One More Night

By: Stef

The sound of a car pulling up in front of the house startled Stef. She wasn’t expecting anyone, no one except for the workers even knew she was here. Putting her laptop aside, she got up from the bed, pulled her hair up in a ponytail and climbed over the furniture standing in the hall. The living room was still being renovated, the workers had said they’d come back tomorrow and finish up.

Before Stef could open the front door, she heard a key turn in the lock and froze. When the door opened, she asked, “What are you doing here, Joe?“

Joe stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn’t expected her to be there.

“I could ask you the same thing,“ he replied, closing the door behind him and slipping out of his snow covered boots.

“It is my house now,“ Stef answered coldly, crossing her arms over her chest. Why did he have to look so good? He was wearing old, faded out blue jeans which were slightly too big, and the leather jacket she’d given him for Christmas last year. Snowflakes were in his brown curls, and Stef still thought he was one of the most atractive men she’d ever met.

“I came to get my things,“ Joe said, staring at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. Just like that night almost three years ago.

**

“Is it almost time to go?“ Joe yelled into his manager’s ear. The music was booming, but he was bored. It was some record company party, and he just didn’t feel like being there. It hadn’t been a good day, and all he really wanted to do was go home and sleep.

“Come on, Joe,“ Gary yelled back, “another half hour and you can go.“

“Half an hour?“ Joe exclaimed. “Damn!“

An executive came walking up to them just then, so Joe put his official smile on, and asked, “Hey Rick, how’s it going?“

“Good, good. Joe, I’d like you to meet Stef. We signed her a couple of months ago, her album’s about to be released.“

Joe’s eyes fell on the girl standing next to Rick. She was about his height, probably a bit taller with her heels, had blond curls that didn’t look easy to tame, and blue eyes that looked at him nervously. She extended her hand to him, and mumbled, “Nice to meet you.“

Joe stared at her more when he heard her voice. He’d expected her to have the same high-pitched voice most girls in the business seemed to have lately, but hers was deep, and a bit throaty.

“Pleasure’s all mine,“ Joe said when Gary nudged him in the side. “So, your album’s about to come out, huh?“

She nodded, but before she could say anything, Rick threw in, “Well, we were wondering if you’d like to do a duet with her. You know, it could be good for both of you.“

Joe glanced at Stef, who was staring at her feet.

“A duet?“ Gary asked instantly. “Who’s supposed to write this? Who...“

“Why don’t Stef and I talk about this first and see if we even like each other?“ Joe interrupted his manager, his eyes still fixed on her face. She glanced up and met his eyes, blushing slighty. It was then that Joe had a feeling they’d more than just like each other. And that this night was going to change his life.

They left the party soon after, just the two of them. They took a cab to the Village, and just walked around for hours. No one recognized Joe, so they had time to talk about everything that came to their mind. They ended up at a small bar, had a couple of drinks, and talked more. At the end of the night, they felt as if they’d known each other forever. But when Joe asked Stef to come back to his place with him, she smiled and refused, something that hadn’t happened to him in years. All he got that night was a small kiss on the cheek before she got in a cab to take her back to the hotel where she was staying.

The duet was recorded only two weeks later, and Joe and Stef became inseperable. They started dating, but it took almost six weeks before Stef slept with him. Joe couldn’t remember any other woman making him wait that long. Hell, he was Joe McIntyre, women didn’t make him wait like that! But she did. And it was well worth it, Joe thought.

Their duet skyrocketed to the top of the charts, Stef’s album became a hit, and for the next two and a half years, everyone thought they were the new celebrity dream couple. People were starting to make bets on when Joe would pop the question to her, some people even assumed they had already married in secret. Everything was perfect until that one night. That one night where they had a huge fight, Joe left their apartment to go to a bar, got wasted, and cheated on her.

The girl he‘d cheated with had nothing better to do than run to the tabloids the next day. Of course Stef didn’t believe it at first, but then Joe’s guilty conscience made him tell her the truth. And if he’d thought she’d forgive him, he found out just how wrong he’d been to think so the second he told her. It wasn’t a pretty fight. More than one vase broke in their New York apartment that night.

