Finding Me (A Joe Sugg / ThatcherJoe Fanfiction)

Chapter Six

I woke up and looked around the room. This place was unfamiliar, where was I? I quietly looked to my right and it explained everything. The brunette boy was laying beside me in bed. I quietly got up, but it was just enough for him to stir and open his eyes.
"Hey morning," he said in a sexy, British, morning voice.
"Hi, good morning.. Did we?" I looked at him somewhat scared and hugged my arms. I did not want my "first time" to be something I didn't remember.
"No, we just talked. It was nice Marilyn, you told me all about your family and how you came here.." He pat the bed next to him and I sat down,"you are an awesome girl, but what Joe did to you is bullshit, sorry."
"Why can't I remember your name?" I asked, yeah like he would know that answer.
"I just let you talk.. You were so distressed.. I felt really bad. My name is Brandon, it's nice to meet you formally," he smiled and stuck out his hand which I accepted and shook his hand.
Just then my phone vibrated on Brandon's coffee table. I looked over and it was a text from Joe.
Sorry.. Busy last night. Not busy now, come over?

I handed my phone to Brandon, so he could read the text and he got angry, "why would he say that?"

Busy, I replied, went back to the "boys" house. Will probably be there all day.

I giggled and showed Brandon who smiled and showed me around his house. It was a rather lovely place, one you don't expect a boy to have or take care of.
"It's really beautiful," I said stopping into the kitchen for a quick bite.
"Thanks, you can stay however long you would like, or stop by anytime, okay?" He started cooking breakfast: bacon, sausage, eggs, and pancakes.
"Do you need help?" I asked sneaking beside him and watching him cook. In the club he looked so vicious, so drunk.. Now he looked like an angel, an innocent one if that. His strong jaw and facial hair made him look older than what I thought his age was, but still a young soul nonetheless. I had a weak spot for messy hair and his was to die for.
"Sure, I'd like the help, you can start on the bacon," he smiled and I smiled back. Joe who?

During our breakfast I decided I wanted to get to know him better, so I asked him a lot of questions.
"Are you a single child?"
"What's your favorite book and movie?"
"Are you in school?"
"Do you have a job?"

With his responses:
"No, I have two brothers and two sisters."
"Favorite book... Um, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.. Favorite movie.. Definitely any Batman."
"I am in school studying to be a teacher. I want to teach math.."
"I have a part time job at a bookstore. It's kind of rugged and worn down, but it's the best one around. It's by a big fancy hotel..."

He seemed relatable. What a cute boy he is, I thought as he told me all of his answers. I listened and was surprised when he told me about the bookshop.
"I've been there, it's really quite a place," I said drinking my orange juice.
"I've been going to that shop since I was a boy.. So many memories are stored there.." He looked down at his phone that just rang and he answered it.

"Hello?" He said into his phone, I was still eating my food and watched his movements on the phone. One of his eyebrows cocked up like the other person was saying something important. Then he replied, "we are okay, we're just eating." Was he talking about me? Well, obviously, but to who? "Bye," he hung up the phone and looked at me," that was Joe."
"Joe? How does he have your number? How does he remember you from the club?!" He has gone too far. First by calling Brandon and invading our privacy, and secondly by inviting me out last night.
"We were friends awhile back.. Guess he recognized me.. Listen, I'm really sorry Marilyn.." He looked at his breakfast and stabbed his sausage with his fork.
"Don't worry about it. It's time I head home anyway," I got up, pushed my seat in, and kissed Brandon's forehead. "Thank you for keeping me for the night."
"Any day of the week Mary, I'll be right here. No matter how much trouble you are in," he lead me to the door and kissed my cheek. "Be safe." I nodded and walked out.

The walk to the hotel was really long. I had no money to call a taxi and I did not want to call Joe to help. I looked down at the ground and someone bumped into me.
"Watch where you're going!" He said shoving me.
"Sorry, jeez," I replied and continued to walk.
The hotel was now within sights and I quick walked so I could lounge in bed and take a shower. When I entered the hotel, I saw the one, the only Joe Sugg standing in reception.

"Joe," I called out. He turned around and walked towards me. "How the hell do you know where I'm staying? And why did you call Brandon this morning? Why did you invite me out and leave me?" He pulled me into a hug.
"I'm really sorry, I was worried about you.. Now that I know you're safe, I'll leave."
"No, don't do that. Come," I grabbed his wrist and led him up the stairs to the second floor (elevator was too crowded). Once into the room I flopped down on the bed.

"Do you think Brandon is a bad guy?" I asked taking off my jewelry and not looking directly at him.
"No. I just know how he is and with a girl..." I looked at him now and I went over to the closet.
"He's really not a bad guy. He's really sweet," I shrugged my shoulders and picked out some cute casual clothes to wear while Joe was here.
"He's nice, but..." He said before I rudely shut the door to the bathroom to get changed. I heard footsteps getting closer to the door and he said, "he's nobody you should be involved with." Then the footsteps went away and I opened the door. There he was lounging on my bed and watching television. I needed to get off this topic, and fast before the day went sour.

"What are you watching?" I asked sitting on the floor.
"Football (soccer), say what are you doing down there?" He looked down at me and stuck out his hand for me to grab. I grabbed it and he pulled me towards him. "There's room up here." I looked away and blushed slightly. I stood up and sat on the bed next to him.
"Do you want to watch this?" He asked.
I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't mind."
"What do girls like to watch these days? Gossip Girl?" He asked flipping through the channels. I gasped when I saw my all time favorite movie pop up- The Moulin Rouge. He clicked the channel and thankfully it had just started. Hopefully Joe was ready for a day of me singing and crying.

"That was actually a damn good movie," Joe said transfixed on the television. Here I was, crying my eyes out because the end gets me every single time. "Oh hey sh Marilyn, it's just a movie," he awkwardly hugged me while I was sobbing.
"It's just so sad.." I said into his shoulder. A hand reached up to stroke my hair.
"That would never happen okay, the chances of that happening to anybody are slim to nothing.." I looked up at him and he looked down at me. I was vulnerable, extremely vulnerable. His blue eyes had a natural sky tint to them and his lips were curved into a mini smile. He was stunning. I closed my eyes to take it all in, and his hand touched my chin and lifted my head up to his. I smiled and did not stop him from what was going to happen..
Bzzzz... Bzzzz... Bzzzzz.
I opened my eyes and was thrown off about how close we actually were. His lips were almost on mine, but his touch and face grew rigid from the vibration. He opened his eyes and looked at me. It was like he was staring through me, or at least very intently at me.
"I'm sorry," I said and backed out of his embrace. That was so embarrassing. How could I have not kissed him? I looked at my phone and it was a text from an unknown number.

Loved last night and this morning. Think I can see you again tonight? xx

Brandon. I locked my phone and put it back on the dresser. I don't need any distraction right now, Joe is all the distraction I need. I looked back and he was content laying watching the television.
"Want to go out for lunch?" I asked.
"No, I'm good right here.." He looked up at me and I got butterflies in my stomach. Were we going to continue from where the kiss left off? I sat next to him on the bed and he pulled me over to him. I laid down on his chest. "It's nice to just stay like this, ya know? You don't seem to be all over me like these other girls.. It's nice being normal for once and having a real friend like you. I don't have to pretend to be someone else around you.." In those words was a message. A message that replayed in my head "real friend like you". You're right, I thought, friend zoned.
"Thanks Joe, I'm glad I could be a friend," I lied putting on a fake smile when inside I knew I wasn't happy about this discovery. He hugged me tight and the rest of the night we laid down, not talking, watching romance movies.