The Boy Next Door.

I twirled in a circle while looking in the mirror, silently pleased that I looked semi-formal...Which is a ridiculous request for attire. I seriously had to Google it to figure out where to start, I found my answer on a forum on Australian Vogue. I settled on a purple satin mini-dress with a black belt, thick grey tights and black crumpled boots ( Anne’s outfit. )

You’re probably wondering WHY I’m getting dressed up? Yeah I forgot that part. Basically

Joe asked me on our first date, he wouldn’t say where we were going or what we were doing, and he simply said “Dress Semi-Formal.” words I wanted to throw a brick at him for.

So here I am, dressed up and waiting for him to get here.

A quick glance at the digital clock on my wall told me it was 7:35, huh, Joe was late and he lived next door. Then again, I was thankful because I had only just finished getting ready. So he was off the hook... this time at least.

I raced down the staircase as fast as one can in heeled boots and trotted to the front room,
where I took a seat on the white stool. I was aimlessly looking around the room at objects to amuse myself when I hear the gavel outside crunch under someone’s foot. I let a small, quiet squeak of excitement escape my lips before I realised I couldn’t be sitting here when he came to the door. So I quickly jumped up and scurried away down the hall as the footsteps edged closer to the door.

I rounded the corner into the lounge room as a sharp hard knock came to the door. I would have made my mother do the door duties but she was over at the Jonas’s, gossiping with Denise, so I was flying solo with answering the door tonight.

I took a deep breath as I slowly walked back to the door, patting my messy ponytail to make sure it still was in. I reached out and unlocked the door and pulled it open, revealing a short sleeved black button-up shirt, purple skinny jean and black dress shoe clad Joe Jonas. He gave me a smile before stepping in and giving me a sweet peck on the lips.

Before I could react he had made another movement, this time dragging me out of the door with a hand around my wrist. He stopped for a moment to let me lock the door and then clamped onto my hand again. He led me to a snazzy black sports car, which he proceeded to unlock and open the passenger side door for me, “We’re going for a drive?” I asked as I slipped into the car, another smile played on his lips as he shut the door silently and walked around the front of the car with a slight spring in his step.

He slipped into the car staying just as silent, “Come on tell me where we are going please?” I tried for the 100th time since he told me about the date.

To my distress he simply shook his head and drove faster. It was clear that not talking was killing him, Joe was a very talkative person, so him not talking for this long was probably a once in a life time experience. I wasn’t paying attention to where we were going but I was pretty sure we in the outskirts of town.

All of a sudden he made the car go into a tail whip, so that it parked horizontal to the side of the road. I watched him quickly slip out of the car and race to my door, swiftly opening it. I met him with raised eyebrows, still shocked by his impressive manoeuvre and I moved to get out but he stuck a hand out to stop me, I stared his hand in confusion...we were going to have a date, in a car?

I looked up at him and saw that he was holding a blindfold in his other hand; I let my eyes widen, “You want to blind fold me?” He nodded and made a move towards me to cover my eyes with the cloth. I huffed with annoyance and I heard Joe suppress a chuckle as he guided me out of the car and shut the door.

I heard the cars alarm system arm itself, then Joe placed an arm around me and guided my steps along the gravel road. We walked for a while in silence until he stopped us and started in a different direction. Then after a little while longer he whispered into my ear, “Sit down.” I was shocked to hear his velvet voice for the first time that night and obeyed his simple command.

My bottom found the cold surface of a wooden bench. I felt Joe’s arm leave me and he knelt down in front of me. His hands gently removed the blind fold from my eyes, his warm fingers making my skin tingle and the dim light hit me making me squint. He chuckled openly as he let his fingers stroke my cheek, then he stood up and motioned around him.

I diverted my eyes from his and looked around us; we were at the old bridge, the park that is closed off due to revamping that will never happen. The dim light came from a circle of candles around the only table left, which was covered in a dark blue cloth and an array of food and drinks.

My breath caught in my throat as I looked out to the black water around us and saw the cities lights glowing from across the bay. I turned back to Joe who was sitting next to me and looking out at the city. I shivered in the sudden cold breeze that had picked up. He gave me a concerned look and wrapped his arm around my shoulder protectively and I snuggled into his side, wrapping an arm around his back as he rested his cheek on my hair, “You look beautiful tonight.” he whispered hoarsely.

