Then It Led to Hollywood and Vine

The next day, I chose to go visit my Uncle and Sarah. Since I was getting along better with Sarah now, I was going to ask her for advice on the Joe and Nick situation.

“Is Sarah here?” I asked my uncle, since for a change he was actually the one to answer the door instead of her. He was talking on the phone, which wasn’t a change.

“Yeah, she’s upstairs,” he said, before walking away. Wow. I guess I should at least mentally thank him for opening the door, though. I headed up the stairs.

“Sarah?” I called. My uncle’s house wasn’t that big, but then again, it wasn’t exactly minuscule in size, either.

“I’m in here,” she said, sounding like she was in the bathroom. I winced, not really sure how to judge this.

“Well, can you come out? Preferably clothed,” I made sure to add. She laughed before opening the door to the bathroom a few feet in front of me.

“Ha-ha,” she said, stepping out in a robe. Not fully clothed, but it was better than nothing. I didn’t want to be scarred. “I think you got your uncle’s sense of humor.”

Now it was my turn to laugh, but I didn’t do so aloud. When did my uncle ever have a sense of humor? He was all business, all-the-damn time.

She held onto her swollen belly as she made her way to her and my uncle’s room. I followed her, and sat down on the decorative chair that was in there as she made her way to their walk in closet and shut the door almost all the way. But not all the way so that I could still hear her when she talked.

“So what’s up?”

“Um... I kind of came here to ask for advice...” I trailed off, not really sure how to start off. But I made sure to get to the advice part, so it wouldn’t be further delayed, since Sarah seemed to get completely off-track with all conversations that she had with anyone. How my uncle finally was able to pop the question to her was beyond me.

“Oh? What about?” she asked in response. I just now realized it, but... other than talking a little with Anne about it, this would be the first that I’m bringing up to anyone about the Joe and Nick situation.

“Well... I’m kind of in a dilemma...” I started. “Look, you know about all the drama that I had with Joe, right? Like, how we dated, and then I broke up with him...”

“When you found out he was cheating on you?” she interrupted. I raised an eyebrow to the closet door.

“What? No! He didn’t cheat on me, I found out that he was using me, when I went to go see if he was okay. And also when I went to see him, he was hungover, when he told me he never had an alcoholic drink in his life!” I proclaimed.

“Oh, well... that’s what the tabloids said,” she explained. I sighed. Leave it to Sarah to believe the tabloids. I liked her more than I did before, but she still had this annoying side to her when discussing celebrities and rich people. “But why was he using you?”

“Because he only dated me because Nick wanted me! He only talked to me and hit on me when I first met him at the amusement park to get me before Nick could!”

“That’s kind of... ignorant,” Sarah responded, not knowing what word to use. I could tell. She probably meant selfish, because knowing her that’s what she thinks the word ignorant means, instead of stupid. But then again, what Joe did was kind of stupid as well, because it led him to this. “But don’t you think if that’s all he had in mind while seeing you, he would’ve broke it off sooner than it ended?”

“I...” I was left a bit flabbergasted at this, not sure what to say. “Well, maybe, but... he probably did it just to get a good laugh to see if a girl like me would actually say that she loved him! And it worked, and he’s probably still laughing about it at this moment!”

“Sophia,” she tried to reason, “Joe, from what I saw, was head over heels in love with you. And I’m pretty sure that’s what everyone else saw too, including your uncle, which is surprising since it seems like he never sees anything besides work-related things.”

“But he couldn’t have been, if the only reason he started seeing me was to get me before Nick could!” I exclaimed.

“Well, yeah, it may have been that way at first, but... things change, Sophia. Situations change. People change. As soon as Joe started to get to know you, he saw what we all see in you: a warm-hearted girl, that can also be witty and sarcastically funny. Who wouldn’t fall in love with that?”

“Joe didn’t,” I said, still denying it. She ‘tsked’ at me, before finally walking out of the closet.

