"Yo, Jo!" She hears someone yell from across the street. She turns around to see her co-worker, Barry, walking toward her with two cups of coffee. She smiles.
"Hey, Barry." Joey Crock says once he catches up to her. He hands her the other cup of coffee and then they keep walking to the office building together.
"You look exhausted." He notes, taking a sip of his drink.
"Yeah, that's because Warren gave me a bunch of files to look over and I wasn't done until three in the morning. I swear, if he keeps doing this to my personal life, I'm going to quit." Barry snorts in laughter.
"What personal life?" That earns him a nice elbow to the ribs. "I'm just saying! When was the last time you went out on a date?" Back in college... She thinks to herself sadly, but she doesn't say that out loud.
"Well, who knows? I could have a hot guy waiting for me at home right now."
"But you don't." He says with a smirk.
"Oh, shut up!" She yells.
***
"Hey, Jocelyn. Could you come here for, like, two seconds." Joey groans in annoyance.
"What do you want, Warren? I'm busy." She says, not looking up from her laptop as she finishes the story that she was going to do last night, but then a certain horrible boss stuck her with a bunch of stupid files to look over at the last minute.
"Okay, first of all, we're in the office. It's Mr. West to you," She raises her eyebrows playfully at him, letting him know that she will never call him that in her lifetime. He knows that. But he shakes his head lightly as if saying 'can't blame a guy for trying'. "And second of all, that's work that I stuck you with and I say that it can wait. Now come on," He says, gesturing between the door that connects their two workspaces.
"Fine. Five minutes. After that, I'm leaving, even if you're mid-sentence." She gets up from her workspace and follows him through the doorway, sitting down at a chair across from him at his desk.
"So, how have your reports been going lately?" He asks after a second of silence. She puts on a fake smile.
"Fantastic! You know, I just wrote a piece on this wonderful lady! She was a World War II nurse then after that she read to blind children at the library everyday for forty years. She had just opened the flower shop of her dreams when her own son shot her in the heart twice and slit her throat just to make sure the job was done. Happy endings!" Joey's sarcasm is practically dripping from her mouth. If you're wondering about her line of work, she writes the Obituaries for her local newspaper. So if she seems a little dark to you, it's because she's literally surrounded by death six days a week.
"Look, I know you don't like writing the Obits—"
"Can't stand it." She corrects him. She guesses she should be paying him a little bit of respect, given the fact that he's her boss. But to give respect, she needs to receive respect. And Warren West is the complete opposite of respect. He's lazy, annoying, flirts with absolutely anything female, and sticks Joey with all of his important research so he can use that time to make out with Linda Park in the copy room.
Ugh.
Joey can't stand Linda Park.
"Which is why," He continues, as if she hadn't just interrupted him. "I'm giving you a promotion." Joey's eyes widen in shock and joy.
"Really?" She asks, trying to contain her excitement. "What will I be writing?" A giant grin makes its way onto Warren's face and Joey's starting to wonder if this is going to be a good thing or a bad thing.
"Commitments." And the answer is: bad thing!
"Are you serious? You mean, like, weddings and shit? No, sorry, but I'd rather stick to old ladies getting shot."
"Come on, Joey! You're a great writer! You can handle this."
"Sorry, but I don't do the whole happily-ever-after thing. It's stupid. Hey, did you know that nine out of ten marriages end in divorce?" Warren sighs, running his fingers through his dark brown hair.
"Look, I know you have a black hole for a heart and you're allergic to love—"
"Do you want to be slapped?"
"But you're a great journalist," He keeps going, once again ignoring her comment. "You've got a lot of potential. And I think you deserve more than writing about dead people." Great! He just had to go and make her feel good about herself! No. I'm not doing this. I will not write about stupid weddings!
"So you'd rather have me writing about cheesy 'it was love at first sight' fairytale endings? No, okay, if you stick me with that I am going to shoot myself!" He sighs, shaking his head in defeat.
"Alright, fine. I should have known you would never agree to it. I guess I'll just have to ask Linda instead, like I was going to do in the first place..." She cringes at her enemy’s name. He was going to ask Linda Park? Before her?
"Oh, please. Linda couldn't do half as good as me." He smirks at her.
