Flashing Lights - J.B / N.B

Recollections of the Past

Third Person POV
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Joe sat still as he watched the woman walk away, all he wanted was to chase after her and explain himself. But, her words echoed loudly in his mind. 'Pretending I don't exist.' Making him question himself on what exactly happened back then. But, how had he not noticed her back in college? He made it one of his goals to remember his peers and friends after transferring. So, why was it that he had no recollection of his best friend's sister while she knows his past with Olivia? She didn't even give him a chance to explain himself to her. There was so much more he wanted to say yet she just walked away. He wanted to tell her he wasn't interested in her just because of yesterday. He knew she was Sam's sister and who she was way before yesterday. After the dozens of interviews and magazine covers he's seen of her throughout the past 3 years, there was no way to stop his curiosity from growing.

He just never found the perfect chance to actually get to know her. It felt like they just kept missing each other. Wherever he was with Sam, the girl would either be holed up somewhere working or out with her friends. It didn't help either when she was nowhere to be seen at games. But, seeing her yesterday felt like fate as if the universe was telling him to finally man up. He didn't want to miss out on the opportunity so he made it his mission to talk to her. What he didn't realize though was how hard it would be to get her to open up.

He's aware that he's made plenty of mistakes in the past, many that were made during his OSU days. But, she was mistaken to automatically assume he was ingenuine with his advances. All he wanted was to become friends with her and bring her into him and Sam's friend group. Joe decided to give her some space and let the both of them gather their thoughts. Maybe he was pushing a little too hard to get her to like him.

After a few minutes, Sam had appeared, scanning the room to find his sister. His gaze coming short and only finding Joe sitting all by himself in the corner. Walking up to him, Sam asked, "Hey, do you know where Chelsea-," stopping mid sentence as he saw Joe's expression. "What happened, Joe?"

Joe looked up at the man, shaking his head. "Why didn't I know she went to OSU while I was there?" he replied with a question of his own. Joe's fists were clenched on top of his lap, his forehead creased, frustrated with the lack of information and recollection of the past. "She told you?" Sam answered shocked. Joe just nodded waiting for Sam to continue. However, Sam stood there, silent, trying to find a good way to word things that wouldn't complicate things further. For his sister's sake. "It was her first semester when you were making your decision to transfer, so at the time I thought it would be easier for the both of you if you hadn't met," he tried to excuse. Hoping Joe would no longer question the lack of interaction with his sister in the past.

Joe nodded firmly, his lips forming into a tight line. "I just think that it's kind of funny how throughout our 6 years of friendship, I've never actually spoken to or met your sister. You'd think after all those years I'd at least be introduced to her right? Especially now that we're both on the same team," Joe analyzed, his voice growing bitter.

Guilt weighed down onto Sam, all he wanted was to keep his sister from being reminded of the past. And seeing Joe's reaction made him fully understand why his sister might have walked out. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce you guys sooner Joe, but you need to understand that it's not only about you. My little sister means the world to me, meaning that I respect her privacy and her decisions on who she wants and doesn't want to meet," Sam further explained to the blue-eyed man. "I can tell that you two are both upset about this, but please Joe just give her some time. She's going through a lot right now, she doesn't need you to stress over as well," Sam stated, which sounded more like a warning than just friendly advice.

Hesitating to agree, Joe stood up from his chair, giving Sam a tight smile before going to his car. Sam's descriptions bringing more questions rise in his mind. One thing was clear though, he wants to be there for the girl no matter how many times he has to fight for her acceptance. He was going to make up for the lost time that they could have had together for the past 6 years. And whatever she was going through right now, he wanted to be the one she could lean on. There was no way she was going to let someone else take his desired place in her life. He didn't care who he would have to go against as long as she was with him.

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A/N:

Sorry for the slightly shorter chapter this time, but I'll make it up to you guys within the following chapters! There will also be more Nick coming soon ;)

- With love, Alyssa xxx