Verity [ON HOLD]

Chapter 14

V E R I T Y

"Hey, Ivy." I let the voicemail drone on speaker as I messily threw my belongings on the kitchen counter, stretching my body as soon as my hands were free of everything I had been carrying and groaning in satisfaction as my muscles were stretched from fatigue. "I know you left not too long ago, but I just wanted to give you another big, 'thank you' from both Pamela and I. We're both really pleased with how quick you were to get here and you're willingness to run around for us, it's greatly appreciated and definitely not going unnoticed. Well done, see you again soon."

I knew what I was signing up for the second I picked up a pencil and paper with raw determination for success. You wouldn't make it in the industry if you were lazy, and my constant hard work was proof of that knowledge, but Charlotte's gentle praise still felt like the most perfectly conducted orchestra to my ears. It was a casual compliment, but I stopped mid stretch to stare at my phone in complete silence until a relieved smile replaced the blank canvas. The sweat and worry was always going to be worth it.

Although the silence in my house was welcomed and probably necessary after the storm I'd just returned from, I was still just as enthused to rejoin the boys as I was before I had to leave. I still hadn't gotten Kade's new number, and still had him blocked, so I messaged him through Instagram to see what they were up to. I had only been able to shrug off my top before I received a ping from my device, and embarrassingly enough, bounced over to my stationary phone with too large a bounce in my step.

INSTAGRAM
[IvyReese]: Kade
Hey, yeah, Ethan and I are just chilling in the hotel.
Down for dinner?

[KadeBishop]: IvyReese
Definitely, just need to hop in the shower and I can meet you there.
Anything in mind?

[IvyReese]: Kade
Ethan says he wants Mexican, but it's up to you

[KadeBishop]: IvyReese
Mexican is good with me!
Don't know any places though. Google?

[IvyReese]: Kade
Got it. Talk after your shower x

Listening to his advice, and wanting to scrub off the outside world as soon as possible, I jumped into the shower and cleaned myself up. Wiping my face clean of any lingering makeup felt all too refreshing and through that revelation I bravely decided to disregard the makeup tonight and go to dinner bare faced- it wasn't a big deal in reality, but when the possibility of flashing cameras was an every day task you had to battle, makeup felt like a necessity.

My outfit seemed appropriate enough for the unbothered aesthetic I was going for tonight. An oversized jumper and sweatpants was what I ended up settling with, and after fitting my necessities into a small bag, I was out the house minutes later. "Hey," I spoke into the phone, having decided calling Kade would be much easier, "I've just left the house."

"Yeah," I hear fumbling in the background and a curse from, who I'm guessing, was Ethan, "we're just waiting for our taxi now. Need us to pick you up?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry," I assure him, "I'm taking the subway. Much easier, and less traffic. We should arrive there at around the same time, I think." I'm crossing the street as he replies, double checking that I was going to be fine, before hanging up as his cab had arrived and I was just about to go underground. I liked to assume I blended in with my nonchalant outfit and plugged in my headphones for the entire duration of the trip, keeping them in even as I was strolling just minutes away from the restaurant.