"Really?" He asks, drawing out the word.
"Yes, really." She responds, mocking his tone.
"Prove it."
"What?"
"Write the Commitments column and prove to me that you're better than her." A defiant fire burns within his emerald eyes as if saying 'You can't do it'.
Challenge accepted.
"Fine! I'll do it! And I'll be so damn good that you'll regret even considering her for a second!"
"I bet I will," He says, a triumphant smirk on his face. "Now get the hell out of my office. You have work to do and I believe my five minutes are up."
Joey walks out of his office and closes the door. She goes back over to her desk and sits down, putting her head in her hands. "He totally set you up," She says out loud to herself. "Nice going, Joey."
***
"Crock!" An angry voice yells. Joey rolls her eyes.
"What do you want, Park?"
"You stole my job! That Commitments column was supposed to be mine! But now, thanks to you I'm still stuck in the Sports section! Do you have any idea how hard I worked for that spot?" Joey's jaw drops in disbelief.
"You did not work for it! You sweet-talked and seduced your way to the top while I actually showed Warren that I'm a good writer. So maybe instead of whoring around, you could actually get some work done. Maybe he'll find some potential in you if you're not trying to get your top off around him all the time."
"I do not--"
"Sweetheart, the entire office knows." She cuts Linda off just as she's about to protest. There are even some murmurs of agreement from their coworkers that started listening into their conversation.
Joey can't believe she just said all of that. She actually stood up to Linda Park! She's been letting Linda push her around for a whole year and now...God, she can't believe how easy that was! Joey smirks at the woman in front of her, silently telling the bitch to try to keep challenging her, to keep trying to defend the fact that she hasn't been sleeping with Warren to try to get a promotion. But she doesn't, because that is exactly what she's been doing. And look how well that turned out. Guess who's writing the Commitments column now, bitch? Not you!
"Just stay out of my way," Linda says, turning on her heal and walking away from the girl that just embarrassed her in front of most of her co-workers. But then she looks at her one more time, her dark brown eyes filled with rage. "And stay away from my boyfriend!" And with that, she slams the door to her office.
A sense of disappointment washes over Joey. So Linda and Warren are dating? I thought they were just friends with benefits. She feels like a complete moron. She should have known there was something more between them.
Well it sucks for them. Love never lasts long, anyway.
"Jocelyn? You realize that your lunch break started about ten minutes ago." She hears Warren's voice behind her as she types furiously to finish her latest wedding story.
"Don't care. Working." She says simply.
"Joey..." He says in a concerned voice, putting his hand on her shoulder. Joey stops typing, shocked. His touch is so warm and comforting...No. No time for that, Jo. You're at work. And dating is a waste of time. But she can't help the fact that as long as he's touching her, there's no what she'll be able to think straight. She also can't help that annoying little feeling in her stomach.
She takes a breath, using all of her strength to form the scowl that usually comes so easily to her when she's talking to him.
"Warren, I swear, if you don't take your hand off of me in two seconds, you won't have the option of having children anymore." Warren laughs, but removes his hand from Joey's shoulder regardless.
"Awe, how sweet. Already thinking that far ahead into our future." The way he says 'our future' makes Joey blush, and she's glad that she wore her hair down today instead of in its usual ponytail because she's using it to hide her now deep red cheeks. I should probably bring Linda up, She thinks to herself,remind him that he's in a relationship and that he really shouldn't be talking to me like that. But this is Warren West—AKA Mr. Flirt-With-Anything-Wearing-A-Skirt. He probably would have said that exact same thing to her even if he was married.
Suddenly, there's a knock on the door, and Joey's so thankful because she knows that if she's left alone with Warren for another second, she might break something. "What?" She asks. The door opens and she sees Barry, lingering in the doorway. Joey's scowl instantly turns into a warm smile. "Hey, Barry."
"Hey, sorry if I'm interrupting something..." He says once he sees Warren only inches apart from where she's sitting at her desk.
"You're not," Joey says, glaring at him as a mischievous smile plays on his lips and it's not hard to tell what he's thinking. "What did you need?"
"Um, there's a girl who claims she knows you and won't leave until she sees you."
"What's her name?"
