Until There Was You

Not Fine At All

8. 

The rest of the week actually flew by in a blur. Joey had Darren over as much as he could but he understood that he had other friends and still had bits and pieces to pack. The day before he was due to take Darren to the airport Joey found he couldn't sleep. How was he supposed to live without Darren at his side? Okay, that was probably a bit melodramatic but he was certainly going to miss him. Darren had been his first friend here and had welcomed him into his life with open arms. They had hit it off immediately and Joey wondered if he would ever find another friend like him. Not that he wanted to replace him of course. He stared at the ceiling in his bedroom before deciding he would read for a little bit and hopefully soothe his brain to sleep. He moved to pick up his book just as his phone vibrated on his bedside table. It was early in the morning, 1am to be exact, who was texting him at this hour?

'I can't sleep.' The text read. Joey dimmed the brightness on his screen so his eyes could adjust and he spotted Lauren's name above the message.

'Me neither' He replied.

'Come down and let me in then' Joey raised an eyebrow at his screen before scrambling out of bed and quietly hurrying down the stairs. He opened the front door forgetting that it was still cold out and he was definitely shirtless.

"Hi," The short brunette stood on his doorstep in leggings, an oversized hoodie and the beanie that he had lent her all those months ago.

"What're you doing outside? By yourself?" Joey asked in a hushed voice as he pulled her inside. She scowled at him and pulled the beanie off as she walked in. He knew he looked angry but he couldn't help it, it wasn't safe for her to be outside alone.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking to your house," She grumbled as he shut the front door. Joey let out a small sigh as he looked her over.

"It's dark Lauren, you should've called and I would've picked you up."

"I needed the walk," She growled back at him, her hands on her hips.

"It's not safe." He retorted.

"I made it, didn't I?"

They were silent as they both stared at each other waiting for someone to back down.

"Do you want a hot chocolate?" Joey asked softly, unable to help himself from breaking first, she nodded letting the scowl fall from her face and followed him into the kitchen.

"So why couldn't you sleep?" She asked as he pulled cocoa from the cupboard and milk from the fridge.

"Just thinking," he shrugged, "You?"

"Same." She said. The sound of Joey warming the milk in the microwave filled the air. "Are you going to be okay to drive on no sleep?"

"I had a really late start this morning, I should be fine." Joey whisked the cocoa into the milk and added a spoonful of sugar to sweeten the cup. He continued to stir as he stared at the girl before him. There was something bothering her. Their conversation was stilted and awkward tonight and something felt off between them.

"Darren loves a road trip and he's so excited for New York," She trailed off as she attempted to make conversation.

"What about you?" Joey asked, determined to get to the heart of the matter.

"What about me?"

"How do you feel about all of this?" He stared at her, the spoon in the cocoa forgotten. He watched as she fought for a reply, her brown eyes filled with tears and she shook her head.