Stay { a Joe Mazzello Story }

XIV

*Next Day , Morning*

*Jennifer's POV *

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around me . Ah , morning . I checked my clock. It was 10:00 ! I don't usually sleep in that much. And then I realized I wasn't wearing any clothes but a bra and underwear. Okay , so that makes a little more sense . I slowly sat up and rolled over to Joe's side. Ah , shit he isn't there. He's probably at work or something. I crawled out of bed and pulled on a longer sweater to cover my ass and trudged down the stairs . I yawned and stretched my arms out . As I walked into the kitchen , I saw the sweetest thing ever .

"SURPRISE!" Joe shouted excitedly, holding out his arms . He had cooked breakfast! He never cooks breakfast , never. There was French toast , bacon , and eggs . I ran up and hugged him .

"Happy Birthday baby !" He said happily , giving me a light squeeze.

"Joe , thank you ! You didn't have to do this ," I smiled , rubbing his arm . I gave him a kiss and sat down next across from him .

"C'mon, it's your 27th birthday! I'm not letting this pass as a normal day ," Joe laughed , passing me the milk .
This was so sweet . Why did I deserve him ?

"So , I've planned a day for us ! I've made a little map of all your favorite places in town , and we can hit them before we go eat at Perch . Does that sound fun ?" He asked eagerly, placing a hand on top of mine . He literally is perfect . Perfect!

"Joe , that sounds lovely ! You're so sweet, " I gushed , taking a bite of the French toast.
"Joe ! Why didn't you tell me you can cook? These are delightful!" I exclaimed , taking another bite .

"Because if you found out I can cook , which you have, you'll make me cook every day, " He laughed, taking a bite of bacon .

"Hold on, let me get this ," He muttered as he picked up his phone and went into the other room. It was muffled but there was some tension overheard . Who was he talking to? He stayed in there for about 10 minutes before coming out . He looked all flustered and almost scared .

"Is everything alright Joe ?" I asked , looking up at him .

"Oh , no everything's fine !" He smiled quickly , sitting down .

"Who was that ?" I said casually, drinking a gulp of milk .

"Oh , just an old friend ," He said , playing with his fork . That was a lie .
I hummed in thought and looked up at him .

"So , what's the first thing we're doing ?" I asked.

"Okay , so you remember where we had our first date ?" He said, intertwining his fingers with mine .

"Of course , we went to the park . "
I said , looking at him .

"Well that's where we're going first . So finish up what you have left, you ate that awfully fast ," He laughed , looking at the almost empty plate .
"So go get a shower and put on something . Take as long as you like . I won't hurry you this time ." I laughed and took my plate to the sink .

"Ill do the dishes , it's fine !" He exclaimed, whisking my plate away from me . I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him on the neck .

"Thank you , Joe ," I whispered into his ear .

"No , thank you for being born , yeah? I don't know how I could live without you in my life ," He said sheepishly, kissing me on my cheek .

"Aww , Joe ," I blushed , smiling at him .

"Okay , now go get dressed , babe ,"He smiled , turning back to the dishes . He's being so fucking cute right now I'm probably going to have heart failure because my heart can't handle it .I grabbed my towel and a robe and turned on the shower . I closed my eyes and let the hot water stream down my back . I started to sing Come on Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners when it came on Spotify . I absolutely love this song. It always gets stuck in my head . I was dancing a little in the shower , and letting the hot ,steamy water stream down my back . I heard the door click and open . It was Joe .

"Of course you're playing this song, " He half-shouted so I could hear him over the music and the shower . I poked my head out and loudly sang the chorus. He shook his head and laughed . Once it ended, P.Y .T - Michael Jackson came on . We both squealed in delight as we began to sing to it .

"Pretty young ladies , repeat after me sing na na na !"

"NA NA NA !"

"Na na na na !"

"NA NA NA NA !"

"Okay Jen , stop singing with me and finish your shower !" Joe laughed as he walked out . I put my head back in grabbed the shampoo. Ah , I'm so excited.

***

*Joe's POV *

That stupid guy won't keep threatening me . He's forced me to cheat on my girlfriend, has almost murdered me , and he still wants a Goddamn photoshoot . I finished up the dishes and picked out an outfit .I pulled on a vintage polo shirt with thick, vertical, dark blue lines .I left a few buttons open and opened the collar a little . I pulled on a pair of light ripped jeans and white high top sneakers . I went downstairs and fed Lily, Miko , and Romeo who were already begging for food . I gave them a little piece of bacon each . Why not? I gave them their regular food and sat down on the sofa . Should I make a happy birthday post for her ? Yeah , I should .

***

"Babe , I'm ready !" Jenny called from upstairs.

"Okay, come down !" I called , setting down my phone .

"Oh and I borrowed your shirt ," She laughed as she walked down . God , she looked incredible . She was wearing white high-waisted shorts with my burnt orange long sleeved shirt. She had rolled up the sleeves to her elbows and unbuttoned the first few buttons at the top . She had a necklace with a black cord and a silver circle tied with a knot in the center . Talk . About . Hot .

"Does it look okay ? I feel like I look bad ," She said anxiously, checking her figure in the mirror .

"No , no don't say that ! You look incredible , absolutely gorgeous," I said , slinging my arms around her shoulders from behind her and set my head on her neck .

"Are you sure ? Maybe the shirt doesn't look okay on my figure , or what if it does maybe my butt looks to big in the shorts-

"Honey , you look gorgeous. No other girl is going to compare to you even the slightest bit in all of California, okay ? I promise ." I said soothingly, kissing her on the neck . She blushed and looked at herself one final time .

"Ready ?" I asked, grabbing the keys and holding out my hand for her to grab. She grabbed my hand and we walked out the door .