"She said it was Xandra." Joey's gray eyes light up at the name of her best friend and roommate.
"Send her in." He walks away and about two seconds later, Xandra walks in, her raven-black hair curled to perfection and her blue eyes sparkling with excitement.
"You, me, lunch, now." She says, not even bothering with a 'Hey, Joey! How's work been?'. Beside her, she hears laughter, and Joey jumps because she hadn't realized that Warren was still there.
"Well then, I'll leave you ladies to it." He says with a wink at Xandra. She blushes bright red.
"It was nice meeting you!" She yells after him with a sweet voice and flirtatious wave. He just laughs a little, and leaves. As soon as he walks back into his office, Xandra strides up to Joey's desk.
"Who was that and where can I get one?" She asks as she stares at the office door which Warren just walked through. Joey rolls her eyes. "You know, that front-desk dude was pretty hot, too. I knew you worked for a newspaper, but I didn't realize that it was also a male model hotspot."
"Xandra, you realize you have a boyfriend, right?"
"Whatever. Just grab your purse. We're going. Now."
"So, where exactly are we going?" Joey asks her roommate once they're out of the office building.
"Dunno. Richard picked it out. Said it has really good burgers." The blonde journalist groans.
"No! He's going to be there? I always feel like a third wheel around you two."
"That wouldn't happen if you had a hot boyfriend." Xandra responds in a sing-songy voice.
"I don't have time for dating. Between work and paying rent I'm just too stressed out...maybe in a few years." The dark-haired girl laughs.
"Sweetie, you need to get laid."
"Xandra!"
"What? You don't have a few years! You're already twenty-four! You're getting old. You need to get married ASAP!"
"When are you going to learn that love is only a myth?" Xandra snorts in laughter.
"That is not true. Richard and I have been together since high school." Now it's Joey's turn to laugh.
"Yeah, but you haven't been together for more than three months at a time!" She shoots back. Xandra just laughs it off. Joey keeps telling her that this on-again-off-again relationship she has with Richard is unhealthy, but she never listens. The sad part is, if they actually had a real relationship, their love story would be really cute.
Joey has known Richard since he was thirteen and she was fifteen. Her father was abusive and she finally got up the guts to call the police on him one day. Joey's mom got custody of her, her dad got a ten-year sentence to jail, and she got a therapist. Yes, a therapist. Her mom insisted that it would help her get over the trauma. Little did she know, no amount of professional help would get rid of the nightmares.
Anyway, Joey went to this really top-notch therapist named Dr. Spicer. He specialized in teens with family problems. And she had regular appointments everyday right after Richard. That's how they met. He was there because his entire family got murdered. Dr. Spicer took pity on the kid and adopted him. The trauma passed eventually, but he still hung out around the office. One day, Joey was early to one of her appointments, and that's when she and Richard actually started talking. And after that, they were basically inseparable. They actually understood each other’s pain, something that Dr. Spicer would never have with either of them, no matter how many P.h.D's he had. They ended up going to the same high school, and in her junior year (his sophomore year), Xandra transferred to their school. Richard had been away on vacation that week, and within those short five days, the two girls became really close. It was a little bit ironic, because they were so different, both in appearance and personality.
When Richard got back from his trip and saw the new girl, he literally tripped over himself to talk to her. They'd liked each other ever since, and it took him an entire year to get the courage to ask her out.
But, unfortunately, their relationship wasn't exactly smooth. Every few months, they would have these big fights or simply get bored of each other. They would make up about a week later, though. Maybe that's fine for when they're dating, but what if they get married and decide to have kids? They can't exactly get a divorce every few months.
"Hey there, birthday girl." Richard says with a crooked smile as the two girls enter the diner. Xandra laughs, sliding into the booth next to him. At first glance, Richard and Xandra could probably be mistaken for being siblings. They have the same raven-black hair and icy blue eyes.
"My birthday's not for another two weeks, smart one." Joey says, sitting across from them and grabbing a menu. She tries to ignore the way that they grin at each other like idiots and hold hands underneath the table.
"Which gives me two weeks to plan an epic twenty-fifth birthday party."
"What are you talking about, Richard? She's only turning twenty-two." Xandra says with a wink.