I couldn’t help but chuckle softly, “Hark...the mute speaks! Tell me what miracle happened to you, that you stopped talking?”

I felt his chest jump up and down from silent laughter, “You happened Anna.”

“It’s odd not hearing you speak, when I’m so used to constant blabbering.” I said into his shirt that smelled of vanilla and soap. “I bet not talking was hard for you.”

He smiled into my hair, “Sweetheart it was pure hell for me, but worth it.” His hand grasped my shoulder and pulled me away, “and what do you mean constant blabbering?”

I gave him a cheeky smile, “You’re like a hyper active 5 year old.” He pouted at me and started to shrug away from me, “But you’re my hyper active 5 year old and you’re way hotter than any 5 year old I’ve ever seen.” He was easy to read, just mention that he is good looking and he will forgive you for most things.

He grinned wickedly at me and pulled me into him so he could plant his lips onto mine; it was a short kiss but nonetheless amazing as all his kisses were. We stayed in each other’s arms for ages as we nibbled on the food and sipped at the drinks. We decided with sadness it was time to get going when the candles were running low and starting to go out.

Joe and I packed up the things in the cloth and blew out all but one candle which we used to help see the path back to the road.

The loose gravel crunched under foot breaking the silence that had cloaked the air. Joe was holding my hand protectively so I let my fingers brush back and forth over his fingers. I kept brushing over a cold metal object on one of his fingers, curious to what it was I lifted his hand up in the air and studied the silver band with a cross in it, “What is this Joe?” I asked not looking up from the ring.

“Um, it’s a purity ring.” He said confused, apologetic and seriously all at the same time. I was a little taken back by the mixed emotions he held with talking about a ring. I noticed that we had stopped walking and he was looking at me with a strong glare, “Why aren’t you reacting like most people? You know throwing a million questions at me?”
I stepped back from Joe with a furrowed brow, “It might help if you just explained what it is?”

Joe shook his head and laughed almost humorously, “It’s amazing that you are so naive to the rest of the world.”

I decided to get him back for earlier and pouted my best pout at him, he gave me an apologetic smile and walked over to me, “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

He lifted his left hand again, “This” He pointed to the ring, and “This is a purity ring, aka no sex till marriage. All of my brothers have them.”

I nodded at him, trying to make sense of the concept, “So your parents gave you these?”
He looked confused for a moment, and then flattened his features, “Um, yeah.”

“And you’re ok with that? I mean you didn’t make the choice yourself and I’m sure that makes your life hard.”

“Well, it does. And it IS my choice, I could easily throw it off and sc-err, have sex with the first girl I came across but I don’t because I think it is something worth waiting for. And trust me Anne, you are one extreme temptation.”

I raised an eyebrow at him, “I see right through you Joe. You’re lying to my face and I can tell.” Emotion swelled in my stomach and I could feel the water works building. I had to get away from him, I started to run off but Joe scurried quickly after me and grabbed my wrist swinging me back around to face him.

“What are you talking about Anne?”

“I’m talking about the fact that you are NOT pure. That was just one hell of a practiced speech you gave me. I thought you were something else, someone who didn’t lie to me but
I guess I was wrong.” A single tear escaped my eye and I quickly turned away from Joe again, this time he let me go. I just ran and ran until I broke down at the end of what was left of the bridge.

I let the sobs come and I didn’t exactly know why I had gotten so upset over him lying but I had a feeling it was so much deeper than just Joe. My father had died a little over a year ago and I had refused to let myself cry over his death, to be strong for my Mother but now it felt like I would never stop crying. My chest was heaving in and out as the tears rolled off my cheeks and hit the rotting wood. I didn’t know what to do, Joe had probably left and I didn’t have my phone with me, so I just stayed there, kneeling and crying.



I had thought not talking to Anne was hell, but seeing her run away from my crying just was too much. I’m not one for letting the emotions flow but seeing her crying because of ME...

Every part of me said to go after her, but I just couldn’t move. So I stood there dumbly staring out in the direction she had gone. Why did I have to be such an idiot and lie to her... but how was I to know she could read me that well. Her words shocked me so much, no one knew, no one ever even suspected. I’d been a good little boy and kept the ring on, lied to everyone but now I wish I hadn’t done that to her.

