Call It What You Want- Joe Burrow

6

As we exited the restaurant, bright flashes and people started swarming us. A staff member tries to move them back, but all 30 of the photographers did not budge.

"I've got you," Joe whispers, and he grabs my hand and pushes his way through the crowd, all the way too the car. He opened he door and put his hand on the top and the door to block their vision of me.

"Camden!" I hear a voice call out down the street. A few girls stood there screaming and waving, so I waved back.

They started screaming louder and I ducked into the car. Joe hurriedly walks around to the other side and gets it.

"I wonder who they're here for," I joke, and he looks at me, trying to hold back a grin. We click our seatbelts in as the music from before begins playing.

He shakes his head and begins driving.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see," he shrugs and I sigh.

"Fine, I'm just going to play with your car," I start pressing random buttons and he doesn't say anything.

After a half hour of driving, Joe pulls up to his neighborhood security office and I give him a suspicious look, "This is the part where you take me to your basement and kill me, isn't it?"

"Oh my- Conners, I am not going to murder you," he says loudly and the security guy gives him a weird look.

Joe raises his hand in a greeting and the guy nods back with extremely suspecting eyes.

The gate in front of us opens and I start laughing, but he stays silent.

He pulls up to his house and holds a finger up to me, "Don't move."

I nod and he quickly gets out and opens my door for me.

"Thanks," I smile and he holds his hand out. I grab it and start swinging our hands.

I didn't really know what he had planned, but I can't say that I wasn't skeptical of his intentions.

"In the back," he reassures me as we walk through his house and up to the backdoor, "now for the surprise."

He gently puts his hands over my eyes and I grab ahold of his shoulders for support, "I feel like I'm going to fall."

"You're not going to fall," he chuckles quietly and leads me further into the yard.

He takes his hands off of my eyes and I look around. There were lights strung above us and a little blanket and pillows in the grass that surrounded a table of sweets. Instrumental music played in the background.

My stomach fluttered and my head tilted. My bottom lip shook, but I bit it to stop.

"Joey," I whisper, "you are insane."

"That's a strange way of saying thank you, but you're welcome," he grabs my hand and pulls me to the furnished area of land.

"Oh! Chocolate strawberries!" I gasp and he helps me get on the ground and follows after me, "How'd you know?"

"Ella told me," he lifts up the clear lid on the very fancy looking plate.

"Of course she did," I whisper. She'd been in on it. She knew he was going to do this and she didn't tell me.

We begin eating the strawberries and just enjoying each others presence. No words needed to be spoken. He knew I was excited, I just didn't know how to show it. It's a conversation we've had before. Twice.

I finish the last strawberry out of six and lean against him, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he puts an arm behind me so that he could lean into me too.