When India met Ivory

Chapter Four

My running slows to a halt and I struggle to catch my breath. My heart is beating so hard in my chest that I can hear it in my ears. Then the atrocious thought that I have just lost my job hits me and I can't breathe all over again. I have the sudden urge to cry but my tears will solve nothing.

As I am approaching my house a roar of thunder echoes above my head and rain soon follows afterwards. I know a storm is coming so I try to dash to my house. As I cross the street and run to my front door I am patting myself down looking for my keys, and I finally realize that I left them on the kitchen table once I am at the door. I let my head fall against the door in frustration. Now what am I going to do?

There's nowhere I can go.

Mrs. Hankins isn't here anymore and she was the only person that I could really depend on in situations like this. I don't anyone in this neighborhood.

Except...

No that's not an option. I have treated him so badly that he would never treat me with kindness.

But I'm desperate right now and I have no other choice, and before I can overthink the decision I have subconsciously made, my legs are already running towards his house. I am coming up his driveway when I come to the realization that no cars there and I can only pray that he would be at home.

I ring the doorbell twice and no response. So I try knocking 3 times, still no response. My heart drops to my stomach with so much disappointment that it blurs my vision just a bit. I will have to find a place to sleep tonight. I begin the walk of shame back to my house's front porch. I am already across the street when I hear the door open and Ivory calls my name. I turn on my heel and stare at the area from which my name was called. Ivory then says "What are you doing here? What's going on?" I walk back to the door and respond with "I left my key inside my house and I have nowhere else to go."

He stares at me for quite some time then abruptly turns and waves his hand, beckoning me inside his home. Once I get in he tells me to stay where I am. He turns a corner and comes back a few short moments later with a large towel. It didn't quite hit me that I was soaking wet from head to toe until now. He holds out the towel and I take it while mumbling "thank you". He stares at me as I wrap the towel around myself. It is warm as if it had just been taken out of the dryer. I take a step forward but Ivory waves his hands frantically in front of me and cries out "Take off your shoes before you step on the floors! Please! " 

I slowly bend down to take off my shoes and socks hoping that my feet don't stink because the shoes are old and I was just in the rain and mud.

I move towards the kitchen, silently looking to Ivory for consent in my actions. He only nods, so I continue my adventure. I look around the house I once knew like the back of my hand. It feels so empty without Mrs. Hankins big personality filling it up, either with her loud laughter or with her crazy music that she always had at the highest volume because she refused to put in her hearing aid. She said it made her feel too old.

The house was a typical middle class family home with a few modern touches that she added only a year before she passed. The high ceilings made the place seem so much larger than it actually was. She'd painted every room a color from one of the flowers in her garden. Of course she'd wanted to paint every room by herself ; She believed she could still do everything on her own. But I wouldn't take no for an answer because I didn't want her falling off of a ladder and breaking a hip.

I continued through the house as if it were my own; Ivory was following slightly behind me as I ventured along. I didn't know where my feet were taking me until there I stood in front of the room I'd missed so dearly. I was in front of Chauncey's room which she had turned into a library after he passed. Chauncey loved books, so she put all kinds of books in there so 'Whenever his spirit decided to stop by for a visit he would be comfortable' she'd say. I took a deep breath before I pushed open the door and walked inside.

They hadn't changed anything yet. Every book was in the same place it had been left. Nothing had changed. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply and for a moment I could still almost smell Mrs. Hankins Chanel no.5 perfume filling the room. And everything was how it used to be for a moment. One moment. And then it was all gone again. Nostalgia filled my heart to the brim. What a bastard it was. Always making things seems so much better than they were.

It was then I came back to reality and that I grasped Ivory was calling my name. He had clothes in his hands. Some sweatpants and a white v neck t-shirt. "Change into these; you're dripping water all into the carpet." I nodded slowly taking them from his hand and walk to the restroom. I close the door and begin changing into the clothes. I take off my wet shirt and I realize that my bra is wet also and I know my panties are more than likely in the same condition. So I take them both off as much as I didn't want to. I slid in the dark gray sweats first they are so baggy that I have to use the adjustment string and the next I put on the shirt. My nipples are hard but my chest is small so I let down my hair in an attempt to cover them up. My hair is soaked too so I grab the towel he gave me earlier and begin to dry my hair.

My hair super tangled and refuses to like me at the moment so I let it dry the way it wants and I open the door and step out of the bathroom. Ivory is standing at the end of the hallway and he is holding a large plastic bag and I begin walking towards him with my balled up wet clothes with my panties and bra somewhere in the middle. As I get closer Ivory looks stone faced and annoyed and I don't know how to respond. "Is that for me?" I hear my voice asking him and he only nods once. I grab the bag and throw a thank you over my shoulder as I walk toward the front of the house again.

I pass the sun room and two other bedrooms just to get there. I am shoving my clothes in the bag and I tie it up and place it beside my shoes. I look up to Ivory once I am done, "So what now?" I ask him. He merely stares at me and I don't know what to make of the awkward eye contact until he replies softly

"You are stunning. But you are so vulnerable and hurt. And I don't know who or what hurt you but every time I look into those big green eyes it makes me want to find whatever made you feel this way and kill it with my bare hands."

And there it was again, that loud thumping in my chest that wouldn't seem to quit every time I got near him. It is loud and I know he can hear it because his stare only intensifies and he takes a step towards me but I take a step back on impulse.

Afraid

"Why won't you let me get close to you?" He asks confusion settling upon his striking features.

"Because I don't want you to get hurt."

************************************************

I have been gone so long and I can't even say that it was because I was busy. I have had terrible writers block and I can honestly say that I have been working on this chapter for about 3 or 4 months. I just haven't had the inspiration until recently and I am proud to say that i have finally finished this chapter and I hope you guys enjoy it. Please leave feedback so that way i can improve to give my readers the best experience possible. I love you guys