Page 34 of A Twist in Fate
“Are you in love with Ivy?”
“Why would you say that?”
“Daisy, Mila and Violet keep telling us you are and I'm starting to believe them,” he says, his attention still on the target in front of him. Time after time, he is much better than anyone else at this. It does not help Miles and Theo prefer to pretend to shoot each other with the arrows.
“We aren't together. The girls are just joking around,” I say, brushing him off.
“I didn't ask if you were together. I asked if you love her.” He's too confident. It's almost annoying. How obvious am I?
“Just shut up and shoot your arrow. If you keep asking questions, you will lose your concentration,” I say, ruffling his hair like I do Daisy’s. He just stares forward, shooting his arrow perfectly once again and gives me asmug look on his face. He reminds me of myself when I was younger.
I knock on the door in front of me and when it swings open, I am stunned once again.
“You look so beautiful.” I can barely speak, my heart beating so loud I can hardly hear my own words. Ivy is wearing a black dress that hugs her waist and slightly flows out at her mid-thigh, where it stops. The scoop neckline perfectly highlights her necklace and her black wedge shoes have straps that wrap around her ankle. Her hair is down with her curls defined that makes me want to twirl them around my fingers. Her makeup is applied a little heavier than usual and her lips are a slight pink colour that make me want to lean in and kiss her, without another thought. As she looks me up and down, the smile on her face grows wider, igniting the warmth in my chest.
“Thank you. You look fancy,” she says brightly, fiddling with the hem of my button up shirt before pulling at it slightly to kiss me. My hands instantly slip around her waist, feeling the smooth fabric that clings to her skin. As we pull away, I move one hand away and the other oneto take her hand in mine, pulling her down the steps of her cabin and towards the car.
“How come I've never seen you in this dress? You have been here for almost two months, and you have never worn this. It looks good on you, sunshine,” I say, as we walk to the car and the sky is starting to reveal the stars over us.
“It’s Bailey’s,” she replies, and I stop as she does.
“Darling, my feelings about you are complicated enough. Don't make it worse by involving Bailey.” She laughs and pulls me towards the car with a sweet smile across her face.
As she hops into her side of the car, after I hold out the door for her, she says, “Are you going to tell me where we are going?” I get in on the other side and start the car, driving out of the car park.
“Nope.”
“Please,” she turns to face me.
“No.”
“Please,” she says, elongating her words and clutching my arm this time. I turn to face her, and she is staring up at me, all doe-eyed and a hopeful look on her face. I think she is slowly killing me.
“No, sunshine. God, don’t look at me like that. You know I'll give in to you." I groan, forcing my eyes away from her. She laughs quietly at my words.
“That's why I do it.” She looks back at the road ahead, lifting up her thighs and crossing them, the skirt of her dress flowing over her legs. I move my hand over to her leg, giving it a light squeeze and she turns to face me. “Can you at least give me a hint? It's getting late so I'm guessing we aren't going anywhere indoors.”She gasps, “Are you taking me to another movie?”
“No hints. I want you to be surprised,” I say, keeping my eyes on the road and one hand on her leg.
“Okay, fine.” She connects her phone to the car and music blasts around me. It's 21 by Gracie Abrams, the song I put in her scrapbook. “Thank you for that by the way,” she says as if she had the exact same thought I did.
“Honestly, I'm not sure why I chose it.”
“I love it either way.”
We continue the drive quietly as a lyric, about being the love of her life but only in her mind, replays in my head, blocking out any other song she plays afterwards. The more it does, the more my heart races.
I know exactly why Ichose that song.
Soon after, we arrive at a field packed with people and rows of lights on the ground. My nerves are building as I remember the whole reason I invited her out tonight. Still silent, I get out of the car, walk around it and open Ivy's door for her.
“C'mon sunshine, you will love this.” I extend my hand out and she takes it, getting out of the car and shutting the door behind her.
“You don't have to open the door for me every time I walk through one,” she says.
“I want to,” I say, without another thought.
“Okay but I’m just saying—”
