12. JJ Woodford
JJ WOODFORD
A fter getting dressed in dry clothes, Finn takes us to The Pearl and Oyster Bar along the seafront. Ivy and Daisy are trailing behind us, speaking in hushed tones. I’ve resisted the urge to glance over my shoulder a thousand times.
Finn steps closer to me and places an arm over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, bud,” he says lightly. “I’ve got you and Daisy.”
Then he drops his eye into a wink. A sleazy one at that.
“What do you mean?”
He scoffs. “What do you mean, ‘what do you mean?’ I’ve seen the way she looks at you, man. She wants you badly. So I’m going to do my hardest to wingman the hell out of you.”
“I barely know the girl,” I mumble under my breath.
Finn shrugs. “Don’t need to know someone to get laid.”
My organs churn a little uncomfortably, and I plummet into flashbacks of that night with his sister. We sat down for hours, getting to know one another, sharing parts of our lives, teasing one another.
I might not have known her known her , but I felt like I did. And the thought of sleeping with someone before trying to know them at least a tiny bit leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
Our night together was fun because of the time we spent endlessly talking. It built the tension, it made me feel like I had known her for years. It was easy to laugh and fall into conversation with her.
And this thing with Daisy feels different. Wrong different.
We stop outside the bar and grab a table. The weather is blistering today, but with the gentle breeze in the air from the nearby storm, it’s about to cool down significantly.
I slide into one of the seats first, Daisy diving over to sit beside me. Finn taps Ivy and pulls her away, dipping his head towards her ear so he can whisper something.
Then he clears his throat. “We’ll go grab the drinks,” he says as Ivy nods, glancing away. “What do you want?”
“I’ll have a Stella, please,” I pipe up.
Daisy’s eyes flash my way. “Me too.”
“Alright.” Finn claps his hands together.
I stare at the back of their heads as they walk into the building. Ivy has barely looked at me today, and it’s driving me insane.
“So.” Daisy clamps a hand on my arm. I blink at the action, focusing on her dark red nails. “I’ve been wondering why you haven’t texted me back since the party?”
My mouth falls open a little as Daisy flutters her long lashes and waits for me to respond. “Sorry,” I exhale after a few moments. “I’ve barely been on my phone since I’ve been here. Just settling in with Finn. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
Her shoulders relax a couple of inches, and I despise myself for lying, but I don’t want to upset her.
“Oh.” She swipes her long brunette hair over her shoulder. “That’s okay. I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up sometime. Have dinner or something. Nothing too crazy, would be nice to get to know you a little better.”
Heat spikes my neck, and I blame the beaming sun. I stare back into her hopeful eyes, and I take a slow breath. “Yeah,” I rasp awkwardly.
Daisy’s face explodes with happiness.
“Okay, so I was thinking we could go to this really nice restaurant not too far from here,” she begins. “If you like fish, they have?—”
As she rambles on, I glance past her head. My eyes settle on Finn and Ivy at the bar. Our drinks are being made and placed onto the counter. Ivy shoves her hand into the back pocket of her denim shorts and turns to face our table.
For a moment, our eyes meet, and she blinks before looking away quickly. Daisy presses a hand to my forearm and shakes me.
“JJ?” She frowns, and I pull back, averting my attention. “Were you listening?”
“Yes, sorry. The restaurant with fish.”
“Yeah.” She grins. “Do you like fish?”
“Some,” I admit.
Finn and Ivy return with our drinks. Ivy is now facing Daisy as she sips on her cider silently.
“So.” Daisy leans on her elbows. “You need to teach me more about surfing.”
I study Finn as he raises an eyebrow. “I can’t believe you’ve never learnt how to surf. You’ve been here every summer when we’ve done it.”
She shrugs. “Guess I wasn’t interested in it then. Ivy, why didn’t you do it today?”
“Hmm?” Ivy glances up at the sound of her name. “Not really feeling it. Maybe later in the summer.”
I already know she’s lying.
It’s much deeper than not feeling it. I saw it in her eyes.
Those eyes that were wild and awake the night I met her, now they’re reserved and hesitant.
The shape of her scar is imprinted into my mind, and I desperately want to know what happened to her, but Finn hasn’t told me anything, so I won’t probe.
“You know, one time,” Finn says loudly, clapping a hand onto Ivy’s shoulder. “We decided to go surfing when we really shouldn’t have. Coast guard said it was too dangerous, but we knew it would be worth it.”
“We almost drowned,” she deadpans.
He holds up a finger at her. “See keyword, almost . Anyway, we were surfing together, and this massive wave crashed over both of us. We lost our boards and resurfaced, but Ivy was covered head to toe in seaweed. I’ve never heard someone scream so loud.”
Ivy scowls at him, but the corners of her lips lift. “It was terrifying.” She shakes her head. “Not as bad as you completely losing your shorts to the sea. I still remember how those old ladies almost had heart attacks as you walked by.”
