Somebody to Love - A Joe Mazzello FanFiction

Chapter 10 - The First Date: Part 1

The morning of our date, I decided not to continue watching The Pacific. I was dying to watch Joe some more in the show, but I didn't want to just talk about this one show that I hadn't even finished on the date. Plus, he had mentioned to me that he just wanted to be a regular person and I allowed him to do that. I was happy that I was a bit of 'escape' for him. The entire day, I was trying to think of things to talk about on our date, just in case the conversation slowed down. But, nothing I could come up with seemed natural. I had never been extremely natural in conversations with people. Sure, I could make jokes and keep a conversation light and optimistic, but I didn't always say the right things. I had also never flirted with anyone officially. But, I guess I can't say that anymore since I seemed to have hooked in Joe.

I texted him a little bit that morning to tell him my address and apartment number and he told me that the restaurant we would be going to was a little fancy, but nothing too special. We didn't text much after that; it just didn't make sense if we were seeing each other later in the day. The day seemed to go by so slowly with nothing to do except wait for 7 to come around. I found myself doing small things around the house hoping they would take up some time. But, I just ended up looking at the clock every five minutes waiting excitedly for the time I could get ready for the date.

When 5 o'clock rolled around, I decided that it was long enough before the date to get ready. I went into the bathroom and took a shower, cleaning myself and washing my hair as thoroughly as I could. I didn't think the night would end with Joe coming back here, but just in case we hugged or kissed or he got as close to me as he did when he kissed my cheek, I wanted my hair to smell amazing. And, maybe make him feel like melting like he has me feeling every time I see him. I got out of the shower smelling like 'Ocean Breeze', and I began to dry my hair with my blow dryer after I sloppily threw on some underwear. Looking at myself in the mirror the whole time. I began to trace my eyes along my jawline and lips. My cheekbones and collarbones. My shoulders, my hips, and the outline of my body. I had always had a problem with the way I looked. I had always blamed it for my luck with guys. In my head, no guy wants to go out with a slightly pudgy girl when he can have a model-like physique with another one. I had gone on a few dates before and even ended up in bed with a couple of them, but none of them lasted very long after that. They had seen what was in store for them and they didn't like it. With that history, I couldn't help but think about what Joe would say or think if he saw me like this. Would he run away too?

I clenched my lips together and moved into my bedroom with newly dry hair. I open the closet to once more find a suitable outfit to wear that would impress, but not overdo it. I grabbed a green medium length dress that had a tulle-like material on the outside but felt softer than tulle. It was a nice shade of dark green with a brown belt that cinched my waist. I had decided to not put that much makeup on, just some eyeliner and mascara this time, and I waited for him in my living room. I would know when he was coming because he needed to buzz in with me so I could open the front door for him. I sat there patiently, playing a game on my phone while having perfect posture.

The buzz wasn't deafening, but it was definitely louder than I had expected. I checked my watch as I walked to the buzzer. 6:55. He was right on time. I pressed the button for about 10 seconds to make sure he could get in. I went over to the couch and grabbed my purse, quickly throwing my phone into the front pocket and slinging the purse over my shoulder. As I was doing this, there was a knock at my door. I took a deep breath in. He was here. I got very excited and began to smile beyond my control. I tried to keep the smile down as I walked to the door; primping and preening as to look my best. I put my hand on the doorknob and took one more breath to calm myself down. I turned the knob and opened it to Joe standing there, once again hands in pockets, waiting for the door to be opened.

He was wearing a gray shirt that was buttoned up all the way to his neck. Usually, this look doesn't suit most guys, but Joe was not most guys. His black jogger pants with a white vertical stripe down the sides and dark gray shoes all made him look extremely professional yet laid back at the same time. After a quick up and down look of the other person, we made eye contact. I half smiled trying not to blush as I realized that neither of us was saying anything.

"Hi," I said in my softest voice. I knew that at some point in the date I would end up rambling, so I tried to keep at soft voice at the beginning of our date to offset the amount of talking I was inevitably bound to do.

"Hi. You look great," A small smile appeared on his lips like he was thinking about something that he liked. I had only hoped the thoughts were about me. "Are you ready?" He asked, breaking his thoughts and the silence with it.

"Yes," I answered. He gestured his hand toward the front of the building and I walked ahead of him. He ended up by my side only a few steps later after my door locked behind us. "So, what's this restaurant like?" I said, trying to break the awkward silence between us.

"It's a nice little Italian restaurant that I found a couple years ago. Nice and intimate." He laughed softly and cocked his head to one side, "I don't know if that was the right or wrong word choice." He looked at me and we locked eyes again. He smiled wide and I could see his teeth. Perfectly white and slightly crooked, but beautiful.

"It's a fine word choice. I know what you mean." I laughed softly too. I hope that this night would get slightly intimate. My heart raced at the thought, so I knew I had to just stop thinking for a while.

"Plus, everyone likes Italian. You do like Italian food, right? I guess I should have asked that." He seemed very nervous all of a sudden.

"Yes, I do." I needed to break this tension with a joke. "And I don't trust anyone who doesn't." Thankfully, he chuckled at that.

"Me neither." We approached his car and he opened the passenger side door for me. I got in and moved my legs away from the door so he could close it safely. As he made his way to the other side, I adjusted my dress so that it wouldn't ride up during the car ride. He got into the driver's side and turned on the car. Music started playing and I recognized it right away. It was Queen, specifically the ending of Another One Bites the Dust. "Sorry," He said reaching for the knob to turn it off. I reached my hand out to stop him.

"No, leave it." I realized that I just grabbed his hand and there was tension. I didn't know what kind yet, but it felt good to touch his hand again. He slowly pulled his hand back and raised them in defense.

"Ok, I'll leave it. I forgot you liked them a lot." He laughed and began to pull out of the parking lot.

"So when do you start filming that movie again?" I asked. I remembered, but I just wanted to start up a new conversation.

"Well, it was going to be in January, but they moved it to April. There was some sort of difficulty that they needed to fix, so they just moved the start date back. That doesn't mean I get to work on my character any less though." He smiled when he talked about the movie. He seemed really excited but tried to be reserved when he was around me. I started to smile a bit too. He was going to be in LA longer, so I could see him some more.

As we drove to the restaurant, we talked about Queen and the little things I knew about John Deacon and the other members. We had talked about the other cast members and who possibly would play the other roles. He had heard rumors about who was cast as the other band members, but nothing is for certain until they get to set. He started to open up a bit more, as did I, and he began showing his excitement for this movie. He was talking with his hands again even though he was driving and he gave his words more inflection. If we were getting this good at talking to each other in the car, then I couldn't wait for what was in store for the date.