happiness begins [joe jonas]

53

Day slowly turned into night, the darkness falling over the snow blanketed city as the air grew gradually colder. Joe and Emmie had returned inside many hours before, as the air quickly began to freeze their fingertips- just as Emmie had teased.

They spent the rest of the day surrounded by their friends. Alena and Valentina had insisted on more baking- so that's exactly what they did. Except without the food fights and screaming throughout the kitchen. The night had ended in laughter, all the way up until the girls slowly grew tired and eventually went to bed. They managed their way through three Christmas movies, until Valentia fell asleep in Kevin's lap, still clinging on to his shirt as if he would disappear if he let go.

The evening was spent with a bottle of wine and light chatter floating around the lounge. Looking back on the day, made Emmie smile. For weeks she had silently panicked on her empty Christmas plans, and now she was surrounded by the people who cherished her most. It was comforting- knowing she meant that much to them, that they didn't mind including her in their own plans.

She smiled to herself as she buried herself within Joe's arms. The six of them lie sprawled out across two different couches as endless Christmas scenes played on the tv before them. Emmie knew she was on the verge of falling asleep, but she would do her best to fight it.

She felt the warmth of Joe's arms around her, as she listened to the soft hum of the girls chatting. Priyanka held onto her glass of wine, giggling every now and then at something Nick would say. She watched the two of them in a daze, smiling tiredly at how happy they were together.

Joe ran his hands through her hair, breaking her out of her daydream as she leaned back to smile at him. He quickly noticed the exhaustion on her face, and let out a breathy chuckle.

"You alright?" He mumbled, his voice low so he didn't disturb anyone else. Emmie pressed her lips together, giving him a small nod, which by quickly subsided with a yawn.

Joe couldn't help but smile. He watched as she sat up slightly, readjusting her position to make herself more comfortable.

"We can go and sleep if you want?" He suggested, running his fingers softly down her arm, making her smile.

Emmie shrugged in response, resting her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her once more. She knew it was getting late, and the longer she stalled, the more likely it would be that she fell asleep in his arms. But she wouldn't complain.

She felt her eyes grow heavier as she let them flutter shut, inhaling the faint smell of Joe's cologne in a heavy breath.

Joe noticed her change in demeanour. One moment she was comfortably lying beside him, fidgeting every so often, but now she lie still in his arms. He smiled once he realised she was probably asleep. But he knew they couldn't stay on the couch all night.

He quietly cleared his throat, gently shuffling closer to the edge of the couch, his arm still holding her close to his body. He gently lifted his arm, brushing against hers as he whispered to her.

"Em, let's go to bed." He told her, as she began to stir from her slumber. She barely opened her eyes, noticing Joe smiling at her with a soft expression. She nodded slightly, stretching a little before Joe helped her onto her feet.

"We're gonna call it a night." He announced to the others with a smile. He quickly caught a glance with else in the room, as they all nodded, saying goodnight as Emmie and Joe began to wander out of the room.

Emmie trailed up the stairs behind Joe, wanting to close her eyes once more. Joe held onto her hand, leading them towards the guest bedroom they had been sharing for the past few days.