Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the lyrics used in this fic, just the story itself.

"I've been staying awake in the front seat for days
Let the wheel turn and take me away
Oh, the truth I must tell
Is I'm lonely as hell
Still looking for myself"


Joe can't help but toss and turn in his bed. The mattress is too hard and his bedding is too new, the warmth and worn fabric he's used to isn't there anymore. He listens to the sounds of the ocean outside his window and compulsively his arm reaches out, pushing it just slightly open, enough to get the sea breeze flowing through his room without being too cold. He inhales the fresh salty air and hums to himself, taking his glasses off the windowsill and placing them on his face before unplugging his phone from the charger, flipping through the contacts.

He really likes California. He loves the sun when it lingers on his skin in the morning, he loves wearing shorts in the winter and taking a morning jog along the coast. His favorite thing about it is the sunsets, the way the sun melts into the ocean and creates the most brilliant royal purple color that he's ever seen. He almost thinks it was created just for him.

But there are things Joe misses about New Jersey - the little things, things like snowball fights and the way summer is more like a blessing than an every day occurrence. He misses his family, he misses Stella Malone and her color-coordinated organizing of his closet, he misses his brothers even though they're moving into his place in a couple months. He aches to see the firehouse again and gorge himself on his mother's fried chicken, and sometimes he even misses getting grounded.

Mostly, he misses Macy Misa and the way she brought him sunshine when the rain fell.

Macy is doing okay back home in New Jersey. She's all bundled up in her bed when her phone rings, and she wonders who the heck would be calling her at two in the friggin' morning before she grabs it off her nightstand.

She can't help but shiver when she reads the name that's on the touch screen. They haven't spoken to each other in weeks, and she blinks a few times before she answers, her voice dry.

She doesn't know what to say, maybe 'Why the hell are you calling me at two in the morning?' or 'I don't want to speak to you right now, you selfish bastard.' and maybe even 'I hate you, and I always thought Nick was the stronger vocalist.'

But she knows she doesn't mean any of this, and she only whispers his name. "Joe," She mumbles. "What's wrong?"

She hears him chuckle for a second on the other line, because it's so her to cut to the point with him. She stopped humoring him when they started dating, because it was clear that if they were going to work, she was going to have to put all JONAS fanclub and fansite owner duties aside and actually take him for who he was -- the messy, devious, confident and almost cocky boy that he gave to the media, and the gentle yet strong-willed, and creative man he showed to her.

It was like she was dating Peter Pan. He'd take her to gaming arcades and to children's science museums, they'd hold hands and walk to the nearest ice-cream shop so he could get his fix of sugar while she tried to figure out why he picked her.

She didn't understand it in the slightest, especially when he'd only broken up with Stella six months months prior. She didn't understand why Stella genuinely seemed thrilled that Macy had said yes to him either, but she figured that Stella was content now. Macy eventually figured that since Stella had gotten an invitation to intern at a fashion house in Milan after their senior year, and she felt like Macy could look after him. It didn't make sense to her at all, but she took it. It meant there was at least some reason as to why Stella was so cool with her being with Joe.

He sighed. "I can't sleep." He told her, his voice tired. "I didn't know what else to do, I'm sorry I woke you." She felt a slight smile fall onto her lips at his guilt, an emotion that Joe Lucas almost never felt unless he was truly sorry (again, a rarity.). "Did I wake you?" He asks quickly, and Macy imagines him with his glasses on, shifting uncomfortably on his too-large bed.

She shakes her head, but then realizes he can't see her. "Kind of, I was only drifting." She waited for him to respond, but he didn't. She sat there on her bed for a moment, staring at her mint colored walls that had once been filled with JONAS posters, now bare and lifeless. Her eyes water when she realizes that the silence isn't just awkward, but it may be permanent for them.

He only breathes softly, and she doesn't know it but his eyes are fixed on the polaroid in his hand. He shivers as he traces the outline of her face, smiles at the gleam in her eyes before he chokes out of cough. "I think I have a cold." He said finally, realizing they hadn't said anything in at least four minutes. "I...I don't know what to do."

Macy rolls her eyes to herself and falls back onto her pillows, realizing that this shift in their relationship is not permanent and if anything, she'll have her friend Joe back soon. "Drink some orange juice, and tomorrow I want you to go to the grocery store, and pick up a few cans or chicken soup, okay?"

He scoffs. "Chicken soup? It doesn't do anything."

"A negative attitude doesn't do anything, Joseph Adam." He pouts at the use of his full name and she knows he hates it, but she keeps going. "It's the placebo effect, if you think it's working, it probably will. And if it doesn't, you can kill me." Because you haven't already trampled on me enough, she thinks to herself.

Joe gulps into the phone. "I'll get some." He says dejectedly, thumbing the pale blue sheets that draped his body. "I'm sorry, Macy." Macy stares at her phone when she hears this, because she knows he doesn't mean about waking her.

She knows that Joe means he's sorry that he left without saying goodbye, and he's sorry he left a box of her things sitting on her parent's porch instead of facing her like the man he thought he was. She knows Joe is sorry for the countless nights of ice-cream and chick flicks Macy had endured in the weeks since his departure, he's sorry for the sudden makeover Stella has given her (dark black hair, a new wardrobe.), he's sorry for not being there when the first flakes of snow fell on the ground like he promised.

He has too much pride to beg for her forgiveness though, so he quickly adds on. "I'm sorry I woke you, Mace. I'll call you later, goodnight."

And just like that his apologies don't mean a thing, because Macy knows they'll never fix the damage he's caused already.

Before anyone mentions it, I am working on updating Masquerades and Rose Parades. My plan is to post two chapters up sometime this week, and as of right now, I can say the only sure thing about it is that Kevin is not Macy's love interest. However, Nick and Joe are fair game.

Anyways, this fic came to me as I was writing some new music and then randomly heard The Summer Set shuffle on my ipod, and I realized that this song would make a beautiful fic. I hope I do it justice, because TSS have been one of my favorite bands to jam to for a couple of years now. I've noticed a lack of Joe/Macy as opposed to Macy/theothertwo (ha.) and it makes me sad, because they would be so cute together! I hope you enjoy it, and I hope I can get some con-crit and nice reviews?

Anyways, I love you bunches!
xoxo, April.