We would've been timeless

THIS IS THE CHAPTER OF THIS STORY SO FARI recommend reading while listening to the song. Enjoy

"Whenever you're ready Joe" Miranda instructed him, her expression was unmistakably angry, the disappointment in her voice came through, despite her attempts to remain neutral.

Joe nodded in her direction, letting her know that he was walking into the press conference room, with the written speech she had prepared for him in one hand.

"Good morning everyone, thank you for coming here in such short notice" He began to speak as he sat in front of the microphone. The PR department had instructed him to keep his outfit on the casual, low profile level. Absolutely, no flashy clothes, so he showed up wearing a white polo shirt, with caqui pants and white sneakers, his blonde hair fell naturally on his face, and he did his best to conceal his usual snarky smile. 

"I gather you know the reason we're here, but I will go over the facts nonetheless. Two days ago, I lost my temper, and I am in no way proud of what happened, or the way I mishandled the situation, but the fact is that it did happen, and an important takeaway from that is we need to own responsibility, and be held accountable for the choices we made. I punched a man, Logan Raye, and caused a great deal of damage because I couldn't remain calm. I will not go into the details of why I did it, but I will say this...." Joe made a stop, he knew Miranda would hate him for deviating from the original speech, but he couldn't let Logan's actions go unnoticed. "I did it because at the moment I felt like I was defending someone I love, and her safety and wellbeing was and will always be my number one priority. I think you know who am I referring to, and as much as I regret the way I behaved, and I believe violence to be unacceptable, at the moment it seemed like the only reasonable thing to do. With that said, I offer a sincere apology to Logan Raye and I hope he can find it in himself to forgive me" This last words felt like vinegar in his mouth. He didn't believe a word he said, and he sure wasn't sorry for it.

"JOE ARE YOU SAYING THAT THIS MAN DID SOMETHING TO YOUR GIRLFRIEND?"

"SO YOU'RE STATING THAT VICTORIA MARLOWE WAS MISTREATED BY LOGAN RAYE?"

"JOE WHAT ELSE ARE YOU NOT TELLING US?"

Different reporters began to scream at him, once the speech was over.

"I will not be answering any questions today, this was the entire message I wanted to convey" He replied, in the most calm tone he had. He stepped off the podium and began to walk away, hearing more intense questioning, and the audience screaming his name.

When Joe came home, he found Victoria laying on their bed, with her face buried in a pillow.

"I'm back" He barely managed to say.

Victoria rolled over to face him, and signaled for him to lay down next to her.

"That went well" She mumbled, as she grabbed his hand and began playing with his fingers.

"Miranda probably hates me" Joe chuckled. 

"Why? The speech was heartfelt, kudos to you for that impressive performance, because there's no way you actually believe that shit" Victoria smiled back at him.

"I wasn't supposed to acknowledge what he did to you. They said that if I wasn't going to bring you into the narrative fully, we should keep you out of it entirely. But I couldn't let him get away with it, I mean not even mentioning why I did it? Didn't make sense to me" Joe started to kiss her hand, he gave it a soft squeeze. The comfort of having her by his side in the rough patches was unmatched.

"Thank you, for standing up for me again, and stating what happened in national television" She curled up with him.

"You have nothing to thank me for. I love you, and there's nothing I wouldn't to ensure you are safe" Joe replied, looking straight into her eyes, stroking her cheek with his hand.

"I love you more" She smiled back.

"Anyways, back to you, what have you thought about the offer?" Joe inquired, wanting to know where she stood on moving to Europe.

"I was able to negotiate doing one year in Germany and one year here in the States. I still don't know what to do about it, one year is a lot of time for us to do long distance and I'm afraid"

Joe cut her off immediately.

"They agreed to do that, split the project in two for YOU. They want you so desperately that they agreed to your conditions. You can't blow them off now" Joe was impressed with Victoria's ability to negotiate the deal to her convenience, the way she risked being turned down by them, just for a chance to spend less time away from him.

