was washing over you as they stared at your bare feet. They didn’t say anything as they walked towards the bathroom stalls, but you could see the judgement in their eyes. They whispered something to each other that you could barely hear, but you didn’t have to hear what they were talking about because you knew it was about you. 

Slipping on your high heels, you quickly buckled the straps of your shoes and walked out of the lounge as fast as you could. Your heart was beating a thousand miles per hour when you felt one of your straps loosened from your feet. 

“Fuck.” You sighed and stopped in the middle of the hall. 

You leaned against the wall and went down on your knee to fix it, but the stupid thing wouldn’t buckle right. 

“This is why I don’t wear these.” You whispered to yourself, shaking your head. 

“Here, let me help, love.” 

His fingers gently took away the strap from you. You slowly gazed up and saw Aaron on his one knee in front of you. Suddenly, everything started spinning. Was it the alcohol? You weren’t even tipsy or drunk. It made you a bit braver, but your mind was still intact.

What the hell was he doing here?

You didn’t know if that was even a valid question because of course, he would be here. 

He was an actor! 

“Lift up for me, darling. I can’t see it with your dress in the way.” He said, his blue eyes catching yours. 

You slid your hand against the wall and stood back up, feeling his fingers gently grazed over the skin of your ankle. You held your breath, trying to balance yourself against the wall as he fixed the straps of your heels. You couldn’t even look down and watch him. Instead, you kept your eyes straight down the empty hall. 

What if someone catches you both here and thinks differently about it? There were photographers everywhere at this party.

“There,” He said, his hand wrapping around your ankle and squeezing it lightly. 

You stifled the gasp that was escaping from you. Your legs felt like jelly all of a sudden as he stood up back up and smiled at you. 

“Hi.” He said. 

“H…Hi.” Your voice trembled.

Now that you were looking at him better, he was in a black and white suit. He had a bowtie, and he had a haircut. He didn’t have long curly hair anymore. It was shorter, but his curls were still showing. A strand of it falling lightly on his forehead. 

Fuck this man. 

He looked even hotter now. 

“So,” A smirk was already tugging on his lips as he fixed his cufflinks. “Is it my turn to call you a stalker now that you’re in my world?”

You let out a soft chuckle, shaking your head. “I’ll have you know, I didn’t even want to be at this party.”

“No?” A line appeared between his brows, while he tilted his head slightly at you.

God, he was so hot tonight. 

What in the actual fuck? 

Was it the alcohol that was making you feel like this?

“All glamour and dressed up and making nice conversations with the big directors and producers?” Aaron said, sarcasm in his voice. “That doesn’t sound so appealing to you?”

You hummed softly, squinting your eyes at him. “Now that you said it that way, maybe I made a mistake.”

Aaron let out a soft laugh, looking down at his feet and slipping his left hand on his front pocket. A strand of curl fell on his forehead and somehow, all you wanted to do was touch it and rake your fingers through his hair. 

Oh. my. God.

You need to go the fuck home. Now.

“Were you in this movie?” Aaron asked, lifting his face to look at you again. “Because that’ll be a real asshole for me to not notice you on set.”

“No, my friend Hannah is in the movie. I’m just accompanying her.” 

“Hannah Adler?” 

You nodded your head as Aaron said. “Oh, I didn’t know you knew Hannah. She played my girlfriend in the movie.”

“Oh.” You played with your fingers.

Technically, you didn’t google the movie. You didn’t know who the cast were or what the movie was about. You just never had the time and besides, you were literally just hoping to come with Hannah for an hour and go home to your normal, boring life. You didn’t need to know anything about this world, and you didn’t plan to ever know anything about it. 

You could live without that idea.

However, Aaron mentioning the fact that Hannah played his girlfriend in the movie got your stomach twisting in knots. You didn’t understand why you were feeling like this. 

Aaron looked over his shoulder to where the party was before looking back at you. An idea glinting in his ocean blue eyes.

“Do you want to get out of here for a moment?” He asked.

Your lips twisted to the side, thinking about his offer. Your eyes shifted behind Aaron and towards the ballroom. 

Did you really want to deal with another perverted older man who thinks they have the power because they were rich? 

“Sure.” You replied.

Aaron smiled and led you down the hall, the opposite direction of the ballroom. As you both walked next to each other, the music from the party started to fade away, and he turned towards one of the rooms that had a plaque that said, “The View Lounge.” 

Opening the door, you were greeted by a dimly lit room. It was empty with tables and chairs all around the room. There were floor to ceiling windows and a door that led outside the balcony. 

Aaron looked over his shoulder, smiling at you as he opened the door to the balcony. The cool mid-October air greeted you as you took a deep breath and closed your eyes for a moment. 

You needed this. 

It felt lighter rather than the stuffy ballroom you were just in earlier. You opened your eyes and saw the view of the LA skyline. You could hear the cars passing by the streets underneath you. Life was happening all around, and the whole city was glittering in front of you. 

It was so beautiful.

Aaron’s warm presence immediately snapped you out of your little daydream, and you turned to glance up at him with a smile.

“So, I know you’re not in this movie, but are you an actor too?” Aaron asked.

“No,” Your fingers softly grazed the metal railing. “I’m just a Chemist. I’ve known Hannah since we were children, so she drags me to these events.”

“Oh. I assumed you were since you were in that coffee shop across from Warner Brothers and now, you’re here.”

“Oh, yeah.” You chuckled softly. “My job is a few blocks away from it, that’s why. It’s my favorite coffee shop.”

Aaron nodded his head, while you focused your attention back to the view. There was a silence for a moment, the only sounds were the cars passing by, the city noise, and the soft breeze in the air. For a second, you looked at Aaron through the corner of your eye. The alcohol running through your veins was making you feel a little more confident and brave tonight. 

And maybe you should be a different girl tonight.

You inhaled a deep breath and turned to face him, leaning your elbow against the railing. 

“This is the third time we saw each other in three days.” You pointed out.

Aaron smiled and turned his body to face you. He took a step forward and said, “I’m starting to believe there’s a reason for it.” 

His voice was low and husky, it sent electricity down your body. You stifled your sigh as you looked into his blue eyes. You could feel the heat between the two of you, and you could see that he was feeling it too. 

It made your confidence increase. 

“Any idea what it could be?” Your voice was almost a whisper.

You swallowed the sudden unfamiliar emotions that were washing over you as he blew out a long breath and took another step forward. He stood tall in front of you. Your body twisted so that your back was leaning against the railing. Both of his hands held onto the railing, trapping you between his arms. 

The air immediately left your lungs as he stared into your eyes, “No, but I know I can’t get you out of my head ever since I first met you.”

“Oh.” You murmured, your teeth biting down your lower lip. 

A small chuckle escaped his lips and a smirk pulled into his expression. “Oh? That’s it?”

You gasped softly when you felt his fingers slowly danced across your jawline. His jaw clenched as he studied your face under the moonlight. You saw how his Adam’s apple bobbed as he let his thumb brush your cheek softly. His warmth radiated around you and even if your dress only had thin straps, the air suddenly felt hot. 

“I don’t want to lie to you, but I can’t stop thinking about you too.” You whispered. 

You licked your lips, and his thumb suddenly found your lower lip, brushing it softly. 

“I thought maybe I’m losing my mind.” You added, your brain starting to short circuit from his touch.

All these words you were saying… The alcohol definitely had some help with it. 

One corner of his lips lifted, cupping your cheek with his one hand. The cool metal of the railing was pressed against your back, only inches of space between the two of you. His face was hovering over yours and the thought of anyone barging in this room suddenly enveloped your thoughts. 

You felt Aaron’s hand sliding on your waist, gripping it tightly. Suddenly, his soft touches made those thoughts disappear. It was almost like it was just you and him in this world. 

“Maybe I am too then.” He murmured, his blue eyes darkening.

His lips hovered over yours. They were inches apart, and it was making you slowly lose your mind. A jar of butterflies opened up in the pit of your stomach as you closed your eyes.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked, voice gentle and soft. 

It only took a second for you to nod your head, giving him permission before he crashed his lips against yours. He tasted sweet and like peppermint with the mix of alcohol that he has been drinking tonight. His kiss was hungry but soft at the same time. It was the kind of heated kiss that felt like you both have been waiting for this for a long time. 

As you slipped your arms around his neck, he let his left hand run down your bare back. His right hand slipped on your hip, gripping it tightly as you continued to move your lips against his and pulled him closer to you. He let his tongue licked your lower lip before you opened your mouth, granting him access. You let out a soft moan as your tongues danced together. 

“Fuck.” A low groan vibrated in his throat as he pulled away, kissing the line of your jaw. 

You let out a breathless gasp when he slid his right hand that was gripping your hip down to the slit of your dress. He drew circles on the flushed skin of your thighs and let his lips kiss down your neck. You threw your head back to give him more access. 

“Aaron.” You whispered, feeling a sudden ache for him between your legs. 

He looked up and stared into your eyes. You saw how dark his blue eyes were, his chest rising and falling. His hands didn’t let go of you as he leaned his forehead against yours. 

“What are you doing to me?” He asked breathlessly.

“I should be asking you that.” You whispered.

Aaron crushed his lips against yours again as you let your fingers rake through his hair, tugging on it lightly. He growled in your ear as he kissed down your neck, his hand slipping through the slit of your dress. He let his index finger caressed the fabric of your underwear and when he felt the fabric soaking from your wetness, he let out a hiss as he kissed the skin between your breasts.

You moaned softly, letting your head fall back and pulling him close to you. Letting his other free hand roam your sides, he kissed you again. You were flying high as he let his tongue slip inside your mouth again. He pushed aside your underwear and caressed his finger on your slit. 

“You’re so wet for me, darling.” He whispered, pulling away from your lips and staring into your eyes. 

“How can I not be?” You whispered.

He smirked, his eyes not leaving yours. Wrapping your hand on his wrist, you guided him slowly. You kissed the line of his jaw, making you moan his name again when he started rubbing your swollen clit. He let his finger move in circles before inserting it inside of you. Immediately, you could feel your walls tightening around his finger as he pumped it in and out of you. 

“Fuck.” He growled, inserting his middle finger and pumped it faster inside of you. 

Your legs were starting to feel weak as you buried your face on his neck and gripped his shoulders. All you could hear were your moans and Aaron growling your name in your ear the more you tightened around his fingers. He pushed the edge of his palm against your clit as he continued to pump his fingers until you could feel your pleasure pooling at the edge of your spine.

“Shit.” You cursed in his ear. “I’m so close.”

“C’mon, love. Come for me.” 

Aaron pulled back to watch your expression as you threw your head back, your wavy hair falling behind you and your eyes closing as you felt him hitting you on the right spot. Your mouth fell open as you squeezed your eyes shut, finally feeling the pleasure washed over you. Aaron decreased the thrust of his fingers inside of you, continuing his palm to rub your clit slowly in circles until you rode out your waves. 

When you came back down, you were breathless and sweaty. You opened your eyes and saw Aaron smiling at you as he pulled out his fingers and returned your underwear back to its place. 

“You’re so beautiful.” He whispered, cupping your cheek and kissing your sweaty temple. 

He wrapped his arms around you as you let your body melt in his arms. Your whole body felt boneless as you gasped for air. You felt his hard cock rubbing against your thigh, and you knew it must be painful for him right now. You slowly slipped your hand, feeling the outline of it through his pants when he put his hand over yours.

“Hey,” He whispered, shaking his head. “No.”

“Let me help.” You gazed up to him through your lashes.

He shook his head and smiled, “Not tonight. Tonight, it’s about you.”

He leaned and kissed you softly, brushing the strands of your hair away from your face. Your surroundings suddenly resurfaced back as Aaron continued to hold you in his arms.

“I can’t believe that just happened.” You said, pressing your face on his chest. 

“I never…” You shook your head, smiling. “I have never done it in public before.”

Aaron smirked, setting his chin on top of your head and letting his warmth engulf you. 

“Trust me, love. There’ll be more.” 

__________________________________________________________

Taglist:

“So, this is the boring date that you were talking about when I mentioned Hannah's dates?” You teased him, chuckling softly. 

“Yeah, but I’m your date, so it isn’t boring.” He winked before taking a sip of his wine. 

You couldn’t help but laugh and enjoy the little safe bubble that you both have at the moment. You knew soon enough that it wasn’t going to last long, especially since he was an actor. 

On the other hand, there was another person who seemed to be so affected by this. Snapping out of your thoughts, you called Asher’s name again, but he turned around and walked towards the oven to set the dish inside. You knew that he was hurting, but he was acting like a child. You shifted your eyes towards Luca, whose desk was across the lab from you. 

He shook his head and stalked towards your desk, saying, “I’ll handle it.” 

“Thanks, Luca. I won’t be long.” You gave him a small, soft smile. 

“He’ll get over it,” Luca whispered as you nodded your head and walked out of the lab. 

This was the last thing you wanted to do. Even if Asher could be so childish, you never wanted to hurt him or hurt his feelings. At the same time, you knew you had tried your best to let him know for years now that you weren’t interested. Sighing, you slipped your lab coat off, hung it on the wall and walked towards the break room. 

