You meet Joel Miller at a speed-dating event, and despite knowing that he will only be in the city for one more night, you go on a date with him. Only time will tell if that was the right decision, or not.
Summary: Your weekend with Joel doesn't end as planned.
A/N: We've got some angst, folks...
AO3 | masterlist | chance encounters masterlist | part seven
Divider: @/saradika-graphics
The truck crunched on the gravel driveway as Joel pulled up to the ranch. It was sixty degrees with a slight breeze, and the sun decided to make an appearance without being too striking - clouds floated around it, creating a warmth that felt like a hug.
Lucy was sitting on the front porch of the ranch. She looked cozy with jeans and a woven knee-length cardigan draped around her. She held a cup of coffee between her hands and her eyes lit up the moment she saw Joel’s truck roll up to the front steps.
“My baby!!!” she squealed, hopping down from the chair and hastily setting her coffee on the small wooden side table. It sloshed over the edge and some dripped down her finger. She was unphased, licking off the coffee as she jogged over to the truck.
You opened the door before Joel could park the truck and come around to assist. Lucy would have nearly ripped it off the hinges if you hadn’t.
Sliding out of the truck, Lucy wrapped her arms around you then pulled her head back to get a better look at your face. “Ohhh you’ve got that glow!” She was smiling ear-to-ear. “You know, that after-”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” You cut her off, shaking your head in humor-filled exasperation.
“Right, right,” she giggled, “you can tell me all about it later!”
Joel had come around to join you both. He stayed a few steps back, not wanting to crash the reunion.
Lucy turned toward him, reaching out and pulling him by the wrist. He stumbled forward with a chuckle.
“Are you joining us later?!” Lucy’s energy was always contagious, and had you and Joel grinning despite how tired you both were from the previous night.
“Figure I’m gonna let you two do your thing, and I’ll pick her up around dinner.” It sounded like your parents were making custody arrangements.
“You good with that?” Lucy was looking at you now, that ever-present gleam in her eye.
You nodded and said, “yep, that sounds good.”
“Okay! I’m gonna head back inside and finish getting ready. The horse ride is in thirty minutes!” Lucy skipped off, once again leaving you and Joel to your goodbyes.
“We keep finding ourselves in this predicament,” you said with a playful tinge to your voice and your hand on his chest.
He leaned forward and gave you a deep kiss. “Gettin’ real good at sayin’ goodbye.”
“Speak for yourself.” You were only half joking. It wasn’t easy for you to say goodbye to him.
“You’re gonna have a fun day.” He set his hand atop yours on his chest. “Can’t wait t’hear ‘bout it later.”
“What are you gonna be doing?” It wasn’t in an effort to pry, but you were curious what Joel did with his days off.
“Got some things t’do around the house. Gonna go to the store. Got some other errands. Nothin’ exciting.” He kissed your forehead before taking a step back.
“I’m looking forward to later.”
“Me too, baby.”
The sugary sweetness between the two of you would’ve been nausea-inducing if it wasn’t so delicious.
The horse ride was beyond anything that you could’ve dreamed. Instead of heading up to your room, you had gone straight to the stable. The excitement at spending more time with the horses won over any desire you had to get yourself more done up for the day.
Lucy joined you out in the stables, and you both chose the same horses you’d had before - Shimmer and Callus.
The trail for the ride ran through a small patch of woods, through an open field, and then skirted the base of the nearby mountains. To say it was picturesque wouldn’t do it justice.
Lucy even made fun of you, lovingly, at one point, when she had turned around to see you wipe a tear from your face. Deep down, though, she was just grateful that she had managed to create the birthday that you deserved.
The ride was coming to an end and you and Lucy were sauntering slowly on your horses back to the stable.
“We’ve got some chill time back at the ranch, and then you get to go on your fancy dinner with Mr. Miller.” Lucy gave you an exaggerated wink.
“Oh god, Luce. Don’t call him that.” A patch of wildflowers caught your eye as you were nearing the end of the field.
Lucy giggled. “Did I tell you I’ve got a mister of my own?”
Your head snapped around to her. You were shocked that she hadn’t spilled the beans quicker. “What? No! Who?!”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” Lucy retorted, hopping off her horse once you both reached the stables. She gave a sly smile and started to walk her horse in. You knew she was loving the suspense.
The horses were back in their stalls and you’d given plenty of love and treats to Shimmer before you were headed back to the main building.
“Drink in the lobby?” Lucy pulled open one of the large double doors leading inside. The glow of the fireplace was inviting and you agreed to have a drink.
“Grab a spot for us!” Lucy’s voice cut through the near-empty lobby as she walked up to the bar. She hadn’t asked what you wanted for a drink, but you trusted her selection nonetheless.
You glanced around the large room until you landed on a spot to the side of the crackly fireplace. It had two large gray sofa chairs with white fur throws draped over the sides of them. There was a soft, plush pillow on each, and nestled between the chairs was a low-standing circular wooden coffee table. The chairs gave a good view of the fireplace as well as out the front picture window, looking over the horses’ field and in the direction of the mountains.
Considering that there were only a few other people at the bar, Lucy returned with the drinks in record time. However, when you saw the tray she was carrying over you rolled your eyes.
“Luce, what the hell did you order?!”
She gave an evil grin as she neared, then very carefully crouched down to lower the tray onto the coffee table. The tray wobbled the slightest bit and she grumbled, “why the hell’s the table so frickin’ low?”
You chuckled, reaching out to help stabilize the tray as she lowered it. The first thing you spotted were the shot glasses filled to the brim. They had a sugared rim and a lemon slice balanced on top.
“Lemon drop shots?”
“Of course, it’s your birthday. Needta have your favorite shots!” Lucy plopped down in the chair opposite you and raised her shot glass.
You grabbed yours and after a quick cheers, downed the sweet and tart mixture. You licked the sugar off your lips and smiled. “Mmm, that was good.”
“Tastes like another, doesn’t it?” Lucy winked in jest, but you knew that she would immediately grab another round if you let her.
“I don’t wanna be shit-faced when Joel picks me up,” you said with a weak laugh.
“Well, that would be the real test of the relationship, wouldn’t it?”
You thought about challenging her on that - correcting that this wasn’t a relationship. But the thought of acknowledging it, in conjunction with debating with Lucy what constituted a relationship, was deterrent enough for you to just smile and let her carry on.
“Wait,” you realized, “you never finished telling me about the guy.”
“Oh, I didn’t?” Lucy said with feigned confusion, but her smirk gave her away.
You gave her an unamused look and she giggled.
“Let’s make our drinks first.”
Lucy had ordered the martini service. There was a chilled carafe that you assumed was full of your favorite gin, and then a selection of olives, pickles, peppers, and various brines. It looked delicious. She had also ordered a small bowl of warmed nuts. Once again, you were feeling ridiculously lucky to have a friend who knew you so well.
Drinks in hand, you both settled back into your chairs and Lucy finally spilled about the new guy she was seeing. It turned out that it was a man she met at the speed-dating event, Trevor, and they had been hooking up casually without having a real first date.
“I’m hoping he asks me out. Not really in a phase of life where I’m looking for hook ups.” Lucy took a sip of her martini, puckered her lips and said, “oof, I put too much brine in there.”
“Well…” you were trying to even out your tone so that you didn’t sound judgemental, “if you’re not looking for a hook up…why did you hook up with him?”
“Oh, now I’m talking to the sex police?” Lucy chided.
You laughed, “what? No! I’m just saying…”
“Because he’s hot, babe,” Lucy said in her “duh” voice.
“Fair enough.”
You finished your drinks and turned down Lucy’s offer of a second shot. Wanting time for a nap and a shower, you decided to return to the room.
Unsurprisingly, Lucy had it all decked out with birthday decorations. Balloons clouded your field of vision as soon as you entered the room, streamers adorned the walls, and she even got a neon sign that read, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY BITCH!”
Before your nap, Lucy wanted to take selfies with the decor. The two of you took goofy photos, and you appeased Lucy by posing how she instructed you to.
“Okay, now let’s go onto the balcony!”
You followed her outside and she fought to get the angle right. “Ugh, this sun is not doing what I need it to.”
You laughed dryly, tired and needing a nap, but considering everything she had done for you this weekend, you wanted to give her the photos she wanted.
“Okay, here, I’m just gonna switch to the other side,” she said as she tried to squeeze behind you. The sleeve of her sweater caught on the balcony railing and sent her phone plummeting down to the wooden porch underneath.
“Shit!” Lucy peered over the edge, then left the room to go retrieve her phone. You stayed on the balcony, watching with bated breath to see if it survived the crash.
When Lucy picked it up, she looked up at you exasperated and said, “it’s fucking broken!”
Back in the room, the two of you tried whatever fixes you could think of, but it was clear her phone was a lost cause.
“Can I borrow yours for just a second? Trevor and I were just texting and I’m almost positive he was about to ask me on a date.”
“Ugh, Luce…I don’t want some creep having my number.” You rolled your eyes, but knew that you were more than likely to give in.
“He’s not a creep! Just for a few minutes, promise. Then you can block him.” She put on puppy dog eyes and a pout. You couldn’t help but laugh and hand your phone over. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”
You spent a bit more time hanging out before your nap. Lucy woke you up around 5 o’clock, which was the perfect amount of time to shower and get ready for your evening with Joel.
Out of the shower, you wore a plush towel as you did your makeup.
Lucy sat on the bathroom counter in sweats and a hoodie, painting her nails, as the two of you chatted.
“What are you wearing tonight?” She accidentally got a glob of nail polish on her thumb and whispered “fuck!” as she grabbed a tissue to wipe it away.
You paused applying your mascara and stared at her. “Shit, I have no idea.”
“How do you not know what you’re wearing to your birthday dinner?!” She hopped off the counter to exit the bathroom, prepared to help you sort this out.
You followed her, clutching the towel around you. “Well I don’t even know what we’re doing. Lemme text him.”
You were disappointed when Joel’s reply gave little to no guidance.
Joel: Anything you want. There’s nothing you could wear that wouldn’t be right.
“What the fuck does that mean?” Lucy asked. “Where’s he taking you?”
“Hell if I know. But this man hasn’t missed with any of the plans he’s made, so I trust him.” As soon as the words left your mouth, I trust him, you whipped around to look at Lucy who could not have been wearing a wider grin.
“Don’t,” you said sharply, raising a finger toward her in a forced threatening manner.
Lucy threw her hands up and said, “Okay, okay…not sayin’ a thing.” She pretended to zip her lips and returned to rummaging through the clothes you brought.
You’d known Lucy since your early 20’s. You met her while you were bartending, and then nearly got fired that same night because of how badly you were slacking on the job. The two of you had connected immediately and were basically inseparable since that first night.
Her early nickname for you was “Bee.” She helped you study for your sommelier exams, and she pointed out how no matter what you were tasting or smelling, honey was always the first ingredient that you identified.
The nickname fell off a bit throughout the years, but you were still Bee in her phone, and that was how she addressed your birthday cards, as well as what she’d call you in serious or emotional moments.
“Oh! This skirt is cute!” She held up your tan corduroy skirt, then dug in your suitcase until she found a pair of tights and a form-fitting black long-sleeved top. “What do you think?”
“Perfect.”
Joel arrived right at 6 o’clock. You practically skipped out the front doors of the lodge to greet him. He chuckled upon seeing your excitement and opened up his arms for a hug.
You jumped up into his arms, wrapping around him tightly. The moment was warm and fuzzy and ruined by an obnoxious voice behind you calling, “oh my GOD, you two are too fuckin’ CUTE!”
Joel laughed as you hopped down and jokingly gave Lucy a dirty look. Lucy said her goodbyes and shared that she was going to flirt with all the cowboys at the bar. With a wave and a wink, she slipped back inside the double doors.
Joel assisted you into his truck, then walked around the front of the cab and slid into the driver’s seat. There was the briefest pause, and then you both were leaning over the console and desperately kissing each other.
The console lid dug into your ribs, but you didn’t care, as Joel weaved his fingers through your hair and brought your lips to his. His tongue slipped into your mouth and you let out a soft moan at the added sensation.
He gripped your hair tight and then leaned closer to you, and for a moment, you thought he might climb over the center console and onto you.
Suddenly, he released his grasp and sat back. “God damn,” he muttered. You watched as he shifted in his seat, briefly pushing down on the crotch of his jeans. “Y’got no idea what you do t’me. Can barely control myself anymore.”
You were still trying to catch your breath from one hell of a kiss. “Same,” was all you could force out, trying to compose yourself as well.
He started the car then looked over at you. He was silent, admiring. You heated under his gaze and chose to cut the tension with a question.
“So, what are we doing?”
“Well, uh, you’ve got two options. I don’t know ya well enough yet to know whether you’re more of a stay-at-home kinda woman, or goin’ out. So I’ve made a plan for both. Which wouldya rather?” He looked shy, like he wasn’t quite sure what you’d make of what he just told you.
“You…made two birthday plans for me? Because…you didn’t know what I’d like?” The surprise was apparent in your voice.
“Fuck, I’m sorry if I should’ve known. I was worried you-”
“Joel,” you interrupted, placing your hand on his knee. You felt a tickle in your throat and fought back tears. “I think this is the most thoughtful thing any man’s ever done for me.”
You had to emphasize man, because you were so fortunate to have a friend like Lucy who spoiled you constantly with thoughtful acts.
“Oh.” He seemed contemplative about your reaction, almost disappointed that you hadn’t experienced something like this before. “Well, which would you prefer?”
You truly didn’t even have to think about it. “I think a night in sounds wonderful.”
Sugar and warm spices filled your nostrils as soon as you stepped foot in the house. “Did you bake something?”
He smirked and responded coyly, “Maybe.”
You watched with gleaming eyes as Joel kicked off his boots and moved to the kitchen counter. There was a glass tupperware container that he picked up and brought to the dining room table where you were standing.
Before he even had the lid all the way peeled off, you slapped his arm and shouted, “Joel!”
He chuckled but then snapped the lid shut with a click of his tongue against his teeth. “They’re for after dinner.”
“How’d you know oatmeal raisin was my favorite?!” You were salivating at the smell of them.
“When we were on the phone the other night and you were talkin’ ‘bout why Lucy calls you a grandma,” he chuckled, “y’mentioned this was one uh the reasons.”
You jumped toward him, nearly tackling him to the ground with a kiss.
He stumbled backwards, his arms wrapped securely around you as he kept you both upright. He laughed into the kiss, reciprocating and then lowering his hand to squeeze your ass.
You let out a small moan and then mumbled into his mouth, “upstairs?”
He gave your ass a playful slap before taking a step back and saying, “no can do. Gotta make dinner, sweetheart.”
“Nowwww?” He smiled at your pitiful expression and wanting voice.
“‘Fraid so, angel. It’s already nearly 7 o’clock.” He nodded his head toward the living room then said, “But, I did get ya set up with something in there t’occupy ya while I cook.”
You pouted, “I can’t watch you cook?”
“Y’could. Just don’t think it’d be very interesting for you. Plus I think you’ll like what I have set up.”
You followed him into the living room. He took a step back so you could see the couch and coffee table.
“I know y’like puzzles…and horses. So I gotya one to work on. ‘N I got one of those Taylor Swift records y’can listen to. And…”
You watched him in awe as he walked out of the room and back toward the kitchen. Taking a seat on the couch, you found yourself trying to fight back tears once more. You couldn’t process this was actually happening to you and had to fight away the thoughts telling you that you weren’t deserving.
When he came back, he had a glass of wine in his hand and a bowl of something in another. He handed you the wine first.
You took the glass, your fingers brushing his slightly and creating a chill up your spine. Bringing it to your nose, you closed your eyes to focus on the notes.
“It’s a pinot grigio…” you took a deep inhale, tilting the glass to gather more of the scent.
“I’m smelling some apple…” you took a small sip, savoring it in your mouth. It was beyond delightful. “Oh it’s so crisp. Definitely apple…pear…” another small sip, “some citrus.” You pulled the glass back to tilt it and examine then you paused. You’d had this wine before.
“You didn’t…” You set the glass down and stared at him. “Joel, this is like a hundred dollar bottle of wine!”
“It’s your birthday,” he answered with a shrug, as though this was a common, normal thing to do for someone.
“Well, you’re gonna share it with me. Go get a glass.”
He gave a chuckle and then went to retrieve a glass for himself. While he was gone, you peered into the bowl he set on the coffee table - mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes, two perfect pairings for this wine. He’d done his research.
He came back into the room to give you a birthday cheers, then headed off to the kitchen to make your surprise birthday dinner, which, you had no doubt, was going to be incredible.
You occupied yourself with the puzzle, T. Swift tunes, and delicious wine. It felt like almost no time had passed before Joel had re-entered the room. There was sweat on his brow, and the pits of his gray t-shirt were slightly stained. It made you want to make him sweat for other reasons.
“Dinner’s ready,” he said with the faintest smile.
“Mmm, smells incredible.” You followed him into the dining room and as soon as you saw the food in the middle of the table, you knew exactly what he had planned. “Is this…” you took a step closer to get a better look and smiled, “the meal I told you about that I had in Italy?”
“A poor imitation of it, t’be exact.” He lifted the kitchen rag draped over his shoulder to dab at his forehead.
“No, no. This looks crazy good…I didn’t know you could cook like this?!” On the table was Pasta alla Norma, arancini, a bowl of olives, and sliced tomatoes with ricotta.
The morning after the phone call with Joel when you told him about going to Austin for your birthday, he had called you on his way to work. When he asked you what the best meal was you’d ever eaten, you assumed he was just making small talk or getting to know you better.
You’d shared with him that almost all the best food you’d had was while traveling internationally, and that the meal that sticks out was one you had in Sicily when you were visiting some vineyards there. In hindsight, he was likely taking notes so that he could recreate the meal for you on your birthday.
“If I wanna eat, I gotta learn t’cook, right?” He was being far too humble.
Your stomach grumbled and you were salivating. “Can we eat?” You looked at him eagerly.
“Please,” he motioned with his hand to the chair nearest you.
You took a seat, and he brought you a filled glass of wine and then took a seat beside you, leaving all the further chairs around the table empty.
He plated your food first, then filled his own plate. Your first bite was the pasta, and you made sure to get a bite with the eggplant. Only two chews in, you put your hand over your mouth and groaned, “Oh my god, Joel…”
He took a bite himself and smiled at you while he chewed. “Good?”
You rolled your eyes, “your modesty is infuriating. Do you not taste how incredible this is?!”
He laughed and said, “okay, okay…I did pretty good.”
The rest of the meal was just as delicious, and the conversation flowed as easily as the wine. Before you knew it, most of the food was eaten and the bottle of wine sat empty on the table.
Joel offered you a cookie but you were stuffed and asked if they could be saved for later.
“Somethin’ else you’re wantin’ t’do right now?” Joel’s drawl was thick with the last words. You’d noticed over time that as his arousal intensified, so did his drawl.
You bit your lip and nodded, “mhhm.”
He reached under the table to rest his hand on your knee, his thumb stroking small circles. “It’s your birthday…how d’you want it?”
The heat in his voice, the lust in his eyes, and the way he gripped your leg was enough for you to start feeling fuzzy. Well, that and the three glasses of wine you’d had.
Your thoughts swam in circles, trying to figure out what you wanted. “Umm,” your teeth returned to your lip, chewing, and Joel’s eyes lowered to your mouth. You saw his throat bob. “Right here?”
You looked at the table that was still littered with the remnants from dinner. Joel smirked. “Yeah?”
You nodded slowly and he looked like he wanted to devour you then and there. But he pushed himself off from the chair, scooting it back with a squeak, as he started to gather the dishes. You stood to help and he put his hand out. “Nuh uh, birthday girl. You’re gonna stay sat.”
Sitting with bated breath, you saw him take his time clearing the table. You wondered if he was trying to torture you or if it was just his usual leisurely pace.
“Darlin’,” he said as he entered the dining room, the table now cleared in its entirety. “Y’wanna stand up f’me?”
You stood, your chair scraping against the floor. You could see your chest rise and fall out of your periphery as you watched him walk across the room.
He approached you, one of his hands coming to rest on your waist as the other cradled your jaw. “How d’you want me?” He planted a soft kiss on your lips before you could respond.
You said the first thing that came to your mind, ignoring your usual filter. “I want you to fuck me so that I still feel you tomorrow when I’m on the plane headed home.”
His lips parted slightly, as though he was taken aback by your crassness. But then he closed his mouth, his jaw twitching as he swallowed, and you knew that he loved it. “I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again…you’re gonna be the death o’me.”