"I thought you weren't supposed to start lying about your age until you turned twenty-nine?" Joey says, raising her eyebrows. Xandra justshrugs like she always does when she says something stupid and doesn't have a good way to cover it up. That's when Joey feels a strong hand on her shoulder.
"Of all the burger joints in all the town." A particularly arrogant voice says. She rolls her eyes, not even having to look up to know who it is.
"Of all the clichés in all the world. What are you doing here, Warren?" She asks, then looks at his hand on her shoulder and up into those green eyes of his. "And I thought we already discussed this issue." She says, looking at his hand on her shoulder once again. He removes his hand, but doesn't go away like she's obviously hinting at him to do. Joey can practically feel Richard smirking.
"To answer your first question, I'm here on my lunch break. Which, by the way, you have about forty-five minutes left of. Wouldn't want to be late getting back to work or your boss will kill you." He says, an amused smirk on his face. She has to clench her fist to keep herself from punching him.
"Well, hello again, gorgeous." Xandra says with a seductive smile. That earns her a glare from Richard. "Lighten up, babe. I'm just being friendly." Richard turns to Warren, who obviously didn't make a great first impression.
"Don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you." Richard says, arms crossed.
"Warren West. Joey's boss."
"Richard Grayson. Joey's personal pain in the ass."
"It's like you read my mind." Joey mutters, taking a sip of her drink.
"Well, I'm going to leave now because I have a feeling that your stick-in-the-mud boss is going to be swamping you with work when you get back to the office." He winks at Joey before walking off, and once he's out of earshot, Richard bursts out laughing.
"That was the pain in the ass boss you've been bitching about for the past year?" He asks.
"Yeah. I know. He's awful, right?"
"You kidding me? He's great!" Joey's eyes widen. Apparently the bad first impression didn't last that long.
"What?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking." Xandra says.
"You should keep him."
"You guys are nuts.
"Just saying. He's great boyfriend material." And even though she knows Xandra's just messing with her, Joey's subconscious can't help but agree.
***
"Hey, blondie." She groans internally.
"Working." She drawls out each syllable. This seems to be their argument everyday.
"C'mon, Joey."
"Don't you have some files to look over?" Or some bitches to make out with in the copy room?
"I'm taking a break. Which, by the way, you are entitled to. Why is it that your nose is always buried in your laptop whenever I walk in here?"
"Gee, I don't know! Why on Earth would I be working at work?"
"Point proven. But I'm just here to talk. Is your friend Xandra stopping by today?"
"No. She has her own shop to run downtown."
"Well that's too bad. I really liked her." Joey laughs a little.
"Yeah, because she's an exact female version of you. And you know she's dating my friend Richard, right? That's why he looked like he wanted to kill you when she started flirting with you."
"Really? I thought he was just an overprotective brother," Joey laughs, understanding how he could make that mistake. The two of them are practically twins. She smirks, thinking about the countless 'Twincest' jokes she's made about the two of them. "But that doesn't matter. I've only got eyes for you, babe." For reasons unknown to her, Joey's cheeks turn a bright shade of red.
"I swear, West, if you take one step closer to me, I'll—"
"Yeah, yeah. I get it. No need to threaten one of my vital organs. So, since I'm here, how has your latest story been coming along?"
"Hmm, let's see...The bride's dress was almost as beautiful as the smile on her face as she walked down the aisle, each step bringing her closer and closer to the man who will undoubtedly love her for the rest of her life." The room is silent for a brief second before both of them start laughing uncontrollably.
"That...that's awful." Warren says between laughter.
"You wanted cheesy, didn't you?" She sighs. "Look, Warren, to tell you the truth, I would rather start writing the Obituaries again. I just don't think I should be writing about true love when I have absolutely no romantic experience." A smirk forms on his face.
"No romantic experience, huh? I think I can help." And faster than should be humanly possible, he rushes into his office, and is back about two seconds later with his coat.
"What are you doing?" She asks, raising her eyebrows at him.
"Giving you the romantic experience you need. Come on."
"Where are we going?" He grins like an idiot, his vibrant green eyes lighting up as he does so.
"On a date." She knows it's mean, but she can't help the laugh that escapes her lips.
