Joey offered to clear the table after dinner but unsurprisingly he was sent away, her mom insisting that he didn't have to help while he was here, and Lauren took this as an excuse to join him. As they passed through the doorway to the living room, he pulled her to a stop. She looked at him questioningly as he stared into her eyes for a moment.
"Mistletoe," he said quietly.
"Huh?"
He pointed upwards, and Lauren followed the direction of his finger to see the mistletoe hanging in the doorway above them.
Her gaze drifted down slightly to meet his eyes. "Oh," she breathed.
He slowly ducked his head down to kiss her, watching her eyes drift closed. She stretched up on tiptoes to deepen the kiss, and his hands held her against him by the small of her back to steady her. She gasped into his mouth as his hands slid down over her butt to her thighs, getting ready to lift her up, and she forced her lips more desperately against his, pressing herself into him.
Abruptly, she shoved against his chest, stumbling backwards. She looked like she was trying to control her breathing as she pushed her hair back, and Joey frowned at her, bewildered. Her expression was tense, her hands balled into fists at her sides.
"Lo," he said unsteadily, the blood pounding in his ears.
"Get out," she said quietly, not looking at him.
Joey's jaw dropped.
"What?" he said, sure he must have misheard her.
She looked up at him, her usually familiar eyes unreadable. "Get out," she repeated, her voice cold.
"Lauren," he pleaded, as he took a step closer.
She held her hands up warningly. "Don't, Joey."
He could feel tears filling his eyes, but he didn't know what else to say to her as he watched her clench her jaw and turn away from him, sitting in the far corner of the couch and curling her legs up to her chest.
He stood helplessly in the hallway for a moment, before he numbly pulled his coat off the hook and slipped out of the house into the cold air outside. He could only be grateful it wasn't snowing anymore, although his feet were still freezing as he trudged through the snow.
On autopilot he found himself at the coffee shop, which miraculously was open. He gave his order, put a bigger tip than usual in the jar for the poor person having to work on a holiday, and then sat down at a table, staring down into his drink.
He still had no idea what he'd done wrong, he just knew he'd fucked up with Lo. He didn't feel like crying anymore, but there was a dull ache in his heart. Not only would he end up losing their relationship, the best thing to have happened to him, he didn't want to lose her as a friend - his best friend.
He stayed there letting the pain gnaw at his heart, watching happy families and couples walk past the window and trying desperately to swallow his bitterness.
"Decided not to talk to me today, did you?"
Joey looked up at the voice to see Sophie standing there, her arms folded but a grin on her face. He hadn't even registered that it was her serving him, and immediately felt guilty for ignoring her, especially when she had to work on Christmas.
He smiled weakly up at her. "Sorry, I'm not really with it at the moment."
She pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him.
"I bet you're looking forward to getting home to your family when your shift's finished," he said.
She shook her head. "They're all at home in Indiana. My sister Lenita's coming out to visit in a few days though."
