The bell above the door rings as it opens. Darren sat in a red leather boot, glancing up from his folded hands to see Ivy walk into the diner. He couldn't help but watch her interaction with the hostess and the way she unzips her brown hoodie revealing a white crop top underneath. And the way the smooth brown skin of her stomach glimmers under yellow-toned light.
Beautiful, he thought as he took Ivy's appearance as a whole, from her shoulder-length braids with curled ends to her white AirForces.
The hostess turns around to guide Ivy over to the booth. A small smile graces her glossed lips when her black-lined eyes meet his brown ones. His phone buzzed on the table and he already knew what or rather who it was. Darren flips his phone over to face him and taping on the screen to read the text.
ELIAS: it's not too late to cancel
ELIAS: say that you have an emergency. Or better yet, I'll fake being sick and you have to come back to the hotel and "take care of me"
ELIAS: STOP IGNORING ME
ELIAS: This is a mistake and you know it. Stop playing Mr. Nice Guy and remember what she did to you
Darren didn't even try to dignify Elias' demands with a response. He swipes down on his screen and puts his phone on Do Not Disturb. With that, he places his phone on the table, looking up only to see Ivy sliding into the booth across from him.
"Hi," she breathes while taking off her hoodie and placing it beside her. Her shoulder was exposed to the small chill going through the diner and he couldn't help but stare. "Sorry, I kept you waiting."
"It's fine. I just got here too," Darren says to ease her worry.
A lie it was. He had arrived ten to fifteen minutes earlier for two reasons: 1. He was nervous and had to prepare himself for this interaction 2. He had to escape Elias and his never-ending rants.
"Do you know who our server is? I'll see if I can wave them over, so we can order," she inquires with a straight face. Darren skims the diner, recalling only the hostess that had seated him. Ivy's shimmer lips press in a line as she hums.
"I guess we'll have to entertain ourselves until they come," Darren suggests to which Ivy doesn't object. "How have you been? I know it's been a while since we last talked."
Ivy tucks her hair behind her left ear, showing her silver post earring. "I've actually been great. I have this amazing ballet instructor, Madame Danvers— well, you met her the other day— I have an audition for her choreographed solo next week. So I've just been practicing for that. What about you? How have you been, Darren?"
There is a sparkle in her when she talks about ballet that he cannot help but notice. It's an enchanting sight. It's the only thing that truly puts a smile on her face and Daren is thankful for it.
"My life has been pretty shit lately," he laughs to which Ivy joins in with a brief chuckle.
Hockey sucks ass. I've been back in New York for almost a week now and still haven't gone to see my parents. I'm avoiding my brother like the plague. Plus, I'm here with you like we're old friends and we most definitely are not.
These are all the things he wanted to say but didn't. He didn't want to dampen the mood, not when things were just getting started. Instead, he replies, "Hockey season sucked. We lost our championship game even though it was mainly due to one person in particular. Anyways, I'm here for the summer to work on team bonding,"
"Sounds like you guys need it."
"But on the bright side of that, I made team captain two years in a row."
The waitress walks toward their booth, standing in between them at the head of it. She places two menus on the table before them. Her hair is in a frizzy low ponytail, Darren notices that tiny detail as her head is tilted down, hands searching for a notepad and a pen in her black waist apron.
"Sorry for the wait! My name's Angie and I'll be your server tonight," she announces with her pen and paper ready to go when she suddenly takes a small glimpse at Ivy.
"Angelica?" Ivy says, slightly startled. "You work here?"
Angelica's eyes darted around the ever-busy diner, replying, "Yeah, I gotta pay the bills somehow."
"You two know each other?" Darren asks. He's looking between the two women with intrigued interest because there's no way Ivy and Angelica are friends; Angelica seems so lively and blonde and Ivy's just so... so... yeah.
"We go to school together," Ivy answers, never taking her eyes off the girl as she nods.
"Cool."
It appears as if Angelica forgot why she was even there talking to them while she was standing and making casual conversation with the two of them. "Sooo is this like a date?"
"No," Darren and Ivy spoke in quick unison. At this moment, the pair awkwardly peek toward one another and question why the other was exceptionally quick to deny the observation.
"No, we're just catching up," Darren finishes.
The few seconds of awkwardness didn't faze Angelica and she remains oblivious. "Anyway, I can get you guys started with some drinks while you look over the menu?"
"I'll have a strawberry lemonade," Darren informs her as she scribbles on her notepad. He gestures to Ivy to speak.
"I'll just have water."
Darren frowned at that. Strawberry lemonade was her favorite plus her go-to drink of choice. Well, at least it used to be.
After taking their drink orders, Angelica walks away to give them time to look over the menus. Opening the list of meals, he scans the dinner options. Ivy does the same, her face as stoic as ever. It is hard for him to read her. He couldn't tell what was going on in her head, what she was thinking. Most of all, what she thought of him now. He used to be capable of understanding her more than he understood himself.
But that was before and this is now.
"How's your mom and everyone doing?" Darren asks.
Ivy gazes up from her menu at him, placing it flat on the table. "My mom is good, I guess. I don't know. She and I don't really talk anymore."