I took a deep breath and straightened my shirt. I wasn’t about cry, not yet any way. I had to find her and get her home. I took a shaky step, then another and then I finally broke into a run. My chest was hurting but I kept on running until I came to the bridge. I stopped and listened, that’s when I heard her soft sobs coming from in front of me. I slowly tip toed towards her. She was kneeling on the wooden boards and her arms where supporting her weight and her sobs were making her body convulse.

I felt the familiar build up of water behind my eyes but this time I made no effort to control it, letting my tears start to fall I placed a hand on her shoulder and knelt down beside her. I just waited for her reaction, totally scared out of my wits. She stayed still for what seemed forever, continuing with her sobbing. Then I let out an involuntary sob of my own and pulled her into my arms, I can’t believe I had done this to her.

I stroked her hair in an effort for sooth her, “Oh Anne, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” My voice cracked from the tears and when she heard the falter she pulled away. The look on her face made me flinch, it looked like she was going to slap me but then her face soothed out and gave me a small smile, “No, I’m sorry Joe. I haven’t cried in a very long time and everything just poured out.”

She reached up and wiped the tears off of my cheek; I relished her touch and raised my own hand to trap hers. In the spirit of the moment I leaned in and kissed her, half expecting her to be outraged. But she just stayed as she was, and kissed me back with her soft, pink lips moving with mine.

We broke apart as if we had made a telepathic agreement and rested our foreheads together. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath, “Can I ask you something?” I didn’t want to upset her again but I simply had to know. She meant far too much to me to just let her go.



A warm hand on my shoulder made me jump but I couldn’t find the strength to get up to see who it was. The person knelt down beside me and wrapped their arms around me, breathing in I suddenly recognised the mystery person because they smelt of Vanilla and soap. Joe’s personal smell.

I reached around to hug him back and he stroked a comforting hand across my hair, “Oh Anne, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He croaked out, his voice sounding like he too was crying. I pulled back to look at him, feeling calmer from his presence.

My assumption was confirmed when I that his face was glimmering with his own tears, “No,
I’m sorry Joe. I haven’t cried in a very long time and everything just poured out.” I said as I wiped the tears off of his face.

His hand grasped mine and held it to his cheek and leaned in closer to me, planting another soft, delicate kiss on my lips. We broke apart and rested our heads together, “Can I ask you something?” He whispered keeping his eyes closed.

“Of course Joe,” I took at deep breath, enjoying Joe’s addicting sent.

“How did you know?” I stopped my breath for a second and opened my eyes.

“Know what?”

“That I wasn’t what I said I was.”

Oh, that, “I can just tell. And your speech was very tinsel town.”

“Oh, ok. Anne?”

“Yeah Joe?”

“She was my best friend and she broke my heart. I thought she was the one, but afterwards it all fell apart.”

“Ah, I see. I’m sorry Joe.”

“S’ok now but back when it happened it was like living through hell. You want to go home?”His voice crackled as he changed the subject.

“You bet.” I looked up and watched him get up. He extended a hand and helped me get up, my knees hurting from the hard wood. I took a step but my legs buckled, I started to fall backwards but Joe’s arms caught me and with one swift movement he lifted me up into a bridal position and carried me back to the car.

The drive was silent but comfortable and our hands were permanently entwined together between us. Then before I knew it we were home and he was scooping me up in his arms once again. I was wondering how he was going to get in the door when it would be still locked but when he placed his hand on the door and turned the handle it simply swung open granting us access to my house.

My eyelids shut for a second then I shook my head in an attempt to stay awake but Joe’s warm embrace was too much and I was drifting off in his arms by the time he had taken me up stairs. He gently lowered me into my messy, unmade bed and pulled off my boots and accessories. Then he tugged the covers around me and knelt down.

“Sweet dreams my love.” he whispered with a low voice as his fingers brushed away the hair that had fallen on my face. I attempted to say, “I love you.” but it just came out as...”Mm, mm, mah.”

I heard him chuckle and felt his lips brush against my forehead. Then his soft footsteps left my room and headed down the stairs. I kept fighting sleep until I heard the front door shut and then the warm blackness of sleep engulfed me.