“Oi, what was that for?”
“Your handsome charm doesn’t work on me. A lot has changed in three years but not that.” She pursed her lips and eyed her watch. “I need to head into the recovery room.”
“And coffee?”
“Maybe.” She tilted her head. “Not sure you deserve it yet.”
“I’ll buy?”Say yes, say yes, say yes, please.
“Well, that was a given.” She pursed her lips. “When did you want to go?”
“Is that a yes then?” Hope flooded me, a foolish emotion. Hope was stupid when there was so much room for error. You worked hard for things, or you didn’t. Things went your way sometimes, other times it didn’t.Hopingmy dad got his shit together and didn’t leave a thirty-year marriage for someone at work didn’t do a goddamn thing.Hopingmy sister’s baby daddy stepped up to help was useless. I shovedhopeaway and held my breath. So much depended on her answer for reasons I couldn’t fucking explain.
“Yeah. It’d be nice to… catch up.” She gulped and adjusted her ribbon. “I have questions.”
“I’ll answer anything you want.”
My smile almost hurt my face it was so big. I probably looked obnoxious. I smiled all the time. I was thehappy go luckydiffuser of tension. Jokes and smiles were my currency but real joy? Nah. It had been a minute. “I’ll be out of here by four.”
“Oh, you meant today?” Her eyebrows rose.
“Yes.” I was probably coming on a little strong, but this wasn’t a date. I didn’t fucking date. It wasIvy.“Anywhere you want. Wait, I know this place. You would love it. It’s called Zuke’s.”
“I love Zuke’s!”
“Ivy, come on.” Abe joined us, his eyes wide as he stared at me.
The dude was clearly a fan, but I didn’t like him or the way he touched Ivy’s elbow. She didn’t seem to mind, and now I had a million questions. She hated when people touched her. Her love language was the opposite of touch. I knew because we did all those tests together in the summer of freshmen year. So was she okay with touch now? Did he mean something to her?
“I’ll see you at four?” I wanted to reach out and close the distance between us. This momentary truce felt fragile, and it wouldn’t take much for it to shatter.
She smiled, not the full Ivy smile but half of it, and nodded. Then she didn’t look back as she left with Abe. The same flutter of anticipation I had before returned but a thousand times more aggressive. I was excited to catch up with her.
“Dude.” Someone clapped my shoulder, a familiar laugh following it. “You are so fucked.”
I shrugged Dean’s hand off. “Because I’m getting my friend back? What the fuck ever.”
“Sure,that’swhat’s happening.” Dean’s grin widened.
I kinda wanted to knock out a tooth to see if he would still be handsome. He’d probably pull it off. “Aren’t you supposed to be on the field of something?”
“Deflection. A sure sign of denial. Oh, let’s analyze?—”
“Fuck off, Romano.”
I grabbed my headphones and got to work, a smile lurking as I thought about coffee. Dean didn’t know shit. He wanted to revenge at me for helping not only his twin sister but also his now-girlfriend. Ivy returned to my life, and I was excited. Nothing more, nothing less. I missed my friend. Dean didn’t know shit. Falling for Ivy? Nah. That’d never happen.
9
IVY
Due to my parents being coaches, my commandment growing up wasif you aren’t fifteen minutes early, you’re late,but then you threw in my overanalyzing brain, and I ended up at the coffee shop twenty minutes early. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t any traffic.
I didn’t even drive.
That was how worked up I was. My knee bounced, and I studied it, seeing two hairs I forgot to shave. Damn it. Why was shaving a kneecap so hard?
Ugh. Why did I wear this overall dress?
