Not a woman with green eyes and a tendency to climb my balcony like it’s her personal staircase.
My hand hovers over my phone again. I finally pick it up and check my text messages. Nothing.
I don’t even know what I’d do if she texted. What would she say, anyway?Hey, Sebastian. Didn’t creep into your bedroom last night. Hope you’re well.
No. That’s not her style.
If Ivy ever texted me, it would probably be something like,Your aura felt tense today. Drink water and stop pretending you don’t miss me.
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose.
I’m losing it.
A knock taps against my glass.
Marcus steps in without waiting for permission, oneeyebrow raised. “You look like you’re drafting a breakup letter to a printer.”
“I’m working.”
He glances at my screen. “That’s a blank document.”
“It’s strategic.”
He sets a file on my desk and leans back like he’s got nowhere else to be. “How’s your… neighbor?”
My jaw tightens. “We’re not doing this.”
Marcus smiles slowly. “You’re not denying she exists anymore. That’s growth.”
“I’m working. What do you want?”
“You’ve been staring at a blank document for thirty minutes. You call that working?”
I lean back in my chair and deadpan, “It’s a dense section.”
Marcus laughs under his breath. “You know what I think?”
“No, I don’t. Nor do I want to.”
He ignores me. “I think you’ve finally met someone who doesn’t care about your intimidation tactics.”
I glare at him, my jaw clenching.
Marcus nods like he expected it. “Yeah. That.”
He leaves, still smiling, and I sit there in the sudden quiet, staring at my computer like it might provide answers.
It doesn’t.
Because the only answer I want is the one that doesn’t exist.
Where is Ivy?
By the timeI get home, I’m tense enough to snap a pencil in half.
Drew is in the living room, feet on the coffee table, watching something on TV with people screaming and a dramatic soundtrack playing in the background. He looks up when I enter, remote in hand like a shield. “How was work?”
“Fine.”
