Joey Lynch was playing the long game. And if that meant sitting with y/n at his work, he'd do it. living next to eachother for the last 9 years, came with a couple things that developed overtime. with the little bridge and tree that connected their two rooms, it was an unspoken thing that every night, one of them or the other would ask to sleep over and they would just hold each other. it never came up again afterwards. until the next night where they did it again. everyone knew Joey Lynch was not the affectionate type. terrible at communication, absolutely no physically touch. He had a hard time expressing his feelings through words or actions and often resorted to sarcasm or insults as a defence mechanism. but for nailea it was odd, she was like a literal angel, she brought out his affectionate side with little to no effort. It was as if the walls he had built around himself crumbled in her presence, revealing the vulnerable parts of him that he kept hidden from the rest of the world. And while he would never admit it aloud, Joey found himself drawn to this side of himself that only y/n could bring out. But he knew he couldnt ever let her in too much. It she came too close, he could hurt her, lose her. Or worst, she would see everything he was and leave. Joey Lynch saw himself as a terrible person. Playboy persona, leaning to girls, drugs and self medication to soothe all he had inside himself. spending so much time building walls around his heart, keeping everyone and everything out. It had become a survival mechanism for him, a way to protect himself for the pain he'd always experienced. He didn't deserve her. He never would. Despite how much she reassured him that he was a good person, he wasn't. Pushing her away everytime she got close, everytime she felt too close to his heart he'd lash out and snap at her. When all his heart ever wanted was her. y/n was the epitome of sunshine, angels and all things good. The kind, loving and forgive girl that Joey was definitely not. very vocal about what her heart wants and openly flirts with Joey. Even when he turns her down and calls her a dork, she liked it like that. It was their dynamic, it was how they were. Always touching him playfully, flirting with him suggestively. Deep down she liked how he turned her down. He was different. Joey on the other hand, Communication? no. Physical touch? absolutely not. Expressing what his heart wants? No no and no. He buried all things he wants to say with "i hate you's" and being rude to her despite how much his heart craves her, his mind kept it walls up and kept her at arms length. When it was just the two though, it was a whole other story. With joey trying to keep her at a distance while she would run towards him.