11. Ivy Thompson
IVY THOMPSON
“ C ome on, Daisy,” I huff as I chuck a pillow at her across the living room. “These job applications aren’t going to write themselves.”
She rolls her eyes, long lashes fluttering against her cheek. She glances away from her phone and exhales a low grunt. I mean, I don’t want to be helping her with her gap year job applications either, but I’m being a good friend because I know she won’t do them herself.
“Iv,” she grumbles with a frown. “Why hasn’t JJ messaged me back?”
Now she has my attention.
I open my mouth, and it turns bone dry. “You texted him?”
Daisy nods and shuffles closer to me on the sofa. “Yeah, after the party. He gave me his number and I dropped him a text the day after, but he still hasn’t replied. It’s been days, Iv. Days. ”
My heart pangs for her because I know she struggles to take rejection, mainly because she’s rarely rejected, and when it happens, it hurts her a thousand times harder.
I have no right to dictate who she can speak to. I know I can’t be with JJ, so I can’t gatekeep him. For all I know, they might work out and end up happily ever after, married with two kids in their semi-detached house in the city.
God. What am I even thinking?
“Maybe he’s busy, or he hasn’t been on his phone,” I say with as much optimism as I can give. “I don’t know.”
“It’s been four days. Ugh.” She stares down at her phone screen and blows out a morbid sigh. “Where is he today? Is he in?”
I shake my head. “Went out with Finn earlier.”
“Do you think he doesn’t like me?”
“Dais, I have no idea. You met him once. Maybe he’s trying to settle first. Let’s focus on these job applications. I said I’d help you. Not gossip.”
She narrows her eyes at me, and I look back to the laptop, praying she hasn’t seen through my sudden defensiveness. But when she moves to sit next to me, I release a silent sigh of relief.
“Fine,” she grumbles. “But only because I really need a job so I can save up and go travelling after university.”
“Exactly.” I point at her. “So put your phone away.”
For thirty minutes, we scroll through potential jobs and highlight pages for her to come back to when she’s ready to apply.
The front door opens, and I already know who it is without looking, but Daisy glances over my shoulder, her eyes lighting up like fireworks.
Finn and JJ are talking amongst themselves.
“Hey.” Daisy grins widely, fluttering her eyelashes.
“Hey,” Finn responds.
My eyes are glued to the screen as I act interested in these job adverts that are starting to all blur into one.
“What are you guys up to?” she asks.
“There is a storm coming, and we’re gonna go to the beach and try out the waves. I’m gonna teach JJ how to surf,” Finn explains, and I suck in a breath, finally turning towards them.
“A storm?”
“Well, not yet. It’s brewing, which makes great baby waves for this one.” Finn swats JJ on the shoulder.
I stupidly watch the action, then drag my eyes up his broad chest before resting on his dark blue eyes. I shudder at the intensity behind his stare. Yeah, it should be illegal for anyone to look that damn good.
“Can we come?” Daisy sits up on her knees.
Finn glances between JJ and Daisy and flashes a devilish grin at the three of us. “Sure. The more the merrier, right?”
JJ doesn’t show any reaction as he turns to my brother. I glance at Daisy and shake my head with wide eyes. “We’ve got applications to do, remember?”
She waves me off and drops her eye into a subtle wink. “Those can wait, can’t they?”
They sure can’t.
I don’t want to be stuck between my best friend, my brother and the guy I’ve been trying not to think about for the past two weeks. The last thing I need is to witness Daisy getting it on with JJ. I need to keep my distance for my own sanity.
“Oh come on, Ivy.” Daisy grips my hand in a pleading gesture. “Just for a little while. It’ll be fun. Right?”
Her gaze lands on JJ, and I flick my eyes to him. “Yeah, definitely.”
“Great,” Finn says loudly. “We’re just gonna get changed and then head to collect our boards from the beach huts.”
When they disappear upstairs, Daisy turns to me with a quiet squeal. “I might actually get to talk to him today,” she whispers. “Maybe I got the wrong number, and that’s why he didn’t reply.”
“Maybe,” I murmur under my breath.
After getting changed and heading out, we walk to the beach front, which takes no less than a minute.
Finn walks towards our sunshine-yellow painted beach hut. “You having a go, sis?”
I blow out a breath. “Not a chance.”
He turns to me and frowns. “Why not?”
My shoulders raise and drop heavily. “It’s been a long time. I’ve probably lost my spark. I bet you’ll be great, though. You’ve always been good at surfing.”
He flashes me a cocky wink as he sorts through the beach hut and calls to JJ to come take one of the boards. I wrap my arms over my chest as he walks into the little hut, and JJ’s tall stature looms over me as he stands in the doorway.
I freeze as I stare up at him.
Never in my life have I thought a man could pull off a buzz cut, until I met JJ.
When JJ takes the board, he glances down at me, and his brows furrow when he notices me staring. I clear my throat and avert my gaze.
“Need help with anything else?” I ask to act busy.
“Nope, I’m all good.”
I back out of the hut before we begin to overcrowd it, just in time for Daisy to flash her flirtatious eyes at JJ.
We walk towards the seafront, listening to the waves crash against the shore. I close my eyes for a brief second and enjoy the sound. I’ve missed the calmness of the beach.
I glance down the coastline, there are plenty of other people who have the same idea. Brewing storms give the best waves and perfect weather to practice.
