I had finished the final coat on my nails when there was a loud knock on my door, startling me. I peered up at the clock on the wall. It was almost 1:30 in the morning. Who the hell could be beating my door down at this time of night?
Whoever it was, wasn't very patient as I heard another pound on the door. “Alright!” I called out, getting up off the couch. I sort of waddled to the door, careful to keep my newly painted toenails up off of the floor.
I unlocked the door and pulled it open. And almost dropped dead right there. “What the hell are you doing here?” I asked in shock, coming face to face with a very pissed off Jordan. His jaw was tense and he was clicking his tongue ring back and forth over his teeth in agitation.
“Can I come in?” he asked, his calm voice at odds with the tension radiating from his body. I blocked the doorway, not sure what to do.
“Don't you have some groupies to keep company?” I asked and hated how jealous I sounded. Jordan shook his head.
“Don't start this immature shit, please. If I gave a damn about any of those girls would I be here right now?” he asked, clearly frustrated. Hmm. Do I get annoyed that he called me immature? Or giggle like a school girl because he admitted to wanting to see me? Ack! I needed to get it together!
So I tamped down both reactions and concentrated on the matter at hand. “How did you find out where I live?” I asked, suddenly very aware of my barely there shorts and shirt and the fact that I wasn't wearing a bra. I tried to discretely cross my arms over my chest.
“Does it matter?” he asked tersely. I frowned at his attitude.
“Well, actually it sort of does.” Jordan ran his hands over his buzzed head and I could see the fine tremors in his arms. He was very worked up. He braced himself on the door jam, leaning into me. I backed up a fraction, uncomfortable with our close proximity.
“You think I'd let you hide from me forever?” he asked softly, his eyes sparking with an intensity that took my breath away.
I swallowed and moved aside, letting him come in. There was no point in having this conversation in the hallway. And I had the feeling he wouldn't leave, even if I slammed the door in his face. He had a look of pure determination. “I was getting ready to go to bed.” I replied, trying to put a serious time limit to this little discussion he seemed insistent that we have.
Jordan stood in the middle of my living room, his back to me. I couldn't help but check out the strong muscles of his shoulders and upper back. I had never found the back of someone's neck to be sexy before. But damn if Jordan Levitt didn't have a sexy neck. I wanted to put my lips right below the hair line.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. “So, um, can we make this quick? Because I'm super tired.” And suddenly super horny, but he didn't need to know that. Jordan turned around to look at me. He clasped his hands on the top of his head, and stared at me for a moment as though he were trying to work something out.
“What did I do?” he asked, taking me by surprise. I blinked. Once, twice, three times.
“Huh?” I asked, dumbfounded. Jordan sighed and started clicking his tongue ring again.
“I asked, what the hell did I do? I thought...I don't know...that we had something.” He sounded so vulnerable and more than a little hurt. I know my mouth gaped open. Was he for real? After blatantly blowing me off and jumping c**k first back into things with Olivia, he had the audacity to come to my damn apartment in the middle of the night to ask what he did?!
My face started to flush and I felt my temper rise. Jordan clearly didn't realize the dangerous waters he was swimming in. He took a step toward me, dropping his arms to his sides, hooking his fingers into his belt loops as he regarded me with an aching tenderness that would have made my toes curl had I not wanted to bash his freaking head in.
“Please, Mays. I'm miserable here. Tell me what I can do!” he pleaded with me and I finally lost it. I shoved him in the middle of his chest. He stumbled back and looked at me in shock.
“What the hell, Maysie?” he demanded, furrowing his brow.
“You f**king bastard!” I yelled, letting loose all of my anger, my humiliation, my gut wrenching sadness at being shoved aside for Olivia Peer. I let it all out in those three words.
I shoved him again, feeling the urge to hurt him. “How can you stand there and ask me something like that after EVERYTHING?” I was being loud. I knew my neighbors were probably getting an ear full through our paper thin walls. But at that moment, I didn't care.
Jordan held his hands up, trying to stop me. “Why are you so mad at me? I'm in the dark here.” He sounded genuinely perplexed, but I was passed hearing any of it. I took a threatening step toward him and got right into his face.
“Why am I mad? Are you stupid? Or just blind? Maybe it's the fact that I've been branded the college whore after hooking up with you? Or maybe it's the fact that you went right back to Olivia after telling me...” I drew in a shaky breath, my anger starting to fizzle out and being replaced with the overwhelming need to cry.
I bit my lip to stop the tears and squeezed my eyes shut. “You text me telling me that you want to talk. I text back. And then I hear nothing. And then the whole time I'm dealing with the fact that most of my sisters now hate my guts and everyone is talking about what a skank I am. You've been miserable? Give me a damn break.” I couldn't stop the traitorous tears that escaped behind my closed eyelids.
I furiously wiped them away, hating the show of weakness in front of Jordan. I bowed my head refusing to look at him. There was absolute silence between us. I was acutely aware of Jordan's breathing and my heart pounded in my chest so hard that I was surprised it didn't come flying out and smack him in the face.
Then I felt his hands on my upper arms. His thumbs caressed my bare skin and I loathed how much I loved it. He tilted my chin so that I was looking at him. His eyes were sad as he stared down at me. “Maysie, I had no idea...” I barked out a laugh.
“Have you been living under a rock?” Jordan frowned.
“No, Garrett's house, actually. I haven't been back to my place but to get some clothes and books for class. I've been purposefully staying away from the house.”
“But, what about Olivia then?” I couldn't help the bitterness that was obvious in my question. Jordan cupped my cheek and stared me straight in the eye.
“I broke up with Olivia the night of the mixer,” he told me quietly. My heart stopped. That couldn't be true!
“But she told me you were together. And she stayed with you that night...” My voice trailed off. I was completely confused.