“What do you mean?”
She shakes her head, waving me off dismissively. “What do the others think?”
“What do you mean?” I repeat, acutely aware that this is always how our conversations go.
“Do they want to push on the matter or not?”
I grimace, scrubbing the back of my neck as I sigh. “Oh, well, Archer does, and Teddy is kind of in agreement with me that we let her chill out and show her that we're here for her.”
“That's good, really good. You’ll keep each other balanced, but remember not to allow any conflict to break you. You've got to be united right now, and going at Ivy's pace is paramount.”
I can’t fight the yawn that stretches my mouth as I exhale. “Excellent. Is there anything else to this lecture, or can I pass out now?” I ask, trudging toward my nightstand, where my device waits, and a notification from my brother sits on the screen.
Baron: Trouble has arrived.
The warning about my current guests is a little too late.
I don’t bother to respond as my mother exhales with a sense of contentment.
“Fine, fine, we'll go, but can we at least?—”
My device goes off, an incoming call cutting through the air, and I gape at the screen.
“What is it?” Aster blurts, panic in her voice as I lift it slowly, turning it for everybody else to see.
Ivy.
“Answer it, you fool,” Cami shouts as I drag a hand down my face.
Shit.
Okay, okay.
I shake it off, rolling my shoulders back as I lift the device to my ear.
“Hello.”
Was that casual enough?
“Hey.”
Her voice cuts through the air, all gentle and angelic, and my cock immediately stirs to life.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, concern threatening to take hold, despite the lack of panic in her tone.
“Yes. No. Uh… are you free? Could you come over?” she rambles, and my pulse rings in my ears.
“I will be there in two,” I blurt, and she snickers.
“You don't have to rush.”
Sleep be damned; if she needs me, and I need her more than my next breath, then nothing else matters.
“Two,” I repeat, discarding my device on my bed as I dart for the door, leaving without a single goodbye as I skip down the stairs, cutting across campus, and arriving at the Fire Protector entrance in record time, only to realize I'm barefoot.
A second later, Ivy steps through the flames, eyes wide as she laughs at me, arms bound around her waist like she's nervous, but I'm too busy being taken aback by how beautiful she is.
Even today, without a stitch of makeup on her skin, she looks breathtaking. Her hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, with a few loose curls tucked behind her ear, and she’s wearing an oversized t-shirt and leggings.