Stef left that same night, and moved into a hotel. She even refused to meet him. She called him on the phone two months after she left, only to tell him he could keep the apartment if she could have the beach house.

**

That phone call was now four months ago, and today was the first time Joe had gotten himself to go there and pick up his things. How was he supposed to know she’d be there?

“Well, so get your things. I packed them up, the boxes are in the guest room,“ Stef said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

“What’s going on here?“ Joe asked, pointing at the mess that was the living room.

“I’m getting the living room renovated,“ Stef stated.

“Why? You loved it!“ Joe could cleary remember how excited she’d been when the beach house finally got done, so why was she changing it now?

“Oh, I did,“ Stef answered, sarcasm thick in her voice. “But some lovely fans of yours decided that I should be punished for breaking your heart. My bedroom and kitchen got done last week, once the living room’s done, they only have to get the guest room to look decent again. It’s nice to walk into your house and find ‘Die, slut!“ written all over the walls.“

Sucking in breath sharply, Joe looked at her in shock. He’d heard something about people breaking into her house, but he hadn’t believed it.

“I’m so sorry,“ he half whispered, but Stef waved it off.

“I don’t suppose you paid them. So get your things, I’m working, Joe.“

He’d never heard her talk to him so coldly before, it made shivers run down his spine.

“What are you working on?“ he asked, and Stef sighed. He was annoying her, he knew that look in her eyes.

“I’m answering fan mail, and I’d like to get back to that.“

Nodding, Joe made his way down the hall to get the boxes with his things from the spare bedroom. Picking the first one up, his eyes fell on a long scarf on top of everything else. He laughed out loud, put the box back down, and pulled the scarf out. It was rainbow colored and so long Joe could wrap it around his neck at least 7 times, he’d counted one night. Stef had made it for a friend, but then Joe had liked it so much that he’d talked her into letting him keep it.

Under the scarf was a picture frame, and Joe got choked up when he picked it up to look at it. It was a candid of him and Stef, and it used to be on his nightstand. They were sitting on the front steps of the beach house together, totally oblivious to the fact their picture was being taken as Joe kissed her wrist, his eyes locked with hers.

Stef flipped on the light as she stepped into the room, and flinched when she saw the writing on the walls.

“If you want to check if everything’s there, you should at least turn the light on,“ she told him, seeing the shock in his eyes when he saw what his fans had done to their house.

“Did you sue them?“ he asked. Stef only laughed bitterly.

“Sue who, Joe? I don’t know who did it, they didn’t have the decency to leave their name and number.“

“Do you even still feel safe here?“

Stef looked at him, then around the room before answering. “I was gonna sell it at first.“ She ran a hand over the doorframe, and added, “But I couldn’t. You know how long I searched for this house, I’m not gonna give it up because of some psycho stalkers.“

Joe nodded, glanced down at the picture, and then back at Stef. “I’m so sorry, Stef.“

She knew he meant more than the house, but she just shrugged and left the room.

“FUCK!“ Stef heard Joe yell about ten minutes later. She’d heard him say bye in front of her door, and had heard him carry the boxes to the front door, but hadn’t even moved from her spot on the bed. She was curled up under the covers, waiting for him to leave. Hearing him curse like this almost made her go look what was happening, but she decided against it.

Moments later, a soft knock came on the bedroom door.

“What?“ she called, feeling tears well in her eyes. Couldn’t he leave? Didn’t he know how much it hurt her to have him so close to her?

“Can I come in?“ he called back.

“Why?“

Joe opened the door and stepped into the bedroom. The fire was burning, a couple of candles were lit, and he could see Stef’s laptop on the nightstand. She didn’t go anywhere without that thing, he used to joke about how if she left him, it would be for a computer nerd. She was under the covers, only her head sticking out, and it reminded Joe of their fights. She always hid in bed to cool off a bit, then came back to yell at him some more.

“I’m sorry Stef, but I can’t leave.“

He could see her tense up when she asked, “Why not?“

“It’s a fucking blizzard out there. I can’t even see my car from the porch.“

Stef was out of bed and by the window in one huge leap, cursing under her breath when she saw he was right.