"The two of us?"
"Yeah."
"On a date?"
"Yes."
"No! Warren, I can't just drop everything to go run around town with you."
"You can if I give you the day off."
"But I—"
"Joey..." He says with a crooked smile. "Don't make me fire you." She sighs in defeat.
"You know that I hate you, right?"
"I can live with that." She barely has time to grab her purse and coat and mutter a few unintelligible words before he's grabbing her hand and leading her out of the office building. They get more than a few surprised looks from their co-workers as they run toward the exit door, and one particularly icy glare from Linda Park. Joey can't help but look back at her, smirk, and give her the finger.
***
Joey laughs hysterically at a story that Warren just told her. "You actually wrote her a letter?"
"Yeah." He says, laughing also.
"Warren! That's awful!"
"I thought it would be poetic." This causes both of them to laugh even harder.
"There is nothing poetic about being dumped. I knew you were an insensitive jerk, but this...this is a new low."
"Okay, well what about you?" He asks, not so subtly changing the subject. "I bet you've messed up royally with one of your exes." She just shakes her head.
"No romantic experience, remember? That's why you brought me here." Yeah. That's why. Warren thinks to himself. He wishes that this date wasn't work-related, but he's just glad he ound a way to ask her out without having to worry about being slapped.
"Okay, well you've at least had a few one-night stands, right?" Again, Joey shakes her head.
"Nope. Virgin and proud."
"I can fix that." He should have expected the slap to the face, but somehow it takes him by surprise.
"Creep."
"Lighten up, blondie. I was only joking."
"Don't call me that." She says through clenched teeth. That's what her bastard of a father used to call her.
"Hey, pet names are an essential part of romance."
"Fine. Whatever. But please, call me anything but that...so, what else do you have planned for today?"
”Basically, I'm going to give you an entire life's worth of romance in one day." Leave it to Warren to come up with an idiotic plan like that.
"So, what? You're going to propose to me at the end of the day? Oh, God. Please tell me you're not going to kiss me!"
"I'll try to keep myself under control." She doesn't realize that he's only half-joking.
"So, what stage are we in right now, romance-master?"
"Well, right now, beautiful, we're in the first-date stage." He says, grabbing her hand and lacing his fingers through hers.
"What are you—"
"Go with it. It's all part of the plan." They walk through the park in silence after that, hand in hand. Joey can't deny that his touch feels nice. As much as she wants to, she can't, and she has to physically restrain herself from getting any closer to him.
But of course, he has to ruin the moment. "Feeling any sparks yet?"
"Oh, yeah! Hopefully enough to catch you on fire and burn you to death!" She says, adding an eye-roll for good measure. Warren puts his free hand on his chest and looks away from her dramatically.
"You wound me, Jocelyn." He says in a tone of mock pain. She can't help but laugh. And then there's a sudden buzz in her pocket.
"Sorry." She says, removing her hand from his. She hates that she already misses his warmth.
She grabs her phone out of her pocket to find that she has a text from Xandra.
Richard and I are bored. Come down to the shop and hang out with us :)
Busy. Is her reply. She locks her phone and puts it back into her pocket, then turns back to the man next to her.
"Sorry about that. It was just—" The second buzz is almost immediate.
Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaassssseee!!! You can't see me right now, but I'm giving you a totally adorable and irresistible puppy-dog face!
Fine. She replies simply. She knows Xandra won't give up. Once again, she turns to her boss.
"Hey, Warren. You ready for the meet-the-family stage?" He smirks.
"Didn't know you'd want to get so serious so fast, beautiful." Joey's honestly getting a little tired of slapping him.
***
"A letter?" Xandra yells. "You dumped her over a letter?"
"Dude, not cool." Richard says, trying to suppress his laughter.
"Told you." Joey says, not laughing as much because she's already heard the story. Meanwhile, Warren is hiding his face in his hands from embarrassment.
"Shut up! I thought it would be poetic."
"Again with that excuse?" Joey raises her eyebrows, earning herself a glare from her boss. He's used to attention, but not negative attention, and it makes him uncomfortable.
"Honestly, that's no better than dumping her over a text." Xandra says, giving a pointed look at Richard. He puts his hands up as if to say 'I surrender.'
