Unbreakable (Book 2 of Unexpected)

Remind Me

Avi's POV

"Why don't you want them to know? They're our friends."

"Because I don't want to get their hopes up or mine. Just give it time."

Silence. "Fine. I won't say anything, but you should come in today. We're arranging..." I paused, taking a deep breath. "And I really want to see you."

"I'll think about it," Ivy said softly. I could easily hear the hesitation in her voice, but it was enough for me.

"Okay. I gotta go. I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay." Click. I let out a sigh and stuffed my phone in my pocket as I grabbed my jacket and headed out the door and heading to the studio. I was already late, so I didn't bother rushing. I took the extra time to let my mind wander, mainly coming up with an excuse as to why I was late.

I was still thinking when I walked in and took a seat on the couch to find everyone watching me and Scott's lips moving. "What?" I asked, not hearing what he said.

"You're late," he repeated with a slight chuckle.

"Sorry. The dog gets clingy." The lie came out pretty smooth and they seemed to put it off.

"Don't hound him so much. Saturday was tough for him," Mitch spoke up as he stood and walked over, sitting on my lap and wrapping his arms around my neck. "You'll be okay bassman."

Oh yeah. They knew I went with Kirstie to see what was wrong with Ivy when she disappeared upstairs at the party, but none of them knew she chose to give us a second chance. As far as they knew, it turned into a yelling match and we still weren't talking, which is exactly what we wanted them to think.

"Come on. Arranging and writing always makes me feel better," Kevin said with a million dollar smile towards me. So that's exactly what we did. We spent the entire day arranging covers and writing originals. I continuously found myself looking towards the door, hoping Ivy decided to show up, but it never happened. Each time, someone would ask me what I was looking at and I always gave a variation of the same answer.

"I thought I heard something."

When we finished for the night, we said goodnight and left. I made a few stops before heading to Ivy's house. She had said she wanted to take things slow this time, and I was fine with that. But it didn't mean I couldn't stop to say hi.

I arrived at her apartment and walked up, several bags in one hand  and a couple boxes in the other as I barely managed to knock on the door. It didn't take long for her to open up and pause curiously.

It amazed me how she still managed to look stunning with no makeup on, an oversized tshirt and a pair of boots that didn't match. She didn't say anything, just clutched a pillow close to her chest as she stood there watching me.

"I brought food?" I said, my tone becoming more of a question as I held up the boxes. "I got pizza and donuts and some other stuff," I added with a smile as I noticed the corners of her lips tilting up slightly, almost as if she was trying to hide a smile.

She moved to the side, letting me in, and closed the door behind me as she tossed her pillow on the couch. "What are you doing here?" she finally asked while I set up the food on her coffee table.

"You didn't show today and I told you earlier. I really wanted to see you."

"But I said-"

"You told me to take it slow, and I am. I figured since you didn't show at the studio, I'd show up here. We can have a date night. Just watch movies and eat," I replied and turned to finally look at her.

"But-"

"If you say 'but' one more time I'm taking all of this and leaving." I cautiously approached her, gently placing my hands on her waist. "Stop making excuses for yourself." I paused, gently taking her left hand and kissing the ring on her third finer. "You promised to give us a second chance, and your excuses aren't letting that happen. You haven't let me give you a proper date all week so I made it happen. Please. I miss the way it was between us. I just want to remind you of how good it was and how good it can be again, but you have to let me. Don't just assume I know you want this."

I was glad to see a smile form on her face as she reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck. "That's really sweet and all, but if you would've let me finish, I was going to say that I looked like hell," she laughed, and I could feel her fingers playing with the short curls sticking out from underneath the beanie I wore. "You could have given me time to change."

"You don't need to. I think you're just as beautiful now as if you had on a dress and makeup. You don't need that stuff to get me to like you. I already do," I said softly, resting my forehead against hers. I intentionally steered clear of telling her I loved her. I still did, obviously, but I wasn't about to mess things up. I'd let her tell me when she was ready.

"Pirates of the Caribbean?" I chuckled at her suggestion and gently pulled her over to the couch, sitting her down. I walked over to the tv and grabbed  all five movies in order. I put The Curse of the Black Pearl in first and set the others to the side as I turned the tv on and took a seat next to her. I opened the pizzas, a barbecue for me and pepperoni and bacon for her, and took a slice in my hand, sitting back as I focused on the movie.

She leaned forward as well, grabbing one with bacon and sat back, her eyes glued to the tv as well, but it didn't take ten minutes for her to reach over and grab my arm closest to her. She wrapped it around her and moved closer, pulling her feet up behind her. I didn't say anything because I didn't mind. I was letting her take this at her own pace. I smiled slightly as she rested her head against me.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that or how long I had been asleep, but I woke up to the sound of both of our phones going off. Looking down, I saw Ivy still passed out and answered mine groggily, trying to stay quiet even though she seemed to be waking up. "Hello?"

"We need you down here now!" Kevin practically yelled into my ear, causing me to wince.

"Calm down. Where are you?"

"SHE'S NOT ANSWERING!!!" I heard Mitch yell in the background, clearly frustrated.

Kevin sighed in the phone, trying to gain his composure. "The hospital."