Never Again

Staring across the living area of the Jonas suite I tapped my fingers nervously on the arm of the couch. I'd been on the phone with a distraught Charlotte for the past hour. She was going to stay with her parents back in Queens. Her parent's house was two bedroomed and with her brother still living there, she'd be roughing it on the couch. She'd apologised time and time again but I told her it was fine. I had a place to stay.

Even if it was with my fake ex-fiancé and his new, blonde tiny fiancé who was 'the real deal' or so she kept telling me.

Denise and Paul had left to speak to the fire department. As I was under twenty-five they needed 'adults' to speak to and they'd graciously gone to sort everything out for me. My parents had been notified of the accident and they'd offered me flight money to see them but I argued that I couldn't just drop everything.

The press hounded on Nick and I as we left the apartment block, Big Rob escorting us back to the hotel. The paramedics that had been called had double-checked us and our breathing patterns. Nick had gone to bed moments after arriving back at the hotel, shocked and a little more than shaken.

Kevin had gone to take Frankie to bed leaving a staring Joe Jonas and myself in the suite. "Are… are you okay?" Joe asked me quietly, his voice nothing more than a whisper. I blinked and looked in his direction for a second, nodding and averted my eye.

"Rose," Joe pleaded gently and I watched him from the corner of my eye as he leaned forward, outstretching his hand as though for me to trust him. I felt myself shift, my head incline towards his and I knew that if I could speak to him, that maybe everything would be okay, maybe I'd get that happily ever after because we were alone and-

"Joeyyyy," sang Taylor, skipping into the suite, long blonde hair bouncing with each step. She held numerous shopping bags in her manicured hands, and her face was caked in make-up that made her look like a goddess. Automatically I glanced at the baggy sweatpants and old t-shirt that Kevin had given me, my hands and face covered in blackened soot and dirt. My hair was straggly and knotted. Instantly I felt worthless. And, watching, I saw Joe cringe and turn to her.

As they chatted I felt Joe's gaze on me and I turned my head to the side, wanting a distraction when my phone started to ring. Pressing the answer button I stood and voiced a greeting.

"Rose?"

"Kellan?" I smiled, instantly relaxing. When I spoke to him I felt so protected it was unreal. It was times like this that I wished our relationship was real.

"What's wrong? I heard on the news and Charlotte rang me and told me that you were finding a place to stay so I thought and I looked and I mean, I'm upset over this because no one would tell me anything, and apparently you're with a Jonas and -"

"Kellan." I said, a smile tugging across my ashened face. I saw Joe's eyes flicker towards me. "I'm fine, I promise. A little scrape... a little freaked out and a little homeless." At my words, I felt sure Joe's expression softened but I shook the thought away. "Honest to God."

I heard him sigh. "Good. God, Rose. I've never been so scared in my life."

"I'm sorry, babe." I told him sincerely. It was a pet name we'd used for each other ever since we'd met. Now that we were 'dating' it made us laugh. At my words Kellan's boyish chuckle sounded through the speaker.

"You're sure you're okay?"

"Positive. Just... all my stuff is gone. That apartment was pretty much my life." I told him seriously.

"Well don't worry about a thing. I'll go shopping tomorrow," Kellan told me over the phone.

I'd been brushing off small scratchings of dirt off of the clothes that had settled. Instantly my brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?" I hummed.

"We're dating, Fletcher." Kellan stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And if the press hound on us they're going to want to know why you're staying with your ex-fiancé rather than your boyfriend. It'll look strange and they'll want answers."

"I know, Lutz." I reiterated my thoughts. "But..."

"Don't worry about it. My apartment's big enough, you know that."

"I do."

"So I'll swing by tomorrow and take you shopping? You're going to need some clothes and bedding and furniture."

"Kell, I don't want to impose-"

"Stop being so god damn polite, Rose." Barked Kellan, exasperated. "I'm doing you a favour. So stop being so stubborn and just thank me, okay?"

"Thank you," I said honestly.

I heard Kellan's smile. It was just one of those moments where you know the other person on the line is smiling. "You're welcome. Now it's 3am and I need sleep. I'll pick you up at one, that okay?"

"It's fine."

"Night, love you Fletchy."

I smiled and turned around to see Taylor straddling Joe's waist, kissing the life out of him, their lips smacking. "...night Lutzer."