AN: Here you go guys, I'll keep it brief. Enjoy!
CHAPTER II
Joseph MacAvoy had always been alone. Since his parents died when he was 16, all the way up until the present day when he drank alone at the local pub. He repelled people, disgusted them. So why was she here? Why hadn't she run away as soon as she realised that he was a Father, a 'man of God'? That was one thing that Joseph couldn't wrap his head around as he stared at her in the café. She was polite, friendly, kind and beautiful. She was also as stubborn as a mule.
Belle had kept a steady stream of conversation going since she drove him to the café. She asked about the church, his parishioners, how long he had been a Father and not once did she mention herself. Never. But of course she wouldn't, Joseph thought to himself. She's too good for that, she's unselfish.
Joseph had spent that day drunk as a skunk, almost no one had turned up to Monday Mass the day before and in fact barely anyone turned up to his sermons anymore. They had left him, gone to another church and from what he had heard they liked it better there than with him. He was surprised that he had parishioners left, and so he decided to go to the local pub and get wasted on whiskey. It was his favourite pastime after all.
However the barman wasn't so accommodating, he had grown irritated with Joseph, as a matter of fact pretty much everyone he knew was irritated with him. Joseph couldn't pay the tab, it had reached an un-payable amount of money, but Joseph didn't care. He needed to get drunk, to forget, to dull the pain. Joseph had been thrown out of the Lord Byron so many times he couldn't count on one hand, people would laugh and mock him when that happened. So Joseph couldn't contain his surprise when Belle came running down the road screaming blue murder. No one had ever stuck up for him before, perhaps apart from Mrs Land, the owner of the bookshop half a mile away. That was a long time ago though, she didn't go to church anymore, not after her husband died.
Belle was so beautiful, an angel sent to save him. That's how he saw her anyway. He couldn't get over her generosity, paying his tab like that, as if it was not important to her that she had just thrown £200 at a complete stranger. He couldn't stand her looking at him, to see how much of a loser he was, and always will be. His heart dropped when she gasped at him, he thought she realised that he was nobody worth saving, a scumbag. But how could he have been so wrong? She was upset that he was bleeding.
Joseph had quickly realised though that Belle was one stubborn lassie. He had almost begged her to leave him, the embarrassment was just too much for him. He knew that he'd disappoint her one day, so much so that she'd leave him alone again. Perhaps being alone was the best for Joseph, but Belle seemed to think otherwise.
She had ordered them both a burger and some chips, Joseph hadn't argued with her. He knew that any protest would fall on deaf ears, Belle was clearly having none of it. She gestured to a table whilst she got up to the counter to order, she smiled at the cashier who clearly loved the attention. Joseph felt his stomach drop slightly at the scene, he would never be able to do that, flirt like that with Belle, his moral compass wouldn't allow it, he couldn't allow it. Plus his attempts to flatter Belle would probably go unnoticed, like the scene before him. Or perhaps go sour, she would be disgusted by him, call him a loser, a nobody, a scumbag and then she would leave him alone like everyone else.
However Joseph decided to buy the drinks, all but forcing Belle to sit back down at the table. She didn't seem too pleased but he needed to do something, for his sanity. He walked up to the counter and quietly asked for two cups of tea.
"Who's that then Father, your girlfriend?" The man behind the counter asked mockingly.
Joseph felt his face go red and he shook his head.
"Course she isn't look at her. You wouldn't mind giving us her number would you?" The young man asked, his crooked mouth forming an unattractive smile. Joseph frowned at the young man, no way was he ever going to let Belle talk to him again. He wasn't good enough for her, he had the personality of a slug.
"No," Joseph said defiantly. The man's face dropped and he roughly pushed the small pot of tea with two cups towards him.
"Sugar's over there," the man said jerking his head to show Joseph the counter.
"Thanks," Joseph muttered, grabbing the tray and walking towards the counter. He felt himself go into a panic. How does she like her tea? What if I mess up and she'll get angry and leave me. He thought to himself. Without thinking he grabbed a handful of sugar and walked back towards the table where Belle was waiting for him.
She smiled as he arrived, her eyebrow raised in confusion at the small mountain of sugar sachets he had balanced precariously on the tray.
"I wasn't sure how you liked your tea, so I got it white, and I wasn't sure how sweet you liked it so I brought these," Joseph murmured nervously.
"I think I might need a couple more of those," Belle said teasingly, unfortunately Joseph missed the joke and his face dropped.
"Oh, really? I can always grab a few more if-" Joseph muttered, looking back towards the counter, the young man staring back at him.
"I was joking, really Joseph these are fine," Belle said, interrupting him with a wave of her hand. Joseph blushed at that.
"Oh, right," Joseph replied, laughing nervously at his faux pas.