“Well...“ she started, turning around to look at him. “I guess that means you have to stay.“

“I’ll sleep in the guest room, I mean...“

“Don’t be silly, Joe. There’s no way you can sleep in there, they fucked up the bed. You can sleep in here, this is the only room you can really use right now.“

“I’ll sleep on the floor,“ he offered, but Stef just gave him a look.

“It’s a kingsize bed, I think we’ll be able to manage for a night.“

Their eyes met for a moment, and, just the way it used to be, they seemed to lost themselves looking at each other. But then, Stef quickly snapped herself out of it and turned to get some clothes for him to sleep in. Pulling out a white t-shirt and a pair of dark blue sweat pants, she felt a blush creep up her cheeks.

“Those are my sweats, aren’t they?“ Joe asked, standing dangerously close behind her.

“I must’ve forgotten packing them up,“ Stef mumbled, thrusting the clothes into his hands before she walked to the other side of the room.

Joe looked after her. This exact outfit was what she’d stolen from him to wear to bed when she went on tour. Could it be that she’d kept it on purpose? He wanted to believe it, but wasn’t sure.

“Uhm... I’ll go change in the bathroom,“ Joe said insecurely, watching as Stef grabbed her laptop and curled up in the huge overstuffed chair by the window.

“Go ahead,“ she told him. “You know where everything is. If you want to eat something, there’s food in the fridge.“ She didn’t look up once as she spoke to him, and with a sigh, Joe went into the bathroom to change.

After he changed, he went into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich, smiling when he saw the big glass of gummibears on the counter. She was addicted to those, and usually couldn’t stop eating them until she got sick. He was going to eat in the kitchen at first, but then went back to the bedroom. Though he was pretty sure she didn’t want him around, he wanted to spend as much time close to her as possible.

Walking into the bedroom, he stopped for a moment to look at her. She was still sitting in the overstuffed chair, her legs crossed Indian style, the laptop resting on her knees as she typed away. They’d spent more than one night just like this, right here in this bedroom. Joe used to read while she was online, and after a while, he’d go over to her, tell whoever she was talking to online that she had to go, and then, he’d make love to her for hours. And sometimes, Stef would sneak up on him as he lay on the bed reading, and just throw the book across the room before basically attacking him. He always loved that.

Now, she only glanced up at him, and asked, “Find everything?“

“Yeah, thanks.“ He wanted to say something else, but he didn’t know what. Just anything. Like, I missed you. Or, I’m sorry for hurting you like this. But he couldn’t. Stef looked back at her computer, and with a sigh, Joe sat down on the bed and ate his sandwich, the only sound in the room coming from the stereo, playing a mix of Stef’s favorite CD’s.

Stef watched him under lowered eyelashes as he stood in front of the bookshelf, looking for something to read. The bookshelf looked a little empty with all his books gone, but soon, Joe called, “Hey, the new Stephen King! I haven’t had the chance to read it, is it alright if...“

“Go ahead,“ Stef interrupted him, her eyes fixed on the laptop so he wouldn’t notice she’d been staring at him. When she glanced back up, Joe was lying on his stomach reading. All she really wanted to do right then was turn this damn computer off, climb on the bed, sit on his thighs, and give him a backrub the way she’d done so many times as he read. She was sure that he had no idea how much she’d missed him.

Out of nowhere, Joe turned around to her and asked, “Who’s Rob?“

“Who?“

“Rob. He gave this book to you, Stef.“

“Oh, Rob!“ Stef said, feeling stupid. “Robbie. Williams. We met at the airport in London and my flight was delayed three hours, so he bought me a book to pass the time.“

“Oh, because you don’t have the money to buy one for yourself?“ Joe asked, cursing himself for sounding jealous. But he’d met Robbie before, he knew how he was around women. Did Stef have something going on with him?

“He was just being nice, Joe. Not that it’s any of your business, anyway.“

Those words cut like a knife, and Joe turned back around wordlessly. He wanted to beg her to forgive him, but he knew it was too late. Still, after a couple of minutes passed passed where music and Stef’s keyboard made the only sounds in the room, he turned back around to her.

“Have you been dating?“ he asked, and Stef looked up at him, shock written on her face.

