All That Matters

Joe ran up and down the halls searching for Sophie. He couldn’t find her anywhere, and it was getting close to show time. Eventually he walked out the arena doors to the back lot and he saw her sitting on the back of one of the semi’s used to haul their staging and equipment. He slowly made his way over to her, not sure as to how she was feeling or what her reaction might be.

“You found me...” she said as she wind blew her hair around.

“Of course I found you,” he said as she cautiously climbed off the bumper of the truck and wrapped her arms around Joe. “I’m so sorry about that back there, I didn’t mean those things she said.”

“Oh, I’m not upset about that,” she said from where her face was buried against his shirt.

“Then why did you leave?” he said as held her close.

“Honestly, I know Emily is your friend and I understand that ya’ll were once much closer. But the whole situation was making me frustrated. I didn’t really want to be mean to her...really Joe I don’t. Im sure I would be acting the exact same way if the rolls were reversed. I can’t imagine how I would feel if I lost you, but I’m sure it would be somewhere along the lines of what she is feeling too. She did lose you Joe, and she’s just trying to deal with that.”

“I know Sophie...I feel bad. Just, you heard what she was saying, and she just barged in and started demanding answers to questions. I can’t give her those answers! It would be like you demanding to know what it feels like to love you...You make me happy, you make me smile...I love to be around you. But none of that is a sufficient answer because there aren’t enough words to describe what we have between us. What we have between us is the answer to all of Emily questions. Why did I do what I did and why with you and all that bull shit...I cant begin to describe that to her to make her understand.”

Sophie stared into Joe’s eyes and brought her hands up to the side of his face, her fingers gently touching his hair.

“Joseph, the only people that need to understand our love...is us. Everyone else will get it in time. Time is what Emily needs. Don’t ague with her, try not to be mean to her, and just give her the simple answers that she needs. Not the ones she wants...but the ones she needs. I love you, and that isn’t going to change.”

Joe let out a breath he had been holding and pulled Sophie close into his body. Their lips met and Sophie sighed, a feeling of satisfaction flowing through her. His lips were warm, and soft as she stood there enjoying the way he tasted. Before she knew what was happening she felt her back hitting the side of the truck as Joe’s hands made their way up her shirt. She tiled her head back and moaned giving him perfect access to her neck. His lips grazed the sensitive spot beneath her ear as his hands went around to her back.
“Joseph,” she said as she suddenly stood still and stopped participating.

“Hum,” he said as he began to fumble with her clasp.

“We can’t do this here.” He pulled back and looked at her like she was crazy.

“Why not?”

“Joe!” she said laughing as she slid her way out from under him. “All it takes is for someone to move that truck right there, and ALLLL those fans on the other side of that perfectly good chain link fence will see.” Joe leaned his head against the truck and groaned.

“Your right,” he whispered as he looked at her, giving her an exasperated smile.

“Let’s go you have a show to do,” she said as she extended her hand to him.

“So we’re ok?” he asked. She flashed him a smile that made his heart melt.

“We’re more then ok.”

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

“Stop running Emily,” he yelled as he jogged down the hall after her. Twist and turns later he finally rounded the corner, running into her. Arms and legs tangled as the pair scrambled to get out of such close proximity to each other.

“You have to stop this,” he said as he finally was able to sit back against the wall. Kevin ran his hands through his curls as Emily sat indian style next to him.

“Stop what Kevin? Stop wondering, stop beating my self up over it...stop caring?” Kevin sighed as he looked at her. She looked like hell.

“Yes Emily, it takes time, I know. But you have to stop caring about the details and just accept what is.”

“I know Kevin. It’s just hard you know? I mean obviously you don’t know, you’ve never been in this situation before. But he just left me just like that, and not only that, he seems to want to throw our friendship out the window too! Give me some slack here Kev, this is my best friend in the whole world we’re talking about here. I have the right to be upset. Maybe...” she said pausing, “ Maybe I’m not handling this the best way,” she said as he snickered.

“Ok I’m not handling it the right way at all. I know the whole thing isn’t her fault,” she said referring to Sophie. Her eyes started to tear over again as Kevin reached over and put his arm around her. “ But look at her Kevin,” she said as she looked him in the eye. “And look at me. I can’t compare to her or her money or what she looks like! No wonder Joe left...”

“When I say stop it Emily, I also mean things like this,” he whispered as she slightly relaxed in his arms. “ You are beautiful. You know it, I know it, and Joe knows it. And what makes you even more beautiful to us is the friendship and the trust that we have in you. You are just like family to me Emily, you know that we all love you, including mom and dad. Don’t forget frankie.”

Emily laughed and sniffled a little as she tried to wipe her eyes some.

“Of course I couldn’t forget Frankie....I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Kevin smiled slightly at her and took her hand in his.

“Your going to pick your head up, try not to cry, and know that everyday you have a family surrounding you that loves you. Including me, and eventually including Joe. He’ll come around.”

“I hope your right,” she said as Kevin stood, offering his hand to her.

“Come on, I’ve got a show to do”

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The lights came back up on stage and the girls in the arena screamed. Joe ran back up to the front of the stage, but not before winking at Sophie where she stood off to the side. The boys held hands and bowed like gentlemen before the lights went out again.

“Come on, lets go go go!” Joe yelled at her as he ran by her and grabbed her hand as he dragged her down the hall way, her heals clacking loudly on the cement floor. Kevin and Nick were in front of them already as the sprinted towards the busses.

“Joe!” Sophie screamed as her hand slipped from his as he rounded a corned. Struggling to catch up with him, her heal broke as she just about hit the ground. Joe skidded to a stop when he heard her scream echoing through the halls.

