Sequel: On and On ›
The Good Life
Chapter 12
Joe and I got home and the next few weeks were pretty hectic. He was working a lot trying to write a few more songs for the album and I was usually asleep by the time he drug himself into bed. When I woke up in the morning he was usually gone before I got to tell him bye. We kept getting in stupid fights. We would fight over little things but I think the thing eating at both of us was just the fact that we weren’t able to spend a lot of time with each other. But, he always slept here, no matter how late he got home or how early he had to leave; he always came just to sleep next to me. I love that about him, even though his schedule is crazy, he always comes home to spend those few hours with me.
I woke up one early one morning, really early, like 6:30 early I saw as I looked at the clock and then stretched and my legs hit something, I turned to see Joe sitting there with a huge grin on his face, and looked down to where he was looking and saw a folded piece of paper in his hands, slowly, the realization of he was reading clicked in my head, I turned over and pulled the covers over my head. I felt him move under the covers and slip an arms around me bringing his mouth to my ear, “Babe?” I rolled over, fully facing him, “Hmm?” I asked. “When did you write these?” He asked me holding up the paper. “When we were in Salt Lake City…” I trailed off remembering when we were there and how easy it was just to be together and not have a care in the world. I saw Joe watching my face. “I looked up at him, “What?” He shook his head, “You miss it there, huh?”
“Yeah, I just loved being there with you, with no work and no schedule, just me and you, it was just easy.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. “Kay, these are amazing.” I rested my head on his shoulder still hugging him, “Well you were my inspiration.”
He smiled like a goon and kissed the side of my head, we laid there a while and I ran my finger across his chest, drawing invisible designs and smiling to myself, I looked up at him and my movement caused his eyes to flutter open, “I miss you.” I said simply, His eyebrows knitted together and he cocked his head. “I just miss you, I don’t know,” I said as I dropped my eyes from his to the comforter and played with a stray string unraveling from it, “I don’t know, we have been kind of off lately, I feel like I haven’t got to spend any time with you since we got back from the cabin …” I trailed off and felt a tear drop from my eye, I tried to wipe it away without Joe noticing.
He noticed. “Babe.” He said in a low voice, “I know I haven’t been around but we’ve been really busy trying to get this done and I—” I didn’t want to break down in front of him but, it happened. “You don’t have to explain yourself Joe,” I choked out. “I knew what I was getting into whenever we got together, I just—” I was doing pretty well, there were tears, but it wasn’t uncontrollable. I looked away from him, “I just—” He pushed my face so he could look at my eyes, then I lost it, the look in his eyes, sadness, exhaustion, hurt, unsureness, they were burning into me, wanting to know my answer, “What babe, what is it?” I Collected myself and buried my head into his bare chest, “I just miss you, I miss you so much, I feel like I haven’t been able to talk to you in weeks, I miss your voice, I miss your eyes, I miss your kiss, your smile, watching you brush your teeth in the mornings, your smell, your touch, I just miss you, so much. He was silent for a while so I looked up and met his eyes to find that his eyes were tearing up. “Kay, I miss you too, you have no idea, I miss you so much, and you’re all I think about.”
I slowly closed my eyes and kissed him, a kiss I had been wanting for a couple of weeks now, just me and him, no one around, he quickly deepened it and laid me back down on the bed climbing on top of me, he reconnected our lips and we were soon interrupted by his phone vibrating on the bedside table.
I pulled away and looked away from him, “You should get that.” I said as I picked myself up off the bed and walked to the bathroom to take a shower, I locked the door so Joe couldn’t get in. I mean, I understood his schedule but for the past three weeks all I’ve seen of him is maybe a lunch out once a week, and when he was sleeping, sure, I understood but I didn’t have to like it, and I wasn’t mad at Joe, I was mad at the person on the other end of the phone, who kept taking him away from me. He just happened to be here for me to take it out on.
I heard Joe try to open the door and I heard him knocking on the door and I heard him calling my name, but I didn’t care, “Kayden?” he called to me, “Are you okay?” I ringed the water out of my hair and turned the shower off, “I’m fine Joe.” I heard a thud on the door, assuming it was his head, “Alright well that was—”
“The producer?” I answered for him.
