✓ | 𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 ; joseph quinn

chapter twenty-two

TWENTY-TWO

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Already two weeks has gone by without Joni having watched the second volume of season four of Stranger Things like she had told Finn the other day.

She wasn't feeling well that morning it was released and decided to stay in her bed all day. She was almost going back to her old routine when she was depressed. It didn't take long for her to realize her fallout again. It's been almost a month without Joseph and the girl needed a reason to finally leave her room.

Joni spent most of her nights overthinking that day at the airport. She replayed the memory over and over again until it got old. But it was a struggle to forget about it, and it just got worse the more she thought about it.

The time was reaching almost 3 a.m. and Joni was already laid in bed, keeping her eyes on the digital clock on her nightstand as she awaited the time to pass.

'Joni? Just talk to me.'

The memory seeped into her subconscious again. She had no other choice than to think about it.

'Sorry, I just feel so pathetic right now.'

"Fuck." She cursed under her breath, rolling her eyes to her embarrassment she had felt in that moment. She didn't know any better at that time.

Joni could feel her throat suddenly going dry, a lump of air forming, making it hard to breathe. It was like the time stopped and waited for her. All her senses went numb and the girl suddenly felt helpless. When she tried to take deep breaths, it was almost physically impossible.

There was only thing she came up with that she thought would ease her mind. Maybe it would finally go through this time.

Joni grabbed her phone from the nightstand and got up from her position on her bed, sitting on the edge and her legs crossed.

"Please pick up. Please pick up." She repeated to herself, almost manifesting the phone call she was making right now.

"Hello? Joni?" The voice on the other end of the line almost immediately picked up the call after Joni dialled.

"I'm sorry." The girl almost immediately responded back on the phone, choking on her own words.

"Wha- What?" Joni couldn't help but hear nothing but the English accent he carried. It only brought her little comfort in spite of what she felt as of now.

Joni sniffled her nose, without realizing that the phone has probably picked it up and Joseph had most likely heard it and knew what was happening.

She took a deep breath before trying to continue what she was trying to say but couldn't get it out. A single tear finally streamed down her cheek and that tear was all that took Joni to let the rest fall as well.

"I-I said I'm sorry." She repeated. Like she wasn't sure if he heard it the first time. But it took almost all her energy to let it slip out of her mouth.

"Joni, I heard you the first time. It's okay."

Joni tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat but it did nothing but struggle.

"Joni. Joni, can you hear me?" The boy sounded like he was being rushed.

Joni nodded before realizing that he couldn't see her and tried her best to speak up so that he could hear her on the phone. "Yu-yeah."

"Okay, okay. Um." Joseph paused. It was hard to tell for the girl caught up in her own struggles but Joseph was struggling with his own words on the other end of the line. "Joni, where are you right now?"

Joni's throat was finally starting to clear up so she could finally speak without the snot in her nose helping her struggle. "In my room." She said.

"Okay." Joe paused and was about to speak up again before his girlfriend on the other end of the call cut cut him off. "Deep breaths, Joni. Deep breaths."

"Joe. Joe, I'm sorry. I didn't say it." Her spoken words were choppy as the girl tried her best to let out her thoughts. She didn't seem to care or notice about the time difference. It was 3 a.m. in the morning for her, only making it 8 in the morning for Joseph so that he could finally pick up the one call from his girlfriend.

"Joni? Joni, it's fine." Joseph tried his best to calm her down through the phone but he knew exactly what she was talking about this time.

"No. It's not."

The call was silent for a few moments. Like the both of them were waiting for something.

By this point, Joni had finally calmed her senses and took a deep breath to clear her mind, racing with a whole bunch of thoughts that she needed to let out.

"Joni?" Joseph finally decided to speak up but the girl couldn't even speak. She knew what she wanted to say, but it was harder to think about it than to say it.

"Yeah?"

Joni could hear another faint conversation on the other end of the line. She could tell it wasn't for her but she could almost hear every word of it. "Yup! Okay, okay. Got it. I'm talking to my girlfriend right now so- Okay, okay. Yeah. Just give me a few minutes."

The conversation finally got clearer as Joseph's words were directed toward Joni on the phone now.

"Joni, I really have to go soon. It's pretty busy here today. I'll call you later as soon as I can, okay?"

"Oh. Okay."

"Joni, I'm so sorry. Please understand."

There was a short silence on the line.

"I do. I understand." said Joni.

"Thank you, darling."

The line was silent for the next few moments. Joni could still feel him on the other end, like he was waiting for her to hang up but she didn't want to.

The long moment of silence was almost lasting at about half a minute and it seemed like the both of them didn't want to end the call. Joni thought that Joseph could probably hear her deep breathing on the other end but all she could think of was why she called him in the first place.

"I love you."

Just like that, it was like she just ripped the stiffest bandaid of all time off her skin. All she could do was smile to herself while the phone was still held up to her ear. She knew she meant it.

"I love you too, Jo." was the last thing to be said before the call ended.