He gave you a deep kiss, his lips pressed firmly to yours, his hands pulling your body into his. “Y’gotta safe word, sweetheart? ‘Spose I shoulda asked ‘fore.”
“Purple,” you breathed out.
“‘N you’re comfortable usin’ it?” His question caught you off guard. He wasn’t the first guy to ask what your word was, but he was the first to check if you actually used it.
You thought about the one and only time you’d had to use the word and a chill worked its way through you. Looking down at the floor to try and collect yourself you muttered, “yes.”
“Hey,” he pressed his fingers against the bottom of your chin where they already rested, forcing you to look up at him. “There’s not a single thing we hafta do, y’understand? You use that word the second y’think ‘bout it, okay? Gonna be payin’ attention to your body language, too.”
You looked at him with glassy eyes and smiled. “Okay.”
“Okay.” He gave your side a playful squeeze and kissed your cheek.
Your hands slid up his chest, pressing against the firm muscle underneath until you reached his shoulders. Fingers crawling behind his neck, you laced them, so your arms were looped around him.
He made a soft humming sound and leaned forward, your ass pressing against the edge of the table and bending backward slightly.
Lips colliding and then engaging in a playful tug-of-war, you whimpered into his mouth as he lifted you to lay you flat on the table. He went with you, his body bending forward and his chest pressed to yours as the kiss intensified.
You could feel his bulge against your core, between your legs. You looped your legs around him, pulling him as close as possible.
He took a step back to pull down your tights, letting them drop to the floor as he did the same with your panties. His fingers slowly slid up your inner thigh and you tilted your head back, eyes closed. The anticipation of feeling him touch you was near agonizing.
Then he made contact, his thumb resting on your clit as his middle finger gradually entered your already soaked pussy. “You’re all ready f’me, aren’t you?”
Your feet pressed against the back of his thighs, trying to pull him closer. He gave a chuckle and then removed his hand from you to take off his pants and briefs.
You lifted your head so you could get a glimpse of his swollen, dripping cock. Practically salivating, you dropped your head back to the table and moaned, “Oh, Joel, please…please fuck me.”
Your pussy was throbbing in time with your heartbeat. You weren’t sure if you’d ever wanted someone as badly as right now.
“Y’don’t gotta beg, baby. ‘M gonna give you all that ya want.”
After a couple lazy pumps of his cock, he lined himself up with your entrance, then slowly began to push in. He let your walls acclimate to him, pausing and waiting until he felt your pulse slow before pushing in more.
If it didn’t feel so good, so sensual, you would’ve been begging him to go faster.
Once he was fully in, he gave you a kiss and said, “oh there we go, already doin’ so good f’me.”
His praise was a drug injected straight into your veins. More, more, more.
He started to thrust now, the slow pace growing quicker. He grasped both your wrists together with one hand, pressing them into the valley between your breasts. As he continued rocking into you, the table shook and your breasts bounced with every thrust.
“Goddamn,” he muttered, “should see how fuckin’ good y’look like this.” His eyes fell to your tits, watching them move up and down.
His pace was impossibly fast now, you gasped and stared at him as he pummeled into you. The rapid thud of his hips against your ass created a lewd noise. His cockhead continually nudged your inner spongy spot and it had you seeing stars.
He removed his other hand from the table to rub your clit. His thumb pressed firmly as he continued fucking into you at a brutal pace. His stamina was impressive.
“Y’feel this? Y’feel how deep I am inside you, baby? Feel how I’m carvin’ out a place f’myself?”
“Oh god, yes, Joel, yes!” You threw your head back again, feeling the coil tighten and preparing yourself for release.
“Thaaat’s it, right there, baby, you can do it.” He pushed his thumb firmer to your clit and it was as if he pressed a button. The tension broke as you began to shake and whimper through your orgasm.
You felt your walls clenching around him, the spasms causing him to murmur a string of curses as he tried to not release his load inside you just yet.
He slowed his pace, but continued fucking you through the orgasm. As you started to come down, he leaned forward again to kiss you, releasing your wrists at the same time.
“Could watch you do that all day, sugar.”
You weren’t sure if you could form words, so you just smiled at him dumbly.
“You a little cockdrunk there, sweetie?” He chuckled softly and kissed your cheek.
You continued watching him with soft, adoring eyes, as though he was the most beautiful thing you’d ever witnessed.
His cock throbbed and he pulled out of you. “You good to continue?”
You nodded immediately.
“Y’want me to flip ya over, or ya wanna sit on it?” He asked with such ease and casualness, that you would’ve thought this was a frequent question for him.
“Flip me over.” You like the sound of it, plus, you weren’t sure you had the bones to do much of anything right now.
He took a step back and helped you off the table, before positioning his hands on your waist to turn you around. Before he bent you over the table, he kissed the back of your head, allowing his lips to linger on your hair for a moment.
You turned your head, cheek pressed against the smooth wood, and you practically purred when you felt his warm hand clasp around your neck.
He pushed in quicker this time, not as much prep needed. You moaned at the intrusion and he followed with a grunt of his own. “Never felt anything this good before, baby.”
His thrusts resumed, and you closed your eyes, just focusing on the sensations of him fucking into you.
“Can ya give me one more?” He asked, his fingers finding their way to your clit.
“Y-yeah,” your voice was breathy and soft, you weren’t sure if he’d even heard you.
His pace quickened, thrusts growing more erratic as he neared his own release. He groaned as his balls tightened, and he moved his fingers firmly against your clit.
With a couple more swipes of his digits, you were coming hard on his cock. “Ohhhh, fuck, yes, baby, just like that. Just…uggghh, like that.”
He began to shoot spurts inside of you. His thrusts slowed as he pushed fully to the hilt and filled you with his seed. “Fuck,” he groaned against your shoulder blade, his head resting against you.
As he began to pull out, you could feel his come seeping out of you. He looked down and with a deep exhalation said, “holy shit.” He watched it drip out of your pussy and begin to run down your thighs.
He leaned forward again to land kisses across your back and shoulders. “I’ll be right back, baby.”
You heard quick footsteps retreat, still trying to compose yourself as you were draped over the table.
He returned within the minute with a washcloth and wiped you up. Lifting you into his arms, he carried you up the stairs and to the bedroom.
You felt half-asleep as he dressed you in one of his t-shirts and pulled a pair of his boxers over your legs. You’d brought sleep clothes with you, but this was better.
“Y’still want a cookie?” He laid you in the bed now and pulled the blanket up around you.
You gave a sleepy nod and Joel kissed your forehead before heading downstairs.
The two of you cuddled in bed, eating your oatmeal raisin cookies. They had extra cinnamon - your favorite. He told you a silly story about him and Tommy getting into trouble when they were younger as he stroked his fingers up and down your arm.
You giggled at his descriptions of the ridiculous situations they got themselves into as teenagers.
You shared a couple stories of your own, mostly about growing up in the city and some of the crazy things you’d seen. Joel had question after question, the idea of experiencing the city at such a young age was astounding to him. He admired your tenacity.
Feeling satiated in more ways than one, you both drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.
Joel awoke to a chiming sound. He rolled over in bed to find you curled up under the covers, soft breathing sounds slipping out from your mouth.
He was very careful getting out of bed, not wanting to disturb you. It was 7 o’clock, and he knew that your plane left around noon. You both had fallen asleep before being able to finalize plans for the day, but he assumed you’d want to be back at the ranch with plenty of time to spare.
He crept downstairs and identified that the sound was coming from your purse, which was sitting atop the entryway table. Pausing for a brief moment because he didn’t feel right digging through your purse, he reached his hand in to pluck out your phone.
He swiped the alarm away, but before he could put the phone back in your purse, he saw a text.
Trevor: Can’t wait to see you when you get back 😉
He froze. It felt like ice in his veins. He didn’t recognize the name; it wasn’t one of your guy friends, like Logan, that you’d talk about. And he didn’t think that a friend would add a winking emoji.
No, this was someone else you were dating.
Joel dropped the phone back in your purse, but remained standing still. He couldn’t tell what emotions were brewing inside of him, but they were not pleasant.
He knew the two of you hadn’t spoken directly about being exclusive, but it felt like such a given to him. He was foolish. The feelings coming over him were the exact reason he hadn’t even attempted to date in over a year.
After his last heartbreak, he’d made a promise to himself that he wouldn’t set himself up to be hurt in the same way. It was a promise he didn’t intend to break.
You were chilly when you woke up, and the absence of the warm body next to you was the first thing you noticed. Rolling over, you frowned at the emptiness and the chill of the room.
Slipping out of bed, you rubbed your eyes as you reached the staircase, listening out for any sign of Joel.
“Joel?” your voice was crackly as you spoke.
When you reached the bottom of the staircase, you saw Joel sitting at the dining table. He wore a somber expression and had a cup of coffee in front of him. Across the table sat a plate with a sad piece of toast on it, and a half-filled coffee cup beside it.
“Toast and coffee, ‘f you’re hungry. I packaged up the rest of the cookies for you. Figure we oughta be headin’ out soon.” He raised his mug to his lips, draining the last bit of coffee before he stood up and walked to the kitchen to place the mug in the sink.
You watched him closely as he moved through the home. There was an unease that hung about him, and you weren’t quite sure what to do with it.
“Is…everything okay?” you asked as you descended the last step. You walked over to the table and picked up the half-filled mug to take a drink, only to find out that it was now cold.
“Yep, just tired.” He walked past you to the front door and started to put his boots on. “Ya ready?”
You ignored the toast on the plate, and the cold coffee, and simply nodded your head. “Just gotta change quick.”
“I’ll wait in the truck.” He picked up the plate of wrapped cookies near the front door and left with them, leaving the front door open behind him.
Your heart sank. Standing in his entryway, door open, in his clothes, you felt vulnerable and isolated. You didn’t understand why he was being so cold to you, and the contrast between now and last night was enough to make you sick to your stomach.
You grabbed your bag by the front door and went to the bathroom to change. Looking at yourself in the mirror was the final straw and you started to cry. All you wanted was to be on the plane with Lucy, getting far away from this place.
When you got to the truck, Joel was looking at his phone. You loaded your bag in the back and then climbed into the passenger seat.
“All set?” he asked without looking at you.
“Yeah,” was all you said.
The drive was nearly silent, aside from Joel confirming that you wanted to go to the ranch and not the airport.
You were at war with yourself for the majority of the trip. Part of you wanted to pry, to insist that he tell you what was wrong. The other part of you told you that this was who he’d been the whole time - that the version of him you’d been seeing was just a facade.
You couldn’t make up your mind, so you just let the silence ensue.
When the truck pulled up to the front of the lodge, Lucy was once again on the front porch. She jumped up to greet you, but then saw your expression as you opened your door to hop out.
Joel stayed in the truck as you got out, closed the passenger door, and then retrieved your bag from the back. You looked at him before you closed the back door.
You didn’t feel you could walk away without saying anything. So you settled on a simple, “Bye, Joel.”
“Have a safe flight.” His eyes stayed focused forward, not so much as a glance back at you.
You closed the door and stifled a sob. The truck peeled away and you were left standing on the gravel.
Footsteps approached, and then Lucy had her hand on your back. “What’s going on, Bee?”
You shook your head and said, “I can’t talk about it.”
“Let’s go to the room, we have a bit before our Uber for the airport arrives.”
Lucy got you settled in the room, cozy on the couch and with a glass of wine in front of you.
“It’s 9 A.M., Luce,” you said, looking at the glass of wine.
“Yeah, and you look like you need it.” She scooted it closer to you and you just shook your head.
“Did he hurt you?” There was already venom in her voice.
You said no, and described the events of the morning to her, including how incredible last night was. You couldn’t keep the tears at bay as you recalled everything he’d done for you.
“Oh, babe,” Lucy moved to sit beside you on the couch, pulling you against her so that your head rested on her shoulder. “Are you sure this isn’t just a misunderstanding? Maybe-”
You jerked away from her and said, “Stop, please. I-” you sighed. “I can’t handle your optimism right now, Luce. I can’t…the hope hurts too much. I just think this is the end. I need to just accept that.”
It was apparent that Lucy disagreed. She didn’t like seeing you walk away from something so readily, but she also knew that now wasn’t the time to push you. “Okay.”
You’d never been so relieved to board a plane before. You wanted to be home, to engage in your everyday distractions.
Lucy continued checking in on you throughout the flight. Toward the end, you fell asleep with your head on her shoulder. It was a welcome reprieve from the upset emotions you had been drowning in.
When the plane landed and you woke up, and all of those sinking feelings came right back, you were just grateful that you hadn’t given more of yourself to him. You felt incredibly foolish for thinking that he could be different from all the other men you’d dated. He was just the same, if not worse.
Chance Encounters - Part Five: One Weekend (Part I)
Tags: minors DNI, flirting, romance, smut, oral sex (f!receiving), rough oral sex (m!receiving), gagging, making out, vaginal fingering, multiple orgasms, dirty talk, fluff, humor, general sweetness
WC: 6.7k
Summary: You visit Joel in Austin, TX for your birthday weekend (he wants to make it one you won't forget).
A/N: Y'all. I'm smitten over these two. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. This wasn't initially going to be two parts, but the chapter got away from me!
AO3 | masterlist | chance encounters masterlist | part six
Divider: @/saradika-graphics
The next few days went by in a blur. You found yourself fighting to maintain focus; your mind frequently drifting to Joel and daydreaming about the mind-blowing sex you’d had with him the previous week.
It was the night of the 14th and you were packing up your too-small suitcase, filled to the brim with clothes, makeup, and accessories. You were holding a pair of boots and staring at your suitcase, willing them to magically fit, when your phone rang.
Joel Miller scrolled across the top of the screen.
Immediately filled with butterflies, you answered the phone, “hey there, cowboy.”
Silence.
“Joel?”
“Y’gotta call me that?” he feigned annoyance in his tone, not capable of actually being irritated with you.
“If the boots fit,” you quipped, then continued, “speaking of boots fitting…my luggage is overflowing and I don’t think I’m gonna be able to bring everything I want to.”
Joel chuckled and replied, “y’don’t gotta pack much clothes, if you don’t wanna.” You could practically hear him wink.
“Pretty sure I can’t be riding a horse naked, Joel.” You started to pull everything out of your suitcase, wanting to start from a clean slate so you could organize better. The phone lay on the floor beside you on speakerphone.
Joel hummed, “now that’d be a pretty sight.”
You laughed, “you’re ridiculous, you know that?”
Joel chuckled in response then asked when your flight would be arriving. The two of you spoke for a few more minutes before you reluctantly hung up the phone to focus on your packing and eat some dinner before going to bed early.
You’d be seeing Joel at some point the next day, and you felt bad that you were more eager for that than all the birthday plans Lucy had made for you. You hoped she’d understand.
The plane landed and your stomach was in a knot. Nerves had replaced butterflies and you were ready to get off the plane and distract yourself with some of the activities Lucy had prepared.
“We don’t check-in to the ranch ‘til two,” Lucy said, “so we have a couple hours. I looked up a couple brunch places if you wanna do that? Or we could go shopping?”
It was your turn to deboard the plane and the two of you shuffled along your row then grabbed your carry-on bags from up above. Brunch sounded like a terrific distraction, so you opted for that as you left the plane.
“What’s on the agenda for today?” you asked as you navigated through the busy airport. You stripped off your jacket as you walked, preparing yourself for the more mild temperatures in Texas.
“After we check-in we’ll get a tour of the ranch, then we’ll have dinner there, and after dinner is the first horse ride!” Lucy was clearly excited. It warmed your heart how much effort and money she had put into this weekend for you. You tried to offer to cover some of the cost, but Lucy wouldn’t have it. You made a mental note that you’d have to go all out for her birthday in February.
You descended the escalators toward the arrival doors and Lucy pulled out her phone to order an Uber. “I’m just gonna put in a random place downtown, and we can figure out brunch from there. Sound good?”
You opened your mouth to respond to Lucy, but then you spotted him. He was leaning against one of the pillars by the exit door, one of his hands in his jeans pocket and the other at his side. He was wearing dark wash jeans and a denim button-up. Somehow, he managed to pull off the denim-on-denim look seamlessly.
“Oh my god,” you muttered under your breath.
Lucy’s head shot up, looking around the perimeter to try and spot what you were reacting to. “What?” she asked.
“Joel,” you said quietly. A ragged breath climbed up your chest and you were tremendously more anxious than you had been before. Something about seeing him in the flesh, waiting for you, created a buzzing sensation that had you practically trembling.
“Holy shit,” Lucy said, all too loudly. “Damn babe, he’s hot as fuck.”
“Lucy!” her proclamation had you giggling and pulled you from your anxious trance. One of the many things Lucy was good for.
Joel’s eyes lit up as he spotted you. He pulled his hand from his pocket and lifted it in a partial wave. His smile was incredibly endearing as he slowly walked toward you. Damn this man and his nonchalance. You wished you could be a fraction as composed as he was.
“Hey,” his eyes were zeroed in on you as the two of you came together and then he leaned in and gave you a soft kiss, as though it was the most natural thing. He turned to look at Lucy and offered a warm smile with a simple “hi.”
“Hope it’s okay that I’m here. Figured I could offer the two of you a ride.” He reached for your suitcase first, and then Lucy’s. He nodded with his head toward the front door. “I’m parked in the structure.”
“No it’s great,” Lucy responded, “I was just about to get an Uber, so it was perfect timing. Thank you!” Her eyes were sparkling as she looked up at Joel and you had to try not to laugh. She truly couldn’t help herself.
“How was the flight?” Joel turned to look at you, and you realized that you had yet to say a single word to him.
“It was good, a little long,” you answered. You seemed to be at a loss for words and you hoped you’d warm up sooner than later. You hadn’t felt this nervous on your first date, and weren’t quite sure why the anxiety felt so palpable right now.
“Yeah, it’s not a fun flight,” Joel chuckled.
You’d arrived at his truck and he loaded your luggage in the back, then opened the door for Lucy to climb in.
“Wanna ride shotgun?” he asked.
You gave a smile and nod and he escorted you to the passenger side of the truck, opening the door for you. You went to climb up, but he stopped you with his hand on your wrist.
Turning toward him, you blushed as you saw how he was looking at you. “It’s good to see you,” he said softly as he leaned in and landed a kiss on the corner of your mouth.
You felt yourself relax, some of the anxiety melting away as you replied, “you too, Joel.”
When you got in the truck you heard snickering from the backseat and shot Lucy a look. She had her hand on her mouth trying to stifle her giggles. “So cute,” she whispered and you mouthed “shh” as Joel reached the driver’s side and hoisted himself up.
When Joel twisted the keys in the ignition, country music started playing. You and Lucy exchanged horror-stricken looks as you reprimanded him, “Joel!”
“What?!” he looked over at you confused, his hand hovering over the gear shift.
“Please tell me you don’t actually listen to country music,” you chided.
“Darlin’,” Joel responded, sounding unbothered as he put the truck in reverse, “y’ain’t in the city anymore, y’in Texas.”
He drove to the exit of the garage, sticking his credit card in the machine and waiting for the partition to lift. “‘Sides, I listen t’all sortsa music. Not just country.”
You hummed and said, “that’s better, I suppose.”
He chuckled, “glad I got your approval.”
The ride to downtown was about forty minutes, and Lucy and Joel seemed to become best friends during the short commute. Lucy was cackling in the back and Joel wiped a tear from his eye and said, “y’gotta quit it! ‘M tryna drive over here.”
Your cheeks hurt from grinning and by the time Joel had parked his truck downtown, any residual anxiety you’d had was completely dissipated. Lucy had always had that effect on people, and now you were wondering if Joel was the same.
“Well, I’ll leave ya girls to it. I gotta get back to work.”
“You’re not joining us for brunch?” you couldn’t hide the disappointment in your voice.
Joel’s hand clasped around your knee as he said, “nah, I can’t. Already dumped most of my work on the other guys at the site, and I’ve gotta make sure we get the work plans solidified by the end of the day.”
“I know how that goes!” Lucy chimed in as she opened the back door, “I’ll be out here.” She winked at you as she slipped out of the truck, shutting the door behind her.
Joel huffed a laugh and said, “she’s good at knowing when t’give privacy, huh?”
You smiled, still trying to hide the disappointment. You wondered how much time you’d be able to spend with Joel this weekend.
Joel swept the hair off your shoulder, watching it fall behind you. His hand stayed on your shoulder, his thumb rubbing small circles on the base of your neck.
“Can I see ya later?” His eyes rested heavily on your own.
You nodded and asked, “when?”
His touch was so soothing, you felt that if you closed your eyes right now you’d drift right off to sleep.
“You tell me. What’re the plans for the day?” His hand moved back up to your hair, twirling a piece of it between his fingers.
