Chapter 205 - 0205: But He Wasn’t Jaxx

Chapter 205: Chapter 0205: But He Wasn’t Jaxx

Elena’s Point Of View

"You want him again, don’t you?"

I stayed silent for a long moment, my fingers tracing the rim of the empty shot glass, the music pulsing around us like a living thing. Lexy’s question hung in the air, heavy and unanswered, because the truth was, I didn’t know. I didn’t know if I wanted Jaxx again.

I didn’t know if I should. I didn’t even know if I was ready to admit it to myself. The question felt like a splinter under my skin, small but impossible to ignore, burrowing deeper the longer I let it sit there unaddressed.

So I downed my shot instead, the liquor burning a sharp, clean path down my throat, the sudden warmth spreading rapidly through my chest and loosening the tight knot between my shoulder blades. For a moment, at least, the burn gave me something else to focus on besides the truth I wasn’t ready to face.

"I don’t know, Lex," I admitted, leaning my elbows heavily against the damp wooden counter, my voice barely audible over the wall of sound bouncing off the walls. "I really don’t. It’s not that simple, and you know it."

Lexy stared at me for a long moment, her dark eyes searching mine under the flashing violet club lights, her expression completely unreadable. But she didn’t push. She never did when she saw I was actually reaching my limit... a mercy I’d come to rely on more than I liked to admit over the years we’d known each other.

There was a history between us built on exactly these kinds of moments, when words failed and all that mattered was someone staying close. Instead, she let out a long sigh, shaking her head as she raised two fingers to flag down the bartender for another round.

"Fine. But you better figure it out soon, babe," she said, her voice light on the surface but carrying a firm, grounded edge. "Because you can’t keep running from this forever. You can’t just pretend that night didn’t happen every time you get overwhelmed."

I exhaled slowly, my shoulders relaxing just a little as I looked at her. There was something steadying about Lexy’s bluntness, even when it cut close to the bone. She’d never let me hide behind excuses, not once in all the years I’d known her, and tonight was clearly no exception. "I know. I’m not trying to run. I’m just trying to keep my head above water."

She grinned, nudging my side with her elbow. "Good. Now, change of subject, what’s the first thing you’re gonna do when you finally kick Graham’s sorry ass to the curb for good?"

I laughed, a real, genuine sound that surprised me, the lingering tension in my stomach easing just a little more. It felt good to laugh, even for a moment, even with everything else hanging over me. The sound felt foreign coming out of my own mouth after the week I’d had, like something rusty finally working loose. "Burn his tailored suits? Or maybe just sell them back to his favorite boutique for half price?"

"Yes," Lexy said, her grin widening instantly. "And then send him the itemized bill for the dry cleaning on top of it. Let his high-priced divorce lawyers figure out how to deduct that from his precious settlement."

I snorted into my empty hand, shaking my head at her. "You’re completely evil, you know that?"

"And you love me for it," she shot back, winking as she picked up her fresh glass and downed her own shot without flinching. "Now, seriously, El... what’s the actual plan once the ink dries? Because I know you’ve got one tucked away in that scary corporate brain of yours."

I hesitated, my mind racing through the endless stack of legal disclosures, the injunctions, and the raw exhaustion of the last six months. The weight of it all pressed down on me even here, even now, in a club full of noise meant to drown it out. Six months of fighting, of lawyers and sleepless nights, and somehow I still didn’t have an answer to a question as simple as what came next.

"Honestly? I don’t have one yet, Lex. For the first time in my life, I don’t have a five-step strategy. I’m just... trying to breathe. I want to wake up in the morning without dreading my inbox. I want to leave my office at five o’clock and not worry about who’s watching my apartment building."

Lexy’s teasing expression softened completely, her hand reaching across the bar top to cover mine, her touch warm and grounding against my cold skin. "Then breathe," she said, her voice dropping all its usual sarcasm, leaving only deep, authentic care. "Take every single second you need. But promise me one thing: you won’t let that paranoid bastard win. Don’t let him make you small."

I stared down at our overlapping hands, my throat tightening suddenly with genuine emotion. Lexy had seen me through worse nights than this one, and something about her steady presence made the fear feel smaller, more manageable. She’d been there through the worst of it... the court dates, the late-night panic, the nights I couldn’t stop shaking, and somehow she always knew exactly what to say. "I won’t. I promise."

She squeezed my hand tight, her familiar, wicked grin returning in an instant. "Good. Now..."

She didn’t get to finish.

Because that’s when he appeared.

A shadow fell over the space between our bar stools, the clean, sharp scent of an expensive cedarwood cologne cutting right through the heavy haze of smoke, spilled spirits, and sweat in the club. I glanced up, my smile fading as a man slid onto the empty high stool right next to mine, his physical presence sudden, bold, and entirely uninvited.

"Hi," he said, his voice smooth, carrying an easy, effortless confidence that immediately put my guard up.

