Baby, You Are the Weapon I Choose

“Is it corny to admit I’m actually excited?” Christine said as she sat back down in her seat and buckled her seat belt. We were thousands of feet about the ground, going back to my roots, a friendly visit or so I had told Christine. I could not tell her the real reason for going to New Jersey this weekend. It would ruin everything.

I let out a small chuckle. “You get to see where I grew up,” I joked. “If I were anyone but me, I’d be excited too.”

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “I’m serious,” she insisted. “I mean, I cannot figure you out.”

I looked at her questioningly.

She giggled, and waved her hand. “I don’t mean that in a creepy way. I just mean, I’m usually good at knowing a person, but you – you’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.” She started blushing furiously then, as if her words had blurted out despite her control or something.

I smiled and touched her flaming cheeks. “I like a bit of mystery,” I smirked.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “I will figure you out Joseph Jonas,” she insisted. “Even rock stars have their weak moments.”

The seat belt signs flashed on as I smirked. “I’m not just a rock star though,” I said, facing forward.

“Oh?”

I smirked and looked at her from the corner of my eye. “I’m also an undercover assassin,” my tone was just playful enough.

Just as I knew she would, she started laughing. Like anyone would believe that. I smirked, settling into my seat. Our cover was a good one, I’d admit that. But something unsettled me about all of this. I usually got people easily too. But Christine – she was as much of a mystery to me as I was trying to be to her. Neither of us said anything as the plane landed.

“Well here it is,” I said, opening the front door and putting mine and Christine’s bags down by the stairs. “Home sweet home.”

“It’s cute,” Christie grinned as she closed the door behind us.

I laughed, rolling my eyes. “It’s so tiny,” I said, sighing. We had left the first chance we got, but my heart would always be here, always be home. I hadn’t been here in a long while, since we moved to California, but I would always be attached to this house. It was the place I had had an actual childhood, the place I had, in turn, lost my innocence, and yet, even with my childhood far behind me, a piece of it seemed to have been stored into this house. Here, I wasn’t a rock star, or assassin, or murder. I was just Joe Jonas, and for once, I was actually happy to be me. Thinking of this, the house didn’t seem so tiny.

Christine shook her head and walked through the hall to the kitchen. “It’s nice,” she amended.

I followed her and froze by the table. Someone had been here. There were dishes out, and food that we could not have left behind. I touched an apple on the table, and found it hard. It had been years since we were here, and yet it looked as if it had been picked not too long ago. No one else had the key but us. Who could it have been? I made a mental note to ask my father about it when we got back to California.

Christine seemed to notice the same thing. “I thought you said you hadn’t been here in years,” she said.

I played it off with a laugh. “I haven’t. But my brothers and my mother like to come here sometimes,” I lied. She didn’t need to know that I had no idea who was here. It would bring up too many questions.

“Oh okay,” she said, smiling.

“So want to see the rest of the house?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

Her face brightened. “Do I get to learn more about the infamous Joe Jonas?”

I laughed. “Luckily for you, this house was all about me. I was always the favorite in the family, especially here though. So what do you want to see first? The bedroom possibly?” I raised my eyebrows, winking at her.

“Woah there Romeo,” she laughed. “I was thinking maybe we’d start with the living room.”

“Oh freaky,” I smirked.

She rolled her eyes. “Cute,” she said. “Sorry, I don’t get freaky until the third date.”

I pretended to pout, but then smiled. “So there will be a third date?”

“If you play your cards right,” she smirked.

I laughed, and led her to the living room. I was finding it easier and easier to be myself around this girl. I wasn’t sure how good this was. I tried to tell myself it was purely for the assignment. We had just gotten to the living room as the door bell rang. Hmm, I wondered who that was. No one knew I was here. I quickly got on guard, discreetly getting a gun from the top drawer in the stand in the hallway and tucking it in my pants. I was careful to make sure Christine didn’t see, and I made my way to the doorway.