You greeted a smile as you passed by a few of the employees as soon as you entered the break room. You made your way to the kitchen and found Keith brewing some coffee. Your eyes shifted towards the mug he was holding, making you smile. It was the mug you gave him last Christmas. It said, “Chaos Coordinator” on it, and you thought it fitted him perfectly. 

“Good morning, sir.” You smiled, grabbing a paper cup from the counter. 

“Hello.” He smiled, giving you a curt nod. 

“How are you?” You asked, leaning your back against the counter as you both waited for the coffee to finish brewing. 

He stifled a sigh as he said, “Oh, you know… busy. As always.” 

You chuckled softly and said, “Well, just hang in there. I know things have been piling up again.”

Keith grabbed the coffee pot and set it on the other counter. He gestured for you to go first. 

“Thanks.” You murmured, pouring the coffee into your paper cup. 

You made your way to the fridge and grabbed the creamer, pouring a little bit of it on your coffee. You took a sip of your fresh hot coffee, letting the hot delicious liquid consume you and sighed happily. 

“How’s production going in the lab?” Keith asked, sipping his black coffee.

Good, but Asher’s being an ass.

“It’s fine.” You shrugged, “It’s more extra work, but I think we can handle it since there are no rush orders anyway.”

Keith stared at you like he wasn’t believing what you just told him. There was a crease between his brows as he silently took a long, deep breath.

What was up with people and those looks lately? 

“You know my office door is always open if you need to talk, right?” He said.

There it was. You knew it! 

You didn’t even have to guess what he was thinking because you could see it by his reaction. He didn’t believe your reply to him. Honestly, you wouldn’t either, but you couldn’t help but wonder if it was your facial expression that was giving away your lies. 

Everything was fine, technically. It was just that… Asher was being an ass lately, and the guilt was slowly crawling into your insides and scratching up the surface. 

“Yes, of course.” You gave him a reassuring smile. “Thank you.”

“How’s Asher?” Keith tilted his head at you, curious. 

Did he know something? You felt your heart race because if you lied to him, and he knew the truth then you would also be caught in a lie. There was no way Keith knew something, right? He didn’t come into the lab much, and you haven’t said anything to Max that the word could travel to Keith.

“He’s… He’s fine.” You stuttered. “He’s doing his job.”

Now, you could see why he didn’t believe you. You were such a bad liar.

You gave him a simple answer where he couldn’t ask any more questions. You couldn’t help but mentally chuckle at yourself because Keith trained you to be like this whenever people came to visit the site for inspections. 

“Okay,” Keith lifted his arm to look at the time on his watch as he nodded his head. “Well, if there’s a problem, please don’t hesitate to come and talk to me.”

“Thank you.” You forced a smile. 

“I have another meeting in five minutes so have a good day.” He gave you a curt nod again and a polite smile before walking out of the break room. 

That was… weird.

“Shit.” You whispered to yourself as you walked out of the break room.

He definitely knew something. 

________

“Okay, but that’s different, Sara,” Luca argued. “Eli has a normal life, and he’s literally sweet from the way you talked about him. He seemed different from your other toxic exes.” 

Ivy nodded her head, “Remember Jude?”

Luca scrunched up his face and made a disgusting look on his face. “Ew. He was the worst out of your three exes.”

“I heard he’s married now.” Sara played with the fork that was on her plate. 

“Well, thoughts and prayers for his new wife.” Luca raised his glass in the air before taking a sip. “But honestly, give Eli a chance. He seems so sweet and understanding.”

You slowly tuned out the conversation between your friends as you shifted your eyes toward Asher in the corner. He had been quiet all night, and he was on his fourth whiskey already. That guilty feeling slowly crept up on you again as you watched him take a sip of his drink and look out the window. 

“Right?” Luca elbowed your arm. 

“Huh?” You blinked repeatedly, snapping out of your thoughts. 

“I was saying how Sara has a different situation because if it doesn’t work out with Eli, he still works in a different department from her but with yours, you would still be all over the internet,” Luca explained, tucking a hair behind his ear. 

“Is Aaron bad news or something?” You asked, your voice almost a whisper. 

From everyone’s reactions, you seem to doubt everything that was happening in your life. Maybe you weren’t seeing something that everyone else was. Luca and Sara's mouths were gaped to answer your question when you all turned your heads towards Asher, who scoffed. He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his whiskey. 

You saw the way Luca gave him a murderous stare before turning to you and said, “Just be careful, hun. He’s an actor after all, but we’re happy for you.” 

You knew how your friends felt about Aaron. You knew they were hesitant, but you also knew that they only wanted to make you happy, so they were trying to be supportive. One of them, however, had been slowly getting on your nerves. Ignoring what Luca said, you felt anger boiling inside of you. Asher was looking out the window, his face all scrunched up like he just wanted to throw something at someone. 

“What the fuck is your problem lately?” You turned to face him, your voice snapping in anger. 

You saw from the corner of your eyes how Luca, Ivy, and Sara had looked at you with wide eyes, their eyebrows shooting up to their forehead. You never snap like this. The last time you did was when you were a teenager, and your parents kept arguing with you about the career path you needed to go to. Although, that wasn’t something you wanted to look back on right now. 

“Really? ATJ?” Asher replied, his voice sounding like he wanted to vomit Aaron’s name. 

“What about him? What’s your problem?” You asked, gritting your teeth. 

Asher shook his head, drowning down the rest of his drink. He looked out the window and rolled his teeth over his bottom lip. He looked like he wanted to just say what he had been feeling, but he seemed to stop himself from spitting the words. You heard Luca let out a long sigh and set his drink down a little too hard that it clinked loudly on the wooden table. 

“Stop being such a baby, Asher. If you have a problem, just say it.” Luca snapped. 

Tension had blanketed the table, and everyone was uncomfortable in their seats. Asher was still silent for a brief moment before he exhaled a sharp breath. He turned to face everyone on the table, his eyes shifting towards every one of your friends before landing directly on you. You could see the smoke that was coming out from his nose and ears, his face was red, and his eyes were glassy. He swallowed all the emotions that were surfacing before he pushed his chair and stood up, grabbing his jacket that was hanging at the back of it. 

“I’m not dealing with this,” Asher murmured, slipping on his jacket. “I’m not going to sit here and have you all surround me with stupid accusations.”

He slipped out his wallet from his back pocket, grabbed a couple of twenty-dollar bills and threw it on the table before storming out of the restaurant. Your nostrils flared from anger as you also pushed your chair back and got up. Your friends gazed up at you with worried expressions as you held up your hand. 

“Don’t follow me.” You said. “I’ll be right back.”

You ran out of the restaurant, pushed the double doors and found Asher walking down the street. The city was bustling with crowds and cars. The cool air breeze blew through your hair as you tried to catch up to him. He had longer legs than you, but you were able to finally walk up behind him and grab his wrist. You turn him around, trying to catch your breath as you look at him with hurtful, angry eyes. 

“What the fuck is your problem?” You exclaimed. “For once, stop ignoring me and talk to me!”

Asher’s nostrils flared, and unshed tears filled his eyes as he said, “You want me to talk? Fine!”

You stood there, your body frozen as you waited for him to say what he needed to say. You felt your heart race as you stared at him, feeling like an eternity had passed. You didn’t want to hurt Asher like this, but you also couldn’t babysit his feelings anymore. You couldn’t stop yourself from being happy with someone because he would get hurt. He needed to move on. He needed to let you go. 

“Really? You’re dating him?” He exclaimed, flinging his arm in the air in frustration. “How many more guys are you going to give a chance before you see me? I’ve been trying to give you everything! I’ve been trying to make you happy since we met at CalTech, but it’s always never enough!” 

You felt the tears welled up in your eyes as you took a step forward. Asher’s eyes were full of anger, disappointment, and hurt. You didn’t want to break his heart like this. You never wanted to hurt him, but you just couldn’t see him that way. It would be unfair that you couldn’t give him more than what he deserved. 

“Asher…” You reached for his arm, but he was quick to pull it away. 

“No.” He said, shaking his head. A tear slipped down his cheek as he quickly wiped it away. “You don’t get to do that! I was fine when you were going out with Jack last time because I knew he couldn’t give you everything from the beginning! So maybe, you'll finally see that I’m right for you!” 

You let out a soft gasp as Asher grabbed your hand and squeezed it gently, setting it on his chest on top of where his heart was. 

“Please give me a chance. Just once.” He cupped your face with his hand, brushing your cheek gently with his thumb.

You looked away, holding in your tears as you slid his hand away from your face. You took a step back, shaking your head. 

“I can’t…” You whispered, staring into his eyes. “I don’t feel that way about you, and I don’t want to ruin our friendship with this.”

Asher looked at you, his eyes darkening. “Then have fun spreading your legs in Hollywood. Don’t come crawling back when you finally realize who’s right for you.”

Just like that, he walked away, leaving you speechless in the middle of the sidewalk. His words felt like a bullet in your heart as you felt it slowly die inside your chest. A tear rolled down your cheek, your body was frozen as you watched him turn around the corner and disappear from your sight. 

________

Aaron’s house was dark. The lights weren’t on, and the gate was closed. You have been in his house a couple of times before, but you didn’t know if this was a good idea or not. You have been sitting inside your car that was parked on the side of the road for about an hour now. You thought maybe seeing him would make you feel a little better but now, you didn’t know if you should have come here. 

Your thoughts were interrupted when you saw Aaron’s car passed by and the gate opened. Immediately, he saw you in his rearview mirror and parked his car. He walked towards your car as you rolled down your window.

“Hi.” You whispered, staring up at him.

Aaron didn’t say anything as he reached over the window and unlocked your door. He took your hand in his and led you inside his house. Aaron didn’t say anything as he kicked off his shoes and led you to his living room. You settled onto his sofa, while he walked into his kitchen. You heard the water running before he came back with a glass of water in his hand. 

“How long have you been waiting?” He asked, handing you the glass and kneeling in front of you. 

“Not long. I was about to leave.” You took a sip, letting the cold water cool off the rest of your body. 

You have been trying to push Asher’s words that were repeatedly echoing in your head. You shed your tears earlier today, and you didn’t need to shed anymore. You kept telling yourself that you didn’t owe him anything, especially because you never led him on since the beginning. You hated the fact that you hurt him, but you needed to set him straight or he could never move on from you. Asher deserved someone who could give him the same love back. 

That was just not you.

“You should have called. I would have come sooner.” Aaron took your hand in his and caressed his thumb on the back of your hand. “Is everything okay?”

“Just my friend.” You let out a sharp, long breath. “He was being an ass.”

Aaron reached for your cheek and softly brushed it with his thumb as he cupped your face. You knew he could see the red rims around your eyes from your crying earlier. You were okay now, but you couldn’t lie how much his words hurt you too. Asher was still your friend, after all. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Aaron asked. “We don’t have to if you’re not ready.”

“He’s always been like that.” You shrugged. “Part of it is my fault.”

“If he was your friend, he shouldn’t be treating you like that.” 

You squeezed his hand and said, “He liked me since college, and he is having a hard time accepting that I’m dating you.”

You watched as Aaron stared at you, a brief silence between the two of you. You watched as his throat worked as he swallowed whatever he was thinking and feeling. His eyes suddenly dimmed a little bit, a bit of fire burning in his eyes. 

“Do you feel something for him?” He asked, his voice low and his jaw ticking. 

You couldn’t help but let a small smile tug on your lips, reaching for his cheek and cupping it gently. You pushed his chin up with your thumb, so he could look you in your eyes. 

“Never. He’s just a friend. I just hate that I hurt him.” You said. “I had told him that since the beginning, but he can’t seem to accept it and move on.”

“This is not your fault, I hope you know that,” Aaron murmured. “He has to move on if you have told him multiple times that you weren’t interested.”

“I know.” You murmured, brushing the back of your fingers against his jaw, feeling his soft beard. 

Aaron’s lips tugged into a soft smile as he melted into your touch. You felt your stomach turned when you heard him sigh in relief. You couldn’t help but smile and leaned in closer, pressing a soft kiss on his lips.

“I love it when you do that.” You murmured. 

“Do what?”

“Sigh in relief. Like everything around you just disappears, and you relax.” You pressed another soft kiss on his lips, making him smile. 

“It’s because it does when you’re around. You make everything lighter.”

Looking into his ocean-blue eyes, you let your fingers lightly brush the skin of his cheek before kissing him passionately. Aaron let out a small moan as you tugged him to stand up. He moved himself to the sofa without letting go of the kiss, while you straddled his lap and kissed him deeply. You grind your hips slowly against him, making him groan softly and pull away from the kiss.

Breathlessly, he leaned his forehead against yours, closing his eyes like he was in pain. 

“Love…” He whispered. 

“Hm?” You hummed, trailing your lips on the line of his jaw and down his neck. 

You could feel his cock straining against his pants as you continued to pepper some kisses on his neck, your fingers finding the buttons of his shirt.

“Darling,” He said firmly this time, taking your hand in his and pulling away to look at you. “You’re upset.”

“I’m fine.” You murmured, kissing him again.

For a moment, Aaron’s lips moved against yours, his hand sliding around your waist but once your fingers started continuing to unbutton the buttons of his shirt, he let out a small groan again.

“Love,” He whispered, cupping one cheek with his hand. “I don’t want our first time to be like this.”

Slumping your shoulders, you let out a deep sigh and lowered your eyes to his lap. You rolled your teeth on your bottom lip and nodded your head. 

