Love and dances - Joel Dawson

Lipstick

Dear Maple,

I really wanted to tell you I'm sorry, but I get why you don't want to see me anymore.

Joel had expected it to be hard, but he hadn't really expected it to be that hard. That is... Joel had expected to feel something. Mostly, he had expected to feel guilty - he even had a whole speech prepared, fully ready to apologize again and again about everything he had said that night and all the things that he realized now he had never properly thanked her for. But, when he knocked on her door only to have Clyde open the door for him with Minnow standing nearby with a small pout on her lips and no sign of Maple anywhere to be seen, Joel realized he was feeling much more than guilt. He was feeling... He wasn't actually sure, but he did know it hurt.

"Hey." Joel mumbled, still standing just outside the door, not really feeling that comfortable walking inside Maple's house, practically unannounced.

Boy hadn't seem to have that worry, though, because, as soon as the door was open, he slipped inside, walking over to Minnow as the young girl sat down on the floor to pet him a little.

"Hi, Joel." Clyde nodded at the young man and, as much as Joel could tell Clyde wasn't as mad at him as he had expected him to be, he knew the man was dissapointed. "Do you want to come inside?"

And, this time, Joel hesitated.

"I, hum... I wouldn't want to impose." He said awkwardly. "Is, hum... Is Maple here?"

"Yes." Clyde nodded. "She's in her bedroom."

"And, hum... Do you think I could talk to her? Maybe?"

"She said she doesn't want to talk to you." Minnow said, a small frown on her face that let Joel know Maple hadn't told Minnow everything that had happened between the two of them - everything they had said to each other.

Joel wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe she was trying to spare Minnow the hurt, maybe she just hadn't want to share the story with Minnow. One way or the other, it was clear to Joel Minnow didn't know what had happened, but she was still upset anyway. And it hurt. God, how it hurt.

"Oh, I... Hum, yeah, I get it." Joel nodded, his teeth coming to bite at his lip gently as he stood there, under Clyde's harsh stare and Minnow's upset pout. "I just... I just wanted to come over and, hum... Say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Minnow practically whined, looking up from Boy and toward Joel instead. "Where are you going?"

"Back home." Joel admitted quietly, his heart aching at the way Minnow's expression shifted, from upset to down right sad. "Fairfield."

"No." Minnow whispered. "You should stay."

"Well, I would, but, you know..."

"Yeah, I know..." Minnow mumbled, annoyed, as she looked away from Joel and back at Boy again, who was now, sitting just beside her, with his head tilted slightly and his eyes full of worry. "You got dumped by your girlfriend. Yeah, yeah."

"Minnow..." Joel sighed, the hurt in her voice tugging at the strings in his heart more than he even cared to admit. "I just... I really like her, you know? And I know that if you knew her, you'd really like her too. She... She's a super cool person."

"Well, she doesn't like you. And I get it. Cause you can't even dance properly." Minnow said, her words stinging Joel a little, but he pushed it aside, knowing she was only lashing out on him out of hurt. "And honestly, I just like you 'cause you have a really cute dog."

"Hurts my feelings." Joel couldn't help but mumble.

"You're so useless." She spat, her frown deepening the more she spoke as she stood up from the floor to move away from Joel and Boy to sulk at a corner of the living room.