14. JJ Woodford
JJ WOODFORD
“ S o we’ve got sixteen burgers, fourteen sausages, chicken skewers, cheese, buns, onions, gherkins, coleslaw, potato salad,” Finn lists off as he points to everything on the kitchen island. “Do you reckon that’s enough?”
I turn my head to him. “To feed a football team? Yeah.”
“It’s better to have more than to scrounge for the scraps.”
“True.” I nod in agreement. “When’s everyone getting here?”
He snorts. “Define everyone.”
“Joel, Callan. Anyone else you invited.”
He shrugs and walks towards me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Joel and Callan are on their way. But do you know who is coming? Your girlfriend.”
I shove him off. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
And I don’t want Daisy to be my girlfriend.
There is nothing there.
No spark.
No chemistry.
It’s bland and I can’t force it.
“Why so uptight, man? Honestly, that girl has it bad for you.”
I ignore him as he walks towards the barbecue in the garden to turn on the gas canister and get the food cooking.
The storm that’s been brewing is predicted for tonight, so we decided to do something for lunch. The next few days are likely to be written off due to the bad weather.
When I hear a knock at the door, I push myself up from the counter and open it.
Daisy stands there with two handfuls of alcohol. I flash her a forced smile.
“Hey, you.” She grins, stepping forward and planting a kiss on my cheek. The stickiness of her gloss makes my skin itch, and when she’s out of my view, I raise my hand to wipe it off.
“Hey,” I say, closing the door behind her.
She whirls on the spot, holding the bags with drinks above her head. “I brought the goods.”
“Hey, Daisy,” Finn shouts from outside.
“Who’s ready for a drink then?” she declares.
Finn nods as he heats up the barbeque, prepping the tongs and plates on the side. “Hell yeah, I’m down.”
I watch Daisy as she unpacks beers, ciders, and bottles of wine.
“What do you want?” she calls out to him.
“A beer.”
She throws him a beer without barely looking.
“JJ?”
“Yeah, sure. Thanks.”
Daisy takes two out of the cardboard holder and twists off the caps. She hands me one and then clinks the glass against mine, bright blue eyes glittering at me. “Cheers,” she says before latching her lips onto the bottle and taking a long sip without breaking eye contact.
“Where’s Ivy?” Finn asks as he steps back into the kitchen. “I told her we’ll be starting soon.”
She reaches into her pocket and taps the screen. “She bumped into Isaac earlier, so they’ll probably be here soon.”
My eyebrow twitches without permission. “Good for her.” Finn heads back outside.
“Who’s Isaac?” I ask Daisy.
“Oh.” She presses a hand to the counter before perching on a stool. “He’s this guy from school who has always fancied Ivy, but never said anything to her. But now she’s back and he’s had this incredible glow up, I really hope it works out for them.”
I clear my throat and take a sip of my beer. “Right.”
“So, JJ.” Daisy flicks her dark hair over her narrow shoulder. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a few days.”
I flash her a small smile. “Yeah, good. Just been spending time with Finn and his mates.”
“Yeah, of course. You probably want to make the most of the summer.”
“Yeah.”
“So, what are your parents doing right now?”
The mention of my parents makes my stomach turn to cement. I study Daisy as she props her chin on her fist and flutters those long lashes at me. I could tell her about my mother, but I don’t want to. It doesn’t feel right.
My mouth opens to spurt out some sugar-coated lie, but a knock at the door saves me. I step back from the counter like it’s lava and yell, “I’ll get it.”
I press down on the handle and open the door to find Joel and Callan with even more beer in hand. I greet and welcome them inside, and as I move to close the door, I spot familiar blonde hair whipping in the distance.
Beside her is a tall guy with dark hair that looks freshly cut, and a beaming grin. I don’t recognise him, but I do notice the way Ivy laughs brightly beside him at something he said.
They make their way to the house and Ivy glances up, sobering her expression when she realises I’m watching them. “Hi.” She forces a smile at me.
“Hi.” I nod.
The guy I’m presuming is Isaac steps closer and holds out a hand. “Hey man, I’m Isaac.”
I glance down at his hand for a second before taking it. “JJ.”
After gathering inside, I help Finn plate everything up on the kitchen island.
Daisy is latched to my hip, explaining what jobs she applied for this week.
If I’m being brutally honest, I’d rather watch paint dry than listen to her talk right now.
I feel like an asshole, but I can’t help it if I’m not interested.
And it’s hard to even pay attention when I can see Ivy and Isaac talking across the kitchen.
