Forbidden Secrets (Completed ✅)

Twenty Five

"Steph .. Baby I'm sorry" Jordan  pleadingly spoke through the door
"Just go away" Steph said whimpered as she slid down the door in an emotional heap
"Come on sweetheart " Jordan  pleaded  as he tried the handle
"I am so so sorry that I have upset you this much tonight" he said as he rested his head against the door
She drew her knees into herself trying for comfort but not really succeeding "Don't worry about it" she said with her head rested on her folded arms. All she really wanted to do was run out there and let him comfort her, but where would that lead them. Most likely to a place neither of them could afford to be at the moment.
She heard him slide down the door to mimic her position and they both sat there for the longest moment longing to be with each other.
"Stephi?" Jordan said quietly
"What?" she said back from her same position
"I am not asking you to leave him you know" he said with uncertainty in his voice.
What that meant, she thought quickly. Was that her answer to the question she had constantly been asking herself? Was he not really in love with her like she was him. "I know" she croaked out not trusting herself to say more. She watched the steam rise from the tub and suddenly longed to drowned herself in its comforting heat
"I am going to take a bath I will be out in a little while" she said getting to her feet
"Ok, I will be here if you need me" he said from his same position.
She undressed and slid herself comfortably into the spacious tub. She sat absently played with the bubbles all around her as she listened to them pop softly making an almost rustling noise. She longed for some form of music because it was way too quiet in there. Lost in thought she started humming the last thing she heard from her CD player that morning. Her head jerked up when she heard soft singing from the other side of the door. She stopped immediately but the singing continued
"Jordan?" she said curiously
"What?" he asked back
"Are you still sitting outside the door?" she asked with a smile on her face
"Yeah, why?" he said and she could tell he had risen
"You don't have to stand guard for me" she laughed
"Yeah well, I don't have any other form of entertainment right now" and she could almost hear him shrug
"And just how am I entertainment" she asked again grinning
"Well you like good music" he said with a smile of his own "I know that one you were just humming"
"You should you asshole, you wrote it" she laughed as she blew the rapidly dying bubbles away from her.
"Oh yeah, I did didn't I" he said leaning up against the door again "You know what I have been wondering this entire time?" he said and she could tell he had a smirk on his face
"What?" she asked in curious voice
"Just how you are going to dry yourself off when you have no towel?" he asked chuckling
She looked around quickly and realized there was not a towel anywhere, not even a bath mat. Fuck why she think before she did this, and why hotels did didn't have to be so stupid and leave all the towels outside the fucking bathroom. She was trying to come up with options but sadly there were none. She could use her clothes but what well would it do her to dry off with the dirty clothes that she was just wearing. She stood up and had almost decided that she would just sit on the edge of the tub and drip dry when she began to shiver with cold.
"Stephi?" Jordan asked still chuckling
"What" she replied annoyed?
"Need a towel" he asked mockingly
"Yeah smart ass I do" she spat back completely pissed off
"Well I have plenty out here" he said still amused with himself
"Well why don't you just leave one at the door and disappear" she said angrily
He laughed this time "ok, ok if you are going to get mad at me I will" he sighed giving up and crossing the room to go grab a towel.
Completely annoyed at him she rushed over, threw open the door and reach down to grab the towel that wasn't there. She looked up in shock to see him almost at the door with two towels in his hands. They just stared at each other for a moment.
"Um we keep meeting this way" he said holding out the towel
She snatched it out of his hand and wrapped herself in it hastily. She could feel her face go hot with embarrassment. She angrily snatched her dirty clothes off the floor and stomped back over to the bed where she stood staring at the wall trying to regain some dignity.
"Stephi you have nothing" Jordan began
"Jordan don't even go there" she snapped. Cutting him off She was so tired of all of his games. He actually thought this was amusing.
"Stephi" He said as he walked up behind her "I don't know what I did to make you so pissed at me" he continued turning her around to face him "but I'm sorry"
"It's not you" she said looking at the floor "I am just," she paused "well I don't know what the hell I am and it is the easiest to be pissed off" she finished with a laugh that lacked amusement.
He reached over and grabbed her chin and lifted it up so she was looking at him. He smiled at her and she instinctively stepped closer to him. He brushed her damp hair off her face she leaned into him and rested her head on his chest.
"Jordan I just don't know what to do anymore" she whispered wiping at her eyes
"About what"? He asked softly as he wrapped his arms around her.
"About Brian and my job" she paused as the lump rose in her throat "and you" she barely whispered.
"What about me?" he asked softly with a smile as he brushed at her hair again
"Brian  is so threatened by you and well I know that we" her voice started to crack so she swallowed "well we started off wrong but now it's different and he just can't except that I don't love you like that" she finished looking up at him
"You don't?" he blanched. His look of shock was immediately replaced by a look of terror at his slip of the tongue.
