PART 5- CHAPTER 188
JESS
My heart was hammering in my chest as I stood outside Luke’s building, squinting at the towering windows. I mean, I had literally crossed the country for this. Don’t be a chicken–shit, Jess.
I even had a solid argument, ready for why he should have been the one waiting for me, but since he couldn’t seem to locate his brain, here I was, channeling all my inner self–sufficient women. half–expected birds to chirp and sunlight to beam down like it was a Disney movie–but let’s be honest, life has been more of a horror movie than anything else.
Inhaling deeply, I smoothed down my dress, hands shaking. Luke loved this dress. It was strappy with tiny blue flowers all over. Or maybe he loved taking it off; I couldn’t remember. All I had to do was walk in there and lay it out: I remembered him. I loved him. And he was being ridiculous for keeping away. I could kick his ass for not showing up at the hospital, for letting me wait without a single word after he’d stormed back into my life, turned everything upside down, and then vanished like he’d never been there.
I pulled the building door open and walked straight to the doorman’s desk. He looked up, a trace of sympathy mixed with suspicion in his eyes. Before I even opened my mouth, he shook his head.
“I know that look,” he said, his tone overly familiar, like he’d seen
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PART 5 CHAPTER 198
this a hundred times before. “You lookin‘ for Luke?”
“Yes,” I said, trying not to sound as frustrated as I felt.
He raised his hand, palm out, already shaking his head. “Look, we get all sorts of fans trying to see the football players here. Luke’s not available, and you can’t just walk in and-”
I bit back a groan. He was clearly on high alert, probably thinking I was some crazed fan, and right now, I was too tired to even think of a convincing comeback. I’d wanted to do this alone, prove to myself I was strong enough, but I needed backup. I pushed through the revolving door back out into the street, spotting Josh’s familiar, tall figure.
Josh jogged over, raising a brow. “Problem?”
“Oh, just a little roadblock,” I muttered, grabbing his arm and dragging him back to the desk with me. The doorman’s face transformed the moment Josh walked in, his jaw practically hitting the floor.
“J–Josh!” he stammered, his face red as he scrambled to straighten his tie.
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Josh flashed him a polite smile, doing his best to look official. “Yeah, this is my sister, Jess. Luke’s my best friend, so I’m vouching for her. She’s definitely not a crazy fan trying to jump him.”
The doorman blinked, still flustered, as he slowly nodded. “Oh… oh! Of course, my apologies. I, uh, didn’t realize-”
“Yeah,” I said pointedly, gripping my bag and trying to rein in my nerves. “No worries. Can I go up now?”
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The silence that followed felt like forever, every heartbeat amplified and throbbing in my ears. I strained, listening for any sound on the other side. Then, finally, I heard movement–a shuffling, hurried movement as though he was taken off guard. Footsteps, then the soft click of the lock turning.
Instead, a woman stared back at me–tall, with a polished look, dark hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. She took one look at me, her eyes narrowing as if I were an intruder, something that didn’t belong.
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