You filled him in and he asked if he could take you out for a drink after your dinner and horse ride with Lucy. While you secretly wished that he’d join for the whole evening, you accepted his offer.
“See you then,” he said, reaching over and popping open your door. He gave you a kiss, his hand cupping the back of your head, before he fully sat back in his seat. Your lips chased him and he chuckled, giving another kiss before patting your knee and saying, “alright now, I gotta get goin’.”
“See ya, cowboy!” you said with a smile as you hopped out of the truck, smirking as Joel rolled his eyes and the door shut, silencing his groan.
You and Lucy began to stroll downtown, reading the menus outside restaurants to peruse your brunch options. You settled on a place that boasted their humongous bloody marys, your stomach rumbling at the thought of a fully decked out savory cocktail.
The two of you were seated at a table by the window, able to watch the passersby. Lucy was in the bathroom, and you were observing a couple standing outside an adjacent restaurant. You assumed they were waiting for an available table inside. Their bodies seemed in sync - every time her body tilted toward his, he reached for her, his hand stroking up and down her arm. She rested her head on his shoulder and he planted a kiss on her forehead. Their fingers would intertwine and then stroke up and down. They made it look so easy - like nothing could separate them from the other. Jealousy bloomed in your chest as you watched their outward proclamations of love.
Lucy returned to the table, delighted to see that the drinks had been delivered while she was gone. You had been too focused on the doting couple to notice.
“Wow, these look delicious!” She plopped into her chair and plucked the pickle spear out of her drink. “Speaking of delicious…”
You chuckled and took a sip of your drink then shook your head. “Go ahead and say it, Luce.”
“Well, he’s gorgeous!” She chomped on her pickle. “He didn’t stand out to me much at speed dating. Guess he was just trying to impress you.” She winked at you and it gave you butterflies thinking about how Joel may have been putting in more effort with you than with Lucy. That wasn’t typical for the two of you.
“Maybe,” you shrugged.
Lucy scoffed, “oh, come on, babe. The guy’s totally smitten! You don’t see it all over his face whenever he looks at you?” She took the last bite of her pickle and then sipped her drink. “Shit, if I had a man look at me like that, the things I’d do to him…”
Your face reddened as you laughed. You weren’t a prude, but it wasn’t like you to casually chat about sex. That wasn’t the case for Lucy.
The two of you browsed through some boutiques downtown before ordering an Uber to take you to the ranch. It was about a twenty minute ride outside the city and it was a rare occurrence of Lucy being quiet so that you could both just take in the view.
It became more beautiful the nearer you got to the ranch, and when the car pulled up to let you out, your jaw dropped at the expansive scenery.
“Holy. Shit.” Lucy wasn’t quiet anymore.
“Wow,” you uttered, looking around at the rolling mountains in the distance, the field with horses scattered across it and a spacious barn tucked in the back.
The main cabin was jaw-dropping. It was two stories with an A-frame peak at the front. String lights hung from the side of the building across a few firepits and a cozy seating area. The cabin had tall wood panels, a wrap-around porch and upper balcony, and large windows dotting the exterior.
The bellhop came out to greet you, taking your luggage and ushering you inside the cabin. Large chandeliers hung from the ceiling with moose antlers in the center. There was a large fireplace in the lobby with couches and nooks adorned with fluffy pillows. Magazines and art books sat atop coffee tables, and there was a coffee/tea station tucked to the side.
The room was just as spectacular. Two cushy beds sat side-by-side, separated by a rustic night table and what looked to be a hand-carved lamp atop it. There was a separate living area that had a leather armchair and couch, and a wooden-slab coffee table between the seating area and the television. The balcony had two chairs and overlooked the field with the horses. There were plush rugs and warm lighting, and you thought that you’d be perfectly content spending your time in the room.
Lucy ran onto the balcony and waved for you to follow. “Look at those horses!”
You stepped onto the balcony and could smell the firepits from down below. Taking in a deep breath, you looked out across the field to see horses grazing and meandering about.
“I can’t wait to ride one.” You’d only ridden a horse twice before, but both times felt life-changing to you. You loved the power and strength of them and how they could balance that with their gentle beauty. It was something you admired.
“Oh, it’s gonna be so fun!” Lucy wrapped her arm around you, pulling you close. And for just a moment, you wondered what you did to deserve a friend like her.
The dinner was fantastic - roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots, gravy, sweet corn, and apple pie for dessert. It was all perfectly seasoned and you left the table with a warm belly.
“I’m gonna crush my poor horse,” Lucy said as she rubbed her tummy.
You giggled as the two of you made your way out to the stables. “Do we get to choose our horse?” you asked.
“I think so,” Lucy replied, stretching her back as she walked.
The stablehand gave you a warm welcome and a rundown of the etiquette and rules of horse riding. She showed you five different horses that were available and your eyes fell immediately to the large, black horse. She followed your eyesight and said, “That's our Friesian horse. She’s one-of-a-kind. Very gentle, laid back. She loves to trot, so as long as you’re up for some bouncing, she’s your girl!”
“What’s her name?” You approached the horse, holding your hand out so she could sniff you.
“Shimmer.” The stablehand took the reins and gently led the horse out of the table. You followed, your hand resting on the horse's muscular side as you walked.
Lucy chose a smaller, chestnut brown horse, named Callus.
The first horse experience of the weekend was just a chill ride around the field, which was perfect because both of you were uncomfortably full from your hearty dinner. The breeze was perfect and as you trotted around the perimeter you could see the sun start to set.
Lucy rode up next to you, trying to get her horse to match your pace. “I thought choosing the smaller horse would mean a slower ride,” she said, calling back to you as her horse once again picked up pace, “but I guess not!”
It seemed apt for your friendship - Lucy ahead of you, taking long strides, and you in back, observing at your own pace.
The emotions that overcame you whenever you rode a horse were unmatched. It was freedom mixed with an overwhelming sensation that you couldn’t quite put words to. It created a peace within you that settled your soul.
The stablehand called for the two of you to bring the horses in, and as you neared the stable, you saw a familiar figure standing outside the fence.
He waved at you with his usual subdued smile. You grinned and brought your horse in, eager to hop off and join Joel for the next adventure.
You exchanged goodbyes with Lucy, who assured you over and over that she was more than okay with you going out with Joel, and that she was going to have a couple drinks at the lobby bar and chat with some of the other guests.
When you approached Joel, he had one leg crossed over the other as he leaned sideways against the wooden fence. He was in his usual jeans with a green flannel shirt.
“You know what you look like right now?” you asked with a smirk.
Joel looked at the ground and shook his head before looking up at you and replying, “lemme guess…”
“A cowboy,” you both said in unison, though only your own giggles followed while Joel fought back a smile.
“Y’gonna be the death o’me, y’know that?” The corner of his mouth lifted as he spoke.
You were walking toward the dirt parking lot of the ranch and your fingers brushed against Joel’s accidentally. Your hand froze as it made contact and then slipped away. Your breath catching momentarily as you wondered whether you should reach out or not. For whatever reason, hand-holding seemed more intimate than anything else the two of you had done.
You didn’t need to ponder long, as Joel reached out and interwove his fingers with your own. When you looked up at him, he was looking straight ahead at his truck, but with a small smile on his lips.
The butterflies returned in full force and you felt near-giddy at the prospect of another date night with him.
“Where are we going?” you squeezed his hand as you neared the truck.
Joel walked you around to the passenger side and opened your door. “It’s a surprise,” he said with his usual wink.
You bit your lip and smiled at him as he reached across to buckle your seatbelt then close your door. The effortless way that he cared for you had your heart swelling. He made it all look so easy.
The drive went by quickly, despite it being nearly an hour. He let you control the music and as you flipped through your playlist, you found that you had more in common than you would’ve thought, given the country music that blared earlier in the day.
You saw a sign for an airport and looked at him with a furrowed brow, “are we going somewhere?”
He parked the truck and looked at you with a poker face as he said, “you’ll see.”
“Joel!” you shouted, but it was too late as he had already gotten out of the truck and was rounding the back to come to your door.
He reached his hand out and you took it, hopping down from the cab. You walked hand-in-hand toward a warehouse-like building. The butterflies hadn’t quite turned into nerves, but they were close. You trusted him but the anticipation was killing you.
“Hi!” A friendly-looking man walked to greet the two of you near a runway.
You greeted him with a smile, and that’s when you saw what was behind him. A helicopter.
“Are we going in that?” you asked under your breath.
Joel just smiled at you as you continued walking toward the man who was waving you over.
“Welcome to the Austin Sunset Helicopter tours! We’re excited for the two of you to join us this evening. I’ll give you a lil tour of the helicopter, and then we’ll be off!” The man turned and motioned for you to follow him.
He gave a brief tour of the helicopter and what the flight would entail. He offered you both champagne and helped you into the helicopter.
When you and Joel were both seated and buckled in, you looked at him in awe and said, “I can’t believe you set this up.”
“I got t’experience your city, now it’s my turn to show you what Austin has to offer.” He set his hand on your knee and squeezed then tilted his glass toward yours.
“Cheers.” The clink was followed by a small sip from you both, and then, as if in unison, you leaned toward each other and kissed.
You could taste the champagne on his lips and couldn’t help but run your tongue across his bottom lip. You sucked it into your mouth, nestled between your teeth as you bit down lightly. A grumble bubbled up from Joel’s chest and his hand on your knee slid up to your thigh, squeezing. His hand rounded the top of your leg until his thumb was pressing into your inner thigh, mere inches away from your center.
Then you heard the man at the front of the helicopter clear his throat. “Not to disturb you two, but we’re about to take off, and I’m pretty sure you don’t wanna miss the view.”
You pulled away from Joel with a giggle and stifled a bigger laugh when you saw his darkened eyes. He was staring at you like you were a slab of meat and he hadn’t eaten in days. Your eyes fell to the crotch of his pants and landed on his unmistakable bulge.
He shifted in his seat and shook his head slightly, “death o’me, I swear,” he mumbled under his breath, much to your pleasure.
The helicopter ride was incredible. You’d put on your headsets and listened to the aerial tour that the guide was narrating. The city was beautiful - not quite as striking as New York City, but the landscape was the big draw.
Joel continued rubbing his thumb on your thigh throughout the ride and the longer it went on, the more you noticed an unavoidable wetness forming between your legs.
You weren’t sure what else Joel had in store for you after this, but you thought that you wouldn’t mind just going back to his place.
The sun had completely set now, and it was pitch black outside. The twinkling lights from downtown swirled underneath the helicopter as he was preparing to land.
You stared down at them in awe. You’d never been in a helicopter before, and it was now on your bucket list to do a tour like this in your own city.
The descent began and Joel took off his headset and then reached over to help remove yours.
“What’dya think?” His eyes were glowing, the darkness subsided as he had composed himself throughout the duration of the tour, unlike yourself.
You shook your head and said, “incredible.”
He leaned forward and kissed you, just a soft peck on the cushion of your lips.
“Y’ready for our next stop?” You didn’t want to disappoint him, especially after you heard the eagerness in his tone, but you’d already grown tired from the long day and the idea of going back to his place was weighing heavy on your mind.
You offered a polite smile and replied, “sure.”
Joel squinted his eyes at you. “Y’sure?” His head cocked slightly to the side.
You were interrupted by the tour guide opening up the helicopter and helping you down. You shook his hand and thanked him, and saw Joel slip him some cash as he thanked him as well.
When you were back in the truck, Joel turned to look at you before starting the engine. “Y’gonna tell me what’s goin’ on?”
“Oh, I-” you looked out the window, your hands clasped together and fingers twiddling.
“I can take you back to the ranch, darlin’. If you’re tired, we don’t gotta-” You pivoted toward him quickly, cutting him off.
“No, no. It’s not that. I…well, I guess sort of, yeah.” You knew that you weren’t making much sense, but you weren’t as forward as Lucy. It wasn’t easy for you to just ask for what you wanted.
“I ain’t gonna be offended if you’re tired. We got tomorrow t’do stuff, too. I know you had a long day.” He reached over and gave a featherlight touch to your jaw.
“I was actually thinking…maybe we could…go somewhere cozier?” You continued fidgeting with your hands in your lap.
Joel’s hand was still on your jaw and he smiled. “I’d love that.”
You held hands the whole way to his house. Not able to see much of the view on the drive because of the dark, your eyes fell on him the majority of the trip.
The mixture of his soft and defined features, the patchy beard that wrapped around his jaw, his crooked nose and dimpled smile - they all filled you with a warmth and familiarity that you hadn’t felt before. Until Joel, you hadn’t realized just how beautiful a man could be.
He pulled into his driveway and you curiously looked out the front window, eager to see what his house looked like. It was quaint, a rather small house, but with unique features. Black paneling coated the house, adorned with a mansard roof and a red brick chimney. There was a large picture window in the front of the house, and on the other side a bay window with string lights draped on the inside, emitting a soft glow outside the house.
“Welcome home,” Joel said with a quirk of his lip.
You hopped out, not waiting for him to come around and assist. “Y’in a hurry there?” He asked, stepping to your side as the two of you walked up the curving pathway to the front door.
“I’ve gotta see what a cowboy’s house looks like.” You had to bite down on your lip to not laugh at yourself.
Joel sighed and looked up at the starry sky. “Guess we’re not tired of that one yet, huh?”
You giggled as he unlocked the door and then stepped to the side, pushing it open so that you could enter first. Your shoulder brushed his chest as you walked past and a chill went up your spine.
His home smelled just like him. His usual musk wafted around you, along with hints of cedar and warm notes of honey and cinnamon.
You took a deep breath and sighed, not even looking around to take in the view of his home yet. “God, it smells so good in here.”
Joel gave an incredulous laugh, “really? Ain’t nothin’ special.”
You turned toward him. “It smells like you.”
There was a beat and then Joel took a long stride toward you, closing the distance and bringing your body against his in a powerful kiss.
A sharp exhale left your mouth as your chest collided against his. His hand cradled the back of your head, securing your lips to his.
Just as you were about to fully melt into the kiss, he pulled away.
He moved toward the kitchen, flicking on the light above the breakfast nook on his way. “Y’hungry? Thirsty?”
You stood, slackjawed and wanting. The nonchalance of this man would never cease to amaze and frustrate you.
“Joel,” you scoffed.
He peeked his head out from the galley kitchen. “What?”
“How can you-? We were just-” you stammered, trying to compose yourself. You gave up and sighed, walking toward him.
He chuckled. “Y’in a rush or somethin’?”
“I mean, no, but…that kiss about knocked me on my ass. That didn’t do anything to you?” You were standing in the kitchen, watching him pull out two whiskey glasses.
“‘Course it did,” he replied, “but I know if we would’ve kept kissin’ then we’d be in the bedroom. ‘N if we’re in the bedroom, then that’s the rest of the night, darlin’.” He gave you a knowing smile as he began to pour whiskey into the rocks glasses.
“Sounds like you’re reciting If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.” You reached for the glass he was handing you.
Joel gave one hard chuckle. “Y’callin’ me a mouse?”
“Are you calling me a cookie?” you quipped back.
“Well,” he took a step closer to you, setting his whiskey glass down on the counter next to where you were leaning, “y’are sweet…” he kissed your jaw. “Tasty, too.” Another kiss on your cheek. “And I could eat ya up.” He nipped at your bottom lip and you gasped.
Both his hands were resting on your hips and he pivoted you so that your back was against the counter. He bent down to reach your neck, sucking softly on the flesh and creating goosebumps up and down your entire body.
“So,” Joel muttered between kisses and licks, “y’wanna go upstairs…or watch somethin’ on the TV down ‘ere?”
Your hips couldn’t help but move toward his, slowly pushing against his belt buckle as your hands snaked around his torso, so broad that your fingertips could hardly meet.
“I pick upstairs.” Your head was fully tilted to the side now, allowing him full access to your throat.
Joel took a small step back and picked up his whiskey glass, knocking back the amber liquid. You picked up your glass and did the same, unsuccessfully hiding your grimace.
“Not a whiskey drinker, then?” he asked with a friendly smirk.
You shook your head, “you found my weakness.”
“Must be the only one,” he mumbled before his lips were pressed against yours. He picked you up, just as he did back at your apartment. Only this time, he knew where he was going.
His words played in your head as he carried you up the stairs. You wondered if he’d ever realize that he was wrong. That your other weakness was standing right in front of you.
“Ohmygod.” It had become a mantra for you over the past twenty minutes.
Joel’s tongue lapped diligently at your folds, coming up to circle your sensitive bud and suck it between his lips before diving back down and sweeping up your arousal as it dripped from you.
You’d already come undone on his tongue once, and your fingers were desperately grasping at the curls in his hair, begging him to relent and join you up above.
He obliged and gave you a deep kiss, allowing you to taste yourself on his lips. The tangy musk had both of you groaning into each other’s mouths - your twisted tongues forming a dance of their own.
You could feel how hard he was now that he was pressed against your thigh, and you wondered how he hadn’t managed to burst through his boxers yet. You remembered how you wished you’d been able to go down on him the last time you were together, but that you’d been too eager to feel him inside of you that it was neglected.
Without dwelling on the painful thought for too long, you also noted that you weren’t sure the next time - if ever - you’d be able to have sex with him again. There was something that you’d always wanted to try, and figured now would be a good time as any to shoot your shot.
“Joel,” you whispered between sloppy kisses.
He pulled his head back just slightly, still so close that your eyes couldn’t focus fully on his features.
“There’s something I want to try,” you confessed.
He pulled back further, curiosity piqued and wanting to get a better look at you as you revealed your secret desire.
You tried to describe it as gracefully as possible, not used to talking about sex, and certainly not in any crude way. “I want to taste you…but from a certain position…”
His eyebrows raised and he pushed himself off of you, leaning back on his haunches. “Show me,” he gently commanded. His hard cock bobbed in his underwear.
You laid on your back and scooched yourself to the end of the bed, allowing your head to hang off so that you were upside down and staring at the wall in front of you.
“Fuck,” Joel groaned while cupping his bulge. He was turned on by the sight of you like that alone, and couldn’t imagine how quickly he might come if he were to take you in that position.
“Sweetheart, I gotta be honest…” You raised your head as you heard his voice, briefly worried that you had done something to turn him off.
You looked at him as he said, “I might not last very long like that…”
You smiled and consoled, “that’s okay…I don’t really want you to.”
He looked mildly confused at your seeming acceptance of the two of you not having actual sex.
“Remember what you said in the car? We’ve got tomorrow, too.” It was your turn to wink now, and Joel took no time in scampering off of the bed and coming around to the end.
You let your head hang down again and watched him upside down as he took off his boxers and stood in front of you, his bobbing cock right above your face. He had to lean down slightly to line up with your mouth.
His hands held himself up on the bed, on either side of your shoulders, and he lowered his hips so that his cock brushed against your lips.
You licked the salty residue and then parted your lips, sticking out your tongue to bring the head of his cock in your mouth.
Joel exhaled, the warm breath blowing across your bare breasts as he pushed further into your waiting mouth. He looked down so that he could see you from this new angle, and his cock throbbed at the sight.
You’d taken him fully into your mouth now, and he could see the rough outline of his cock near the top of your throat. His pubic hair was pressed to your chin, but he could still see your spit trickling down the sides of your mouth. He felt his balls nestled against your nose. The lascivity of it was tantalizing, and he had to look away so as not to blow his load too early.
“Goddamn, darlin’. Y’look so good like this.” His eyesight redirected to your pliant body in front of him. He could still see the glisten of your arousal coated on your inner thighs and the top of your bush.
He couldn’t help but reach his hand forward and slide his thumb across your mound, reaching further until he felt that familiar button under the pad of his finger.
You arched on the bed, your body involuntarily seeking more of the friction. Joel pulled out slightly so that you could breathe better and moan from the sensations he was giving you.
Your hands reached around his thighs, pulling him back into your mouth and he chuckled.
“Was gonna ask f’you’re doin’ okay down there, but I’m guessin’ y’are.”
You moaned an affirmative around his cock and the vibration caused him to buck further into your mouth, triggering your gag reflex. At the retching sound, Joel went to pull back out, but you tightened your grasp on his thighs. Your fingers pressed against the rough hairs.
“Okay, okay, breathe baby…” Joel cooed, understanding that you wanted to persevere and continue taking him like this.
Truth was, you loved having to work for it. Feeling trapped between the bed and his hips, his meaty thighs bracketing your head, feeling his pulsing cock stuck in your throat and his heavy balls pressed against your face, you felt equal parts used and desired.
Knowing that Joel could use your body in such a lewd way, while still being tender and caring, had more of your arousal dripping out of your pulsating cunt.
