Shutter ❋ Joe Sugg AU

31 ❋ Amelia

that gif is the answer to all of life's problems

I tried to keep Dan and his abrupt apology out of my head. It wasn't an easy task because it irritated me way too much. I didn't know what on earth he was thinking when he rocked up at my front door, armed with more ridiculous words that didn't help his situation in the slightest.

I was sitting in my room, flipping through my completed showcase album over and over again, my shoulders tense and brain hardwired.

I was having a marvellous day before you came along, Dan Howell.

I groaned out loud and tossed the album further up my bed. I pressed my head to my knees and gritted my teeth, trying to dispel some of the venomous anger that was pent up inside me.

After about half a minute of me sitting on the bed in that same position, my phone vibrated. I lifted my head up and grabbed the device, relieved to see that it wasn't Dan ringing. It was Joe.

I hesitated before pressing the answer button, probably because I was mad and I didn't want to drag Joe into this. If anything it would probably upset him more.

That being said, I knew that hearing his voice would calm me down and remind me just who it was that mattered in this situation.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey Lia... You sound a bit pissed off, you okay?"

"I... Okay. I am pissed off." I blurted out, despite my plan to play it cool.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his tone suddenly changing from casual to deeply concerned.

I took a deep breath and attempted to hold it together. I honestly felt like screaming. "It's... It's just Dan... He-"

"Don't say anymore. I'm coming over right now." Joe said.

"Um... Okay." I said, taken completely by surprise.

"See you soon Lia." He said and then the only thing I could hear was a steady beeping.

I took another deep breath and hastily started picking up the countless photos strewn over my carpet from earlier. I tucked them all into one folder, resolving to sort them out properly later. I glanced up at my big wall and realised how empty it looked without that colourful mosaic of my life.

When I was finished my quick cleanup I went to the bathroom to check my appearance. My hair looked wild from the wind, and I still had a faint blushing of red on my cheeks. I ran a brush through the knots and dabbed a little bit of foundation on my facial blemishes. I felt like a high schooler as I prepped myself for seeing Joe.

About ten minutes later the doorbell rang and I rushed to the door. I swung it open and there stood Joe, wearing a coat that was buttoned up all the way and a checkered scarf. Even just seeing his familiar smile put me at ease. His hair was unstyled - I could tell because it fell in soft layers over his eyes, and when he moved it away it just flopped right back down again.

"Give me a hug." He instructed, and I fell into his open arms willingly. I liked the way he rested his cold lips on the top of my head and hummed the tune of some song. I lifted my head from his chest and leaned in to connect our lips. It was a gentle kiss, full of compassion and wonderment. His lips tasted of caramel.

By the time we separated my insides were liquefied and I could barely think straight. I still wasn't accustomed to feeling this much. For a moment I forgot about being pissed off and hating Dan Howell.

"So tell me what's up." Joe said as we walked into the lounge.

I collapsed onto the couch and groaned. I pressed my hands onto my eyes until white stars appeared and then looked at Joe with slightly blurry vision. He was sitting on the arm chair watching me intently.

"It's Dan... I was out in town this morning and all was going great until I got home... Dan was literally waiting there for me. He tried to apologise and then just insulted me more."

"What did he say?" Joe's voice lowered and he sounded a bit more angry than concerned.

"It doesn't matter..." I said somewhat unconvincingly.

Joe persisted. "Tell me Lia, I want to know."

"Well at first he apologised and said he felt bad for everything, and then he kinda... Well he made assumptions about us."

"What assumptions?"

"He basically said that if it didn't work out between us he would be waiting and that he thought we were just a fling."

Joe pushed away the hair from his eyes and frowned deeply. "I think I need to talk to this asshole."

"No, you don't have to. It will only make this whole thing more messy. Dan just needs to give me some space." I said quickly, taken aback by Joe's words.

"Well it sounds like the only way he will give you space is by me talking to him. He has upset you and I won't stand for that."

"It's okay, really." I said, sighing and finally feeling the anger fade away. I had to be the better person here and calmly move on.

"I still think I need to talk to him... But let's just forget about it right now. What else did you get up to before you saw Dan?" He sat up from the armchair and came over to sit next to me. He gestured for me to lay my head on his lap and I did so gratefully. I looked up at him and he was pulling a funny face with numerous double chins. I giggled and snorted rather unattractively. I covered my mouth in surprise and Joe just laughed at me.

"I was at my favourite shop ever. Letty's Prints." I said.

"Is that were you get all your photo's developed?" Joe asked. He was playing with a loose strand of my hair and my heart fluttered every time his skin brushed against mine.

"Yup. I love going there because she has a darkroom, and that's usually the only way I develop my photos. I've been getting together a portfolio of sorts..."

"No way. You have to show me Lia!" Joe's eyes lit up like an excited child. My heart warmed with affection for him as I sat up from his lap and climbed off the couch.

"Come on then." I said, grinning as I led him down the hallway and into my room. I picked up the album from where it lay on the bed and opened it slowly. I felt strangely anxious as I turned the pages, watching Joe's expression. He had an aloof smile on his face throughout the whole album. Only when it was done did he break into a grin and enclose me in a tight hug. I dropped the album onto the bed as he picked me up and spun me around in a circle.

"So?" I asked in a breathless voice. We were still holding into each other tightly.

"I think it's bloody brilliant. Any company would be a tosser not to hire you."

I felt a comforting blanket of relief settle over me. He liked the album. I didn't know why, but I had always been anxious of how others might respond to something I created. It was almost like if I knew they didn't like it, it would become less valuable to me. I was at least a little bit less nervous about showing people now that I had Joe's support.

"Tomorrow I'll go out and start looking for a job." I said excitedly.

"You do that Lia. I'm so proud of you." Joe said, and he cupped my cheek with his hand. I looked into those beautiful eyes of his and remembered the moment I first saw them. The image was crystal clear in my mind. We each leaned forward slowly and connected our lips, gently at first and then passionately.

I didn't even think about Dan, driving home in his car with the radio on loud, feeling desperately alone.

An:

I'm soooo sorry for the unexplained hiatus. I hope people are still reading this and don't hate me.

I really hope I can get regular updates going again. I still love this story and these characters, i don't want to give up on them.

You are amazing, whoever you are. Thanks for reading, please vote if you enjoyed it :)

Sorry it's so short... I wanted to get this out as soon as possible xx