Sliding in the DMs Part V
Warning: I did not get to proofread this. There will be quite a few typos I'll go back and fix later.
Three months had passed since Joey and Arty started hooking up on the regular. At some point they lulled into a comfortable routine of nightly dinners together at each other’s place and sleepovers.
Joey even came around to bonding with Arty’s cat, Cassiopeia. Which was a huge surprise to him as he always considered himself a dog person. Yet, the affectionate tortie was hard not to like as she often greeted him when he entered the apartment and when he woke up in the morning when staying over.
Joey could feel his heart thud in anticipation for the other shoe to drop. They had built a comfortable balance in his life. When living in LA, all he cared about was football. That was the center of his universe. Only back home in Florida did he feel any semblance of normalcy.
Yet, Arty provided him that. He had never realized how much he craved domestication and time with another person. He was always doing his own thing as far back as he could remember. Dating was no different. Arty was the first girl he ever felt the longing to see everyday. The first person he thought of when waking up and the only person he thought of while falling to sleep.
It was terrifying.
Terrifying that he could imagine a future with her beyond whatever was happening currently. It was terrifying that he googled jewelers nearby, honeymoon locations, and when it was ok to say “I love you.” It made him question if he ever really felt love in his former relationships. None were ever this strong.
And he knew, like always, that he would fuck it up.
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Arty was flipping through a photobook from her family reunion trip to Greece. She could see her grandparents holding each other, their eyes expressing so much happiness and love for their each other. In another photo was herself, her sister Athena, her cousins Demetri and Maria, and her grandparents in the center of the four smiling around them. Her grandparents were sitting close together, her grandpa holding her grandma’s hand as it rested on his knee.
In her mind, she knew she wanted that same kind of love. The kind that consumes you and burns from within. The kind of love her grandpa showed her grandma when he would dance with her under the bright lights of Megara at night. Or the kind of love her parents had where they ran off and eloped, although originally forbidden to do so.
Arty knew she wanted that with Joey. There were no doubts about that. She felt it so strongly some days.
It was the little things. The way he allowed her to brush his hair after a shower or when he washed her hair in the shower. It was him learning how to make matcha, knowing it was her favorite tea. It was him checking on her during the day while she was at work. And all of the other small things he did for her daily. She never had that before.
She hadn’t considered that all the guys before him were pretty shitty. He came into her life unexpectedly and, at times, she worried he would leave her just the same.
She could feel his hesitation as of late. He would get a distant look and the tension would take over him. He would get quieter, only uttering a few responses and sometimes choosing to lay down and nap for a bit to clear his mind.
She worried about him a lot and wanted to address it, but she wasn’t sure how.
So she didn’t because she wanted him to be the one to say something. She was tired of always addressing things in every relationship - this time she wanted someone to make the effort. That someone was Joey.
She’d wait for him to make a move before she did.
As she sat across from him, pondering the situation at hand, she could see Joey rubbing the bridge of his nose, his eyebrows scrunched, as he lay on her couch in silence.
Finally, after what felt like forever, he opened his eyes and stared at her with a discernible look in his eyes.
He cleared his throat and said, “Want to take a nap with me for a bit?”
Arty bit her lip to suppress her smile, “Well, sleepy bear.. The last time we ‘napped’ involved you fucking me until I couldn’t walk. Is it that kind of nap or the actual sleep kind?”
Joey chuckled at that and was quiet for a second. “Maybe the first or maybe the second. We’ll see when we get in there.”
He raised his eyebrow at her as she stared back.
She sighed dramatically and said, “If you insist,” and slipped the night shirt off of her, turning to wink at Joey as she got up to strut into her room, making sure to sway her hips just a bit more with her walk.
Within moments she could hear Joey following close behind.
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She laid next to Joey, catching her breath. Joey was equally worked up and breathing heavily.
She felt the bed shift as he turned slightly to face her. She had been off tonight in her behavior. Her normal behavior was something Joey had become attuned to. Yet, he couldn't put his finger on what had her so subdued.