I have to give it to him, he’s a good-looking guy, and the way Ivy looks up at him? Yeah, I might have the green-eyed monster festering inside me right now.
My fingers clench around the base of my beer bottle when Daisy places a hand on my arm. “Are you zoning out again?”
I turn back toward her to find her pouting at me; those glossy lips are so shiny I can almost see my reflection in them. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
“I can’t believe they rejected my application,” she murmurs. “I had a telephone interview, and they said I talk too much. Can you believe it?”
My eyebrows raise subtly. I sure can.
“Guys,” Finn calls, his words slurring slightly. “Come get some food.”
Ivy walks past her brother and smiles. “Thanks for this, Finn.”
He leans down to kiss the top of her head, a slight wobble in his step. “I told you this would be the best summer ever, and I will make sure it is. Even if the food is a little burnt.”
She chuckles quietly. “Still, thank you.”’
We all grab platefuls of food, and my stomach growls at the mouthwatering smell of it wafting into the summer air. I don’t waste any time, I dig in until my plate is clean.
Finn attempts to pile up the empty plates once we’ve finished eating but ends up dropping them in the sink. Isaac rushes to his side to help. I have no idea how Finn gets himself into this state so easily.
I’ve seen how he can drink himself to oblivion at university, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s becoming an issue.
“So,” he slurs to Isaac. “What are your intentions with my sister?”
“Oh my god,” Ivy groans. “Don’t do this, Finn.”
Finn ignores her and attempts to roll his fluttering eyes. “I presume you like my sister.”
I glance at Isaac, who seems a little taken aback. “Yeah, Ivy’s great,” he responds.
He steps closer to the poor lad, almost squaring up to him. I know how protective he is of Ivy, but I underestimated him when he’s this drunk.
“You hurt her.” He points a finger at him. “And I’ll dig your grave for you.”
I flinch a little at the harshness of his tone. Ivy storms over to Finn and grabs his arm, he sways at the motion. “That’s enough. You need to go to bed. You’re drunk and being annoying, and trust me, it’s not cute.”
“Whatever,” he grumbles. “I’m barely drank—drunks. I’m barely even drunk.”
Ivy breathes out a heavy sigh through her nose. “Leave Isaac alone. I don’t want your overprotective shit right now, especially when you can barely stand up. You wouldn’t even win against a plastic bag right now, let alone Isaac. So stop it.”
I glance at Joel and Cal and they nod, stepping towards Ivy so they can take Finn into their arms. They carry him through the house and upstairs—needed for when the storm hits and he decides to go and do something stupid.
Daisy stands up to help clean away the food. Ivy and Isaac whisper beneath their breaths by the sink, but I can’t hear what they’re saying. I frown at her trembling tone.
A loud gust of wind rockets through the back door and Daisy walks towards it, poking her head out at the dark sky. “Yikes,” she mutters. “I think the storm is starting early.”
“You better get back,” Ivy says and then glances at Isaac, “you too.”
“Yeah, I probably should.” He grimaces at the sky.
I say goodbye to Daisy, and Isaac gives me a smile. “Good to meet you.”
“You too.” I return the gesture, even if it’s a struggle.
Isaac offers Daisy a ride, and she happily takes it. Joel and Cal come downstairs to say Finn is safely in bed and they’re heading home before they’re stuck in the storm.
Ivy turns back to the kitchen once everyone is gone and starts to tidy up, uneaten food in the fridge and buns in the bread bin. I stand beside her and help wash up all the plates and utensils.
“Does Finn always get drunk like that?” Ivy asks.
I stall for a moment and look down at her. “Uh, yeah. I guess.”
“He’s a mess,” she tuts. “I swear he had like three beers.”
“Three beers? Na, more like nine. He downs that shit like it’s an Olympic sport and discards the bottles so you’ll never know.”
Ivy closes her eyes and shakes her head. “He’s such a liability.”
“Tell me about it,” I say as I glance down at the bandage on her arm. “How’s it healing up?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Thanks again.”
My heart thumps as she grazes her fingers over the bandage before looking up at me with darkened lashes that make her green eyes brighter. So beautiful . It hurts to look at her and her freckled nose and arched cupid’s bow.
“It’s the least I could do after finding you on the floor,” I say with a soft smile. “You scared me. For someone as small as you, there was a lot of blood.”
Finn might have told me to stay away, but that doesn’t mean I have to listen.
How can I stay away when being around her makes me lose my breath?
