BITTER / JOE KEERY [✓]

EIGHTEEN

goosebumps covered persephone's skin as her eyes remained fixated on the front door, awaiting joe's arrival.

it was sudden — an abrupt knock startling seph into motion. she stood up, pacing towards the door and gently pulling it open, her eyes met immediately with joe's.

for mere milliseconds she took in his current state — his hair dishevelled, his eyes sunken and his hands tugging at his sleeves nervously.

but he cursed under his breath and barged into the house, slamming the door behind him. seph took a step back, mildly confused as to what was wrong with him.

joe gulped, shaking his head.

"what's wrong, joe?" seph asked, voice trembling despite her attempts to remain calm.

he took a sudden step — almost leap — forward, hands cupping seph's face. he drew her face up so he could kiss her, lips urgent against hers.

seph was shocked but most definitely happy with her current predicament, and her arms reached up to curl around joe's neck as he pulled her in closer.

the kiss deepened a little, the pair kissing as though they'd been waiting for this moment for their whole lives. perhaps, deep down, they had.

"it's you." joe uttered as they pulled away, breathless.

"what?"

"it's you, seph. it's always been you and i've just been too stupid to notice it."

persephone didn't know how to respond, instead just twiddling her thumbs and looking down at the floor as she tried to take in what joe was saying.

he placed his index finger under her chin, lifting her face so her eyes met his once more, "i should've realised it sooner, how i felt, but i've been so blind this whole time. i thought it was one of those inevitable little crushes — because like, you're my best friend and you're fucking gorgeous so how could i not at least fancy you a little? but i saw you, with luke, and i saw what your mom said about us and then i saw you, just you, and it clicked into place. i'm in love with you, persephone. and i'm praying i haven't just made a dick of myself and you feel somewhat the same."

persephone let out a sigh of relief she didn't even know she'd been holding in.

"you mean it? you really mean it? you love me?"

"i do, seph. i do. please god tell me you feel the same."

seph nodded, hand reaching up to tug a little at the ends of joe's hair. she tiptoed a little, kissing him once so softly he hardly felt it, but the sentiment almost entirely told him the answer to his question.

"i love you too, joe. but what about fiona?"

he coughed at the sound of her name, "i guess i liked her a little and just thought i felt more for her than i did. she's nice, yeah, but she's not you. and she's fine with it, babe. she understands. and she's really sorry, fully sorry, and wants to meet up at some point to tell you that. but just in this second fuck her, fuck that. i love you. and i want to tell you that a million times over."

seph couldn't hide the crimson blush on her cheeks as joe's soft voice lulled her. he really did feel the same?

"i love you too, joe. so fucking much."

"how about we go out for some food? something fancy. our first date."

"i like the sound of that."

and with that, the pair left persephone's home with grins spread across their faces and their sweaty palms interlinked.

they loved eachother — suddenly everything seemed good in the world.

———
IM CAcklinG THAT WAS SO CRINGE
hope it was okay though hahahahahah they've finally admitted how they feel :))))