You,Me and the Past

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On the first day of our shoot at home, I felt completely at ease amid familiar surroundings. During our snack break, I noticed Ivy's phone case—a withered flower,that caught my eye. "Cool phone case!" I complimented. "Thanks," she replied. "Which flower is that?" I inquired. "Um, just... just a random flower I found pretty," she hesitated. "Okay... by the way, would you like to—" I was interrupted by Adrian. "Ivy! We need you here for a second," he called.

"Poor you, can't even ask her for a date," Andrew remarked, sitting beside me. "I wasn't asking her on a date," I defended. "Then what was that?" he questioned. "I was just asking her to join me for shopping for the reunion," I explained. "So, a shopping date, right?" he teased, to which I sighed and gave up.

"Do you have any updates on the CCTV footage?" I asked, as it lingered in the back of my mind. "No, not yet. They're still trying to remove the error, but we'll get there. I'll be reviewing the footage myself, so don't worry," he reassured me.

After the shoot, everyone began packing up. Ivy approached me, expressing gratitude for allowing them to use my home as the set. "Thank you for choosing it as our set. It was much more comfortable for me," I thanked her sincerely. "You have a nice home—sophisticated yet pleasant and comfy," she complimented, looking around.

"Ivy, actually, I wanted to ask if you could—" Once again, I was interrupted by a thud sound. "Looks like some equipment fell. I'll be back," she said and left. That was it. I decided to try one last time.

Finally, she was free, and I had asked Andrew to keep Adrian occupied. "Ivy, can I talk to you for a second?" I called her away from the staff to the corner of the room, away from interruptions.

"What is it?" she asked. "I wanted to ask if we could—" I was interrupted again by her phone. "I'll just—" I couldn't take it anymore. I held her shoulders and pinned her to the wall. "You, me, shopping for the reunion?" I asked, while she was in pure shock and just nodded. I gave her a smile and let go. She hesitantly walked away.

I stood there for a minute and later realized what I had just done. "Did I just... no... YES!" I was in disbelief. I swore at myself and went to apologize.

The next day, was more hectic than yesterday because we decided to wrap up the shoot that day so the editors would have more time to prepare the photographs properly. "I'm sorry, everyone. I know we're working overtime, but you guys can take a day off tomorrow," Ivy announced, cheering up the staff as they became energized.

"And it's a wrap!" Ivy announced, thanking everyone. "Thank you so much for your efforts, everyone. You did an amazing job this past week and today. It's a miracle how quickly we could make this possible. I hope we can work together again in the future!" Everyone clapped and cheered.

As everyone left in groups, I noticed Ivy leaving alone, so I approached her. "Why are you going home alone? Where is Adrian?" I asked. "He left before me with my car. He had some emergency work, so I'm just going to catch a bus," she explained. "Wait, I'll drive you. I can't possibly let you go alone," I insisted, showing genuine concern for her well-being.

With a quiet tension filling the car, I decided to break the ice. "So, you have a roommate, right?" I asked. "Yeah, her name is Amber. She's actually a fan of yours," she replied. "Wow, really? I'll have to meet her someday," I chuckled. "You don't want to meet her, she's crazy," she said, and we shared a laugh. "Looks like you guys are really close," I added. "She really helped me out by giving me shelter after I moved out. I met her at the workplace where I used to work part-time," she said with a soft smile.

Arriving at her place, we bid goodbye. As I was about to leave, I noticed her scarf stuck in the seat. Glancing in the direction she had gone, I realized she had already left. "Should I go in?" I contemplated.

I entered the building but wasn't sure which apartment was hers. Should I call her? I looked around and spotted a board with house owners and apartment numbers. Bingo!

Ringing the bell, I patiently waited for the door to open. When it did, I was greeted by an unfamiliar face. "May I help— Tyler Grant?!" the person, presumably Amber, exclaimed. "Hello!" I greeted with a smile. "Hi! Please come in," she insisted. "Oh no, I just wanted to return this scarf to Ivy," I said.

"Ivy isn't home right now. She just left a few moments before you arrived," she informed me. "Alone?" I asked with concern. "No, I guess Adrian came, so she went to take the car keys," she said. "You could wait inside for her. I'll prepare some tea for you," she invited. I felt bad declining, so I accepted.

As I sat on the couch, I noticed a room that looked like Ivy's. "It would be rude if I went in," I whispered, but I was curious. I approached Amber in the kitchen and asked, "Looks like that's Ivy's room, right?" "Oh yeah, it is. You can go inside; I don't think Ivy would mind. She tends to clean and organize her room better than me," she said, chuckling awkwardly.

Her room was impeccably neat and sleek, reflecting Ivy's personality. A camera on the desk caught my eye, an old model but well-maintained. Then, a collection of magazines drew my attention. "Aren't these... magazines that feature me?" I whispered, a smirk creeping onto my face. As I opened one, an envelope fell out. Before I could investigate further, Ivy returned, interrupting my snooping.

"Tyler, what are you doing in my room?" she asked, panic evident in her voice.

I quickly brushed it off, "Oh, just admiring your magazine collection."

She smiled nervously and took the envelope from my hand. "Those were for inspiration for our shoot," she said. "Let's go sit outside; tea is ready," she suggested, escorting me out of the room. But despite her efforts, my curiosity about the envelope lingered, leaving me with unanswered questions.

"When did you come?" Amber asked Ivy as she returned. "Just now," she answered nervously. We further drank tea and chatted before I left.

While driving back, I couldn't help but wonder about the envelope and Ivy's suspicious nature. But then I also remembered that we have a date— I mean, a shopping day—tomorrow. So, I put that thought aside...for now.