Chapter 9 #2
We were at Verde Vista, an upscale eatery in Manhattan’s historic district. Greene Gardens didn’t have any restaurants yet, thank God. Although our living situation was starting to feel normal, Greene Gardens didn’t feel like home. It simply wasn’t Manhattan. Not even close.
“I got another thousand subscribers earlier today,” she said, unable to hide her pride. “But I don’t know if they tuned in for me or the cute baby I had to hold while recording.”
I chuckled.
A week ago, after a game against the Pistons, Ivy had been so pissed at the refs that she fired up her phone and recorded a video ranting about the bad calls.
Most of her frustration centered on the unfair treatment I’d been getting.
It went viral, and she gained thousands of subscribers overnight.
It even caught the attention of her network.
There were talks of giving her a sports commentary web series.
“I just hope they don’t expect me to always be holding a baby,” she added, setting her glass down. “Because that was totally not the plan.”
“Sometimes the best things aren’t planned,” I said with a grin. “Spontaneity is the spice of life.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved me off. “Enough about that. Tell me more about this very lucrative deal, sir.”
I smiled, biting my bottom lip.
She and I had already ordered our food, but it hadn’t arrived yet. That was fine. Between training and traveling, we hadn’t had time to catch up.
“It’s called Leo Vanguard’s Championship Court,” I began, sitting up straighter.
“It’s a signature basketball court set I’ll help develop.
Complete with figures that look like me and my teammates, LEGO spectators, scoreboards, and court markings.
It’s mad detailed.” I shook my head, smiling wider.
“They showed me a replica model that almost had me forgetting who the fuck I was in their office, Ivy.”
She hollered a laugh.
“The model had this section of stands that was dedicated to my fans. The LEGO figures had on basketball jerseys with my name and number on the back. It was crazy.”
“Wow,” she whispered, her eyes wide with genuine amazement. “That is so dope. I might even consider playing with them Legos like you do.”
My smile dropped as I pointed at her. “See, I done already told you I don’t play with Legos. I build them.”
She smirked. “Mm-hmm.”
The restaurant had an intimate, garden-like atmosphere, with lush plants and tropical flowers decorating the space. The soft lighting and gentle music in the background created a serene vibe that kept Ivy and me speaking in soft tones.
“So, like,” she said, leaning in with an eager expression, “what’s the actual deal? Is it just the set?”
“Nah,” I replied. “And that’s what makes this shit even better. The deal includes an upfront endorsement fee, royalties from the sales of the basketball sets and mini figures, appearances at events, and possibly a percentage of revenues from related digital content.”
“Oh my God, Leo!” she exclaimed, her excitement contagious.
“Simeon did his big one for me on this shit, for real.” I beamed. “The contract specified commitments like social media promotion, participation in video and photo shoots for commercials or whatever, and appearances at LEGO stores or trade shows. But I’m already at those places anyway.”
“’Cause you genuinely love playing with Legos,” she teased, her tone playful.
I gave her a hard blank stare.
She tossed her head back in laughter, which made me kiss my teeth.
“Seriously though,” she said, holding up a hand as her laughter faded into a grin.
“This is so damn dope and inspiring. You got a deal working with a brand you actually love and getting a product made in your likeness that you already have experience using. That is so ideal and perfect. I hope you know that.”
“Oh, I know it.” I nodded. “It feels good.”
“It should.”
“I’m just happy Simeon talked me out of getting into the business of making umbrellas because what the fuck was I thinking?” I shook my head.
Ivy snickered, holding a smile on her lips as her eyes locked onto mine.
I stared at her for a moment, genuinely happy to be celebrating this milestone with her and grateful for this time together.
Her smile was still in place as she squinted her eyes at me. “What?”
I wasn’t sure what was happening, but being around Ivy was different these days. So very different.
Since that night of the concert—and hearing her in her room, moaning like crazy after whatever moment we had in the car ride home—she hasn’t looked the same to me.
Weeks before that, I started noticing things I’d somehow missed before. Her legs, long and toned, and the way her curves filled out a simple tee and shorts. Ivy was always meticulous about her appearance. Everything had to be just right. But lately, she seemed freer, more natural.
Even tonight. Because our decision to come to the city was so last-minute, she didn’t have time to get fully dolled up. She wore a casual sweater, jeans, and a messy bun at the top of her head, her lips slick with nothing but gloss. And yet, she looked absolutely stunning.
“Nothing,” I answered, forcing my eyes off her. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
I would never say anything close to the truth. She already made it clear the night of the concert—and again the morning after—that we should keep things the way they were for Baby Love’s sake. And I agreed.
I didn’t have the best track record with relationships.
Most women I dealt with knew the deal—fun with no strings.
Vanessa, a lady friend I hadn’t spoken to in weeks, had been blowing up my phone complaining about how unavailable I’d become.
Between my career, Baby Love, and everything else, I didn’t have the energy to entertain anything more.
“About how Kendra and Tyrell would love this right now,” I said instead.
It wasn’t what I wanted to say, but it was still the truth.
Ivy snorted a laugh. “Oh, they would have been beside themselves. You and I going out to dinner together? Just us two, and on purpose?”