We might have only known each other for one night, but there was so much more to it. It felt so much more than one night. The devastation I felt after I woke up alone was surprising. Normally I wouldn’t care, but with Ivy? I cared too much.
I desperately wanted to know why she didn’t stay. Then the endless thoughts started pouring in. Did I do something wrong?
I’d like to think she would have told me by now if I had.
Ivy’s cheeks turn to a pretty shade of pink, and she nods, busying herself with tidying up again. Soon the kitchen is spotless, and the weather has taken a turn for the worse. Never in my life have I heard it rain so aggressively.
I walk towards the open door and glance up at the dark clouds. It might as well be midnight sky.
To my surprise, Ivy stands beside me, leaning on the opposite door. “I love it when it rains here,” she says so quietly, I’m not even sure she wanted me to hear. “It’s refreshing.”
“I’ve never seen it like this before.”
Her eyes glisten as she turns to me. “It’s relaxing. I love the sunshine, but this is a close second.”
I keep my eyes focused on her as she speaks, and she catches me staring—again. A strike of lightning flashes through the sky, and her lips part slowly as she wraps her cardigan around her body.
Then she sits down on the floor by the back door and stares up at the clouds. I perch beside her, drawing my legs into my chest. She doesn’t tell me to leave, probably because she’s not looking at me. She’s fascinated by the storm, and I can see the calmness reflecting in her eyes.
The clouds are lit up by strikes of silver lines over and over until the thunder erupts, and I’m sure the floor vibrates. It sounds like something from an apocalypse movie.
Ivy twists towards me after we sit in silence for a few minutes, she copies my actions and hugs her knees into her chest. “How is your mum?” she asks with such delicacy that it sparks something inside my heart.
I open my mouth and lick my bottom lip. “Okay.” I lower my gaze to my knees.
“She started her treatment, and she’s in good hands with my dad.
That’s why I’m here, because I couldn’t sit at home by myself all summer waiting for an update.
So far she’s reacting to it, but it hasn’t been long enough to know if it’ll help her in the long run. ”
“Well, I hope the treatment works,” she says softly. “I’m glad she’s able to receive this kind of treatment. And like you said, she’s in good hands.”
My teeth clamp down on the inside of my cheek. “I’m a little surprised you remembered.”
“Why?”
“Well, we were a little intoxicated.” I shrug. “And I’ve started to realise that people don’t like talking about sick people.”
Ivy’s brows pull down into a tight frown. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I exhale a long breath. “A mention of illness, treatment, possible death. People don’t want to know. So I appreciate you asking about her, it honestly means a lot.”
She stares back at me, the whites of her eyes glistening as she listens. I’m not sure what flashes past her face, but it looks like empathy or consolation. It practically sets my heart on fire from the way she looks at me, not with pity or sorrow, but genuine understanding of how I must feel.
“Well, if you want someone to talk to. I’m here.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“How are you feeling?”
I shrug. “Okay, I guess. I’m just glad I have company.”
“I’m sorry for what I said at the party.” She chews on her lip.
My brows furrow. “Sorry for what?”
“I probably didn’t sound very welcoming.” Her eyes fall an inch. “But you are welcome here. I don’t want you to be alone at a time like this, I was just… startled by your arrival.”
My lips curl to the side. “Well, the feeling is mutual. I panicked and thought maybe you and Finn were together or something when I saw you.”
Ivy pulls a face. “Ew. So gross.”
“Yeah,” I chuckle.
She stares back at me with big green eyes, and I glance down at her lips that have been torturing me for weeks. I’d be a fool if I said I didn’t want to kiss the shit out of her again. Until neither of us can breathe, and she’s panting into my mouth for more.
A gust of wind sends the rain splattering into the kitchen, droplets coating Ivy. She yelps at the coldness, and before I know what I’m doing, I lean over to grab her waist and tug her along the kitchen tiles where it’s dry.
The warmth of her leg spreads into mine as I position her beside me. It stretches across my skin with comfort and calmness. She glances up at me, and I tilt my head down at the same time.
She swallows, eyes becoming wider, then dilating as she takes me in.
My gaze floats back down to her mouth, and her cheeks tint even darker. I lean closer, just an inch, until I can feel her breath on my lips.
A line of lightning zaps through the sky at the same time a roar of thunder claps in the air.
We jolt apart, and Ivy turns away, hiding her heated face behind her blonde hair.
I bite my bottom lip. My heartbeat rattles in my ears, blood soaring through my body with adrenaline.
I know I should stay away, but I don’t think I’m strong enough to.
For a while, we sit side by side in silence and enjoy the storm.