“Right, sorry.” Your voice was almost a whisper. 

“Hey,” Aaron lifted your chin with his index finger to look into your eyes. “Why don’t we relax for a little, hm?”

A small smile tugged on your lips as you laid your head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck and inhaling his minty and fresh scent. 

“What the fuck did I do to deserve you?” You murmured through his skin. 

You could feel him smile as his warm hand slid down your back, rubbing it softly and pulling you close to his chest. You felt warm, safe and protected in his arms, and you never wanted to leave. His warmth engulfed you as he let his fingers softly brush up and down your arm, sending a warm feeling to your stomach.

“You’re amazing, sweetheart.” He whispered, kissing the top of your head. “Don’t forget that.”

You let out a soft hum, your lashes tickling Aaron’s neck as silence blanketed the room for a moment. His soft touch was still gently rubbing your arm, and he could tell by your soft breathing that you were starting to doze off. 

“Stay for tonight?” He murmured through your hair. 

You nodded your head as he lifted both of you from the sofa. You tangled your arms around his neck as Aaron made his way upstairs, down the hall and into his bedroom. Setting you on the edge of his bed, you ran your fingers through your hair as he opened one of his drawers and grabbed a t-shirt and sweats for you. 

“I’ll just go and freshen up. Thank you.” You smiled as Aaron leaned down to kiss your cheek. 

Padding down to his bathroom, you set the clothes on top of the counter and stared at yourself in the mirror. Red rims surrounded your eyes from when you cried earlier. You have pushed the thought of Asher after you had let out all your emotions earlier. You reminded yourself again that you didn’t do anything wrong. You reminded yourself that you didn’t owe Asher anything. 

Grabbing a fresh toothbrush from under the sink, you brushed your teeth, washed your face with cold water and changed into Aaron’s t-shirt that landed perfectly around your thighs. Opting out the sweats, you opened the bathroom door and found Aaron shirtless and wearing gray sweatpants. His hair was damped from the shower, and he was sitting at the edge of the bed, waiting for you. 

You saw the way his breath hitched the moment he saw you standing under the doorway. His eyes traveled from your eyes, down to your body and your bare thighs. His eyes darkened from the view he was looking at as he reached one arm for you. Barefoot, you walked towards him, feeling the cool wooden floors under your feet. The light in his room had dimmed, only the lamp on either side of his bed was illuminating the room. 

Your fingers slipped through his hand as he pulled you to him, standing between his legs. He gazed up at you, caressing your cheek with his thumb. 

“You’re so beautiful, love.” He whispered. 

Your fingers softly brushed his beard as you let your fingers dance across his jaw. Aaron let out a soft breath, closing his eyes and leaning against your touch. Your eyes studied his face carefully. Long lashes, soft beard, and freckles peppered across his skin. He looked so handsome under the warm light of his bedroom. You leaned down and kissed him softly, his lips brushing against yours. He slipped his hands on your waist, pulling you close to him as you tangled and raked your nails through his scalp. 

“Aaron, please.” You whispered as he pulled away. 

His blue eyes were almost black as he studied the expression on your face. Your fingers brushed his cheek as he let you push him onto the bed and straddled his hips. His hands slipped under his t-shirt that you were wearing, your flushed skin under his touch as he held on to your waist. 

“Are you sure?” He asked concern etched on his face. 

“Yes.” You answered firmly. 

It didn’t take him a second to crash his lips against yours, sliding one of his hands out from under your shirt and sliding it through your hair. You pressed your palms against his hard, bare chest, your tongue brushing on his lower lip. Aaron opened his mouth to grant you access and both of your tongues danced together. You felt the control that Aaron was letting you have tonight as you continued to kiss him deeply, your hands sliding down his bare chest and onto the hills and valleys of his abs. 

A soft gasp escaped your lips when Aaron pulled away from the kiss, his lips kissing and sucking the line of your jaw. His tongue slid down your neck as you let out a soft moan the moment he kissed and sucked at the one spot behind your ear.

“You like that?” He whispered breathlessly.

“Yes.” You breathlessly answered, your fingers digging into his broad shoulders. 

Aaron continued to suck into the one spot behind your ear and his tongue licking the sore spot before trailing his lips down your neck again. He pulled the hem of your shirt, and you didn’t hesitate to pull it over your head, leaving you there only in your underwear. He sucked in a breath as he pulled back and studied your body. With the way Aaron was looking at you, it made you feel confident. You never felt like this before even when you were with Jack. He always made you feel insecure with your body.

“Jesus Christ, darling,” Aaron whispered. “You’re so hot.”

Heat crept up in your cheeks, making you smile shyly before kissing him again. Aaron flipped the two of you over and hovered over you. His lips found yours again, kissing you deeply and you could feel his hard cock against your thigh. Another soft moan escaped your lips as Aaron kissed across your collarbone, down to the swell of your breast, and sucked on your nipple. His other hand was playing with the other one, pinching and twisting it.

You lifted your hips, grinding up against him, trying to find something to soothe the throbbing ache that was between your legs.

“Easy, love,” Aaron smirked, his brows creating a line between his forehead. “Impatient tonight, are we?”

“Yes.” You kissed the line of his jaw, your hands feeling all his hard muscles in his arms before sliding it between the two of you.

A low groan vibrated from Aaron’s belly as you cupped him through his sweatpants. You bit your bottom lip, failing to hide your smile as you caressed him through the fabric. You watched as he scrunched his face as if he was in pain before grabbing your hand and pinning both of them above your head. 

“Tell me what you want,” Aaron whispered, licking and sucking your nipples again.

Your back arched, letting him know that you wanted more as he gazed up at you, letting one of his hands slowly dance around your stomach just right above the waistband of your underwear.

“You.” You gasped. “I want you inside me.”

A smirk plastered on his face again before sliding his hand beneath the fabric of your underwear. You felt his finger rubbing your clit slowly, making you moan loudly. 

“You’re so wet for me already.” He said, “Lift your hips for me, darling.” His lips trailed down your stomach as you lifted your hips, and he used his fingers to drag down your underwear.

Soon, the small piece of fabric had joined your clothes on the floor and you were lying naked in front of him. 

“Aaron.” You whimpered as he continued to draw circles on your clit. 

Taking both of your legs, he set them on his shoulders and kissed your inner thigh slowly to tease you even more. You groan impatiently as you hear him chuckle under your skin. Before you could even moan his name again, a loud gasp came out of your mouth when you felt his warm tongue lick you in one swipe.

“Hm…” He gazed up through his lashes. “So sweet.”

Before you could even comprehend one thought, you felt his tongue lapping on your clit, making you moan his name. Your hands turned into a fist, bunching up the bedsheet under your hands. You couldn't describe the pleasure that was spreading all over your body as Aaron continued to suck and lick your clit. Your back arched, feeling the pleasure on your lower belly, and Aaron must have known that you were close because he did one more lap on your clit before sucking it hard, making your pleasure explode, and making you feel it all the way to your toes.

“Oh.. my god!” You cried out as Aaron smiled, licking you one more time until your waves of orgasm were finished.

Crawling up to you, he kissed you passionately, tasting yourself in his tongue. You reached for his sweatpants and pulled them down, while Aaron helped you and threw them on the floor. You looked down with wide eyes as you saw his cock resting on your stomach.

“Holy shit.” You murmured, taking his cock in your hand and pumping it lightly.

Aaron growled in your ear as he thrust his hips, groaning from the feeling of your hand.

“If you keep doing that, I will come immediately, love.” He said, sucking on that one spot behind your ear again that shot pleasure down your body.

“I need you.” You murmured, rubbing the tip of his cock on your entrance.

“Hold on.” He said, reaching over to his bedside table and pulling out a condom. Sitting up, you took it from him and slid it over his hard cock before he pushed you gently on the bed again. 

“I’m all yours, sweetheart.” He murmured as you let him slowly enter you inch by inch.

You buried your face on his shoulder as you felt him slowly fill you, and you could already feel your walls tightening around him. You felt so full until he was seated fully inside of you, feeling your chest heave heavily.

“Are you okay?” Aaron’s voice was low and raspy.

You nodded your head, letting yourself get used to his size for a moment. Slowly, Aaron began to pull out before pushing himself back in again. A groan vibrated through his body as he continued to thrust in and out of you, picking up his pace slowly.

You wrapped your legs around his waist, your heels digging into his back as you whispered, “More.”

“Fuck.” Aaron moaned as he picked up his pace.

You dug your nails on his back as you moaned and whimpered his name, feeling the pleasure at the edge of your spine. You threw your head back on the pillow, beads of sweat covering your forehead as Aaron kissed you deeply. He brushed his tongue on your lower lip before entering your mouth. Both of your tongues tangled together as Aaron continued to thrust deep inside you, hitting the right spot and making your toes curl from the delicious pleasure that was vibrating through your body.

“I’m… close.” You murmured. “Aaron.”

Aaron slipped his hand between you and started rubbing your clit, increasing your pleasure that was building up. 

“Oh, fuck!” You screamed, your walls tightening around him.

“Fuck, love. I’m close.” Aaron buried his face on your shoulder and thrust himself deeper, his finger still rubbing your swollen clit.

“Aaron—!” You cried out.

Your legs trembled as you pulsated around him, letting your orgasm wash over you before unwrapping your legs from Aaron’s waist. He continued to thrust a few more times until his orgasm took over him.

“Fucckk.” He growled. 

Slowing his pace, he gazed down at you and saw your heavy, hazy eyes looking up at him. You gave him a small, tired smile as he gently pressed a soft kiss on your forehead. He slowly pulled out and made his way towards the bathroom. You were so exhausted, that your eyes were already closing when you felt him clean you up. 

“You’re amazing, darling.” He murmured, pressing a soft kiss on your temple.

Opening your eyes, you pushed yourself off the bed and went to use the bathroom before the two of you came back to bed. Aaron pulled you close in his arms. Your one arm was wrapped around his torso, while your leg was tangled with his. 

His arms felt like a safe place you didn’t know you needed until now. It was the kind of place you just wanted to go to after a long day. He made it seem so easy even if you two had only just started dating for a few weeks. 

Everything was just lighter with Aaron.

________

The sunlight peeked through the curtains as Aaron fluttered his eyes open. Aaron had been sleeping in this bed of his for years but somehow, this morning, it felt like he was lying on a cloud. Turning, he found your flushed body next to his. Your hair fanned out all over the pillow, and you were sleeping peacefully.

He couldn't help but smile and softly brushed his fingers against your soft cheek, gentle enough that he didn’t want to wake you. Hearing his phone buzzed on the table, he snapped out of his trance and picked up his phone. He saw his publicist's name, Celeste, on the screen.

Celeste: Care to explain this? 

Clicking the link, he saw an article of him on the DeuxMoi website when he had taken you to Griffith for your first date. DeuxMoi was never reliable when it came to celebrity news, so he knew that so far, this was all just a rumor. Sure, there was a picture, but it was the two of you walking together. That was all. 

Even though the date and rumor were totally true.

Aaron: I’ll explain when I see you. Please don’t comment on anything yet. 

“Hey, are you okay?” He heard your soft, sleepy voice as he set his phone on the bedside table.

“Hey,” Aaron plastered a fake smile. “How are you, love?”

“Amazing.” You smiled, stretching your arms out and sitting up on the bed, pulling the covers close to your chest. 

“You look worried.” You murmured, cupping his cheek. “Everything okay?”

“Yes,” Aaron said. “Just some stupid article on the internet.”

You furrowed your brows, tilting your head as you waited for him to explain what he was talking about. Aaron exhaled a deep breath and wrapped an arm around you, pulling you close to his chest. He explained the article and how DeuxMoi was asking if he was dating someone or not. 

The gears in your head started shifting as he continued to explain and comfort you that everything was okay, and that he’d handle it with his publicist. You knew this news was going to spread like wildfire, but you were so caught up in your safe bubble that you didn’t realize this was going to blow up in your face sooner than you thought.

How naive.

“I’m not scared to tell the world about you, love,” Aaron reassured you, kissing your temple.

But somehow, your heart couldn't stop racing.

__________________________________________________________

Taglist:

It had been a long week, and it was only Thursday. You still had one more day to go, and you were dreading for this meeting to be finished so you could go home. Keith had called you and Asher, his two leads of the department, to break the news that the lab production was expanding, which meant more work for the team with less people. 

You work at a genomic lab, and your position was a chemist lead for five months now, which meant more responsibilities and more document work than lab work.

Same goes for Asher. 

Asher had asked Keith the question of how this was going to work given the less people you all currently have. Keith was currently explaining everything to him. You had tuned them out for about five minutes now as Asher continued to question him. Asher has always been like that. You have known him since freshman year of college, and he always asked ridiculous questions that were unnecessary. 

No one questions Keith’s decisions. Ever. 

And yet, here he was. 

You didn’t understand why your supervisor, Max, wasn’t the one who told you this. Besides the fact that he was barely at work all the time, Keith was the director of the chemical production that went on in the lab, and he already had enough on his plate. You couldn’t help but shake your head slightly at the thought of how unreliable Max could be. 

“Anyway, we won’t be doing this right away.” Keith’s voice suddenly resurfaced back to your attention. “I already made a proposal for hiring new staff so hopefully, we’ll be able to get some new people around here.”

