Chapter Twelve
Ivy
January 2023
The night air is chilly, brushing against my skin, making goosebumps appear. I open my eyes and notice I’m not in my room. Sitting up, my nerves begin to bunch in the bowels of my stomach, the previous night begins to play in my mind.
Looking over to my left, I see Abel’s back facing me. It’s covered with ink and designs of all kinds. I reach out to touch it but pull my hand back.
I can’t wake him up because I have to go. I’ve overstayed my welcome.
Thinking quickly, I have to look around and plan my escape.
I won’t lie and say we didn’t have an amazing night together, because we did. He’s made me feel more beautiful than Jake ever did.
But I can’t let that stop me from leaving.
I get out of bed as quickly and quietly as I can, trying not to disturb him. Walking around the edge of the bed and picking up my clothes, I turn around and look at his handsome face. God, he really is beautiful and perfect in every way.
In my mind, this wasn’t supposed to last beyond tonight. He deserves more than just being a rebound guy. Maybe once I have my shit together, I’ll find him.
There’s no time for this, I have to get going.
Heading out the door, I hurry up, put my clothes and shoes on, and head downstairs.
As I take the stairs one at a time, Abel’s face comes to mind. I’ve never been a woman that loved facial hair, but both his beard and mustache is seriously making me rethink my life choices.
Jake couldn’t stand facial or body hair for that matter. ‘Hair is meant for the top of your head, nowhere else.’ I recall him saying.
What a fucking hypocrite.
I absolutely adore Abel's brunette full beard and mustache. I especially loved the way it tickled my inner thigh when he placed kisses there. Ooh, I can just feel his paper thin lips kissing his way up to my pussy as he had his…
Shit!
We had sex over an hour ago, and here I am, ready to go again. At the rate we were going, I shouldn’t want sex for another month or so.
He has a muscular body, toned arms and legs, abs for days, and buns of steel. What more could a girl ask for? And to top it off… Veins. They were poking out from every corner of his hands and arms, really bringing forth the drool.
“I’ll never forget you, Abel. Thank you for making me see how deserving of all the things, and beautiful I am. One day, we may meet again.” Call me a coward, but I take the coward’s way and slip out into the night.
Once I’m safely out on the porch, I pull out my phone and give Cam a call.
He answers on the first ring, “Iv, where are you? Are you okay? You better be okay because I’m going to kill you when I see you, you little whore.” He screeches in my ear.
“Stop being melodramatic. I’m going to drop you my location, pick me up.”
“Pick you up? I should let you rot out there to teach you a lesson.” He huffs. “You were supposed to call or at least send me a text to let me know you were okay, but you didn’t. No, you had me in here worrying that your little, boney ass was lying dead in a ditch somewhere.”
“Quiet down or else you’ll wake Travis.”
“Too late, I’m already up.” Travis yawns into the phone. “Drop that location, and we’ll be on our way, baby girl.” He says, clearly being the level headed one.
“Thanks, Trav, I’m really sorry it’s so late.”
“It’s never too late for you, baby doll.” Travis says.
“That’s a bald face lie. It’s definitely too late for a jezebel like yo-”
“We’ll be waiting and there in less than ten.” Travis says, cutting off Cam and disconnecting the call.
I know Abel probably wouldn’t care if they knew where he stays, but I do. So, I take a stroll out of his little community and head for a diner I saw on the way here last night. Dropping the location to Cam’s phone to which he sends back several middle finger emojis I close my phone screen, walk and think.
Did I do the right thing by leaving like that?
No, I don’t think so.
Should I go back?
Absolutely.
Will I?
Highly unlikely. I don’t fit into his world.
I have to face reality. No matter how good he made me feel, that’s not reason enough to jump into a relationship with someone I barely know. Plus, I just got out of one. How would that look if we start dating when I’ve barely been boyfriendless for a whole month? More like a week, but who’s counting?
Jake didn’t think about that now did he?
“No, he sure didn’t, but I’m not Jake. I’m not a man whore.”
My feet carried me all the way to the 24-hour diner on autopilot. That’s what happens when your world is falling apart right at your fingertips. Swinging open the door, hearing the bell ding up above, I plop down into a booth.
I need to stop this.
I should just head back to Abel’s, hop back in bed and pretend this never happened.
Just as I get up from my seat, I hear tires screeching on the pavement. Rather than have them come inside, I go out and come face to face with a very angry Camden. “Do you have any idea how worried you made me?” He doesn’t let me get a word in. “I have worry lines all across my face now thanks to you, Ivy. How am I going to fix this?” Oh, here we go.
He’s about to have a bitch fit in front of a diner at 4am in the morning. Thank God Travis comes to my rescue. “Cam, honey, calm down. She’s fine, everybody’s fine. You’re fine right, Iv?”
“Yep, sexually exhausted but peachy fuckin’ keen over here.” I sniff, catching Cam’s attention.
“Oh, so, you and Mr. Hot Stuff had a night of fun. I take it?” Way to forget all about the bitch fit, Cam.
“Yeah, we did.” I sniff again. “It was everything I could have hoped for.”
