It was Christmastime and the Jonas family was home for the week. It was chilly outside and Christmas trees could be seen in nearly every window. Christmas spirit was in the air.
Joe rushed over to Chloe’s house not ten minutes after he arrived back in town. Mrs. Rose was making cookies as he walked in the front door and he grabbed one before bounding up the stairs to Chloe’s room. He peeked into her room. Chloe was sitting at her desk, working on what Joe guessed was homework. The door made a sound as he opened it further and Chloe looked up in surprise. She couldn’t help but let out a little squeal and fling herself into his arms. They both grinned their faces off at the sight of the other. Despite everything, they were incredibly excited to see each other.
Joe pressed his forehead against Chloe’s. “Hey you.”
“Hi,” she responded. Joe placed a tiny kiss on her nose.
“Missed you.”
“Missed you more.”
They kissed and Joe pushed Chloe back onto the bed. They shared his stolen cookie and kissed some more.
The next few days were very enjoyable for Joe. He loved the Christmas season, being with his family, and eating his mother’s homemade food. Christmas Eve and the big day itself passed with laughter and giving. Joe spent some time at Chloe’s house and Chloe spent some time at his house. And they both truly enjoyed the time they spent with each other. Everything was perfect.
But at the same time, it was as if they were walking on a tightrope together. They were coming to a fork in the road, and they couldn’t stop moving and if they tried, everything would just get worse. Joe was going to go back to tour in a few days, and even though that tour was nearly over, a new one was starting soon after. Chloe was going to start a new semester in high school after the holiday break. And although there really isn’t ever a good time to break up with someone, they both knew that this was a good time. They didn’t know when they’d see each other next and it just seemed inevitable. It was what was right, what was supposed to happen.
The days passed until they made it to the day after Christmas. Joe and Chloe were at the Jonas household, sipping some hot chocolate in front of the Christmas tree. Joe was proudly wearing the new sweater Chloe had given him yesterday, and Chloe commented on how nice it looked on him, smiling to herself. Nick, Kevin, and Frankie were at the piano, playing some Christmas songs and some not Christmas songs, singing and laughing. Joe and Chloe enjoyed the entertainment they provided and the silly lyrics they made up when they couldn’t remember the words to a particular verse.
At one point, Nick broke away and came over to where the two of them sat. “Hey Joe,” he said. “You should play that one song for Kevin. You know, the one you showed me last week?”
Joe swallowed his hot chocolate rather loudly. It was almost comical, and Chloe looked sideways over at him. He hastily wiped his mouth and glanced over at her. “Okay,” he said to Nick after a moment. He set his hot chocolate on the coffee table next to Chloe and left his place next to Chloe to go over to the piano. Pushing Kevin off the bench - in a nice, brotherly way, of course - he took a breath and began to play the song that is now known as “Can’t Have You”. At that point, it was still a rough draft of the song, for Joe had only written it a little while ago. But it was still beautiful and heartfelt. His voice was a little rough as he sang, but when he ended, his brothers gave him a loud round of applause.
“I really like that!” exclaimed Kevin in his usual manner. Frankie vigorously nodded his head in agreement.
“He has a ton of other songs too,” Nick added. “I think we could use a lot of them for the new album.” He admitted this rather begrudgingly.
