Page 8 of My Girl to Use

My exhaustion crashes into me all at once, heavy and overwhelming. And before I can talk myself out of it, I’m moving toward the door.

“I’ll be right back,” I whisper to him, even though he doesn’t understand me. “We’re fixing this.”

I open the door and step into the hallway, where the noise is instantly clearer. I walk straight to the apartment next door, my heart pounding harder with every step.

I don’t do this. I don’t knock on people’s doors. I don’t ask for things. But today? I don’t have a choice. I lift my hand, ready to knock, when the door swings open.

I almost stumble back, my hand still half-raised, as the woman storms out. Her heels click sharply against the floor, her face tight with anger and something else—frustration, maybe even desperation.

Up close, she’s even more put together than I remember. Flawless in a way that makes me instantly aware of my oversized shirt and messy hair. She doesn’t even look at me. Just brushes past like I’m not there.

“Unbelievable,” she mutters under her breath as she heads for the stairs.

And then he’s there. Jax. Blue jeans and black T-shirt, blond hair shoved back by nothing but his own hand, and it doesn’t matter—he still looks like the photograph and not the person. He stands in the doorway, shoulders tense, mouth set in a hard line. His blue eyes are dark, like whatever just happened isn’t finished in his head yet.

For a second, he doesn’t notice me, his focus still on the woman walking away, but then his gaze shifts and lands on me. And everything in his expression changes. Not completely. The tension is still there. But his gaze softens.

“Hey,” he says, voice lower now. “Sorry about that.”

Levi lets out a loud cry. Right on cue.

I grit my teeth, exhaustion hitting me all over again, sharp and overwhelming. “Yeah, well…he’s not a fan of whatever that was,” I snap, the words slipping out before I can stop them.

His brows lift slightly, like he wasn’t expecting that. Good.

“Fair,” he replies after a second, glancing toward my door. “Did we wake him?”

“Yes,” I say immediately, my voice tight. “I just got him to sleep and…” I cut myself off, shaking my head as Levi lets out another loud cry. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” he says, stepping forward slightly, concern flickering across his face. “I didn’t realize—”

“Well, now you do,” I cut in, sharper than I mean to be, but I’m too tired to soften it. “So maybe keep it down next time.”

I don’t wait for a reaction. I open my door only to hear Levi cry again. Louder this time, and the momentary guilt I felt for snapping at my neighbor dwindles.

“Wait! I didn’t get your name,” Jax calls behind me.

“Zora,” I retort, then I enter my apartment and shut the door behind me.

I lean against the door for a second, wondering why I answered him. I don’t get to dwell on it for long. Levi’s cries fill the room, sharp and relentless, and I rush quickly to pick him up. I shift him against my shoulder, trying to soothe him, but it’s not working.

Not like before. My movements are slower now, my patience thinner, my head pounding from lack of sleep.

“I know, baby, I know,” I croon, pushing off the door and pacing again. “I’m trying, okay? I’m trying.”

But nothing works. Not the rocking. Not the soft shushing. Not the way I usually hold him. He just keeps crying, his tiny face scrunched, his body tense, and the sound cuts right through me.

“I don’t know what you want,” I whisper, my voice breaking slightly. “Tell me what you need.”

A knock sounds at the door. I freeze. For a second, irritation spikes. If that’s him complaining about the noise… The knock comes again. Softer this time.

“Zora?”

My head snaps up. He used my name. I hesitate, my grip tightening slightly around Levi as he cries against my shoulder.For a second, I consider ignoring it. But then Levi cries louder. And I’m so tired. So desperate for five minutes of quiet. I exhale slowly and walk to the door, pulling it open just enough to see him.

“What?” I ask, not bothering to hide the edge in my voice.

He doesn’t react to my tone. If anything, his expression softens slightly, his eyes flicking to Levi, then back to me.