Rivals in Business, Allies in Love

Chapter 8

~Ivy~

I stare at the sign. Closed. CLOSED.

Of course. I know I wouldn't have made it in time for the bakery. I sigh and turn to the street where my driver pulls up. He parks on the side and I immediately head in. I settle down in the back of the car, my hands already finding my phone.

Thomas holds up a box.

Oh, Thomas. You deserve a raise.

The smile is so wide on my face, my cheek hurts. "How'd you know?"

"Intuition." Thomas grins. He knows me so well. He has been helping the family since I was six. He basically watched me grow. He was there to celebrate more than half of my milestones in life. He probably knows me as much as my parents do if not more.

He knows me well enough to know that every time my cousin Vivian visits, I buy her her favourite cupcakes from Charlie's Bakery.

Thomas pulls off on the road and my smile doesn't falter until a good two minutes into the ride.

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I adjust the glasses in my eyes before typing away at my laptop again. Instead of hiding away in my room, I decide it'll be more practical to stay closer to the kitchen hence why I'm working on my kitchen island.

Mother and father like any other day will probably come home at midnight or maybe not at all. I've grown accustom to their absence. I've grown accustom to the empty house.

Sometimes the only person I can rely on is myself. I know I won't betray me and I know myself more than any other person does.

"It's Friday night. Go out. Get wasted. Get high." The smile climbs its way up my face at the all too familiar voice.

Vivian.

Her hands snake around my shoulders as she peers over at my laptop. "It's a disease. I refuse to let you go down like this."

"It's too late for me but it's not too late for you. Run, Viv. Run." I joke in a dramatic voice. She chuckles and throws her arms around me. Her hug always brings me comfort. She gives the warmest hugs.

"I miss you so much." She confesses and I nod as if agreeing.

"Me too. It's been a while." My cousin Vivian is a year older than I am. Ever since we met as kids, we clicked despite being polar opposites. She's bubbly and I'm impassive. Her fun is going out and meeting new people and mine is staying home reading business news. She likes shopping and I don't. However, I do like fashion. We share at least that in common.

Vivian drops down into the stool beside me. I eye her luggage that she mostly likely threw to the floor when she came in earlier. "So, seriously is that what we're doing this Friday night?" I give her a look. She pouts. "I met this guy earlier. He's so attractive." I smile. There she goes.

"I bet."

"Wanna see him?"

I don't look at her. Instead, I continue to type on my laptop. "Nope."

"Are you perhaps asexual?" My eyebrows furrow. "You don't ever talk about being interested in anyone. It's strange." I snort. "C'mon, you're like the only family member I can talk about this with. My sister would probably rat my business out to my parents." I'm like the last person anyone should talk to about boys and relationships. I simply won't have anything to add to the conversation.

"Fine. Let me see him." I roll my eyes. She snatches my phone and tries the passcode. I arch an eyebrow at her. "Why are you using my phone?"

"I don't have insta on mine. I use insta on my laptop." She tries the passcode twice more. Vivian's eyes then narrow at me. "What do you have to hide?"