Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Stepping back into the kitchen, Jade settled on a peanut butter sandwich to eat. She had already lost her appetite.
Even though she had tried not to rely on Braxton, or even expect him to arrive, she had at least started to hope he would be there. She didn’t know what was worse—not relying on him, or hoping he’d turn up.
****
Days turned into weeks.
The first week, she was able to go through the motions. The second week, she just knew he wasn’t coming back and that broke a little part of her. She knew it made no sense. She and Braxton were not a thing. He’d never promised that he’d be back. He had helped her, saved her, they had sex. There was no other agreement.
So, she got on with her life as best she could. She walked to work, did her day job, listened to Lucille talk about her family, and that was it. She’d sometimes go straight home, other times stop at the grocery store. She forced herself to eat. Her life was the same, back and forth.
So, by the end of the month, when she knew she’d done all she could, she decided to put on that little black dress she wore when she went out. She didn’t need to keep sitting on her ass all the time, waiting for a man who was nothing more than a fleeting interest.
Even though the last thing she wanted to do was go down to that bar, she felt she needed to, which made absolutely no sense to her. She’d never felt an overwhelming need to go to a bar. Apart from that one time when Braxton did show up. She wasn’t going now because she thought he was going to arrive. That was insane.
She didn’t even plan for there to be any kind of date. All she wanted was to have some fun, have a drink, listen to some music, and enjoy the atmosphere anywhere but her apartment. Also, on the short walk to the bar, there weren’t too many hiding places for men or women to be lurking.
There was no one there to stop her. No Braxton. No responsibility. She could be as reckless as she wanted to be.
Arriving at the bar, she took the same seat as last time, and then lowered herself into it. The bartender was the same. The bar was still quiet, but it did have a few more people than last time. She didn’t pay them much attention, and instead waited for the bartender to serve her a glass of wine. She offered him a smile, to which he nodded and then left.
Jade sat at the bar, listening to the soft, seductive music, and then took gentle sips of her drink. It didn’t taste any better or worse. She wrinkled her nose, and then chanced a glance around. Men wearing suits were in groups. Some of them had women with them. There were not too many couples, though.
She had attempted to come to the bar to get away from it all, but it made her wish for Braxton. One glass of wine, and she was already pining for a man who’d left. She shook her head.
“Why are you here?”
Jade tensed up and then turned to find the man she was trying to forget, taking a seat next to her.
“Braxton.”
He shook his head and pressed a finger against his lips.
She had no idea what he was warning her about. Glancing over his shoulder, she pressed her lips together, not exactly sure what to say or do at this point. Her heart raced at the sight of him. He looked his usual scarred self, but it was more than that. His hair had grown a little in the month since she had seen him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Answer my question!” He glared at her.
She glanced over at her wine and then she felt so angered by him, she picked up her glass and took a sip.
“I’m simply enjoying a glass of wine. That’s what single women do. They come to bars and enjoy the wine.”
“Single women?”
“Yes. Single women. You know, not attached to men. No boyfriend or husband, or … whatever.” She felt her face start to heat up. It wasn’t that she wanted to have a boyfriend, or did she? She didn’t know. Braxton confused her.
She went on all those dating apps to find a man she could love, not to go on endless dates that went nowhere. All the dates had ended in disaster. The only man to ever make her feel anything was the one right in front of her. He looked angry.
He leaned forward and pressed a hand to her thigh.
She loved that touch way too much, and that annoyed her. She knew she shouldn’t care in the least about him, or even allow him to touch her, but here she was, still caring. Still wanting his touch. It was insane.