A Jaylor Love Story

Cornelia Street

"I rent a place on Cornelia Street" I say casually in the car.

The date was September 28, 2016 . I've known Joe for a little over 4 months now. Tom and I broke up recently and while I would love to avoid men for awhile after my recent relationship disasters, I've become slightly obsessed with Joe...

We started out as friends and then slowly became more. He quickly became my best friend. He would give me advice in my relationships with Adam and Tom, as awkward as that may have been for him. He skyrocked my confidence by telling me I deserve the world as I sobbed over the phone to him about something shitty Adam had said or done.

Joe was in New York for an event and invited me to go out and get some drinks with him. We planned on meeting at one of our favorite bars at 8pm. These past few months I've gotten pretty good at disguising myself so I'm not too concerned about going out in public with him.

I decided that today I would ask Joe if we could be more than friends and maybe start a relationship. To be honest, I'm terrified.

I stood in my bedroom at a loss for what to do. I had overthought just about everything about tonight. What do I wear? What do I say? How should I do my makeup and hair? How will he react? What if he doesn't want a relationship? What if my lifestyle scares him? It was only 5:00 and I was panicking.

After making no progress in about twenty minutes I decided to call the person who knows me best. My mom.

She answered my FaceTime call after a few seconds and immediately noticed the panicked look on my face.

"You okay sweetheart?" she asked, looking concerned.

"I'm freaking out mom. I have no clue what to wear or what to say to him. I need help" I pleaded back to her. She quickly calmed me down and helped me decide on a mid thigh long sleeve sparkly pink dress that I bought a few months ago.

And then talked to me while I did my hair and makeup distracting me so I couldn't start spiraling again. Before I knew it, it was 7:15 and I knew I should get going if I wanted to be there on time. I said goodbye to my mom and thanked her for her help. "Good luck baby" she said to me as she hung up. As I put my phone down it vibrated against my vanity. I was immediately met with a text from Joe. A smile filled my face and I responded quickly.

My driver pulled up right outside the Aviary Bar. I attempted to shake off my nerves, took a deep breath and exited the car. I walked into the bar and saw Joe already sitting at our usual table in the back corner. My eyes met his and I saw a slight smile appear on his face. He had on a dress shirt with a dark blazer, his blonde hair slicked back slightly. He soon motioned for me, confused as to why I wasn't moving. I blushed and made my way to the back of the bar. He greeted me with a hug, whispering "you look beautiful" in my ear. "you don't look so bad yourself" I replied pulling away from the hug. He pulled out my chair and helped me in, and my cheeks returned to the familiar pink shade. We began to talk about our days and ordered a few drinks along with a plate of food to share.

A few hours later I was feeling much more comfortable (something the several glasses of whiskey may of helped me with). It was getting late and I knew I had to do it. I was going to tell him how I feel tonight.

"We should probably get going" Joe mumbled as he noticed the bartenders beginning to clean up around us.

"Yeah, probably" I sighed. "I can give you a ride back to your place. You shouldn't have to take a cab back" I told him in a tone only slightly above a whisper. After a few seconds he took my offer and helped me out to the car. He opened the backseat door telling me "after you" making my smile grow even bigger.

The first few minutes of the ride were silent. Not necessarily a bad silent, but silent nonetheless. I finally decided to speak up. "I rent a place on Cornelia Street" I said casually in the car. He smirked, blushing slightly as I whispered "would you maybe, like to come back with me?" "I would love nothing more" he said back smiling broadly.

After a few more moments of quiet I began to speak. "Joe...I wanted to tell you something and I haven't really known how to bring it up, in fear of ruining such a perfect night, but if I don't say it now I never will."

He looked back at me, his eyes filled with concern. "What is it?" He questioned after I stayed silent for another minute.

I took a deep breath and quietly said, "I think I'm falling in love with you".

His expression was unreadable for the first time tonight and I began to panic again when suddenly he leaned in and before I knew it, his lips were on mine. He pulled me into the most passionate kiss I'd ever experienced. When we separated he breathlessly whispered "I've been trying to figure out how to tell you the same thing for weeks". A smile filled my face as I leaned onto his shoulder.

We arrived at my apartment. I grabbed his hand, said a quick goodnight to my driver and lead him into my apartment. I gave him a quick tour of the space and introduced him to the cats. Olivia liked him right away, while Mer was a bit wary. Even though it was well into the early hours of the morning, neither of us were tired so we decided to talk for awhile. We talked about everything. Our families, childhoods, careers and our feelings for each other. He talked how he felt about me which filled my eyes with tears. The look of admiration in his eyes when he described his favorite things about me made me swoon.

By the end of our conversation I leaned in to kiss him. I gently placed my lips on his, he soon deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring my mouth. I tugged at the corner of his button up, pulling away making eye contact with him. He nodded and I began to unbutton his shirt. I stood up, pulling him up the stairs towards my bedroom unzipping my dress as we walked. As we entered my room he slid his pants down and sat on the edge of my bed. I crawled onto his lap and he smoothly unclasped my bra...

I caught my breath and layed down next to him. He rolled over facing me, we stared into each other's eyes in silence for a few moments, both of us wearing matching smiles. I leaned into him, laying my head on his bare chest and wrapping my arms around him as we slowly drifted to sleep.