“Baby! Come on we got to go!” he said in a rush as he jogged back over to where she was trying to take her heals off.

“Well you could have warned me,” she said scolding him as she looked down. She looked back up at him and his eyes met hers. “ I would have worn better shoes...” she said smugly as a smiled washed over her face. He laughed and before she knew it, she was hoisted up over his shoulder and they were bouncing down the hall. She could hear the crowd as they got closer to the door and she realized this is why they were running. Get out fast and beat the crazies. This was as close to their home town as they got, so things were always a little more crazy, plus, well they had a schedule to keep.

Cries of “Joe marry me!” and “ Oh my God it is Sophie” echoed quickly though the crowd as they approached the bus. Joe thought he was going to be cute as he began to spin around in circles with Sophie still over his shoulder!

“Put me down!” she managed to scream as Joe landed her right in front of the doors to the bus, they opened. She ran up the stairs the best she could followed by Joe who plopped down on the couch beside her.

“You so should have warned me, you owe me a pair of Jimmy Choo’s” she said as she inspected her heal.

Joe laughed and patted her on the leg, “I know, I’m sorry. I really didn’t even remember till half way though the show. The fans just get crazy here, so we hurry up and get the hell out of town,” he said as the bus finally pulled out on the road.

“Where are we going?”

“Back to New York...”

Sophie looked up at him, her eyes dark, and sad.

“To drop me off” she said more of a statement then a question. Joe pulled her on his lap as he nuzzled her neck with his nose.

“I’ll see you soon, don’t worry. You’re going to be plenty busy these next two weeks preparing for your week off.”

They sat there in silence as the bus bumped along the road, slowly but surely making its way into downtown New York. Joe could tells by Sophie’s steading breathing that she had fallen asleep as she rested in his arms, and that was ok by him. It had been a long day, and it was going to be an even longer 2 weeks for her. The bus finally pulled into the hotel almost two hours later and the boys had to go back to their hotel and get their things before they were driven straight to the airport. Joe cradled Sophie in his arms as he leaned against the wall of the elevator as it went up.

“Where are we?” she whispered without opening her eyes.

“Almost home baby,” he said right in time for the ding of the elevator. He stood Sophie up for a moment as he took out her key and unlocked the door. Picking her back up he carried her to her bed and laid down next to her.

“Don’t you have to go?” she asked through sleepy eyes.

“I told them I would meet them there soon...they cant leave without me. Without me,” he whispered as he brushed back her hair, “ Their just Kevin and Nick. They wouldn’t sell any tickets.”

Sophie smiled as she nestled into his arms.

“You took a shower on the bus,” she said as she inhaled his deep clean scent.

“I didn’t want you to remember for two weeks that I smelled like sweat.” She laughed against his chest as his fingers twirled her hair around.

“When do I get to come see you?” she asked as she rolled on her back and look at him. He smiled down at her and kissed her gently on both sides of her face.

“In Vegas, for two nights then the shows in LA for three days. Not to much traveling, just time being spent together. Do you have work tomorrow?”

Sophie groaned.

“Don’t remind me, I have this major deal going down this week, that I haven’t even stayed on top of. Dad is going to rip me a new one as soon as I see him and I’m going to spend the next two days looking over information and hope that everything is finalized before I have to leave to come see you.”

“Don’t sweat it Sophie, just think that at the end of it all you get to come see me.” He kissed her sweetly as he reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck. Right about the time her fingers found the button of his jeans his cell began vibrating.

“I should go,” he whispered against her lips.

“I know,” she said as she kissed him again, her teeth slightly tugging on his lower lip. Her hands found their way inside his pants as she felt the elastic of his boxer/briefs.

“Maybe a minute more...” he moaned as he attacked her neck with his mouth.

Their clothes were quickly shed as Joe pinned Sophie’s body underneath him, with their hands intertwined above her head. The constant buzzing of the cell phone reminded them on the time constraint they were on, as Joe increased the pace. Sophie kissed him roughly as she arched her back at her impeding climax.

“Your...so beautiful Sophie,” Joe whispered from above, the sight of her driving him insane. Her fingers dug into his hair, pulling slightly. He groaned as his thrust became hard and rapid.

“How do you do that to me?” he asked her as he laid in bed next to her in the moment after.

“It’s your fault, if you weren’t so damn hot it wouldn’t turn me on as much. Which in turn wouldn’t turn you on as much either,” Sophie answered him laughing as he stood and began to dress.

“So I turn my self on?” he asked with a silly look on his face. She slipped a shirt on and crawled over the covers as he leaned down and pecked her lips.

“Call me as soon as you land, I don’t care what time it is. Call my cell or the office or the apartment...or the phone in the car. Call everywhere.”

“You have that many numbers?” Joe asked as she walked him over to the door.

“For you I do, I put them all in your phone during the show,” she said. He could tell she was starting to get upset, her eyes starting to glaze over and she wouldn’t look at him directly.

“Sophie, I love you, I’ll see you soon” he assured her as he extended his arms out toward her.

“Don’t forget me,” she whispered as her tears threatened to spill

“Forget you? Whatever silly. I’ll call you first thing ok?”

Sophie nodded as she watched his muscular hand grip the doorknob. He turned around a looked at her one last time before he closed the door.

“Be strong, it’s only two weeks. I love you.”

“I love you too,” she whispered, smiling as she gazed at the man in front of her. But when the sound of the door slamming resonated through the empty apartment, her smiled was gone...and her tears finally fell.