Joey reached over, weaving his fingers through hers and watching her as she closed her eyes and continued cooling down from their love making.
He really wanted to say in that moment, 'I love you so fucking much. So much so that I'm scared.' But he said nothing. The words on the tip of his tongue but the panic was pushing them back down his throat.
He felt her withdrawing from him silently in their interactions and it scared him.
Just as he was about to say something she spoke up instead. "Joey.. what are we?"
Joey was quiet for a moment, dumbfounded by the question. For some reason, what should have brought him relief to finally tackle and address that same question in his mind became a tumultuous fight between two sides saying different things.
He wanted to tell her that they were lovers. That he wanted more and that she hopefully felt the same.
Yet, the other side of his brain. The anti-hero, the one that loved to self-destruct when he felt the most vulnerable wanted him to shut it down. To tell her that they were simply fuck-buddies and nothing more to protect himself from being let down and hurt.
Yet, he said nothing and laid there in surprise.
Time stretched on and he felt the bed move as Arty pulled her hand back from his.
Some more time passed before he heard her get up from the bed and limp to the bathroom. The door shut behind her figure and he could hear shower turn on.
Yet, he still laid there in dread. His chest starting to feel heavy as panic set in.
'What a great fucking time to have a panic attack, you fucking jackass.' He thought in a daze.
He quickly stumbled out of the bed, putting his clothes on haphazardly and making his way to the door. Anything to get out of the current situation and escape his current mental state.
He made it in his car just as he started to break down.
What he didn't notice was the upstairs light turn on and a person staring sadly down at him from the bedroom he was just in.
Arty wiped her eyes as she called his phone. Yet, it rang out both times. The third try sent her to voicemail as his car turned on and he quickly backed out of the driveway and down the road.
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An entire month of radio silence. She stopped at his apartment only to find out from his housekeeper that he was staying somewhere else temporarily. He wasn’t answering his cellphone or social media. It was as if he stopped existing, but she knew that wasn’t the case.
She didn’t know what to do. Clearly he was still in LA as he was preparing for upcoming game, but she didn’t know his teammates, or anyone at the Chargers organizaiton. She didn’t know his family or personal friends. She didn’t even talk with the guys she used to game with - the reason she even met Joey.
Joey didn’t seem like he wanted to be found and it hurt so much to realize that. Him running hurt her. In more ways than one. She wasn’t sure where to even go from here.
By the fifth week of radio silence, she had had it and decided that she was going to go out for the night. She contacted her coworker and good friend, Chloe, to go with her.
Chloe came through with a silver mini-dress and matching strappy heels. She helped Arty do her hair and makeup, the whole time chatting with her about the mystery man she was hiding from their friends.
“No one important.” Arty said with fake nonchalance. “Just some guy I was hooking up with.. He ended up being like every other guy.” Another lie. “I wish I hadn’t wasted my time on him.” Again, another lie.
“Well, he had to be pretty important with how much you were ditching us to be with him.” Chloe pointed out.
Arty scoffed. “Chloe, you have no room to talk.”
Chloe grinned at that. “You’re right. I don’t. Doesn’t mean I won’t say it. Face it, Arty, you’re in love and that’s ok.”
Arty said nothing to that and finished touching up her lipstick before shooting her friend a glare. “I am not in love and honestly it’s just overrated anyways.”
“You don’t believe in love?” Chloe asked curiously.
“I do. I just don’t think it’s meant for me. Time has shown me that.” Arty mumbled.
“Everyone is able to love and is meant to love and be loved.” Chloe said kindly. “This guy, whoever he is, must be special to you to be hung up. I mean, you haven’t been out partying for months since you met him. I’ve seen the smitten stories you posted, with glimpses of his hands holding yours, or you wearing his sweater. We all saw it!” Chloe exclaimed. “Maybe you don’t believe it’s love right now, but it’s close to it more than just infatuation.”
