Stained | Joe Sugg

Part One

I scrolled through my Instagram feed for the umpteenth time as I half-listened to the three people making an absolute disaster of my clean kitchen. I sighed, knowing that I would have to clean pumpkin gunk all evening. But alas, I agreed to let them film here, and truth be told, I loved the madness.

"Oh god, I had to leave. Zoe flung a bit of pumpkin at Joe, which landed in his open mouth. They have begun throwing pumpkin. I am so sorry." Alfie looked at me with wide eyes as he poked his head through the doorway. His beanie had a pumpkin seed stud to it. I shook my head slowly.

"Alfie. You have something on your hat."

He reached his hand up and smacked the pumpkin seed to the ground. "Ew. Thanks Norah. That's disgusting."

"How did that get on your head?" I asked, making room on the couch for Alfie to sit with me. "And I thought you were supposed to stay in there and help with filming."

I could hear Zoe and Joe yelling again, singing their stupid scoop the pumpkin song from two years ago. I laughed and sank further into the couch. My poor kitchen.

"Like I said, they started flinging. I ran. They can just have a blurry video. I was afraid."

Alfie sat down on the couch next to me and scooped up Nala, who had nearly sprinted into the room as the chaos continued. He scratched the small pug's head and made kissy noises at her. I smiled at Alfie, feeling pleased to have him around. I have known Zoe and Joe for my whole life. Our mums are best friends, and we grew up just down the road from each other. I spent more of my childhood at their house than I did at my own. And now that Zoe is with Alfie, I feel like I have absorbed another lovely human into my life.

I felt really comfortable with Alfie, trusting him with some of my deep secrets, once telling him all of the issues with my family. More recently, I had accidentally confessed my feelings for Joe to him. We were celebrating Joe's birthday and I was watching him get a bit pissed, taking too many shots with Caspar and Oli. I shook my head, knowing that my phone would blow up tomorrow with texts from the poor little hungover bastard. Alfie leaned over to me and nudged my arm, asking me if I was going to go give Joe a birthday spanking, to which I stupidly responded, "Just because I like him doesn't mean I am going to go violate him." Alfie clamped his hand over his mouth in shock. We were both surprised by my confession.

I trusted Alfie not to tell anyone, and so far, he hasn't. I was rather nervous to have Alfie and Joe together in my flat, afraid that Alfie may accidentally spill my secret, but he has been perfectly silent about the whole incident. But of course, not to me. He loves to torture me.

"I still can't believe you like Joe." Alfie's smile filled his whole face. He looked towards the kitchen and back to me before speaking again, quietly. "I just, I don't know. I should have guessed, but I had no idea! You hide it well."

"Well, I've had 9 years of practice. I have been suffering from this since we were 16." I sighed, remembering the first time I realized that I kind of loved Joe. It was his 16th birthday party, and he looked particularly cute in 2007, flippy hair and tight jeans. Admittedly not much different from today, really.

Alfie looked at me and shook his head with humor. "I don't understand; why don't you just tell him? That's an obscene amount of time to like someone."

"Uh, because his sister is my best friend and I would look like a complete idiot telling him that I have liked him since I was an ugly little emo teen. He's perfect and I am a garden gnome."

Alfie's laughter rang through the house, scaring Nala so that she ran away. I laughed and hid my face in a pillow. "Please shut up!"

"HEY! PACK IT IN, YOU TWO! WE ARE FILMING A VERY PROFESSIONAL VIDEO!" Joe's voice shouted from the kitchen, earning another laugh from myself and Alfie. "Sorry Mate!" Alfie called back. I kicked Alfie in a playful way, shoving him halfway off of the couch.