Page 88 of Fake Dating Daxton Hawk
“I know.” He pulls me back into a hug. “But I’m going to do better by you.”
* * *
Ryan and I talk for another hour in my bedroom, discussing everything we’ve missed out on in each other’s life. After freshening up with a shower, I meet him and Mina in the living room. They sit on opposite couches, with three mugs of tea on the coffee table between them, and Mr. Fluffy curled up on Mina’s lap.
“No Zac?”
“He’s at the gym with Adrian and Darius,” Mina tells me. I’m somewhat relieved by her answer. One less person to witness how miserable I am right now.
“So…” I drop to the couch with Ryan, crossing my legs beneath me. “I’m back to being a broke bitch.”
“There’s the Jordan I know,” Mina jokes. “Okay, but seriously, what are you talking about? You were living in Daxton’s penthouse for, like, a month or something, which means you have forty thousand dollars.”
“I gave back every last cent.”
“What? Are you crazy? You earned that money. It’s yours.”
I shrug. “The money was a reminder of the lie. It felt dirty.”
“Babe, who cares how it feels. Daxton lied to you. You don’t owe him shit.”
“I know. I just… couldn’t keep the money.” I reach for one of the mugs and bring it to my lips, cringing as soon as cold, sour liquid touches my tongue. “What on earth did I just drink?”
Ryan grins. “My famous kombucha.”
Famousis no overstatement. Along with Ryan’s popular YouTube channel, people are obsessed with his kombucha brew. He’s raking in the cash.
I look at the mug in front of Mina and raise a confused eyebrow at her. “You’re drinking this stuff? I thought you had some phobia of Ryan’s kombucha.”
She laughs. “Hey, he insisted on pouring all of us a cup. I never said I would drink mine.”
Ryan chugs down his entire drink within five seconds. “You should both be drinking a glass of this a day. Especially you, Jordan, with you barely getting out of bed at the moment. It will do you wonders.”
Classic Ryan, believing kombucha fixes everything. I sip on the kombucha to appease him, the taste not so bad now that I’m not expecting tea. “I should have asked sooner. Is Hannah here?”
“She’s flying in separately. Had a few things to wrap up before boarding the plane. Mina and Zac are letting me crash here for a few days. When Hannah arrives, we’ll find an apartment to rent.”
“You don’t have to move here for me—”
“I know I don’t have to. Iwantto,” Ryan says. “Hannah and I will stay for a couple of months before traveling again. It will be nice to spend time with you. You can even live with us if you like.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass. Your apartment will probably be a nudist zone.”
Mina snorts, twirling a finger around Mr. Fluffy’s ear. “Ryan, I better not find you walking around naked in this apartment.”
He winks at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep it in my pants.”
A moment later, a message alert beeps on Ryan’s phone. He pulls the device out of his pocket, pursing his lips when seeing the screen.
“Uh-oh,” Mina says. “I know that look. What’s wrong?”
Ryan glances up at her. “What? Oh, no, nothing is wrong. Ah, what were we talking about?” He slides the phone back into his pocket and smiles at us.
“That wasn’t suspicious at all. You sure everything is good?” I ask.
“There is something, but I don’t want to bother you.”
“Well, now I am bothered. Just tell me what it is.”
