Page 86 of Fake Dating Daxton Hawk
I send another text now.
I am so miserable without you. I will do anything you ask, just please let me fix this.
My pulse speeds up when a new message arrives, dropping again when I realize it’s not from Jordan.
No Caller ID
This is Mina. Jordan is staying with me. She says you need to stop contacting her.
At least I know where Jordan is now. As much as it pains me to stop contacting Jordan, I’ll respect her wishes for the time being. I don’t like it, but perhaps time and space is our only way forward. Jordan needs to be surrounded by supportive people right now, and while Mina and Zac are her close friends, I don’t know that they’re enough. She needs family. So, I get online and type in the nameRyan Hart, and begin my search for Jordan’s brother.
* * *
Three days later, I’m standing sleep deprived and dosed up on coffee in the lobby of Mina’s apartment building, waiting for her to meet me. When the elevator doors open and she walks out alone, my heart sinks a little. I knew Jordan wouldn’t be with Mina, but some foolish part of me hoped I would see her.
“Mina, thanks for meeting with me.”
As soon as she sees me, her face turns hard and she storms in my direction. “What the hell were you thinking, Daxton? Should I even call you Daxton?”
“Yes. I don’t go by Steel and haven’t for a long time.”
“Well, whatever. You have seriously pissed me off. I was rooting for you! I was your biggest advocate. I spent months encouraging Jordan to meet Steel. Then when I could see she was falling in love with Daxton—” She stops mid-sentence, cringing. “This is doing my head in, referring to you in third person. Look, what are you doing here? I told you on the phone, Jordan doesn’t want to see you.”
“I know. I won’t try and convince you to bring her down here. Will you just give her this?” I pull an envelope out of my suit jacket and hold it out to Mina.
She stares at it like it’s a piece of trash. “What is that?”
“A letter I wrote to Jordan. It contains the truth. All I can hope is that it gives Jordan closure about what happened between us. Please, just… give it to her. That’s all I’m asking.”
She sighs and takes the envelope from my hand. “Sure.”
“One last thing. I tracked down Ryan and explained everything that happened between me and Jordan. He’s coming to be with her.”
She gasps. “You… what? How did you reach him?”
“Three days of no sleep, persistence, and a lot of money. But that’s not what’s important. I haven’t organized any of this as a way to win Jordan back. I just want her to be surrounded by people who love her. I know how much she misses him.”
Mina nods, a little startled, and returns to the elevator.
ChapterForty-Five
Jordan
I’ve lost track of the days. I’m asleep more than I’m not. When I’m awake, my eyes are swollen with tears. Mina and Zac are letting me crash at their place until I can find my feet again, which seems to be a pattern for me. My life is constantly spiraling out of control and I keep hitting rock bottom.
Ironically, my career prospects have never looked better. My viral TikTok keeps growing with every passing day and has surpassed thirty million views, landing me another job offer at an amazing burlesque club in the city called The Black Flamingo. I force myself to set up a meeting with them and to also organize my meeting with The Feather Tease, both happening over the next week. Ordinarily, I would be ecstatic about these career opportunities, but with the heartbreak, the sunshine is dampened. Along with being angry at Daxton for all the lies, now I’m angry at him for taking this moment away from me too, a moment that should be filled with excitement.
My phone is flooded with missed calls and texts from Daxton. To make matters worse, I punish myself and listen to all of his voicemails—of him apologizing endlessly and telling me how much he loves me. I read all his texts. I dream about him and that we’re happy, that there was never any deceit. And when I wake up, I’m crying, because I remember everything between us is based on a lie.
A knock on the door wakes me. I wipe my eyes, feeling like a zombie from how much I’ve been sleeping. Mina pops her head through the door and smiles upon seeing me awake.
“Hey, babe.” She takes a seat on the end of my bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired. What time is it?”
“Six p.m.”
Hearing that I’ve slept the entire day makes me feel worse. I prop myself up against the headboard and brush my fingers through my hair.
