**Here's the next chapter! I really am spoiling ya'll this week. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!**

Roxie's POV

I rolled over in bed and stretched myself out, releasing an inhumane moan-slash-groan as I heard a few pops in my joints here and there. I clenched my toes before fanning them out, trying to will the soreness in them from the previous night of heel-wearing away. I was incredibly thankful that I had today off; it was the first Saturday I wasn't working since I started at Rouge. I was still shocked that things had pretty much gone back to normal since I returned home two weeks ago.

A few seconds later, my phone began vibrating on the nightstand.

Well, everything went back to normal minus that, I thought to myself. I rolled over and watched the offending device buzz around before the call went to voicemail. I waited until it buzzed one last time, signaling a new voicemail, before finally picking it up and unlocking it. I immediately pulled up the recording and pressed play while snuggling back into the warmth of my covers.

"Hey Roxie girl, it's me. I was just calling to say good morning and that I miss you. I hope everything has been going good. I have a second meeting with Ezekiel this morning, but that's only thanks to you. He made sure I knew he was only agreeing to meet up once more for your sake. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate that. Your amazing heart is one of the things I love the most about you. I have to get going or I'll be late, but I hope you have a good day. I love you, Roxie girl. Be good."

The voicemail ended and I had butterflies in my stomach, the last line causing a pang of familiarity in my heart. It was the same thing he used to say to me at the end of every conversation, both in person and over the phone, all those years ago.

This had been my routine since the morning I woke up back here. Jedrek calls every morning and every night. Sometimes he calls during the day if something happens that he wants to tell me. No one knows about any of this because I keep it to myself. Khloe almost caught me once when she saw my search history on my phone - I'd googled how many voicemails you could have in your inbox before someone was unable to leave a message. When she asked me about it, I deflected by asking about Xander, something she was easily distracted by these days. Either way, I was incredibly happy for her.

She didn't need to be burdened by knowing I'd just saved all of Jedrek's voicemails to my laptop so I could clear my phone and not risk missing his messages.

I scrolled down and played the only older message, which also happened to be the first original message, that I chose to keep on my phone.

"Roxie girl, I'm so sorry for everything. I can't even begin to tell you how sorry. If I could go back and figure out a different way to go about this whole fucked up situation, I would. I would a million times over. Since the day I had to break things off with you, my life hasn't been worth living. I meant what I said, I never stopped loving you. Ever. You're the only woman I've ever wanted. I need you to understand that this is all out of my control and I never wanted to do what I was forced to. I fought this for the first couple of years after you left, but then I got complicit. There was no light at the end of the tunnel and I just gave up, but after seeing you it made me realize all over again how wrong you not being with me is and how much I've been missing out on in life. I'm doing everything in my power to fix this and make things right. I will fix this. I love you Roxie girl. Be good."

I sighed deeply, my thumb moving forward to press play again when a knock at my door startled me. I quickly exited out of the app before sitting upright in bed and facing Khloe's suspicious expression head-on.

"Were you watching porn?" she asked with a single raised brow.

"Yes," I blurted out without even thinking, blushing profusely seconds later. Going along with that lie was better than telling the truth. She snickered before running towards me and flopping down on my bed.

"Guess what I'm doing tonight?" she said in a sing-song voice.

"Working?" I asked, my voice laced with confusion. She was never this excited for work.

"WRONG!" she abruptly shouted before flipping from her back onto her stomach and propping her face up in her hands. "I have a date!" she finally squealed.

"Shut up!" I yelled, jumping up onto my knees and excitedly bouncing on the bed. She shook her head with a huge smile on her face before her look of elation turned sheepish.

"So do you, by the way," she remarked. I stopped bouncing and sat back on my haunches while giving her an 'excuse me?' look.

"Come again?" I asked nonsensically.

"Xander has a friend named Jonathan who works with him. He said he's really handsome and smart. The guy hasn't had any luck with the ladies since he relocated here a few months ago. When I was talking about you to him, he suggested Xander and I set you two up. So we did. He'll be picking you up tonight at seven," she said with a wince.

"Khloe-" I started to speak, a slight growl in my voice, but she cut me off.

"Please, just go for me? I know you claim to be moving on, and I'm so proud of you for actually applying to a few culinary schools, but that's the only thing you've done thus far. This isn't a new wound, Roxie. If you don't put yourself out there, you're never going to be able to let go."

I sighed deeply while giving her a look of resignation. "I'll go because you're practically begging, but when this doesn't work out, you can't get upset when I say 'I told you so'," I quipped. She rolled her eyes.

"If this doesn't work out," she corrected me.

"When," I shot right back before quickly changing the topic. "So, where is lover boy taking you?"

"I have no idea! He won't tell me anything other than that I should dress nice! When I told him I hated surprises, he just said to suck it up," she grumbled. I snorted before shaking my head and slumping back onto my bed, content to stay in that exact spot for the rest of the day.

"By the way, Ivy said she's coming over in a little bit to hang out if you wanna join us, Sleeping Beauty," she said with a smug smile. I just flipped her off and laid my head back down on my pillow. It was only nine-thirty and I finished my last shift at Rouge around three this morning, so I was still exhausted. I shut my eyes and allowed sleep to pull me back under.

**

Despite the relaxing conditions in which I fell back asleep, I woke up to utter chaos. There was loud music blaring through our apartment and I could clearly make out Khloe and Ivy's distinct voices in the kitchen. I rolled over and glanced at the clock on my phone, my eyes nearly bugging out of my head when I realized it was four in the afternoon. I was never going to get to sleep tonight.

I sauntered out into the kitchen where I found the girls sharing a glass of wine, Khloe in nothing but a face mask and a fuzzy robe. I raised my eyebrows in silent question.

