“We have a guest in the backyard…” Jason said while walking down the stairs.
“Oh…” Ivy finally realised a shadow was seated by the table outside the sliding door and instantly knew it was Nancy.
“Wash up a little… I will prepare dinner…” Jason said before entering the kitchen to chop up the ingredients for a soup he had in mind. After Ivy cleaned up at the washroom, she sneakily went outside to the backyard with an umbrella.
When Jason had just left the pot of soup to boil on its own, he sighed at the sight of the slight opening of the main door when he stepped out to look for Ivy. He knew she must have gone to find Nancy. He walked towards the sliding door to check on them.
“Nancy! It’s raining too heavily for you to stay here. Come in…” Ivy offered as Nancy stood and was delighted to see Ivy standing in front of her.
However, she shook her head at Ivy’s offer. “Seeing you doing fine, I am satisfied. I will head home now as Nick will be worried…” Nancy said as she took her umbrella up to hover above her before leaving.
“Nancy…” Ivy called out as Nancy turned around.
“Thank you…” Ivy smiled as her eyes twinkled feeling grateful that Nancy has finally changed for the better and was also concerned about her not just this once but back then during their Landsfield trip together.
Nancy couldn’t help but to smile in return. “Be careful on the way home…” Ivy said as she watched Nancy nod and walked away.
The pact she made with Nancy reminded her that her time was short and soon she will need to leave Jason. The thought was enough to make her turn her lips downward. Jason, who was watching her inside couldn’t help but to wonder what made her react that way as he knocked loudly on the sliding door to catch her attention. Ivy was startled at the loud bangs as she turned to her left to see a furious Jason signaling her to get inside the house immediately.
She giggled while running back into the house only to find him caught up with her at the main door with both arms sticking out holding to his waist..
“What were you doing standing outside under the rain? Yet you’re not well yet? Trying to catch another cold, is that so?” Jason scolded before jumping in to help her dry herself.
Ivy was enjoying the scolding while half realising she was going to miss all of it soon. Her heart suddenly felt heavy as she watched Jason fuss over her. Jason noticed she was exceptionally quiet after Nancy left and looked sad. He couldn’t help but to be curious at what was bothering her.
"What's on your mind?" Jason asked as he folded his arms in front of her.
"Nothing in particular. Just enjoying the sight of the rain." Ivy lied as she went into the kitchen to find a pot of soup was boiling and had nothing left for her to help. Jason knew she was trying to hide something as he pulled her to the living room and sat her on a two-seater couch facing the sliding door.
"You love the rain don't you?" He said after taking a seat beside her. She was half enjoying the sight of the rain but half worried about Jason who could catch on to her exact thoughts as she quickly thought of ways to cover up.
"I do. It motivates me to do things and it's always giving me this relaxing effect." Ivy smiled as she took a deep breath.
Jason watched the rain and wondered its' amazing effects as he contemplated on prying further.
"At least I am not alone today." Ivy said while reminding herself to enjoy every moment with Jason.
“What’s going on?” He asked, feeling something was off.
“Did Nancy say anything nasty to you?” Jason shifted himself on the couch to face her.
“No, she didn’t…” She said reassuringly before she sighed at her effort of trying to escape from him, asking further. She couldn’t possibly tell him the truth. Not just yet although Nancy seemed to have gotten better but she wasn’t prepared yet.
“Then, you’re still bothered by Ann’s issues?” He asked as Ivy thought for a bit and realised she wasn’t bothered about Ann’s issues anymore but instead she was more bothered about leaving Jason for further studies in another town soon. She shook her head as Jason patted her head.
"Jason, how do you face something you dread?" Ivy said softly as she laid on his shoulder comfortably, trying to deviously change the topic but also connect it to the matter that was bothering her.
It took Jason by surprise for a moment at her gesture but he knew she was probably looking for comfort as he put an arm over her and let her lay closer to him. Ivy didn’t resist but instead was appreciative of it. Lucky, who was sitting on the floor in front of them, couldn't help but to jump up on the couch and snuggle with them as well.
"Why? Is there something you're trying to avoid?" Jason asked while raising an eyebrow as Ivy thought of a lie to cover the real meaning behind her question.
"Well, there is this history lesson teacher who kept picking on me in class to answer her questions. Just because I nearly flunked last semester. I haven't really read up on history lessons yet. Kinda lazy." Jason pinched the tip of her nose as she twitched it.