You reached down to pleasure yourself, but when Joel saw your hand going south, he stopped you.
“I’ve gotya, angel,” he said warmly. He slipped his middle finger into your pussy and rubbed his thumb against your clit.
At the same time, he started moving in and out of your mouth in a sawing motion. You relaxed your jaw and continued breathing through your nose, inhaling the musk of his ballsack pressed against you, still able to get enough oxygen.
“Holy shit, y’feel so fuckin’ good like this. Never felt anything like this before.” He picked up the pace, listening to the wet sounds from both your mouth and pussy. He could feel your saliva running down his cock and sticking to his balls.
He added a second finger into your pussy and began to pump faster, matching the rhythm of his cock. His thumb worked quicker circles on your swollen clit.
He looked down again, seeing how wrecked you looked beneath him. Knowing that he did that to you, but more importantly, that you wanted him to do that to you, made his heart and cock swell at the same time.
“Baby, not gonna last much longer. Shit!” he exclaimed as you hollowed your cheeks, sucking him as hard as you could.
“Needya t’come for me again, please, baby, for me…” his sweet voice begged you and you wanted nothing more than to give him whatever he was asking for in this moment.
His fingers were slamming into your pussy with a bruising force and you arched your back, feeling the familiar tension in your core.
He pressed down a little harder with his thumb, and then you came, choking around his cock as your moans reverberated through your throat and causing him to shudder.
“Uggghhh,” he practically growled as his balls tightened and then released his load.
You felt it trickle down your throat, some of his spend filling your mouth. His balls continued moving against your nose, emptying fully.
When his cock started to soften, he very slowly pulled himself out of your mouth. He looked down, trying to be as considerate as possible so as not to make the mess on your face any worse than it already was.
When he was fully removed, he took a step back and put his hands on the back of your head, helping to lift you and position you back fully onto the bed.
Your face was red from the blood flow and coated with spit and cum. Your mascara had created a mess on your eyelids, streaking down with tears all the way to the sides of your head.
He kissed your forehead then stepped away to retrieve a wet washcloth from the bathroom. When he returned, he laid on his side on the bed next to you, gently washing away the mess he created.
“Y’okay?” he questioned in a near-whisper.
After he cleaned off your eyes, you were able to get a good look at him and you smiled. “Never better.”
He laughed at this, “glad to hear it, sweets.”
The two of you shuffled back up to the top of the bed, cozying yourself beneath the blankets and intertwining your limbs as if you’d done it a million times before.
Joel turned his head to the clock on his nightstand then looked back at you, “happy birthday.”
You smiled, your head rested in the crook of his arm. “Thanks.”
“Y’excited for tomorrow?” He stroked your hair.
You nodded and said, “between both you and Lucy, I’m gonna be unnecessarily spoiled.”
Joel shook his head, “nah, it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Well, I feel very lucky.” You planted a kiss on the side of his chest.
“You’re not the only one.”
Tag List: @untamedheart81 @m3rdim @simpingforjoel @delicious-collection @pedrofan @hauntedbymiller @kateg88 @satanslefthandgal
Let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from tag list! ♡
Tags: minors DNI, alcohol, smut, unprotected pinv, oral (f receiving), multiple sex positions, multiple orgasms, dirty talk, praise, lots of pet names (sorry not sorry), fluff, flirting, desire, kissing, very very light rimming, slight overstimulation, self-objectification, rough sex
WC: 5.8k
Summary: You give Joel one last chance. What does he do with it?
A/N: Y'all...I said it before, but I'll say it again...these two have me in a chokehold. I love them so much, even though they infuriate me at times. I never, ever thought I'd enjoy writing any sort of rom-com, but here we are. I usually write more of a dark Joel, but this sweet, affectionate Joel has my heart. I hope you all enjoy this final chapter. It took me multiple times sitting down to get it right, and I almost, almost abandoned it. I gave it my all and I hope it lands.
This is the final part!! 🫶🏻
AO3 | masterlist | chance encounters masterlist
Divider: @/saradika-graphics
Your alarm went off and you nearly fell out of bed. So exhausted from your late night phone call with Joel, you slept harder than you had in a while.
Under normal circumstances, you’d be upset waking up still feeling as tired as you were, but you couldn’t deny the excitement you felt about seeing Joel again. The whiplash from not wanting him anywhere near you to being eager to see him was unexpected, but you weren’t going to question it.
Over the years, Lucy had encouraged you to start trusting your gut when it came to men, and despite the pain Joel had created for you, you wanted to trust that this excitement was well-deserved.
You opted for a simple outfit, and little to no makeup. Slipping on your jeans and black tank top, you took a deep breath to try and calm yourself. The excitement began to mix with nerves and you wanted to try and show up as composed as possible to the coffee shop.
Despite the excitement, you wanted to be able to confront Joel about what he had done, and you knew that if your nerves were really present, you wouldn’t be able to do that. “Get it together,” you murmured to yourself as you stepped into your sandals.
Slinging your purse over your shoulder, you headed out of your apartment. The coffeeshop was in an adjoining building, so you didn’t even need to walk outside, just cross through the lobby and then push open the door that would flood you with the delicious smell of roasted coffee.
You spotted him right away. He was sitting at a table to himself with two coffees. Taking one more deep breath, you walked over to him with a smile of uncertainty spreading across your face.
“Hey,” he said softly once he saw you. He stood up from his chair as you approached and then sat back down when you took your seat. “I didn’t see you come in.”
Motioning to the door tucked to the side of the counter, you responded, “It’s connected to my building.”
“Oh. Nice. Easy access.” He offered a slight chuckle and then wrapped his hands around the mug in front of him.
You looked down at the coffee cup in front of you and Joel chimed, “Hazelnut latte with oatmilk, cinnamon on top.”
You had to bite your lip to stifle the smile threatening to take over your face. “You know you’ve got a scary good memory, right?”
“Only for the things that matter.” The sincerity in his tone was enough to make you want to forgive him, but you didn’t plan to let him off that easy.
You cleared your throat and raised the mug to take a sip of the warm beverage. “So, what is it that you want to say?”
Joel sighed. He shook his head then took a sip of his coffee before lowering it and looking at you. “That I’m sorry. That I wish I woulda tried talkin’ t’ya first…before I closed myself off. Y’didn’t deserve that.”
“No, I didn’t,” you shot back. “Do you care to explain why you did that, then?” You had a firm grip on your cup, trying to ground yourself. He looked damn good. His hair was slightly mussed, just how you liked it. He was wearing a navy blue t-shirt that stretched thin across his chest and biceps when he moved. You worked to keep your eyes on his face, not wanting to give yourself away.
He sighed again and leaned back in his chair. “I was tryin’ t’look out for myself. But it…that didn’t work. Missed you too much, so…got hurt anyways.”
“Look out for yourself…how?” His explanation still wasn’t adding up for you.
“I got hurt real bad ‘bout a year ago. Was seein’ this woman for a little over a year. Thought things were going real good. Even got a ring. And then she, uh…she found the ring in one o’ my drawers. Musta felt bad, because that night she sat me down and told me that she’d been seein’ someone else on the side for the past six months.” He looked out the window then back down at his coffee cup. “Never felt pain like that before. When the future you used t’see so clearly starts t’look blurry and abstract, it’s unsettling. So…I told myself that I wouldn’t let that happen again. And so when I saw that text on your phone, from that guy, I made my mind up that I had to distance myself. I know now that wasn’t the right thing.”
What Joel was sharing with you laid heavy on your chest. You could see the pain in his eyes, hear it in his voice as he recounted what happened. But it still didn’t fully make sense to you.
“What text?”
“From Trevor.” The tone in his voice conveyed that he thought you already knew. “About how he was excited to see you when you got back to the city, with a winking emoji…”
You were silent. Your thoughts racing, trying to recall who the hell Trevor was. You chewed on your lip, your eyes moving to the side as you thought back. And then it hit you.
“Oh my god,” you breathed out. “That’s what this is about? That’s what started this?!”
Joel looked dumbfounded. “Uh, yeah…I thought you knew…”
“God, you’re such an idiot, Joel!” You leaned forward, propping your elbow on the table as you pressed your forehead to the palm of your hand. You couldn’t believe that Lucy was right - that if you had just clarified the miscommunication, none of this would’ve happened.
He nodded and sat back up in his chair. “Sure, I can agree with that…but care t’share why, in this instance?”
“That text was for Lucy, not me. Trevor is a guy that she’s seeing. She broke her phone and wanted to confirm the date with him. I forgot to block his number and didn’t see his text ‘til I left your place. At that point, things already felt so off between us, I didn’t think twice about the text and whether or not you’d seen it. I had no idea.” You were sitting back up now, hands wrapped around the mug as you focused on your breaths. The anger was building inside of you, frustration that Joel threw this whole thing away on a misunderstanding.
Joel looked down at the floor, clearly dismayed with himself. He shook his head and scoffed. There was a long pause - the two of you sitting in silence and letting it hang between you. You watched him as he continued looking at the floor with his head hanging.
But when he looked back up, you weren’t prepared to see the tears in his eyes. It immediately cooled the anger that had been simmering within you.
“I’m so fuckin’ sorry,” he muttered. It was clear enough for you to hear it, but the gravel in his voice coated the words, as though he had to dig them out and hand them to you.
“I dunno if I even…” he trailed off, shaking his head again before continuing, “I dunno if I even deserve t’ask f’your forgiveness.”
Your heart was thumping, ears ringing with how quickly your blood was coursing through your veins. Your brain was racked with the consequences that laid around you, and you weren’t sure what was worse, so you didn’t know where to step. You took a deep breath before asking the question, hoping with all hope that you weren’t making a mistake.
“Joel…”
He looked at you when he heard his name. You couldn’t read the exact emotion in his eyes, but wondered if it was hope as well.
“What do you think of one last date?” The words came out a little stilted, like your tongue was unsure of what it was saying.
Joel exhaled, his shoulders relaxing as he brushed one lone tear away and replied, “I’d love that.”
Back in your apartment, you quickly changed your clothes. You opted for a floral midi sundress. The dress was white with rosebuds as well as fully-bloomed roses, and vines and leaves intermingled throughout the pattern. It was cinched in back with a bustier, and you loved how it accentuated your curves. You added a simple gold necklace and bracelet, with thin gold hoops that hugged your earlobes.
Joel would be here soon. He agreed for you to give him a brief tour of the city, and was headed back to Tommy’s place to grab his suitcase after you had told him that if he was staying the night at your place, you would not accept the early-morning departure like last time.
You had taken full reigns of the date, and wondered if there was anything that Joel would dare push back on. He seemed open to you calling the shots for now, but if you had learned anything about him, it was that he craved control.
When he arrived back at your place, it was 3 o’clock - plenty of time for the stops you wanted to make, and also leaving enough time for the two of you back at the apartment, as well.
The knock at the door startled you, but you pranced over quickly, excited to start what would likely be your last date with Joel Miller. You weren’t letting yourself dwell on that part of it too much.
Opening the door, Joel’s eyes widened then softened as he saw you standing before him in that all-too-tempting sundress. His gaze dropped from your face down to your chest, waist, and hips, before moving back up. All subtlety had gone to the wind, apparently.
“Whatcha thinkin’ about, cowboy?” you asked with a smirk.
His eyes were back on yours now but he was deadly serious. So serious that it seemed your cowboy comment went right over his head.
“We gotta go now?” He moved toward you, his hand coming to rest on your waist with his fingers just barely pressing into your side. His other hand came up to gently brush along your jaw.
Every part of you wanted to pull him into your apartment and shuck off both your clothes, but you knew if you started that way, the chances of leaving the apartment for any sort of date were out the window.
Before you could answer him, he bent forward and pressed his lips to yours. You had no idea the tension you were carrying in your body until his kiss melted it all. He was practically holding you up as he deepened the kiss, his tongue moving into your mouth tenderly. His movements were both tentative and sure, as though he was sensing you, wanting to know what you could handle, while also showing you just how badly he wanted you.
“We-” you started speaking before being cut off again by his kiss, “we’ve gotta go.”
He took a step back from you, his hand lingering for only a moment against your skin before dropping back down to his side. His eyes searched yours as he asked, “Was that okay?”
You nodded, exhaling as you said, “Yeah, that was…okay.” You gave a small smile and then he moved his hand to the back of your head, bringing you into him as he pressed a kiss to your forehead.
Dropping his hand down to your ass and landing a playful spank, he said, “Okay, let’s go.”
The two of you walked hand-in-hand down the busy sidewalk away from your apartment complex. It was hot outside, but thankfully the sky was somewhat overcast, so you weren’t completely miserable.
Joel seemed to have a higher tolerance for the heat, coming from Texas. He gave a chuckle every time you fanned yourself or sighed in relief when you stepped into the shade.
“Are you hungry?” you asked as you were trying to formulate what the first stop would be.
“Sure, I can eat,” Joel replied, his thumb drawing small circles against your hand.
You walked a couple more blocks until you reached your favorite deli. “In here,” you said, tugging on Joel’s arm as you ducked inside the shop.
The deli was busy, as usual, but thankfully since it was a weekday, it wasn’t a complete madhouse.
One of the butchers caught a glimpse of you and waved you over. You’d ingratiated yourself with them ever since you gifted them a box of Italian wine. It was a smart move on your part, given how often you frequented their deli.
“What can I getcha?” He made brief eye contact before looking back down at the counter as he rolled up some bacon into paper wrapping.
“Don’t suppose you have any picnic baskets already made up?” you asked hopefully.
“Mmm,” he paused, “lemme go check.” He gave you a wink as he turned to walk into the backroom.
“A picnic?” There was a lilt to Joel’s tone and a twinkle in his eye.
“Would you like that?”
“Man, I haven’t been on a picnic in…well shit, I have no idea.” He wrapped his arm around your waist and landed a kiss on your cheek. “Sounds terrific, though.”
“You’re in luck!” the man exclaimed as he handed you a rectangular wicker basket over the counter.
“Ah, you’re the best!” You took the basket from him with a grin, then started to ask, “Is there-”
“Strawberries and cream, extra cream.” With another wink he tapped the top of the counter and said, “you have a good day, now.”
Back on the hot pavement, Joel took the basket from you and then held your hand with his other. “So, where’s this picnic gonna be?”
“The best place to picnic in New York City.”
Central Park was swarming with families and couples. You passed by people boating, bicycling, jogging, or just sitting and reading. You walked the scenic path to the picnic spot, pointing out different landmarks to him as he peppered you with kisses throughout the journey.
You didn’t think he was one for public displays of affection, but here he was, his arm wrapped around you, and his lips unable to be apart from you for more than a few minutes at a time.
“You come here a lot?” he asked, watching some kids climb a nearby tree.
“A fair amount. Lucy and I go for walks through here usually once a week. Sometimes I’ll bring a book and grab lunch from one of the vendors. It’s been a little bit since I had a picnic here, though.”
You were nearing the spot and excited for you and Joel to hunker down with your goodies. Once you reached the open field, you allowed him to pick where the two of you would sit.
You had to stifle a giggle with how seriously he was taking this task. Walking around the grassy lawn, he finally chose a shaded spot under a large oak tree. “This good?” he asked.
“Perfect,” you replied. You laid out the blanket that you had bought from one of the vendors in the park.
Joel let you get situated before he took a seat next to you. Someone was strumming a guitar under another tree across the field and it created the perfect ambience for your picnic. You lifted up one of the flaps of the basket and began to pull out the food.
Two turkey sandwiches, potato salad, pickles, a couple small bags of chips, seltzer water, and of course, the strawberries and cream. He helped you spread out the goodies, commenting about how good everything looked.
As you ate, you chatted about your favorite foods and restaurants. Joel described a BBQ joint in Austin that he frequented. “I’d love to take you sometime.” The words lingered in the air between the two of you.
He seemed to realize his error. “Oh, I…” He looked down at the blanket underneath your bodies. His thumb swiped up and down along the side of his can of seltzer.
You chewed on the inside of your cheek. One part of your brain wanted to reach out and tell him that there was nothing more that you wanted than to hop on that plane with him and have a do-over of your weekend in Austin. The other part of you wanted to steel yourself, close yourself off and insist that this was in fact the last time the two of you would be together.
And yet, your hand wandered over to his thigh, resting atop the scratchy denim. Joel looked at you with his soft, brown eyes. “I think that’s a possibility.” Even though your words carried a level of uncertainty, they seemed to infuse Joel with hope. His eyes brightened ever-so-slightly and the corners of his mouth lifted.
Most of the food had been eaten except for the strawberries and cream. Joel looked down to see the two bowls and reached to pop off the lids. “This is your favorite, huh?”
You nodded, “oh yes. I’d eat this every day if I could.”
Joel dipped one of the plump strawberries into the whipped cream and brought it to your mouth. Your lips parted, wrapping around the strawberry as you took a bite. The sticky, red juice dripped down the corner of your mouth and Joel leaned forward with no hesitation. He pushed his lips against yours, licking the strawberry residue.
Your stomach fluttered as you leaned into the kiss. The soft warmth of his lips combined with the sweet strawberry and cream was a heavenly concoction.
Joel pulled back from the kiss first. “Can’t get enough,” he murmured, “gotta watch myself.”
Giggling, you started to pack up the remnants from the lunch. He helped you load the leftovers back into the basket.
You stood up and picked up the blanket to fold it as Joel grabbed the basket. “Where to now?” The breeze through the park was blowing the curls in his hair, and he had a gleam in his eye that you could get lost in.
Focusing on the blanket to fight off the trance, you replied, “We’re gonna drop this basket back at my place. And then go get a couple drinks. Does that sound alright?”
Joel nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
After quickly depositing the basket, you walked to your favorite nearby bar. It was the halfway point between your apartment and the Empire State Building, where you planned to end the night.
The bar was busier than you anticipated and all the tables were spoken for. The two of you sidled up to the bar counter, and Joel started scanning the vicinity.
“So, this is your go-to, huh?” He pivoted in the chair, taking in the rest of the space. It was dimly lit, but the warm lighting created a cozy ambience. Rich wood and copper decorated the place, with lights across the ceiling and subdued art pieces on the walls. “I like it. It has a nice vibe.”
You smiled, happy that he was able to appreciate one of your favorite spots. “Thanks, I think so, too.”
“You and Lucy come here a lot?” Joel picked at the bowl of nuts on the bartop.
“Actually no, not really. She’s not usually the subdued bar kinda gal.” Joel gave a snicker and nodded as you continued. “I usually come here on my own. Never even brought a date before.”
Joel caught the twinkle in your eye before you could look away. It settled warm in his chest.
“Well,” he said as he dusted the salt off his hands before resting his large palm on your thigh, “I’m honored that you’d bring me.”
You felt the blush rise to your cheeks and played it off by shrugging your shoulders and saying, “Of course.”
Kate was bartending this evening and she waved excitedly as she saw you, squeezing past the other bartender who you didn’t recognize to come over to you. “Hey girl! It’s so good to see you. It’s been a minute.” Her eyes landed on Joel. “You’ve brought someone with you tonight,” she said with a playful tone.
“Joel, this is Kate,” you motioned with your hand as you spoke.
Joel smiled, extending his arm for a handshake that Kate obliged. “Nice to meet you, Kate.”
“Oh, likewise, Joel.” Kate winked at you. “What can I get ya both? You want your usual?”
“That would be great, for both of us, please.” You gave her a thankful smile as she spun around to start making the drinks.
“Your usual, huh?” Joel squeezed your thigh. “Can’t wait t’see.”
Joel scoffed when Kate returned with two shot glasses and a couple seltzers. “Here I was thinkin’ Lucy was the one orderin’ the shots.”
“Two peas in a pod,” you said as you raised your shot glass toward him. You cheersed and downed the lemony vodka.
“And what’s this?” Joel said, raising the can of white claw and turning it around to read the label.
“You’ve never had an alcoholic seltzer before?” you asked with a furrowed brow.
“Can’t say I have.” He tilted the can, taking a small sip. “Hm. Not bad.”
“You gotta get with the times, Joel. These are everywhere now.” You took a large drink to wash down the aftertaste of the shot.
“I’m more of a beer guy, if I’m wantin’ somethin’ easy to drink.” He took another drink before setting the can back down.
“So tell me about this Italy trip,” he said, turning in his chair to better face you.
You shared the details of the trip, including the sightseeing you were hoping to fit in. Joel’s eyes were on you the whole time, hanging on your every word. He peppered in some questions here and there, but mostly just enjoyed sitting back and listening.
“Do you wanna travel?” you asked. “I know you said you haven’t really had time in the past.”
“Yeah, I do. Now that I’m not so focused on tryin’ to start up my career. I’ve done some travel within the states, but I’d love to go abroad at some point.” He took another sip of his drink and you heard the emptiness of the tin can as he set it down.