“And we will be the ones training them?” Asher asked, sounding insulted. 

Jesus fucking Christ. 

You rolled your teeth over your lower lip as you watched Keith’s reaction to Asher’s question. You have learned how Keith reacts in a certain way to certain people. You knew that because you have done one on one’s with him and have developed a better relationship with him than he and Asher could ever have. Keith’s eyes sparked in a way that he couldn’t believe he was hearing Asher’s tone of voice.

You didn’t blame him. 

Asher was being rude. 

“As a lead of this team, yes.” Keith answered. 

Oh, here we go.

“As a lead, it’s part of your job to train new hires and support them when they need help. As a lead, you're there for your team to ensure day-to-day priorities and provide proper instructions to certain tasks. It’s what a good leader does.” Keith continued, his voice growing serious. 

The corner of your lips lifted, holding in the smile that was slowly creeping up on your face. Asher was slowly sliding down his seat as Keith continued to explain that if you have any questions or concerns, you both could always talk to Max or talk to him privately. 

Asher anxiously scrambled out of his seat as soon as Keith dismissed the meeting. 

“Have a good day, sir.” You murmured as he gave you a curt nod and a warm smile. 

Keith never had a problem with you. 

Asher, however…

You watched as Asher exhaled a deep breath as if he had been holding it in the last thirty minutes or so. His cheeks were a shade of pink as you both walked down the office area and stopped in front of your office door. 

“I don’t know why you keep questioning Keith.” You murmured. 

Asher gave you a glare and rolled his eyes. “Because don’t you think it’s a little ridiculous that he is giving us more work?”

“You heard Keith. He already is going to hire more people.” You argued. “You know how he is. He probably already submitted that proposal a long time ago. I won’t be surprised if he already found people to hire.”

Asher scoffed lightly, shaking his head. “Why do you always defend him?”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. You have known Asher all through college, and you could sense the behavior he projected whenever he was upset. It honestly annoyed you, even now. The behavior he tends to portray was just inappropriate and irritating. 

You saw that flick of idea in his green eyes for a moment. You shook your head immediately before he even said the words. 

“Do you..” He looked around the office, making sure no one was around before whispering, “Do you have some crush on him?”

The disgusted feeling immediately washed over you, making your stomach turn at the gross accusation he just threw at you. 

Was he fucking serious?

Your brows raised in surprise before anger took over you. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

Asher rolled his eyes, “Oh, come on!”

“You’re fucking disgusting, you know that? Jesus Christ! What the fuck is wrong with your brain?” 

Asher’s eyes immediately turned into guilt as he saw the anger that sparked in your eyes. The tension in his shoulders relaxed as he exhaled a sharp breath.

“I’m sorry.” He murmured, his eyes dropping down to his feet. “I’m just… I’m just upset.”

You shook your head in disbelief and turned around to open your office door, but Asher was quick to grab you by your wrist. 

“Wait.” He said. “I’m sorry, okay? D… Do you have plans for tonight? Do you want to get dinner?”

You couldn’t help but scoff at his question and slipped your wrist away from his grip. You couldn’t even look at him right now. You didn't have the energy today to give him some patience and understanding.

“Yeah,” A hint of irritation through your voice. “Sara and I have Pasta Thursday tonight.”

“Right.” Asher nodded. “Okay, well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Rolling your eyes, you entered your office and gathered your things together. It was the end of the day, and you were thanking your little stars above that it was almost the weekend. You couldn't believe you had to deal with that bullshit. Asher was getting on your last nerve lately.

Pushing the thought away, you zipped up your bag and yawned softly, shaking your head to wake yourself up. It was already 3:30pm, and you still have to hit traffic going home. 

Walking out of the double doors of Genome Dynamics, the Los Angeles heat greeted you. It was starting to cool down from the afternoon air, but it was still hot. It was mid-October, and you were ready for the weather to start getting cold. You walked down the parking lot and threw your bag on the backseat before sliding yourself in the driver’s seat. 

Maybe a little coffee would help you a little bit. 

Your favorite coffee shop was just five blocks down, and you decided to make a little pit stop before going straight home. 

Entering the shop, the delicious smell of coffee immediately greeted you. It sent warm shivers down your body. You loved the smell of coffee, and you loved the atmosphere this coffee shop always had. The shop wasn’t too crowded. There were only a couple of people waiting in line and a couple people sitting around the tables, their eyes focused on their laptop or book. 

You ordered your favorite mocha blended coffee and waited on the other end of the counter for the barista to make your drink. As you waited, you felt your phone vibrate in your hand and Sara’s name appeared on your screen. 

Sara: Got the goodies! On the way home now!

You couldn’t help but smile and text her back. 

You: Great! I’m fucking starving! It’s been a long day.

Sara: Same. Got some tiramisu for dessert too! 🤭

You: Great. I’ll see you soon.

You gazed up from your phone when you heard the barista call your name. You saw the girl set the delicious blended coffee on the counter. Instantly, you mentally cursed yourself when you saw the whipped cream on top. You totally forgot to tell her that you didn’t want any whipped cream, but it was too late. It wasn’t that big of a deal, so you just let it go. You grabbed the coffee carefully and made your way towards the other counter to grab yourself a lid and straw.

Although, you didn’t make it all the way because as this day already been unlucky, you weren’t paying attention and immediately hit something hard the moment you turned around. For a moment, you thought you were that tired that you hit the wall that was behind you but when you slowly looked up, you were greeted by a man. Not just any man. 

You knew this man. 

His curly brown hair was a little longer than you usually would see him in. It was pushed back from his forehead. His beard was trimmed nicely. He was wearing a white button up with a navy blue striped vest along with navy blue trousers that matched with his vest. His white button up and navy blue vest was now soaked in whipped cream and blended coffee. 

Motherfucker.

A small gasp slipped through your lips before stalking towards the counter and grabbing some napkins. 

“Fuck.” You muttered under your breath. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you!” 

You wiped the bundle of napkins on his shirt, and jesus, you couldn’t help but think how he felt almost like a rock. There was nothing in his body but just muscles. He didn’t say anything as you continued to wipe off the coffee from his clothes.

“Of course, my clumsy self would do this.” You murmured, wondering if you were talking to him or to yourself.

Maybe both. 

“My brain is fried, and I can’t think anymore for today. I’m so sorry for this. I swear, I didn’t see you there. I was way too distracted over some stupid pasta waiting for me at home—”

You heard a low chuckle that vibrated through his chest where your hand was. Your eyes slowly gazed up at him. His one brow raised, one corner of his lips was lifted, while his blue eyes were staring right into yours. 

Fucking Aaron Taylor-Johnson. 

“Do you always ramble on like this, darling?” His British accent slipped through his voice, and you wondered if this was some sort of stupid prank. 

“I… uh…” You stuttered, taking a step back. “Been a long day.”

Dimples indented his cheeks as he smiled at you. He looked down at the mess you made on his shirt, and you knew that it probably cost hundreds of dollars for just that one shirt alone. 

“It’s alright.” He said, reaching for more napkins and dabbing it on his shirt. “Accidents happen.”

“I ruined it.” You said. “I can pay for it. I don’t know. It’s probably going to cost a whole paycheck. I can barely afford my own clothes, but I don’t mind. I don’t know, maybe I can pay you monthly or something or get you something cheaper, but I’m not even sure if you would want that. I mean how would I pay you monthly? I’m a stranger. You probably don't even want to see me again—”

You were rambling again, and you were out of breath when he chuckled at you once again. 

“It’s not my personal clothes.” He cut you off. “It’s my costume for the movie I’m filming.”

Your eyes widened from his small commentary, and it didn’t make the situation better. Some Director or someone from the costume department would probably sue you now for ruining a movie costume. 

Fuck. 

Aaron laughed softly when he saw the panic that washed over your face. You didn’t understand how he was this calm, and how he was okay with all of this. 

“It’s alright.” He reassured you. “Although, I’m not sure how the costume department will react to the artwork you made on their costume.”

There was a hint of tease in his voice, but you didn’t find it funny. Your heart was beating a million miles per hour, and he was over here teasing you? 

Teasing you! 

“I’m kidding.” He laughed. “They have some detergent to get this out. I always make a mess on set with my costumes whenever I eat. It’s not a problem.”

The reassurance in his voice finally made your shoulders relaxed, and he probably saw it too because his grin widened. Your conversation was interrupted when the barista called his name and set his drink on the counter. 

“I’m sorry again.” You murmured.

“It’s okay. I’m Aaron, by the way.” He held out his hand.

As if you didn’t know him. 

You introduced yourself and shook his hand, giving him a small smile. 

“Nice to meet you.” He said. “I’ll see you around… hopefully.”

He squeezed your hand softly before walking around you to grab his coffee. You took a deep breath and threw the half empty coffee cup that was still in your hand and sped walk towards the front doors of the shop. 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

You didn’t even dare to look back at the coffee shop as you walked straight towards your car. You drove off almost immediately and found yourself on the freeway in just five minutes. You mentally cursed yourself for always embarrassing yourself in front of someone that was famous or important. It was like your brain always knew how to short circuit in situations like these. 

Arriving at your apartment building, you tapped your foot impatiently inside the elevator. When the two doors slid open, you walked down the hall and inserted your key on the keyhole to unlock it. You were greeted immediately by the smell of your favorite pasta and garlic bread but somehow, you lost your appetite now. 

“Hey.” Sara smiled, setting the plates on the dining table. “You’re a little later than usual. Busy day?” 

Sara’s your roommate and best friend. You also met her in your first year of college. She was your very first friend on campus, and the two of you were always two peas in a pod. Even now.

“Uh no.” You set your bag down on the floor behind the sofa and walked towards the dining table. “I stopped by at The Insomniacs.”

“A coffee?” Sara raised her brow. “This late? You’re not going to sleep tonight.”

“It’s fine.” You shrugged, feeling more exhausted than ever now. “Coffee doesn’t affect me like that anymore. I'll still be sleeping like a baby tonight.”

You pulled out the chair and sat across from Sara, your eyes studying the pasta and garlic bread that was sitting on the table. You have been thinking about this pasta all day but looking at it made your stomach turn. 

“Besides,” You added. “I didn’t even drink coffee.”

“What do you mean?” Sara handed you the plate of garlic bread. 

You grabbed a few pieces for yourself and set them on your plate. “It ended up on someone’s shirt.”

“What?” Sara’s eyes widened. 

You explained everything that happened from being too exhausted from a long day of work to deciding you were going to grab some coffee. Then, you told her how you grabbed the coffee from the counter and the moment you turned around, you bumped into someone.

“Not just someone.” You said. “Guess who?”

“Your ex?”

You made a disgusted face. “No! Someone famous.”

“I don’t know. Leonardo DiCaprio or something?”

You laughed, shaking your head. “No, it was freaking Aaron Taylor-Johnson!”

“Shut up!” Sara’s eyes widened as she grinned excitedly. “ATJ?! You spilled your coffee all over ATJ?!”

You threw your head back and groaned in frustration before leaning forward against the table and buried your face in your hands. You shook your head as the scenarios replayed in your mind. 

“I’m such an idiot.” You mumbled through your hands before looking up. “It was embarrassing, Sara! The worst part? He laughed about it.”

Sara chuckled, taking a sip of her wine. “I’m sure he found it cute. Besides, he probably won’t even remember you. He has thousands of fans. You’ll slip away from his mind in like a day.”

“Thanks.” You said sarcastically, eating your pasta. 

“You know what I mean.” Sara smiled. “It’s so funny how you always run into celebrities.”

You looked up from your pasta with wide eyes. “What do you mean by always?”

“Did you forget that you ran into Jennifer Aniston in a bathroom once?” Sara scoffed. 

Oh, yeah. Sara would never let that one go. 

It wasn’t your fault. Your childhood friend, Hannah, had dragged you down to an after party event. It just happened that Sara’s—and yours— favorite actress was in that event. You also embarrassed yourself in front of her by stuttering and rambling on about how much you loved her movies and her. Jen was sweet enough to take a picture with you and a video for Sara. 

At the end of the night, you wanted to slap yourself for acting so stupid.

“Well, maybe if you get out of Pasadena, you’d see more celebrities.” You teased her. 

Sara’s job was located in Pasadena. She worked for NASA and even if you didn’t actually understand what she did over there, you knew Sara loved her job. Meanwhile, your job was located in Burbank. A lot closer to Glendale, where you both lived. Also, a city swarming with celebrities sometimes since the Warner Brothers studios was located in Burbank. 

“No, thanks.” Sara replied. “I actually love my job.”

“Yeah?” You leaned back against your chair. “How’s space going? Is there some comet about to hit us or what?”

Sara almost choked on her wine. She wiped the corner of her mouth with the napkin before tilting her head at you. 

“What happened at work?” She asked. 

Sara knew you only would ask that question when you weren’t having a good day. 

You rolled your eyes. “Asher being Asher.”

“That’s nothing new.” Sara argued. “What did the idiot do now?”

You sighed and reached for your glass of wine. As much as you loved the pasta, you couldn’t eat any more of it. 

“Keith pulled us into his office, letting us know about more production coming and that he was planning to hire more people.” You sipped your wine for a moment. “Well, you know how you don’t ever argue with Keith? Well, Asher did. He threw all these questions, which Keith shut down instantly. Asher was all aggravated after the meeting.”

