Page 85 of Fox
I grab my phone and turn the offending alarm off. But once I do, my scheduled do not disturbturns off as well, and notifications start pouring in. I shouldn’t have to handle this right now. My brain can’t seem to remember how to make the phone silent, and every new notification adds a layer to my building anxiety. I can’t take it anymore. It’s too much. I have to brace myself as I stand to keep from falling. Grabbing the phone, I walk to the balcony door and open the curtains, wincing at the bright sun. The smells and noises become overwhelming when I open the door and step onto the balcony. I drop my phone on a lounge chair and go back inside, shutting the door.
Flopping back onto the bed and covering my eyes with my arm, I sigh and look up at the ceiling. The hotel is nice enough; all the amenities I could want are here, but the room feels hollow and stale. I can still hear the insufferable ding of every notification, and I wince at the sound of them.
I can’t say I’m falling in love with you.
Resolved to turn it on silent, I storm back outside, but once I grab my phone and, all my anger, all my sadness comes pouring out of me. Before I can stop myself, I’m falling to my knees and slamming it repeatedly on the concrete balcony.
“Why. Won’t. You. Shut. Up.” I sob out with each impact. The phone finally goes quiet, and I look down at the broken, mangled device. The screen is black. I leave the dead thing outside for good measure before walking back into my room, closing the blinds, and laying back down in my bed.
I don’t knowhow much time has passed when a knock on the door interrupts my trance. Why is someone knocking at my door? I have the do not disturb sign hanging on it. The knocking persists, and I growl as I throw the sheets off and walk to the door, ready to explode at the person on the other side. What the fuck is so hard to understand about, do not disturb? I rip it open and nearly slam it shut when I see Atlas.
“Hey! Hey! Hey!” His large hand grips the door to keep me from shutting it.
“Go away, Atlas! This has nothing to do with you.” I growl as I use all my strength to shove at the door. Atlas’ big, giant, stupid body doesn’t budge, and I wind up letting out a slew of curse words as my ass collides with the floor.
Atlas comes into my room and shuts the door.
“I didn’t invite you in!” I yell while punching him in his knee.
“Ow! I’m not a vampire, Janie! I don’t need your invitation.” He helps me up and turns the light on. Flinching at my appearance as he stares at me in the light, Atlas rubs the back of his neck. “Rough night?”
Did he really just ask me that? I shake my head in disbelief before turning and crawling back into bed, throwing the covers over me.
“Okay, that was dumb,” he says.
I let out a sarcastic “Ha!” Then roll my eyes and turn on my side, cocooning myself in the blankets. “Good looks and a brain? Look out, ladies!”
He sighs, and even through the covers, I know he’s staring at me. Ripping the covers off my head, I sit up and turn to give him all of my frustration. “What do you want, Atlas?”
He appears unfazed by my rage.Foolish man.He clears his throat. “Fox is—”
“Don’t care.” I interrupt. I can’t deal with anything involving him, and there’s no way I can handle hearing his name or acknowledging that he’s still alive and in this hotel at the convention downstairs and still wanting me to go to Chicago. Still not loving me. I would rather pretend he never existed.
“Janie!” His voice is a desperate plea, but I’m not answering today.
“You’re all very, very grown men. Handle your shit yourselves. I’m leaving soon anyway. I’m catching an early flight to Chicago.”
He lets out a frustrated growl. “Janie, you can’t. Listen, I don’t know what happened, but you must know he cares about you.” I laugh coldly and give up, getting out of bed to stand and start packing. I can’t be around the guys, and now that Atlas knows which room I'm in, Fox won’t be far behind.
“He doesn’t,” I mutter as I shake my backpack to make more room to stuff the rest of my belongings in there. Shit, I’ll have to get a ride to get a new phone.
“He doesn’t what?”
“He doesn’t care!” I snap as I grab my broken phone off the balcony. “I told him my feelings last night. I told him that I wanted to stay. I stupidlytold him I was falling in love with him and gave him Hel’s! He said he couldn’t tell me the same! So leave me alone!” I grab my bags and shuffle out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. Maybe I will get lucky, and I can get to Chicago tonight.
“If he doesn’t care,” Atlas' voice calls after me as I head into the elevator. “Tell me why all of us are on different floors looking for you!” I hit the lobby button and force the doors to close before Atlas catches up to me.
I make it out of the hotel without the guys spotting me, and after running a few blocks, I find a cab to take me to a cell phone store.
“Lookslike I can be there about an hour after you,” Sunday says into my earbud as I hurriedly walk through the airport.
“You really don’t have to,” I sniffle. I’m done crying, not because I’ve found some strength or anything; I’m probably just dehydrated. My head is throbbing, my eyes feel like they’re full of sand, my nose is completely stuffed, and my tremors are at a level I’ve never experienced before.
“Hush,” Ren says at the other end of our three-way call. “You’re not going to a strange city alone. Sunday is on her wayand Winston has decided Bruno is his best friend. It’s going to be okay.”
Her reassurance does little to settle my nerves. “He doesn’t want me.” I whimper.
“You know that’s a lie,” Ren scoffs. “There’s nothing he wants more than you. He’ll realize he’s a fucking moron and come running soon enough.”
