Realistic or Modern I need more than your Photograph

[Forever6A7X]

She frowned more as she listened to him and took another deep breath "Yes Joe! Thats exactly what I need to hear! I need to know what happens with you and what you are feeling! How am I supposed to be a good girlfriend or partner if I don't even know what you're going through?!" She said before taking another shaky breath "We're supposed to be open to one another. We've been together two fucking years now! I could have helped you process this! Hell I fucking try to help you process the little things and it feels like you shut me out half of the time!"

 

[decadent-rider]

He frowned and grit his teeth "Shut you out?! Jesus Christ I'm not doing this right now. I fucking said sorry, don't need to have a go at me over it, what more do you fucking want?!" He snapped, getting into clean clothes for the night, "Is this really how you wanna do this?" He questioned her "Over the phone?!" He snapped, "Cause if you wanna be open then really we should be doing this face to face." He muttered and just hung up on her while she was mid sentence.

 

[Forever6A7X]

She glared as she listened to him shaking some "Well its not like I can fucking see you any time soon!" She yelled and started to go off more but went wide eyed when she heard him hang up. She shook her head some and got Kas settled in the kitchen to sleep before she went to lay in bed crying the entire time. She didn't want to loose him again, it was the last thing she wanted, but this major lie was really laying heavy on her.

 

[decadent-rider]

He was just trying to get through the next few days, getting more worked up when there was no word from Max at all and then when more random photos of him went round the internet people were taking of him on the street. He'd been trying to give up smoking but the stress was getting to him and he finally bought a pack, getting caught on camera with them but he got out to Chicago, managed to have a good time and finally told Greg he was going back to Georgia to make sure he could fix this right now before he headed off to Italy for more ocnventions and interviews.

 

[Forever6A7X]

Max hadn't reached out afterwards. She knew they both needed time to cool down and she wanted to call him sopn before his flight to Italy. She had seen the photos of him circulatin, it hurt to see him smoking again when she knew he had been trying so hard to stop. She frowned as a knock rang through the apartment causing Kas to give a small bark. She got him settled before opening the door going a bit wide eyed to find Joe on the other side "I....I thought you were headed to Italy?" She said softly

 

[decadent-rider]

He frowned and just watched her for a minute "I changed my flights... I fly in the morning... Gotta leave early but I can't leave it another week before we can sit and talk." He told her quietly, pulling her in tightly to him, "I grabbed a pizza on the way over... WE should talk." He mumbled, kissing her head and following her in towards the couch, pulling an envelope out of his pocket and handed her the pieces of paper inside "That's the whole record from that hospital stay.... Down to my urine output." He smiled a little "I don't want secrets with you love I just didn't know how to begin to talk about this.

 

[Forever6A7X]

Max hugged him tightly and gave a small nod "Yeah I think that would be best." She said softly before going inside to sit with him. She smiled softly as Kas came bounding up to him only tripping on his ears a few times to sniff him. She took the envelope and nodded softly before giving a heavy sigh "I just...two years Joe...it took you two years to say anything to me. What if something happened? You can't keep things like this a secret from me, not when its life and death." She said softly before giving a heavy sigh "Please Joe...please don't keep something like this from me again." She begged taking his hands in hers before she let a few tears fall "I was so scared those few days. They wouldn't give me any updates because I wasn't family, security kicked me out of the parking lot multiple times. I really thought I lost you..."

 

[decadent-rider]

He sighed heavily and just nodded, rubbing at his face. “I know but let’s face it. Since lockdown when have we had a good amount of time to just sit and talk?” He asked her, shaking his head a little. “And since then I’ve had you on my emergency contact list. So you get told everything.” He mumbled, lifting up the puppy. “The people love him.”

 

[Forever6A7X]

Max gave a small nod and leaned against him smiling as Kal snuggled into him "Yeah, lets hope they love me or atleast tolerate me." She said softly kissing his cheek gently and laughing at his confused look "You kinda told the world that you were seeing someone. Soon enough they'll find out about me." She murmured before snuggling him some more "Are you okay though? I saw that you've been smoking again."

