happiness begins [joe jonas]

48

The next few days consisted of piecing the band back together, as much as they could. Joe found himself smiling that little bit more often, knowing that he was finally going to be able to make music with his brothers once again.

He spent more time in the music room, his attention fully diverted to his book that held his prized possession. His music. He still wasn't sure whether his songs were the right style for the band, but his brothers insisted they were. Besides, there was no doubt they would be making new songs as well.

Joe knew that his relationship with Nick wouldn't suddenly be perfect. He knew that they would both need to put in the effort to go back to how it used to be. But that didn't stop him from feeling lighter, now that the air had been cleared. He found himself feeling more comfortable around his little brother, rather than the noticeable tension that used to be there.

He felt slightly guilty, knowing that all of his time and attention had been on the band, rather than spending time with his girlfriend, but he knew she was busy too. He had apologised many times for not having enough time to spend with her. But each time Emmie would reassure him that it was okay. There would always be times where plans would have to be rearranged. And she was okay with that.

Joe had heard from Nick only a few times since their big discussion a few days before. Nick had told him that they were in the works of finding people to collaborate on the songwriting with, considering they wanted a new and improved sound for their comeback album.

So far, the band had been approved to another label, and everything was good for them to make new music. The only downside was, it wasn't allowed to be mentioned to anyone yet, in order for them to stay focused before announcing anything.

Joe was in full concentration mode, frowning at the papers in front of him, adjusting any lyrics that didn't seem right. He let out a small huff, on the verge of giving up there and then. No matter how hard he tried to piece together the perfect line, it would never seem good enough to him.

"You need any help?" A voice spoke from behind him, causing Joe to jump in his seat. He turned around to see Nick facing him with a slight smirk on his face.

"What- When did you get here?" He asked, still in shock. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Of course you didn't." Nick shook his head, "You're too busy practically burning holes into that paper with your eyes."

Joe shot him a fake smile, but couldn't help letting out a soft laugh. He knew he had been uptight for the past hour or so, finding it difficult to write anything, no matter how hard he tried to concentrate.

"What's going on?" Nick questioned, taking a seat beside him, leaning over to look at the papers scattered around the table.

"I don't know." Joe admitted through a mumble, "Too many songs to think about."

"You're trying too hard." Nick explained, causing Joe to frown at him once more.

"You're thinking too much into it." He continued, "You need to write for yourself, and not worry about what anyone else thinks."

"But how are we supposed to know if the fans will like it?"

"Joe.." Nick placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't think about it. The music will always sound better if it comes from somewhere meaningful. And there's no doubt the fans will like it. We've got some very supportive people around us. All we need to do is write for ourselves."

Joe let out a heavy breath, Nick's words finally sinking in. He gave him a small nod, before glancing back at the papers in front of him.

"So I guess I can just scrap this?" He muttered, his eyes wandering the words scribbled down.