Set Me Free |Jonas Brothers

15

Our lips brush against each other again before they finally connect, moving slowly in sync with each other. His lips are soft, and he tastes minty instead of like alcohol that I expected.

Butterflies go haywire in my stomach, the hair on my skin stands up as he gently grabs the back of my neck, pushing me against him harder, deepening the kiss. I moan against his lips and he breaks away to catch his breath, "Are you trying to drive me crazy?" He whispers, our foreheads touching as we try and calm down.

"Sorry, it just... felt really good." I tell him.

I move my hands up to his hair, dying to feel his curls between my fingers even though they are still damp. I pull ever so slightly and he groans, "Ruby May."

He pulls me to him again, and I start to feel dizzy as his tongue brushes my bottom lip. I pull myself into his lap, straddling him. I can feel his growing erection against my jeans which only makes me want him more.

I pull his head back by his hair, making him slightly open his mouth to moan, and I slip my tongue in. He squeezes my waist as our tongues fight for dominance.

It's my turn to stop to breathe, pulling away from him. He frowns from the loss of contact and I giggle at him.

He runs a hand through my hair, his eyes searching my face, "You're so beautiful Ruby May."

"I've missed hearing you call me that." I admit, running my finger down his jawline. Dark circles surround his eyes, and he looks exhausted.

"You should get some rest." I tell him.

He sighs, "I am pretty tired."

I climb off of him, and stand in front of him at the edge of the bed, "get some rest okay?"

He smiles sleepily up at me. I kiss him on the cheek before turning around and walking away.

"Goodnight Ruby May." I hear as I shut the door behind me.

Nick is walking down the hall when I come out of Joe's room. I stop and wait for him. He has a smirk on his face.

"Did you just come out of Joe's room?" He asks. I nod.

"So you two finally spoke then?" I nod again.

"Well I hope he apologized for being a complete asshole at dinner to you."

"He did."

"I know he was drinking, but it doesn't excuse how he spoke to you." He leans against the wall.

I sigh, "I know but I deserved it. After what I did to him."

"You didn't deserve it Ruby. You haven't deserved anything that's happened to you. You should never be spoken to that way." We stare at each other for a long moment before I look away.

"Thanks Nick." Is all I can manage to say, because no one's ever told me something like that before.

And that's when I realized that Nick doesn't think Joe is good enough for me.

—

The morning comes quickly, and I throw on some sweats and make my way downstairs. Denise already has breakfast on the table. Nick is seated with his father at the table, drinking coffee and talking. Kevin and his family must have left late last night.

"Good morning honey." Denise says to me from the doorway.

Nick hadn't noticed I was there until she spoke up. "Good morning." He says, without looking at me.

"Good morning everyone." I say.

Nick passes the plate of pancakes to me, still avoiding eye contact. I frown as I grab two pancakes and drown them in maple syrup.

"Did you sleep well?" Denise asks.

I nod, "yes, much better than on the bus."

"Oh jeez, those bus beds are the worst." Sr says.

"This poor girl should not be sleeping on a bus bed." She says to Nick.

I laugh, "No no, I'm totally thankful that I get the opportunity to sleep on a bus."

Denise and Sr laugh, but Nick just smirks. What's his deal?

"Where's Joe?" I ask.

"He went on a run, I'm sure he will be back anytime." Denise says.

I nod and take a bite of my pancake, glancing once more at Nick. He stares into his coffee cup like it's the most interesting thing in the world.

"I've got to get going to the restaurant." Sr tells us.

"I'll walk you out dear." Denise says.

We say goodbye before they go out the front door. I'm almost finished with my food when Nick clears his throat.

"I talked with Joe this morning. He told me all about you're..." he pauses, "talk last night."

"Okay..." I say.

Joe walks in then, interrupting whatever Nick was going to say next. He's sweaty from his run, with one ear bud still in. He grins at us as he walks by, heading for the fridge for some water.

"Morning." He says to us.

"Hi." I say, feeling awkward beside Nick.

Is he mad because Joe told him we kissed? Isn't this what he wanted?

"So I forgot to tell you, I've had these plans with Kev that we planned a while back, so I'm leaving with him today to go on a quick ski trip. You can totally come if you want." He leans against the counter before chugging his water.

I laugh, "No, I'm good. I'm definitely not a skier."

He smirks, "I figured."

"Guess you'll be riding home with me then." Nick says.

"Yeah if you don't mind?" Joe asks him.

Nick shakes his head, "Nope, all good. We leave in a few hours." He says towards me.

"Okay." I say.

That's just what I want to do today.

"Well I'm gonna hop into the shower real quick." Joe says. He winks at me before jogging out of the room.

I grab my half finished plate and bring it to the garbage, throwing out the rest of my pancakes before going to the sink and rinsing my dishes.

I don't even look at Nick before I head upstairs to get dressed and pack my bag. I sigh with frustration as a I throw on a pair of jeans and an oversized sweatshirt, with just my bra underneath it.

A knock on my door startles me. I turn around, "come in."

Joe walks in with a smile, "Hey there."

"Hi." I say.

"I've got to head out but I just wanted to say goodbye." He steps slowly towards me before grabbing my waist.

I smile at him as he leans in and kisses me tenderly on the lips before pulling away. "I'll text you yeah?"

I nod and he kisses me one more time before walking out. He turns in the doorway and waves before leaving my view.

I smile, but it quickly fades.

I thought that I would be on cloud 9 right now.

So why do I feel like shit?