Chapter 18
Zoe’s wasn’t prepared for the notifications on her phone from her social media accounts. Ping. Ping. The comments came in by the minute.
Cheater. Liar. All men are dogs and Alex Miller is no different.
What made matters worse was the comments about her. A photo showed of her and Alex in the parking lot when they left for the tour. Though they weren’t kissing, his feelings showed in the way he looked at her. The comments flashed in her mind.
She should stay away. Some women are so stupid they’ll fall for the lies. She’s dumb to waste her time with him. Idiot. She must be desperate. She’ll learn when he dumps her for another woman. #3monthAlex.
Zoe deactivated her accounts. Social media was brutal, and she didn’t want any more toxicity creeping into her mind. Resting her head against her front door, she wiped her cheek.
What made her angrier? The comments or the photo of Alex with another woman? He said it was before they became exclusive, but Zoe didn’t know what to believe anymore.
She pressed her palm to her forehead. Her body shook as she cried. How could she be so stupid? That’s what the media was saying. Was she? She’d been stupid before and history appeared to repeat itself. This was what her family warned her about. Why didn’t she listen?
Was that rustling she heard outside? Alex had gone, right? She rose to her feet and looked through the peephole. He was still there. Though he looked warped through the hole, his head dipped to his chin.
Zoe’s heart hammered in her chest. Everything in her screamed for her to open the door. Her hand drifted to the door knob. Her fingers itched to open it. When did she fall in love with him? Was it the first time she saw him holding Celine? The way he took care of Lisa?
She watched him walk down the hallway, his frame becoming less distinct to her through the peephole. Did he pause? He wasn’t moving and Zoe’s breath caught. She watched him turn around, with his hands stuffed inside his pockets.
“Zoe? I’ll go if you want me to, but I want you to know there’s no one else but you.” Alex rubbed at his forehead. “I was never good at this, but if it meant being with you…”
Zoe turned her back to the door, but she listened.
“Being with you has made me better. You challenged me and I liked it.”
His voice sounded closer. Zoe reached one hand down and pressed her palm against the door.
“Zoe, I...” Alex stopped.
She gasped. Did he leave? What was she doing? They agreed to talk things through. He was here. Fighting for her. It had to count for something. If it made her stupid, then she would risk it for Alex. He wasn’t her past. He was her new beginning if she let him. Zoe groaned and opened the door. “Alex?”
He stopped in his tracks and jogged back to her side. He held her tight to his chest. Zoe sniffled, but buried her face in his neck. His crisp aftershave made her knees weak.
“I’m sorry.” His voice muffled through her curls.
Zoe brought her mouth to his and kissed his lips. Alex kissed her back with passion equal with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Alex didn’t let go, pressing his mouth against hers. Zoe moaned. When he broke away, she cradled his face.
“This is a mess,” he said.
“Tell me about it.” She dug her fingers into his shirt.
“Zoe, I can fix this.”
She gave a soft smile. “How?”
“I don’t know.” He ran a hand down his face. “But I’m not losing you.”
“I’m staying off social media for a while. It’s too much.”
He lifted her chin. “I’ll make this right. Whoever is responsible for this, I’ll find out. Nothing’s coming between us.”
She kissed his lips one more time. Despite her reservations, she didn’t want to revert back to her old ways. Zoe would trust him. He took his time caressing her lips with his.
Zoe took a breath, which helped her regain her senses. She couldn’t think straight with him this close. “I need a minute to process all of this.”
Alex embraced her once more and then headed down the hallway. Zoe watched after him until he disappeared. Then she closed the door behind him. The ceiling fan in her living room whirred above her, cooling her skin. Zoe closed her eyes. When her phone vibrated, she walked over to turn it off, but saw Roslyn’s name on screen.
“Are you okay? What is it with people?” Roslyn asked.
Zoe combed her fingers through her curls. “No.”
“What did he say? I can’t see him doing this to you,” Roslyn said.
“He says it’s nothing. The photo was before us. We talked.”
Her friend sighed. “What are you going to do?”
“I wish I could get out of here. If it’s all over the internet, I know it’s all over town.”
“I wish there was something I could do. If only you could come back here and unwind a bit.”
“Maybe I should.” The tension built in her forehead.
“You love him?”
Zoe bobbed her head. She didn’t dare tell him before he left. What if it was too soon? “Yeah.”
“That’s great. You’re letting someone in again,” her friend told her.
“I know. That’s what so scary.” Zoe touched a hand to her chest. “It’s as if I know I’m doing the right thing, but there are still…”
“Doubts.” Roslyn finished her thought.
Zoe needed to talk to Dr. Burns. She was long overdue for a conversation. “At least I have school to focus on.” She rolled her shoulders back. “Anything else going on that I should know about.”
“Well…”
Zoe groaned. “What now?” She had enough drama for one day.
“I saw some flyers around campus and...”
“And what? It’s all over campus?”
“No, Jayden.”
Jayden? He was the last person Zoe thought she would hear about today. “What about him? He’s a professor at the school now?”
“More like a motivational speaker that’s coming to a seminar here.”
Zoe ran her hand down her face. “Wow.”
“I saw a clip of a video they put together for the promotion. He may be in a wheelchair, but he looks happy. Inspired, even. From what I’ve heard on campus, they’ve been trying to book him for a while. Didn’t you say once you hated that you never got closure?”
“I did but that was then. He’s moved on, Roslyn. I’ve done enough to mess up his life. Let him be happy,” Zoe said.
“I still think it’ll be a good idea to see him speak.”
It’d been too long. Sure, Jayden may have moved forward with his life, but that didn’t mean he needed to see her. Zoe looked upward, but the ceiling fan held no answers.