Let's Pretend

Author: Meaning Scene

A/N: I can't say too much without giving anything away, so this will be short! This is a Joe-centered one-shot inspired by the song "Let's Just Fall in Love Again" by Jason Castro (what can I say; music is my biggest inspiration... that, and I DESPERATELY want the Jonas Brothers to cover that song; I think Joe's voice would sound amazing singing it). Also, this is my shortest fiction ever, so I apologize.

Please review!

~Meaning Scene

"Let's pretend baby that you've just met me, and I've never seen you before."

- Jason Castro, "Let's Just Fall in Love Again"

Joe couldn't decide.

Half of him wanted to buy the Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe (he was a sucker for "Annabel Lee"); the other portion was dying to read the latest Harvard Lampoon satire, a novella mimicking (and mocking) the latest teen craze. It had gotten great reviews, and was actually what he was looking for when he stumbled on the Poe collection.

So there he stood, in middle of the fiction aisle of Barnes and Noble's, debating between the two books in either hand.

He smelled her before he saw her. A light, flowery fragrance that was girly without being stifling; a polite hand brushed his shoulder a moment later.

"Excuse me," the girl, a pretty blonde, murmured, making eye contact with him briefly as he kindly stepped aside. She flashed a brilliant smile, and he grinned back just before she walked away, her long curls swinging down her back.

Instantly, Joe thought two things.

The first was, Hot.

The second was something to the effect of him needing to see her again.

He put the books back on the shelf, not caring to see if they were returned to their correct places, or even right-side up. Then, he went after the girl.

She wasn't exactly walking fast, so he knew she had meant for him to follow her. He did, his pace quick until they were parallel to one another, at which point he slowed to match her stride. He peeked at her from between the aisles. She felt his stare, meeting his eyes before blushing away from it.

As they walked, he watched her. She wasn't just walking to get from A to B; she was strutting, her hips moving in a graceful rhythm that he imagined writing a song to. She glanced at various book displays, and he saw her lips purse in a frown as she briefly gave each her attention before moving on. Once or twice, she again met his eyes, her smile flirtatious, just daring him to continue his chase.

They continued to walk in synch; she was leading him, and he pursued her only too gladly. Soon, she dipped into the classic literature section, and he was compelled to follow.

Her back was toward him as he entered the shelved space. His eyes trailed over her body, taking in the way her jeans clung to her perfect legs, her flowing shirt hinting at a figure he knew was to die for. The fingers of her left hand were tangled in a section of her golden hair, twirling it around perfectly manicured nails. He took a step closer as she reached for a book titled A Clockwork Orange. He figured she'd turn it over and read the back, biting her full bottom lip as she read.

She knew he was there, and he knew she knew it. Why else would she have turned, causing the air to stir with the scent of her perfume, the instigator of the whole situation? She tossed the book away carelessly before grabbing him by the collar and kissing him.

The hair she'd been twirling was now silkily slipping through his fingers as he claimed her mouth with his own. Her hands, so delicate but strong, gripped his arms, pulling him closer still as the embrace continued, a quiet display of passion. Her curves leaned against him, the heat of their bodies so intense it gave them both shivers. She moaned softly into his mouth, and he responded by kissing her deeper still.

When minutes that lasted forever had passed, Joe and Stella parted, grinning sheepishly, though neither was able to hide their smug satisfaction.

"See you at home?" He asked.

She nodded once, giving a small wave before walking away as if nothing had happened.