A/N: In case you don't read my other current story, I got to meet LMM on Wednesday! He went to The Prom for the matinee and my friend is conductor there. He got me back stage afterwards and Lin was hanging out. He was super sweet! There's a few pictures I posted in my other fic.

Finally, my month with my dad was coming to a close.  I'm not sure what my mom was trying to accomplish by sending me to his place for so long, but it just kind of furthered my want to be with Joey.  We saw each other at school, of course, and snuck off a few times afterwards to hang out at a park or make out behind the shed at school.  We found our ways.

When I walked into Mom and Lin's place on Saturday, Joey was standing there, beaming.  She kind of trotted over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, kissing me.

"I missed you," she said softly, and we heard Lin coming down the hall with the little kids in tow.  We had a couple more kisses before we knew we had to break apart.

"No, that doesn't go in your mouth," we heard Lin tell Alex.  He walked through with Jack in his arms and Alex trailing behind carrying some little plastic toy.  He saw us standing there, holding hands.  "Elliott!  Good to see you, buddy."

"You too," I said, tucking one hand into my jeans pocket.  He set Jack on the floor and walked over to give me a quick hand shake and pat on the back.

"How's your dad doing?" he asked.

"Oh, he's fine," I told him.  Dad was a busy guy and, frankly, didn't do a whole lot of parenting.  The rules were pretty lax over there so if Mom thought I was truly grounded under his roof, she was sorely mistaken.  I liked how my dad treated me more like an adult.  Mom could be so suffocating sometimes.  She still treated me like a kid most of the time.  Checking in about my homework.  Making sure I got to bed at a decent time.  I know she loves me, but sometimes she needed to back off.

"Dad, can we go down to UP Heights?" Joey asked her dad.  It was a coffee shop in Washington Heights.

"Sure," he told her, fishing for his wallet.  "Need some money?"

"Yes, please," she chirped, and he passed her a twenty.  Both our parents were loaded, but we definitely weren't spoiled.  We got weekly allowances and Lin was nice about giving us some extra handouts.  Joey thanked her dad and we headed out, holding hands.  We decided to take the elevator and started to make out.

We reached the ground floor and when I pulled back, Joey's face was blushing.  I grinned and took her hand, and we began walking towards UP Heights.

"How's my mom been treating you?" I asked her as we walked.

"Oh, fine," she told me.  "She's actually way easier to talk to than my mom.  We've had some good chats."

"Really?" I asked, surprised.  "That's cool."

Maybe it was because my mom was a woman and I was a guy that I didn't have that many deep conversations with her.  I knew Joey didn't get along with her mother well, so I'm glad she could talk with my mom.  It was a little weird, though.  Your girlfriend having deep conversations with your mother.

We reached the coffee shop and ordered lattes.  Joey found us a seat over by the windows, curling her feet up underneath her.  She looked gorgeous without even trying.  I loved pushing her dark hair out of her face when it fell.

I sat down with our drinks as she finished up a text.  She smiled at me as I passed her cup over.  "Thanks."

"Of course," I said.  She'd set her phone on the table and I could see that she was looking at dresses online.  Her quinceanera was coming up, which was a pretty big deal in her family.  Lin didn't spoil Joey, but he was going all out for this.  The whole family was coming, even some relatives from Puerto Rico.

"What do you think of this one?" she asked, turning her phone and pushing it towards me.  I looked at the yellow dress – shortish but tasteful.  I'm sure she'd look gorgeous in it.

"Looks great," I told her honestly, taking a sip.  She showed me a couple more and I told her the same thing.  She rolled her eyes.

"You can't say that about every dress," she told me, turning off the screen.

I reached across the table and took her hand.  "You'll look beautiful in any of them."

She blushed and smiled meekly.  We spent the next hour catching up more, and she told me more about her quinceanera plans.  They had a band to play the whole night, along with food catered from one of her favorite restaurant.  It was adorable to see how excited she was.

After about an hour at the coffee shop, we headed home.  Mom was back from a couple errands she'd been doing and gave me a big hug, holding on for a long time.

"I missed you so much," she told me, stroking the back of my hair.

"Moooooom," I protested, trying to pull away, but she held on.  I stood there dutifully while she had her mom moment.  She finally pulled back, cupping my face between her hands.  There were tears in her eyes and she was looking at me all proud.

"I'm just so glad you're back," she told me, gently patting my cheeks.  She gave me a kiss on the cheek and then released me.  "Alright.  Sappiness over."

I headed back to my bedroom to get unpacked.  My room was pretty clean, which was unusual.  I realized my mother had probably gone through and tidied up a bit while I was away.  A fresh start.  I dumped my duffel bag out on the floor and instantly decided I didn't want to deal with it.  Instead, I collapsed on my bed and started scrolling through my phone.

A while later, there was a knock at my door.  "Come in!" I yelled.  It was Lin.

He gave me a small smile as he closed the door.  Oh Jesus.  He wanted to talk.  I sat up, putting my phone on my bedside table.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked me.

"Sure," I said, moving over so he could sit on my bed.

"Does it feel good to be back?" he asked me.

"Of course," I said.  "I really missed Joey.  And...everyone else."

He chuckled a little, scratching at his cheek.  "We're glad you're back.  And hey, I'm sure your dad talked to you about all this, but just wanted to offer up some advice."

Oh, God.  I zoned out for a few moments as he went on.  He'd apparently asked me a question, because he was looking at me, waiting for a response.

"Huh?" I asked stupidly.

"I asked if you had any questions about being safe," he repeated.  "With sex."

Wow, this was awkward.  Was this guy serious?  I was dating his daughter.  I'd felt her up.  I really really didn't want to talk to him about this.

"No," I told him simply, not even looking at him.

"You sure?" he checked, and I quickly nodded.  I think he realized how uncomfortable I was.  He shifted his legs a bit.  "Listen, I know this is probably a bit awkward.  I'm dating your mom, and you're dating my daughter.  We all live together.  But, I want you to know you can talk to me about anything, okay?"

I nodded quickly, wanting the conversation to be over.

"And I want to make sure you're being respectful and safe with my daughter," he went on, looking at me in the face.  I really didn't want to look at him.

"Y-yes.  Yes, sir," I told him respectfully.  "There's...nothing like that going on."

I think I heard him chuckle.  "You're teenagers," he said.  "I know you're both curious and that's fine.  And I don't think either of you are ready for sex, but I think you both realize that.  You guys are pretty responsible."

I nodded eagerly, feeling more and more uncomfortable by the moment.  He put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a little pat. 

"Good chat," he said, standing up.  He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.  I realized this was probably super uncomfortable for him as well.  "Again, if you wanna talk about anything, I'm here, okay?"

I nodded and he finally left.  I let out a huge breath through my mouth and collapsed onto my bed, relieved.  Even though we were in the same house, I picked up my phone to text Joey.  It was like our secret communication in the house.

I think your dad just tried to have the sex talk with me...

?!?!?!  ugghhh...sorry

Completely awkward

I saw the three dots on my screen that signaled she was typing.  It was weird how I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning when those popped up.

Meet me in the bathroom?

I grinned and sat up.  I heard the bathroom door shut down the hallway.  I looked both ways down the hall and the coast was clear.  We'd realized our parents were expecting us to make out and fool around in our own bedrooms, but the bathroom was still pretty handy.  I discreetly popped in and closed the door.  She was sitting on the counter, eyes gleaming and playful.  I turned on the fan and my mouth met hers hungrily.  It was good to be home.