Never let go.

Once me and Nick had eaten, we decided that it was time that we went home. It was only 1pm, but the both of us were tired for some strange reason. “Ready?” He asked me, placing a $20 note on the table. I rolled my eyes. I had offered to pay for my half of the meal, but Nick was being uptight and reclined it. I nodded my head and stood up, stretching. I grabbed the Tiffany’s bag and followed Nick out of the restaurant. The both of us shared a look when we saw all the cameras outside. Nick sighed heavily, slipping his hand into mine. Last time I came out with all the boys, one of the paps got hold of me and pulled me to the ground. So now, whoever I’m out with, has to keep a good grip on me. “Should have brought Big Rob with me.” He muttered. I laughed as the two of us walked out. All the paparazzi called Nick.

“Nick, where’s Jess?” Somehow this made me laugh. Nick turned his head slightly to look at me. “Isn’t that her sister?” I laughed even more. I didn’t even know why I was laughing, it was funny. Nick pulled me to his side and whispered in my ear.

“On three, run.” He said. I looked up at him and laughed. I nodded my head and smiled. “3!” He yelled, not including 1 or 2. The both of us ran for it. Nick, obviously being faster and a lot fitter, was practically dragging me. I didn’t realize that they were following us until I heard screaming.

“What’s in the Tiffany’s bag?” One of the men screamed. I shared a look with Nick and the both of us smiled. Once we got to the car, the both of us were out of breath.

“I didn’t realize the car was so far away.” I mumbled, getting into the car. Nick agreed with me, climbing into the driver’s seat. He smacked it into reverse and sped out of the car park. I smiled, knowing that we had got away from them. I rested my head against the back of the head rest. I closed my eyes softly.

“So what’s this guy like?” Nick said, breaking the silence. I sighed but didn’t open my eyes.

“He’s nice. Really nice. He’s a real gentleman, Nick.” I slowly opened my eyes and Nick turned his head towards me slightly. “He asked me on a date.”

“I know, Iz.” Nick sighed. “What’s his name?” I looked over at Nick.

“James.” I said, narrowing my eyebrows. “Are you trying to get info on me to report back to Joe?” I asked, joking. Nick turned to me slightly, and raised both eyebrows. “Oh my god, you are?” I squealed. Nick ran his fingers through my hair. “He is such a…arghh!” Okay, so now I was annoyed. Joe was pushing this so badly.

“Look, he is only worried about you, Isabelle. He is your best friend; he is making sure that you don’t get your heart broken.” Nick said, parking in the Jonas’s drive. I didn’t even notice that we were in the street. The both of us slowly got out the car, what Nick said registering in my head. Nick gave me a half smile as we walked through the front door. “Anyone in?” He yelled, taking off his shoes. I slipped my shoes off and put them down at the front door.

“Yeah, I’m in.” Someone yelled. I looked at Nick and rolled my eyes.

“Because that helps.” Nick replied, throwing his shoes down. I rolled my eyes and laughed to myself. I picked up Nick’s shoes and placed them next to mine. Joe stuck his head around the stairs. “Ah, you are Joseph.” Nick said, smiling. Joe rolled his eyes at his baby brother. “Can you come here for a while? I wanna show you both something.” I cheered. Joe narrowed his eyebrows but walked down the stairs anyway. Nick slowly walked into the lounge, where his piano sat in the corner of the room. He rolled the sleeves up on his plaid shirt and sat down on the stool. I walked over towards him and stood, leaning against the piano. Joe stood a little way behind both of us. Nick turned his head slightly to Joe and smiled. “I’m going to propose to Jess in two days…” Nick took a massive breath as if it has just hit him. “And I’m doing it in a very cliché way. I wrote a song, it’s called Critical.” Both me and Joe looked over at Nick and watched him as his fingers ran across the piano.

“There’s a storm coming out
and I gotta prepare myself.
Cause this feelings getting
Stronger everyday.
Something’s creeping inside
Everything is about to change.
Gotta face the fact
That I can’t walk away.”

Nick was right. Everything was about to change. And walking away isn’t going to change. Neither was running. I need to talk to Joe, because our friendship wasn’t worth throwing away over a tiny argument.

“This is critical.
I’m feeling helpless.
So hysterical, this can’t be healthy.
I can’t eat or sleep when you’re not with me,
Baby, you’re the air I breathe.
This is critical, yeah.
So stuck on you.”