“Well, then, what’s the dilemma exactly about this?” she said. “You’ve broken up, and you seem to be officially pissed at him, so...”

“So, the point is, I still love him,” I finally admitted. She was the first person I was telling this to. “Even though our whole relationship was a lie, I still believed it. I still fell and am still in love with him. But now I’m feeling guilty for Nick because he loves me. I love him like a brother, but he still loves me, and it has me questioning that. And now... I don’t know who I want to be with. If I did forgive Joe, or if I did finally agree to be with Nick.”

Her mouth had taken on an ‘o’ shape since the beginning of my explanation. But she quickly composed herself. “So the question is... you’re not sure who to choose. You either choose the one that you love, or choose the one that loves you?”

“Yes! It’s so frustrating,” I said, leaning my head far back over the chair. “Why must love be so complicated?”

“Well, Sophia, I can’t make the decision for you,” she said. “But I can give you a little advice. What is your heart telling you? Is it telling you to forgive Joe, or give Nick a chance?”

“I don’t know,” I mumbled. “I’m so confused right now.”

“Well, think back on all the times you’ve had with Joe, and all of the times you’ve had with Nick,” she said. “Who did you enjoy being with more?”

I did as she asked, and soon realized that was a no-brainer.

“Joe,” I answered softly, not sure if she heard. But I’m presuming she did since she then started nodding her head.

“Okay, now... who do you believe showed their love for you more?” she then asked. Again, I thought it over. I thought back on all of the things Joe did for me, and then thought about Nick. If he loved me like he said he did, why didn’t he try to prove it before the day I caught Joe hungover?

“Joe,” I answered again. She nodded at this before getting serious.

“Now, the important question Sophia, who do you love more?” she asked. “And don’t think about any kind of love, but one specifically: love, love. The kind of love that has your heart racing, the kind of love that commits people, the kind of love... that you would do anything for. And most importantly, the kind of love that makes you happy, and makes you feel as if you’re on cloud nine, all the time. Who do you love more, Sophia?”

It took me a few minutes before I could give an answer. But after thinking about all that she said, I knew who the one was that I loved more.

I was about to tell her before she stopped me, “Don’t tell me. Go tell him! Run to his house and tell him Sophia, while you still absolutely know for sure that he is the one you love.”

I nodded, before standing up and bolting out of the room, and then out of the house. On my way to his house, to tell him how I felt.

Who knew that Sarah could end up being the wise one through all of this? I’m glad I went to her for advice.

>>---------------------------------------------->>

I pounded on the door, not being patient at the moment. I needed to see him; I needed to see him now.

Nick was the person who answered the door.

“Nick, is Joe here? I have to talk to him,” I said, looking past him in anxiousness. I wasn’t going to tell him why I was here, but I’m guessing he knew as soon as he saw the look on my face.

“You’re choosing him, aren’t you?” he asked. I blushed, before surely nodding. His face immediately bore a downcast expression.

“I’m sorry, Nick,” I said. “Really. I do love you, but... more like a brother. And I know that I told you that before, and you didn’t like it, but... I hope you can understand. But you should admit it: you think that you love me. But you really don’t. Or well, you maybe do, but hopefully like a sister or good friend. You’ve had a crush on me, but really... that’s all. You think it’s love, and I can honestly see how you thought that, but... it’s not. I really hope you can understand.” I wasn’t sure how, or if, he was going to respond to this, but after a minute, he finally spoke.

“He’s at Hollywood and Vine, meeting with movie execs,” he said. It took me a minute to realize he was telling me where Joe was. “You better go catch him before he makes any major decisions, because the movie may be being filmed in Europe, and that’s a long way away.” He then started to back away from the doorway as I looked at him confused.

“Well, wait- Nick!” I exclaimed, before he could shut the door. He froze where he was. “What about you, though? Will you be okay? I mean... aren’t you angry with me?” He shrugged.

