“It’s me,” Ivy sings down the line and I laugh.
“Come on up.”
I replace the phone and open the door. She’ll be a few minutes. She hates elevators and always takes the emergency stairwell.
Minutes later, she flies through the door, dropping a bag on the floor and kicking off her shoes. “Right, I’m here. Where’s the wine?”
I laugh as I grab her glass from the countertop and hand it to her. “Come on,” I tell her, walking toward my bedroom and gesturing for her to follow. “You can go through my closet.”
I sit on the bed and watch as she riffles through the racks.
“Have you seen much of Ben this week?” she asks over her shoulder.
I grin. “Maybe.”
She spins around, her eyes sparkling. “Well? What happened?”
I smile. “He asked me out for a drink after work the other day.”
She squeals and bounces over, sitting down next to me on the bed. “Oh my God, Ash! Why didn’t you tell me?”
I laugh. “You’ve been out of town, Ivy. I haven’t had the chance.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, well, that’s what phones are for! Now, spill.”
I nod toward the dress in her hand. “You’d look amazing in that.”
She looks down at the dress, then back at me. “Thanks. But quit stalling and tell me everything!”
I grin, loving her excitement. She’s my biggest cheerleader through this and everything, and I’ve been dying to share it with her.
For the next ten minutes, I fill her in on how Ben started seeking me out after the cooking class, hanging out in my classroom every afternoon, talking about everything and nothing, and how that night he asked me for a drink and it turned into dinner at Eden.
She’s smiling so wide she practically bounces on the bed as I go on.
“So, what happened when he took you home?” she asks, her eyes wide.
I smile softly. “He walked me to the door and kissed me. Ivy, it was incredible. No one’s ever kissed me like that.”
She lets out a delighted squeal and pulls me into a tight hug. “I’m so excited for you, Ash! When do you get to see him again?” I pull a face, and she raises a brow. “What?”
“I don’t have his number and no way of contacting him, so I don’t, at least not until school starts back up.”
She frowns. “So, he kisses you and then just… leaves?”
I shrug. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
“Why didn’t you ask for his number?”
I sigh. “I wanted to. I wimped out,” I admit quietly.
“What about Insta? Surely you can find him on there.”
“I’m not going to stalk him on social media, Ivy.”
She chuckles. “It’s never stopped you before.”
I dig my elbow playfully into her side. “Rude!”
