Roses For Everytime I Thought About You♡ (discontinued)

Chapter 15

IVORY

Can someone explain to me why it feels so awkward to sit on a chair outside of a "detective's" office? Or should I be worried that we're currently in a police department?!

It's concerningly quiet, and i can hear multiple voices hushed by the surprisingly-not-thin-walls. My leg bounces up and down while my eyes dart around the minimally decorated hallway. It was filled with blue cushioned stools, plants, paintings, and a portrait of all the police officers standing outside the police department.

I bite the inside of my cheek, feeling anxious, although I'm not the one who got a call by my "mother," who I haven't known my entire life, and is now expecting me and her to have a "Friendly talk" while a detective makes sure we don't go apeshit. Difficult, ain't it?

I stand up, shooting Zayn a quick "I'll be outside" so he doesn't run around searching for me. He responds with a thumbs-up emoji, to which I roll my eyes too, but don't waste time to get out of this suffocating hallway, overlooking the figure in my way. I need fresh air.

"Merde!" I groan as I stumble into a woman walking down the halls, almost making her drop the cardboard cup holder filled with paper cups of steaming hot coffee. An audible hiss is heard from her, to which i notice that splotches of burning coffee painted her white button-up.

Composing myself quickly to apologize to the lady, our eyes lock, and our jaws drop almost in sync. "Ivy! You didn't tell me you were coming to Vermont! Oh my God!" Vera, my long-distance best friend, squeals as she hugs me so tight I can't breathe. I embrace her back. "Vera!" I squeak.

We were long distant, but we were incredibly close. After a few minutes, she lets go of me, looking at me skeptically. "What are you doing here?" She asks light-heartedly, "On a trip." I shrug, and we both laugh.

Vera gives me a tour around the police department as she hands out the drinks on the cardboard cup holder, leaving only one to which she tells the staff, so leave it specifically for someone. Her stilletos clicked sharply through the smooth floor, our laughter filling the hallways.

Apparently, she was just here to visit, though she looked certainly fancy. When we were outside, I had completely forgotten about Zayn, but I thought he was fine, although he hasn't texted back other than that thumbs-up emoji sent an hour ago. "So, how's your gardening career going?" Vera teases, wiggling her eyebrows at me. I laugh "Its a hobby, and what about you? How is the librarian career going?" I tease her back.

"It's a hobby, not a career." She mocks my answer. To which we both laugh at. We sit at the bench in front of the department, sharing most recent events that happened this month.

Our friendly talk was soon interrupted by Zayn exiting the police department along with a detective and a worried woman who was clutching her bag so hard her knuckles turned white. I jump from my seat on the hardwood bench and approach him, only for Vera to pull me back by my shoulder.

"I'll be back, Ivory." Zayn soothes, slipping his black card in my hand before getting in the black Mercedes's passenger seat, where the woman and the detective also took their place in. The man looked like he was in his late mid-30s. To note; he looked incredibly young for a detective.

A look of disdain is etched onto Vera's stunning features, her arm wrapping protectively around my shoulder. "Are you okay, V?" I ask concerned, my hands slipping the black card into my wallet and inside my bag. "I'm fine," She sighs, "Let's go get a coffee, shall we?" I nod, shutting my mouth, thinking twice about commenting on her tense posture.

Vera has stood up for me ever since elementary. She's always been my best friend, even if she's States away. Though I'm starting to feel suspicious.. are there things she isn't telling me? The detective? The coffee? Why the hell is she at the police station in the first place?! I'm not one to prod into someone's private lives, but Vera's the type to have desperate models on a leash for her, and she'd still push them away.

I don't say anything and instead just follow her to the coffee shop. The walk there was silent, but there was no need for words to be spoken to show how comfortable we are with each other.