When You Were Mine: Joe and Katherine's Love Story (A Joey McIntyre Fanfiction)

22

Being home again, after having the best visit with his Kate over Thanksgiving is hell. It didn't end as well as he'd wished but he shouldn't have done what he did.

The last night he was there he asked her to marry him again. She said no, of course, but he told himself he'd never stop trying. Even if it did make him feel like shit every time she said no.

It's March before he gets to see her again. Katherine had called him in February and invited him to a music festival in Austin, Texas. He'd heard about South by Southwest forever, but New Kids never got to perform at one. He was excited about getting to see the festival with his beautiful Kate.

They'd missed celebrating Joe's twenty first birthday together this year. So they decided to make sure to celebrate it in Austin.

Joe picks a little dive bar that has an old jukebox and pool tables for his birthday. "You do know Austin has some really great bars right? And you pick the diviest bar in town. The jukebox is a nice touch though."

"Well I just figured all the big bars would be way too crowded. I wanted to go somewhere we could actually talk and spend time together. So yeah, I picked this awesome place. It kind of reminds me of this bar we all used to sneak into back in Dorchester."

The two of them play a little pool, have a lot of drinks and then do some dancing. They take turns picking songs on the jukebox. Joe's tired and too drunk to keep up the pace of these fast songs so he looks for the perfect slow song.

Before the song starts Joe takes Katherine I'm his arms. He starts to sway as the music begins to play. Katherine almost immediately starts to cry. It's a song Katherine used to play for Joe when he'd be gone on tour. Especially when he was gone for a long time. As Richard Marx sings one of the saddest songs Katherine's ever heard, she can't help but hold Joe a little bit tighter.

"Oceans apart day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice on the line
But it doesn't stop the pain

If I see you next to never
How can we say forever

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I took for granted, all the times
That I thought would last somehow
I hear the laughter, I taste the tears
But I can't get near you now

Oh, can't you see it baby
You've got me going crazy"

When the song is over Katherine won't let him go. The music stops but they just stand there on the dance floor holding onto each other. "Kate, babe is everything okay?" She can't stop crying, she sobs as Joe holds her against his chest. He tries to walk them off the dance floor but can't get her to move. "Joe I'm so sorry."

"For what Kate. I'm sorry I played that song. I didn't know you'd react like this. I wasn't trying to upset you."

"I slept with Caleb."

Joe stops rubbing her back and his arms relax from around her. He feels like his face is on fire as the anger rips through his entire body. "Kate please let go of me. I can't believe you're telling me this now. You should have told me before I flew all the way to fucking Austin."

Katherine reluctantly lets go of him and he walks over to the bar, pays the tab and walks out of the bar. Leaving Katherine standing there all alone. She sits at their table and waits for him to come back in. She finishes her drink. Then she finishes his. But he never comes back into the bar.

Katherine gets a cab back to their hotel. She cries all the way there. But she knows deep down she did the right thing. He needed to let her go so he could move on. As much as it was killing her, she didn't think it was fair, him holding out hope they'd be back together one day. Because she wasn't in love with him anymore, she still loved him with all her heart, but it wasn't the way he deserved to be loved.

Katherine wipes her face and walks into their hotel room. It's pitch dark and she's relieved, she's not ready for their painful goodbye yet.

"Do you love him?" She hears his voice from somewhere in the dark. She screams, not expecting to hear anything. She thought she was alone. She turns in a full circle trying to find him in the dark. "No Joseph, of course I don't." She keeps looking into the dark trying to find him. The lamp that sits on the table switches on. Joe sits there, face streaked with tears and a ring box in his hand.

"Will you marry me Kate? I don't care that you slept with Caleb. I just want to be with you. I want to be with you forever Kate. Please say you'll marry me."

Katherine plops down onto the bed. "No Joe, I can't marry you."

"Why not?"

"Joe as much as I love you, I'm just not in love with you anymore. Joe I'm sorry."

Joe stands up and goes to sit next to her on the bed. "Is that why you slept with Caleb?"

"Oh God Joe, I didn't sleep with Caleb. I just said that so you'd get mad and stop wanting me. You have to get over me and move on Joseph." She squeezes his hand.

"That's never going to happen Kate. I'll never get over you. You're my first love. You're the only love I'll ever want."

"Joe you don't know that. You have no idea who you'll meet if you just stop loving me. Promise me you'll try at least."

Joe kisses her. She attempts to stop him, but can't bring herself to do it. Physically she still wants him, which she knows is wrong. But her body wants him, at least one more time.

"Joe, wait. We can't, I can't. It's not right.  As much as I want to, it's not going to make things better. We can't be together anymore." She's bawling now, this is breaking her heart all over again.

"Kate, just give me this week. Give me just one more perfect week with you. Then we'll go our separate ways. If you can give me this week I promise I'll move on. I'll let you go."

Katherine's resolve is weak, she agrees to this one last week together. "But after this week, I can't see you like this again. I'll always love you and I'll always be your friend. But after this week that's all we'll be. Okay?"

"Okay." He promises, though he knows it's the biggest lie he's ever told her.