Her stomach sank.
‘Daniel…’
‘You’re sleeping with both him and me, and you didn’t think to tell me?’
The words stuck in her throat, lost somewhere between regret and explanation.
Before she had time to explain, Daniel had walked away and disappeared into the crowd. She tried to follow him, shouting his name, but as weaved through the masses of fans he disappeared without trace.
Damn Jax Devlin.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
Fern had never known a stadium could feel so suffocating. One moment she’d been caught up in the electric buzz of Wembley– the flashing lights, the earth-shaking bass, the endless sea of fans waving their phones in the air like fireflies– and the next, all she could think about was Daniel, or rather the absence of him.
She’d scoured the wings of the stage, the back corridors, even the grimy side entrance where the band vans unloaded, but he was nowhere. He’d disappeared.
Her phone was practically useless, signal bars flickering on and off like a bad relationship. When her calls did connect, Daniel’s phone went straight to voicemail. She must’ve hit redial a hundred times, each time her heart beating faster hoping he would pick up. He was gone and she couldn’t blame him.
She hated herself for hurting him. How did she ever think Jax was a good idea?
Her mind went into overdrive. Would Daniel go back to her apartment? Or would he head straight to the station, desperate to put as much distance between them as a train would allow? The logical thing would be to make her way home, but Fern checked and found that the last train from Euston heading north left in a couple of hours. It was a gamble, but she decided to go to the station.
Fern jumped on the tube and slumped into a seat, her reflection wobbling in the opposite window as the train jerked to life. Even if she found Daniel, she didn’t know whether he would listen to her, but she had to try.
Jax crept into her mind. All it had been with him was proximity, validation and convenience. She’d convinced herself it was enough, but it wasn’t.Hewasn’t good enough for her.
Daniel was of a different calibre. With Daniel, she knew she could be herself– sarcasm, flaws, bad hair days, all of it. No airs needed, no carefully curated version of herself for Instagram. Just Fern. Messy, chaotic, stubborn Fern.
The train screeched to a halt at Baker Street, and the surge of people boarding pushed her further into her seat. Feeling tearful, she stared out of the window, watching the dark of the underground tunnels flash by. The thought of Daniel wandering through Wembley alone and upset made her stomach twist. She wanted to turn back the clock. She wanted to un-meet Jax.
By the time she reached Euston station, her mind was a jumbled mess of apologies and half-formed speeches. Shepractically bolted through the barriers, scanning every face she passed, hoping and praying that Daniel would be there. But the station was mostly empty, just a few stragglers and the occasional lost tourist dragging a suitcase behind them. She checked the departure board, but the train wasn’t due for another hour.
She sank onto a bench and waited. The minutes ticked by painfully slowly, her thoughts still spinning in circles. She played out every scenario in her mind, him walking through the station and pretending not to see her, him not coming at all… But underneath the panic, the guilt, the regret, there was clarity. For the first time in a long time, she understood what she wanted. Not Jax. Not fleeting flings or convenient distractions. She wanted to get to know Daniel better. A man who treated her like she mattered and not just another girl in a long–long– line of pretty faces.
She ran through the things she’d say if he gave her the chance. How meeting him had been like a breath of fresh air. How he made her laugh, how gorgeous he was and how Jax had never been anything more than a lesson. All she wanted to do was make it right. But the minutes stretched out, and her hope was stretched thin. The station emptied, the last train announcement echoing through the concourse like a countdown she wasn’t ready for.
She stood up, paced, scanned the arrivals and departures, clutching her phone like it was a lifeline. No texts. No missed calls. No Daniel.
There was only one thing for it. She’d make her way back to her apartment.
As she headed for the tube her phoned beeped with a text from Jax.
JAX
Where are you?
It wasn’t the text she wanted to receive.
Fern briefly closed her eyes before deleting their message chain and blocking his number.
ChapterTwenty-Nine
As Fern turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door, her phone buzzed sharply in her coat pocket, breaking the silence. Her heart raced, hoping it was Daniel, but when she looked at the screen she saw Ella’s name.
She hesitated. Her thumb hovered over the green answer button, but instead she let the call ring out. She didn’t want to explain what had happened, especially knowing Ella would be at the after-party, high on free drinks and music-world gossip, and no doubt with Jax. She slipped off her boots and coat, and switched on the kettle.
She’d half-hoped– probably foolishly– that maybe Daniel would’ve been here. She flopped down on the sofa, pulling her knees to her chest. All she could think about was the look on his face backstage, the hurt, the confusion.
