At midnight, Tyler comes to find Alex laying on his back staring at the ceiling and lifts his legs so he can sit on the couch, then places them back on his lap.
"You never came for dinner. Have you been sitting here all day ?" Tyler asks, not bothering to hide his judgement.
Alex plucks his guitar pick from between his pink lips, sitting up and leaning forward.
"Why ? D'you miss me ?"
"Not really, no," Tyler shrugs, "can't say the same for Lu and Kin, though."
"Anw, how sweet," Alex lies back again, crossing his arms over his chest, "where are they, anyway ?"
"In their room, they were tired. Figured you'd need our room number in case you were ready for bed," Tyler looks around them for a moment, "unless you want to spend the night on this couch. It is quite comfy. Maybe I'll push you and take your place," he teases, and Alex barks out a laugh.
"Or we could both stay on it and cuddle ?" Alex negotiates, wriggling his brows as Tyler pretends to consider it with a finger stroking his chin.
"We could," Tyler nods once, decidedly.
Their fight forgotten, they both laugh, earning a glare and a warning to keep quiet from one of the nurses.
"Seriously, though. It's the second floor, room 207, your bed is the one by the window. Dexter says you can go visit Mace in the morning."
Alex smiles, lifting his legs from Tyler's lap when the latter pats his ankles in a silent plea to let him stand.
"Don't stay out here too late, yeah ?"
"I'll be up soon," Alex says and adds a quick 'thirty minutes tops !' When Tyler looks at him with a quirked brow.
"Hm," Tyler nods, not looking entirely convinced, "Oh, will you find Ivy before you go ?"
"Wait, you're saying you didn't keep your eyes on her the entire day ? How very un-Tyler of you !" Alex gasps, only half joking.
"Shut up," Tyler laughs, "she's twenty-two, she can take care of herself."
"Okay. Now, what's the real reason you haven't been obsessed with her every move today ?"
Tyler sighs, "she's not speaking to me, or anyone, for that matter. Ever since your argument, she's been silent. Something is bothering her, and I know this is how she deals with it. I don't want to push her."
"Alright, don't worry about it. I'll get her upstairs. You go take a shower and get some rest. You've got work tomorrow, don't you ?"
Tyler nods and then bends down slightly to pull at Alex's curls, "Night, Al."
"Sleep sweet," Alex yawns while he says it, signalling it's time for him to go look for Ivy.
As soon as Tyler is walking up the stairs, Alex sits up determinedly, puts his feet on the ground, and stands on wobbly knees.
The waiting room is big but cosy when lit with dimmed yellow lamps instead of bright, white lightbulbs or sunlight.
Ivy isn't where she was previously sat while he was playing for the nurses, so Alex searches the entire room, and he starts to panic a little when he can't find her.
He walks towards the receptionist and breathlessly interrogates her about Ivy's whereabouts.
"She's not very tall, brown wavey hair ? honey eyed, pale skin ? She came in with me and two other guys for a patient with a collapsed lung ?"
"Soft voice but with a bit of an attitude problem ?" the woman adds offhandedly.
Alex doesn't even try to defend Ivy, "that would be her."
"She said if her brother asked for her, to tell him she went to see Mason," the redhead tells him, flipping a page from the book she has on her desk.
Alex doesn't thank her. He just strides towards Mason's room, trying to keep the growing pride from overwhelming him.
The excitement dies down when Alex finds Ivy with her forehead pressed to the door and not in the room.
"Darling..." Alex tries softly because he can see them, the tears of frustration.
He feels helpless when Ivy bangs her forehead on the door twice, creating a soft 'thud' with the contact.
"I can't do it, I can't do it, I can't -"
"Ivy, love, stop," Alex breathes, moving quickly to place a hand between her forehead and the door when she goes to hit it again.
"You like her, he hurt me and you like her and I can't do it, I can't do it, Alex..." Ivy's whispers turn to sobs, and Alex doesn't understand what the hell she is on about.
It doesn't matter at the moment. Alex needs to get Ivy upstairs before Tyler comes looking for them.
"How long have you been here ?"
"Two hours, maybe three ?"
"It's time for bed, sweetheart. C'mon, we need to get some rest," Alex coaxes, moving his hand from the door to stroke her arm.
"Can't leave," Ivy shakes her head feverently, "he hurt me, you like her and he hurt me, I can't leave, I have to stay, I can't leave ! " Ivy's breathing picks up, and Alex is starting to wish he hadn't found her in the first place.
"V, he's sleeping, okay ? We can come back in the morning, and you can stay with him for as long as you want, but for now, we need to get you upstairs. I'll come with you, alright ?"
Ivy's breathing slows, but when she turns to look at Alex, all he sees is defeat.
"But you like her..." she whispers.
Alex isn't sure what or who Ivy is talking about. Hell, he doesn't think she's fully aware of her surroundings, so he plays along.
"I don't like anyone, I just want you to come with me upstairs and get some sleep. Can you do that for me ?"
Alex feels like he's negotiating with a toddler, but it seems to work because Ivy allows him to pull her hands away from the doorknob.
Ivy is shaking, so violently, she struggles with taking her first step.
"Can you walk ?"
It doesn't surprise Alex when Ivy shakes her head no. It saddens him that her emotions are so strong that she can't physically function.
"Grab my arm ? That way, we can go back to get my guitar, you could carry it for me ?"
Ivy doesn't reply, but she silently agrees when she hooks one arm around Alex's, and he can't help but notice how much younger she looks.
They follow the plan. Alex supports Ivy while she holds his guitar. A few minutes later, they reach the room, and Alex thanks the universe for Tyler's deep sleep.
Alex gently leads Ivy to her bed, taking his guitar from her and placing it against the wall, right by the window.
Ivy takes off her shoes but keeps her clothes on to Alex's relief. She doesn't say a word as she pulls the duvet over her trembling body, and after a short moment, her breathing evens out.
Alex goes through similar motions, taking off his sweatpants and white shirt, then crawls under the covers, falling asleep with Ivy's perfume enveloping him.
YOU ARE READING
𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕟
RomanceWhen Alex Haulten moves from London to Los Angeles to live with his best friend Tyler, he meets his younger sister, Ivy, but she is nothing like what he expected. The young woman is rude, cold, and does her best to make Alex feel uncomfortable. Lit...