"Joe, one year is still a lot of time" Victoria bit her lip, and lowered her head.

"We'll make it work, we had already talked about it, I'll live with you as long as I can in the offseason, you'll visit me here from time to time. One year is half of the inicial time we had considered" He tried to reassure her that nothing would get in the way of their relationship.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Victoria asked him, wanting to hear the truth.

"I am okay with anything that helps you advance your career, anything that fulfills you professionally" Joe's reply was honest, real. The last push Victoria needed.

"Okay then. I'll take the offer, I'll call them later" Victoria had finally made up her mind. It was the right call, no doubt, but she finally felt free to do it.

"That's my girl. Fearless, determined, brilliant. The Victoria I know and love" Joe placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"I love you beyond measure, Joe Burrow" She whispered in his ear.

"Would you come with me to San Francisco this weekend? I know it's New Year's but we have this game against the niners, that I will actually be playing thanks to the load of bullshit I had to say earlier" Joe asked her, wanting nothing more than a positive response from her.

"Of course I'll come. I want to spend all the time I can with you, you'll have me glued like a tickle" Victoria sentenced and Joe bursted laughing.

"A tickle is not something I would ever think of comparing you to. But now that you mention it you can be kinda clingy" Joe bantered her, and she began to laugh as well

"Consider me your personal tickle from now until early February. That's the date the fellowship begins" She told him.

"So I have another full month to be with you" Joe smiled.

"You have a full month to make sure I have you engrained on my skin" Victoria grinned, knowing that would be enough to persuade Joe to give her what she desired. And needed.

"Oh that's right. I should begin now, this very moment, you know, showing you who's the boss" He began to kiss her neck.

"You should" Victoria replied, moaning.

Joe spent the rest of the evening, melting into one with her, fulfilling both of their fantasies, and bringing her to the top, repeatedly. As he spent every day leading up to their Sunday game.

The roar of the crowd reverberated through the 49ers stadium as Joe Burrow, stepped onto the field for the much-anticipated New Year's game. The stakes were high, the energy palpable, and the chilly night air crackled with excitement.

The game had been neck and neck from the kickoff, with both teams displaying their best plays and defensive strategies. Every yard gained was hard-fought.

As the clock ticked down, the Bengals found themselves trailing by a single point. Joe, with a steely focus in his eyes, called the plays that would determine the outcome of the game. The fans, draped in Bengals colors, held their breath collectively, their hopes riding on the quarterback's arm.

The ball snapped, and Joe scanned the field, assessing his options. The 49ers defense pressed in relentlessly, but Joe, known for his calm under pressure, spotted an opening. He launched a precise pass to his receiver, threading the needle between defenders.

The crowd erupted in cheers as the receiver sprinted towards the end zone, evading tackles. Touchdown! The Bengals took the lead in the final moments of the game.

With just seconds left, the 49ers had one last chance to retaliate. The tension in the stadium reached a fever pitch. Brock Purdy hurled a long pass, aiming for the end zone. The Bengals' defense leaped, desperately trying to intercept.

The ball seemed to hang in the air for an eternity, casting a collective breath-holding spell over the stadium. In a heart-stopping moment, the Bengals' defender managed to deflect the pass, sealing the victory for Cincinnati.

The final whistle blew, and the Bengals secured a thrilling win in the New Year's game. Joe Burrow, the hero of the night, embraced his teammates amid the jubilant cheers of Bengals fans. The scoreboard displayed a close but triumphant score, marking the start of the new year with a memorable victory for the Bengals, led by Joe.

The celebrations began, and Joe had to slip away from them, discreetly, since spending the evening partying with his friends, wasn't on his plans. He had a good reason to disappear, and would soon prove it.

"That was the fucking game of the season. Oh my goodness" Victoria celebrated him the minute he appeared from the locker room, now changed into normal clothes.

