Love Games

17||The Invitation

🦋Amina

As Ivy plops down on the couch, crumbs of my Funyuns clinging to her fingers, she shoots me a sly grin. "You've been glued to your phone all week," she notes, her tone brimming with curiosity and a hint of mischief. "Is it Eli? Are you two chatting it up again?"

I snatch back my bag of chips, shooting her a playful glare. "Nope, not Eli," I reply, a touch of annoyance seeping through. Ivy's been camped out at my place, munching on snacks and avoiding Ryan, who finally manned up and asked to take things to the next level with her – something she's been yearning for. And now? She's chickening out, munching her way through my snack stash instead.

"Quit dodging Ryan and have a chat already," I urge, just as my phone chimes with a new message. Holding it up for Ivy to see, I roll my eyes. "Just Eli," I announce, a mix of resignation and frustration tinging my voice. Despite my best intentions, life – with Easton and work – keeps getting in the way of ending things properly.

Ivy waves off my comment. "Whenever you're ready to face Eli," she quips, impatience evident in her tone. Rolling my eyes, I retort, "Actually, I've got plans today."

"Plans to finally face the music, huh?" Ivy interrupts, her concern bubbling to the surface. Ignoring her melodrama, I shoot off a text to Eli, suggesting we meet up later at his restaurant – newsflash: he's not just a waiter, he's the owner, which adds a whole new layer of intrigue to our little rendezvous.

"I'm scared," Ivy admits, her voice trembling with uncertainty, her earlier bravado crumbling before my eyes.

"Fearful of what, Ivy? This is what you wanted – a shot at something real," I remind her, trying to inject some courage into her wavering resolve.

"That's just it. He's never been this serious before," Ivy whispers

"Look, Ivy," I begin, my tone softened with sincerity, "just talk to Ryan. You wanted this, remember? Sometimes what we want is right in front of us, we just need to grab it."

She nods, a glimmer of determination sparking in her eyes. "You're right, Mina. Thanks for the pep talk," she says, flashing me a grateful smile before scooping up a handful of snacks on her way out, her parting gift to herself for the road ahead.

Once Ivy's gone, I steel myself for my own confrontation, driving to Eli's house with a jumble of thoughts racing through my mind. But all my rehearsed scenarios fly out the window when I find him bruised and battered, a sight that instantly melts away any lingering resentment.

"Hey, what happened to you?" I blurt out, my concern overshadowing any planned discussion.

Eli winces slightly as he tries to shrug off my worry. "Oh, just a little run-in. Nothing to worry about," he mumbles, avoiding my gaze.

I'm not convinced. "That looks pretty serious for just a 'little run-in'," I press, reaching out to inspect the bruises more closely.

He sighs, relenting under my scrutiny. "Okay, fine. It was... a disagreement with a bouncer at a club," he admits sheepishly.

I can't help but chuckle at his understatement. "A disagreement, huh? Looks like you lost," I tease, trying to lighten the mood.

Eli shoots me a playful glare. "Hey now, I held my own," he protests, a smirk tugging at his lips despite the pain.

Raising an eyebrow, I decide to shift the conversation to more serious matters. "Alright, but seriously, Eli. We need to talk about us," I say, my tone sobering as I meet his eyes.

He nods, his expression growing more earnest. "Yeah, we do," he agrees, his voice quiet but determined. "So, what's on your mind?"

As I lay out my feelings, Eli listens attentively, his brow furrowing slightly with each passing moment. When I finally finish speaking, there's a moment of silence as he processes my words.