“Want another?” You waved at Kate when Joel gave the affirmative. She gave you a thumbs up and opened up the mini fridge to pull out another couple cans.
She slid them across the counter to you and you took a drink immediately, biding time before you asked Joel your next question.
He was comfortable sitting in the silence with you, unaware that you were mulling over your next words carefully.
Something about being with Joel felt natural, and not necessarily natural in the sense of ease, but in the way that it just felt like it was supposed to be. You felt like yourself around him, but a version of yourself that you hadn’t really been familiar with before. It was as though you were made up of different rooms, and some of those rooms were locked, and Joel just so happened to have the key.
There was a safety and comfortability about him that you’d never felt before. That had to mean something. All of this had to mean something. The universe had continued to bring the two of you together, even despite the mess that you had to navigate. Maybe there were worse things than being vulnerable, and maybe one of those things was being guarded.
“Would you like to come with me?” Your throat caught on the last word, a small crack in your composure.
Joel looked you in the eyes. “To Italy?”
“Yeah,” your voice was barely above a whisper. You knew the gravity of what you were implying - that this wasn’t your last date. Not even close.
He exhaled a single laugh and said, “Absolutely.”
When you finished your drinks, you left the bar to walk to the Empire State Building. On the walk there, you chatted about Italy and travel details - where you’d be staying, flights, luggage.
Joel said that he hadn’t had to pack for a long trip before, the most he’d ever traveled was for a week, and you’d be in Italy for nearly three.
“Do I need to fly to Austin just to help you pack?” you joked.
“I’m never gonna say no to that,” he replied as he squeezed your hand. You looked up at him to see his jaw clench as he smiled. It was getting harder and harder to not just drag him back to your place.
You reached the skyscraper and navigated your way to the top. “Have you been up here before?” you asked as you stepped off the elevator and followed the signs to the observation deck.
“I haven’t. Tommy said it was too touristy,” he answered with a chuckle.
“Well, he’s not wrong…but even I like to come up here from time to time. You can never really tire of a good view of the city.”
You’d made your way to the edge, looking through the cross-hatched wire. The sun was just starting to set, and the peaks of the buildings jutted up into the pinkish-orange hued sky. The beams from the sun reflected on the glass from the surrounding towers, creating streaks of light that decorated the area.
You inhaled deeply, a warm feeling of contentment washing over you. Joel draped his arm across your shoulders, his hand coming to squeeze your bicep.
“Damn,” he remarked, looking out at the view. “Your home is beautiful.”
His words struck you. This was your home; it always had been. But growing up in such a large city, you found that no one else who grew up outside of it could understand the intimacy that you could feel in a place like this. You never felt lost in this city. It wasn’t daunting to you. While there were still parts you had yet to explore, the parts that you did know were familiar to you, welcoming to you. To know that Joel somehow understood that without you needing to explain it to him did something to you. You felt seen in a way you’d never experienced before.
“It is,” you answered.
Joel’s fingers tapped on your arm. He took a breath and asked, “Y’know what else is beautiful?”
You gave a soft laugh before saying, “What?”
He pivoted your bodies so that he was looking down at you. The light from the sunset created a glow around his head. He was beautiful.
“You are.” His hand cupped your jaw. “What would you think…” He swallowed and his throat bobbed, “about being my girlfriend?”
Your stomach dropped. Not from fear or regret or anything apprehensive, but from the sheer realization that this was happening. And you knew, somewhere deep inside of you, that once this happened, there would be nothing else.
“I think,” you paused, allowing yourself to breathe and fully take in the person standing in front of you, “I think I’d really like that.”
The words had just left your mouth then Joel’s lips were on yours. The kiss wasn’t greedy or desperate, it wasn’t rushed or filled with desire. It was patient. It was real.
When you parted, you both opened your mouths to speak. You started, “I think I-” right as Joel began, “I lo-.”
The two of you laughed, your bodies mere inches from each other as you stood. Joel moved hair from your face that the wind had blown. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
You nodded, “me too.”
“Oh my god, oh my god, Joel!” Your thighs shook with overstimulation. “Ah, fuck!! Fuck! Right- Ahh, right there!!”
Joel’s head was buried between your legs, your dress shoved up to expose your lower half. His tongue lapped greedily at your juices that streamed down. He shoved his tongue inside of you, his curved nose bumping against your clit as you grasped at his hair, pulling him tighter against you as your legs shook with an overwhelming orgasm that rained down.
He kept his tongue inside your convulsing pussy, feeling you clench around his muscle, allowing your orgasm to finish. When your legs stopped trembling, he pulled back, sitting down on his knees and looking straight at you as you laid on the bed, depleted of all energy.
Wiping his hand down his face, he smirked. “Y’alright, darlin’?”
“N-no.” You managed to stammer, your breathing still uneven.
He stood up, his hands coming to rest on either side of your head as his body hovered over yours. Lowering his head, he kissed you deeply. “Y’wanna stop, take a break?”
You shook your head back and forth, eliciting a laugh from Joel. “If you’re spent, baby, I don’t wanna push you.”
You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him down so that his chest was pressed against your own. “I want this. I want you.”
He nibbled at your bottom lip, ending with a kiss before pulling back to look at you. “Tell me how y’want me, then.”
“I want you to take me.” You looked up at him with doe eyes, silently pleading for him to use you in the best of ways.
You saw his throat bob again. He reached down to start taking off his pants, keeping his eyes on you. “You sure?”
“Please, Joel,” you practically whimpered the words, causing Joel’s cock to throb as he released it from the confines of his briefs.
“Okay, darlin’.” He bent over you again, kissing you and sliding his tongue into your mouth, tasting as much of you as he could. Littering kisses down your chin and neck, dotting them across your collarbone, he looked back up at you. “I’m gonna move ya, that alright?”
You nodded yes and said, “I want you to do whatever you want…”
“God, sweetheart.” He nipped at your ear before hoisting you up and pushing you further up the bed, splayed out underneath him. “Y’got no idea what ya do t’me…”
He flipped you over and pulled you up by your hips so that your ass was in the air and your back was sloped downwards, the side of your face pressed against the cool fabric of the sheet.
Your whole body shuddered when you felt him lick a thick line up from your pussy all the way to your tight ring, his tongue pausing and wiggling gently against the small circle. He shuffled behind you, and you felt the bulb of his head pressing into your entrance.
“Y’ready for me, baby?” He paused, waiting for your go-ahead.
“Yes,” you breathed out.
He pushed in slowly, feeding you his thick cock inch by agonizing inch. You tried to push your hips back to get more of him inside you, but his firm grip on your ass didn’t allow you to move.
“Patient baby,” he said, “we’ll get there.”
He kneaded your cheeks as he continued his slow pace pressing into you. “You feel amazing, sweetheart…so perfect.”
Your eyes fluttered closed at his gentle praise.
When he was fully inside of you, he leaned forward so that his mouth was against the shell of your ear. “Never gonna get tired of this baby, y’were made f’me.” His thumb swept down your lips, pulling down your bottom lip slightly as you exhaled and relaxed into his touch.
He leaned up again, his hands falling to your hips in a firm hold. Pulling his cock out just a bit, he pressed back into you, relishing in the moan that fell from your soft lips. He repeated the movement a few times, allowing your slick to coat his cock as he moved in and out against your smooth walls.
“Oh, just like that baby, you’re doin’ so good f’me. Just like that…” He started to pick up the pace, watching how your ass rippled against his thighs.
You whimpered with each impact, your eyes rolling back as he reached around to swipe against your clit. “That watcha need, honey? Y’need to feel good, huh?” Your moans grew louder as he picked up the pace, continuing to strum his middle finger against your sensitive spot.
You babbled incoherently as your orgasm built. “Y-yes..ughh…J-Jo..ahh!”
“Ohhh, that’s it honey, gonna come on my cock?” His thrusts became sharper, your face rubbing up and down against the bedding as he rocked your body.
You fisted the sheets and your toes curled as your impending release neared. “Can feel ya squeezin’ me, baby…come on, come for me…show me what this cock does t’ya…”
His words tipped you over the edge and you came with a shriek. He slowed his pace, letting you ride your high while being careful to not overstimulate you.
You let out a high pitched whimper that nearly undid him. “Oh shit, baby…I’m not gonna last much longer.”
“Come in me, Joel…please…need to feel you…”
Your body was practically limp as Joel moved you up and down on his cock. He stayed still, his knees pressed into the mattress as he squeezed your ass cheeks and used you like his own personal toy. But you knew he wasn’t really using you, you knew he was hyper-aware of the human underneath him, how much adored you, would do anything for you.
“Oh fuck, here it comes,” he was breathing heavy, grunts tumbling out from him as he erratically moved your hips against his own. “Nngghh!” He snapped his hips against you, filling you all the way as he shot warm spurts inside of you.
He was gasping as he finished, massaging the globes of your ass as he started to slowly soften inside of you.
Pulling out, he gently moved you onto your side, laying down and pulling you close to him. He kissed your forehead, then your nose, then your lips.
“How ya doin’?” His voice was so gentle, you could hardly hear him.
You smiled sleepily, looking at him through a haze as you answered, “Terrific.”
He chuckled and wrapped his other arm around you as he turned onto his side, so your bodies were fully connected, legs slotted in between each other’s. His chin rested on the crown of your head.
“So when’s this Italy trip, again?”
You hummed, trying to get your delirious brain to function. “October,” you mumbled.
Joel’s hand ran up and down your spine, a soothing motion that was sure to put you to sleep within minutes.
“Don’t know if I can wait that long…y’wanna spend Labor Day in Austin?”
You smiled against his chest. “I think I can make that work.”
A/N: Just wanna say thank you to all of you who are following along, whether silently or leaving comments, it means a lot. These two have me wrapped around their fingers and I'm looking forward to continuing their story!
Also, y'all...I think there's gonna be only one more chapter after this one. Enjoy the penultimate part!
AO3 | masterlist | chance encounters masterlist | part nine
Divider: @/saradika-graphics
Lucy hightailed it to your place as soon as the dinner was over. You’d hardly gotten into your apartment and changed before she was knocking at your door.
The doormen of your building were all very familiar with her, and knew that they could send her right up whenever.
The pounding was incessant and if you weren’t already so familiar with Lucy’s dramatics, you would’ve thought it was an emergency.
You finished pouring your cup of tea then walked over to the door shouting, “I’m coming, Luce! Calm down…”
Barely unlocking the door, she flung it open and then wrapped her arms around you. Thank god you thought to set your tea on the coffee table before coming over.
“I’m so sorry, babe. Truly.” She started rocking your bodies side-to-side as her arms clung around you. “What an asshole.”
She pulled away from you, with her hands holding your shoulders as she looked straight into your eyes. “Did he follow you? I saw him leave shortly after you did, but by the time the rest of us were downstairs, he was just standing by the front doors.”
You sighed, “yeah, he did.” Removing yourself from Lucy’s grasp, you went to sit on the couch. She was right on your heels, like a concerned parent who thought you’d break down at any moment.
“What did he say? Are you okay?” She placed a hand on your knee and was leaning into you. As much as you appreciated her concern, it was starting to feel like too much.
“I’m okay, promise.” You patted her hand and leaned back, trying to express that you could use a little space.
She seemed to get the hint as she settled into the other side of the couch.
“There’s hot water in the kettle if you want some tea,” you offered.
“Ooooh, do you still have some of that cinnamon honey?” The two of you had taken a weekend trip to Tennessee this past Spring and snagged some flavored honey at the farmer’s market.
“Cupboard above the microwave,” you instructed as she pushed off the couch and went to make herself tea.
When she returned, you told her all about your exchange with Joel. You anticipated her to be just as annoyed as you, but when you saw her chewing her lip again, your chest tightened. You didn’t want to be irritated with her, but you were hesitant as to how she could feel differently about the situation than you did.
“What do you think he meant?” she asked quietly, as though if she said it soft enough it couldn’t make you mad.
“When?” you responded with a raised eyebrow.
“When he said ‘I should be saying that to you’, after you told him he couldn’t just ditch you. What do you think he meant by that?”
“I…” You set your tea down and shrugged your shoulders. “I don’t know.” Shaking your head and tossing your hands up you continued, “it doesn’t make any sense. He’s the one who stopped talking to me.”
“Right…” Lucy nodded her head and leaned forward. She had a pillow in her lap that she was hugging. “It doesn’t make sense…” Her tone insinuated that she was waiting for you to say more.
You gave an exasperated chuckle and said, “I don’t know what you want me to say, Luce.”
She stood up, letting the pillow fall to the floor as she started to pace around the living room. “Think about it…the two of you have an incredible weekend. Like…practically from a romcom, right?”
Rolling your eyes and not wanting to play part in her detective game, you tossed your hands up one more time and said, “yeah, sure.”
“You have amazing sex…he pampers you with all your favorite things…then the next morning, it’s as though you’re strangers.”
“Yep, thanks for that bleak synopsis, detective.”
“Hold on.” She held a hand up toward you as she continued walking circles in your living room. “Eight months without so much as a text…then he sees you…follows you…and then acts confused when you confront him about using you?”
“Mhhm.” Your tension had dissipated and now you were just waiting for the reveal.
“Either he’s the world’s most convincing gaslighter, or that isn’t what happened.”
Disappointed in her lack of analysis, you retorted, “Luce, that’s exactly what happened. He used me.”
“But what if he didn’t?” She stood opposite the coffee table, looking down at you as you sat on the couch.
“Huh? I’m not following.”
“He said he wanted to talk…then he practically accused you of using him…This has to just be a misunderstanding of some kind!” She threw her hands up as though she had a lightbulb moment. “This is classic, Bee! Man likes woman, woman likes man, man and woman both have troubled pasts with dating, yadda, yadda, yadda. Man and woman don’t know how to communicate. Man and woman fight. Man and woman learn to understand each other better. Man and woman make up. See?”
You stared at her incredulously. “This isn’t a movie, Lucy.”
“Well, what do you think movies are based on?! Real life!” She walked around the coffee table to come sit next to you again. “I’m gonna support whatever you choose, babe. But I wouldn’t be your friend if I didn’t tell you that I’ve never seen you act like this with any other man. The way you used to talk about him, the way you looked at him…it was different, Bee.”
You didn’t think it was possible to feel more lost and alone than you did after Joel had pulled away from you. But now, with Lucy confronting you as you relived what had been the best couple weeks of your life, you felt like you were floundering.
You so desperately wanted to believe what she was saying - that this had all been a massive misunderstanding. But even so, why would Joel not have tried fixing it before? Eight months. You weren’t sure you could ever forgive him for abandoning you like that, even if he did have a good reason.
Pacifying her without giving too much energy, you simply responded, “yeah, maybe.” You stood up and took another sip of your tea before walking to the kitchen. “I think I’m gonna head to bed.”
Lucy stood and walked over to set her mug in the sink. She gave you a hug and said, “I’m here whenever you need me.”
“I know.” You hugged her back and walked her to the front door, shutting and locking it behind her as you stared at your empty apartment.
You used to love this apartment. You were so excited on move-in day that you were practically squealing as you started unpacking your boxes. Lucy had helped and the two of you chatted on endlessly about your futures and how this apartment was perfect for “this chapter” of your life.
Only, it seemed that this chapter had been going on for some time now. And you’d be lying to yourself if you said that you didn’t think that by now you’d be sharing a home with someone else. You’d always wanted a family, a spouse, kids, maybe a dog.
The quiet was nice, so was the independence to do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted. But on nights like this, as you turned off the lights and walked down the hallway to the bedroom, the silence felt suffocating rather than freeing.
You brushed your teeth in the en suite bathroom and looked over at the second sink that was never used. You noticed how the towel rack had enough room for two, maybe even three, towels, but only ever held one.
Climbing into bed, you couldn’t ignore the slender divot that your body fell into, right in the center. You couldn’t help but think back to Joel’s bed, and how much warmer it felt with another body by your side.
And then, the memory of the cold morning when you woke up alone…it was enough to stifle your breath, your chest squeezing your lungs as you recalled the pain and humiliation of that morning.
You took a deep breath to center yourself and rolled over. Your eyes fell on the empty nightstand and you realized that you had left your phone in the living room.
With a grunt, you slid out of bed and scurried to the coffee table, grabbing your phone and scrambling to get back into the semi-warm bed.
You plopped it on your nightstand and when you plugged in your phone charger and the screen lit up, you saw his name.
Joel: Any chance you’d want to meet up before I leave town?
The audacity was impressive, you had to give him that. Joel had always oozed confidence, charm, and nonchalance. But you no longer found it attractive, only aggravating.
You flipped your phone upside down and buried your head in your pillow to go to sleep. Bastard doesn’t deserve a response, you thought to yourself.
You waited and waited for your thoughts to slow and to finally fall asleep. After what had to have been the tenth time if you tossing and turning, you grabbed your phone to check the time.
2 A.M. You’d tried going to sleep around 10 P.M.
Getting up and walking around helped sometimes on the nights where sleep seemed to evade you. So you moved to the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar then plopped on the couch. The nighttime skyline was always impressive, and you stared outside as you mindlessly ate your snack.
Even though you typically tried to avoid screens in the middle of the night, you decided to grab your phone to play one of your puzzle games. It was always successful in quieting your mind.
Your socked feet patted against the hardwood floors as you walked to your bedroom. Your phone was cold to the touch as you grasped it and went back to the couch to settle down until you felt sleepy enough to try and sleep again.
Insomnia wasn’t common for you, usually only during times of intense stress. You hadn’t realized how much the whole Joel situation had gotten to you, but it clearly had.
When you unlocked your phone, the first thing you saw was the text from him. Even though your initial thought had been to ignore it, you were feeling petty - maybe also spurred on from the frustration of not being able to sleep. So, you responded with a simple “no,” then opened up the game on your phone.
You’d hardly started the first level when the game was interrupted by Joel’s name scrolling across the top of the screen.
“Motherfucker,” you whispered to yourself.
You weren’t sure what compelled you to answer the call, but you did, silently at least.
There was a long pause and then Joel’s voice. “Hello?”
“What do you want?” Your words cut through the line like icicles, cold and sharp.
“Can’t sleep?” His tone was in opposition to your own, warm with round edges.
You weren’t sure what to respond, so you allowed another pause before you replied, “no.”
“What’s keepin’ you up?”
You took a deep breath, his prodding was becoming more and more aggravating.
“Why do you care?” you shot back.
He allowed the pause this time, but it felt different. It wasn’t a pause born from disdain or uncertainty, but instead patience, thoughtfulness.
“I…” You heard him take a deep breath and sigh on the other end. “Can we talk? Not…about us, or what happened…but just talk?”
The earnestness in his voice cracked your hardened exterior and you couldn’t help but soften as his warmth and sincerity wrapped around you like a blanket on a cold night.
“Yeah…we can talk.”
So, you did. It was a little awkward at the beginning. Joel had asked you about work, and what new, exciting things you were doing. It was a good warm-up into the conversation, as you genuinely felt good about your job and had new things to share.
You loosened up as you shared, and you heard what sounded like a sigh of relief on his end as you talked about the trip to Italy and how excited you were.
You returned the question, asking about his job, to which he didn’t have much to share other than that he might be coming to the city more frequently to help Tommy with the new projects. Joel didn’t work for a contracting company, or run his own, rather he was independent and just took the occasional gig here and there.
This led you to ask more about the start of his career. He and Tommy had their own company to start, Miller Contracting. Their dad had started it years ago, and it never really took off, but with Joel’s business sense and Tommy’s ability to market, the business took off.
He shared that Tommy had always wanted to move to the city, and when he saw the opportunity to become partners at the new company, he couldn’t turn it down. Joel didn’t seem to mind. You could even hear the pride in his voice as he talked about Tommy’s new accomplishments.
Talking about work turned into talk about travel, and then family trips, and then family, parents, wanting to be parents, future dreams and goals, and before you knew it, it was 4 A.M. and you were nearly falling asleep on the couch.
“Joel..” you yawned, “I think I have to go to bed.”
“Go on then,” he said softly.
You chuckled, “Am I taking you with me?”
“Sure.” His voice was so soft. You thought that if a voice could be rain clouds, that would be Joel.
You climbed into bed, phone still pressed to your ear as you shivered underneath the cold sheets. “Brr,” you breathed into the phone.
“Y’cold?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s fuckin’ freezing.” You laughed as you curled into the fetal position, trying to warm yourself with your own body heat.
“Wish I could help.” The words were simple, but they made you ache.
“Me too…” The ache spread, moving down your chest to your stomach, deep into your core. It evolved into something entirely different, a pulling sensation that had you working hard to even breathe.
