Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
“If you keep attacking the same spot, it’s going to become threadbare,” Journey interrupts me from what I’m doing. I really look at the spot and realize she’s right. My mind is definitely not where it should be. Madden and his devastatingly handsome charms, good looks, and magical hands have me lost in a daydream.
“Whoops.” I’m currently lost in my own little world of self-pity. I mean, it’s exactly where I belong to be after the bullshit I threw at Madden.
“Girl, you have been like this since you walked in. You want to talk about it?” Journey is dressed in a loose top and pants, hair up in a jaw clip, bare minimum in the makeup department. The amount of clothing she’ll be trying on, neither of us wants to do a plethora of touch-ups or laundry once it’s said and done.
“I texted Madden yesterday.” I place the steamer on the table beside the rolling rack, knowing that doing two things at the same time when it requires talking about my mistakes and owning up to them is not easy for me.
“About time.” Leave it to Journey to not hold anything back.
“Yeah, except he didn’t respond, and it’s been over a day. I don’t know what to do. Am I supposed to send him a follow-up text or call him? I’ve never been in this situation. Remember, I swore off any sort of relationship after the last one.” I went through the gamut of emotions—sadness, hurt, anger, and then peace. It also came with a hardened heart, so yeah, I’m a damn mess.
“I’d call him. If Madden has his hooks set in you like it so clearly seems he has, I think you need to be more persistent. He chased after you, calling, texting, tracking down your address and then some. A relationship isn’t just one-sided; it’s putting your all into it from both parties.” She is referring to Josh, who didn’t do anything except what he wanted to do, demeaning me with his derogatory remarks. And I was so complacent that I didn’t even realize he was doing it until it was too late.
“Fine, I’ll call him. If he doesn’t answer, then what do I do?” God, who even am I? If this were a year ago or even two years ago, there wouldn’t have been a care in the world.
“See if he answers, then go from there, but first, we’ve got to get this show on the road. We go live in an hour, and as much as I’d love to ignore work, we can’t. It’s crunch time.” At least now I have a game plan in effect.
“You’re right. I’ll steam the rest of these. The camera and lights are already set up. You can change into the first outfit. I should be done steaming this one by the time you’re ready, then we can adjust the angles until it’s perfect.” That’s what influencers or creators don’t show you. There’s a lot that goes into the behind-the-scenes stuff, capturing the right lighting, and when you’re going live, a lot can go wrong.
“Hendrix, it’s going to be okay. Things always have a way of working out.” Journey brings me in for a quick hug. I had no idea how much I needed that hug until the tears start to form in the corners of my eyes. To prevent them from sliding down my cheeks, I make fast work of blinking rapidly until they’re dried up. That’s also about the same time Journey lets go, looks in my eyes but doesn’t say a word. She knows my emotions are all over the place and still lets me be.
“Yeah, it will. Now, shoo, away with yourself. We have work to do, and then I’ve got a phone call to make.” I grab the steamer, making out like I’m going to steam Journey if she doesn’t get into the first outfit. The longest parts of our days are the type of days when it’s try-on after try-on, and don’t get me started on what tomorrow will bring. It’ll consist of cleaning up the space we’re currently working in, editing some of the video from the live feed to use on Instalook, and emails and direct messages that fly in will be through the roof. Journey tries to get to all of them as much as she can, but with the amount of followers she has, it’s hard. It’s why sometimes, if it’s a question for a link, I’ll help her out, but for the most part, Journey is doing as much as she can while I do the behind-the-scenes stuff. The rest of the day passes in a blur, and by the time it’s done and over with, I’m a ball of nerves and flying out of the door as soon as I can to call Madden.