Sara chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Oh, Asher.”

“Then, I told him to quit acting like that and he accused me of having a crush on my boss! Like what the fuck? That’s fucking disgusting!”

Sara laughed. “Oh god. You know he’s acting like that because he likes you, right? He has liked you since we were in CalTech.” 

“And since CalTech, I have told him I’m not interested.” You scoffed. “He needs to move on.”

Sara chuckled softly and sipped her wine, while comfortable silence surrounded the dining room for a moment. You and your friends, including Sara and Asher, met in CalTech. The first year, Asher wasn’t shy about his feelings towards you, but you never liked him like that. Despite the fact that you were still friends until now, that was all that was ever going to be. He was also a complete opposite of you, and you never liked his behavior whenever he got upset.

Later on that night, you and Sara shared the tiramisu, while Sara told you about her day. Then, you helped her with the dishes and eventually retired into your own rooms. As you laid on your bed that night, you stared at the ceiling and let out a deep breath. 

Your body and mind was exhausted.

Just one more day, and it's the weekend. 

__________________________________________________________

The kitchen counters were covered in flour, drops of different liquid ingredients and dirty bowls and spoons. Your 3 year old daughter, Rosie, was sitting on the counter top, watching her father try his best to bake her some sugar cookies. It was moments like these that made you want this world to stop and just watch this moment over and over again. 

Rosie had always been a daddy’s girl, and you couldn't honestly blame her for being one. Joe loved to spoil her even before she was born. When you were pregnant, Joe would buy just about anything he could find at the store. 

“Don’t you think she would love this?” He picked up a stuffed pink bear, and you couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“Joe, didn’t you already get her a teddy bear?” 

“Yes, but this one is pink!” Joe argued. 

You couldn’t help but chuckle as Joe shrugged and placed the pink bear in the cart. He didn’t care if he already bought her the same one in a different color. If he thought she would love it, he would get it. 

The moment Rosie was born, you could instantly see her resemblance to Joe. Her big brown eyes and as she grew older, her hair was curly just like her father’s. He was his mini copy as what you would always say. Joe always had been such a good father. Even with his busy schedule, he refused to miss the big moments with you and Rosie. He would drop everything in an instant for the both of you, and you didn’t even know you could love him even more. 

“Mum!” Rosie exclaimed, snapping you out of your thoughts. 

You shifted your eyes at Rosie, who was pointing at you, her shirt and face covered in frosting.

“Hey, darling.” Joe smiled. “You’re awake. Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you.” You grinned happily, making your way towards the kitchen counter.

You watched as Rosie reached her arms towards you. You chuckled softly, grabbing the kitchen towel to wipe her face from all the frosting. You have no idea what they have been doing, but they definitely made a mess in the kitchen.

“Oh my goodness!” You laughed softly, taking Rosie in your arms. “I think someone has been eating too much frosting.”

“We made sugar cookies.” Rosie smiled, pointing at the freshly baked cookies on the tray. 

“I see that. You and Daddy made it from scratch?” 

Rosie nodded her head, her brown curls bouncing. You smiled and shifted your eyes at Joe. He was still playing with the mixer as he tasted the frosting that he was making. He was wearing your floral apron, and you couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of him. He had flour and pink frosting on his beard and cheek. He certainly looked like he had been trying his best to bake cookies for his daughter.

“Do you need help?” You asked, watching Joe sucked the frosting off his finger and made a disapproval expression.

“This is my second batch, and I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.” Joe shook his head, staring at the mixing bowl.

“Let me try.” You walked over to him, placing Rosie on your hip. 

You reached over to the bowl and sucked the frosting off your finger before making a face. 

“That’s so sweet.” You scrunch your face. “How much sugar did you put in this?” 

“It said five cups.”

Your eyes widened, “Five?!”

You walked around Joe and read the recipe in the recipe book and bit your lower lip. You gazed up at Joe and gave him your sympathetic eyes. The poor thing must be that tired because he read the instructions wrong.

“No, it’s five tablespoons of milk.” You said. “It’s three cups of powdered sugar.”

You heard Rosie giggle as Joe knitted his brows and leaned in towards you. He blinked a few times before slapping a palm on his forehead.

“Ohmygod, my eyesight is that bad now? I thought it said five cups!”

You laughed softly, caressing his back softly. You and Joe turned when you both heard Rosie laughed softly. Immediately, Joe raised a brow at her, his fingers poking her small tummy.

“That’s funny to you, yea?” Joe teased, tickling her on her side as Rosie kicked her feet and laughed harder.

You laughed, holding on to Rosie in your arms as she continued to squirm, while Joe continued to tickle her. 

“That’s funny, yea?” Joe asked. “You won’t have any cookies if you keep laughing at me.”

Rosie immediately went dead silent as she pouted and reached her arms towards Joe. Taking her up in his arms, Joe swung her around in the air, making her laugh before nuzzling his frosting covered face on hers. He left repeated kisses all over her face as Rosie laughed, kicking her feet in happiness. You couldn’t help but watch them together. They were so adorable like this, and you honestly didn’t even want to ruin the moment at all. 

Joe placed Rosie back on the kitchen counter as he wiped off the frosting that got stuck on her face from him. You grabbed the mixing bowl and dumped the bad frosting in the bin before washing it.

“Darling, I got it.” Joe murmured, hugging you from behind and kissing your cheek softly.

“Are you sure?” You raised a brow at him.

“Yes.” Joe smirked. “I know what to do now.”

Letting out a soft hum, you grabbed a clean kitchen towel to wipe off the excess water inside the mixing bowl before handing it back to him. You never tried to get in the way when it came to their daddy-daughter time. Leaning on the kitchen island, you watched as Joe read the instructions—carefully this time— and asked Rosie to hand him the ingredients. 

Together, they would measure the ingredients and dump it in the bowl before Joe would turn the mixer on. Sitting on the counter top, Rosie swung her legs excitedly, while Joe washed his hands and carried Rosie in his arms. 

“Strawberry frosting.” Rosie murmured, pointing at the perfect frosting that Joe had finally made.

“Let’s try it, yea?” Joe leaned Rosie forward in his arms as she dipped her finger on the frosting and smiled happily. 

“Good?” Joe asked, smiling at his daughter.

“Good!” Rosie gave him a thumbs up before turning her head towards you. “Mum, try it!” 

You grinned at them and walked around the counter. You stared at the bowl before dipping your finger on the frosting and tasted it. You could see Joe was waiting for your reaction, his eyes pleading that it had turned out better than the last two batches he had made. 

“How is it?” He asked. 

“Perfect.” You smiled. 

Joe pumped his fist into the air before giving Rosie a high five and placed her back on the counter again. You laughed softly, watching Joe grab the tray of cookies and place it on the plate next to Rosie. 

“Okay, darling.” Joe said. “Let’s decorate these cookies.”

As Joe grabbed a piping bag, he shoved some frosting in it before handing it to Rosie. You stood to the side and enjoyed the scene that was in front of you. You leaned forward against the counter, your chin on the palm of your hand as you watched them both. Joe helped Rosie decorate the cookies, making more mess in the kitchen as they laughed together. You could see the tiredness in Joe’s eyes, but you knew he refused to go get some rest until he was able to finish these cookies with Rosie. 

Joe had been promising Rosie all week that he would bake with her, but he had been super busy with filming, and he was glad that he had found time to spend time with her on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. However, Joe was filming late at night so he didn’t come home until this morning. 

“Wow!” Joe exclaimed, clapping his hands. “That looks so beautiful, darling.” 

You tilted your head as you watched Rosie add a mountain of pink glittery sprinkles on the cookie. You couldn’t help but chuckle softly as you walked over towards them. 

“Let me see.” You said, looking at the tray of sugar cookies with pink frosting and glittery sprinkles.

“That looks so beautiful.” You smiled at Rosie, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

Rosie picked up one of the cookies from the tray and reached it over for you to take a bite out of it. You let out a soft approving hum, chewing on the cookie and nodding your head. 

“Delicious.” You grinned, brushing her soft brown curls. “You and Daddy are such good bakers.”

“Yay!!” Rosie clapped her hands as you and Joe both laughed. 

You started picking up the dirty dishes and placed them on the sink and started washing them before you felt Joe’s strong arms wrapped around your waist. He hugged you from behind, setting his chin on your shoulder, grinning happily.

“I can handle that, love.” He whispered, kissing your cheek.

“Hmm…” You turned around as he yawned softly. 

You picked up a clean dish towel and wiped the frosting off his face. “You and Rosie get some rest, and I’ll finish up around here.”

“No, it’s my mess. Let me clean it up.” Joe argued. 

“No, no. You both go to the living room and relax. I can handle it.” You gave him a reassuring smile. 

“Okay, thank you.” Joe smiled, kissing you softly on the lips. 

“Just make sure to change her into a fresh shirt, please.”

“Will do!” Joe called out as he carried Rosie in his arms and walked out of the kitchen.

You couldn’t even feel frustrated or mad about all of this. Even if you had just deep cleaned the kitchen this morning, you were too caught up admiring the sight of them earlier. You couldn’t help but smile, thinking about how much Joe loves the both of you. How much he’d do anything for Rosie even if he was exhausted. 

Putting away the clean dishes back on the cupboard and wiping the kitchen counters, you placed a few cookies on a plate and made your way towards the living room. You could hear the movie Tangled playing on the television and the next thing your eyes caught made your heart swell even more. 

Joe was laying on the sofa with Rosie on top of his chest. Rosie’s soft curls were sprawled on Joe’s arm, her tiny arms wrapped around his neck. Joe’s one arm was underneath his head and his other one wrapped around Rosie’s body. His chest was rising and falling steadily as they both slept peacefully. 

You couldn’t help but just stand there and watch them for a moment. 

You certainly love this little family of yours. 

The End. 

********

Taglist:

But today was your last day of moving the rest of your things. All the heavy stuff was already set up and organized in the apartment and the only thing that was left were just boxes of your clothes and miscellaneous stuff for the kitchen. 

“I’ll take this last box and I can go drop off the U-Haul truck back.” Sara said, grabbing the last remaining box at the back of the truck. 

“Are you sure? I can go with you.” You suggested.

“No, it’s alright. I got it. Maybe I can pick up some pizza for dinner tonight?”

You nodded your head in agreement. “That sounds good. I’m too tired to make dinner.”

Sara chuckled softly, agreeing with you as you both entered the building. You were carrying another box, following behind her and entering the elevator. You loved this new apartment. It was fancy, nice and everything was new. It even had a security guard outside the building that made you feel safe. You couldn’t help but feel proud of how far you two had come.

Ready to finally set down the last box, you followed Sara down the hall when you were greeted by a man from across the hall. He looked familiar, and he looked like he was about your age too. He was, however, shirtless, and he had a grin on his face the moment he saw you. 

“Looks like I got new neighbors across the hall.” His English accent slipped through his voice. 

You couldn’t help but stare at him for a moment. He was cute and not to sound too desperate, you rarely have any men interact with you. Especially cute and handsome men. Immediately, you were already hooked as soon as you heard that accent slip through his voice. His chocolate button eyes sparkled as he smiled at you. His curly brown hair was all disheveled, but it made him look more attractive. 

“I’m Joe.” He grinned excitedly.

Setting the heavy box down on the floor, you introduced yourself. For a moment, you were reluctant to shake his hand because you were literally all sweaty and dirty from doing all this moving. Joe, however, didn’t hesitate to shake your hand. Instantly, you were already charmed by him. 

Or maybe this heat was just getting into your head.

“So, are you new in the city?” Joe asked.

“I’m actually from Chicago, but I’ve been living in New York for five years now.” You cheekily grinned at him. 

“I’ve never been to Chicago, but it seems like they have great and beautiful people over there.” 

You knew exactly what he was doing. 

You knew he was flirting with you, and you couldn’t help but flirt back. He was cute, and him standing here in front of you shirtless was making you slowly fold for him already. 

God, you were pathetic. 

How were you already blushing and all flustered because of this man? You literally just met him two seconds ago. 

“So, you’re moving in with a roommate?” Joe nodded his head towards Sara. 

Looking over your shoulder, the door of your apartment was open, and you could see Sara setting down the boxes and organizing the kitchen. 

“Yeah, that’s Sara. She’s my best friend.” 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you. I hope I’m able to get to know you better.” Joe leaned against the doorframe, a flirty grin still plastered on his face.

Before you could say anything else, the door behind him swung open and a woman with disheveled hair looked at the both of you furiously. She was fixing the strap of her mini dress, and she barely had put on her other high heels. You felt your heart drop to your stomach as soon as you saw the angry look on her face. You were literally flirting with someone who had a girlfriend. 

Wait, was she even his girlfriend? 

And if he had a girlfriend, then why was he flirting with you?

“Really?!” The woman exclaimed, slapping Joe’s arm. “You take me to your place, fuck me, and I haven’t even left yet, and you’re already flirting with another girl?!” 

Your eyes widened as you stood there dumbfounded at what she just told him. Your lips parted about to reason with her that you didn’t know he had a girl inside his apartment, but she had started yelling at Joe. She swung her purse to hit him on his stomach, making Joe groan and hunched down in pain before she turned to look at you with wide angry eyes. 