I hollered a laugh. “And not just having dinner because they ditched us to go hook up in the car.”
“A car we all took to get to where they said we should all hang out, only to leave us alone,” Ivy added, shaking her head.
“Yo!” I laughed, bringing my fist to my lips. “I used to hate when they did that shit. Fuck in the car we had to ride back to campus in.”
“And never air that bitch out before we got in it. Ugh!” Ivy gritted her teeth, then busted out laughing. “I wanted to hurt them every time.”
“They loved them some cars, man.”
“Yeah,” Ivy whispered, her smile fading into a frown, her chin trembling as tears welled in her eyes.
The sight hit me hard, a pang tightening my chest.
I sighed and reached across the table to take her hand. She started patting her eyes dry with the other, and when our gazes met, a smile broke through the sadness on her lips.
At that moment, our server arrived with our food. Ivy composed herself quickly, and once I was sure she was okay, I leaned back in my seat.
"Sometimes," she said, picking up her fork from the cup of hot water with lemon she had asked for upon arrival, "the only comfort I find in all this is knowing they died together. Because I just know..."
“Neither of them would’ve been able to live without the other,” I finished, nodding in agreement.
“Yup.” Ivy inhaled deeply, letting the breath out slowly. “I just wonder when I’m going to stop damn near breaking down every time I think about them. Every time I think about her.”
After eating, sharing a little more conversation, and settling the bill, Ivy and I made our way out to the waiting car.
The drive back to Greene Gardens was quiet, a few comments exchanged about how Manhattan felt different to Ivy after being away for sometime.
It was bittersweet, more bitter than sweet, leaving the city. It felt like leaving home for somewhere that didn’t quite feel like home yet.
When we finally stepped inside the house, Ivy flicked on the table light by the front door and began slipping off her heels and peeling off her jacket.
“That was fun,” she said to me, hooking her coat on the coat rack. “Thanks for insisting we eat out and not just drive to the nearest town for takeout.”
“They really should get to opening some restaurants around here, though, damn,” I said, peeling off my jacket and placing it on the coat rack beside Ivy’s. “They got the space.”
“They’re working on it,” Ivy said. “They have a community board they’ve put together. Brand new. I’m thinking about joining it.”
“Hmph.”
“Anyway.” She smiled, walking up to me and wrapping her arms around my waist. “Thank you, LV.”
Ivy was much shorter than me at her five-foot-four height, so her hugs were always from my lower half.
I leaned forward to wrap my arms around her too.
The embrace, as always, started as a friendly gesture, but after a few seconds, it didn’t feel that way.
Neither one of us let go after a few seconds, choosing to just stand there.
And it felt right. Feeling her body against mine, the gentle thump of her heartbeat too.
It was comforting. Something I didn’t realize I needed in that moment—or that I even wanted more of.
I flattened my hand against her back and heard a soft moan escape through her lips.
The moan reminded me of the sounds she was making in her room the night of the concert. How much I wanted to be one with that door so I could hear her clearer because the little that I could hear sounded so damn good.
Without a second thought, I tightened my arms around her back, and she simply melted against me.
For sure, this hug was unlike any other quick embrace Ivy and I had ever done. Because having her close and for the amount of time she was close to me, it started to have an effect on my body. Inside and out.
The moment I felt myself hardening in my jeans, Ivy noticed it too. Because Ivy pulled away slightly, which made me pull away too. And the second we created enough space between us and looked at each other, I noticed the look in her eyes… was different.
Though we were no longer hugging per se, she was still in my arms, in my space, and me in hers. Our chests were starting to show how heavy we were breathing. Ivy darted her eyes along mine as she inhaled a trembling breath through her lips.
What the hell was going on? Why did I not want to create even more space between us? Why did I want to eliminate the space that was there?
I lowered my attention to her lips, wanting to know what they felt like. Curious if they felt as good as they looked in that instance.
And just like that, Ivy shut her eyes, holding them closed tightly, then dropped her forehead against my ribs. “Oh, my God,” she whispered.
“Ivy—”
“Shh,” she shushed. “Please don’t say anything right now.”
She stepped back next, creating space between us until there was enough space between us to help me think straight again.
“Umm,” she whispered to herself. “Shit.”
I couldn’t say anything. Didn’t want to. Too confused and sure at the same time. Confused at the fact that I wanted to kiss my friend and still wanted to kiss her. Sure that I was officially not seeing my friend as just a friend but as something else.
She pointed up the stairs. “I’m… going to take advantage of being childfree tonight and get some sleep.”
All I could do was nod.
And in my silence, she shut her eyes and turned to walk away, stopping just before turning to face me again, then turning to face the stairs once more.
As if she were having a dispute in her head, contemplating if she should go or stay, as I stood there, genuinely stunned.
“Shit, Leo,” she expressed, dropping her arms at her side. “What the hell is happening right now between us? Like… what?”
I parted my lips to say something. “I… I...”
I simply couldn’t think of anything to say in that moment.
“Fuck,” she whispered, then grunted, pressing her hands to her face as she turned to climb the stairs. “Good night.”
“Good night,” I whispered to myself.
Shit.
So much for focusing on our responsibilities and not allowing our relationship to change… because what the hell was even that?