“So, why are you standing out here with us and not sleeping in bed with him?” Cam asks, and I don’t know how to answer that.
“Because, this was only a one night thing, Cam.”
“Honey, the way he looked and acted with you, wasn’t giving one night stand vibes at all.” He says, coming around and pulling me into his chest. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back?”
“No, I’m not sure, but I can’t go back. I just needed to get what Jake said out of my system, and Abel helped with that. Now, I’m ready to get back to my life. Before the breakup.”
“That doesn’t seem like the right thing to do, honey.” Travis chimes in.
“Too bad. Can we get out of here, please?” I start walking towards the car and hop in the back. I’m done with answering questions.
I just want to forget about this night, and how I possibly made the biggest mistake of my life.
Three weeks have gone by since I walked out on Abel. Cam and I haven’t been back to the club since New Year’s Eve.
I’ve been working at City Harvest Food Rescue Center around the corner from Cam’s house while I figured things out and focused on my drawing and painting. I have a paper due at the end of next month for my art history class. It'll be fun to research, but still adds more to my already full plate.
I’m so engrossed in this stupid paper, that I don’t hear Cam come in until he places a tuna melt, a glass of milk, and some dill pickle flavored chips on the table beside me.
Lately, this has been my go-to comfort meal when I’m stressed out to the point of cracking. “Oh, thanks, Cam.” I say, closing my laptop, grabbing the plate, and plopping it down on top. Holding the sandwich in my hands, salivating over how good it looks, I take a bite. “Mmmm, this is so good.” I moan, enjoying the flavors as they burst along my tongue each time I chew.
“Stop making it sound so sexual.” He says, rolling his eyes. “What are your plans for the day?”
“I dunno, probably get a headstart on this assignment. I know it’s not due for a few weeks, but I want to get it over with.” I mumble around a mouth full of food. “Why, what’s up?”
“Oh, nothing. With Travis working so much and the new semester I just need a little breather, you know?”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” I say, finishing up my meal, all but licking the plate when I’m done.
“Damn, I think that’s a new record for you.” He laughs, snapping a pic.
“You and Travis really need to get a new hobby.” I grunt, trying to hide my smile, but failing miserably. “Why does it fascinate you two that I inhale my food when I’m stressed out or just super duper hungry?”
“Because, we just wonder where it all goes after you inhale it.” He says, typing out his little message to send to Travis along with the pic he just snapped. “It looks like you gained a little weight, but in all the right places. For instance,” he says, helping me stand, “your ass is PHAT, sista.” He chuckles, smacking my buns.
“Yeah, but that’s because I do squats when I’m not too tired to go to the gym.” I say in my defense. “Why are you so worried about my ass? Do you want a piece?” I ask in a very seductive voice, surprising myself.
“Eww, no, but I know who would.” He says, flopping down on the couch beside me. “Hasn’t he crossed your mind at all?”
“Of course he has, but is that any reason for me to start frequenting the bar we met at in hopes I see him again?” He opens his mouth to answer but I say, “Be quiet. You don’t get to answer for me on this one, Cam.”
“Bu-”
“Shhh!” He groans, sitting back.
Rising up again, he says, “I-”
“Zip it!” Ha, top that, fly guy.
Just when I think I have him, he sneaks in, “But you’re sitting in here, wasting your life away doing nothing.”
“Fuck me, Cam.”
“Seriously, Iv, you haven’t drawn or painted anything since that night, hiding in here like the coward you are.” Excuse me. “You were throwing a pity party for one after Jake broke your heart, and you said going out was going to get you out of that funk, yet here you are. Still in the same funk you were in before.”
“Now wait just a gosh darn minute here, Camden.” I’ll be damned.
“No, I’m on a roll. Me and Travis think you’re wasting your talents and time working at that photo lab when you could be creating art for the gallery down on Fifth and Maine Street. You know the owner has been trying to commission you since before everything went down, but you keep putting him off. Why?”
That’s a really good question. The job isn’t that far from here, it’s a great way to get my foot in the door when it comes to creating and displaying my own pieces and, “The owner is hot as fuck.” Cam says, interrupting my thoughts.
“What does the owner being hot have to do with anything?”
“Absolutely nothing, I just wanted to throw that out there since you seemed to have sworn off men.” He is unbelievable.
“Camden Barlett, what makes you think I’ve sworn off men? Just because Jake was a dick to me and made me feel like I wasn’t shit to him in the end. He made me feel like I’d never find anyone who would want me for me.” I sniff. “But you know what Abel did? In that short amount of time we spent together?”
“I have a pretty good idea.”
“No, Cam, you don’t.” I take a deep breath and let him hear what I’ve been holding in for the past three weeks. “He made me feel loved. Like I was the most beautiful girl in his world. He worshiped every inch of body until I couldn’t take anymore, until I believed what he was trying to tell me with his touch.”
“Oh, Iv.” He tries to console me, but I just hold up a hand.
“I fell in love with him, after one night together, because in that one night, he showed me something that Jake was never able to show me in all the years we were together. So please, stop trying to get me to go out or try to find him. I need time to recover from all that I’ve been through in this short period of time.” Picking up my glass of milk, I drain it dry before I let tears take over.