Oh god. 

You couldn’t believe you fell for it. 

You couldn’t believe that you fell for Joe’s charms and flirt talk, only for you to find out that he was a player. He had another girl in his apartment, and he was flirting with you? 

What the fuck was wrong with him?

The woman set her palms on his chest and pushed him away and nudged you with her shoulder to push you aside before walking away. You stood there, feeling astounded because you couldn’t even comprehend what just happened. You were exhausted, you were sweaty, and you could barely feel your hands from carrying heavy boxes all day. Your brain was too fried to even deal with this. You couldn’t help but blame the heat for getting too much into your head. 

Joe looked over his shoulder, watching the woman walk away as he shook his head and turned back to you. 

“She’s just overreacting.” Joe explained. 

Tilting your head at him, you raised your brows and let out a scoff. 

“Oh really?” You asked, irritated. “Or you’re just a player?”

You shook your head in disbelief, picking up the box from the floor and walked inside your apartment and slammed the door shut behind you. 

You couldn’t believe that you actually fell for that. 

Looking up from what she was doing, Sara knitted her brows as soon as she saw you enter the kitchen. She couldn’t even describe the expression that was on your face when you had set the box down on the floor.

“What happened?” Sara asked. 

“Stay away from the man across the hall.” You said. “He’s a pig.”

Sara just chuckled softly, shaking head. Knowing you for the last couple of years, she knew you could be overdramatic sometimes, especially when it came with men. Although, she didn’t actually expect that the first day in this new apartment was going to be the first of many fights that you and Joe would have. She also didn’t expect that this was going to be something that she was going to start dealing with for the next two years. 

As you got up early the next morning, you went for a quick jog around the neighborhood and as soon as you came back into the apartment building, you saw Joe leading a different girl out of his place. You couldn’t help but shake your head and felt disgusted by his behaviour. Then, as days, weeks, months went by, it was the same thing almost every week. 

It annoyed you to the core.

You found out a month later that he was an actor and that was why he looked so familiar when you first met him. It wasn’t like you have seen his projects before. Just that one Stranger Things show, but you barely even finished it. However, his little celebrity status wasn’t what you really cared about. You were more disgusted by the fact that he thought he could get whoever he wanted and act like this just because he was an actor. 

Ever since then, you had promised yourself to never fall for anything that he would tell you ever again. 

Present Day…

The Friday night rush hit the subway station a little too early. You just got out of the office, and you were ready to just go home and snuggle under your comfy blanket. Your eyes studied the many faces of people inside the subway car as you held onto the metal pole. It was packed and everyone was literally shoulder to shoulder. 

Thank god that your stop was next because it was starting to smell in there, and you hated it when it was this crowded in the subway. Walking out of the station, you decided to stop by at a local shop near your apartment building and pick up some snacks. As you walked through the aisles, you didn’t even care what you picked out on the shelves. You just started putting everything in your basket, whatever that looked satisfying to you. It was Friday, and you had a long, exhausting day. You deserved a little treat after all the stress from work that you have been dealing with. 

Arriving at your apartment building, the moment you exited out the elevator, you instantly saw Joe walking out of his apartment. His curly hair pushed back, he was in fancy clothes, and a playful grin tugged on his lips the moment his eyes caught you. You rolled your eyes at him as he chuckled softly when he passed by. 

“Is that what you're going to do on a Friday night?” Joe asked, looking down at the plastic bag that you were holding in your hand. 

You stopped in your tracks and turned to look at him with an annoyed expression on your face. The last thing you wanted to do was deal with his obnoxious behavior. 

“Do you ever mind your own business?” Your eyes were literally giving him a death glare. 

Joe’s grin widened as he took a few steps forward closer to you. His index finger softly grazed the top of your nose as he poked it. Immediately, you made a face and swatted his hand away. 

“Not with yours.” Joe murmured, amusement all over his face.

You could feel the anger and frustration coming up in your emotions. You didn’t understand how he never got tired of annoying you. It has been two years since you have moved in and every day, Joe always found a way to make you feel irritated. You didn’t care one bit if he was an actor. You didn’t care if he has a little celebrity status. 

He was still disgusting, and he was still a pig. 

You felt your nose flared in anger as you grimaced at his little comment. “Is there someone else you could torture?!”

Your voice raised as Joe laughed softly and poked your nose again. 

“Yes, but I like doing it to you.” 

“And what are you going to do, hm?” You raised your brow at him. “You’re gonna go out there and pick up a new girl again?”

Joe shrugged, “Well, at least I’m not spending my Friday night with a bag of Doritos and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.”

“Well, at least I’m not an asshole.” You retorted back.

Pushing him out of your way with your shoulder, you could see the playful grin that kept tugging on his lips, but you ignored it as you unlocked your door and immediately slammed the door shut behind you. Groaning in frustration, you set the plastic bag on the dining table and saw Sara walking out of the bathroom. Her hair was still wet from the shower, and she was holding a towel to dry it. 

“What did he do now?” Sara asked. 

Sara had lived with you in this apartment building for two years now, and she knew exactly what was happening whenever you entered your apartment with that look on your face. There was no one else in this world that could get under your skin but Joe. Not even your annoying boss or co-workers at work could get you all worked up like this, and Sara could see that every time.

Sometimes Sara would wish that Joe would literally get under your skin, so the both of you could stop playing this game and admit what you two actually felt for one another.

But she would never say that to you nor would admit what she could see between the both of you.

She knew it would just enrage you even more. She couldn’t help but just shake her head and chuckle at your reaction all the time because after all, it seemed like she was the only one who could see why Joe tends to push all your buttons so easily.

“He’s just being an asshole like always.” You grumbled, taking out the snacks that you bought from the plastic bag. 

Sara laughed softly, grabbing the bag of Doritos, opening it. She tilted her head at you and said, “You know, I don't understand why can’t you both just ignore each other?”

You gazed up at her with an even more frustrated look on your face. “Are you kidding? You think I don’t wanna do that? He’s the one who’s always starting something.” 

“Always?” Sara raised her brow at you. 

What was she trying to say? 

When you didn’t answer her question, she added, “Remember when he had a package that was accidentally left on our doorstep, and you held it hostage for two weeks?”

You knitted your brows, stuttering for a moment and said, “He… He deserved it. Besides, I was doing everyone a favor.” 

“Holding his package hostage until he kept the noises down from his apartment wasn’t doing everyone a favor!” Sara argued. “You two were arguing in the middle of the hall every day, and that was a lot noisier.” 

You rolled your eyes, scratching your forehead in frustration. You shrugged your shoulders and pursed your lips without even arguing back with Sara because yeah, you did that on purpose because you just wanted to piss him off the way he always pissed you off all the time. 

“Are you still mad about what happened two years ago?” Sara asked.

You scoffed, stunned at the subject that Sara had brought up. 

“No!” Your voice sounded defensive. “Yes, I clearly fell for his charms but that was before I knew how much of a fuckboy he is.”

Sara chuckled, rolling her eyes at the excuse that you were throwing at her. She never pressed the subject every time she would see that the angry meter on top of your head was starting to spill over. Sometimes she would just imagine grabbing the both of you and banging each other’s heads to see if you both would realize how ridiculous this stupid game you two kept playing. She never understood how both of you weren’t tired of it after two years.

“Which is too bad.” You added, grumbling under your breath. “Because he’s cute.”

Sara stuffed her mouth with Doritos as she settled herself on the sofa. She lets you continue grumbling under your breath until you have let all your feelings out. That was what she always did because then, she would be able to really see how strong your feelings were for Joe. She knew you were just angry with how he behaves, so Sara just let you do your thing as she started browsing movies on Netflix. 

“Hey! That’s my Doritos!” You scolded her after you finally had gone back to reality.

“Too late now.” Sara deviously smiled, throwing a piece of Dorito at you. “Are you done?”

“Done with what?”

“Grumbling over Joe.”

“I wasn’t—” You exhaled a sharp breath. “You know what, I’m gonna go freshen up. You can pick the movie for tonight.”

Walking away, you went to shower to wash away today's stress and settled next to Sara later that night. Holding the pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, you reached over and grabbed some Doritos from the bag that was sitting on Sara’s lap. As you focus your attention on the movie, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander somewhere else. You couldn’t help but recall your little conversation with Joe from earlier. 

“Are we this sad? Spending Friday nights like this?” You asked Sara, turning to face her. 

Sara shrugged, gazing up at the ceiling for a moment as if she was thinking about your question carefully. 

“Maybe.” She answered. “But at least we’re not getting our hearts broken.”

Laughing softly with her, you nodded your head in agreement. 

“True.” 

*********

Taglist:

However, your team was already expecting the both of you to come, so you two decided to give in and maybe just stay for an hour. Carpooling together, Camille drove the both of you towards the lake park and saw the rest of the company employees arriving at the same time. Exiting out of the car, you were greeted by the California summer heat. It felt heavy, and you hated the feeling of it. 

Music blasted around the park, and there were activities getting set up. The BBQ catering company that they rented were already grilling the burgers and hotdogs, while the rest of the volunteers were finishing up with the bouncy houses for the kids. It was a company party where you could bring a friend or family as a plus one. Of course, everyone had their children, husbands, boyfriends, or girlfriends with them. 

You and your sister were just there. You both sort of felt left out. Not that everyone brought a plus one. But it seemed like everyone might as well, right? 

“Let’s go find the team.” Camille murmured. 

Nodding your head, you walked down the park and said hi to some colleagues that you passed by. They had big smiles on their faces and complimented you with how cute you looked in your dress. Just right by the empty tables, you found Maya and Adeline, who were part of your team.

“Where’s everyone?” You asked. 

Maya shrugged her shoulders, adjusting her glasses and scanning the park to see if she could recognize anyone from your team. Sitting down next to them, you let out a sigh and watched everyone else talk amongst themselves. You didn’t know what it was, but you didn’t really know what to do. Awkward silence blanketed the four of you as you all sat and waited for the rest of your department to show up. You all always felt like an outcast from the rest of the company. You all had your own little group, and you all enjoyed each other’s company rather than when you all would talk to other members from a different department. 

When the rest of your department finally showed up, you could feel the atmosphere suddenly shift. The rowdy chaotic team that you had suddenly were now all talkative and spitting jokes around with each other. You couldn’t help but smile and join the conversations until they had announced that lunch was ready. 

“It’s the same food every year.” You heard one of your colleagues from another department complain.

You were in line getting the food and somehow, some employees in this company were already half drunk. The party literally just started and lunch was just being served. It was barely noon. 

“Honestly, it’s good.” One of the women chimed in as she picked up a piece of hotdog.

“They can’t afford anything else but the same catering every year.” Another joked as they all laughed together. 

Shaking your head, you ignored the little jokes they made and continued on through the line. You hated the negativity of others all the time, and it just really pissed you off sometimes when you heard conversations like that. It was almost like if they weren’t grateful, then why were they here? They could have just gone home instead. 

“Hey! Stop it!” One of your team members, Eden, laughed at the end of the line. 

You smiled as you watched your team teased each other. That was what made all of you different from the other departments. You all knew how to work as a team and wouldn’t speak so negatively even if things were difficult sometimes.

“That’s ten dollars for each piece of hotdog, Eden!” Maya teased him. 

“And the hamburgers are twenty.” Adeline added. 

You passed by and walked up behind them and said, “Yeah, and I’ll collect the money.”

“No, no.” Eden argued, shaking his head. “This is free! This is a company party, dammit!”

You all laughed together as Eden groaned when he dropped his hotdog from his plate.

“Ooo!” You all exclaimed in unison, teasing him even more. 

“Eden, you’re wasting food!” Adeline accused him.

“Shush!” Eden shook his head as he picked up another hotdog.  

You all laughed together as you walked back towards the tables, finding your seat back at the benches and joined the rest of your team. Everyone talked amongst themselves as you ate your food and listened to them. You didn’t know why you were sort of having a low energy at the moment, which wasn’t you at all. You usually were bubbly and happy. You couldn’t help but blame the California heat for making you feel heavy.

Other colleagues that you knew from other departments would pass by and say hello to all of you. Some would come by and give you a hug and compliment you with your dress. Some of the employees here in the company seemed nice, and you could tell who were the ones that were stuck up. For some reason, every time there was a party, you could always see everyone’s fake façades disappearing. 

“Fuck! Fuck!” Camille cursed under her breath, sitting next to you. “She’s here.”

“Who?” You looked around the park. 

“Sophia!” Your sister whisper-yelled.

“Oh.” 

Sophia was your sister’s work crush, and they have been talking to each other lately. However, Camille has been feeling as if whatever it was between them wasn’t going anywhere. It was one of the reasons why she was dreading coming to the picnic because she was afraid Sophia would show up. She was certainly even more terrified that maybe today was going to be the day she would find out that maybe Sophia had a boyfriend all this time.

You furrowed your brows and scanned your eyes around the park, but you couldn’t seem to find her.

“Was she alone?” You asked.

“Yes.” Camille tilted her head. “Actually, I don’t know. I saw her walking alone.”

“Okay, then go!” You pushed her off the bench. 

“No!” Camille argued, sitting back next to you. “Maybe her boyfriend is parking the car or something!” 

“Oh, there you guys are!” 

