The Barren Thorns: I Know You ✔️

Chapter 14: Before You Called Me Baby

Author's Note: Just a reminder, The Barren Thorns has a Spotify playlist that I suggest. For each chapter published, there are a handful of songs that set the aesthetic, somewhat. Really it's just a great playlist of rock songs. Each chapter's playlist starts with the chapter title song. Find it here: https://open.spotify.com/user/lilyfedorko/playlist/0CQIXOMPlBEiYe6Wa6xGzM?si=pzkoHmUJTIKNuoI7xW4p5Q - it's titled The Barren Thorns if you are to search it.

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A moment of panic ran through me. What if he was mad that I had brought this into our house home? What if he didn't want to deal with the headache of my baggage? A million and one what if's ran through my mind until I felt Desmond's hands on my cheeks and he was forcing me to meet his gaze.

"I'm mad I didn't get to kick the bloke's ärsë, Ivy. I'm not mad at you, you daft yank." He stated with a lopsided smile. I realized that just seeing Logan had messed with my self-esteem. Desmond would never react that way. "You're the most insane person I know, Boneen. How could you ever think I would blame you for that gobshite showing up on our doorstep? You didn't ask for that." He pulled me toward him and wrapped his arms around me. Before I knew it, I was sat in his lap and had my face buried in the crook of his neck to let myself breathe him in. "Are you ok?" he murmured against my ear.

"Actually," I started picking my head up and making eye contact with him. "I am. I guess his appearance reassured me of this. Reminded me of how different you are. I'm a little nervous about him though. He seemed..."

Ellen interjected, "unhinged." She placed a plain bagel, a little burnt, with plain cream cheese in front of me and I smiled. She knew me so well.

"That's exactly the word I thought." I muttered and looked to her. "Where did you two come from anyway?" I asked before taking a bite of my bagel as Leo gave Desmond and I black coffee.

"We were in Ellen's room waiting for you to wake up. We'd gone out to get bagels and then gone to take showers... and stuff." Leo winked over at Ellen and she laughed rolling her eyes. "I'm sorry we weren't decent enough to get the door. But we were... at the and stuff portion I mentioned."

"Oh, God." I gasped through my full mouth. I swallowed and looked at Ellen. "You guys didn't sleep here last night, did you?" I made the mistake of taking a sip of coffee right after asking that question.

"It wasn't easy to sleep with all that racket you two were making." Leo told us flatly but his smirk made me choke on my coffee, a bit dribbling out and falling into Desmond's lap. "Mostly just you though," he looked at me. Desmond tried to stifle a laugh and Ellen and Leo high fived.

"I hate all of you." I whined trying to scoot to my own stool, away from a chuckling Desmond. He held me firm and took a bite of my bagel in my hand.

"We love you," Ellen purred and winked at me. "By the way, I have been Ivy's roommate for most of our adult lives. You done good from the sounds of it." Ellen held her hand up to high five Desmond. He looked to me for permission and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, he did good. High fives all around and let's move on." I groaned burying my bright red face in his neck again. I heard everyone high five and when I looked up Desmond was beaming with pride. "What are we doing today?" I asked quickly changing the subject and looking to Leo and Ellen. Ellen was looking at Desmond with a pointed glare and Leo was grinning. "What's going on?"

"You didn't tell her why I am here yet?" Ellen sounded irked. Desmond squirmed under my confused gaze.

"We had a fight about the paparazzi yesterday, I didn't want to mention an event in which she would purposely be seeing cameras right after that." He explained.