"Can we please talk about something different?" Warren almost begs. They're all sitting in a circle on the floor of Xandra's magic shop.
Her father was a magician and she used to love when he would do tricks for her when she was little. When she was in middle school, she started following in her dad's footsteps. At first, he taught her very basic tricks such as pulling a rabbit out of a hat. But as she grew older, she started figuring out how things worked without her father's help, and even made up some tricks of her own. By her senior year of high school, Xandra was the official toy maker for her dad's shop. Little kids loved the tricks and gags that she came up with. Xandra's father passed away when she was in college. She was devastated, but that didn't stop her excitement when she found out that he left the shop to her in his will.
"Okay. Let's turn the spotlight to..." Richard dramatically points all around the room before his finger lands in the direction of a certain blonde journalist. "Joey!" The girl in question groans in annoyance. She hates attention.
"Hey, don't be so grumpy. You're birthday's in a week. And before you say anything, yes I'm throwing you a party, and yes, you have to be there."
"Richard!" Joey's voice sounds suspiciously like that of a whiny five-year-old's.
"I wasn't finished!" He says with a smirk. "You have to bring a date."
"Okay, you're asking way too much here! I'm not going to bring a date! Are you crazy?" I guess I could drag Barry along. He'll understand my pain.
"Relax, beautiful. I'll be your date." As soon as the words leave his mouth, she bursts into a fit of laughter. She knows it's really rude, but she can't help it.
"Sorry, Mr. West, but I already have to deal with you enough at work." He crosses his arms.
"Are you saying I'm bad company?"
"No, I'm saying that you're awful company and I don’t want to have to be in your presence longer than I’m required to."
"That explains why you're on a date with me right now." Xandra and Richard exchange amused glances at this new piece of information.
"Yeah, a date that I was forced to go on because you threatened to fire me if I didn't!"
"So I'm not good enough for you? Is that what it is, Little Miss Virgin-And-Proud?" Warren crosses his arms, a satisfied smirk on his face. But he’s not the only one with a smug expression.
"Yes. That, and several other reasons. But instead of saying them out loud, I think I'm going to write you a letter to tell you instead. It'll be poetic." And the two of them keep going with their pointless banter. Xandra finds it entertaining at first, but it starts to get pathetic when the 'your mom' insults start coming up (courtesy of Warren) . She stands up, not being able to take it anymore.
"Joey, why don't you come with me and help me take inventory in the back room?" The raven-haired girl says, and before Joey knows what's going on, she's being pulled up to her feet and lead away by her best friend.
"Okay, I want to know what's going on between you and that smoking hot boss of yours."
"Xandra--"
"I mean it, Joce. You haven't smiled like that in years and the two of you are practically ripping each others clothes off with your eyes. And he’s sweet. I know you refuse to believe it because he’s your boss and everything, but the way he looks at you is really adorable.” Joey crosses her arms, irritated.
“I knew we shouldn’t have come here. Look, I’m being forced to spend time with him. I don’t like him that way. In fact, I don’t like him at all. I despise his very existence.” Xandra laughs a cold, hate-filled laugh. It’s shocking to both of them, because this is the first time that she’s shown any sign of dislike toward her best friend since they met.
“When are you going to stop living in your world of black and white? I get it. You hate the very thought of love and you’re convinced that you’ll never experience it. But maybe that’s because you’ve never given it a chance! Maybe if you stepped out of your tiny little bubble that you’ve made yourself, you’d realize that there’s more to life than just working and hating the world!” As soon as she says those words, she wants to take them back. Joey blinks a few times, trying to hold back the tears.
“Really, Xandra? Because you know all about true love? You and Richard have never lasted more than three months at a time! You break up because you get bored of each other! That’s not love! That friends with benefits. Everything is physical with you two! Not once have I heard you say anything about him except for his looks and how good he is in bed. That’s not going to work if you want to settle down and start a family, Xandra! You have to realize that!” Joey prepares herself for whatever’s coming to her. A slap to the face, some unintelligible remarks, her screaming at the top of her lungs that she’s moving out of their apartment. She doesn’t, however, expect the reaction that she gets.
