Page 61 of Once Bitten
Jordyn fell back a step as if she had been slapped. He was right. He was right, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt. “Get out!” she screamed thrusting a hand towards the door while she held the sheet to her chest.
“Baby, I’m sorry.” Steve approached her, holding his hands out as if he was trying to soothe a frightened animal. “That was fucked up. I shouldn’t have said that. Jordyn, listen to me.”
“I said get out.” Jordyn jerked away from him.
“Doll, listen to me, please.” He reached for her again, but Jordyn turned and ran to the bathroom, her shoulders shaking with tears. She slammed the door and locked it before she slid to the floor in a heap.
“Jordyn.” Steve tried the door, and put his hand flat on it. He could hear her crying on the other side. “I’m sorry. Open the door, baby,” he tried, but she couldn’t bring herself to give a response. She cried, not bothering to hide the sounds of it from him.
Steve waited for two hours before he got up and left.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jordyn bither lip and stared at her phone, sighing impatiently. It had been seven long days, a damn week, since she’d seen or heard from Steve.She felt like she was going out of her mind. She missed him so much it hurt. Sleeping alone in her bed was awful. She kept waking up in the middle of the night scared and reached for Steve, only to find the bed empty beside her. She wanted to take back that day with everything in her heart. Missing Steve was a dull ache Jordyn felt every time she wasn’t busy with work or friends. When there were no distractions, it was almost too much, and at night, it was downright unbearable.
Jordyn wanted Steve—missed him filling up a room with his laugh. She missed seeing him drawing at the table or playing with her hair. She missed him calling her doll, missed him stealing away with her on her lunch breaks.
“I love him,” Jordyn whispered to herself. “I love him so much, and I am losing it without him.” She groaned, shoving her phone back into her pocket. She was on her way to Dora’s for a night of movies and fun. It was going to be a good night with even Tina joining them. Jordyn had befriended her within the last week, as the other woman picked up on her poor mood. Tina had been nothing but caring and tried to brighten Jordyn’s days. It meant a lot given Tina’s earlier warning about dating Steve. Little did she know that it wasn’t going to be Steve alone that ruined things. Tina was optimistic that Steve would come around and contact her, but each day that passed and he didn’t, she lost a little more of her faith that it would happen.
The day of the fight, she’d felt sick when she’d run to the bathroom. Sitting on the cold linoleum, she’d cried until she’d fallen asleep. Only the sound of the door slamming behind Steve as he left woke her up. Jordyn had been so lost inside her head that she hadn’t even realized that Steve had stayed. The slamming of the door in the quiet apartment broke the spell of emotions that had seized her, and without a thought, she’d leapt to her feet, threw open the door, and yelled for him. She hadn’t cared that she was naked except for the sheet that she still clutched to her chest. She needed to get to Steve and make him understand that she was sorry, that he had been right. What he had done was before they were a couple, and she needed to explain herself.
He wasn't like Alex. It wasn't the same at all, and most importantly, she needed to say that she loved him. But when she had flung open the door, yelling after him, the only thing left of Steve was the sound of his motorcycle speeding away, and an interested look from her elderly neighbor peeking at her from her window.
Jordyn froze when she met the eyes of her neighbor and hiked the sheet higher before hurrying back inside her apartment. When she was alone, she had cried anew, panic over Steve and what had happened between the two of them washing over her. It was only by a thread that she was able to talk herself out of going straight over to his apartment. They both needed time, she had thought, and she was sure they would talk in the morning, but the next morning, there had been no calls or messages, and Jordyn had resolved to speak to Steve face-to-face because she could explain things better that way.
“I just need to see him,” she’d whispered to herself as she dressed for the day. “It’ll be okay if we just see each other.” And it wasn’t just words, she knew it would work itself out if the two of them had a few minutes alone with each other. She loved him, and she knew deep down that he felt the same way. There was no way they didn’t have the same feelings for each other.
She had gotten ready for work with shaky hands and wanted to scream when an unexpected construction detour had caused her to take more time than she wanted, causing her to forfeit a before-work visit to Ink and Bone. She would have to go on her lunch break, except that while she was at work, Jordyn couldn't concentrate and spent her time chewing on her pen and staring off into space, trying to put together the words that she would say.
She even tried to write a letter, hoping that it would help her find the right words to say, but she’d only gotten as far as:
Stevie—
After that first start, she had put her face in her hands with a groan. What would she even write? Taking a deep breath, she had simply writtenI’m sorryand then hesitated before addingI love you.It wasn’t the way she wanted to tell him, but it was the only way she would be able to get across just how deeply she felt, both in her apology and her feelings. She nodded to herself, shoving the note in her pocket when Tina had popped her head around the corner, asking for a set of charts for the next appointment.
When lunch had rolled around, Jordyn took off at a near run with a quickly shouted: “Be back in 30!” over her shoulder where Tina was still standing with an open mouth and confused look on her face. She dashed towards Ink and Bone, the only thought on her mind was getting to Steve and setting things right between them. When Jordyn rushed to Steve’s station, she bit her lip when she saw that he wasn’t there. A cursory glance around the shop told her that neither was Jamie. Jordyn shoved her hands through her hair and saw that Heidi was staring at her with a concerned look on her face.
"Everything ok?" Heidi asked, the concern in her voice surprised Jordyn and she cleared her throat, taking a step towards her.
“Is Steve here?” Jordyn asked her quickly, avoiding meeting the woman's searching gaze.
“Just missed him,” Heidi had told her with a frown. “Is something wrong?” she asked again, and Jordyn shook her head. Just because Heidi sounded worried didn’t mean that Jordyn could trust her.
“No, no...I just need to talk to him,” Jordyn said, looking out the window and biting her lip. “I’ll just wait.” She gave a weak smile and headed for Steve’s station. She had barely been able to stay still while she waited, and every time the bell above the door jingled, her heart leapt into her throat. Each time she was let down because it wasn’t Steve or Jamie. Her lunch hour came and went, and Jordyn swore when she got a text from Tina asking why she was running late and offering to cover for her if she needed it.
Be there in a few. Jordyn hastily texted back and stood up slowly, shoving her hands back in her pockets. She stood straighter when her fingers touched the note she had written earlier. She pulled it out and looked at it, shifting from foot to foot before she made a decision. Folding the note in half, she placed it where Steve could find. She ran a shaky hand through her hair before she left with her heart on Steve’s desk. Jordyn had hoped Steve would contact her after he got her note, but for the past week, there had been nothing but silence.
Now all she could think about was the fact that she had single handedly destroyed her new relationship, first by freaking out on him and then again when she had prematurely told him she loved him and with a note no less. Rubbing her forehead, Jordyn wearily knocked on Dora’s door while checking her phone again for the umpteenth that day.
“Hey, babe. Get in here,” Dora grinned when she opened the door and jerked Jordyn inside.
“Shit!” Jordyn cried, trying to keep a hold of her phone that nearly fell to the floor at the sudden movement.
“Heeeey!” Tina called, already sitting on the couch.
“Heya,” Jordyn greeted when she recovered her footing and her phone. She waved and plopped down on the couch. She was fiddling with her phone when Tina sighed and crossed her arms.
“Still nothing?” she asked with a frown.
