9. Ivy Thompson
IVY THOMPSON
N o one needs to tell me that my face is the colour of salami. I’m grateful the sun has set, and nothing but the fire can illuminate my complexion. My lips latch onto the edge of my drink, and I take a sip—I shouldn’t even call it a sip when half my drink is gone.
I perch on one of the logs beside Daisy, who is looking in the direction of the drinks table. I clear my throat and pretend that everything is fine after my conversation with JJ, but Daisy sees all .
After a long moment, she tosses her hair over her shoulder, brown curls whipping me in the face. “Who’s that?”
My throat closes up. “That is Finn’s friend from university.”
“Oh my god, that’s JJ?”
Here we go.
I suck in a breath and act unbothered. “Yeah,” I say, finding the colour of my drink severely fascinating.
Inside, I’m deflating because this is the last situation I want to be in.
Daisy wraps her hand around my arm in a death grip. I wince at the pressure. “Oh my fucking god. He’s unbelievable. A nose ring and a buzz cut? Holy hell.”
She’s not wrong. He’s in a league of his own.
When her eyes find mine, they’re filled with excitement. I cringe internally. Without showing my true thoughts, I simply shrug and take another sip of my cup. “He’s alright, I guess.”
“You guess?” Her glossy red lips fall open. “What did he say to you?”
I brush a few strands of hair from my eyes and focus on the roaring fire in front of us. “Just being friendly,” I admit.
Daisy slides her lips together and hums. They’re so pouty and flirtatious that she can simply look in the direction of a man, and they’re on their knees for her. She’s built like a Spanish goddess, and I’m your average pale blondie.
Her eyes burn into mine. “Do you think you’ll go back there with him again?—”
I wave a hand in her face. “No, Daisy. He and Finn are best friends. Best friends. That line I cannot cross. Not again. You of all people should know that.”
She hums in my direction and twists to look over at JJ, who is chilling with my brother and his friends. His mouth is stretched into a wide grin, and he tilts his head back and laughs before raising his beer bottle to his lips.
Unfortunately, he manages to flash the rings he has on his fingers, and I know Daisy is probably having a seizure over there.
“He’s beautiful,” she huffs.
I hum.
“Were there feelings there?”
My brows press together, and I shake my head. “No. How could I have feelings for him when I literally knew him for about four hours?”
She pants like a cat in heat. “Would it be weird if I spoke to him?”
I blink once in surprise and pause for a moment. She finally turns to me with wild eyes, and I know she’s a little buzzed right now because I doubt she would have asked if she was sober.
“I don’t mean to like get with him,” she clarifies. “Just to get to know him.”
“No.” I swallow quickly. “Not at all.”
Daisy dips her head to read my expression. “If it’s weird, you can tell me, Ivy. I totally get it.”
Maybe this is what I need, for them to get together so that if Finn ever finds out, shit might not be as bad as it could be.
Daisy watches me for a long moment.
“Honestly,” I exhale, blinking back the tightness in my chest. “It’s fine. He’s Finn’s friend. So go ahead. Knock yourself out.”
She breathes in so deeply, I think she’s about to take off. “Boy, I want to get to know him.”
I grind my teeth into my jaw when she takes another look. A wave of unexpected jealousy hits me right in the sternum, invading my body without permission.
It wouldn’t have worked out anyway, so why am I grieving something that was never there?
I knew him for one night, and even though we had fun, I was the one who left without saying anything. I have no right to feel this alien emotion. It’s pathetic if anything, and I try my hardest to brush it away.
For a split second, I imagine Daisy and JJ together. They’d make a good couple.
“He’s all yours, Dais.” I dig my fingernails into the bark of the log.
She lets out a squeal, a sound I didn’t know she could make. Her arm wraps around me, and she tugs me into a side hug. “Thanks, Iv. You’re the best. Nothing will happen. Doubt he’ll even fancy me. But worth a shot, right?”
“Sure.” I force a smile and hug her back.
Doubt he’ll fancy her? There is absolutely no chance he won’t take one look at her and ask how many children she wants to have.
She has that effect on guys, and I shamefully have been envious of how easily they will fall at her feet. Being her friend throughout high school came with amazing benefits, but a shit tonne of insecurity.
Once she pulls her arms away from me, she stands, straightens herself out, and slides her glossy lips against one another again.
Without another word, she’s walking in the direction of JJ.
I have no idea where she gets her confidence, but sometimes I wish I had it.
She’s charismatic and bubbly without even trying.
I need as much liquid courage as possible to even think about doing what she’s doing.
Before she reaches him, I glance away, downing the last few drops in my cup before forcing myself to stare at the fire. This is far more interesting than having my heart rate increase by watching them.
“Fancy seeing you here.” I jump at the voice and glance up to find Isaac hovering next to the log.
My lips stretch into a smile. “Isaac. Hi.”
“Hi.” He laughs hesitantly. “Mind if I sit?”
“No.” I shake my head and budge up, even though the log is empty. “Not at all.”
Isaac sits down beside me, holding a can of cider. “How have you been?”
I swallow the lump lingering in my throat. “Yeah, good. How have you been?”
He rests his forearms on his knees and turns to look at me. The gleam from the fire highlights his face and showcases the curve of his jaw. “Yeah, I’ve been okay. Same old, same old.”
“Did you go to university?”
Isaac smiles. “Still there, studying biochemistry.”
“Wow.” I widen my eyes. Then I nudge his side playfully. “Always knew you were super smart.”
He laughs awkwardly. “What about you and university?”
“Biomedical science,” I say.
“Being partners in biology helped us, then?”
I smile. “Yeah. it did. But now I’ve got into it, I’m enjoying it a lot more than at school.”
Isaac hums with approval. “Nice. I’m pleased for you, Ivy. I really am.”
“You, too,” I say sincerely.
“You’re back for the summer?”
“Maybe for good,” I confess. “Still have another year of university, but I think I’ll move back home eventually.”
Isaac raises his can and clinks it against mine. “Good for you. I’ve missed seeing you around.”
My heart clenches in the softest of ways. “You have?”
“Course.” He bows his head. “We were friends for years, and then I never saw you again. That kinda hurt.”
I frown. I didn’t keep in contact with anyone when I left, only Daisy. But that’s how I wanted to move on, by ignoring this town and everyone in it until I found the courage to come back.
“Sorry.” I flash him an awkward smile. “I wasn’t really thinking when everything happened, and I knew I needed to leave?—”
His hand cups my knee to silence me. “I know. I get it. You don’t have to explain yourself to me. That was an idiotic thing to say. I’m just glad to know you’re doing okay.”
I stare down at his hand against my leg, then up to his soft and honest eyes. “It was an idiotic thing for me to not talk to you,” I admit. “But this summer I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
Isaac beams at me. “Most definitely.” He pulls his hand away. “It’ll be good to catch up and reminisce on old times.”
“Agreed. Let’s vow to have a good summer of friendships.”
I don’t miss the way his throat bobs when I finish my sentence, but he recovers quickly. “Yeah.” He leans over to peer at my drink. “You wanna grab another?”
When I glance over my shoulder, JJ and Daisy are nowhere to be seen. I freeze for a moment before turning back to Isaac. “Sure,” I say, standing from the log.
He holds his hand out in front of me. “Lead the way.”