“Yeah, he needs me to—”
“Meet him at the studio? Stay there all day and half the night?” I cut him off as I slid on my underwear and a t-shirt and opened the door. “Bye Joe.” I went to shut the door on him but his foot stopped it and he looked up to me, eyes filled with hurt and confusion. I hardened my face and turned my back to him so I wouldn’t have to look at his eyes and turned on the blow drier only for it to abruptly stop a few seconds later, I whipped around to see Joe with the plug in his hand, “What the hell is your problem Kayden?” he said while trying to calm himself by taking deep breaths. He was mad at me? I had a reason to be mad at him, I think? But he was yelling at me? “Let’s see Joe, this is the first time we’ve had a conversation in three weeks, three fucking weeks,” I said as I slammed the blow drier on the counter. He looked taken aback by the tone of my voice, and then he let it all out,
“Well I’m sorry that the thing my brothers and I have worked our entire lives for is keeping me from you, but every night I come here to sleep next to you, so I can hold you a few hours before I have to get up and work another 16 hour day, but you obviously can’t open your eyes and see how much I try, and how much I miss you, I’m living my dream, and you’re a part of it, but never in my life have I seen someone act so selfish. Have you ever taken a second to step back and look how this affects me? Or cared to ask how my day was? Or thought about how drained and exhausted I am? Have you Kayden?” My mouth hung open and tears welled up in my eyes, how did this go from a perfectly good morning to hell?
It was me, it’s all my fault, I started this, he just made me feel like shit. I looked into Joe’s face and saw the anger in his eyes. I swallowed hard and took a step towards him, “Joe.” I said in a small voice. He held his hand up “Save it, Kayden, I’m leaving, I can’t deal with you right now.” I backed into the wall and slid down it and crossed my arms across my knees and leaned my head back letting the tears pour from my eyes.
Joe’s P.O.V.
I walked into the room and snatched my stuff off the nightstand and grabbed some clothes to change into later. I could here sobs escaping from Kayden’s throat and I wanted to run to her and hold her, but she really hurt me. I know she was just upset that we weren’t spending time together but all the stress from these past couple of weeks just exploded and I took it out in her. Maybe we needed a break? Went without each other for a while, it might be good for us. I made my way back past the bathroom and heard her croak out, “Joe.” I didn’t want to turn around and face her, I’d break down and I knew it, so I stopped, “Are. We. Over?” she asked between short breaths. I shut my eyes trying to think how I could ever handle that and shook my head ‘no’ never facing her, and then continued on my way out of the house. About half way down the stairs, I heard her continue to sob onto the floor, I wanted to turn around, I couldn’t take it, I ran to the door instead and hurried out of it, I got in the car and took off toward the studio.
I woke up one early one morning, really early, like 6:30 early I saw as I looked at the clock and then stretched and my legs hit something, I turned to see Joe sitting there with a huge grin on his face, and looked down to where he was looking and saw a folded piece of paper in his hands, slowly, the realization of he was reading clicked in my head, I turned over and pulled the covers over my head. I felt him move under the covers and slip an arms around me bringing his mouth to my ear, “Babe?” I rolled over, fully facing him, “Hmm?” I asked. “When did you write these?” He asked me holding up the paper. “When we were in Salt Lake City…” I trailed off remembering when we were there and how easy it was just to be together and not have a care in the world. I saw Joe watching my face. “I looked up at him, “What?” He shook his head, “You miss it there, huh?”
“Yeah, I just loved being there with you, with no work and no schedule, just me and you, it was just easy.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. “Kay, these are amazing.” I rested my head on his shoulder still hugging him, “Well you were my inspiration.”
He smiled like a goon and kissed the side of my head, we laid there a while and I ran my finger across his chest, drawing invisible designs and smiling to myself, I looked up at him and my movement caused his eyes to flutter open, “I miss you.” I said simply, His eyebrows knitted together and he cocked his head. “I just miss you, I don’t know,” I said as I dropped my eyes from his to the comforter and played with a stray string unraveling from it, “I don’t know, we have been kind of off lately, I feel like I haven’t got to spend any time with you since we got back from the cabin …” I trailed off and felt a tear drop from my eye, I tried to wipe it away without Joe noticing.
