Bad Rep (54 page)

They joined the group at the bar.  Cole went straight to Vivian, though he stopped by me first.  “Did you like the new stuff, Maysie?” he asked, winking at me.  I was way too sober for this.  I wished I possessed some serious liquid courage right then.  But honesty was all I could give. 

So, I nodded.  “Yeah, it was beautiful.”  Cole patted me on the back. 

“It sure was,” he agreed and moved on to Vivian.

Jordan came up to the other side of the bar.  There were at least a dozen people separating us.  He gave Lyla a hug as she handed him a beer.  He was quickly surrounded by his co-workers congratulating him on the upcoming Rejects tour and telling him how great the show was.  Moore came out from the back and locked the front door, turning the little get together into a full blown party.   The kitchen crew were trying to make a beer bong out of a colander and plastic tubing.  Jaz and Evian were climbing up on the bar to dance to a bad cover of Britney Spears' Hit Me Baby One More Time.  

Moore and Jordan were talking off to the side.  The manager had clasped Jordan's shoulder and I could see Jordan smiling.  God how I had missed that smile.

I was coerced into playing a rowdy game of beer pong with Rozzi, Tito and Cal.  I ended up knocking over more cups of beer than actually drinking.  Dina tried to talk me into going out back and sharing a joint with her but I passed. 

Then the night started coming to a close.  Not once did Jordan approach me.  After unloading his heart in that mind blowing song, he stayed as far away from me as he could.  I watched him way more than I wanted to.  He had spent the rest of the night talking to his friends as well as laughing with Riley and Damien.  I had no idea he had become so friendly with my best friend.  She had never mentioned it.  But I could see that they had become good friends.  And that made me jealous.  Because he and I had nothing.  Not even a friendship to show for all of it. 

Around two in the morning, Moore kicked everyone out.  There were more than a few grumbles but everyone filed out good-naturedly, some more drunk than others.  Gracie and Vivian were wasted and Cole offered to see them back to campus.  Riley was heading over to Damien's place so she handed me her car keys and said she'd see me in the morning.

“Be smart, Mays.  For once,” she told me shortly, her eyes darting to Jordan, who was helping Cole get Vivian in the car.  I nodded and she smiled encouragingly before heading off with her boyfriend. 

Garrett was trying to get Gracie to the band's van.  She kept falling down, laughing and I could see he was getting annoyed.  I hurried over and helped him get her up.  “There you are, Maysie!” she squealed, kissing me loudly on the cheek. 

“Yep, here I am,” I said, trying to haul her up to her feet. 

“Jordan loves you, Maysie!  No one has ever written me a song before.  You are soooo lucky!” she slurred.  My face flamed with embarrassment and I quickly looked over at Jordan, but he was still struggling to get Vivian situated.  She was making things pretty difficult because she kept grabbing Cole around the neck and trying to pull him into the back seat with her.

Gracie rolled her head onto Garrett's shoulder.  “Will you write me a song, Grady?  Pretty please?” Gracie hiccupped and I grimaced.  Garrett finally gave up and lifted Gracie in his arms, carrying her to the van. 

“It's Garrett, sweetheart.  As for the song, we'll have to see if you puke in my car first.” Gracie giggled as he got her in the back of the vehicle.  He threw me a quick smile before attending to my friend.

Finally, everyone was situated and ready to go.  “You coming, Jordan?” Mitch yelled from the back.  Jordan hadn't looked at me once.  Hell, he acted as though I wasn't even there.  So I was surprised when he shook his head. 

“Nah.  Maysie'll give me a ride.”  I will?  Cole leaned out of the open window. 

“Is that cool with you, Maysie?” he asked. 

My eyes darted to Jordan, but his back was still to me.  “Uh, yeah.  That's fine.  I'll see he gets home,”  I said. 

Cole winked at me again.  “Be good you two,” he called as he drove away. 

We stood silently in Barton's parking lot, watching the lights flicker out as Moore closed up.  Jordan started walking toward Riley's car.  “Well, let's get going,”  he said indifferently. 

What the hell?

I had to jog to catch up with him.  He waited patiently while I unlocked the doors and he got into the passenger seat.  I went around to the other side and got in.  “You okay to drive?” he asked, still not freaking looking at me. 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” I shot back. 

“Good.  I'm staying at Garrett's,” he responded shortly.

I flushed with the beginnings of my anger.  What was he playing at? I hated that I couldn't read him.  Not like I used to be able to.   He stared resolutely out of the windshield.  I put the keys in the ignition and turned the car on.  I was about to put the car into reverse when his voice stopped me.

“Did you like the song?” he asked, his voice sounding sort of funny.  I breathed in through my nose. 

“It was beautiful, Jordan.  I loved it,” I told him truthfully.  Some of the tension seemed to melt away from his body. 

“I'm glad,” he murmured.  I stared at his profile, willing him to say something else.  When it was obvious he wasn't going to, I figured I'd give starting a conversation a shot.

“Congrats on the tour.  I'm glad you decided to do it,” I offered.  The corner of Jordan's mouth twitched upwards in a smile. 

“Thanks,” he said.  And then the silence again.

Okay, this was getting beyond ridiculous.  “Was there a particular reason you wanted me to take you home?” I asked, sick of the song and dance we were playing around each other.  Jordan's hand came up and I watched him rub his hand through his much longer hair. 

“I don't know, Mays,” he let out in a rush. 