“Joel.” It was barely audible, a whisper on your lips. But he heard you.
“I’m here.” You could hear his breathing quickening, could almost envision his chest rising and falling.
The sensation had moved down to between your legs, and you squeezed your thighs together, seeking any sort of friction you could.
You hadn’t had sex since Joel, hadn’t wanted to, hadn’t really even thought about it, much to the chagrin of Lucy. Every time the two of you were out, she was pointing at random men.
“He’s cute,” she’d purr into your ear as you just laughed and waved her away.
You couldn’t tell her that none of them were Joel.
“I…” You couldn’t get yourself to say the words, that you needed him, wanted him.
He exhaled. “Me too.”
You turned onto your side, allowing more pressure between your legs and the smallest whimper escaped your lips at the slight pressure on your clit.
“Can I…” There was a pause, and you assumed he was trying to choose his words carefully, but you were already a fish hooked on his line. He didn’t need to do much to reel you in.
“Yes.”
He groaned softly and you heard some shuffling on his end. You shifted to your back, allowing your hand to glide down your torso before slipping your fingers into your sleep pants. Your fingers pressed against your panties, feeling a wet spot as you slid your fingers up and down your seam.
“Mmmm,” you moaned, your back arching off the bed as you settled into the sensation.
“Fuck,” Joel gasped. “Y’sound so pretty like that.”
“Are you touching yourself?” you asked shyly, voice only faintly above a whisper.
“Mhhm,” he grumbled, “but I wish it was you.”
“Oooh,” you whimpered as the pad of your middle finger pushed against your clit. “Me too.”
“How’re you touchin’ yourself?” he asked between his own grunts.
“Under my pants, above my panties. Pressing down on that spot…”
“Mmm,” he moaned, “that’s good baby. That’s real good. Can you go underneath your panties now?”
“Yes,” you breathed out as you did as he instructed. You loved his voice, but you loved even more him telling you what to do. “Joel?” you asked.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“Can you…tell me what to do?” You felt your face redden at your words.
“Yeah, you want that? Y’want me to tell you how to touch that pretty pussy?”
You didn’t expect him to be so direct, but it worked. God, did it work.
“I want you to dip a finger into your hole, just the tip, baby, and tell me how wet y’are.”
Your middle finger traveled south, pushing slowly into your weeping center. You were soaked, the wetness pooled around your finger, eager and wanting more.
“Oh, I’m so wet,” you murmured.
“Yeah you are, good girl. Okay, now go back to toying with your cute lil clit, baby. Swirl your finger around and let me hear your sweet sounds.”
You did as he said. And it felt so good. You applied a little pressure as your wet middle finger made tight circles on your sensitive button. You moaned into the phone, not holding anything back as you allowed the pleasure to build.
“That’s it. You’ve got it. I can tell just by hearin’ your noises, baby. Keep doin’ that.”
He listened as you continued your ministrations. You felt the band tightening, your orgasm starting to form.
“Now move your finger back to your hole, all the way in this time, sweetheart. You can do it.”
You whimpered at the loss of pleasure as you stopped twirling your clit, but you did as he said and moved your finger down to your pussy. Your wetness had dripped down, creating a mess in your panties and soaking through to your pants as well.
“Fuck,” you gasped, pushing your digit in fully.
“Atta girl. How’s that feel?” His grunts were quiet on the other end, but you felt yourself gush each time you heard them.
“Really good, Joel. Really-” you inhaled sharply as your finger rubbed against a sensitive spot, “really good.”
“Can ya do somethin’ for me?” he asked.
“Anything.” You weren’t lying.
“Can you set the phone down on the bed between your legs, then fuck yourself with two fingers, so I can hear?”
You swallowed at the implication of him wanting to hear the sounds of your needy cunt. It was so obscene, and you wanted it so bad.
“Yeah,” you replied breathily before moving the phone down between your spread legs.
You began fucking yourself with your fingers, moaning loudly as the wet slaps filled the room. Knowing that Joel was listening to the lewd sounds of your pussy had you gushing even more. Your back arched as the feeling in your core started building again.
“Oh fuck, okay, bring me back up to your ear baby.”
You picked the phone up, setting it by your ear as you continued fingering yourself.
“You’re doin’ so good. So good, sweetheart. Y’wanna cum?”
“Y-yes, please, Joel..please.”
“I’ve gotcha. Take those two fingers that are inside your sweet pussy, and rub fast lil circles on your clit. Okay? ‘N I want ya t’play with your nipple with your other hand. Got it?”
“Yeah,” you gasped as you pulled your fingers from your cunt. You did exactly as he said, furiously rubbing at your clit as your other fingers moved under your nightshirt and began tugging and rubbing at your nipple.
It was the best you’d ever been able to make yourself feel.
“Fuck, Joel. I’m gonna cum!”
His grunts increased, louder and more frequent. “Me too, baby. Same time, okay? Can ya do it with me?”
“Yeah, yeah,” you panted, “when?”
“Count of three, okay?”
“Okay.”
“One,” he let out a groan and his heavy breaths reverberated through the phone.
“Two,” you could hear his hand working against his cock, tugging hard as he jacked off, getting himself to the edge.
“Three.” He could hardly get the word out before he groaned loudly and muttered, “fuck.”
You moaned in unison, your body arching high off the bed as your orgasm crashed over you. Wave after wave seemed to come, your legs trembling with aftershocks.
“Holy shit, Joel…”
He laughed. “I know. Same here, darlin’.”
You both were collecting your breaths. As you came back down, a pit formed in your stomach. You didn’t know how to feel about what you’d just done.
“You good over there?” Joel asked.
“Yeah,” you lied.
“I, uh…don’t wantcha t’think that I don’t care. Y’anno? I, um. I do. And…I’d really like to talk before I leave. Just coffee. Doesn’t have t’be much. But, uh, I’d like t’say sorry in person.” His nerves were palpable through the phone.
“Okay,” you answered easily, surprising both yourself and him.
“Oh. Okay. Uh…noon tomorrow, or today, I guess? I saw there’s a coffee shop by your building. Would that work?”
“Sure, that sounds good.” You glanced at the time. Nearly 5 o’clock.
“I’ll see you then.” He cleared his throat.
You started to pull the phone away from your ear before you heard him finish.
Summary: Your friend has a birthday surprise for you - whether you want it or not.
A/N: Thank you all for the love on this series. I'm cranking out these chapters much sooner than anticipated, and it's thanks to you all for inspiring me. 🖤
AO3 | masterlist | chance encounters masterlist | part five
Divider: @/saradika-graphics
You stirred in bed, lifting your eye mask to peek at your bedside clock. 8:30 A.M. You didn’t have to be at the restaurant until 4 o’clock. The owner had told you that there would be “very important guests” at the 6 o’clock dinner, and you had to be there to present the wine pairings.
You’d worked at this restaurant for a couple years now, and it was the most flexible job you’d had. The menu rotated seasonally, so you were expected to create new pairings to go with each new menu, as well as pairings for special events. But you had no set hours and were paid a hefty salary. One of your favorite parts of this job was the travel. They would pay for you to go to different vineyards and sample their wines to continue growing your collection for the restaurant.
It was a cushy job, but you had earned it through plenty of years of bartending and working your way through certification.
You rolled over in bed and your face skimmed across the pillow to your side. It smelled like him. You closed your eyes and pressed your nose to the cool fabric.
You identified notes of oak and musk…and was that…honey? You took in a deep inhalation, using your sommelier skills. Your brain became fuzzy again, and whatever the scent was, it was delicious.
Your thoughts wandered to the previous night. How it felt to be underneath Joel’s body weight, the comfort and thrill of his hands on you.
You clenched your thighs together as you rolled over. It felt silly, the hold that this stranger had over you, but it was undeniable. He’d been the best you’d ever had.
Your phone buzzed and you slid it off the nightstand.
Lucy: Guess who doesn’t need to work until noon?! Wanna grab brunch??
As tempted as you were to lay in bed all day and wallow in your strange cocktail of misery and satisfaction, you decided that leaving the apartment and engaging in some sort of distraction would be best.
You: Sure. Cactus?
Lucy: Ohhh yes! I’m salivating just thinking about their stuffed french toast.
Lucy: Meet at 10?
You confirmed with Lucy then used all your willpower to roll out of bed. You got ready unenthusiastically, and on your way down the elevator, tried thinking about the yummy brunch ahead of you.
Lucy was skilled at spotting your mood a mile away, and you weren’t ready to let her in on the disappointment you were feeling. You briefly wondered if Joel was feeling the same.
—
The airplane was taxiing to the gate and it was raining outside. Drops of water cascaded down the window, distorting the view of the airport and surrounding buildings.
Joel turned his phone off airplane mode and checked his texts. There was only one, from Tommy.
Tommy: You text her yet?
When Joel had arrived back at Tommy’s apartment the previous night, he was uncharacteristically grumpy. Tommy had seen Joel through his grumpiest years, and as Joel aged, his cranky mood had mellowed, giving way to a much softer side of him.
But the man Tommy saw in front of him last night, was a reminder of old Joel, the man who would grunt in reply to a question and had a permanent frown line between his brows.
At first, Tommy thought that it was because the date went poorly. He knew how much work Joel had put into creating the date, and was worried that maybe you had rejected him in some way.
It wasn’t until Joel started talking and Tommy had heard his voice crack as he said, “it was fine. We had a good time,” that Tommy realized it was in fact the opposite. Joel had enjoyed the date, maybe more than he anticipated.
Joel: not yet
Joel: plane just landed
Tommy: Yeah, well, you’re texting me
Joel rolled his eyes and slid his phone into his pocket. He didn’t know what he would say to you, anyway. The two of you knew what you were agreeing to from the start, and it was Joel’s own damn fault to agree to a speed dating event in a city where he didn’t live.
His leg bounced restlessly in his seat. He continued looking out the window despite not being able to see much. He needed to get off this plane so he could distract himself from thoughts of you.
He’d hardly gotten any sleep the night before. As soon as he packed up his suitcase and got into bed, his mind was consumed with replaying the events of the evening. He thought about your black dress and how the hem fell right above the curve of your knees. The feel of your tights under the palm of his hand when you were at dinner. The soft profile of your face as you looked out at the skyline from the rooftop bar. The way your eyes crinkled each time you laughed or giggled. The taste of the wine on your lips and how he’d kept kissing you until he tasted only you. The way your body was so pliant and willing underneath him, as though you trusted him to take care of you, and god, how all he wanted was to keep taking care of you.
When he deboarded the plane, suitcase in hand, he walked swiftly to the parking structure to retrieve his truck. The rain had thankfully let up, but the humidity had Joel desperate to be home.
He sat in the driver’s seat and started the truck. The image of you, standing at the door with your hand on his chest, flashed into his mind and he sighed, pulling out his phone.
—
You had just arrived at the front of the restaurant when your phone buzzed. It was 10 o’clock on the dot, and you preemptively rolled your eyes, assuming that it was Lucy texting you that she would be late.
Your breath hitched when you saw it was a text from Joel.
Joel: Back in Texas, hope you’re having a good morning
Hope you’re having a good morning? You read it over and over. It read more like the start of a work email than it did a text from a romantic encounter. What did he even expect you to respond to that?
You entered the restaurant, irritability surely written across your face. The place was packed but you spotted Lucy sitting up at the bar area. You waved and made your way over to her, taking a seat on the barstool.
“Guess everyone had the same idea we did,” she said.
“Guess so,” you replied.
Lucy turned to get a better look at you. “Geez, what happened to you? You look like you just shot your dog.”
You sounded exasperated as you said, “that’s not the saying, Luce.”
“Well, still,” Lucy swatted at the air nonchalantly and asked, “are you okay?”
You shook your head and said, “Ah, it’s stupid. I’m just being dumb.”
“You’re not dumb,” Lucy said quickly as she leaned across the bar to flag the bartender.
He came over and said, “what can I getcha?”
Lucy put on her sticky-sweet voice and said, “could we please get two mimosas and a couple shots of Grey Goose?”
“Lucy!” You said, attempting to interrupt her.
“Hush!” She replied sharply, then gave the bartender a smile and said, “thank you!”
She pivoted on her barstool so she was facing you, “doctor’s orders,” she said.
You laughed weakly and said, “sure.”
As the two of you ate your brunch (strawberry stuffed french toast for her, and huevos rancheros for you) and sipped on your mimosas, you filled Lucy in on the date.
You knew that she’d be thrilled about every detail, but you still got a kick out of seeing her jaw drop as you described the limo, the fancy dinner, and finally the incredible night in bed with him.
That last part is where Lucy was pressing you for more details.
“Do you have pictures? Video?” She asked.
“Pictures?!” you laughed in shock and replied, “No, Luce. We were a little preoccupied to be taking selfies.”
“Okay, okay,” she said, “walk me through it. Step by step.”
“Like a tutorial?” you scoffed before you continued, “I don’t know…it was good. Like, really good. Probably the best I’ve ever had.” You sheepishly toyed with the edge of your mimosa glass.
“The best sex you’ve ever had and you let the guy go?!” Lucy’s voice was entirely too loud for the environment you were in and you shushed her.
You continued quietly, “didn’t have much of a choice…he had to go back home, and I’m here.”
Lucy seemed to contemplate this for a moment. She took her last bite of strawberry and then took a drink of her mimosa.
You watched her with narrowed eyes and said, “Luuuuce…don’t even think about doing anything.”
“What?” She looked at you with wide, innocent eyes. “I’m not thinking about anything!”
The conversation moved on to her job, and then finally to your plans for your birthday.
“I’m just thinking something lowkey,” you said. You set your second mimosa down. Your head was a little floaty and you didn’t need to be showing up to work buzzed.
“Well, that’s no fun,” Lucy said. “What if I plan something for you?”
“Really, it’s fine. I don’t want a big party. Maybe we can just go out to dinner or something,” you insisted.
Lucy seemed to give in and said, “okayyyy. Can I at least make the rezzies?”
You chuckled and said, “sure, thanks, Luce.”
She stood up and swung her purse over her shoulder, “Well, I gotta get going. Got an exciting stakeholder meeting to attend.” Lucy was an urban planner for a large architecture company. She loved her job but, due to her excitement-seeking nature, hated the boring meetings that went along with it.
You stood up and gave her a hug.
“What time are you done with work tonight?” She asked as she reapplied her lip gloss.
“Mmm,” you thought, “the dinner is at 6. Should probably be wrapped up by 8ish.”
“Perf! I’ll be done way before then. Wanna rendezvous at your work? We can snag a drink at the bar?” Her eyes twinkled and you knew why.
“You just want to see Logan,” you accused with a smile.
Lucy didn’t even bother denying it, “I also want to see you!” She said as she turned to walk away with a wave.
You were already dressed for work, and instead of stewing in your salty feelings at your apartment, you decided you’d window shop until it was time to go to the restaurant.
You hadn’t bothered to respond to Joel’s text. You thought about it as you strolled through various boutiques and decided that a clean cut would be easier. The more you thought about how he’d orchestrated the perfect date, you realized that only a practiced man could do that. You wondered how many lucky women he took out on dates, and how many he brought back to his bed.
The thought alone had your jaw clenching and solidified that he was not going to get a reply from you.
—
“We did it!” Logan high-fived you on his way back behind the bar. You laughed and popped open the bottle of chardonnay that the table had ordered but didn’t get around to drinking.
“Damn,” he said, “isn’t that like a $300 bottle of wine?”
“Sure is,” you said with a wink, tipping the bottle between your lips and taking a healthy sip.
“Gimme,” Logan said as he approached you, using a “come hither” motion with his hand.
You laughed and handed the bottle to him as you bent down behind the bar to retrieve a couple glasses. “Lucy is going to be meeting me here in a bit,” you said.
“Ah yeah?” Logan responded, “how’s she been lately? Haven’t seen her around in a bit.”
Lucy used to come to your work for a drink at least once a week, but it had easily been three weeks since she’d come. Fall was always a busy time for her with summer construction projects wrapping up. Winter was when she could relax for a bit before spring started out with planning the next projects.
“She’s good, busy with work. We actually went to a speed dating event a couple nights ago,” you said with a smirk, knowing that Logan was going to find it ridiculous.
“You did not!” He shouted, then covered his mouth with his hand, realizing that the owner and head chef were still somewhere in the restaurant.
“We sure did,” you chuckled, “pretty sure Lucy had the time of her life.”
“I can only imagine,” Logan guffawed. He was acutely aware of what a flirt Lucy was, considering he’d been on the receiving end of it many times.
“What about you? Ya have any luck?” He was pouring the wine into the glasses you had grabbed.
“Eh,” you shrugged.
Logan handed you one of the glasses and said, “that’s not a no.”
“I met someone, but it’s not going to work. He lives in Texas.”
“Texas?! What the heck was he doing at a dating event here if he lives in Texas?” Logan leaned back against the bar as he drank the wine. You had taken a seat on the other side of the bar at one of the chairs.
“Apparently his brother just moved here and made him come,” you said, continuing to shrug your shoulders, “it is what it is.”
You turned toward the front of the restaurant when you heard the door open. Lucy strolled in with her big fur coat hugged around her neck and her designer purse looped over her arm.
“Oh my god,” she sighed dramatically as she took a seat next to you at the bar, “do I need a drink.”
You and Logan exchanged a playful smirk as you turned toward Lucy and asked, “What’s going on, Luce?”
“Pretty sure I said I need a drink,” she looked at Logan.
“Comin’ right up,” Logan said with a nod of his head.
As he mixed her dirty martini, she asked how the dinner went. You filled her in on how annoying the patrons were, but that they tipped generously and seemed to enjoy the wine.
When she got her hands on her drink, she took a large sip and then turned toward you. “Okay,” she started, “my bad mood is because of that boring ass meeting I had to endure. But, I’m also in a good mood because I figured out your birthday!”
“Just the dinner, right?” You asked tentatively.
“Well…a dinner is involved, yes,” Lucy answered.
“Luce, I don’t want a party, I told you-”
She cut you off, “it’s not a party!” She reached her hand into her purse, shuffling around until she pulled out her phone. She took a moment tapping around on her screen until she set her phone down and said, “open your email.”
Logan was watching the exchange with bated breath. He seemed way too excited to see the potential fallout happening in front of him.
When you opened your email you read: View your flight details for your Austin, TX trip!
“Oh my god,” you said under your breath.
“It’s not what you think!” Lucy said. “I already had this idea way before you met him. There’s a super cute ranch down there, and I know how much you love horses. Plus it’s always so cold for your birthday, so I thought going somewhere warmer might cheer you up! Aaaaand…a bonus if you get to see your little boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, Lucy. He’s not my…anything. And I don’t even know if I’ll ever talk to him again,” your voice was verging on pouty and you were trying to hide it.
“Never talk to him again? Babe, you can’t have the best sex of your life then never talk to the man!” Lucy threw her hands up before picking up her drink again.
Logan stood up from leaning on the counter and said, “woah now, best sex of your life?”
Your face reddened and you smacked Lucy’s arm. “Sorry!” She exclaimed. “But you know it’s true.”
You downed the rest of your martini. You couldn’t even begin to think about the trip and what it might entail.
You could tell Lucy felt bad as she said, “we don’t even need to see him. It can just be a girls weekend and he won’t even know we’re there.”
You nodded and said, “I know. Thanks, Luce.”
—
Back at his house, Joel was unpacking his suitcase and picked up all of his clothes to take down to the washer.
His arms were full, and as he leaned down to open the basement door, he caught a whiff of the shirt he was wearing the night of your date. He took a deep breath and involuntarily closed his eyes for a moment, his brain bringing you to the surface.
He continued down the steps, and when he dumped in his clothes and detergent, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. No texts.
Joel wasn’t a pushy man. He was direct, but patient, and rarely told others what to do unless he was at work. He wanted to give you space, if that was what you wanted, but there was a nagging worry in the back of his mind that he had done something to hurt you.
He could tell you were upset when he was leaving your apartment last night. You hadn’t been very successful at disguising the pained tone as you said goodbye to him at the door.
Regret started to rattle his bones and he decided that he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t at least try to make things right.
He debated texting to ask if he could call you, but thought there was a chance you may have blocked his number and wouldn’t see the text anyway.
Fuck it, he thought as he clicked the phone icon next to your name. He could’ve sworn that it rang for minutes on end, and he was about to give up hope when he heard a click followed by your voice.
“Hello?” Even through uncertainty your voice was sweet.
“Hey, I, uh-” he hesitated, not having put much thought into what he was going to say if you answered. “I just wanted to say ‘hi’, and make sure that you were alright.”