Darren didn't say anything. Ivy and her mom's relationship was complicated; he knew that much; her mom put her through a lot of unnecessary shit which resulted in Ivy having to play parent to both herself and her sister a lot of the time.
"As for Manny, she's turning seventeen in a couple of months. She is a junior in high school and writes for her school newspaper. She's actually supposed to come and stay with me next weekend," Ivy continues.
"Damn. The last I'd seen Manny was when she was thirteen/fourteen and getting ready to start high school and now she's about to be an adult, applying for colleges and shit," Darren says, taking in how time passes in three years. "I guess that time really does fly when you're having fun."
"What about your dad? How's he doing?"
Darren's question was interrupted by Angelica striding over with their drinks. She sets down the strawberry lemonade in front of him and Ivy's ice water in front of her, tossing two straws on the table. "Are you ready to order?"
Angelica writes down their orders with quickness and when she's done, she takes the menus, promising that meals should be out momentarily.
"As I was saying, your dad?"
Ivy's eyes are everywhere but on Darren. She squirms in her seat just a bit, obviously uncomfortable with the question. "Umm, my dad passed away two years ago. Alcohol poisoning."
Yet again he was speechless. He was sad for Ivy. It's her dad for fuck's sake but he was grateful that he is gone. Ivan Sr. can no longer torment nor antagonize her. From the moment he met Ivy, Darren could see that he was a ticking time bomb. Guess this time he finally exploded.
"I want to be sorry for your loss but I'm not. I won't lie to you," he comments causing Ivy to pause as she watches him. "I'm just glad you're finally free."
A silent beat passes before Ivy speaks again. "I never said I was sorry for my loss. Although, I don't consider it much of a loss. More of gain than anything"
Darren shows a small smile at that. Angelica returns shortly with a serving tray in tow. She arranges each plate of a cheeseburger and fries in front of them. They got the same thing because Ivy couldn't decide what she wanted, saying that there were too many options.
Angelica dismisses herself and Darren and Ivy resume their conversation.
"How's Splinter been lately?" Ivy inquires.
Darren chokes on a french fry. He gulps his lemonade to wash it down, then says, "He's doing pretty good. He started managing my hockey career a few years ago."
"I thought he was already doing that."
"Well, he's managing me officially now."
Truthfully Darren didn't want to talk about Splinter. The last he'd seen him which was months ago in his hotel room, Splinter had spent the entire time yelling at Darren, reminding him how much of a fuck up he was. They haven't seen or spoken to each other since hockey season ended but that wasn't unusual. Splinter didn't usually bother with him unless hockey was involved anyway.
They eat their food quietly, though Ivy's burger is untouched. A singular question plagues Darren's mind as he chews his cheeseburger. He couldn't be a coward this time. Elias was sort of right; He had to stop being Mr. Nice Guy if he ever wanted his heart back.
"Ivy?" he begins. She hums to acknowledge him. "Why did we break up?"
It was her turn to choke on a french fry. Ivy takes up her glass of water against her lips, downing the entire thing to avoid the question.
"Ivy, whatever it is you can tell me."
"Darren, I don't think we should talk about that. Let's not—"
Darren interrupts her mid-sentence, putting his burger back on the plate. "Ivy, enough time has passed. We've matured. I think we both— I at least deserve closure. Don't you?"
"This won't bring us closure. Trust me," she sighs.
"How do you know? Tell me how you know that for sure," he says. "I can't move on not knowing what I did wrong, not knowing what I need to fix."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Darren," Ivy reassures him.
"Then what did you do? Honestly, just help me understand where things went wrong. I can't stay in limbo anymore, Ivy," Darren pleads. "I just can't."
Finally, her emotionless mask breaks, and he witnesses her brown eyes glaze over. She stares at him directly, hurt written all over her face. Just tell me! What is so hard about telling the truth? Darren shouts in his head.
"I—I—" Ivy stutters. Darren leans forward, hoping to hear what he's been waiting three years for. "— I can't."
She grabs her hoodie and bag beside her and slides out of the booth. Darren rises to his feet too, heart beating a bit too fast for his own good. The few other patrons in the diner turn their heads at the pair's sudden movements.
Ivy turns to look at him one last time, tears ready to spill down her face if she lingered any longer. "This was a bad idea. I'm sorry."
He tries to reach for her hand, to make her stay, but he's too late. Ivy's gone like the wind. Darren stands there in shock as Angelica approaches the table again.
"Is everything alright? Should I get the check?" Angelica asks, touching Darren's upper left arm.
He nods and the blonde waitress disappears again. Sitting back down, Darren picks up his cheeseburger and takes a bite. Across from him, he glances at Ivy's plate, seeing that food was barely touched minus a couple of fries. He shook his head. Elias was right.
So much for freedom.
Author's Note| 12.17. 22
Hey everyone! Long time no see! I am so sorry for the wait but preparing for finals and finals week itself was killing me. I am just happy to be able to get a chapter out to you guys.
I'm going to be totally honest. I'm not completely happy with this chapter. I was originally supposed to write it in Ivy's POV but I changed it to Darren's last minute. So some minor things are subject to change in the future.
Also, thank you all for 8K reads on OYT! I appreciate everyone reading and commenting on my book. It means a lot and inspires me to keep writing.
Thoughts on Chapter Seven?