happiness begins [joe jonas]

4

It had been four days since Joe had walked Emmie home. They had walked in a comfortable silence for most of the journey, although Joe had been checking up every now and then. Just to make sure she wasn't silently overthinking.

The second they stood outside Emmie's block of apartments, She remembered the messy state she had left her home in. She hadn't really made the time to try and sort things out for herself, since the past week, all she had done was slouched around in her self-pity.

Luckily for her, Joe was happy enough to let her go inside alone, figuring she needed some alone time. He checked she was okay for one last time, making her promise she would text him if she ever needed anything. It took a few minutes to convince him, but eventually he gave in and went on his way. Emmie waved him off from the doorstep. And once out of sight, she trailed off up the stairs and back into cluster of a place she called home.

These past four days, she hadn't messaged Joe yet. She didn't feel the need to. It sounded harsh but he specifically told her to message if she ever needed him. She didn't want to flood his inbox with useless texts.

Emmie had called Thea over the weekend. They sat on facetime for around an hour, updating each other on their lives.

When Emmie had explained to her where she had been the last few days, Thea's mouth dropped open in shock. At first, she wasn't sure if she even believed her, but as soon as Thea managed to find the words, she couldn't stop talking.

"I told you!" She cried, a wide grin on her face.

"No, no. It's nothing like that." Emmie quickly stopped her. Thea had always been one to jump to conclusions, especially when she had the chance to fantasise over things that would rarely ever happen.

"Let me stop you right there." She interrupts. "You. Met Joe Jonas. The one who wrote you that note. And now, you guys are hanging out?"

Emmie could see her face lighting up with every word she spoke.

"Technically, yes." She said. "But nothing more."

"This is so cute." Thea muttered happily. "Even as friends, I'm happy you're getting yourself out there again."

"Hey!" Emmie laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Y'know exactly what I mean." She gave her a sad smile. "Both of us have spent the past month hiding away, it's good that we spend some time outside our comfort zone."

Her words were clear. Emmie never had trouble making friends and she considered herself as quite a friendly person. The problem was opening up. Her biggest struggle, especially now Caleb had gone. This past month she had spend most of her time alone, and now she was slowly beginning to open up her social circle again, Emmie starting to wonder what that would mean for her mental habits.

•.•.•.•.•

She sat, curled up in the corner of the couch, a book opened on her lap. She thought maybe a distraction like reading would help her focus on something other than the pain she had constantly felt for the past few days. But this entire time, she had barely flicked through the pages. Her mind was elsewhere.

Emmie had rarely glanced in this specific direction of the room until today. But as soon as she wandered through the door and noticed the dullness of the empty space staring back at her, she sat herself down, hoping for a sense of comfort.

Caleb's favourite spot had always been the far corner of the couch. You would never find him sat anywhere else. He had always bragged to her that it was the spot that grabbed the most sunlight. The comfiest spot to watch movies in the evening. The best spot for a nap.