As we reach the ocean, they drop their boards, and I glance at JJ as he takes his T-shirt from the back of his neck and pulls it from his torso.
I try not to let my eyeballs fall straight out of my skull at the sight of his rippling abs.
I’ve seen them before, but I was slightly intoxicated then.
Right now, it’s like I’m experiencing it for the first time.
Daisy is practically drooling at the sight of him.
I don’t blame her.
Finn slaps JJ’s shoulder, and they take their boards and head towards the sea. I perch on the buttery sand, and Daisy exhales a sound somewhere between a sigh and a moan.
I draw my legs up to my chest and watch as Finn attempts to show JJ how to surf. The sun gleams down on us, and the water reflects off the light as it glitters across the waves. It’s truly breathtaking. Something I’ll never get bored of admiring.
They both laugh as they fall from their boards, then try again immediately.
It warms my heart to see my brother like this. We’ve adored the beach since we were kids; it’s technically part of our souls.
It is us. It’s our home.
Daisy begins to take off her sundress, revealing her ruby red bikini underneath. I take one glance at her tan and toned body, and that reminds me, I won’t be taking my clothes off today—especially since my best friend is an absolute bombshell.
The boys’ laughter echoes over the breaking waves. Daisy steps closer. “Can I have a go?”
JJ nods. “Sure, take my board. Finn can show you. I need a second out.”
Daisy’s expression falls flat at his words. She flicks her dark hair over her shoulder and walks towards my brother with the board anyway.
I tried to convince her every summer when we were growing up to let me teach her how to surf, but she said it was never for her.
JJ grunts as he lands on the sand beside me, water droplets falling over his sculpted biceps. I glance away, pretending that I didn’t spend three seconds eye-fucking his strong tattooed arms.
Instead, I focus on Finn as he tries to keep Daisy up on the board; she screams when she falls in.
“I think having balance is the key,” JJ hums.
The corner of my lip twitches. “Not so easy, is it?”
He turns to me with a small smile. “Who got into surfing first, you or Finn?”
“Finn convinced me when we were kids,” I shrug before dropping my legs to stretch in front of me. “He was a great teacher, and we’d do it every weekend we could.”
“Why aren’t you out there showing Daisy how it’s done? You won a competition, Ivy.”
I chew on the inside of my lip as I push my blonde hair behind my ear, startled by the fact he remembers my silly competition. “I haven’t done it in a while,” I admit. “Been away from home for too long.”
Because something is holding me back.
For a split second, I stupidly glance back at JJ when he remains silent. He frowns at me, and I take in his handsome features before fixating on his silver nose ring.
“How come?”
I tear my eyes away.
His question runs around my head for a few moments, and I subconsciously pull up the material of my top. It’s already covering my chest, but I do it anyway. I might have taken my clothes off around JJ, but that was the liquid courage talking.
The scar beneath begins to burn for no reason. I know he’s already seen it, but I don’t like having my clothes off for other people to stare.
Most people in this town know what happened a few years ago, and I can’t handle the unapologetic attention. It makes my skin crawl and my anxiety spike, it’s better to keep covered up to save the questions.
It’s not hard to Google this town along with my name.
I come up, the first result.
“I bet you’re great at it,” JJ offers when I don’t respond.
He leans forward and wraps his arms over his legs, muscles flexing with the movement. Damn him. My heart flutters and I clench my fists, allowing my nails to dig into my palms.
“Great? I was fantastic,” I deflect.
JJ grins at me, and I internally fumble.
“Yeah, I could tell by the balance of your feet when your heel broke.”
My eyes narrow at his playful tone. “Oh my god. Let it go. That was completely different,” I shoot back. “How was I meant to balance with only one heel?”
JJ laughs, and it sends an earthquake of a shiver down my spine. The sound makes me feel like I don’t know myself at all.
“It was a good night,” he comments.
My throat tenses, and I suddenly find the sand rather interesting.
“I haven’t had fun like that in a while,” he adds.
The back of my neck begins to heat. Me neither, I want to say, but I keep it to myself. It’s not worth the pain in the future.
Daisy screams from the sea, and we turn to see her standing up on the board, grinning from ear to ear. I cheer her on from afar before she catapults herself into the water.
After a few moments, they come out of the sea, soaked from head to toe.
“Did you see?” Daisy asks JJ with excitement behind her eyes.
He nods with encouragement. “Yeah, you did better than me.”
“Doubt it.” She pushes away her dripping hair that cascades down her toned back. “You were great.”
Finn glances between them and smirks to himself. “Should we get beers?”
“Absolutely.” Daisy claps her hands together.
JJ stands up from the sand, and I follow his lead. “Sounds good to me.”
“Actually…” I trail off quietly. “I might head home.”
Finn whips his head to me, brows pinching. “What? You’ve got nothing better to do.”
I scowl at him. “I might, thank you very much.”
“Come on.” JJ’s voice catches me by surprise. “One beer.”
When he stares at me, I don’t miss the way his eyes sparkle. They’re pleading with me to come with them. I want to be strong enough to decline and tell them again that I’m busy. But we all know that’s a lie.
“One beer.” Finn folds his arms over his chest.
“Fine.” I roll my eyes. “ One beer.”
Daisy wraps her arm over my shoulder, soaking the side of my T-shirt, but I don’t push her away. “There’s my girl.”