He noticed. “Babe.” He said in a low voice, “I know I haven’t been around but we’ve been really busy trying to get this done and I—” I didn’t want to break down in front of him but, it happened. “You don’t have to explain yourself Joe,” I choked out. “I knew what I was getting into whenever we got together, I just—” I was doing pretty well, there were tears, but it wasn’t uncontrollable. I looked away from him, “I just—” He pushed my face so he could look at my eyes, then I lost it, the look in his eyes, sadness, exhaustion, hurt, unsureness, they were burning into me, wanting to know my answer, “What babe, what is it?” I Collected myself and buried my head into his bare chest, “I just miss you, I miss you so much, I feel like I haven’t been able to talk to you in weeks, I miss your voice, I miss your eyes, I miss your kiss, your smile, watching you brush your teeth in the mornings, your smell, your touch, I just miss you, so much. He was silent for a while so I looked up and met his eyes to find that his eyes were tearing up. “Kay, I miss you too, you have no idea, I miss you so much, and you’re all I think about.”
I slowly closed my eyes and kissed him, a kiss I had been wanting for a couple of weeks now, just me and him, no one around, he quickly deepened it and laid me back down on the bed climbing on top of me, he reconnected our lips and we were soon interrupted by his phone vibrating on the bedside table.
I pulled away and looked away from him, “You should get that.” I said as I picked myself up off the bed and walked to the bathroom to take a shower, I locked the door so Joe couldn’t get in. I mean, I understood his schedule but for the past three weeks all I’ve seen of him is maybe a lunch out once a week, and when he was sleeping, sure, I understood but I didn’t have to like it, and I wasn’t mad at Joe, I was mad at the person on the other end of the phone, who kept taking him away from me. He just happened to be here for me to take it out on.
I heard Joe try to open the door and I heard him knocking on the door and I heard him calling my name, but I didn’t care, “Kayden?” he called to me, “Are you okay?” I ringed the water out of my hair and turned the shower off, “I’m fine Joe.” I heard a thud on the door, assuming it was his head, “Alright well that was—”
“The producer?” I answered for him.
“Yeah, he needs me to—”
“Meet him at the studio? Stay there all day and half the night?” I cut him off as I slid on my underwear and a t-shirt and opened the door. “Bye Joe.” I went to shut the door on him but his foot stopped it and he looked up to me, eyes filled with hurt and confusion. I hardened my face and turned my back to him so I wouldn’t have to look at his eyes and turned on the blow drier only for it to abruptly stop a few seconds later, I whipped around to see Joe with the plug in his hand, “What the hell is your problem Kayden?” he said while trying to calm himself by taking deep breaths. He was mad at me? I had a reason to be mad at him, I think? But he was yelling at me? “Let’s see Joe, this is the first time we’ve had a conversation in three weeks, three fucking weeks,” I said as I slammed the blow drier on the counter. He looked taken aback by the tone of my voice, and then he let it all out,
“Well I’m sorry that the thing my brothers and I have worked our entire lives for is keeping me from you, but every night I come here to sleep next to you, so I can hold you a few hours before I have to get up and work another 16 hour day, but you obviously can’t open your eyes and see how much I try, and how much I miss you, I’m living my dream, and you’re a part of it, but never in my life have I seen someone act so selfish. Have you ever taken a second to step back and look how this affects me? Or cared to ask how my day was? Or thought about how drained and exhausted I am? Have you Kayden?” My mouth hung open and tears welled up in my eyes, how did this go from a perfectly good morning to hell?
It was me, it’s all my fault, I started this, he just made me feel like shit. I looked into Joe’s face and saw the anger in his eyes. I swallowed hard and took a step towards him, “Joe.” I said in a small voice. He held his hand up “Save it, Kayden, I’m leaving, I can’t deal with you right now.” I backed into the wall and slid down it and crossed my arms across my knees and leaned my head back letting the tears pour from my eyes.
Joe’s P.O.V.
I walked into the room and snatched my stuff off the nightstand and grabbed some clothes to change into later. I could here sobs escaping from Kayden’s throat and I wanted to run to her and hold her, but she really hurt me. I know she was just upset that we weren’t spending time together but all the stress from these past couple of weeks just exploded and I took it out in her. Maybe we needed a break? Went without each other for a while, it might be good for us. I made my way back past the bathroom and heard her croak out, “Joe.” I didn’t want to turn around and face her, I’d break down and I knew it, so I stopped, “Are. We. Over?” she asked between short breaths. I shut my eyes trying to think how I could ever handle that and shook my head ‘no’ never facing her, and then continued on my way out of the house. About half way down the stairs, I heard her continue to sob onto the floor, I wanted to turn around, I couldn’t take it, I ran to the door instead and hurried out of it, I got in the car and took off toward the studio.