Joe's POV
I wake up and smell the familiar scent of Mon making toast for the both of us. I get up, walk to the kitchen, and see her focused on what she was making. The speaker next to her is playing music softly and I can tell she wasn't trying to wake me up. I don't speak yet, not wanting her to know I was there.
I start to think about how much we've done together in the past 8 months we've known each other. She's been a better friend to me than anyone in the cast has been. We've spent so much time together I feel like I've known her for years. She's the only person I've told everything to and she's the only person I truly trust with my feelings. Through all of the drama and relationship problems, she's been there.
There is never a moment when we're together, that I'm not having a good time. We're always laughing and finding a way to make a mess. She helps make even the most boring situation interesting.
Just thinking about the fun times we've had makes me realize how much she means to me. She's, of course, my best friend and I love her.
I love her.
"What?"
Mona's POV
As I'm making Joe and I some toast, I hear the quietest voice behind me say, "I love her."
I turn around and see Joe sitting on one of the chairs in the kitchen zoned out.
"What?"
He looks up at me and looks panicked.
"How long were you sitting there?" I ask him.
"Not too long," he starts to explain,"I was just thinking for a bit."
"Who did you say that about?"
"Say what about?" He looks at me confused as if he didn't mean to say it.
"You said that you love someone."
His eyes go wide and then he takes a deep breath. I can tell that he's thinking about the right thing to say.
"It was about you."
I stand there with a blank expression not knowing what to say back. I couldn't form the words to say and I saw him stand there looking lost and discouraged.
"You know what, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that-" he starts to say before I cut him off.
"No, it's fine. I'm sorry I don't know how to respond."
"I'm not sure I'm ready to hear you respond to that yet," he says pausing, "I'm going to go for a drive."
And with that, he leaves his apartment.
Joe's POV
I merge onto the highway, needing to drive around and process my own feelings before I could even sit down and listen to what Mona has to say.
I always knew that I loved her, but I had thought my feelings were strictly platonic. I never thought that I'd end up liking her after spending such a long time "loving" Sandy. But here I am debating what to say next.
I continue to drive around, not knowing when I should return home and confront the situation. The butterflies in my stomach have not subsided and I feel nauseous. I haven't felt like this in so long and it's really making me sick. I need to go home. There's nothing I can say or do to prepare myself for what's going to happen when we sit down and talk.
One of my hands leaves the wheel and searches for my phone that I left on the passenger seat. Once I finally found it, I unlock it and open up my messages and clicking on Mona's contact. I begin to type out a message:
"hey. I just want to let you know that I'll be home in 15 minutes. I understand if you aren't ready to talk yet, but I just want to tell you how I feel."
I look up as I try to tap the send button before hearing a deafening screech.
Mona's POV
I've been sitting in the living room waiting for him to come home. It didn't take me too long after he left to realize that I had started to like him as well. We had gotten so close in the months we've known each other and I hate myself for just now realizing how I've developed feelings for him. I just need him to come home.
I go on my phone and wait for a text or call or anything from him. Nothing was coming and I started to think that he just didn't want to talk to me anymore.
But that's when I got a call. I don't recognize the number, but I pick up right away hoping that it was Joe just using someone else's phone.
"Hello?"
"Is this Mona Mckormic?"
"This is she but, who's asking?"
"Mona, this is the LA Police department. We're so sorry to inform you but a man named Joe Keery has just been found dead on the scene of a car accident and his phone was found with your text message conversation open."