Me and Joe have been through so much together. When we were 7, there was a massive thunderstorm and the both of us were so scared. I climbed out of my sleeping bag on his and Kevin’s bedroom floor and climbed into his single bed. The both of us held hands and stayed awake until it had stopped. And when Joe broke up with Taylor, I was there when she made the video about him. I held his hand all the way through it all. And when Camilla broke up with him, I was straight there. I held his hand when he cried.

“Used to have everything figured out,
But it’s different now.
When you came, you saw
You conquered my heart.
It’s your laugh and your smile.
Wanna stay for a little while.
I don’t wanna go,
I just want you in my arms.”

I looked over at Joe. He seemed deep in thought. He was staring at Nick playing the song, but he was biting at his lip. He did it self consciously when he was thinking. One day he’ll bite a hole through his lip one day. I turned back to Nick and gave him a confident smile.

“This is critical.
I’m feeling helpless.
So hysterical, this can’t be healthy.
I can’t eat or sleep when you’re not with me,
Baby, you’re the air I breathe.
This is critical, yeah.
So stuck on you.

Used to run and hide,
Used to bend our love.
But I can’t escape this time, oh no.”

I needed to tell Joe how I felt. I’d been holding it for too long. But now with James, I was slowly getting over Joe. I’ll always have something for him, but James was helping me through it. He was really kind, funny and really cute. But Joe was exactly the same. But Joe knows everything about me. The whole story of my life, every single part of it. And that made me feel quite safe.

“This is critical
I am feeling helpless
So hysterical, and this can't be healthy
I can't eat or sleep
When you're not with me
You're the air I breath
This is critical, yeah

Baby it's so critical
It's so critical
And I like it
It's so critical
It's so critical
So stuck on you.”

Nick pulled his fingers off the keys, and relaxed. I smiled at him as he stood up. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Nick, that was amazing.” He grinned back at me as the both of us pulled away from the hug. Joe made his way over to us, smiling softly.

“Yeah, she’ll love it Nick.” Joe said. Nick smiled at his older brother. I grinned at the both of them. Then they shared a look, and Joe walked off, upstairs. I looked at Nick, my eyebrows narrowed.

“What was that look about, Nicholas?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. Nick shrugged his shoulders and gave me a half smile.

“I’ve gotta pee.” He muttered, before making a dash out the room. I screwed my nose up as I sat down on the couch. The house was completely silent and you could hear the faint sound of a guitar. I got off the couch, and followed the sound. It led me to outside Joe’s door. I sighed and lifted my hand to grab the door handle. I slowly pushed it open and looked over at Joe. He was sitting on his bed, a pencil in his mouth and strumming his guitar. I leant against the door frame and smiled softly.

“Writing a new song?” I whispered. I knew he could hear me, but he didn’t turn around. He nodded his head, pulling the pencil out of his mouth and writing something. I walked over and sat on the end of his bed. Joe put his guitar down against the stand and threw the notepad under his bed. He lied down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. “Joe, can we talk?” I asked, running my fingers through my hair. Joe leant on his elbow and looked up at me.

“What? You wanna talk now?” He hissed at me. I rolled my eyes and leant against the wall. I pulled down my skirt and rested my hands against my thighs. “Say whatever then.” He said, lying back down. I sighed to myself and ran my fingers through my hair once more.

“Joe, you are my best friend and I love you. And I know I should have told you about meeting up with James, and I was, but something changing with us.” I whispered. Joe sat up slowly and crossed his legs underneath him. I bit my lip, waiting for a reply.

“Izzie.” He whispered. I looked over at him and he was holding both his arms open. I slowly crawled into them and he pulled me into his lap. My legs were over his thighs and my face hid in the crook of his neck. I let the tears flow. “Don’t cry, please?” He whispered, brushing the hair out of my eyes. I looked up at him.

“Something’s changing. And I don’t want to lose you.” I whispered, ducking my head down to look at my lap. Joe tucked two fingers under my chin and he lifted my head up to get my looking at him.

“It was my entire fault. I shouldn’t have gone down your texts. I shouldn’t have automatically guessed that you were dating him and I shouldn’t have flipped out.” He whispered. I had my hands resting on the top of his chest as Joe rested his cheek on the top of my head. My arms made their way to around Joe’s neck. I played with the bottom of his hair, wrapping my fingers around it. “Izzie, I don’t want to lose you.” He whispered straight into my ear. I shudder under the feel of his breath. Joe kissed the top of my head, wrapping both arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Joe.”