“What?“ she hissed, staring at him like he’d just grown another head. What the hell was he thinking? That she was still crying after him? Well she was, but how the fuck did he know?

“I was just wondering, you know... Wondering if you’ve met a nice man.“ Joe involuntarily held his breath as he waited for her answer.

Stef hesitated a moment, and then said, “Yeah, I’ve been dating... What about you?“

“Two blind dates Donnie set up for me. Terrible experiences I tell you.“ He faked a chuckle, but Stef only looked at him.

“What, didn’t get to fuck them in the bathroom of a bar?“ she asked coldly, lowering her eyes when she saw Joe flinch. She hadn’t meant to say it, but it had slipped out. After taking a deep breath, she said, “Look, Joe. Let’s not try making conversation, it’s not gonna work. We have to share a bed tonight, and tomorrow, we’ll go our seperate ways. I don’t want to be your friend.“

Joe’s mouth dropped open. He was completely speechless. Stef returned her attention to whatever she was doing on the computer, making it clear she really didn’t want to talk to him anymore. Lying back down on his side, he closed the book, and stared at the flames dancing in the fireplace. It was only now that he realized how much he’d really hurt her. What could he do to make her see how sorry he was? How much he still loved her? What could he do?

Turning the laptop off when she heard a light snore coming from the bed, Stef quietly got up. She stopped in front of the bed and watched Joe sleep. She used to think he looked like an angel when he slept, almost like a child. His mouth was slightly open, and she had to fight the urge to brush some hair from his forehead.

Crawling under the covers, she hoped he wouldn’t wake up. She turned off the lamp on the nighstand, and reached for the remote to turn the stereo off when Joe reached over her and took the remote from her.

“Don’t turn that off,“ he murmured. “You have no idea how many times I lay alone in our bed, and listened to that song.“

Stef swallowed hard when she recognized Phil Collins‘ voice, and held her breath when Joe pushed closer against her to sing along in her ear.

I've been trying oh so long, to let you know, let you know how I feel. So if I stumble and if I fall, just help me back, so I can make you see. Please give me one more night, give me that one more night.

Feeling tears well in her eyes, Stef swallowed hard again. She wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t going to let him see how much she wanted to have not only one more night, but forever with him. She wasn’t going to let him see that she’d forgiven him.

I've been sitting here so long, just wasting time, just staring at the phone. And I was wondering, should I call you, then I thought, maybe you're not alone.

“I know I have no right to think like this, but just the thought of you with another man made me so jealous I wanted to kill any man that got near you,” Joe whispered, running his hand down Stef’s arm until his hand covered hers as he began singing in her ear again.

Like a river to the sea, I will always be with you, and if you said a word, I would follow you. I know there'll never be a time you'll ever feel the same. And I know it's only words, but if you change your mind, you know that I'll be here, and maybe we both can learn. Ah give me just one more night, give me that one more night.

Stef turned around to him slowly, and sighed when she saw the tears in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, tears rolling down his face slowly. “I should never have cheated on you, and I know this doesn’t make it better, but I’m so sorry. I wish I could turn back time, but I can’t. All I can do is ask you to forgive me. I still love you so much, Stef.”

Brushing the tears from his face, Stef shook her head. She didn’t know what to say, she was too overcome with emotion to speak.

“I still love you,” Joe repeated, his eyes begging her to react somehow. So she did. She leaned in, and kissed him softly. A low groan escaped him, and he wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer. She knew he wanted to deepen the kiss, but he hesitated in fear of moving too fast. Digging her fingers through his curly hair, Stef licked at his lips, knowing the effect that had on him. Sucking his lower lip into her mouth, she smiled when his hand dug into her thigh.

“Tease,” he grumbled when she pulled away, but Stef shook her head. Tugging at his shirt, she murmured, “Not tonight.” His shirt dropped to the floor seconds later, followed by his sweats and boxers, and then, her clothing was added to the pile.

Rolling him over on his back, Stef stradled his thighs and attacked his chest with her lips. Joe’s fingers tangled in her hair when her tongue trailed a path from his collarbone to his nipples, and he let out a low scream when she bit down on one nipple lightly while rubbing a finger over the other.