“You’re right. Joey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean all of that stuff. I just…I want you to be happy. I want you to have a good relationship. Something that I never had.” At this point, tears are streaming down Xandra’s face. After a second, Xandra turns back to her best friend. “I do love him, Joey. I really do.”
“I know, Andie.”
“I just don’t know how to express that.”
“You guys will figure it out. After all, you’ve broken up and gotten back together so many times, that just proves that you can’t stay away from each other.” Both of them start giggling, and Xandra makes a weird noise between crying and laughter.
“You should probably fix your makeup before going back out there.” Joey says when she looks at Xandra’s mascara-stained face.
“Oh, God! I probably look like some sort of zombie bride!” Joey smiles to herself. There’s the Xandra I know and love.
“Virgin and proud, huh?” Richard says as soon as the door to the back room shuts.
“Her words, not mine…so how did you and Joey meet?” Richard smiles.
“Through my step-dad, actually. She used to, uh, meet with him a few times a week.”
“Did she have an internship with him?” Richard grimaces at the memories of his dark teenage years.
“Something like that.” An awkward silence falls between the two males, and that’s when they hear it.
“That’s not going to work if you want to settle down and start a family, Xandra! You have to realize that!” Joey. Warren could recognize that voice in a crowd of a thousand people.
Richard sighs. He knows that she’s talking about his and Xandra’s messed up relationship. And Warren knows it too.
“You know, Joey’s told me about your whole on-again-off-again thing. Sorry, but I have to agree with her. It’s not exactly healthy.”
“I know it’s not,” Richard says, running his fingers through his black hair. “And every time I think we end it for good, I have this ache in my chest and I know it’s because I can’t live without her.”
“Then why—”
“It’s complicated.” Richard cuts him off. There’s another long pause.
“Do you love her?” Warren asks suddenly. Richard snaps his head around to look at him questioningly.
“What?”
“Do you love her?” He repeats, drawling out each word as if talking to a small child.
“Well…yeah.”
“Dude, that’s about as simple as it gets.”
“How do I—”
“Ask her to move in with you. That’s the first step.” Richard gives him an appreciative smile.
“So…you and Joey?” Warren’s eyes widen.
“What? You don’t mean like…no, we’re just fr—co-workers. I don’t even think we can be considered as friends.”
“Please. The sexual tension between you two is so thick that you could practically cut it with a knife.”
“Are you kidding me? She hates me, if you couldn’t tell by the constant snide remarks and glares.” Richard just laughs.
“Dude, she’s like that with everybody. The fact that she’s even more pissed-off when she’s around you…you’re pretty special to her.” Warren smiles at the fact that Joey might think of him as more than a friend after all.
“And…you don’t mind?” Richard laughs.
“Look, you have my blessing, whatever. But, uh, Joey’s like a big sister to me. If you break her heart, I will not hesitate to break your face.” Warren gulps. Richard is a few years younger than him, but he’s taller by several inches, and is definitely stronger than him. After a moment of very awkward silence, the two girls walk back into the room.
Xandra’s eyes are red and puffy like she’s just been crying, and Joey looks extremely uncomfortable. Warren smiles. She probably had to comfort Xandra. He knows that she hates comforting people.
“Warren, we should go. I have a feeling that Richard and Xandra have a lot to talk about.” Joey says with a wink at Xandra, and before he can say anything to Richard, she’s pulling him by the arm and they’re out of the shop.
End Of Part 1
Author's Note:
So, I hope you guys liked the first part! I had a lot of fun writing this. It was originally in first person, but I changed it to third person at the last minute, so if there are any grammar mistakes, PLEASE tell me!
Sorry I haven't been updating anything lately, but I've been having major writer's block and then my old computer broke, so I had to get a new one and all of my files are lost. I'm currently editing You Drive Me Insane, so that's going to take a little while. Sorry guys. Anyway, I should be done with the second and final part of this story tomorrow night. I would have put it up all at once, but it's going to be longer than I thought O_o already 15 pages. wow. But, seriously, is anybody else in love with Warren? I know it's really sad that I'm in love with a character that I made up, but...
Anyway, review? Please? The second part will be posted under this author's note and it's going to be in a different color (probablu purple) hope you liked it thus far!
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