One Day at a Time

Joe texted me a few hours after leaving the restaurant. I hadn’t expected it so quickly, but Jenn did.

“Oh!” She exclaimed as she read the text message. “Guess who just texted you!”

I rolled my eyes, angry that she would always steal my phone and read my text messages before I get the chance to even hear my phone go off.

“Hmm, let me guess,” I started with sarcasm and looked at her with an expression that showed I didn’t really care.

“Alexa, quit pretending. I know you know who it is and I know you’re dying to know what he wrote to you.”

“Ugh, fine. Read it to me, please.”

“Okay, well, Joe would like to know if you want to come to dinner at his house. It’s one of their cousin’s birthdays and his mom is making dinner and a cake. Sounds fun,” Jenn smiled wide. “I wish I could go.”

She made a sad face and threw the phone next to me from the chair in the living room. I picked it up from the couch cushion and read it over again myself. Hmm, dinner with Joe’s family again. Maybe this time I’ll be awake for it.

Joe was at my door, knocking, at 7 ‘o’ clock that evening. Jenn had already left, leaving an outfit on my bed before she left. It was a simple long sleeved black shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and the flats I wore the time I went to the movies with Joe. I ran my fingers through my blow dried hair and felt the leftover of a small bump. It didn’t hurt anymore, but I could remember how much it hurt. I opened the door to show Joe standing in the doorway with his hands shoved in his pants pockets.

“Take two,” he said with a smile. I knew what he meant.

“Well, hopefully it’ll be a better take this time. Wouldn’t want to make your family feel that I don’t like them or something.”

“Nah, I’m sure they don’t feel that way,” he said honestly and shifted his weight to one leg. “You ready?”

“Definitely,” I replied and pulled my jacket and purse off from the couch, and followed him out to his car.

It seems so redundant with the times I’ve followed people out to their cars. But being away from my apartment was better than nothing. Because I didn’t really get the chance to eat the leftovers that Denise gave me last time I went over for dinner, I was excited to be awake to eat this time. Joe was the perfect gentleman again; opening my door and closing it for me. Sweet, yes, but sometimes annoying. Maybe I just wasn’t used to this kind of…respect?

“So,” Joe began after driving for fifteen minutes or so. “I wanted to apologize about that one night.”

“Joe, you apologized already. You don’t need to again.”

“No, I know,” he pulled up in front of the house and turned off the car. “It was…”

“Random, kind of rude, completely unexpected, weird, awkward,” I interrupted and then looked down at my hands, which were twisting the handle on my purse. “And yet,” I breathed out and jumped at the sound of knocking on Joe’s window.

“Hey,” Nick waved. “Are you two coming in? Mom’s waiting.”

“We’ll be right in,” Joe explained, and Nick nodded his head as he turned back to go into the house. “Okay then. Let’s go.”

Joe walked around to my side of the car before I could put my hand on the handle, and opened the door for me.

“My, my, my. You were definitely raised right, Mr. Jonas.”

“Well, thank you,” he gave me a conceited smile and walked me up to the front door and inside.

Denise was the first person I saw and the first one to see me as I entered the house. She set down the glass of water she was drinking from onto the table next to her and came over to greet me.

“Alexa! How are you?” She welcomed me into a hug. “You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you.”

“I feel a lot better. The bump is almost gone and I’m not as dizzy as I was.”

“That’s great. I’m glad you’re better, and that you could come by tonight,” she held her arm out to take my jacket, and I handed it to her. “Come on in. Everyone’s in the kitchen and dining room.”

She left to hang my jacket up in the closet next to the front door, and Joe led me into the kitchen where Nick and Kevin were sitting at a breakfast bar eating, and their father was sitting with them showing them sheet music. Veronica was sipping from a coffee mug and talking to another girl, who seemed to be her sister, but I asked anyway.

“Who’s that girl standing with Veronia?” I asked Joe through a whisper.

“Maddisen, my cousin. Or just Maddy. It’s her and Veronica’s birthday. They’re twins, but I forget what kind. They look like they’re related, but they aren’t identical; I don’t know.”

“Fraternal? Possibly?”

“Yeah, I’m thinking that’s it,” he agreed. I shook my head and we walked over to the dining room table to sit down.

“So, how old are they?”

“Nineteen,” he answered. “Makes me feel old.”

I looked over to him with my eyebrows raised.

“Joe, you’re only 20; that’s only a one year difference. If there’s anyone you should feel old next to, it should be Frankie. You’ve got, like, 12 years on that kid.”

“Don’t be so quick to say anything. You’re the same age as me.”

“This is true, but I’m not complaining.”

He made a face at my comment and I smiled, knowing that I could hold my own even though Joe tends to think that he’s always right.