Cup of Joe | A Joe Jonas Fanfiction

c h a p t e r n i n e .

Saturday morning brought a change in the weather. Flurries of snow swept around the city on the gusts of winds that whipped around skyscrapers and whistled through parking garages. Winter weather advisories were ticking across the television, warning everyone of the blizzard that was predicted to hit in the late afternoon hours. There were talks of heavy ice, temperatures below 0°, and winds in excess of 30mph. Like her namesake, Winter found comfort in snow and ice. These frosty conditions usually led to movie nights, hot cocoa, and ghost stories by the fireplace. Some of her best memories were of nights just like these with her family. There was a pricking at her heart as she remembered this would be her first Christmas that she wasn't spending with her family and she sighed. Christmas was her favorite time of year and Joe's modern penthouse was void of any decorations, making it feel even less like the holidays.

In the background, she could hear Joe rustling through papers in the music room. He had awoken before Winter and had spent the better half of the morning bustling around from the living room to his bedroom to the music room. As if on cue, Joe emerged from the music room and wordlessly paced to the living room with an armful of notebooks and binders. Everything was neatly packed into a rolling suitcase that Winter presumed he would take to his rehearsal with Kevin and Nick. There was no doubt that he was on edge. He hadn't delved into many of the specifics, but she was aware that the split of the Jonas Brothers almost 10 years ago had left a pretty deep rift between the siblings. Joe had mentioned that they had been meeting for several weeks and hashing out everything that went wrong so that they could all move forward without all of the old baggage. According to him, their relationship had never been stronger. However, the tension that radiated off of Joe seemed to signify that there was still some unresolved anxiety about being back together as a band.

While Joe busied himself with preparations for his writing and rehearsal session, Winter got herself ready for the day. Her all black outfit consisted of a sheer pair of black tights, thigh high black boots, and a black mock turtleneck mini sweater dress. In an effort to make a good impression, she had French braided two sections on the top of her head and curled the rest of her long platinum hair. She had even taken the time to do a full face of makeup. With a glance at herself in the mirror, Winter approved of her appearance. She felt effortlessly pretty today. Maybe it was because her lip was finally back to a normal size. Shrugging, she flicked off the light in the bathroom and rejoined Joe in the living room. Joe did a double take at her entrance, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. At his reaction, Winter grew self conscious.

"Too much?" She pulled at the hemline of her dress.

She was met with silence from Joe who still seemed to be a bit disoriented. When he spoke, there was a noticeable strain in his voice, almost as though he was trying to find the words. Or suppress them. Most well known for his fun personality, it was a surprise to Winter to discover how difficult of a man he was to read at times. "All dressed up for my brothers, I see." He squinted his eyes while poking fun at her. "You must have really been a big fan of ours."

"Shut up." Winter scoffed while scrunching her nose up to mimic the face he was making. "And since you're so nosy, yes, I was a big fan but you already know that."

"Was a fan. Past tense. So you're not a fan now?" Joe clutched his chest as though his heart ached from the semantics of her statement. "What a blow to the self-esteem."

"Maybe you can change my mind today." The heels of her boots clicked on the floor and echoed in the hallway before she seated herself on the couch.

Joe smirked and straightened himself up. "Just you wait. The new music will blow your mind. But there's one thing I need to know before we go. Which brother?"

Winter raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Winter. Everyone knows that every Jonas girl has a favorite brother. And don't even think about saying Frankie."