“A little bit,” he said. “But I know if we ever did get together, Sophia, you wouldn’t be fully into the relationship. You love Joe too much. I mean, I can see it in your eyes as we’re standing here.”

“Really?” I asked, looking down for a moment. “But wait... you didn’t answer my question. Will you be okay?”

“Eventually, I will be,” he said. “I mean, to be honest, when you and Joe were dating before you knew the truth, it honestly didn’t bother me that much. Which is why I waited so long to speak up about it. Because you and Joe... you’re literally perfect together, and I know you and I... will never be that way. At least on a romantic level, anyhow.”

“I’m glad you’re understanding,” I said, relieved that he didn’t hate me. He was a bit mad, but that was normal, and I could respect that considering all that has happened and considering my choice.

“Yeah. But what are you waiting for? Go, go see him and tell him how you feel!” he exclaimed, shooing me off. I smiled, and decided against hugging him at the moment. But I gave him a salute, before I was off.

>>--------------------------------------------->>

I made my way to the restaurant that Joe and the execs were meeting in. Nick managed to shout to me the restaurant they were at, a place called Katsuya.

Oddly enough, before I could walk in, Joe and the people he was meeting with came walking out. I managed to catch the last bit of their conversation.

“So, Mr. Jonas, do we have a deal?” one of the men asked, holding out his hand with a contract in the other. When I noticed Joe was about to agree, I interrupted.

“Joe!” I exclaimed, walking the few feet to him. He seemed surprised.

“Sophia? What are you doing here?”

“Joe, don’t sign that contract! You can’t leave!”

“Sophia-”

“Joe,” I interrupted. “I asked Sarah for advice, and she made me realize something. Even though you only started dating me because Nick liked me, I still think that you let in continue because eventually you started to fall for me. I mean, why would you let it go on otherwise? And I made Nick realized that he never loved me in the first place, and just simply had a crush on me, is all. And even though I was mad at you this whole time, I realized that I’m still in love with you. Even though I strongly disapprove of you lying to me about the drinking, I’m going to forgive you because we all make mistakes and tend to not tell the truth sometimes...”

“Sophia-”

“I mean, I lied to you, didn’t I? Because I said it was over, when really it wasn’t. Because I still love you now like I did before, possibly even more. I am completely head over heels in love with you, Joseph Adam Jonas, and I don’t believe I could ever love somebody as much as I love you.”

He was speechless now, so I took a chance. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and pulled him down to my height, kissing him on the lips with as much passion as I could find in me. He didn’t object, and kissed me right back.

It had been a while since we last kissed, so we had a lot of making up to do.

I heard one of the movie people clear their throats, drawing Joe and I back to reality.

“So... Mr. Jonas, this has been an eventful afternoon for you,” the one holding the contract said. “And excuse us for interrupting, but, as I was saying before... do we have a deal?”

“Yes,” Joe answered, taking his one arm that had been wrapped around me to sign the contract and shake the guy’s hand, along with the other execs. They smiled before walking away, while I was utterly confused.

“What? No! Why did you sign that?” I asked. “You can’t leave! That’s why I came here to stop you! Why did you sign that if you have to go to Eur-” Joe stopped me by putting a hand over my mouth.

“Sophia, calm down. Can I tell you what I was trying to say before?” he asked. My expression fell, but I nodded. “The only reason I just signed that is because the execs made a deal. I told them I would only be in the movie if I could film here. They agreed, along with a few other adjustments, but... I’m staying here. I could never leave home for that long. Especially now since I have you.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling stupid now. He laughed at me, and I stuck my tongue out. “Whatever. I knew that.”

“Sure you did,” he said, grinning, before laying his forehead against mine. “Now, where were we?”

“I think I know,” I said, smiling before kissing him again. He, again, followed suit.

Our love story hasn’t exactly been perfect, but then again, nothing really is. All I know is, if it never started at an amusement park, it wouldn’t have led us here, to Hollywood and Vine.