The two slowly fell into a companionable silence when the food arrived, Belle was polite to the lanky server who almost spilt chips all over her dress. Joseph was all but ready to give the boy a stern telling off until a sharp look from Belle stopped him from doing so.
She watched him like a hawk then, making sure he always had a bite of something before she did. He didn't know whether to be annoyed or touched about that. She was being selfless again, putting him before her. He obliged her of course, he didn't want to disappoint her.
Joseph decided something right there, as he looked at her watching him. He was going to do whatever he could to make her stay.
"So do you have somewhere to sleep tonight?" Joseph asked, Belle looked up, startled at his sudden attempt to make conversation. A frown played on her pretty features.
"I don't actually," she said before smirking. "I didn't think I'd stay here overnight, I must admit Middlesbrough is a lot different than I thought it would be," she said with a sigh. Joseph let a small bark of laughter escape his lips, which surprised him more than it surprised Belle.
Joseph felt differently around Belle, the initial awkwardness had given way to something else. He started to feel more confident around her, as though he could talk to her about anything. Joseph knew he wasn't quite ready to tell her his life story, but something told him that perhaps he could be a bit more chatty, to show her his sense of humour. Perhaps Joseph could start being more of himself around her.
"Me either, yet here I am," Joseph replied. Belle raised an eyebrow at him.
"I didn't think your accent was local," Belle said gesturing towards him.
"It's not, I'm from Edinburgh originally," Joseph said, whilst desperately wondering why he was sharing that with her. Joseph had always believed that the past was just that, to be in the past and the past only.
"Really? I've always wanted to go to Edinburgh," Belle said, her blue eyes sparkling brightly. Joseph snorted and shook his head.
"Well apart from the nice parts, like Princes Street and the Castle, you haven't got much else to look at," Joseph muttered with a shrug of his shoulders.
"But you have the National Archives, the National Museum of Scotland and Princes Mall sounds like it's a great place to visit," Belle said, gesturing wildly with a chip. Joseph tried not to laugh at her, she was almost childlike, he found it incredibly endearing. "And not to mention the wonderful Scottish weather," Belle said with a giggle.
"Yes, the best part of Edinburgh is definitely the weather," Joseph said, purposefully thickening his Scottish brogue and with an almost comical roll of his eyes. Belle's giggle evolved into a full chuckle, they had gained the attention of almost everyone in the café at that point and Joseph found himself not caring. In fact he couldn't stop himself from laughing at her. She stopped at that point and stared at him, Joseph felt his face grow hot under her scrutiny. What have I done wrong? He thought to himself.
"You look much younger when you laugh," Belle said thoughtfully, snapping Joseph out of his internal panic.
"What?" He spluttered.
"The lines around your eyes crease, and you look at least 10 years younger than you are. I like it," Belle said, pointing at him again with yet another chip. Did that woman actually ever eat anything?
"So where did you say you were staying?" Joseph asked, trying to move the conversation away from him.
"I didn't, I don't have anywhere to stay, remember?" Belle asked with an eyebrow raised in obvious confusion. Great, now she thinks I'm an idiot, Joseph thought to himself. "Do you have any recommendations?" She asked, her expression lightening slightly.
"Oh yes, right. It's Middlesbrough," Joseph said by way of explanation. Oh no, Joseph thought as the idea dawned on him If Belle stays at a local B&B, she'll just go without saying goodbye the next morning. Joseph felt his anxiety rising, he couldn't let Belle go now. Not now, not after all she has done for him. He had to pay her back, help her somehow. Oh. He thought as he felt the proverbial light bulb go ding above his head. He didn't know how she'd take it though, she'd probably say no straight away. Oh come on Joe you big girls' blouse, ask her. Be brave like Belle he said to himself.
"If you're really struggling for somewhere to stay Belle, you could always stay at the vicarage with me," Joseph said as noncommittally as he could whilst scratching his head.
Belle looked back at Joseph blankly. Had he really just said that? She wondered as the silence grew like years between them.
"I-pardon?" Belle asked, trying to piece back together what had just happened. Joseph's expression was one of utter sadness, it almost broke Belle's heart.
"I was offering you a place to stay, at my vicarage, but if you're repulsed by the idea I-" Joseph said, his words so muttered, so broken that she was surprised she could still hear him.
"I'd love to stay," Belle said, interrupting him. His face changed once again at that point, to one of utter joy and happiness.
"Really?" He asked, in complete shock.
"Yes, why not? It's not as if you're leaving me with any other options," Belle said with a playful smirk. A flash of hurt played across Joseph's features until he realised she was just teasing him. He gave her a small smile at that.
"Brilliant, yes, excellent news," Joseph said, running a hand through his hair.