“This is not the way it’s supposed to be,” Joe managed to bring out when he lips traveled lower.

“What, don’t you like it?” Stef asked, looking up at him innocently before she flicked the tip of her tongue over his by now rock hard erection. He bit back a moan, and then pulled her back up to him.

“I’m supposed to seduce you,” he mumbled when Stef’s face was over his, their lips milimeters apart. “I’m supposed to give you pleasure, I don’t deserve you treating me so good.”

With a smile, Stef kissed him. Her one hand found his erection again, and without breaking the kiss, she sunk down on him. Tearing his lips from hers, Joe let out a long moan when he felt himself buried inside her completely.

Stef didn’t move for a moment. Feeling him inside of her again made her forget all about the doubts she’d had only moments ago. So what if this was just one last fuck to him, so what if he left in the morning and never talked to her again. It felt right at this moment, right now, everything was perfect again.

Joe’s hands found her breasts, and he rubbed his fingertips over her nipples just like she had done to him only minutes ago. With a soft moan, Stef began riding him slowly, her hands covering his as his fingers set her skin on fire.

Watching her face, Joe knew she was getting closer. It felt as if nothing had changed, just the expression on her face turned him on so much it was hard to hold back.

Stef leaned down and kissed him hard, riding him harder as she felt herself get closer and closer to her climax.

“Look at me,” Joe brought out hoarsely, grabbing her hips to support her movements. “Look at me,” he growled again, and finally, Stef met his gaze.

It was too much for her. His blue eyes were glazed over in lust, and when he whispered “I love you” to her, thrusting into her hard at the same second, she lost it. Digging her nails into his sides, she slammed her hips into his and moaned his name as she came. Joe followed her seconds later, pulling her down on top of him, and wrapping his arms around her tightly.

Feeling him kiss her forehead a long time later, Stef finally rolled off him, sighing when he wrapped her in his arms again.

“Stef, I...” he began, but she put a finger to his lips to silence him.

“Not now,” she whispered, closing her eyes when he kissed her fingertips. “Let’s just sleep.”

“But we’ll have to talk in the morning,” he replied, kissing her palm. She nodded, fighting back a tear that was about to escape her. She couldn’t believe that he’d really want to talk, and if he did, it sure wasn’t going to be about a future. But even though she was pissed off at herself for it right then, she wanted nothing more than a future with Joe.

She woke up to voices coming from down the hall the next morning. Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her eyes, feeling her heart skip a beat when Joe walked into the room. He was carrying two coffee mugs, and gave her a huge smile when he saw that she was awake.

“I told the workers to come back tomorrow, I hope that’s okay,” he said as he sat down next to her.

“Sure,” she mumbled, taking a mug from him. He tried kissing her, but she raised the mug to her lips to avoid it.

Frowning, Joe studied her face. What was wrong now? “Are you alright?” he asked, and Stef glanced up at him.

“Sure,” she said once again, and Joe’s frown grew bigger.

“What’s wrong, Stef?” he asked, sighing when she only shrugged. “Something is wrong, would you please talk to me?”

Meeting his eyes, Stef thought about what to say to him for a moment. Finally, she said, “What do you expect me to do? Jump for joy because you decided to stay another day? You said you wanted one more night, you got that. Now you’ll leave and I’ll be more confused than I was before you came back into my life.”

Joe took the mug out of her hands and set it down on the nightstand, then took her hands in his.

“Who said that I want to leave?” he asked, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand.

“Well you said one more night, and...”

“And you should know that I didn’t meant it like that,” Joe cut her off, giving her a loving smile when she looked up. “I want forever with you, Stef. But after what I did, how could I expect you to even talk to me? I thought one night would be better than nothing. But if it was up to me, I’d spend the rest of my life with you.”

Stef felt a tear roll down her cheek as he said the words she’d been longing to hear for the past months.

“That’s what I want, too,” she whispered, feeling his tears mix with hers when he kissed her.

“I’ll never hurt you again, Stef,” he promised, and Stef hugged him tightly. For some crazy reason, she believed him. And for the same crazy reason, she knew that after last night, they’d never be apart again.

The End

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