Luck & Intuition

JOE PARKED HIS Jeep Wrangler in the parking lot of the magazine studios and jumped up. He swung his keys around his fingers while whistling through his lips as he opened the door and walked into the conference room where Kevin, Nick and Taylor were seated. There was thick tension stretched throughout the room caused my Joe intention of not even showing up to the meeting today.

“Well look who decided to show up.” Joe didn’t even have to make eye contact with Nick to know that he was glaring at him. Joe took a seat on the other side of the table and nodded.

“Dude, where were you?” Kevin asked. He seemed to be completely the opposite of what Taylor had told him on the phone. He seemed calm and collected. Whatever.

“I was out.” Joe shrugged and scrolled through his contacts for something to do. “When’s this meeting starting?”

“The lady went to go get some files or something. I don’t know she’s kind of a dimwit.” Taylor picked at her nails and took a long sip from her Starbucks coffee. A small smile touched his lips and he chuckled softly.

“What are you laughing at?” She asked, setting down her cup and eyeing Joe carefully.

Joe shrugged and faked a yawn. “Nothing just thought of something that amused me.”
A lady, in about her early twenties walked in with a black pencil skirt and a light purple blouse buttoned up to wear it would cover her bra. Her light brown hair fell just past her shoulders.

Joe watched her as she licked her forefinger and sorted through the pile of paper. Her green eyes flicked up directly at Joe’s. Her lips curved up into a smile. Joe smirked, fixing his posture and laying his phone down on the glass table.

She began to explain the papers she had handed out to them; it was merely just a questionnaire about themselves to put into the magazine followed by a photoshoot whenever they were not on a tight schedule.

“So we just have to fill this out?” Joe asked. He knew what he had to do but it was fun for him to play stupid for a moment.

She walked around the table and leaned over. “Yes, it’s just three pages, quite simply really.” She was leaning close to him. Her blouse was pulled tightly against her breast to expose her cleavage for only to notice the pink bra underneath her purple blouse.

She smiled at Joe again and stood up straight, exiting the conference room. Joe watched her hips as the swung back and forth in her tight little pencil skirt.

“You’re such a pig.” Taylor scoffed.

Joe snapped his head towards Taylor and gave her a confused look. He took the lid off the pen and read the first question on the page and jotted down his answer.

“You know what I’m talking about, so don’t even pretend like you don’t, Joe.”

“Kevin, did you really have to bring her?” Joe looked up directly at his older brother. “Honestly, who let the cow out of the barn.”

“It’s who let the cat out of the bag, dumbass.” Taylor shot back.

“Kevin, your wife is insulting me!”

“When pigs fly, Joe, when pigs fly.” Kevin replied, writing down his answers onto the page and turning over to the next.

“Can we not use idioms every twenty seconds?” Nick questioned, slamming down his pen onto the table and glared at Joe and Taylor.

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Nick.” Taylor and Joe busted out in laughter, high fiving one another at the comment made by both at the same time.

“Sod off, both of you!” Nick shouted and slid back his chair causing it to scratch across the floor. He dropped his papers on the table walked out.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

“Joseph.” Kevin said sternly, he even added that ‘look’ Papa Jonas gives them when they have done something wrong. “Go apologize.”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Kevin? Nick needs to learn how to take a joke. He’s twenty for crying out loud! He needs to grow up.”

“No, Joe. You need to grow up.” Kevin set down his pen and folded his hands down onto the table.

“What the hell are you talking about? I am grown up.”

Confusion was deep in Joe’s eyes as he waited for Kevin to open his mouth to explain himself.

“When was the last time you were actually in a relationship, Joe?” Taylor asked. Joe’s head flicked to her and narrowed his eyes.

“How is that relevant to anything right now?” He asked, slowly getting bored with the topic laid out in front of him.

“It’s completely relevant to everything lately. You’re not talking yourself seriously anymore. You’re going to clubs and getting drunk out of your mind, having these one night stands.”

Joe smirked. “You’re saying that like it’s a bad thing.”

Kevin shook his head and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Taylor sighed and looked down into her empty coffee cup. They looked so disappointed in him.

“Joe, please don’t act stupid. Not right now. You know what I’m saying. What we are all saying. You need to straighten yourself out. I know you want to fall in love and get married.”

“And I will, I just haven’t found the right girl yet.” Joe said softly, a bit of embarrassed for admitting things he didn’t want to admit to his brother and his sister-in-law. “I mean, there’s this girl, but it won’t work.”

“You don’t know that for sure.” Taylor spoke.

“But I do. She’s too busy with her own life and trying to make other peoples’ lives secure. She’s a real good person. Too good, I don’t think she sees that in herself, though.” Joe explained, not making eye contact.

“Autumn.”

Joe raised his head to see Nick standing in the doorway.

“Autumn.” Joe confirmed with a slight nodded, too. “She’s interesting.”

“She’s my girlfriend’s best friend.” Nick said.”Ask her out on a date.”

Joe stood up and laughed, shaking his head. “No. If today didn’t go well then I don’t think going on an official date will be smooth.”

Joe played with his car keys in his hand.

“555-0715.” Nick called out.

“What?”

“It’s Autumn’s cell phone number. Call her Joe, you know you want to.” Nick smiled.

Joe shook his head and pushed past Nick and walked towards the main doors to exit the building.

“Joe!”

He turned on his feet to see the girl from before walking quickly towards him. Her heels were clicking loudly against the ceramic floor. Her smile lit up her face as she handed him a folded piece of paper.

“What’s this?” He asked, opening the piece of paper.

Arianna
555-0116

“I get off at six usually. Call me sometime.” Arianna smiled hopefully and walked back into her office down the small hallway.

Joe watched her hips again, they mesmerized him. Arianna turned on her heel and smiled once more before actually entering her office and closing the door. He shoved the piece of paper into his pocket and walked out of the building.

Joe unlocked his car door and got inside, putting the key into the engine but didn’t turn it on. He strummed his fingers on the steering wheel, dazed and confused of what to do. He shook his head and turned the key. The engine roared to life as he began to back out of the parking space and turned onto the main road.

[&&]

Joe threw his keys onto his kitchen counter and walked over to the fridge to get a bottle of Coors. He twisted the cap off and gulped down half the bottle within seconds of placing the rim to his lips. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

He was confused, he admitted to it. He was confused about everything. He was really going nowhere in life if he kept boasting his ego rather than just being himself. He needed someone to keep him grounded. To work with his schedule and not flake on him or not be intimidated by the fans with the hate warnings.

Joe leaned forward against the counter and took his phone out of his pocket and stared at the touch keypad. He retrieved the piece of paper that read Arianna’s number across it. But, Autumn’s number was streaming across his thoughts as well.

If he called, what would be the outcome? What would the other think? Would she hate him? Would she not even care?

Joe’s fingers tapped against the screen and he pressed the green talk button. He held the phone against his ear as the rings drowned out his thoughts.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Joe. I was wondering tomorrow night if you’d like to join me for dinner?”