I didn’t look directly at him. I didn’t want to.

Because he wasn’t him. He wasn’t Jaxx. He wasn’t the broad-shouldered, dangerous shadow I’d spent the last three weeks trying... and failing, to scrub out of my mind. Even the thought of that comparison annoyed me; I hadn’t asked for it, and yet there it was, uninvited as the stranger beside me. It seemed like every man I met now would be measured against that same impossible shadow, whether I wanted it or not.

Lexy’s eyes flicked over his face, her smirk turning instantly wicked as she leaned into my space, her voice dropping into a sharp, conspiratorial whisper against my ear. "I’ll leave you two. Looks like the night might actually end well after all."

"Lexy!" I hissed under my breath, my fingers immediately tightening around the fabric of her sleeve to pin her in place. "Don’t you dare leave me here."

"Oh, please, you need to practice your conversational skills," she teased, pulling her arm free with a fluid tug, her bright laughter getting swallowed up by the crowd as she melted seamlessly back into the sea of dancing bodies on the main floor.

I silently cursed her under my breath, my gaze reluctantly flicking back to the man sitting beside me. He was persistent, I’d give him that much. His dark eyes were fixed directly on my face, his smile still easy, still completely expectant, as if he were entirely used to getting whatever room he walked into.

There was a certain polish to him, the kind that came from a lifetime of doors opening without having to knock, the kind of ease that came from never once doubting he belonged exactly where he stood.

"Rough night?" he asked, his voice easily cutting through the thumping bass of the overhead speakers.

I exhaled through my nose, my patience already wearing thin. "Not really in the mood to talk," I said, my voice dropping into my standard executive tone... cool, distant, and firmly professional, as my gaze fixed back onto my empty glass.

He didn’t take the hint. He didn’t even shift on his stool.

"Come on," he said, leaning into the counter just a little, his voice dropping an octave, low and casual. "I don’t bite. Unless you want me to."

I nearly choked on my next breath, my head snapping toward him in sheer disbelief. "Wow. Smooth. Did you pull that straight out of a nineties pickup manual?"

He grinned, entirely unbothered by the bite in my voice. "Hey, if it works, it works. I try."

I rolled my eyes, leaning my back against the edge of the bar, but despite myself, there was a faint flicker of something... mild amusement, maybe, stirring deep in my chest, unexpected and almost unwelcome after the week I’d had. "You’re wasting your time," I said, keeping my voice firm and uncompromising. "I’m really not looking for company tonight."

"Or maybe I’m just getting started," he countered, his grin widening as he comfortably rested one elbow on the wood. "I’ve been watching you dance for the last twenty minutes. You didn’t look like someone who wanted to be left alone."

I finally looked at him... really looked at him. He was handsome, I’d give him that without argument. Dark, short-cropped hair, a sharp, clean jawline, and eyes that sparkled with genuine mischief under the neon lights. He was well-dressed, too... a fitted dark jacket over a clean shirt, simple, clean, and understated.

But he wasn’t Jaxx. He didn’t have that suffocating, dangerous gravity that made my breath catch in my throat just by standing in the same room.

There was no undercurrent of menace beneath his charm, nothing that made the hair on my arms rise. He was just a man in a bar, and for once, that felt like enough. Maybe, I thought, that was exactly what I needed tonight - someone uncomplicated, someone who asked nothing of me beyond the next few minutes.

Still, there was something about him... something light, simple, and refreshingly fun. And tonight? After the day I’d survived, simple and uncomplicated sounded almost heavenly.

"Fine," I said, my voice dropping into a direct challenge as I turned slightly on my stool to face him. "Entertain me then. You’ve got two minutes before I go drag my friend back over here."

His grin turned wicked, accepting the challenge instantly. "Oh, I will."

He leaned in closer, his elbow resting firmly on the bar, his dark gaze locked onto mine with complete focus. "So. What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this all alone at the bar?"

I raised an eyebrow, my lips curling into a dry smirk. "Waiting for a guy like you to come over and annoy me, obviously."

He threw his head back and laughed, the sound rich, warm, and completely unforced. "I like you already. You don’t pull punches."

"Good for you," I shot back, but the sharp, defensive bite in my voice had noticeably softened. "Don’t get used to it."

"What’s your name?" he asked, his tone shifting into something smoother, quieter.

"Elena," I said, keeping my guard up but letting my curiosity hold its ground.

"Elena," he repeated, saying it slowly, like he was testing the cadence of the word. "I’m Daniel."

"Hi, Daniel," I said, my voice dry as bone.

He grinned, entirely unfazed by my lack of enthusiasm. "You’re funny. A little lethal, but funny."

"And you’re persistent," I countered, resting my chin on my hand. "Do you usually harass women who look like they’ve had a terrible week?"

"Only when it’s worth it," he said, his gaze dropping to my lips for just a fraction of a second before flicking straight back up to meet my eyes. "And you definitely look worth it."