----NeverLetGo----

Me and Joe ended up falling asleep. We both moved out of the position we were in, to be under the covers. I was in Joe’s shirt and baseball shorts while he was just in his boxers. I had my head resting on his chest and he had both arms around my waist, pulling me to his side with no gap between us. I ran my fingers across Joe’s chest, placing a kiss on the bottom of his neck before climbing out of bed. I wandered downstairs where I could hear voices. I walked into the lounge, yawning. Everyone smiled at me. Kevin, Danielle, Jess, Nick, Frankie and Reece were watching Finding Nemo. “You and Joe made up now?” Jess asked, from the arms of Nick. I winked at him and nodded my head, squeezing in between the arm of the chair and Danielle. I smiled at her.

“Yeah, we worked it out when me and Nick came in.” I replied. “Everything is good now.” I smiled. I looked over at Danielle and nudged her. “How you feeling, love?”

“Eh. Better than I was this morning.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But I think this morning sickness is morning, afternoon and night.” I screwed my nose up in disgust. “I know.” I heard a little bark and looked around.

“Where’s the rat?” I asked, meaning Kevin and Danielle’s dog, Riley. And for that joke, I got a punch in the arm. Really hard punch. I picked up the dog at my feet and put her on my lap. She barked at me and ran over to Kevin.

“That’s what you get for calling my dog a rat.” Kevin said, sticking his tongue out. I watched as the dog slowly fell asleep in Kevin’s arms. I smiled at him and laughed. Joe slowly walked into the lounge, rubbing his eyes. “Morning. You do know it’s 8pm?” Kevin joked, laughing. Joe rolled his eyes at his older brother, before sitting at my feet. I leant forwards and started to rub my hands against his shoulders, giving him a massage. He groaned really loudly and the both of us blushed. I hit a knot in his back and I made his arch. I really pushed my thumb into it, releasing it. He groaned once more, which resulted into a kick in the thigh. He leant backward, resting his head between my legs and winked at me. I laughed to myself and smiled at him. I leant down and kissed his forehead. He laughed and sat back into his previous position. I caught Danielle out the corner of my eye, she was smirking at both me and Joe. I rolled my eyes at her and shook my head. Denise and Paul walked in, smiling at me.

“So you two have finally made up?” Both me and Joe grinned at her and nodded our head. “Thank god. I thought all hell was going to be let loose.” I stuck my tongue out at her and she laughed. “So whose go is it tomorrow?” That completely slipped my mind. It’s really weird. Every Wednesday either me or Joe usually cooked dinner. I pointed at Joe the same time he pointed at me.

“Nu uh!” Joe said, sounding like a three year old. “I cooked last week. Because I made that pasta that went down Kevin’s new shirt.” Joe defended himself. The image of Kevin with red pasta sauce down his t-shirt made me burst into laughter. Suddenly, I felt Kevin’s foot kick me in the hip.

“What?” I said, turning my head and smiling at him. “It was funny.” Kevin rolled his eyes at me, and carried on stroking Riley’s back. I turned back and looked over at Denise. “I guess it’s my turn.” I muttered, reluctantly. Joe chuckled and then head butted my knee. I kicked him in the thigh once more.

“Be nice to me, Sage.” He said, laughing. I hated it when he called me Sage. I glared at him and got off the couch. I wandered into the kitchen, knowing both Danielle and Jess would follow me. They probably wanted to know what happened between me and Joe. I walked over to the fridge and pulled out a can of 7up. I sat down around the table just as Danielle and Jess walked in. They looked at me, before they grabbed a drink and sat down with me. I took a sip of my drink while the both of them watched me.

“What? I muttered, shrugging my shoulders. Jess raised both eyebrows up at me.

“Spill.” She said, smiling. I laughed softly to myself and took another sip, leaving both girls in suspense. They both waved their arms around their head, obviously annoyed. I grinned at them.

“Not much, really. Me and Nick came in from shopping and he went to pee. And I heard music coming from upstairs so I followed it and it lead to Joe’s room. So I walked in and we talked. Everything is okay now.” I told, finishing my drink. I stood up and threw my drink into the recycling bin. I walked back over to the table. “Nothing really interesting.” I started to tap the table.