Finn tips his head back and laughs, and Ivy soon follows after him. If I could see my eyes right now, I’m sure that they’ve dilated at the sound. It’s smooth and gentle. Seeing her smile makes me smile, even if it’s a little detached.
“No, that’s not the worst bit,” Finn recalls. “I left my fucking housekeys in my pocket and Ivy didn’t have one with her. We didn’t own wetsuits at the time. Big mistake.”
Daisy’s expression widens. “Why didn’t I hear about this?”
“Because I told Ivy that if she told anyone, I’d make her life hell. It was fucking torture. We had to wait for our parents to get home, and fuck, if I had a pound for every time someone stopped to point, I’d be bloody rich.”
Ivy is still grinning at her brother, and I can’t take my eyes off her. Not for a single second.
“We tried to get him into my shorts and T-shirt,” Ivy says as she sips her drink again. “But those arms and legs were going nowhere in my clothes.”
Finn wipes his eyes as he leans back, continuing to chuckle. “Ah man. Those were the days.”
“I would have killed to see that,” I add, and Finn shakes his head.
“No, you wouldn’t have. It was traumatic for everyone involved.”
My eyes gravitate back to Ivy, there is still evidence of a smile on her lips. I find myself studying her, every little curve and those tiny little freckles on her nose that have somehow become darker since earlier.
“So, JJ.” Daisy changes the subject, and I wish she didn’t. I want to know more about them, about their summers together. “What brings you to this little coastal town?”
I clear my throat and turn to her. “Just a change of scenery. It’s boring where I live.”
“Well, are you enjoying it?”
“So far, so good.”
Finn elbows me from across the table. “It’s only begun, brother. It’s going to be the best summer ever.”
“We should totally plan something fun.” Daisy sits up on the bench and glances around at all of us. “Right, Iv? Now that you’re home and we’ve got the summer to ourselves. We should do something.”
I find myself staring again, and Ivy knows it, but she avoids my gaze anyway. “Uh, yeah, sure.”
“There’s another party next Friday,” Finn says.
“We’re there.” Daisy grins across the table at him. She then turns to Ivy. “Why are you so quiet today?”
Ivy’s green eyes snap to her, and her forehead wrinkles. “No reason.”
Daisy frowns and pulls back. “You sure?”
Pink tones invade her cheeks, and I don’t want to stare to increase her embarrassment, but none of us looks away.
“Just adjusting to being home.” She shrugs simply.
“Oh.” She leans forward to grab her hand. “You have all of us. Being home doesn’t have to be scary.”
Scary? I quirk an eyebrow in confusion.
Why would being home be scary?
“Let’s change the subject,” Finn declares loudly, and Ivy glances towards him gratefully. “Mum and Dad said that they’re going to stay out in Vietnam for a little longer. That means we should have a barbecue around ours?”
Ivy nods in agreement. “I like the sound of that.”
We finish our drinks over the next fifteen minutes, then Finn goes to the toilet, and Daisy’s phone begins to ring. I don’t get to see who it is before she stands from the table and walks towards the beachfront for some privacy.
Then I’m looking at Ivy again, and she pushes her empty glass further on the table. She catches me red handed and tilts her head, eyes narrowing into slits. “Why do you keep staring at me?”
“Didn’t realise staring was illegal,” I say with a playful tone.
Ivy wraps her arms around herself, but she can’t be cold. “You just stare very intensely. You’re making me think there’s something wrong with my face.”
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with your face, Ivy,” I state sincerely.
Not a single thing.
I want to know what the hell makes her feel so insecure, when the reason I’m looking at her is because I can’t stop myself. It’s a natural pull.
She inhales deeply and shakes her head, a hand running through the ends of her hair. “It’s just, when people stare at me, I…” She pauses, and I bite my lip to stop myself from cutting in, but she doesn’t finish her sentence anyway.
“You what?”
Ivy glances up at me, eyes softening when she notices that I’m not trying to be intrusive. “I guess it makes me feel a little self-conscious.”
That’s the last thing I want her to feel. Not because she has something in her teeth or has an awkward laugh, but because when I look at her, I want to see that carefree side of her to come out like it did the night we met.
She lit up the entire room, not just with her beauty, but her aura.
And I know something is suffocating that light inside of her because when she smiles, it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. It’s as if she’s trying to look happy, putting on a front and failing miserably.
And that doesn’t sit well with me. At all.
“Ivy, I’m not looking at you because?—”
“Where’s Daisy?”
I glance up at Finn as he approaches our table. Ivy leans back and points to where she’s on the phone.
“I’m gonna head back.” Ivy excuses herself from the table.
Finn’s expression warps suddenly. “Now? Why?”
“I’ve got some reading to do before the summer is over, and I’m tired.” She shrugs simply. “I’ll see you guys at home.”
As she walks away, she waves at Daisy to say goodbye.
An unsettling feeling flutters in my stomach as I watch her.
I suck in a slow breath as Finn claps a hand on my shoulder.
“Another beer?” he asks.
“Sure.”