“Oh,” there was a pause and Joel found himself pacing his living room. “I’m…okay. How are you?” Your voice sounded guarded and Joel figured that made sense.
“I’m good, flight was fine, relieved to be home,” he wanted to keep talking, to keep hearing your voice. He hoped that you’d grant him at least a little more.
“Miss the city yet?” You asked, very slowly starting to sound like your normal self.
Joel smiled at hearing the usual lilt to your voice. “Some things more than others,” he replied.
There was a pause so he continued, “what’s your day been like?”
You started talking, more than he anticipated, so he took a seat on his couch and listened to you describe the events of your day, from the brunch with Lucy all the way to your end-of-shift drink with her and Logan. He laughed as you relayed in excruciating detail the way that Lucy shamelessly flirted with Logan, despite the fact that he shows very little romantic interest in her.
Joel got hungry about thirty minutes into the conversation and went to the pantry to grab a snack. You called him out on it a couple minutes later.
“Are you eating something?” you asked him.
“Uh, nuts,” he replied.
“Nuts?” Your tone was confused and Joel laughed.
“Yeah, nuts…y’familiar with ‘em?” He popped a handful in his mouth.
“Like…what kind of nuts? That’s so vague.”
“Why’m I being quizzed ‘bout my nuts?” Joel jokingly had a defensive tone and you giggled.
Almost an hour later, Joel heard you yawn. It was an hour earlier for him, but it was nearly 11:30 P.M. your time.
“Y’tired?” Joel asked. He had to force himself to bring it up, not wanting to end the conversation, but also feeling bad for keeping you up.
“A little,” you replied softly. There was the briefest pause before you said, “I like talking to you, though.”
Joel bit his lip to control the smile that spread across his face. He had already moved up to his bedroom and was leaning against his headboard with his legs out in front of him, ankles crossed. He was wearing his plaid pajama pants and a light grey t-shirt. The bedroom was dark aside from the dim tableside lamp.
“So do I, sweetheart,” Joel’s heart thumped as he said the pet name. “Y’should probably get some sleep, though. Didn’t y’say you were meeting Lucy at the gym in the morning?”
You groaned, “ugh, I forgot about that. Yeah…I should.”
“S’alright,” he consoled, “we can talk again soon.”
“About that…” he could hear the hesitation in your voice, but his interest was piqued. “Lucy surprised me for my birthday with plane tickets…to Austin.”
It was as if Joel didn’t hear the last part of the sentence. “Your birthday?” he asked, “I didn’t miss it, did I?”
You chuckled and said, “We just met, Joel. Even if you had missed my birthday, it wouldn’t be a big deal.”
“It is a big deal. When is it?” He wasn’t going to move on without getting an answer and he knew you could sense it.
“The 16th,” you answered.
“Of this month?” Joel asked.
“Mhhhhm,” your tone sounded mildly irritated.
“Thass in six days,” he confirmed.
“Yes it is, Joel. Now did you hear the last part of my sentence?” Your tone was condescending, but Joel didn’t care, he was still hearing you talk and that was all that mattered to him.
“Gonna be real honest with you here, sugar. I sure didn’t,” he chuckled.
You laughed and said, “I’m gonna be in Austin. On the 15th.”
“You,” Joel cleared his throat, trying to not sound as excited as he felt, “you’re gonna be here?”
“You sure are needing me to repeat a lot of things tonight,” you chuckled as you spoke.
“Can I see you?” He was sitting up straight now, no longer leaning comfortably against his headboard.
“I’d like that very much,” you answered warmly.
“I don’t wanna impede on your plans with Lucy, but maybe you can let me know when I can see you?” Joel was settling back in bed, but his heart was racing at just the thought of seeing you again.
“Of course, I’ll confirm the details with Luce and let you know.”
“Kay, now get some sleep, sweetheart,” Joel cooed into the phone.
“Will do. Goodnight, Joel,” you said with another yawn.
“G’night angel, see you soon.” It was those last three words that allowed Joel to sink down into his bed and rest better than he had in a long while.
Tag List: @untamedheart81 @m3rdim @simpingforjoel @delicious-collection @pedrofan @hauntedbymiller
Let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from tag list! ♡
Tags: minors DNI, smut, flirting, angst, one night stand, p in v sex, oral (f receiving), multiple sex positions, praise kink, creampie, multiple orgasms, romance
WC: 3.8k
Summary: The thing you said you'd never do with Joel finally happens.
A/N: Holy cow, I never imagined enjoying writing a romcom, or romantic!joel in this way. I had other fics I planned on writing, but this one would not leave me alone, so I had to oblige. These two are just too cute for their own good 💕
AO3 | masterlist | chance encounters masterlist | part four
Divider: @/saradika-graphics
The limo dropped you off at the front of your apartment building. Anticipation was growing steadily in your bones, but Joel seemed cool as a cucumber walking beside you as you navigated the building, making your way to your apartment.
“This is a nice building,” Joel remarked as you stepped off the elevator. He wasn’t wrong. It was a fairly nice building, but you had the cheapest apartment available and it didn’t compare to many of your friends’ apartments.
“Thanks, I like it,” you replied, twisting your key in the lock and opening the door to your cozy home.
You kicked off your heels, sighing in relief as your stockinged feet rested on the wooden floorboards. Joel slipped his shoes off behind you and scanned your apartment. Your curtains were open, so the view of the city lights stretched across the large windows.
“Wow,” Joel said, walking toward the windows, “I betcha never get sick of this view.”
You looked in that direction as you made your way to the peninsula kitchen. “I really don’t. Lived in the city my whole life, and I’m still astounded by its beauty sometimes.” You opened your upper cabinet then set your hands on the granite countertop, looking out at Joel. “Would you like a drink?”
Joel turned from the window to face you and said, “Sure, waddya have?”
“Water, lemonade, whiskey, wine…?”
“Well,” Joel scoffed, “I’ve gotta see what sorta wine a sommelier keeps at home.”
You laughed and said, “it’s nothing too fancy, but it is good. Red or white?”
“Your turn to surprise me,” Joel answered with a wink.
Your insides fluttered and you wanted to roll your eyes at your own swooning. The desire you felt toward him was the same as yearning for a glass of water on a hot day - more of a need than a want.
In the privacy of your home, watching his tall, broad form stroll through, examining your personal space, you weren’t sure just how long you could keep your hands off him. It had been a few months since you’d last had sex, and it felt more like scratching an itch, rather than anything truly desirable. The sex was mediocre and you only came after reaching down to pleasure yourself out of frustration.
The itch had seemed to resurface with a vengeance this time.
You approached Joel with two glasses of red wine in hand. He took it from you with a smile and a thank you on his lips.
He went to take a sip but then he paused, and asked, “Can ya show me?”
“Show you what?” You took a sip of the rich wine.
Joel took a seat on the couch, his legs spread and leaning sideways against the armrest as he held the violet hued glass of wine. “I want you t’show me the best way t’drink it. Like how you would at the fancy restaurant y’work at.”
“Oh,” you chuckled, taking a seat beside him despite how welcoming his lap looked.
“Well,” you started, “first you want to look at it.”
Joel sat up a little straighter, holding the glass of wine in front of him, “alright,” he said, “‘m lookin’.”
You bit your lip to stifle the smile threatening to take over your face. Joel was taking this seriously and you couldn’t have found it more precious.
“What color is it?” You asked, holding your own glass out in front of you. “Use the white wall as the background.”
Joel held his glass a smidge higher, squinting his eyes. “Uh, red?”
You giggled and said, “yes, red, but…what shade would you say?”
Joel side-eyed you then looked back at the glass, “It’s dark…sort of, purplish?”
“Yes!” You exclaimed, and Joel jostled a bit at your excitement then smiled. “It’s a violet shade. Now you wanna notice the clarity…you don’t want it to look cloudy or speckled.”
Joel nodded, focused once more, “m’kay…looks pretty clear to me.”
You returned the nod and then said, “now for the legs.”
“The what?” Joel looked at you, one eyebrow quirked upwards.
You laughed again and said, “swirl your glass and then see how quickly the wine runs down the sides. Slower legs means it's sweeter, more sugar.”
Joel looked at you and said, “how fast are your legs, darlin’?”
You reddened immediately and playfully slapped his arm. “Focus, Joel. You wanted me to teach you, right?”
“Right, right,” he did his signature wink and looked back at the glass. “Hard for me to know what to compare this to. Never looked at a glass o’ wine’s legs ‘fore.”
“The legs are a little slow. This is a sweeter wine compared to some other reds, but not overly.” Joel nodded at your explanation.
“Now we get to smell it. Tell me what you pick up on.” You smelled it yourself then watched Joel.
His curved nose dipped into the glass as he raised it to his face. He closed his eyes, honing in on the aroma.
“Smells…fruity, and…sort of oaky?” Joel looked at you tentatively, waiting to see how he did.
“That’s great, Joel.” You smiled and he looked relieved. “You’re picking up on the notes of plum, and there’s also chocolate and vanilla oak flavors. It smells clean, so now we taste it.”
Joel watched you swirl your wine once more, then raise it to your lips, taking a healthy sip. You allowed it to fill your mouth halfway, the wine sitting against your tongue until you swallowed. Joel mimicked your sip.
“What do you taste?”
“It’s a little sweet, not too dry. I can taste the plum. Not sure if I pick up on the chocolate or vanilla,” he commented.
You nodded and replied, “yeah, those notes are subtle. With the dryness, you’re noticing the tannins. This wine has what I’d refer to as round, silky tannins.”
“Y’don’t say?” Joel asked, his eyes twinkling as he smirked at you.
There was a lingering moment where the two of you just looked at each other, and you swore you couldn’t breathe. With bated breath, you set your wine glass onto the coffee table, and when Joel saw this, he did the same.
Then your bodies collided. You climbed onto his lap, his legs still spread as you straddled his hips and began landing kisses on his wine-soaked lips. He groaned into your mouth as his hands landed on your waist, his thumbs pressed against your ribcage right underneath your breasts.
You nibbled at his bottom lip and then he pulled away to start kissing your neck. You tilted your head to grant him better access and could already feel yourself soaking through your tights. You moaned at the warm, open-mouthed kisses being planted up and down your throat.
“Taste even sweeter than the wine, baby,” Joel grunted against your skin.
Your body shuddered against him and you dug your fingers into his shoulders as your hips pressed down against his. “Joel…” you softly moaned. He was still kissing your neck but had graduated to sucking on the soft skin.
“Tell me what ya need,” he gave a rough groan as you grinded your needy pussy against the bulge in his denim jeans.
“Need you,” you panted. You were the one kissing his neck now, and Joel’s hands roamed around to your back and down to your ass, squeezing and lifting you slightly. “My bedroom,” you said between kisses.
Joel stood up while you were still on him. You gave a quiet yelp and then laughed as he began kissing your neck again, his hands firmly gripping your ass as he carried you down the hallway.
“On the left,” you said. Your breathing was heavy, weighed down by the incessant need growing in your core.
Joel made a beeline for the bed as soon as he entered your room. He laid you down on the mattress, your body dipping down as he climbed on top of you. His strong forearms bracketed your head and he leaned down to kiss you.
He pulled his face back, causing you to whimper as you tried to raise your head and meet his lips. He gave you an adoring smile, almost pitying you, as he asked, “what d’ya like, baby?”
Your brain felt like mush and the question was too challenging for you to give any serious thought to. “I like it all,” you finally answered, trying in vain to kiss him again.
“What don’t y’like?” He granted you a single kiss before pulling away again. You clenched your thighs together, desperate for the two of you to resume.
“Don’t bite me,” you responded. Your own answer caught you somewhat off guard. It was true that you didn’t like being bitten, but you didn’t think that you’d ever verbalized that before.
“No biting,” Joel said, leaning down to kiss you once more before asking, “that all?”
“That’s all,” you said, a thin layer of frustration coating your voice. “Now fuck me.”
Joel chuckled. You knew that he was desperate too, could see it in his blown out pupils, bobbing throat, and tented jeans, but damn, he was controlling himself so much better than you were.
“As you wish,” he said, his lips crashing against yours and his tongue slipping into your mouth. You sucked at it greedily, wanting as much of this man as he was willing to give.
One of his large palms came to grope at your breast. He kneaded the tender flesh and you moaned as he thumbed at your erect nipple. Your hands pulled at the sides of his shirt, desperate for his body to be close to yours.
He leaned back on his knees, pulling you up to do the same. He began kissing your neck again, and then his hands slid down your torso, his fingers wrapping around the hem of your dress as he began to slip it upwards. He tossed it to the floor then leaned you back down, his body pressed against yours.
You wrapped your arms around him and pulled at the back of his shirt. He lifted his torso slightly and then reached one hand up and around his shoulders to tug off his shirt. Still lifted up, his hands came to your tights and he began to roll them down your legs.
He shuffled backwards as he did so, and you saw his eyes linger on the wet spot on your panties. He licked his lips and proceeded to finish taking off your tights. When he was done, he slid back up to your core, his mouth coming down to latch around your soaked cunt through your underwear.
“Oh fuck,” you said breathily as your fingers wove into the curls of his hair.
He began to eat you out through your panties. You felt his warm tongue pressed against your center, licking thick strips up over and over. Then his lips latched around your clit and he sucked hard, causing you to arch your back.
Your hands fell away from his head and your thumbs latched into the band of your panties, desperate to remove the barrier between his mouth and your throbbing pussy.
Joel’s hands came up to meet your own, and he took the panties from your grasp, sliding them down your legs and discarding them onto the floor beside your dress and tights.
Then he was back on you, sucking and licking and sticking his tongue into your fluttering hole. He was shameless about eating you out and it had you gripping onto the sheets, your body tensing as you felt the impending orgasm.
“Ohmygod, Joel,” you moaned as your toes began to curl.
He licked a large stripe up your center then latched his lips against your clit once more. As he sucked your sensitive bud into his mouth, two of his fingers pushed inside of you, pressing against the spongy spot that so few men actually reached.
He groaned and it reverberated against your pussy, causing you to cry out as your orgasm peaked. He continued to work you through it, his fingers pushing in and out of your wet cunt, and softly kissing your clit and wet folds.
Your breathing had just started to even out, but you didn’t feel satiated in the slightest. You were still throbbing and you needed to feel him fully.
His body came back to lay over yours, his arms wrapping around you as he kissed your neck up to your lips. You could taste yourself on his tongue and you whimpered, grinding against his thigh that was slotted between your legs.
“Y’did s’good, angel,” Joel spoke into your mouth between kisses. “Y’taste so fuckin’ good.”
“Joel…” you were whimpering, still grinding against his thigh and wondering why he was still in his jeans.
“So beautiful,” he continued talking between kisses. You were only half-hearing what he was saying, your brain too fuzzy and needy.
“How’d I get s’lucky?” He asked, his tongue dipping into your mouth, tasting more of you.
“Joel, please…”
“Such a sweet voice,” another kiss, “sweet body,” another kiss, “sweetest pussy I’ve ever tasted…”
A tear escaped your eye as you whined, “Joel, please…please…”
He kissed your cheekbone, the rogue tear landing on his lips and then licking it away. “I’ve gotcha, baby, don’t worry.”
He leaned back onto his knees again and you watched with wide eyes as he slowly undid his belt. His lack of urgency was causing you to crawl out of your skin. You listened to the clink and then watched as he slid the belt through his pant loops, letting it drop onto the floor with a clang.
He unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, then leaned forward, bracing himself above you on his forearm as he shucked off his pants with his other. You swallowed hard. There was something so hot about watching him undress right above you.
He then slipped off his briefs unceremoniously, as though he had reached the limits of his own patience. His hand came to his cock and he gave it a couple strokes as he looked up at you.
“Y’ready, baby?”
You felt floaty as you took in the sheer size of him. It wasn’t just the size, but the perfection. Two large veins ran down either side of his shaft. His cock was thick and sturdy, with a swollen, red tip that was practically dripping down onto you.
You could literally feel yourself salivating, and if it was any other time, you’d be begging to put him in your mouth, but the desperation was winning out and you needed to feel him deep inside of you.
You nodded and said, “I need you.”
He kissed you so softly, so gently, that you felt tears form at the corners of your eyes. “Need ya too, sweet thing.” He said the words so quietly that you wouldn’t have heard him if he hadn’t been speaking them directly against your lips.
You felt him at your entrance and you braced yourself. Despite how badly you wanted this, it had been a while since you’d been with someone and you were anticipating the stretch that Joel was going to give you.
His hand came to cup the side of your face as he looked at you and said, “need ya t’breathe f’me, sweetheart.”
You hadn’t realized you were holding your breath. You did as he said and took a deep breath, making sure to steadily breathe from there on out.
Joel pushed in at an agonizing pace, inch by inch, allowing your walls to acclimate to his girth. The pressure felt good and you moaned as he continued pushing in.
Your nails dug into his back once he was fully inside and he leaned down to kiss your forehead. “Y’feel incredible.”
The drag of his cock against your walls as he slowly pulled out created goosebumps all over your skin. You whimpered as he pressed back inside.
“Fuck baby,” he murmured, “you’re gonna ruin me f’anyone else, y’feel so good.”
Your eyes rolled into the back of your head at his praise and the feeling of his cock sliding in and out of your soaked pussy.
You bucked your hips against him and he understood what you needed, picking up the pace while his thumb came to toy at your swollen clit.
“Can ya come f’me again?” he asked, still increasing his pace.
The feel and sound of his balls slapping against your ass with every thrust had you arching and digging your nails into him deeper. He was incredibly hard and you could feel his cock brushing lightly against your cervix.
“More, Joel,” you moaned, closing your eyes and biting your lip.
“Can I flip ya over?” Joel asked between thrusts.
Your eyes shot open and you nodded, eager to experience a new position with him.
“K, baby,” Joel said as he pulled out and backed off of you. “On all fours for me.”
You rolled over and pushed up onto your hands and knees, gripping the sheet already in anticipation. He moved behind you, his chest coming to rest against your shoulder blades as he breathed against your ear and said, “such a good girl.”
“Fuck,” you whispered, unsure if Joel could even hear you as he slowly pushed his cock back inside.
He started slow but built quickly to the pace he was at before. He squeezed your ass cheek with his right hand, his left hand gripped tight on your waist. He pulled his right hand back and slapped your ass, knocking you forward only slightly, as he still had a tight hold on you.
He brushed your hair to one side of your head, so that he could bend forward and press his lips to the shell of your ear, “this okay?”
You nodded quickly and said, “fuck, yes, yes, Joel.”
He positioned himself upwards again and continued his quick pace. He moved his left hand up to your left shoulder, bringing your body against his with every thrust, his other hand still gripped tight on the side of your ass.
You wondered if it was going to leave a bruise, and secretly wished that it would.
His hand then left your ass, coming around to swipe at your throbbing clit. You were shocked when it only took a couple minutes until you were seeing stars, nearly falling forward onto the bed.
Joel looped one arm around your waist and his other hand came up to squeeze your breast. He pulled you up so that your back was pressed against his chest.
You leaned your head back against his shoulder, letting him rail into you from this new, delicious angle. Your body was spent but you were relishing in everything he was giving you.
“‘M gonna finish soon, baby,” Joel said.
As soon as the words left his mouth you said, “come in me, please, Joel.”
“Y’sure?” He asked, groaning as he throbbed inside of you.
“Yes, yes,” you panted.
He moaned as his balls contracted, his spend coating your walls fully. “Fuck,” he said as he held you tight to him, his lips latched onto your neck again.
He slowly lowered your bodies to the bed. You nestled into the crook of his arm and he kissed your head.
“My god,” you muttered.
This drew a laugh from Joel and he said, “oh, yeah? That what you’re callin’ me now?”
You chuckled and rolled onto your side to face him, “so what if I am?” you ask.
“I prefer Joel,” he said with a smile, leaning in again to kiss your forehead. He pulled back to look at you and shook his head, “you really are damn beautiful, y’know that?”
Heat rushed to your face and you replied, “you’re not so bad yourself.”
He held you for a few minutes. He was on his back and you were on your side with your head resting on his chest, and your leg looped across his. He was absent mindedly drawing circles on your arm with his middle finger. Your breathing synced and there was a peace enshrouding the two of you that you hadn’t felt in so long.
It wasn’t until Joel’s eyelids grew heavy that he shifted in bed, an attempt to keep himself awake. “Hey,” he said. His voice was soft but tumbled from his lips like a distant roll of thunder.
You looked up at him, “hey.”
“I really hate t’do this, but I have an early mornin’ flight, and I still gotta get back to Tommy’s and pack up, get some rest.” You could hear through the strain in his voice that it pained him to say this to you.