“Mmm…so what did you and Nick do today?” Danielle asked, sipping her diet coke. I shrugged my shoulders.

“Not much. I got Joe’s birthday present. I’ve got to get it next week.” I said, smiling. Suddenly, I felt two hands on my shoulders and I jumped about 20 foot in the air. I turned slightly to see who it was. Joe stood behind me, grinning like a crazy fool.

“What did you get me for my birthday?” He sang in my ear. I rolled my eyes, ignoring the shivers that were going down my back. I turned to him slowly and grinned.

“You will find out on your birthday, Joseph.” I tapped his nose and stood up. He pouted at me as I skipped out the room. My phone buzzed inmine Joe’s shorts, making me jump. I grinned as I saw the name.

From-James.
So, our date. Tomorrow? :) x

I bit my lip softly. I couldn’t do tomorrow, because of this whole dinner thing. But I didn’t want to disappoint him. But family comes before boyfriends, or in my case, dates.

To-James.
Sorry, I can’t do tomorrow. Unfortunately for me, I have a family thing. How’s Thursday for you? x

I felt bad and slightly like I’d let him down. I pouted softly as I watched as the text send. Joe came from behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I jumped at his touch. “Izzie.” He sang. I turned my head slightly to look at him.

“Yes, Joseph?” I asked, sliding my phone back into my pocket. He grinned at me, and I turned, so his hands were on my hips. I placed both my arms on the top of his arm.

“When do I get to meet James properly?” My mouth dropped open. Joe grinned at me. “What?” He said, narrowing his eyebrows.

“I’m not even dating the guy, Joe. I’ve not even gone out on a date with him.” I said, moving away from him. I walked into the lounge, where it was completely empty. I flopped onto the sofa and Joe came and lifted my feet up, and sat down, putting them back into his lap. His fingers ran up my shins softly, covering me in goose bumps. Joe looked over at me.

“Cold?” I nodded my head, covering it up. Joe rubbed his legs, causing friction. “So when can I meet him?” Joe asked, breaking the silence. I rolled my eyes. “What? I can’t to make sure that he is perfect for my little Isabelle.” I stopped and looked over at Joe. He blinked and gave me a soft grin.

“Joe, apparently, no one is perfect for me.” I laughed, smiling at Joe. He nodded his head, agreeing with me.

“No one is perfect for you Iz. Have you seen yourself?”Joe laughed to himself. I glared at him, slamming the heal of my left foot, straight into his package. He screamed, almost like a girl, before groaning and falling to the floor. I burst into laughter and dived off the couch. I ran into the kitchen where Kevin, Danielle, Jess and Nick sat around the couch.

“Help me!” I screamed, pushing Nick off his chair and hiding under the table. Yeah, I’m 21 in 5 months, but I’m never to big to hide under the table.

“Why are you hiding under the table?” Jess asked, sticking her head down so she could see me. I laughed and held my finger up to my lips, pulling my phone out. I opened up a new text, clicking Jess as a contact.

To-Jessicaaa!
My foot. Joe’s balls! xD x

I heard a random burst of laughter, and I knew it was Jess. I grinned to myself, until I heard footsteps, then I stopped and stayed absolutely still. I saw a pair of blue socks, and knew they were Joe’s. “Do you know where Iz is?” I tried not to laugh. I bit into my fist, and tried to stop myself from giggling.

“Nope. Why?” Kevin replied, as if it was a casual thing. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. I slowly made my way over to Nick’s feet and undone the shoe laces of his Converse. He slowly moved his feet backwards, and then moved them forwards again.

“Because she punched me in the nuts.” I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. I grabbed both of Nick’s shoe laces and tied them together, skillfully. I grinned to myself, and took a photo of it. I uploaded it to Twitter, tagging Nick into it. “Hey Nick, can I talk to you? Outside.” Joe said, making me grin like crazy. Nick pushed his chair back and stood up. Nick stretched one leg out and tumbled straight to the floor. I climbed out from underneath the table and climbed over him. I grinned at him and laughed.

“Might wanna check your Twitter, m’love.” I blew him a kiss and skipped out of the room. Joe laughed, and ran after me. “Yessss?” I asked, smiling at him. He gave me a really intense, serious look. I thought he was going to get me.

“Want to order a pizza?”