"Well, you missed almost the entire season but that's nice of you to say" Joe teased her, as he placed his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah I did, but seriously what the heck. The way you manage to find the perfect opportunity every time should be studied" They began to walk away from the stadium, Victoria thought they would be headed to Joe's car, but much to her surprise, a black limousine was waiting for them.

"Joe?" She turned to face him, almost inquiring if they were supposed to get on the expensive looking car.

"Come on love. We are celebrating New Year's after all, aren't we?" Joe nodded for her to get on the car, as the driver opened the door for them.

"Where are we going?" Victoria asked him. Joe pulled a bottle of Dramamine, and offered her a smile. She knew exactly what that meant.

"You must really love me to put yourself through this again" she bantered him.

"Apparently I do love you, go figure" He teased her back.

They arrived at San Francisco Pier 39. A famous tourist attraction since it was usually plagued with seals and sea lions, and the place from where the yacht Joe rented would sail. Joe had managed to gather two of Victoria's favorite scenes.

"Oh this is lovely" was the first thing she told her as she got off the limousine and began to walk down the wooden ramp. She could see the seals chilling in the distance, and took out her phone to take pictures of them, completely oblivious of the massive luxurious boat in front of her.

"Vi, love I need you to get in the boat if we are to make any progress" Joe chuckled, moved by the way Victoria always expressed her emotions in such an open manner.

"You own a yacht?" She asked confused.

"Absolutely not, I'm not a boat guy. But I know how much you love the sea, and those freaky little animals, so I figured, why not spend New Year's here?" Joe smiled proud.

When they got on the boat, the staff gave them a little tour. The upper deck was Victoria's favorite part, the view she could get from there was breathtaking, and she felt like she could spend her entire life laying down in the cushioned seats, next to the open bar, staring at San Francisco's skyline that was something to be admired.

The yacht left the pier, immersing itself deeper into the water, the rocking movement was soothing for Victoria, but a complete nightmare for Joe. The beautiful sunset was the only thing that could calm him, as they watched it in complete silence, holding hands, while the sky painted itself orange, pink and every undertone in between, Joe's heart began to beat incredibly fast in his chest, a knot formed in his throat, now that this was the moment he had been waiting for. Luke, the captain had provided him with the little box Joe had hidden in the boat very carefully. It was time.

"This is beautiful Joe" Victoria murmured, mesmerized by the view of the sun setting on the horizon, and the waves crashing and colliding below her.

"The beautiful part is sharing this with you. You are beautiful" Joe whispered to her, feeling the cold wind in his face.

"Thank you for doing this. I will always remember it" She looked at him, smiling.

"Well, if we are to be apart for a year, I want to feel you close, I want to overcome any and all obstacles that might come between us, I want you to never feel alone, or homesick, and on that note I think the best thing I can do is provide you with a little reminder of how deep my devotion for you runs, how my heart beats for you, how you have bewitched me. Something simple, you can carry with you every day, and when you look at it you remember that you are my world, the gravity that keeps me grounded, the air I am desperate to breathe" After the most heartfelt speech of his entire existence, Joe got down on one knee, his blue eyes shining, his whole face was filled with hope, that the next question he asked would be answered with a "yes". Victoria could feel her heartbeat accelerating, her palms were tingling. Her eyes opened wide, her eyes began to fill with tears. Happy tears.

"Victoria Marlowe, will you marry me?" He continued, as he opened the little Tiffany blue box he had been hiding all day long, revealing a precious little piece of an eternal commitment, a luminous pear shaped diamond stood on top of a silver ring, flanked by adjacent smaller diamonds. The ring was a thing of beauty.

Everything that was left, was her response.

"I will. I'll marry you in a heartbeat" She managed to speak up, in the midst of her outburst of emotion.

And with those words, Joe Burrow's world was forever changed.

Hello! I hope you really enjoy this one. It feels like so much has happened to end up here! But he finally did it! How do you feel about the proposal??? I loved writing this scene so much!I promise there's a lot that has to happen still Lots of love ❤️