Redamancy

Going home was not necessarily always Joey’s favourite part of her day. She supposed it was awful to say, but sometimes she just missed Scooby, and hadn’t looked forward to seeing Adam. He could be quite a moody type of person, and very aggressive over pointless things such as video games. Sometimes, he would get so mad he would punch himself in the leg until he bruised and shouted obscenities that could be heard for, probably, miles. He was quite charming though - he had his moments of romantic gestures, although he wouldn’t ever admit it to anyone.

Joey’s walk home was a lot easier than the walk to work, the encounter with Gemma and Harry banishing her bad mood. She was thankful that Gemma had been her first client - she wasn’t sure how she would have felt at this moment if it had been a bridezilla type. Sighing, she pried her keys from her coat pocket, and the moment she unlocked the door a loud scrambling could be heard followed by equally loud thumps. Not even a second later, Scooby came into view and Joey practically dropped all her belongings and knelt to the ground to embrace her gentle giant.



“I missed you, too, baby!” She cooed, earning a lick right up her face, “Aw, best friend!” Admittedly, Joey got a little bit too excited to be around Scooby. It was often something her family made fun of her for, and even Adam had sometimes. She gave Scooby a quick kiss on the side of his large head before she stood up, gathering all her things. It was only when she turned to lock the door that she smelled garlic and nearly drooled. Apparently, Adam decided he would make dinner for the both of them, though at first he only thought to make something for himself.

As she made her way into the kitchen, Scooby on her heels (no doubt trying to find his ball so he could show Joey he was playing with it. Again.), she closed her eyes, the smell of cooking getting stronger.

“Oh my god,” She moaned, “That smells amazing, babe.” As her eyes opened, she saw that Adam was now staring at her, a serious look on his face. She could’ve smacked herself when she realized why. But she turned away, knowing what was coming and decided to busy herself by putting her things on the kitchen table.



“Don’t,” He sighed, “You know I don’t like that stuff. It’s so corny.” She rolled her eyes to herself, heat rising to her cheeks. Very rarely, if ever, did they call each other by the typical couple-y nicknames. She wasn’t sure way, if she was honest. It’s not as though it was a big deal and they had been together long enough. But the word always seemed to bother him, and it was one of his rules, practically. He had said it about a year in once, but when the word ‘babe’ left his mouth, he kind of cringed. It was funny then, because even Joey admitted it sounded odd coming from either of them. So then they agreed that it was too ‘corny’ for them, and they wouldn’t say it. However, three years in and hearing all the people around her saying it to their significant others, she had let it slip a few awful times. And it was weird because, Joey had always felt ashamed she had said it. As though she was scared to make his mood sour.

“I know,” she said quietly, “Sorry. Anyways, what are you making?” She turned to him with a kind of forced smile, only to be met with his back as he faced the stove, stirring its contents.

“Just pasta and garlic bread. Nothing huge,” He shrugged, and looked back at her, “I thought we could watch a movie on Netflix after or something.” Joey smiled (because movies were her absolute favourite, though he didn’t enjoy them much), and nodded as Scooby nudged her with his paw. She turned around and knelt in front of him as he threw the ball from his mouth across the floor. Joey laughed, going over to the ball to kick it down the hall and watched as her clumsy dog lost its footing a bit trying to chase after it.

At least she always had Scoob.

*

Adam was one of Joey’s only friends. She could probably count her friends on one hand ( if she was lucky), and he was also one of the only people she had trusted. And although it was a bit embarrassing, Adam was her first boyfriend. Sure, she had kissed a guy before (and even a couple girls, if she was honest) but she had never had an on going relationship. For a while there, she wasn’t even sure she would ever get to experience one. Which did seem a bit silly now.

She was lucky enough that Adam happened to be her best friend, and always cherished that they had been so close before they began a relationship. It was quite funny actually, because he always knew how nervous she was to be dating him, that they didn’t even kiss for about a week and a half and he was so lovely about it. When he did kiss her, it had caught her off guard and she didn’t even kiss him back. When he went back home afterwards, she scolded herself for being so stupid. However, her disappointment didn’t last long because a feeling of pure warmth and joy took it over. That’s when she knew they would be amazing together. She truly believed that. She even still got a lingering butterfly in her stomach, three years later. And he always, always, wanted to kiss her.

Which is what they were doing as the movie played in the background. Even Scooby’s loud human-like snores weren’t really heard by either of them as their lips repeatedly reconnected. Eventually, Adam pulled Joey onto his lap and she held his face, smiling at him.



“I love you,” he grinned, hugging her tight. She laughed, gasping for air a bit.



“I love you, too.” The words, to both of them, were something special. Adam had been in three relationships previously, but admitted he had never felt the way he felt with Joey. Which was completely true. Joey was always kind and patient with him, even if he hadn’t really deserved it. And he never really told her, he appreciated it. He really wasn’t a man of many words in that respect and was always taught that emotional things were signs of weakness. Of course, this caused quite a good chunk of fights between the two. Nevertheless, the two of them planned to spend quite a long time together, with talks of marriage and children and even growing old - which is something Adam had never discussed with any of his previous girlfriends. Joey was special.

He would look at her and look at her and never get tired of it. To him, she was honestly beautiful - he especially loved the way she looked without make up, though she would fight with him about it. And, of course, he especially loved the way she looked naked, and how bashful she would become. Sometimes, he literally could not keep his hands off of her - they could be in a library and he would discreetly pinch her bum. Joey would blush furiously, sometimes not able to comprehend how he could love her so much - because she had seen some of the looks he gave her and all she could make out from them was love. It was amazing to her, to have someone love her that way. Because, if she was honest, she didn’t quite love herself.

She was alright, she supposed, though more often she didn’t think too much of herself. She could admit that she had some good qualities, but none of them really concerned the way she looked. Perhaps, she thought, her eyes weren’t as big as they should have been or her stomach wasn’t as flat and maybe her breasts were a bit too large. She tried not to pay much attention to those nagging thoughts, however. But sometimes, they were at the very front of her mind and she would let them be known - only ever in private. Adam had always hated that about her.

Now, Joey didn’t talk about it often. Adam and Chloe might have been the only ones to truly know the extent of her insecurities, though they passed it off as normal, not really realizing that sometimes Joey was literally embarrassed to go out in public. It all seemed a bit silly to Joey herself - she was a twenty-two year old and thought she should be over and done with this little phase. But, the more she tried, the more she found she couldn’t really control those pesky thoughts. This resulted in a somewhat shy girl, who always tried to be as small as she could, in fear of possessing (what she thought was) too much space.

However, as Adam stood up, Joey still in his arms, these insecurities slowly were shed along with the articles of clothing as they made their way to their bedroom. Adam lay her down and leaned over her body, kissing her collarbones and right between her breasts.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he groaned, hands roaming up and down her waist.

She blushed. This, she thought, is bliss.

Notes