These Babes: An Ongoing Richpez Project

"You're overthinking - I'm yours, that's all I want to be," (11/16)

"You're overthinking – I'm yours, that's all I want to be," Lauren said, starting off angry but softening at the look on Joey's face; abashed but sweet.

"I know," he sighed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, "this is all so new between us and watching you kiss someone else onstage just threw me,"

"I get it," she stepped into his space, her arms wrapping loosely around his waist to comfort him.

"I don't want to fuck this up,"

"You won't," Lauren rested her head on his chest with a soft smile, "this is it now, it's you and me for as long as we like okay?"

He dropped a kiss to the top of her head, squeezing her tightly.

"Forever okay with you?"

"Forever's perfect." She grinned up at him, excited at the concept. "As long as you promise the next time you come to one of my shows you won't start another fight with anyone I have to kiss."

"In my defence," Joey started but Lauren interrupted him before he could come up with a full thought.

"No defence," she laughed, stepping back from him and taking his hands in hers. "I don't care, I just need you to know that I'm not okay with stuff like that,"

"Me neither," Joey said under his breath, "I've never done anything like that in my whole life,"

Lauren looked up at him. She trusted Joey with her life and he was slowly but surely becoming her entire world. He was looking at her, eyes wide and honest as he begged her to believe him.

"It's okay," she said, stepping back into his space, desperate to comfort him.

"I swear I'll never do anything like that again,"

"Joey, it's okay," she repeated softly, her arms wrapping around his middle as he interlinked his fingers at the base of her spine. He bent down to press a kiss to the top of her head but she could still feel the tension in his body. "Let's go back to mine," she suggested stepping back and holding her hand out to him.

"Give me a minute," he said, finally looking her in the eye before he darted off toward the corner of the room. Lauren stood on tiptoes, finally spotting him talking to the boy he had tried to punch not minutes earlier. She gulped, suddenly fearful and watched in trepidation as the two conversed. Joey pulled the shorter boy into a quick hug, shaking his hand as he pulled back and what seemed to be an apology forming on his lips before he turned on the spot and made his way back to her.

"Everything okay?" She asked as his hand slid into hers familiarly.

"I just had an apology to make," Joey replied, smiling down at her. "And I have to apologise to you too," he said, "I really am sorry, you know I'm not like that and you know I trust you implicitly. I don't know what came over me, I think I was just being over protective or something but it's not an excuse,"

The poor boy was rambling so Lauren let out a small laugh and stretched up onto her tiptoes, resting her full weight against his chest.

"What?" He asked, stopping in the middle of his sentence to look down at his girlfriend.

"Just kiss me," she grinned, hoping to put him out of his misery.

Joey sighed, clearly relieved she had seemed to have forgiven him. He smiled down at her and gladly met her halfway in a chaste but sweet kiss that lingered.

"Mine?" She asked, her fingertips gripping his t-shirt.

"It is closest," Joey mused with a smirk before taking her hand and leading her from the auditorium.