Tempting /A Jordan Knight fanfic ✔️

Chapter 2: New Beginnings

Three months later

The house in front of me was desperately ordinary. I sat in my car, staring up at the one-story, brick faced house, and already, I missed the cold but familiar exteriors of New York living. My back and butt were sore from the 13 hours of near non-stop driving, aside from the occasional bathroom and food stop.

Checking my phone again, my shoulders slumped seeing my sister, Mel, still hadn't sent word that she was on her way to let me in the house.

My temporary home.

I ran away from my last home, tail tucked between my legs and my old friends hiding their pitying stares in my rearview mirror as I drove away. I hated that they pitied me, but if I was being honest with myself, my situation was the textbook definition of pitiable.

I was the girl whose boyfriend cheated on her, left her, and paraded the new relationship in her face for as long as she could physically take until the heartache crippled her soul and dignity almost completely. Staying in New York was no longer an option if I wanted to keep my sanity intact.

So I ran.

I ran as far away as my wallet would take me all the way to where I was now. Chicago, Illinois. Here, where I had no friends, no job, little savings, and even less hope.

At least here, no one knew what happened. No one would give me that look that screamed 'Oh, that poor girl.'

Finally down the road, I spotted a silver car racing towards the driveway I sat in with a familiar looking brunette woman behind the steering wheel. Turning off my engine, I opened the driver's side door and dipped out of the car into the almost too sunny mid-July day.

Her car lurched forward awkwardly as she jammed it into park, and I had to smile at her high-strung energy that was low-key present at all times. Even as kids growing up, Mel was never really a true 'kid'. She was overly observant, adored having a meticulous schedule, and was the only child in her kindergarten class to make a request that nap time be banned as it was, in her words, "A waste of time."

Growing up with an older sister who'd rather memorize the capital of every state than play cops and robbers with you wasn't particularly ideal, but she was who she was, and I loved her for it.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Mel jumped out of her car, making her way up to me. "I know I'm late but I had—"

"Work?"

She breathed out a sigh that was as exhausted as the look in her eyes. "Always."

My sister's stare dipped, and her plucked eyebrows furrowed in as she examined the rest of me. "Did you get skinnier? How is that even possible?"

"Break ups will do that to you," I replied, forcing an edge of humor in my voice.

Mel rolled her eyes back up to mine. "He's a dick, and my offer to kill him still stands."

"Much appreciated."

My entire car was packed front to back with as many of my possessions as I could fit, and what couldn't was left behind with the rest of my broken heart. Between the two of us, we grabbed as many of my belongings from my car as we could and made our way inside the house.

"I didn't have much time to pick up between these two cases they've put me on at work, and Jordan pretty much never cleans so apologies, but also—" She dropped the bags of mine she'd grabbed against the wall of their entryway. "You're staying here for free, so I'm not that sorry."

"And if I haven't said it a thousand times already, I'm very grateful, and I'll buy you something pretty whenever I get some cash flowing in again." Following her lead, I dropped my belongings against the same wall she had before we both made two more trips back and forth to my car until all of my stuff was inside.