How can you mend a broken heart (Joel Miller AU)

Chapter 9.

Joel arrives late for work at the construction site after oversleeping with you on the couch. As he walks onto the site, he sees his brother, Tommy, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Tommy is the co-owner of the construction company and he notices that Joel seems to be stuck by your side.

Tommy takes Joel aside and asks, "What's going on between you and Oscar's daughter, Joel? You've been acting strange lately."

Joel's heart pounds in his chest as he tries to come up with an excuse. He doesn't want Tommy to find out that he's been seeing you, especially since your father, Oscar, works for them too.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Tommy," Joel says, trying to sound casual. "I've just been busy with work, that's all."

Tommy narrows his eyes at him but eventually drops the subject. Joel lets out a sigh of relief but can't help feeling guilty for lying to his brother.

Later that day, you happen to stop by the construction site to drop off your father's keys that he had forgotten. You see Joel from a distance, but when you get closer, you hear him talking to Tommy about you. He was confronting him again about the meaning of your relationship.

"She's just a child, Tommy. I'm not even attracted to her," Joel says, trying to sound dismissive.

You feel your heart sink as you hear Joel's words. You turn to leave, not wanting to listen to any more of the conversation. But as you take a step away, you accidentally kick a rock, causing a loud noise.

Joel turns around and sees you there, standing frozen in shock. He rushes over to you, but you push him away, hurt and upset.

"How could you say those things about me?" you asked, your voice shaking with emotion as you kept walking away.

Joel tries to explain himself, but you don't want to hear it. You feel embarrassed and humiliated, and you just want to go home and forget about the whole thing.

You could barely see where you were going as tears were streaming down your face, you could hear Joel calling out your name, but you keep walking, not wanting to listen to anything else he had to say.

"How could you say that?" you managed to choke out, your voice barely above a whisper.

Joel looked at you, his eyes full of regret and sadness. "I didn't mean it, Muffin," he said, trying to approach you.

"Don't call me that," you said, backing away from him. "I can't believe you would say something like that to me."

As you walked back home, you couldn't help but wonder how Joel could have said something like that. You thought he cared about you, but now you weren't so sure.

You went straight to your room and cried for what felt like hours. You had stopped crying, but your eyes were red and puffy when you heard a knock on your door. It was Joel. You didn't want to see him, but a part of you wanted to know why he had said what he did.

"Please, can I come in?" Joel asked softly.

You hesitated for a moment before reluctantly letting him in. He looked at you with sad eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I was scared," he admitted. "Scared of losing everything. My business, my friends, and especially you. I didn't mean what I said, Muffin. I care about you more than anything."

You looked at him, still hurt and not sure if you could believe him. "It didn't sound like that," you said quietly. "You called me a child, do you even like me?"

Joel walked over to you and took your hand. "Of course I do," he said. "And I'm sorry. I was angry and scared, and I didn't know what to do or say. But I promise you, I do care about you. I just didn't want anyone to find out and make things complicated." You could tell he was genuine, scratching the back of his neck and rubbing his hands on his jeans.

You sighed and looked away. Part of you wanted to forgive him, but another part of you was still hurt by his words. "I just don't know if I can trust you anymore," you said, your voice shaking.

Joel squeezed your hand. "I understand," he said. "But please, give me a chance to make it right. Let me show you how much you mean to me."

You looked back at him, still unsure. "I don't know, Joel," you said. "I need some time to think."

Joel nodded. "Don't shut me out completely, please. I'll do anything to make it right."

"I'll think about it." You replied wiping the tears that fell down your cheeks.

Joel leaned in and gave you a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Thank you," he said softly before leaving your room.

You had spent the next couple of days stuck in your room using work as an excuse not to see him. You'd exchange a few words during breakfast but made sure to have dinner back in the bubble you created in your bedroom.

As you left your room to grab a snack, you found Joel with a silky scarf on his calloused hands with the sole purpose of covering your eyes. "Just trust me, Muffin," he says with a playful grin.

You feel a rush of excitement as Joel leads you through the house, and you try to guess where you're headed. You can hear the sound of soft music and the clinking of glasses, which makes you even more curious.

Finally, Joel stops and removes the blindfold. You open your eyes and find yourself in a beautifully decorated dining room. The table is set with elegant plates, silverware, and glasses. A vase of fresh flowers sits at the centre of the table, and candles flicker softly, casting a warm glow.

You turn to Joel, feeling emotional. "Wow, Joel, did you do this? It looks amazing," you said, feeling tears welling up in your eyes. "You went through so much trouble."

Joel smiled, taking your hand. "Anything for you, Muffin," he said softly. "I just wanted to show you how much I care about you."

As you sat down at the table, Joel began to pour you a glass of wine. "I got your favourite, Merlot," he says, handing you the glass.

You take a sip and smile, feeling touched by the gesture. "Thank you, Joel. This is perfect."

Joel sat down across from you and started to serve the food. He made your favourite dish, homemade lasagna, and it smelt amazing. As you both started to eat, you couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotion.

"Joel, this is delicious," you said, taking another bite and moaning at the taste. "How did you learn to cook like this?"

Joel chuckled happy to see you enjoy the meal. "My mom taught me how to cook when I was a kid. She was an amazing cook."

You smiled, feeling touched by the thought of Joel's mother. "I bet she would be proud of you," you said.

Joel looked at you, his eyes shining with emotion. "I hope so," he said softly. "I just wish she could have met you. I think she'd prefer you before me" You playfully kick his shin under the table at that comment. He always kept putting himself down.

As you finished the meal, Joel got up and brought out a small box wrapped in gold paper. "I have one more thing for you, Muffin," he said, handing you the box.

You opened it up and found a beautiful necklace with a green gemstone. It was delicate and elegant, just your style.

"Joel, it's beautiful," you said, feeling speechless. "You really went above and beyond."

Joel smiled, taking the necklace out of the box. "It's just a small token of my appreciation for you," he said, fastening the necklace around your neck. "I just want you to be happy, Muffin."

You feel a tear rolling down your cheek as you look at Joel. "Thank you," you say softly, feeling overwhelmed with emotion.

Joel leaned in and kissed you gently, his hands cupping your face. "I really like you, Muffin," he whispers, his eyes searching yours.

You smile, feeling your heart swell with love. Your noses touching as you looked into his honey eyes "I like you too, Joel," you say, feeling grateful for the man in front of you.

As the night wore on, you both fell asleep on the couch, wrapped up in each other's arms. It was a night you would never forget, filled with warmth, laughter and a feeling of being cherished.