It was a warm Tuesday morning. Joe was busy editing his latest video. It was scheduled to premiere on his YouTube channel Thursday. He looked out the window of his home office with a heavy sigh. There wasn't much motivation to finish the video in two short days.
It wasn't a long video, so he decided to do the editing himself. He regretted not sending it along to his editors to take care of. 'Too late to ask them now.'
This time last year, Joe and his girlfriend Jess, broke up. Well, Joe thought they broke up.
Joe left for a guys trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire the same day as the breakup. When he got back a week later, Jess was waiting for him.
She said the week break was enough and she was ready to start talking again. Joe, speechless, agreed and things went back to normal. He said nothing about the guys trip or what happened. Jess never asked.
As Joe is reliving the memories from last summer in his head, his phone vibrates. It's an email notification from a private sender. The subject reads, "Who is she, Joe? Does Jess know about her?"
Joe immediately unlocks his phone and opens his personal email. Joe is internet famous. He has a successful channel on YouTube, multiple podcasts, and more.
He has been a recognized internet personality for almost 10 years. He's used to weird emails in his business email, but this was in his personal email. He clicks on the email and pictures start to load. Joe's heart dropped.
Joe exits the email and goes to his contacts. He scrolls until he sees Ava Preston and opens a text message. His hands tremble before he gathers himself and starts writing
"Hey Ava. It's Joe. You busy this morning?"
Joe puts his phone down and makes his way to his kitchen. 'What the fuck?' He shakes his head and lets out another heavy sigh. He hadn't spoken to Ava in almost a year. He sat back hoping she would respond quickly.
'Jess is going to bury me,' Joe thought as he stares out the window at the Manhattan skyline. When Joe hears the familiar buzz of his phone, he takes off to the office.
It's Ava! "Holy shit. Joe Russo. Is this going to be an annual thing?"
Any other time, that would be funny. A great response, even. Right now? Joe was ready to panic.
Joe quickly starts typing his response, "Ava, I need to call you or FaceTime you. I need to see you. I can explain why. Just not over text. Are you free right now?"
"Oh. Okay. You're serious. Um, how about I meet you in person?"
Joe paused. A confused look on his face. 'Ava doesn't live in New York. She didn't last year, anyway.'
"Are you in New York?"
"I'm in Manhattan. I moved a few months ago. I wasn't sure if I should tell you or not."
"Do you want to come to my place?" Joe knew that was wrong and not a good idea. He sent it anyway. No hesitation. Then his heart began to race as he stared at the conversation. 'Did I just invite her over?'
Joe's phone is silent for 10 minutes. It felt like an hour. Finally, a response from Ava!
"What's your address?"
---
Joe sat on his couch staring off into space. Going from one scenario in his mind to the next. His dog Molly was watching TV. Unbothered by Joe's internal panic.
Joe got up to make sure Molly had new food and water. Any distraction he could find so he stopped checking the time. Molly heard the food but kept her eyes glued to the television. She ate when she wanted to, not just when she was fed.
Molly is mellow. Unusual for a Goldendoodle. She had always been calm. Even as a puppy. She had her moments and could outrun any dog at the dog park. She loved walks, hated the rain, and was selective about people. Joe was the exception. He could do anything, and Molly loved him unconditionally.
Ava arrived in the lobby 15 minutes later. A call came from the door man. Joe confirmed Ava was there to see him and added her to the approved guest list. If she visited again, the door man would be able to send her right up without a call.
His hands were slightly shaking now. His heart pounded harder in his chest. He heard the elevator ding and the doors opening in the hallway.
Joe took a big deep breath and slowly breathed out. "Shake it off, Joe. Shake it off." He said to himself. "She probably looks exactly the same as the last time you saw her."
Joe shook his arms as he walked to his front door. He heard a knock and froze.
'I'm actually doing this. Why am I doing this? Is it wrong? I feel like this is wrong.' Another knock and Joe breaks from his trail of questions swirling in his mind. He didn't have time to figure this out, now.
He takes a few steps forward and opens the door. Ava looks up and smiles. She puts her arms out and Joe embraces her in a hug. The embrace was closer than anticipated. Ava's body is pressed firmly against Joe as he tightened the hug with a gentle squeeze.
Ava steps back from the hug. It felt nice but very intimate. She looks up and sees Joe is matching her smile with one of his own. "Hi, Joe."
It sounds like Ava is relieved to see him. The greeting was short, breathy, and intimate. His face flushed before answering. He grins and says, "Hey, Ava. Come on in."
Joe had locked eyes with Ava briefly before the hug, he was able to see Ava had changed over the past year. She was wearing a light but form fitting dress. It displayed her full breasts beautifully. Almost a little too well. It was hard to bring his eyes up and away from the display. 'Was she wearing a bra?' Joe kept this question to himself.
Ava was blessed in the bust, had a very nice ass, and a small waist. She breathed in deeply, testing the stitching of her new summer dress. 'Wouldn't be the first time her boobs made a button fly.' This time, the buttons held.
Joe steps back and allows Ava to enter the apartment. As he takes in the sight of Ava from the back, he feels his cock twitch and begin to swell. She looked even better than the first time he met her. "Welcome to my not so humble home."
Joe wasn't kidding. His place was huge. Massive ceilings, amazing views, amenities, state-of-the-art appliances, the list goes on. 'Joe is doing very well for himself,' Ava thought quietly.
"Wow, Joe. Your place is amazing. But I know you didn't invite me over just to show off and give me a tour."
Joe smiles and his cheeks flush a bit. He had moved to stand behind the island in the kitchen, desperate to get his dick to go stop growing. Ava was too distracted to notice, her eyes roaming the kitchen and the many windows leading to the living room. He looks at Ava and casually asks, "Do you remember what you were doing this day last year?"
Ava crosses her arms and thinks quietly. Soon, her face lights up with recognition. She turns to Joe and says, "We met one year ago today!"
Joe nods but cuts her off. His expression changed and was now serious. Ava adjusted her feet and straightened her back in response. Joe continued, "Today isn't about celebrating, Ava. I needed to show you this."
Joe pulls up the email he received just a couple hours before and hands the phone to Ava.