 

[decadent-rider]

He shrugged and pulled her to lay across his lap as well. “I know I know I think… we should just ban me from doing talk shows. My mouth has got me in so much trouble. I need to be shut up.” He chuckled quietly.

 

[Forever6A7X]

Max gave a small laugh as she layed in his lap. She pulled Kas to lay on her chest amd shook her head some "Fans loved you. Especially your accents and fangirling over Jack Black." She said giggling a little more.

 

[decadent-rider]

He smiled watching her. “No? Not even if the best way to shut me up is for you to use my face as a seat?” He asked her, raising an eyebrow

 

[Forever6A7X]

Max looked up at him shocked but soon smirked at him "Mmm now that would be an exception." She murmured before she got up taking Kas to the kitchen. She got him all set up before going back to Joe on the couch straddling his waist and kissing him lovingly.

 

[decadent-rider]

He smiled and held her tightly to him, eventually getting up and dragging her to the bedroom. He lay with her panting after they were finally done, nuzzling his face into the side of her head “I don’t like fighting with you.” He mumbled tiredly.

 

[Forever6A7X]

Max panted softly afterwards and ran her fingers through his hair "And you think I do?" She murmured softly before sighing "It happens though, what matter is that we've fixed it and moved past." She said softly giving a small smile

 

[decadent-rider]

He nodded tiredly and just held onto her tightly. “My flights at 7, gotta leave here by 4:30 do you want me to wake you or leave you?” He asked her quietly, pulling her in closer.

 

[Forever6A7X]

Max frowned deeply as he mentioned his flight giving a heavy sigh "Wake me up, I want to be able to say bye." She said quietly while tracing patterns on his chest

 

[decadent-rider]

He smiled and kissed her head. “Alright get some sleep love…. It’s been a long week.” He murmured to her.

 

[Forever6A7X]

She woke up when it was time for him to go and sighed heavily hugging him tightly "You call me when you land okay?" She whispered kissing him lovingly letting a few tears fall "I'm gonna miss you so much."

 

[decadent-rider]

He just nodded and held her tightly at the front door, a scene that was becoming far too familiar for his liking, kissing her cheek repeatedly. “Mmm I love you.” He told her quietly. “Already do babe.” He promised, kissing her one more time before his taxi arrived and he went to get in, waving at her and watching her door until she disappeared from view, sighing heavily.

 

[Forever6A7X]

It wasn't until the next morning that she finally got a proper call from him. He had called briefly to let her know about his landing but she could tell how tired he was so she kept it brief. She smiled happily as her phone rang for face time and quickly pressed accept. Though she grew concerned when she saw the look on his face, tired didn't even begin to describe how he looked. She kept her smile up though "Hey handsome, how are you today? How is Italy?"

 

[decadent-rider]

He was sat in his hotel room after three meetings plus several fan encounters and one run in with a large crowd of people, trying to keep a face on for her. “Hey… it’s good love, it’s beautiful here. Good food, really hot but not too humid… you and Kas have a good night?” He asked her quietly, his voice shaking a little.

 

[Forever6A7X]

Max nodded some and smiled a bit at him. She pointed her phone down to show Kas snuggled into her side "Oh yeah, he is being my little snuggle buddy right now." She said before putting the phone back to show her face. She watched him some before giving a soft frown "Darling whats wrong? I can hear it in your voice." She said gently

 

[decadent-rider]

He frowned then and tried to keep holding it back but the façade cracked and he couldn’t keep it in anymore. “I can’t do this. I can’t do it anymore!” He sobbed down the line. “It’s too much and I’m not… I’m so tired … I just feel like I’m drowning and my head just won’t stop hurting and I just wanna go home!” He sobbed down the phone, visibly shaking

 

[Forever6A7X]

Max sat up immediately as she saw him break down and frowned deeply "Oh Joe baby....hey take some deep breaths for me okay? Have you taken any kind of migrane medicine?" She asked trying to adress the list of his problems one at a time.