Somebody to Love - A Joe Mazzello FanFiction

Chapter 24 - The Birthday Surprise

Eventually, I got out of bed. Joe had finished getting ready and went out into the living room to watch some TV while I got dressed and 'cleaned up'. I grabbed some clothes out of the drawer and trudged into the bathroom. I checked my phone to see what the weather was like, and it wasn't going to be too hot or too cold. I decided on some jeans with a tank top and a flannel shirt over it. Unbuttoned and tied at my waist. I put on some slip-on black shoes and some pink socks. I walked out into the living room to meet Joe. He was sitting on the couch with his arms resting across the back of the seats. I jumped onto the couch, landing half on my knees and half on my butt. I landed close enough to Joe to cuddle up to his side. His arms moved from the back of the couch to across my shoulder.

"What are we doing today?" I asked, like a little kid on Christmas. Joe just looked at me and then back to the TV. "Don't tell me you have another surprise," I said incredulously. There were already too many surprises for me to handle. He was spoiling me way too much. He half smiled toward the TV.

"Yeah, there is," He chuckled. I hit his arm. "Ow," He interjected. "What was that for?"

"Stop spending money on me," I demanded as my eyes grew wider and stared at him.

"Look, I want to spoil you. Always and forever. And, it just happens that we are in a city with lots of things to spend money on during your birthday. Plus, you deserve everything I give you." He rubbed his thumb back and forth on my shoulder as he looked into my eyes. He sighed. "Can I tell you something?" He asked.

"Of course," I answered, concerned.

"I went out with Brian about a week ago and we were talking about you. I wanted to know a bit more about your past. Not that I didn't think you would tell me eventually, but I just thought he could give me a new perspective on things, I don't know." He was stumbling through his words and I could tell he was nervous. He sighed again. "I asked about guys you've dated in the past, and he told me that you hadn't dated much and that there was one guy who made you feel awful. I think his name was Johnathan, right?" His voice was soft and soothing. He was hoping he wouldn't hurt me bringing this up.

"That's right," I whispered. I looked down at my hands. Talking about him wasn't a problem, I just didn't know that Joe knew about him. It made me embarrassed that I didn't tell him sooner. But, there was no reason for me to tell him before. Joe's hand landed on my cheek and I kissed his palm for comfort.

"What he did to you was wrong. You never deserved that kind of treatment, ever." He paused slightly. "It breaks my heart to know that you went through that." I put my hand on top of his on my face. I looked up at him, his eyes soft and bright.

"That's why I waited so long to sleep with you," I said. His expression made me want to confess everything to him. "I knew I wanted to be with you since I saw you the first time, but thoughts of Johnathan kept flashing in my head. My messed up brain kept thinking that once you saw me naked, you would run and I wouldn't see you again. You would be completely put off by my body and never even want to speak to me again. So, I waited. And I figured that if you did run away, I would try to spend as much time with you as possible before that happened." There was a pregnant pause between us. An understanding that felt so calm and quiet.

"But I didn't, and I love you," He responded after a while.

"I know and I love you too." I stopped again trying to think of something to say. Something else to confess to him. "I love you so much because I know that you wouldn't hurt me like that. You respect me and love me." I stopped again. The only sound in the room was the soft volume of the television in front of us talking through some commercial for a product no one was going to buy. The muffled sounds of people walking through the hallways and in the room above us. The wind outside pushing against the wall of windows as the sun shone in and displayed the beautiful Vegas hotels and shops in the daytime. "Can I ask you something?" I whispered. The moment was intimate and close, we were both very vulnerable but I wanted to push some more.