"I want my skin to be extra glowy tonight," Khloe explained before taking a small sip of wine, being careful not to crack the clay mask. I chuckled before grabbing Ivy's glass out of her hand and finishing it for her.

"When are you going to start getting ready?" Ivy asked.

"Maybe in, like, an hour and a half?" I responded - though it sounded like more of a question than an answer.

"Do you want help with your hair?" Ivy asked, already knowing that was my weak point. I nodded before pulling the bottle of wine out of the fridge and pouring myself my own glass.

"Okay, then we should probably start doing it now because your hair is way too thick and long for me to get it done in a reasonable amount of time," she commented.

I followed Ivy and Khloe into Khloe's bathroom where Ivy proceeded to curl my hair while Khloe got herself ready from head-to-toe. I tossed my curls around to loosen them before setting them in place with some hairspray and stepping back to look at myself in the mirror. Even without makeup, I looked good. As stuck up as it sounded, I knew I wouldn't have any issues finding a man if I really wanted to.

Keyword: wanted. I was fine with staying single for now. 

Ivy and I walked Khloe out and wished her luck before pulling out my makeup and doing up my face. Ivy and I chatted the whole time about everything and nothing. She helped me pick out my outfit - which consisted of a cute blouse, jeans, and a nice pair of heels - before I got a text from a random number that they were waiting in the car.

"Hold up, he's waiting in the car?" Ivy deadpanned. "He's not going to come up here and walk you out?" she gaped, her feelings mirroring my own. I just shrugged and grabbed my clutch, giving Ivy a hug and letting her know to lock up if she decided to leave. I texted Khloe as I rode the elevator just to confirm that the number was indeed my date and not some creepy rando.

"What kind of car are you in?" I texted back as I peeked out the front doors of our complex. His reply was instant.

"Oh, you'll know. Can't miss it ;)". My brows furrowed in confusion before I just huffed in annoyance and stepped outside. I looked around for a few seconds before the window of a nice sports car rolled down. I looked inside to see a decent looking man waving me over. I didn't move, just looked at the guy. How was I supposed to know if that was actually him or not?

"You are?" I called out, waiting for a reply before I took a single step closer.

"Jonathan. You must be Roxanne?" he called back, the use of my formal name causing an unpleasant shiver to run through me. Feeling confident that he was who he said he was, I stepped closer to the car while simultaneously calling his phone. When I saw it ring in his lap, I felt comfortable enough to get into the car.

"You didn't believe me?" he asked.

"I've never met you before. A girl has to look out for herself in a city like this," I shot back.

"If I were a woman, and a man like myself called for me, I wouldn't question it," he commented with a smug smile. My head jerked back as I looked at him like he'd lost his damn mind. He just laughed the comment off before pulling into traffic and heading towards wherever our destination was.

"So, Roxanne, Khloe can't say enough good things about you," he said, starting up what I predicted was going to be a long night of small talk. I smiled politely.

"She's my best friend, so she's inclined to think the best of me."

"Well, I don't think she did your looks justice. You're even hotter in person than in the photo she showed me," he purred, eyeing me like I was a piece of meat. I had to work hard to suppress the sneer that wanted to make an appearance on my face.

'You're even hotter in person'? How old is this dude? Sixteen?

"That's very kind of you to say," I spoke, not having anything more polite than that to muster.

The rest of the car ride was relatively silent and awkward, but I don't think the feeling was mutual. Jonathan seemed to be in a little bubble of bliss as he drove, completely unaware of the uncomfortable vibe I was already giving off. I tried to shake it away as we pulled up to the restaurant - which was much nicer than I thought it was going to be. He got out and handed the keys to the valet, watching me struggle to exit the low-riding car in my heels with impatient eyes.

Gee, don't bother helping me or anything.

I gave him a pursed-lip smile before he pressed his hand to the small of my back and guided me inside. When the hostess looked at me, and I looked around, I realized how underdressed I was. However, it's not my fault seeing as I wasn't made aware of the location of our dinner. Jonathan, however, seemed to fit right in with his business-like suit.

I ignored the haughty looks from the other diners as the hostess walked us to our reserved table. I had excellent practice at dealing with these kinds of people considering how much of Sandra's shit I had to put up with back in the day. It wasn't until we were seated, had our menus, and were alone that Jonathan spoke again.

"I see Khloe didn't relay the sophistication of the place we would be dining at?" he asked while raising his eyebrow. Again, I was forced to keep my 'what the fuck dude?' expression at bay.

"No, she didn't. I didn't think we would be going somewhere so ritzy for a first date," I said with a sarcastic smile.

"Well, let that be a lesson to you. Jonathan Rivera will not be seen anywhere that has less than five stars," he retorted. I couldn't hold back the eye roll this time, however, he'd already opened his menu and began browsing, so he didn't see it. What a shame.

Man, what I wouldn't do for some fried, pub-style food right now I thought to myself as I skimmed and scanned the various options - all of which I couldn't even pronounce. There was, however, a chicken dish that sounded decent.

It wasn't long until our waiter appeared with a bottle of expensive-looking champagne. Jonathan made a show of smelling and tasting it before nodding. I thought people only did that with wine...? I tried to conceal my smirk at what a jackass he was being, but I must've done a horrible job as the waiter smirked right back at me when he asked if I wanted a glass as well.

"Yes, please," I stressed giving him a look that said it all. He filled my glass fuller than he did Jonathan's. I need to leave him my own separate tip.

"Have you both had enough time to decide on a dish, or would you like another few moments?" The waiter asked.

"We're ready. I'll have the ribeye steak medium rare and she'll have the quinoa salad with the salmon,"

I'm sorry, he just said what now?