Arty was quiet for a moment before saying, “You’re right. He is special to me and I’m just so fucking mad he let himself get in the way of our happiness. But, I’ve decided that I wont’ chase him. I’ll bait him, but I won’t chase him.” With that settled, she picked up her purse and gestured to Chloe to follow her towards the door.
Chloe stopped and yanked out her phone.. “Wait, wait, wait! We gotta get this on video cause that dress is unbelievable!!” She instructed Arty to pose and recorded as she did so. The dress shined in reflection of the dim apartment lights.
Arty adjusted her dress and said, “Send me that please. It’s going on Instagram.”
“Trying to bait him?” Chloe teased.
Arty stared back straight faced before smirking deviously. “Absolutely.”
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Joey heard his phone ding with an Instagram notification. He sat the weight down he was working with and moved to check his phone, knowing that he only had Arty’s account to follow on his burner account.
His stomach dropped at the sight of her in her dress. She looked drop dead gorgeous and he could feel the familiar feelings stirring up in him just by looking at her.
He went to her profile to see the video and a few pics posted with the caption, “Watch me dance the night away / my heart could be broken but you won’t see it on my face.” Her location was a well-known club not far from where he lived.
He winced at the caption and shook his head, “I fucking deserve that.” He mumbled and went straight to the comments. There were a few from friends he recognized from the many stories and pictures Arty shared with him.
There was also one name in particular that had his blood run cold for a moment before boiling over.
@ killatrav: Chloe didn’t tell me her friend was 🔥
How Travis Kelce knew Chloe didn’t matter to him in that moment. What mattered was that corny ass bastard was talking to HIS girl.
He scrolled further before returning to the top and seeing a new message underneath his in response, @ chloecollor “she’s also newly single if you wanna meet her, trav 😉”
@ shebear95 liked the comment.
In that moment he thought, ‘Fuck it. Guess I’m going to the club.’ He got on his phone and called some of the guys from the team to ask them to meet up.
As he quickly got dressed and tied his hair back, he couldn’t stop thinking about how he was going to have to face his fears with this one.
With one last look at himself in the mirror, he rushed off and out of the rental he was staying at.
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📂megara :DD!
La princesita!
🪡Hija mayor de Horror Sans,su madre es Aliza aunque esta falleció unos años después del nacimiento de Megara
🪡Mide 1.75,es más alta que su novio XD!
🪡No tiene el cabello castaño naturalmente,ella se lo tiñe por que tiene el cabello blanco como su papi c:
🪡Usa el mismo listón que usaba su madre para el cabello
🪡Adora a sus hermanos menores,no tiene a ninguno preferido pues prácticamente esos 2 son iguales,parecen siameses de hecho
🪡Es buenisima en la caceria de humanos,no necesita comer tanta carne humana en realidad pero de vez en cuando necesita eso
🪡Adora a sus compañeras del trabajo(coffcoffasesinoscoff)en especial a Frans por que ella siempre le da los cadáveres para que Megara se los de de alimentar a sus hermanos
🪡Cuando conoció a Albert sintió mucho cariño por él,ella no le tuvo miedo de hecho lo encontraba encantador,sin embargo lo que la terminó de enamorar fue cuando él le pidió que ella lo besara. Prácticamente ahí le robó el corazón(también Albert fue su primer beso xd)
🪡Tiene una cicatriz bastante notoria en el cuello,a veces sangra,ella no sabe como llegó la cicatriz pero no es que le importe mucho en realidad. Solamente sus hermanos saben la verdad de la herida/cicatriz y que también debe vendarla o coserla de vez en cuando
🪡Le gusta hacer ropa,de hecho ella hace la ropa de sus hermanos y familia general,de hecho cuando sus amigas se casaron ella les hizo el vestido. Megara se hace ella misma la ropa
🪡Le gusta la taxidermia,dale un animal recientemente muerto y hará maravillas
🪡Su parte favorita del cuerpo humano son los ojos y también los dedos
🪡La comida favorita de Megara son las donas,té de boba y la sopa,lo que menos le gusta es la comida en exceso picante y el arroz 100% blanco
Albert es de usted u u
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