happiness begins [joe jonas]

29

When the music had died down, and the party was over, everyone slowly made their way home. Joe smiled at Emmie as he closed the door for the final time that evening. The smell of alcohol lingered in the air, and a little on their lips. Just enough to keep them feeling tipsy.

"Goodbye my lovebirds." A very drunk Kevin called through the door, before the sound of Dani hushing him and pulling him away.

Joe stood in the centre of the lounge, spinning slowly with a smile on his face. Taking in the last little moments of his birthday. Emmie smiled at him. When he finally stopped in front of her, he grabbed her hands, to keep his balance.

"I have something for you." Emmie whispered, watching his face light up once more.

Joe raised an eyebrow, watching her rush to the kitchen, where she reappeared with a perfectly wrapped gift. It was small, wrapped in a silver foil, with a bow tied to the top. Emmie watched him smile as he took it from her hands.

"You made it impossible for me to find you something." She laughed.

Joe smirked at her, sitting down on the couch as he held the gift in his lap. He began to open it, but considering he was still a little drunk, his hands kept slipping and it took him many tries to eventually peel the paper back. 

"Stupid paper." He mumbled, earning a smile from Emmie.

"Hey, don't mock my wrapping skills." She teased.

He pulled the gift from the paper, to reveal a small blue book. The first thing he noticed, was that it was almost identical to the book Emmie had been using a few days back in the music room. It was heavier than normal, the covers noticeably being hardback. Joe stroked his hand over the cover, flicking through the pages to find it empty.

"It's for your music." Emmie explained, her voice soft. "You have a lot of meaning behind your songs, so I thought you could keep all your ideas safe."

Joe smiled to himself, and then looked over at her. Her face looked worried, as if he was about to disregard everything she had said.

"If you don't like it, I can take it back." She rushed. "It was just a thought, and I-"

"-Em." Joe stopped her, placing his hand on hers. "I love it."

"Really?" She gave him a hopeful smile.

"Of course." He reassured her. "Gifts are all about meaning, right?"

Emmie smiled at him, relieved that Joe was pleased. He toyed with the pages, deep in thought.

"I've got some amazing songs to go in here." He tapped the cover, grinning at Emmie.

"That was fast." She laughed.

"No, no." Joe stopped, "I wrote them a while ago."

He reached for her hand, pulling her onto her feet and leading her to his bedroom. Emmie stood in the doorway, rifling through the many papers that lie scattered around. After a few minutes, he finally found what he was looking for. Joe handed her the papers, as she sat on the edge of the bed. He set the empty book down beside her, letting her read the lines.

"Wait." Joe stops her. "I want you to hear it."

Emmie hands the papers back, suddenly curious to what Joe was about to do. He held the song in his hands, his palms sweating as he quickly became nervous.

"Comeback to me, baby I'll come back to you." He sang softly, not wanting to look her in the eyes.

"Light up the world like only you can do." But that line hit him. The line he wrote that perfectly described the girl sat before him. He slowly glanced up at her, a sparkle in his eye as he continued.