The both of you were interrupted by Bea. She was you and Camille’s work mom. Her husband, Ethan, used to be your department manager until he decided to retire. You both saw him as your work dad also. Next to the both of them was Marley. She was their daughter and also your “sister” since both her parents basically had become your “adopted” parents at this point. Marley also just started at the company.

“Hi!” You greeted Marley, getting up from your seat and pulling her into a hug. 

You and Marley were about the same age. You both got along better because you both liked the same things more than her and Camille. You figured maybe because Camille was a couple years older than the both of you. 

“You look cute! I love this dress!” Marley smiled. 

“Well, you look cute too!” You grinned happily. “Did you guys just get here?”

“Yeah, I had to drag their asses because they were taking forever to get ready.” Marley rolled her eyes at her parents. 

“We’re gonna go get food. We’ll be back.” Bea said. 

You waved at them and then, you heard a familiar voice calling out Camille’s name and immediately, she hitched her breath and turned to see Sophia walking over to where you all were. You smirked at your sister before sitting back on your seat and letting them talk alone for a while. It didn’t take long for Marley and her parents to come back with a plate of their food and join the rest of you. Everyone started talking to each other again, and you couldn’t help but keep looking back at your sister, who was still talking to Sophia. 

“Don’t you think that guy is cute?” Marley leaned in, whispering. 

You followed where her eyes were looking and found a man with blond hair and blue eyes, talking to one of his colleagues from his department. You knew him, but you never really talked to him before. Usually, you would talk with Marley about men and dating but then, you realized that none of the people here knew about your current—secret— relationship. Marley didn’t know that you weren’t single anymore. So, you decided you had to play the part. 

“Um… he’s okay.” You elongated the word ‘okay.’ 

“I think his name is Jake? I never really talk to him besides saying hello if we passed by each other.”

“Okay, but what about you?” Marley nudged you on your arm with her elbow. “Do you find anyone here cute?”

“No.” You shook your head, answering her question too quickly. “I mean… Not really. I’ve been working here for three years, and I never found any of the men attractive.”

“Really?” Marley’s eyes widened in shock. 

“Hey, Marley.” Bea called. 

Both of you turned your attention to Bea, who was pointing at the bouncy houses. 

“You guys should go and play there.” Bea teased.

“Okay, but you have to join us, mom!” Marley replied. 

“Oh no. I want to see all three of my daughters over there having fun.” 

You laughed with Marley as Marley whispered, “The woman is fucking crazy, I swear to God.” as you laughed with her. 

Walking around the park later that day, your eyes studied everyone drinking, talking and playing games on the grass. Some were sitting on the folding chairs or on the picnic blanket they all brought in. You couldn’t help but think about Joe and wished that he was here. Sure, you were having fun with your friends, but it felt like something was missing. You wished you were able to show and introduce him to your friends. 

“Hi, sir.” You smiled when you saw the Director of your department, Keith. 

He was standing by the bouncy houses, watching the kids play. 

“Hello, how are you?” Keith smiled. 

“Good. How are you, sir?” 

“Oh, you know. Enjoying the fun.” He shrugged. 

You all stood in a circle as Keith greeted Ethan and asked how he was. Ethan was one of Keith’s favorites when he used to work at the company, and they both had a good relationship. Then, two of your other friends, Brandon and Bree, from the other department had joined you and started talking to you. 

“Hey, Brandon brought his infamous baked ziti.” Bree said. 

“You cooked?” Your eyes widened. 

“Yeah,” Brandon shrugged. “I just wanted to bring in some for the team, but I had some extras, so I was wondering if you all wanted some.”

“I’m good.” You shook your head. “I’m full from lunch, but thank you though.”

“Hey,” Bree nudged you on your arm. “Did you see the new trailer for A Quiet Place?”

You cleared your throat, giving her a smile as you nodded your head. Bree was a big fan of Stranger Things. She always talked about it at work and how much she loved Eddie Munson. 

If only she knew. 

You scratched the back of your head as you felt your cheeks flushed from the thought of Joe. You were trying so hard to act like you didn’t know anything. This was hard for you because you weren’t an actor for fuck’s sake! 

That was Joe! 

“Um… yea.” You nodded your head.

“Girl, I’m so freaking excited!” 

You gave her a grin and nodded your head, agreeing with her. You were excited for Joe’s new movie, but you didn’t really know how to act. You didn’t know what reaction to put on, and you were failing terribly at it. Your cheeks were getting tired from fake smiling as Bree continued to talk to you and Brandon about the movie. You were also getting a headache, and you just wanted to get out of this conversation. 

“Dad! Dad!” 

Your conversation was interrupted when you heard Keith’s two daughters run towards him with their phones in their hands. An excited smile plastered on their faces, and they were practically bouncing on their feet. 

“We just got a picture with Eddie Munson from Stranger Things!” His younger daughter exclaimed.

“Who?!” You snapped your head towards them, your eyes widened in shock. 

The whole conversation in the circle suddenly went dead silent. You could already see the astounded look on Bree’s face from the corner of your eye. You could feel your heart beating out of your chest, and you could barely feel anything at the moment.

Did you hear that right?!

“I’m sorry.” You apologized to Keith for your sudden reaction. “But did you girls just say Eddie Munson?”

“Who’s Eddie?” Keith turned to look at his two daughters. 

“Dad!” His older daughter rolled her eyes, “Remember the metal guy from the show Stranger Things? We made you watch that with us!”

“Oh.” 

“Hi, darling.” 

You were frozen. You couldn’t move. 

You were scared to turn around. You were wondering if the heat was getting in your head because you did not just hear Joe’s voice coming from behind you. Although, from the way Bree’s expression was looking right now, you knew you weren’t hallucinating this whole thing. 

You knew he was right behind you. 

Slowly turning around, you saw Joe with a smile on his face. You still weren’t used to his buzzed cut hair, but he looked so good standing there in front of you with his collared shirt and black pants. You missed him so much, and you couldn’t believe he was here.

Wait, why was he here anyway? 

Wasn’t he supposed to be in London filming right now? 

“Ohmygod.” Bree muttered under her breath.

Feeling your cheeks flushed even more, as if the heat wasn’t already making you look all red, you set your palms on his chest as you looked over your shoulder. You saw everyone’s surprised reactions as they all just stared at the both of you. 

What was happening right now?

“E… Excuse us.” You let out an awkward laugh as you slid one hand with Joe’s and pulled him away from the group.

Immediately, you heard whisperings and murmurs from your friends, and you could feel their eyes on you. 

“What are you doing here?” You whispered, eyes big and wide. “I thought you’re in London filming?”

“I wanted to surprise you.” Joe shrugged, a big grin plastered on his face.

Surprise you?

But you both had agreed that this relationship was a secret, remember? Now, he was here in public with you. He was here in front of your friends with you. 

Ohmygod. He was here in front of your boss with you.

“But… I thought you wanted this to be a secret?” 

Joe saw the worry lines on your face as he cupped your face between his hands. His chocolate button eyes were staring right into yours, and you could practically feel everyone’s eyes burning on the back of your head. 

“I talked to my team.” Joe continued. “I don’t want to hide you, love. I want to be with you. I want to join you at parties like this, and I want you to join me in my events.”

Biting your lower lip, you gave him a small smile. A jar of butterflies opened up in your stomach and invaded your veins. You could still feel everyone’s eyes on you but for some reason, Joe saying all of that to you, didn’t seem too concerning now. The worry faded, and you felt free and happy. 

“Are you sure?” You asked, brows all knitted together.

“I don’t think I would fly all the way from London for the weekend if I wasn’t.” Joe laughed softly.

You chuckled softly at his point, leaning your forehead against his lips as he pressed a soft kiss on it. His hands found your waist as he pulled you close to him.

“You do realize that I will be introducing you to everyone, right?” You gazed up at him, an excited big grin plastered on his face.

“And I can’t wait to meet all of them.” Joe replied.

“Are they looking at us?” You whispered, afraid to turn around.

Joe’s eyes shifted towards your group of friends from behind you. They were still staring at the two of you, whispering to each other and nudging Camille to give them answers. 

“Yea, they are.” Joe nodded his head. 

Slowly looking over your shoulder, you saw all of them with their brows raised. They all looked like they were waiting for an explanation from you, which they all probably were. Camille was the only one who was standing there with a neutral expression on her face since she already knew about the secret. Looking back at Joe, you smiled at him and intertwined your fingers with his.

“Okay, c’mon.” You said and dragged him back to the group.

“Hi.” You smiled at everyone. “So, this is Joe.”

You chuckled softly as you introduced him to everyone in the group. Suddenly, you saw everyone’s faces lit up in happiness as Joe started interacting with everyone. 

“I thought it was a secret?” Camille whispered to you as Joe talked to Keith. 

“Not anymore.” You grinned at her.

Camille gave you a proud smile and said, “Okay, he gets points from me.”

“And what happened with Sophia?” You whispered back.

“Tell you later.” She gave you an excited smile. 

You laughed softly, nodding your head at her before turning your attention back to everyone else. Keith was complimenting Joe about Stranger Things and how his two daughters forced him to watch it with them, but he did feel bad for Eddie. Your eyes shifted towards Marley, who had her eyes widened in surprise.

“What the fuck?” She mouthed at you, grinning widely. 

“Later.” You mouthed back at her as she nodded her head. 

“You should let him go eat.” Camille whispered at you. 

Squeezing Joe’s hand, you cleared your throat and interrupted the conversation. 

“Are you hungry?” You asked. 

Joe turned towards you and said, “Sort of.”

“Okay, we’ll be back. We’ll let him eat lunch for a moment.”

“Okay, yeah. That’s a good idea.” Bea agreed, seeing how everyone started throwing questions at Joe. 

Gazing up at Joe and smiling at him, Joe excused himself in front of everyone before the both of you walked away from the group. You could feel some of the eyes of the other employees on both of you as you walked across the park. You gave them a shy smile and tried your best to ignore it. Being in the spotlight definitely wasn’t something you intended this afternoon. 

Grabbing a paper plate for Joe, you handed it to him and walked over to where the food was. 

“I still can’t believe you’re here.” You said as soon as you two sat on one of the empty tables. 

Joe grinned proudly and took a bite of his burger. 

“When did you arrive?” 

“Last night.” Joe turned to you. “I remembered the picture you sent me about the summer BBQ picnic that your work was having and the address was on it, so I thought I would surprise you.”

You chuckled softly, shaking your head. Joe turned his body towards you, his fingers softly brushing your hair away from your shoulder. You stared into his eyes, smiling as he leaned in and kissed you softly. You missed him so much. You didn’t expect your afternoon to turn out like this, but you weren’t complaining. You were happy, and you were glad that Joe was able to join this part of your life. 

It was something you have been thinking of, and it was finally happening. 

You were overjoyed.

“I’ve missed you.” Joe murmured, parting from the kiss. 

“I’ve missed you too.” You grinned, giving him another chaste kiss. 

Rubbing his back softly, you tried to enjoy the summer breeze that was blowing through your hair. The heat was still uncomfortable, and you were thankful for the breeze because it was making it bearable at least. Then, you saw beads of sweat started to cover Joe’s forehead as he continued to eat his lunch. The poor thing must be uncomfortable with the California heat also. 

“I’ll be back.” You said, getting up from your seat and grabbed Joe a can of beer from the cooler and handed it to him. 

“Hm… c’mere.” Joe murmured, pulling you on his lap. 

He grazed his nose over your cheek, grinning happily before planting a soft kiss on it. He breathed you in for a moment and caressed your arm softly. 

“Do you wanna go back with the others?” You asked, running your palm against his buzzed cut head. 

“Sure.” Joe smiled, pressing a soft kiss on your lips before the both of you got up from the seat. Throwing his empty plate away, he grabbed the can of beer and drank it as he held your hand in his. 

Walking back to the other side of the park, one of the leaders announced that the game of the annual kickball was about to begin and all volunteers should start gathering into the field. You squeezed Joe’s hand and a playful smile tugged on your lips.

“Do you want to play?” You teased Joe, nudging him on his side.

“No, I don’t think I brought the right shoes for that, love.” Joe chuckled. 

Looking down at his feet, he saw that he was wearing his black boots. He was wearing boots in the middle of the summer with black pants! 

This man was insane. 

You couldn’t help but chuckle at it. It just made him look more adorable in your eyes. 

“Come! Come!” Marley came running towards the both of you, grabbing you by the wrist. 

“Wait, where are we going?” You pulled her back, your brows all furrowed. 

“The kids are busy with the ice cream machine right now!” Marley said excitedly. “We have the bouncy house all to ourselves.”

“Marley, we’re like 28.” You laughed. 

“I don’t care!” Marley dragged you away from Joe as he laughed softly at you. 

Looking over your shoulder, you mouthed, “Help me” to Joe as he laughed, shaking his head at you. He was already pulling out his phone from his back pocket as he followed behind you and Marley. He joined the group again as you watched Ethan and Bea talk to Joe, and your department supervisor, Mario, had joined them. 

“These girls are not blood related, but I know their souls are connected.” Bea told Joe, shaking her head as she watched you, Camille and Marley climbed onto the bouncy house.

“I can tell.” Joe replied. “She talks to me about Marley all the time. Told me she was her only girl friend here.” 