"Don't what?" she asked trying to cover for him. The look he was giving her told her that he wasn't ready for this conversation and she didn't want to have it if he couldn't do his part.
He hugged her again completely avoiding the question or subject.
They stood there for a few more minutes as he continued to hold her. At this moment all he wanted to do was tell her that he did love her that way, in every way, but she had just said that she didn't love him so what would be the point.
He sighed out of frustration "Brian will be fine it will just take some getting used to" he said as she clung to him dripping water on to the carpet.
"I don't know why he even cares at all" she whispered her voice thick with emotion
"I know why" Jordan said quietly and almost hoped she didn't hear him
She looked up at him and the pain in her eyes threatened to shatter his heart. "Why then" she asked almost pleadingly. He wasn't sure if she wanted to hear why Brian should be in love with her or why he was so he decided to tell her his side only masked with the safety Brian.
"Well, Brian sees what an amazing women you are and" his voice almost broke and he had to swallow as she looked on. "and he knows how much you care about him so it frustrates him that you have to be involved with another man so closely" he said looking away. He realized her gaze was penetrating all the way to his heart.
"Thanks Jordan but you are wrong" she said finally pulling away from him
"Wrong about what" he asked as he watched her take her PJ's out of her bag
"Brian could care less how amazing I am anymore, he just doesn't want me to be the one to walk away" she said dejectedly as she reentered the bathroom.
While she was in there Jordan sat down on the bed and looked around. He had to do something to get her out of this funk but what? And for his sake they had to get off of this topic or he was going to lose his mind. He so hated having to lie to her this way, but at this point he just couldn't complicate matters anymore for her.
He saw her massive CD holder on the dresser next to her make up bag and had a great idea. He went over and thumbed through her extensive collection of CD's and pulled out his first album with the group that she seemed to be so very fond of. He found the track that he was looking for and when she came back out of the bathroom he pressed play and watched the shock play across her face.
"May I have this dance" he said with a bow
She smiled at him and laughed as she walked over "But of course sir I thought you would never ask me" she said as he took her hand as swept her up into his arms.
He couldn't help but hum the music due to the fact that he had probably sung this particular song thousands of times and he smiled when she started to laugh at him.
"What" he asked as they moved around the room in a way too flamboyant style for the song
"I was just wondering why you don't sing, since it seems like you can't help yourself" she said with a gasp as he turned her around in a quick spin.
He took up the notes and smiled down at her when she filled in the back ground. After another song played she was laughing and smiling just like he had hoped. He sat down on the bed and she plopped down beside him with a sigh. When the next song started she let out a laugh that made his heart vibrate. She sat up quickly.
"You know what we used to do as little girls? She asked jumping up
"What?" he said with an amused curious look
"We used to pretend like we were giving a NKOTB concert and we would dance around and sing all the time" she said singing a few notes into a pretend mic and laughing.
"And let me guess you were always Joe" he teased pulling her back down beside him laughing
"No ass" she said smacking his leg "I was always you" she said meeting his smiling eyes
"You know hearing this old music and catching the tail end of those stories has made me remember a few things I thought I had lost" he said laying back on the bed
"Like what?" she said lying beside him
"Well let's see, what stories make me look the best" he said with a hand rubbing his chin
"Stop that you liar, just tell me the truth" she said smacking his leg again
He propped himself up on his elbow so he could watch her reaction while he recanted his memories. He couldn't help but smile when he made her laugh. He really loved her laugh and he found himself rubbing her head from time to time. He kept fighting the urge to touch her face. As the night wore on he saw her eyes close heavily a couple of times but he kept right on talking. If his stories could give her some decent rest through all of this drama he had seemed to cause then it was the least he could do to give her that much. Her sleepy laugh was amusing and he was so shocked that she never once asked him to leave or even mentioned that she was tired. He watched her eyes fall for the last time and he kept lightly rubbing her hair until she rolled over onto her side and nuzzled up into him. He sat shocked for a moment and wondered what he should do. Alright he knew what he should do, he should ease out from behind her and go sleep off his desires on the couch like a decent guy but her smell and the warmth of her body kept him there. Admitting his weakness silently to himself he pulled the pillow under his head and eased off his elbow as not to disturb her. When his breathing finally matched hers he drifted off himself.
When he woke with a start the next morning he was almost blinded by the morning sun pouring in through the windows. He jumped up and snatched the clock off the bedside table.
"9:45, holy shit its 9:45" he said out loud as he pulled at his matted hair. He replaced the clock haphazardly and jumped out of bed. They were supposed to have met with the owners of the venue this morning at nine and then they had a radio interview at 11:30. He looked around quickly. Where in the fuck was she? He bolted out of the room to find Bubba relaxing on the couch in his usual suit watching the morning news.