"You are going to have to give me instructions though."
"Yes of course," Joseph said with a smile as he felt relief flood through him. She is going to stay, she didn't turn me down.
The drive back to the vicarage didn't take too long, Joseph was patient with Belle's seemingly hopeless sense of direction. He didn't mind repeating himself, Joseph was just happy to have someone to talk to.
However when they arrived at the vicarage, a shot of dread almost struck Joseph to the ground. The vicarage is a complete tip, he thought. He hadn't cleaned the place in years, he only used the vicarage to store some of his things and to sleep, on occasion.
"On second thoughts, the Travelodge a couple of miles from here might be better for you Belle," Joseph said as he stood with his back to the front door. Belle's face scrunched up in confusion initially and then it relaxed, a smile slowly spreading across her features.
"I'm guessing you weren't expecting any guests were you?" Belle asked. Joseph tried to stop the blush creeping up his neck but it was no use.
"No, I-" Joseph stuttered.
"Don't worry about it, you invited me to stay in your home, that is all that matters," Belle said, gently touching Joseph on the arm.
"Keep that in mind when I unlock the door," Joseph said with an uneasy chuckle as he turned around to do so.
"I'm sure it'll be fi-" Belle said, but was rendered speechless when the door opened. She was already formulating pictures of how messy Joseph's house would be but she had no idea it was that messy. It almost looked like an episode from Hoarders. Books and newspapers were stacked into a pile, cardboard boxes littered the hall, it was almost as if Joseph had never fully moved in. The wallpaper was coming off the walls and there was a very musty smell hanging in the air.
Joseph watched her reaction to his home and felt his heart drop to his toes. She is disgusted, repulsed. I bet she's regretting the decision to come here already. He thought to himself.
"So this is your place huh?" Belle asked when she had regained her composure. She regretted her reaction so internally decided to make sure he didn't feel ashamed about himself.
Joseph could barely react to Belle's question so merely nodded.
"Why don't I make you a cup of tea?" Belle asked, clapping her hands together as she moved further into the house. "Which way is the kitchen?" She asked as she spun around, gesturing to three closed doors. Joseph pointed to the one directly behind her and she bowed at him as she opened the door.
Joseph turned back After he was done moving her things into the hallway he watched her as she literally danced around the kitchen. She seemed to find everything with as much ease as someone who had lived in his house for a long time. Belle eventually noticed his presence and rewarded him with a bright smile. Joseph felt himself blush again when she did this and internally cursed himself for acting like a 12 year old boy.
"I see you're well stocked up on tea," Belle said as she waved a box full of tea bags at him.
"British," Joseph said by way of explanation, Belle chuckled at him as she finished preparing their drinks.
"Here you go," Belle said, handing Joseph his cup. He smiled gratefully at her and gently took the cup from her hands.
"So how long have you lived here?" Belle asked as the two took a seat at a small and cramped dining table in the middle of the kitchen.
"Almost 10 years," Joseph said reluctantly, remembering the age difference between the pair of them.
"Wow," Belle said as she took a sip from the cup. "And how long have you been a Father?" She asked.
"About 25 years," Joseph replied, he didn't mind taking questions from Belle, but when it reminded him about how long he'd been a Father, how long he had been stuck, he felt himself grow more irritated towards himself.
"That's a long time," Belle said, hazarding a glance around the kitchen. Joseph merely grunted in response. It was a long time, and for some reason he no longer knew why he had been at it for so long.
For a few years Joseph had felt his faith waver, when he first picked up a bottle of whiskey to when he first noticed parishioners no longer turning up to his services. He felt different around Belle though, he felt as though his faith was starting to strengthen slightly, like he had a purpose again. He felt silly of course, he had only known the chestnut haired woman for a few hours and already he felt a change happening within himself.
After the two had finished their cup of tea, Belle tried to supress a yawn with the back of her hand, Joseph noticed though and gave her directions to the spare room.
"I'm sorry about the mess," Joseph murmured as Belle opened the door. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.
"There is a roof over my head, I have somewhere to sleep, I'm warm and I have good company. I'm very happy Joseph. Thank you," she said as she gave him quick peck on the cheek. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight Belle," Joseph murmured in complete shock as she gently closed the door behind her. He stood there for a few moments, rubbing his stubbled cheek where she had just kissed him. Her lips felt warm and soft, and when she was close to him he could faintly smell roses. He hadn't been given a kiss on the cheek for years, he finally came to his senses and walked back to his room, feeling as though he was on cloud nine.
AN: So I hope you guys enjoyed that, I had a bit of trouble writing Joseph, I want to show how he's changing as he gets used to being around Belle but I'm afraid I'm making him a bit too OOC. Let me know what you think! I'm writing the next chapter as we speak!