You didn’t want to make it any harder on him so you just nodded and said, “I get it. No worries.”
You got out of bed and slipped on your used panties. Joel stood up next to you, pulling on his clothes as he said, “y’want me to help ya clean up?”
You smiled. Of course he’d be considerate about after care. The truth was, you had reached the point where you just wanted him to leave. You were doing your best to ignore the lump forming in your throat, but knew you couldn’t stave it off for long.
You shook your head and said, “nah, I’m okay. I’m just gonna hop in the shower once you leave.”
Joel finished buttoning up his shirt and replied with an easy, “okay.”
You walked him to the front door and he glanced back at the coffee table. “We didn’t drink too much of our wine, huh?”
You laughed and said, “guess we opted for something sweeter.”
Joel’s smile took up his whole face as he reached out and placed his hand along your jaw. “Thanks for bein’ the highlight of my New York experience.”
The dam you had built was threatening to break, so you hastily replied, “thanks for the best date I’ve ever had.”
His expression became serious as he scanned up and down your face. You thought you saw a hint of regret in his eyes. “‘M sorry that I can’t-”
You held up your hand and patted his chest, “It’s fine, really.” With what little energy you had left, you forced a smile and said, “safe travels, cowboy.”
Joel scoffed and said, “I think I liked god better.”
He leaned in and gave you another perfect kiss. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
The door shut and you immediately walked into the living room to pick up the wine glasses and busy yourself with cleaning. But as you picked up his glass, you felt the tears break through, so you sat on the couch and allowed them to flow.
You watched the city lights outside and allowed yourself to grieve the relationship you deserved but would never have.
Tag List: @untamedheart81 @m3rdim @simpingforjoel @delicious-collection @pedrofan @hauntedbymiller
Let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from tag list! ♡
Tags: minors DNI, not many tags for this one other than angst...
WC: 4.1k
Summary: Lucy asks a favor of you, little does she know, she's asking for more than she thinks.
AO3 | masterlist | chance encounters masterlist | part eight
Divider: @/saradika-graphics
Fall gave way to a blustery Winter. The snow blanketed the city and covered up all that was old. You hoped through the cold months that the icy weather would numb the pain of rejection that had seemed to settle in your bones.
And yet, as Spring came, you still found yourself thinking of Joel when you’d glance at the window in your apartment that you had once so eagerly stuck your head out of. Or when you opened the cupboard under your sink to find the green vase hidden in the back. And now, the scent that had once given you the nickname “bee,” was soiled with memories of Joel and his warm musk.
Thankfully, the arrival of Summer seemed to bring about a sense of newness. Waking up to the sound of birds was no longer irritating to you, but a melody that helped you start your day.
You’d also quit smoking for good. Lucy reminded you every week how long you’d gone without a cigarette. She’d seen you try to quit the habit for years now. It had slowed while you were with Joel, always concerned that he’d be turned off by the odor.
Unfortunately, after returning home following the awful weekend in Austin, your habit picked back up full throttle. You were smoking at least half a pack a day.
Finally, Lucy had sat you down and told you that you either needed to reach out to Joel to get answers, or leave him behind for good. She hated seeing you at war with yourself and her tough love was exactly what you needed to realize that he was just a waste of your time.
You no longer felt foolish for falling for his act. Now you were just angry with him. He wasn’t worth your time and he sure as hell wasn’t going to get anymore of it.
Work had picked up for you and you were in the midst of planning a trip to Italy for the coming Fall. There was a vineyard in Venice that you hadn’t been to before, and the owner of the restaurant had been in talks with a vintner in that area, and he asked you to make the trip for him.
You were excited about this, and had also been given some more liberties with the wine pairing menu at the restaurant. It felt like your career was growing, and this was something you were very grateful for. It also happened to serve as a wonderful distraction.
In the midst of your usual Sunday chores, your phone chimed and when you heard the melody of “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” you knew it was Lucy on the other end.
“Heyyyy!” She called out when you answered.
“Hey Luce, what’s up?” You were spraying down the surfaces of your kitchen, looking forward to lighting a candle then rotting on the couch.
“Well, I have a favor to ask…please tell me you’ll at least consider!” There was playful desperation in her voice.
Laughing, you replied, “you haven’t even told me what it is yet.”
“Okay, remember that contracting company I said that’s been getting a lot of traction lately? And how I desperately want them to help with the new building?”
“Sure.”
“Well, I just got off the phone with one of the owners, and he said that they’re interested in the job! But, he was also honest that they have two other projects they’re considering taking on that have similar timelines, so he’s going to have to make some decisions. I invited him and the other owner, as well as some of their top builders, for a catered dinner at the office.”
You knew where she was going with this. “Lucy, I’m sorry, but I’m swamped right now-”
“I know, I know. I can make it worth your while, promise. I’ll send you some numbers tomorrow. You can just tell me what you need. I already have the food down, I would just need you to create some pairings and then present them. It’s really important that I impress them. And I could find another sommelier, but we both know it wouldn’t be the same.”
You sighed. “When is it?”
“Eeeek!” she shrieked and you had to pull the phone away from your ear. “The 28th…I know it’s just a couple weeks away, but I want to lock them in before the end of summer. And August is creeping up on us.”
You walked over to the calendar hanging under your kitchen clock. Today was the 15th, and the only gigs you had between now and the 28th were small dinners at the restaurant. You were mostly prepping for your Italy trip, as well as offering consultations and the occasional training, which you were willing to pause in order to help Lucy out.
“Okay, I can do it.”
“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! You don’t know what a help this is. God, I fucking love you!”
You laughed. “You’re welcome, Luce. And don’t sweat about the money. Just offer whatever is in the budget. It’ll be plenty.
“You’re seriously the best.” She ended the call and you turned to light the candle on the bar.
You allotted the rest of the day to relaxing and binging your favorite trash reality shows. Tomorrow you’d look at the menu that Lucy had surely already emailed you and create the pairings.
You liked being able to help a friend out, and besides, as much as you didn’t want to admit it, you were still in need of distractions from your thoughts and buried emotions.
Lucy twirled the straw wrapper around her finger as she scrolled through the list you’d sent her.
“I mean, these look great to me. But I gotta be honest, the names don’t mean much, so I just gotta trust you. Which I do!” She was looking at the pairing list you had emailed her right before the two of you met for dinner.
You took a sip of your gin & tonic and pulled the list up on your own phone. “They’re all good wines, of course. I’d say mid-level. The one at the end is the most pricey - but it’ll pair perfectly with the pear tart.”
“You’re a genius,” Lucy said dreamily as she laid her head in her hand and stared adoringly at you from across the table.
“And you’re ridiculous.” You couldn’t help but blush at her compliments.
Lucy laughed then leaned back in her chair. She started chewing on her lip - her obvious tell that she was anxious about something.
“What?” You gave her a skeptical look.
She picked up her martini, downing the rest in one go and then looking out the window before returning her gaze to you.
The restaurant was bustling. People were coming in and out, chattering, and the ambient music was louder to offset the noise of the patrons. So when Lucy opened her mouth to speak and nothing came out, you were unsure if she hadn’t said anything, or if you just couldn’t hear her.
Louder than before, you said, “What is it?”
“There is one thing I need to tell you…about the dinner.” She returned to chewing her lip and it made your anxiety start to bubble up.
“I’m listening.”
“I had a call this morning with both owners of the contracting company…whereas previously I’ve only been speaking with the original owner. I knew he had just added a co-owner, but I didn’t know his name and it wasn’t updated in the company emails until they officially changed their name today.”
“Okay…” you tilted your head forward, urging her to come out with the rest of it. You were working under the assumption that it was one of Lucy’s terrible ex-boyfriends. And while you hated most of her exes, it wouldn’t be enough for you to turn down the job.
“The new company name is Hanson & Miller Contracting…Tommy’s the co-owner, Bee.”
“No. No, no, no.” You set down your gin & tonic, waving your hands in front of you and then leaning back in your chair, distancing yourself from her and this conversation. “Absolutely not, Luce. I can’t.”
“Bee, please. The dinner’s a week away. It’s too late for me to find someone else, at least someone that’s good. This deal is major for me. If the new building isn’t perfect, I could lose mega business. Not to mention, if I can make any sort of ongoing arrangement with this contracting company, I’ll probably get even more big name projects. They’re insanely reputable and- ugh, I’m sorry.” She shook her head, looking at the ground briefly before back up to you.
“Nevermind. You’re right. I never should’ve put you in this position. I’m sorry. Don’t worry about it, I can-”
You interrupted her, and as you spoke, you felt in your gut that you were going to regret it. “I”ll do it. I don’t want my emotions to jeopardize your career in any way. That would be crazy.”
“I won’t hold it against you if you don’t, promise.” That last word was unnecessary, as you knew Lucy better than that.
“I know. I’m not worried about that. I can do it. Just…please do what you can to mitigate any interactions I have with Tommy. Please. I don’t even know if he remembers me, or knows who I am. For all I know, Joel never said a word about me to him…but I don’t want to have a conversation with him about it.”
“Totally, totally. You’re a saint, Bee. This means so much. You have no idea. I owe you one.”
You scoffed, “you think?” Pausing and thinking, you continued, “Joel won’t be there, right?”
Lucy shook her head, “I don’t see why he would be. We did say they could bring spouses. That’s normal for dinners like this. Scott is married, so I know he’s bringing his wife. And Tommy mentioned a Maria? It sounded like she might be pregnant, too. He recognized me but couldn’t place me, so I had to remind him…only slightly awkward.”
You laughed, equal parts in relief as well as absurdity of the situation. “Okay. I can’t handle any surprises right now, especially like that.”
“Noted,” Lucy replied. “Dinner’s on me, by the way.”
The day of the dinner was here, and you couldn’t shake the bundle of nerves forming in your lower stomach. You kept telling yourself you were being crazy, that there was no way Joel would be there, and that Tommy would likely hardly remember you, just like he couldn’t place Lucy.
Lucy always seemed to be more memorable than you, so you hoped that worked in your favor in this case as well.
Lucy: Excited to see you tonight! Feel free to come anytime after 4, dinner starts at 5. :) thanks again!!!
You spent the day distracting yourself by going through the wine pairings again, rehearsing the notes you would share about each wine.
Finishing the last of your soup for lunch, you headed to the bedroom to sort out your clothes for the dinner.
It was July in New York City, so of course it was blistering hot outside, but you still had to dress professionally.
You plucked a simple black, sheath dress with thin straps and a conservative neckline. Of course, you paired it with your pearl necklace (a gift to yourself after you passed your sommelier exam), a simple silver bracelet, and pearl earrings. You chose white strappy heels to go along.
Taking a picture in your full-length mirror, you texted it to Lucy.
You: This good?
Lucy: Hot damn, mama!! It’s giving corporate baddie. It’s giving I am your mother. It’s giving bow down to me peasants!
You: Well…I don’t know if any of that is what I’m going for…but thanks?
It was only 2 o’clock, and you weren’t sure how else to pass the time without overthinking the dinner, so you opted to take a short nap.
Your alarm went off at 3:50. Plenty of time to change into your clothes, grab the box of wine, and take a cab to the office.
You arrived shortly before 4:30, not wanting to give yourself too much time, but enough time to acquaint yourself with the space.
Lucy spotted you once you entered the building, she had been setting up a sign toward the front to indicate what conference room the dinner would be in.
“Hey! Perfect timing. Here,” she reached to take the box of wine from your hands, “let me help with that.”
“Oh, thanks.” You were relieved to not need to lug the box around any longer.
You followed Lucy to the upstairs conference room. It was a corner suite with a small adjoining kitchenette. Floor to ceiling windows surrounded the space, and there was a large table in the center.
“Big room for an intimate dinner,” you commented as Lucy set the wine on the kitchen counter.
“It has the best view,” she said as she glanced outside. “We’ll just use one half of the table.”
She left you in the kitchen to set up the wines and line them up in order of pairings. The caterers arrived shortly after, and the food smelled delicious. Your stomach grumbled as Lucy squeezed past you to grab some plates.
With a small laugh, she said, “there’s plenty of food for you. I figured you could join us, if you want. I’m sure we’ll be talking some business, but not the whole time.”
“Oh, maybe. I can also just eat in here, leave you guys to it. How many people are there in total again?”
“Just 9 of us, I think. Tommy and Scott, and their partners, and a couple builders. Then me, the other planner, and my boss.”
You nodded, still unsure as to whether you wanted to join, but the offer was nice.
It was nearing 5 o’clock and you squeezed your hands together, willing the nerves to go away. You’d never been so tempted to open one of the bottles of wine for yourself before.
You and Lucy stood near one of the windows, chatting mindlessly as she waited for the others to arrive. Her boss and the other planner were sitting at the table and chatting about one of the other ongoing projects.
The door opened and you looked over to see Tommy, Scott, and what you assumed was Scott’s wife, as his arm was around her.
“Good evening,” Scott spoke as he made long strides over to Lucy, shaking her hand. “This is my wife, Annie.”
“Hi, Annie, so nice to meet you. I’m Lucy, and this is my friend, and best sommelier I know.” Lucy motioned over to you and you smiled, sharing your name and extending your hand to Scott and then Annie.
When you took a step back from the handshakes, you caught sight of Tommy, standing off to the side. His jaw was nearly dropped and you didn’t know what to make of his expression, but wanting to be polite, you approached him anyway.
Lucy was caught in conversation with Scott and Annie, laughing animatedly at something they said.
“Hi, I’m-” you reached your hand out, but Tommy cut you off.
“I know who you are.” He didn’t reach out his hand and the abruptness caught you off guard.
“Oh. Uh…” You stood there dumbly, unsure what to do.
Thankfully, Lucy stepped in with her usual joyous tone as she said, “Hi Tommy! I’m so glad you’re here. Is…Maria joining us?” She looked to the door then back to Tommy.
He finally peeled his eyes from you to look at Lucy. “No, she wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed home. Morning sickness. So, uh. I invited my brother to join, since he was in town already for the baby shower.” He looked back to you. His eyes were unapologetic and seemed to sear into your own.
Lucy inhaled, but nothing came out. She looked nervously at you and you could feel the blood drain from your face.
The moment of tense silence gave way as the door opened again.
Joel walked in. He was in his usual dark-wash jeans, but with a nice button up and light jacket. His hair was smoothed back, not his usual ruffled mess. His smile faded as he glanced around the room for Tommy, spotting you beside him.
“Hi, I’m Scott. You must be Joel?” Scott had approached with his wife, clearly oblivious to the horror that everyone else in the room was absorbing.
Joel shook his head, as if clearing his mind of thoughts as he turned to Scott. “Y-yes, hi. Nice to meet you.” They exchanged hand shakes and pleasantries.
As Lucy started speaking, you slipped to the back kitchen. Heart pounding and feeling light-headed, you gripped the kitchen counter and bowed your head to try and gather your breaths.
This couldn’t be happening. You had no idea how you were supposed to go out there and present wines.
You hated how you felt when you looked at him…but more than that, you hated how good he looked. You hated that his gaze felt the same as all the other times. How his eyes took you in, how they rested on your face as though nothing could make him look away.
There was no way you could talk while looking at him, so you made the decision to try your best to avoid his eye contact.
“Hey,” Lucy’s voice was soft by your side, her hand coming to rest on your back as you were still bent over the kitchen counter.
“What am I supposed to do?” you asked in a hushed voice.
Faint music was playing in the conference room, so thankfully your voices were somewhat masked.
“I don’t know. I’m so sorry, Bee. I truly didn’t expect him to be here. If you have to leave, I totally get it.”
You looked at her with a furrowed brow. “I’m not gonna leave you, Luce. I know what a big deal this is for you. I’m just going to try not to look at him.”
Lucy nodded and gave you a hug. You knew she’d make it up to you.
The caterers brought out the first course, and you followed behind with a bottle of cabernet. After they introduced the course, they stepped to the side to allow you to move to the front and describe the wine pairing.
You managed to not glance at Joel until the very end, when you turned to leave. As your body pivoted, your eyes fell on him and you saw he was staring at you. His expression was unreadable, similar to the morning that he drove you back to the ranch.
Back in the kitchen, the caterers were dishing up the second course and you took some deep breaths to compose yourself. This dinner was supposed to be an hour and a half. You could do it.
With each new course, you were somehow able to avoid Joel almost entirely. The dinner seemed to be going well. Lucy was beaming and trying to hide just how giddy she was at the prospect of working with them.
She gave you a thumbs up under the table as you came into the room for dessert. You chuckled quietly to yourself, feeling happy for her and also relieved that in a matter of minutes you’d be able to book it out of this building.
The caterers introduced the pear tart and you confidently stepped up to the table to talk about the wine. You shared the region, notes, and what people could look for in the scent of the wine. Everyone nodded and then you went to move around the table to pour the wine.
Joel’s glass was last, as he had been seated furthest away. You could see him watching you out of your periphery, but worked to keep your eyes focused ahead. Nonetheless, his aroma flooded your nostrils each time you came around him.
It was heady and sweet, and made you crave more. You hated it. You hated how familiar he smelled, despite it being eight months since you’d last seen him.
The wine poured delicately into his glass and you were practically holding your breath, so as to not breathe in his scent fully. You kept your eyes focused on the pour.
But then Joel’s voice cut through, “how would you describe the tannins of this wine?”
It caught you so off guard that your hand jerked, sloshing the wine over the edge of the glass, causing it to spill onto the table.
“Shit!” you exclaimed before you could stop yourself. You glanced at Lucy, who looked horrified that you would let that slip. “I’m so sorry.” You directed your apology to Tommy and Scott.
Scott graciously raised his hands and chuckled, “we work with a bunch of construction guys, whaddya think we hear all day long?”
The table broke out in laughter as you felt sweat dotting your brow. You let out an uncomfortable chuckle, desperately wishing this situation away.
One of the caterers came out with some napkins and helped you clean up the wine mess. You swallowed and nervously looked up to see that Joel was still watching you.
The group had quieted, and were seemingly looking at you to answer Joel’s question.
“The, uh-” You cleared your throat. “The tannins are going to be a little grippier in this wine. You might describe them as broad…or firm.”
You saw Joel fight a smile as he nodded and picked up his glass. The bastard.
Scurrying back to the kitchen, you started to pack your things up. You felt sweaty and shaky, and couldn’t wait to be back in the safety of your apartment.
You discreetly popped your head out of the side of the kitchen, catching Lucy’s attention. You mouthed “can I leave?” and she gave a nod and a smile.
Grabbing the empty box and your purse, you walked out of the kitchen and gave a polite, “goodbye, it was nice meeting everyone!” as you waved and walked out. The goodbyes trickled out behind you and you jogged down the stairs of the office building.
Right before you were about to go outside to hail a cab, you realized that you had to go pee. While the cab ride could be as short as fifteen minutes, city traffic was always unpredictable and you didn’t want to risk it.
You set the empty box near the recycling bins in the lobby and popped into the bathroom. Taking care of business quickly, you washed your hands and shoved open the door in a hurry.
You nearly fell backwards when you saw Joel standing against the wall opposite the bathrooms. He was leaning back, with his foot propped up against the wall. You rolled your eyes and walked past him toward the front doors.
“Hey.” You heard his voice along with his footsteps. The harmony echoed through the large lobby.
You turned on your heel, causing him to freeze in place when you whipped around. “What do you want?” Your words carried venom.
Joel frowned, his characteristic crease forming between his brows as he looked down at the floor. He let out a deep sigh then slowly looked back up at you. There was a softness in his eyes that wasn’t there before.
“I think we should talk.” He spoke hardly above a whisper.
Your volume nearly doubled his. “Oh, you think? Well…I think it’s a little too late for that.” You turned to walk away.
“It doesn’t have t’be.” He followed you another few steps, so that you were both standing just inside the large glass doors.
“I’m not some hobby, Joel. You can’t just pick me up when you’re bored and then ditch me as soon as something more exciting comes along.” You puffed your chest out, feeling like you were finally standing up for yourself.
But when you saw the utter confusion on his face, you started to deflate. “What?” His tone conveyed just how incredulous he was. “I should be saying that to you.”
You shook your head and scoffed in disbelief. “You’re something else, Joel Miller. You really can put on an act, yanno that?”
“I don’t know what yer talkin’ ‘bout,” he stressed the last couple words. You were surprised at how well he was still keeping up appearances.
You opened your mouth to retort, but paused when you heard voices upstairs. “I need to go.”
With that, you swung open the glass doors, jogging outside to catch a cab that was parked in front of the building.
When you opened the door and plopped down, you looked out the window to catch one last glimpse of him. He was standing there, his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans, as he watched the cab take off.
With a loud sigh, you hoped that would be the last you ever saw of him.
