Sign Your Name Across My Heart

Chapter nineteen

A few days have passed, I've been working a lot more than usual, taking more shifts, covering coworkers when needed. Ash went away for business and I haven't seen him or spoken to him much, so I've been trying to stay busy. He hasn't called me in four days either.

I sit on my couch with a cup of tea, watching a movie on my television, before my phone rings. I pick it up, hoping to see that it's Ash, but it's Ivy. I sigh deeply, wondering if I should even answer it. Technically I should. It's still Ivy, even though we had an argument.

I answer her call, placing the phone to my ear. "What?" I ask, bluntly. I want her to know that I'm still upset. I didn't like the way she spoke to me at Bram's. We haven't spoken since that night and this random phone call has me wondering if she's calling to yell at me some more.

"Hey..." Ivy says, quietly. "I'm sorry, Libby." She blurts out soon after.

She called to apologize? I'm surprised. I don't think I've ever heard her apologize to me before, sincerely anyway. "Thank you for apologizing." I say back to her. I don't want to fight with her anymore. I'm still hurt, but I just want to put this behind us.

"I should have been more understanding. I really thought about what you said over the past few days and you're right. I was the one pushing you to get to know Bram, and that's all you were doing. I should have trusted you."

I don't think Ivy has ever made more sense than she has right now. I smile. I have my friend back. "Thanks, Ivy... It's alright, I forgive you." I said to her. "But... What about everything else I told you?" I question her. I told her that her boyfriend is practically cheating on her and she hasn't mentioned that at all.

"I spoke with Bram, actually. I think it was all just a misunderstanding." She replies.

I hum, "Mm." I'm not sure how to feel about that but I guess I have to let it go now. I said my piece and she can do what she wants with it. I wonder what Bram told her, what lies he fed her.

"Okay," She huffs. "Now that we're past that awkward part, what do you think about Hawthe?" She giggles. "Do you think he's hot?" She asks me.

"Ivy," I groan. "I'm dating Ash." I don't want to talk about other men the way she does.

"So what?" She laughs at me. "Who cares? Ash can't hear you!"

I sigh and lean back, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know." I roll my eyes.

"Come on!" She keeps laughing.

"Okay, okay. Yeah, he's good looking. But-"

"But would you sleep with him?" She asks. I can practically hear her smirk over the phone.

"I don't know." I mumble. "I haven't even slept with Ash yet." I add on.

She disregards what I say and says, "Well, I would sleep with him. All... night... long. He's so sexy." She's drooling over him and it makes me question if she's even into Bram anymore.

I've always hated the way Ivy spoke about men. I know most men must speak about women in the same way, but that doesn't mean that I think it's okay for us to do it as well. Ivy's been like this for as long as I've known her, and I've always hated it. Despite being with Bram, all she does is talk about other men. I thought Bram was her one and only, seeing as though she almost lost me because of him, and holds him on this pedestal, no matter how poorly he treats her. Clearly she has her eyes elsewhere as well, just like him.

"I had to stop myself from jumping him, I swear to god." She keeps going.

I keep zoning in and out while she speaks, thinking about Ash, but also thinking about anything else besides this conversation. "Uh, hello?" Ivy asks. "Are you there?"

I snap out of my thoughts. "Yes, I'm still here. I heard you. I just don't know what to say." I say, with faint laughter. "I think you should maybe focus on one guy right now. You know, Bram?" I ask.

Ivy sighs, "You're boring." I know she means it in a joking way, but I don't take it as a joke.

"I have to go, bye." I say, quickly hanging up the phone. I toss it to the side, it lands somewhere on the couch. I look black to the television, trying to take my mind off of her.

A few minutes pass before there's two light knocks on my door. I cautiously stand up, walking over, wondering who it could be. I'm not expecting anybody. It can't be Ivy and it can't be Ash either. He's hours away in another city right now.

I check through my little window on the door and I widen my eyes. What is he doing here?

I slowly unlock and open my door, looking up at him. "Hawthe..?" I ask breathily, confused. He's drenched despite the short walk from his car to my door - it's raining so hard. "How did you know I live here?" I ask, finding it strange. I keep my hand on the doorknob, keeping my distance from him, because after all, I don't know this man, even if he works with Ash.

He laughs and runs his hand through his wet hair, rain falling down the sides of his face. "I got a call from Ash, actually. From a payphone. He wanted me to check in on you. He has no service." He explains.

I stare at him, finding this whole thing a little odd. "Why wouldn't he just call me from the payphone to check in on me himself?" I ask, still very confused.

He shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know."

I grow worried the more information I hear - or rather, lack thereof. Is something wrong? "Don't stress about it too much, Ash is weird like that I guess. Anyway, I just wanted to see if you were alright, which you are." He smiles.

I nod my head, not knowing what to say.

"Actually," He says. "Do you think I can use your washroom?"

I gulp and nod my head again. "Uh, sure." I step aside and let him in.

He walks to the bathroom and I awkwardly wait in the kitchen, suddenly not knowing what to do with myself in my own home.

Once he comes back out, he looks at me and I freeze.

"Um," I mumble. "Would you like a coffee? A tea?" I ask, trying to ease the tension I'm feeling.

"Coffee would be great, sweetie, yes." He says. He sounds so gentle. Much nicer than Bram.

I'm used to men calling me pet names, because I would always hear them around me growing up, and I always thought that it was normal for a man to call a woman baby, sweetheart, love, or princess. I know now the older I get that it's not okay, when older men would call me these names at a young age, but part of me learned to block it out at the same time.

As I start to make his coffee, I steal another glance at him as he stands there, soaking wet. "Do you want me to dry your sweater?" I offer.

"Oh, that'd be great. Thanks." He replies, taking it off.

I take it from him and as I walk away I hear him ask, "Do you mind drying everything else too?"

I turn around and see him cock his eyebrow.

I gulp, "Uh, yeah... Sure."

Why am I being so nice? I don't know him. This could be bad.

He slowly removes his shirt, revealing dozens of tattoos on his chest, water glistening down his torso. He hands me his shirt and I take it. He does the same with his pants, leaving him in just his boxers.

"I'll keep these, of course." He comments with a laugh, referring to his wet boxers.

I nod my head, unable to speak and I walk to my bathroom, putting his wet clothes in the dryer. I grab a clean towel and walk back to him, handing it over. "Here." I motion.

He takes it from me and wipes his face down. "Thanks." He says. I slowly walk over to the kitchen and stand there, suddenly not knowing what to do. I don't know how to act with him here. I look at his body again, out of the corner of my eye. I quickly look away. What's wrong with me?

As he dries himself, my eyes fall to his lap. I gulp again. His wet boxers clung to his skin, outlining everything.

This is bad news. Ash is my boyfriend and his business partner is practically naked in my apartment.

I start to think about what Ivy was saying on the phone, before Hawthe clears his throat and snaps me out of my thoughts.