Joey Avery appears to have everything. Happiness. Loving parents. A life all mapped out. But it's all a lie. An entire life based on a lie. First of all, she's a her, not a him, though it gets people confused all the time, since her name is typicall...
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At the end of the night, after eating too many cookies and playing different games, we decide to call it a night. As I lead Joey towards my room, my heart starts racing, thinking about what I have planned for her, scared of what she's going to say. When we reach the door, I stop her, covering her eyes with the palms of my hands.
"I have a surprise for you," I whisper in her ear as I open the door, making sure at the same time that she can't see, and guiding her inside, closing the door behind me.
I ask her to keep her eyes close and count to thirty. When she opens her eyes, there are candles in every corner, on every surface, and I must confess that I got a bit worried that I wouldn't have enough time to light them all. Thanks to Joey who counted slowly.
"What... what is this?" she asks, spinning around to look through the room.
"I wanted to do something special for you, to show you how grateful I am to have you in my life, but I'm not the most creative, so I settled for something simple, but romantic. I didn't want to do too much, I mean, I'm not proposing. Not yet. I need to keep my A game for that day, but this moment is important too and I did all of that because I want you to know that-"
She cuts me off, bursting out an "I love you."
I sigh. All of this for nothing.
"Dammit Joey!" I exclaim, mad. Not at her. At myself, I should have gone straight to the point.
"What did I... oh no! I completely ruined your moment. Were you...? I'm sorry, Xander."
"It's fine," I reassure her, "I just... I wanted to be the first to say it."
"Then, say it. I take back everything I just said, and we both forget about it and-"
"No way, you aren't taking anything back."
"Then, say it back," she pleads me.
"Nah, you kind of ruined my plan, I'll just wait for another day. It isn't a big deal."
Now, it's her turn to sigh, "Alexander Grey Maxwell."
Damn, my full name... really, woman?
I tease her a bit, "I. Love... Sex."
"Real mature, is that really all you have in mind? Why are you always so horny?"
"It's hard not to be when you look like this," I look her up and down, a smirk on my face.
"Just rip the band-aid off, Xander. Like I did."
"I wanted it to be special so you would always remember."
"I will always remember; I always remember everything that concerns you."
"Yeah?"
"Yes," she confirms. "We met on August 16th in my dorm, we had our first kiss in front of the restaurant on October 1st, we had sex for the first time on November 14th and you almost told me that you love me, but I ruined it on November 25th, and I am really so-"