“You don't know?” I asked incredulously.  And then he finally turned his head and looked at me.  His eyes crackled with a fire that threatened to melt me on the spot. 

“No, I
do
know.  I just don't know that you're ready for it,” he said gruffly, not loosening his gaze.  I swallowed. 

“Tell me, Jordan. Please,” I pleaded quietly.  Jordan was breathing heavily in and out through his nose.  His neck was tense and he started clicking his tongue ring on his teeth. 

“Why, Maysie?  What more do you need me to tell you?  Haven't I already handed my fucking guts to you on a platter?  What else do you need to hear?” he asked me angrily.  Jordan reached out and gripped my chin in his strong fingers.

“Do you need to hear that I haven't stopped missing you for one single minute since we broke up?  Do I have to tell you that my heart hurts with how much I love you?”  He leaned in close to my face and both of us began to breathe erratically as the air heated up between us.  My skin pulsated beneath his fingers and I wanted so desperately to dive into this heady feeling he unleashed inside of me.

“I could tell you how much I want to kiss you.  That I want your taste in my mouth, on my tongue.  That I want to plunge so deep inside you that it will take me a lifetime to climb back out.”  OH. MY. GOD!

Jordan leaned in further until his lips brushed against mine.  “You have taken my heart, every inch of me, Maysie.  I don't know that I have anything else to give you that you don't already have.” I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over.  In that moment, I seized what was in front of me.  No more hiding what I was feeling.  No more worrying about anything but this beautiful man with his heart in his eyes.  I had learned since we were apart that life was too short to live with so much regret.  And if I let him go now, I knew the rest of my days would be spent knee deep in the worst regret I could imagine.

“I'm so sorry, Jordan. I've been such an idiot.  I love you.  So much.” I let out in a liquid gush.  Jordan's face stilled and his eyes roved over my face. 

“What?” he whispered, his breath dancing across my lips.

Then I realized he had been waiting to hear me say those words to him.  He had told me he loved me before but I had never said it back.  “I love you, Jordan.  With everything that I am.  And I'm sick of wasting time until we can be together. I don't give a shit about anything or anyone but you and me.” And just like that, Jordan's face relaxed and contentment spread across his face. 

He rubbed his nose against mine.  “What the hell took you so long?” he asked before crushing his mouth to mine.  At the first touch of his tongue I knew I had come home.  Jordan cupped my face in his hands and pulled away.  “Promise me, Maysie.  No more running.  Even when things get rough.  Even when we get scared, we'll talk it out.  Because there is
noone
but you.  There will never be anyone for me
but you!
  So we have to be careful with one another.  We have to go to each other before fucking it all up.  Promise me!” he demanded.

I brought my hands up and held his face as he was holding mine.  “I promise to stop being a coward and deal with life as it comes.  As long as we're together, I think I can handle anything.  You are my life, Jordan.  And I'm ready to start living it.”  Jordan grinned and plundered my mouth again, tasting me, teasing me, leaving me panting for more. 

“You're not going to Garrett's.  You're coming home with me,” I murmured against his lips.  Jordan's fingers combed through my hair before gripping the back of my neck in his warm, possessive hold.  A gesture that let me know I was his.  For always.

“Take me home, woman.  We have some catching up to do,”  Jordan said with a smile and that's exactly what we did.

Epilogue

Six Months Later

“Baby, I think a small village could survive off the shit you've packed in here.”  Jordan mused, staring into my bulging suitcase.  It lay open on my bed as I added dresses, shorts and shoes to the mix. 

“We're going to be gone for two weeks, Jordan.  I have to be prepared,” I reasoned, throwing in another pair of flip flops.  Now it was on to accessories.

“You know, they have stores in Mexico.  If you need something you could always get it there.”  Jordan put his hands behind his head and smirked as I started sifting through my earrings.  I looked over my shoulder at my too-sexy-for-his-own-good boyfriend and rolled my eyes. 

“Don't mess with the Maysie Ardin system,” I warned.  Jordan chuckled, but left me to it.

It was three days after Jordan's graduation and we were heading to Cancun for two weeks, a graduation gift from his parents.  They had been majorly pissed when Jordan explained to them his plans to take a year off and tour with the Rejects.  His father had threatened to disown him.  But after taking some time to cool down, they had reached a truce.  I knew this surprised the hell out of Jordan.  He had expected more of a fight. 

But his parents weren't as bad as he made them out to be.  He had taken me home with him for spring break.  I had fallen in love with his mother, who was the exact opposite of my own mom in every way that counted.  His dad, while a bit more reserved, clearly loved his son and wanted what was best for him.  Jordan was pretty damn lucky. 

My parents on the other hand maintained their staunch disapproval of all my life choices.  But I had learned that I didn't really care what they thought anymore.  That I was officially living my life for me.  And that was hugely liberating.

So, we were gearing up for our vacation.  I was looking forward to enjoying some sun and cocktails before coming back to work two jobs for the rest of the summer.  I had been hired back at Barton's and I would be starting an internship at the local newspaper in July.  So I would be pretty busy.

Jordan hooked his finger around the string of my bikini top and held it up.  “Oh, please tell me you're bringing this,” he pleaded.  I walked over to him and grabbed it from his hand while kissing him soundly on the mouth. 

“Don't you worry, baby, I have plenty of surprises for you.” My eyebrows rose and Jordan groaned.