Heart strings

Solo or Together?

The night had stretched long for Joe, out with his friends, unaware of how much worry it had caused his father. As the morning sun started to rise, Joe finally made his way home. Jake, his father's trusted assistant, was waiting at the door and delivered the message: his dad wanted to see him immediately at the dining table.

Joe hesitated but headed upstairs, feeling the weight of the conversation ahead. Entering the kitchen, he saw his father, Paul, seated on the dining table, his expression serious.

"Sit down, Joe," Paul said, gesturing toward the chair across from him. As Joe settled in, his dad's tone shifted, heavy with disappointment. "You've been acting irresponsibly, son. This isn't the path I want for you. Have you even thought about what's next for you? You should be focusing on forming your own band, not just hanging out with your friends. Partying is fine, but not when it becomes a habit."

Joe, halfway through making a sandwich, paused. "Yeah, Dad, I hear you, and I've been thinking about it. But my plan is to join Kevin and Nick's band in a few months. That's where I see myself." Paul sighed, shaking his head. "Your brothers have their own thing, Joe. It's not that I don't want you to join them—I do—but I want you to start as a solo artist first. Build your own identity before diving into their world." Joe looked down for a moment, considering his father's words. "Maybe you're right, Dad. I've been working on my songs, and like I said, I thought I'd join the Jonas Brothers. But after hearing what you said, I'll try giving solo a shot. I just need some time to figure things out." 

Just then, Kevin and Nick strolled in, easing the tension at the dining table. They greeted their dad and Joe with warm hugs, quickly sensing the mood. "What's up? Why the serious faces?" Kevin asked, taking a seat and eyeing the conversation. Joe shrugged. "Dad thinks I should go solo before joining you guys." "Oh, that's actually a pretty cool idea, Dad!" Kevin said, glancing over at Paul with a nod of approval. Nick smirked. "I've got no comment on this," he said, as all eyes turned toward him, waiting for his take. "Whatever. What do you think, Joe?" Kevin asked. Joe sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I know it's a good idea, but I also feel like I'd learn a lot from being with you guys." Kevin leaned forward, smiling. "Joe, you'll get to know yourself better as a solo artist than by just joining us right away. And who says you can't learn as a solo artist? We're still brothers. You can ask us for help anytime or stop by the studio whenever you need to. Right, Nick?" Nick gave a sly grin. "Yup. Besides, Kevin here just came up with a pretty clever excuse to keep you out," he teased. Joe rolled his eyes and shot Nick a mock glare. "Oh, real funny, Nick. You're hilarious." Kevin and Paul burst into laughter at Nick's teasing, especially when they saw Joe's playful response. Kevin clapped Joe on the back, still chuckling. "Looks like Nick got you good, huh?" Paul smiled, shaking his head. "You boys never change." Joe crossed his arms, smirking. "You wouldn't want us any other way, Dad." Everyone shared a laugh, the mood lightening considerably.

As the conversation wound down, Paul's expression softened. "By the way, speaking of the band, we met an incredible guitarist yesterday—except for you, Joe, since you decided to leave early." "Oh yeah, we did," Kevin chimed in. "She was amazing, and a huge fan of ours too." Nick added with a smirk, "And, Joe, she was gorgeous. You really missed out." Joe grinned, waving off their teasing. "Ugh Nick it's fine."

With the mood lighter, Nick switched gears. "By the way, Kevin, your birthday's coming up soon so what's the plan". Paul added " I've got something really special planned for Kevin's Birthday." "Oh What's that dad?" Kevin asked Paul in excitement. "A surprise!. Wait for your Birthday." Paul replied. "Sure dad" Kevin replied sadly. As Nick observed joe's clueless face as the topic changed to Kevin's Birthday gift which made him think that he too did not still figured out what to get. Looking at Nick and Joe not responding to Kevin about the gift's made him tell " No need of gift's, you guys are enough for me." Joe and Nick got up from their seats and hugged Kevin.

 Hearing that, Joe's mind quickly jumped to the fact that he hadn't even thought about a gift yet. As the conversation continued, Joe found himself mentally scanning ideas, determined to find something perfect for Kevin. After breakfast, he headed upstairs to his room, where he finally collapsed into bed, exhausted but still thinking about his dad's words and Kevin's upcoming birthday.