Us. | A Joe Jonas FanFiction | Book 3

twenty eight.

Christmas. Honestly, Christmas was never something I enjoyed celebrating until Joe. We've only ever spent one Christmas together, but it was the best Christmas I've ever had. It wasn't as though it was the biggest or the most extravagant... it was the one full of the most love and togetherness. Christmas growing up was mostly just another day. No big fancy dinner, a couple of presents under the tree consisting of more training supplies, David insisting that it's all we needed. Last Christmas was the first year I had received anything meaningful and in that moment, I knew Christmas meant more than I ever had known. It was a day to spend with people that mean a lot to you and whether it be through time, gifts, or hell, food, it was a day to show your appreciation for those who mean more than you can say.

Traveling to Jersey for Christmas seems to be the most logical way to spend the holiday with both of our families seeing as they're both in Jersey. Of course, with Joe's parents moving to North Carolina this past year, they're traveling in too, but Kevin and the girls live in Jersey as well as Dani's family and mine. It's the most central place to spend the holiday and it makes sense, although as much sense as it makes, the morning sickness wants to make it as traumatizing as possible.

Each small moment of turbulence makes my nausea even more agonizing, leaving me lying across two seats, my head lying on Joe's lap as he rubs my arm comfortingly, sighing at my discomfort.

"Are you gonna?" he asks.

I gulp the lump in my throat. Over the past few days, the nausea had become more intense, at times causing actual vomiting as well. It's been hard to keep anything down, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about Christmas and needing to try and eat around everyone.

"I don't know," I respond, noticing that I had only given him silence as an answer.

He nods, moving my hair from my neck and face. "I wish I could help."

I laugh humorlessly, immediately regretting it as my stomach churns. "Me too."

He continues to play with my hair soothingly as I take in a few deep breaths.

"Only a half hour left, my love," he tells me, sighing.

Once the plane lands, as much as I wish the nausea subsided, my stomach continues to churn as we get into the car, ride to our home, and go inside in silence.

"To the bed," I tell him heavily, walking up the stairs and immediately plopping into the bed, curling up.

"Should I tell Kevin we're not coming to Christmas Eve?" Joe asks, walking in and leaning on the bed behind me.

I shake my head. "No, we can't. They'll know something's up. I'll just take a nap and hope it subsides when I wake up for the party."

He nods, kissing my temple. "Do you want me to lay with you?"

"Do you have the time?" I ask, turning my body to look at him, my arms clutching at my stomach.

"Of course, I have the time," he says, immediately climbing in.

"No, but do you have things you have to do?" I ask.

"I can do them later," he tells me, pulling me into his chest and simply holding me.

By the time I wake, there's only an hour and a half before we're meant to be at Kevin's, and although Joe insists that we can be late for the Christmas Eve festivities, I think otherwise, jumping into the shower despite the lingering feeling of discomfort in my stomach. After washing myself thoroughly, I dry off with a towel, wrapping it around my body and brushing through my tangled hair before blow-drying it, Joe walking in as I do so.