“Yeah, well, don’t put them together for too long because they both are way too loud and chaotic.” Bea laughed softly.

Then, Joe turned to Bea, who was carefully studying him for a moment. 

“I never saw her glow like this before.” Bea continued. “She’s always a happy and bubbly girl, but she was never this happy until I saw you with her today.”

Joe couldn’t help but smile and turned to where you were. Marley was laughing with you and Camille. She had found an inflatable ball and the three of you started throwing it back and forth. Ethan kept taking pictures of the three of you, chuckling and enjoying the show. Joe couldn’t help but do the same thing. Pulling out his phone, he started recording a video and took pictures, making him laugh at how silly the three of you were until Mario came up to him. You couldn’t help but turn your attention to them and wondered about the conversation they were having. 

Mario, even if he was your supervisor, had a close relationship with you. He was the one you go to when you needed to cry or vent about work. He always had a soft heart, so he always had heart to heart conversations with you. Biting your lower lip, you kept wondering what they were talking about since it looked so serious and important.

“Marley!” You heard Camille’s voice.

You snapped out of your thoughts and turned to your sister, who was now laying on the grass. Her feet were still on the edge of the bouncy house. She was basically hanging out from it. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Marley laughed, jumping off the bouncy house. 

“What happened?” You jumped out of the bouncy house as Joe and Ethan helped Camille up. 

“My bad, buttercup.” Marley chuckled, a playful smile on her face. “I told you to catch it.”

You saw the inflatable ball that she was holding in her hands, and you figured she probably had thrown it at Camille, and she ended up getting knocked out by the big thing. 

“Well, you’re gonna pay for it.” Your sister went over towards the bin full of water balloons.

Instantly, your eyes widened as you quickly put on your sandals and walked over behind Joe. There was no way you were about to get wet in front of everyone here.

“Oh no.” You whispered, shaking your head. 

You watched as Camille threw the water balloon at Marley, making her squeal from the cold water that splashed her. You laughed as you watched the both of them throw water balloons at each other. You couldn’t help but record it on your phone, knowing Camille was going to love watching this later. 

Then, you didn’t even realize Joe had disappeared next to you until you felt a stinging pain on your back and water splashing all over your dress. You gasped in surprise and turned to see a devious grin plastered on Joe’s face. 

“Oh, okay.” You pursed your lips, walking over to the bin. “That’s what you wanna do?”

You grabbed a couple of water balloons and started throwing it at Joe as the four of you chased each other on the grass. Laughter echoed through the park. It almost felt like you all were children again, and you couldn’t help but enjoy this moment. 

After a few minutes, Bea and Ethan had to stop the four of you because you all were literally soaking wet. Your makeup was melting off your face and so was Marley’s as Keith handed the four of you a towel to dry off. 

“Not gonna lie, the water felt nice.” You chuckled at Joe. 

He had wrapped the towel around your shoulders, rubbing both of your arms softly before using his towel to gently wipe off your face makeup that had melted. 

“Okay, well, time for me to head home.” Camille announced.

“I’ll just ride with Joe.” You told her as she said her goodbyes to everyone. 

“Do you wanna go too?” Joe pulled you in his arms.

“Yea, sort of.” 

Joe nodded his head as you both walked over to your friends and said your goodbyes. All of them kept letting Joe know that they were happy to meet him even if it was unexpected. You waved at them one last time and told them you’ll see them on Monday before completely walking away with Joe towards the parking lot. 

“Well, that was fun.” Joe grinned happily, his arm wrapping around your shoulders.

“I’m really happy you were able to join.” You smiled. “I saw you talking to Mario. You two seemed to be in a serious conversation.”

Stopping his tracks next to the car, Joe leaned you against the driver’s door and cupped your face between his hands. 

“Yea, we were.” He stared into your eyes as he caressed your cheek softly with his thumb. 

“What was it?” You asked, smiling. 

“I love you.” Joe said, his voice full of emotion. 

You stood there frozen as you stared at him. You were trying to figure out if you actually heard that right. Joe smiled, pulling you close to him when he realized you hadn't said anything for about a minute. 

“Darling?” He smirked, brushing a strand of wet hair from your forehead. “Are you okay?”

“Y…You love me?”

Joe grinned, nodding his head and slowly said, “I love you.”

You knew you only started dating for a couple of months, but you saw all the emotion in his eyes. You knew he was genuine about it. You knew he meant every word he just told you. 

“I love you too, Joe.” You smiled, curling your hand on the back of his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss. 

Smiling through the kiss, Joe kissed you deeper. His hands sliding on your waist and curling behind you. Under the summer heat, you felt overjoyed. Joe showed up for you, and he loved you and you loved him.

Under the summer heat, you didn’t care about anything else right now but this moment with him. 

The End.

*******

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“God, I love that sound.” He murmured through the kiss. 

“Hmm…” Smiling through the kiss, you curled your fingers through his hair and pulled him down close to you. 

Joe pressed his face on your chest, planting a soft kiss on it. If anyone would ask him, he would prefer to stay in your arms forever. He could happily stay here and just indulge in every part of you. However, that was not how life works. So now, he was laying in his bed alone and couldn’t sleep at night because all he could think about was you. All he could think about was your soft skin under his touch. The sounds you would make in his ear, and your soft lips on his skin and his lips. 

God, he was so head over heels. 

He didn’t even realize it until now. You were running in his mind 24/7 and when he tried to push the thought of you away, he only missed you even more. Grabbing his phone from the bedside table, he saw that it was 12:30 am already. Pursing his lips, he opened up his messages and stared at the screen for a moment. 

Still awake?

He sent the message and waited. After a few minutes, he saw the three bubbles popping up on the screen. A smile immediately tugged on his lips. 

You were working late because you had some reports that still needed to finish. Your mind has been somewhere else, and you have been trying so hard not to stress too much about your work. Though, here you were up late and finishing up reports for work. When your phone vibrated next to you on your desk, and you saw Joe’s name appear on your screen, you immediately grinned happily. You needed a little distraction after a long day.

Still working. Why are you still awake?

The text message that you sent to Joe sent a warm feeling in his stomach as he smiled at your text. 

Can’t sleep. I can’t stop thinking about you. 

Biting your lower lip, you grinned at his message. You couldn’t help but think how the last two months that you have been seeing Joe, you have been so happy. You didn’t even care about the fact that your friends kept telling you to be careful because he was an actor. That he might just immediately change his mind and find someone else. Though, that wasn’t what it was at all. 

From the way he kept calling you every night, you didn’t have the time to feel insecure at all. He kept telling you that he was always thinking about you, and he couldn’t even sleep because he only wanted to be next to you. 

He was too sweet. 

You couldn’t relate to the desperation that your friends would act when it came to their boyfriends. 

Aww! :( Want me to come over? 

You bit your nails, grinning cheekily as you waited for him to answer. Joe, who immediately sat up on his bed, reached over to turn his lamp on. He stared at your text and then shifted his eyes towards his clock on his bedside table. 

Yes, please. 

He stared at the text for a moment before deleting it. What the fuck was wrong with him? Why was he acting like a 16 year old boy? At his big age too. He couldn’t help but chuckle at himself for acting so stupid over you. Rubbing his forehead softly, he stared at his screen and didn’t know what to reply to your text. He never acted like this before, not even with his exes. He didn’t know what it was that he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about you. He couldn’t sleep because of you. He kept thinking about how beautiful you were. He kept thinking how smart you were and such a hard worker. He couldn’t really describe it, but he was just so deep in his feelings for you since you two had started seeing each other. He was feeling so drunk of you like he had drunk ten espresso shots every night before bed. 

It’s okay. It’s late. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?

He typed the text message and sent it to you. He was right though. It was literally past midnight, and he was bothering you because he couldn’t sleep. 

What an idiot. 

Exhaling a sharp breath, he set his phone down on his bedside table and gazed up at the ceiling again. After a few minutes of silence and no reply, he figured you had fallen asleep. His mind wandered back again at the thought of you. 

“Don’t be cheeky.” Joe laughed, pressing his face on your neck.

You had told him a dirty joke, and he couldn’t stop laughing. The way he was literally hooked with your humor all the time. The one little joke made him all flushed and flustered that he was hiding his face from you.

“That’s not fair. Don’t hide your cute face from me.” You grinned, lifting his head and cupping his face between your hands.

Joe’s chocolate button eyes sparkled as he gazed down at you with a loving smile. You loved seeing him like this, and you certainly love the fact that you could make him act like this. 

Sighing, Joe closed his eyes and pushed the memory away. 

He needed to sleep. 

This was getting ridiculous. 

Pulling the duvet closer to him, Joe settled himself comfortably in his bed and closed his eyes. He forced himself to really sleep and as soon as he started drifting off, he felt the mattress of the empty side of his bed dip. For a moment, he thought he was just dreaming. Then, familiar arms wrapped around his torso, and he knew exactly who it was even if his eyes were closed. 

He was thanking his little stars that he gave you that spare key for his flat.

“It’s late.” He murmured, holding in his smile as he pulled you closer to his body. 

You let out a soft approving hum, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Even in the dark, you could see his beautiful facial features as you softly stroked his cheek with your fingers. 

“You can’t sleep lately.” You whispered. “I’m worried about that.”

“It’s your fault, you know.” Joe teased.

You laughed softly, moving yourself on top of him, straddling his hips. 

“Yea?” You trailed kisses on the line of his jaw and then down his neck. 

Joe had to bite his lower lip to stop himself from moaning. He swore if he was dreaming right now, he would hate his brain in the morning for giving this much of a vivid dream about you. He was already folding for you, and his brain was now betraying him even more? 

This was so foul of his dreams to do to him. 

“Yes.” Joe gasped the word as you ran your hands down his bare chest. “I think I’ve gone mad.”

You smiled through his skin as his fingers curled around the strands of your hair as you kissed his bare chest. You loved that you could wrap him up around your finger, and he would just fold under every kiss you left on his skin. You never had anyone act like this over you, and you were enjoying every minute of it. 

He was adorable like this. 

“Hm…” You smiled, grinding against his hard member that was between your legs. “I can help you lose your mind even more.”

Joe’s fingers immediately curled at the back of your head, pulling you down for a hungry kiss. Smiling, you giggled softly through the kiss as he tugged on your shirt and pulled it over your head. Soon, he was tugging on your pants too and it joined the rest of your clothes on the floor. 

You reached your hand down to grab his member, wrapping your fingers around it and slowly slid himself inside of you. Both of you gasped softly as you helped him thrust inside of you. His lips were sloppily kissing you, his tongue licking your bottom lip. 

“Shit…” Joe groaned softly as he trailed kisses down your neck. 

Your hands found his headboard as your pace quickened, and it only made Joe moan louder as he found his lips on your nipple, sucking on it softly. 

“Ah—Joe.” You arched your back as he moved deeper inside of you. 

He could hear your voice sounding distorted and far away as he continued to suck your nipple and then trailed his lips up on your neck, sucking the skin softly there. He wasn’t the kind of man that loved to leave a love mark, but he couldn’t help but leave one on your neck and then on your chest. You moaned softly as you leaned down and buried your face on his neck, feeling your walls tightened around him. 

“Love, you’re so tight.” He moaned. 

You kissed him hungrily as he thrusted faster inside of you, your legs trembling and feeling the pleasure build up in your stomach. Joe had forgotten everything around him. He had forgotten what time it was. He had forgotten about the fact that this all started because he couldn’t sleep because he couldn’t stop thinking about you. 

You were here. 

You were really here. 

You were in his arms, and you were making him forget his name. He could feel the pleasure build up in his stomach as he flipped the both of you over, and he was hovering over you. He thrusted deeper and faster inside of you, your toes were curling and your nails were scratching down his bare back. 

“Come for me.” You whispered in his ear, making Joe tremble from the way your voice sounded in his ear. 

He usually was the one who was able to make his exes feel like this but with you, he was weak. He would do anything for you. He never felt this way about anyone before. With shaky hands, he reeled you in his arms and pressed your body against his flushed one. 

“Right there, baby.” You moaned in his ear. “Don’t stop.”

You gasped, your nails digging into his skin deeper as pleasure crashed over the both of you. Stars exploding at the back of your eyes as you screamed his name. Both of your bodies shuddered, both panting together as Joe collapsed his heavy body against yours. 

“Holy shit.” Joe cursed under his breath, still panting. “You’re literally amazing.” 

You smiled, trying to catch your breath. You stroked his curly hair away from his sweaty forehead and planted a soft kiss there. 

“Now, you could sleep.” You joked, making Joe scoff at your little comment. 

“No.” He whispered, pressing his face on your neck and nibbled on the skin lightly. “We’re gonna be up all night.”

You grinned widely, flipping the both of you over so you were on top of him again. 

“Hmm… Don’t challenge me.” You smiled deviously under the dark. 

“You’re the one who’s been keeping me up all night, so don’t challenge me.” Joe retorted back. 

You laughed softly, kissing him hungrily again and grabbing the duvet from behind you. Covering the both of you with the sheet, Joe tangled his fingers through your hair as you both blissfully enjoyed each other’s flushed bodies against each other. 

Time had frozen, and Joe didn’t care if he needed to be up early tomorrow morning. You were literally the espresso shot that could keep him up all day and night. 

Somehow, that was enough for him. 

********

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