you're my sunshine ↬ joe mazzello [3]

real life!

joseph and ophelia sat on the floor with their legs crossed, knees nearly touching, balancing a piece of cardboard to be used as a makeshift table. ophelia produced from her bag her minor arcana, splitting it into the four individual suits. "i'm only just learning how to read tarot, so you'll have to pick one suit and i'll do the reading from that. okay?"

"of course," joseph nodded, gazing at the cards. "so... what do they represent, again?"

"the cups represent feelings and emotions, the wands represent imagination and creativity, the swords represent life challenges, and the pentacles represent money and potential. depending on your question will depend on what deck i use. now, you don't have to tell me what your question is exactly, but if you do say it out loud, it will help me to better hear what the cards have to say."

he thought for a moment, biting down on his lower lip as he scanned the top of each deck. "would it be... would it be too soon to use the suit of cups?"

ophelia repressed a smile, setting the other three suits aside. "so what is your question, dear joseph?" she shuffled the cards in her hand eighteen times, in accordance with her lucky number.

"will... miss ophelia, is the beautiful relationship we have ahead of us romantic or platonic?"

butterflies completely filled her stomach as she turned over the top five cards on the deck, analysing them, racking her brain for what they meant in accordance to the guide she had been studying. "each card represents something. the first is your present position, then is present expectations, then what is unexpected, then immediate future, and finally is the long-term future. i will read them separately, then put them together as a whole for your conclusion. sound good?"

"sounds great. so tell me, what does the future hold in store for us?"

"well, the present position is the ace of cups, representing a new beginning, which is exactly us. we are a new beginning in terms of relationship, though it is currently platonic. your present expectations is the page of cups. this brings potential to a new creative beginning, much like the beginning to a possible romantic relationship. weirdly enough, your unexpected is the three of cups. the three is a time of celebration and rejoice, and can come in a variety of forms, from courtship to the welcoming of a baby. it can also apply to birthdays, but neither of us have such coming up, so i interpret this as the celebration of courtship. in your immediate future is the king of cups. the king is involved emotionally but look - see how his feet are not in the water. he's afraid of immersing himself into such strong emotions. in your future you must confront those emotions of terror. your long-term future in the ten of cups, herein the cycle is complete and your relationship is so entirely fulfilled. with this, i also give you a warning: sometimes a loving relationship of gratitude takes work to achieve and maintain. you have to earn this familial love."

joseph's cheeks flooded a deep red as he listened, taking in all that she had to say. "so what does this mean on the whole?"

now was her turn to blush, hardly able to make eye contact with him. "we have a beautiful future ahead of us, as long as we can maintain and work together, mazzello."

"i like the sound of that, vincent."

ophelia shook her head, slightly embarrassed, cleaning up her cards and shoving them all back into her bag. "so, shall we get going? i'm ready to get home, get into some sweatpants, and start cooking for us."

"can i come over immediately or do you need me to go home for a little?" joseph helped ophelia to her feet, cringing lightly at the sound of her kneecaps popping.

"you can come over immediately, if you'd like. i have some sweatpants that should fit you perfectly." she scratched the back of her neck nervously, shifting back and forth on her feet. "unless that's a little weird?"

"not at all." joseph took ophelia's hand, kissing her knuckles. "i'll get us an uber and you gather up your stuff. meet you down in the lobby in five?"

she nodded, leaning forward to raise on her toes and press a kiss to his cheek. "see you in five."

it took an hour to get back to the apartment with traffic, the two happily colliding with each other as they made their way back to her bedroom. she produced two pairs of incredibly oversized sweatpants, the both of them blushing like teenagers as they changed into them. he took her hand, twirling her around as they laughed, giggles harmonising as she came chest to chest with him. she rose up on her toes, kissing the tip of his nose, his breath fanning across her chest in a way that sent shivers down her spine. "what would you like for dinner, sweet joseph?" she asked.

"how about that italian?" ophelia's cheeks grew a deep red and joseph's eyes widened, realising the double meaning of his words. "no no no, i mean, like, spaghetti and meatballs! i promise!"

she laughed, tossing her head back as she turned, tugging him out of the bedroom and to the kitchen.