Holding On

“I thought she was perfect,” Joe breathed, “I thought I’d be with her forever. I was so invested in the relationship that I kind of lost myself somewhere along the way. I forgot how to be just Joe; all I knew was how to be Camilla’s Joe. Then she left and, I don’t know, I just fell apart. It hurt more than I ever imagined anything could and I just wanted it to end. It sounds stupid, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her, it was like she was swimming in my veins; circulating and recirculating around my body but never leaving.”

He took a deep breath and put his head gently on top of Shawn’s, whose auburn locks were splayed across his shoulder. Silently she traced the lines on his wrist with her fingertips. Shawn closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into his grasp. She wanted him to know that she was there and that she wasn’t going to leave unless he wanted her to.

“I can’t ...” Joseph mumbled into her hair, “I need to stop.”

“I’ll help you,” Shawn said softly, “You don’t need to do this alone.”

He was going to say thank you but he didn’t get the chance. Nick shoved the door open and his mouth moved like he was about to say something but the words died on his lips when he saw Shawn and Joe, who he had previously thought hated each other, wrapped in each other’s arms on the edge of Joe’s bed.

“Am I interrupting something?” the younger Jonas asked in confusion.

“No,” Joe replied quickly, pulling at his shirt sleeves.

“Okay,” Nick nodded, not really convinced, “Shawn, you promised Frankie a game of Monopoly. He really wants to play.”

“Alright, I’m coming,” Shawn smiled, “and so is Joe.”