"Now, that isn't really much of a good reason." Jason commented as he smirked.
"I know. I know." Ivy rolled her eyes and half regretted creating a lie only to be nagged in return.
"She is doing it for your own good though. Who knows if you could score so much better in finals?" Jason encouraged knowing Ivy always needed it when she was at a crossroads.
"She is definitely anticipating a better score but I know my limitations just like my science subjects. They are purely beyond saving." Ivy sighed as the lie she created slowly became a truth.
The thought of her finals coming up was adding more stress to do well while juggling with her heavy load in internship. On the other hand, she was also trying to link his comments to her real worries.
Ending their fake relationship and returning him to Nancy who was the rightful person to love him was the right deed. It was indeed beyond her limitation on who could love who but at least, she realised, loving someone has many ways and one of it was to let the person go and watch the person live a happy life.
"Well, just don't make it a habit though. There's still time." Jason smiled knowing Ivy was thinking through things in her mind. Although he didn’t know her exact thoughts, her doubtful look made him knew, she always wavered and underestimated herself a lot.
"Just treat it as a challenge and be ready for the worse. Just like accounts. Be prudent. Accept the consequences. What could be worse than that? When you face your fear and fight it, you will then understand what it's like to be at your lowest point. Nothing could come in your way thereafter. I'm sure you will grow up to be a strong independent lady. So, do what you can before the lesson begins and who knows you got lucky with her questions?" Ivy began to admire Jason being enthusiastic at encouraging her although it was merely a lie.
His encouragement somehow gave her some valuable insights in preparing to leave him; be ready for the worse.
"You're smart anyway, why worry?" He added as she pondered on his points. She nodded in agreement after a moment with a troubled smile.
"Does that make you give up on law already?" Jason asked feeling that she must be concerned about her next choice of faculty as well which she avoided the topic earlier at the balcony.
"Possible." She shrugged trying to hide that she had already made her decision as she sat straight back up.
It was the first step she laid at the declaration of moving towards the direction of ending their fake relationship. Her only wish was that when the time comes, he could still remain as her friend.
"There's still time. Anything can happen." Jason urged as Ivy gave a sad smile. It was hard for Jason to tell it was a sad smile in the dim room but he knew she was smiling and that alone made him glad as he quickly went to the kitchen to check on their dinner.
She watched him disappearing into the kitchen.
“If only you knew you were preparing me for what…” She thought in mind as she hoped she would be strong enough to not let a single tear spill when the time came as she wiped away some from her eyes.
Over the next few days, she got busy with Jason over a few meetings while taking over Ann’s tasks under Marcel’s supervision. Her job scope had became more significant that she had to burn the midnight oil to catch up with her studies. Jason noticed her room’s light was bright a few nights but didn’t go in to check on her thinking she must have wanted to sleep in peace without any dreams.
On Saturday morning, Ivy received a nagging call from Andrew and Sandra after a very late all nighter.
“Hello! Ivy!” Andrew wailed from the other end. It was so loud that it annoyed Ivy who was sitting on the study table with her eyes closed.
“Are you in Jason’s place? Why aren't you replying to our text messages?” She could tell it was Andrew without opening her eyes to check on the caller ID or say a word. Instead she put him on loudspeaker as he whined further while she laid her head on the table.
Jason heard Andrew over the phone when he walked past Ivy’s room and decided to enter and check on her. He knocked lightly but did not hear a response as Andrew was too loud. As Jason twisted the door knob, Lucky was scratching on the door from inside and quickly ran out of the room as he entered.
He slowly approached Ivy and noticed she looked like she was asleep. Jason wanted to tell Andrew to call back but halted instead when Andrew spoke again. Ivy was trying hard to wake herself up but her body just refused to listen to her.
“Ivy, are you pulling an all nighter again? You know ever since you started your internship, you seemed to have sold your life away…” Andrew whined and with that, Ivy forcefully sat up all of the sudden to retaliate against Andrew with her eyes still closed.
“None of your business… I saw your messages. I will see you at five at the hotel itself. Go find your girlfriend and whine. Don’t forget to pick her too tonight.” Ivy mumbled followed by a yawn as her eyes finally willingly opened but in a shock to find Jason standing beside her.
"You sounded really tired, girl. You better get some sleep!" Andrew urged while Ivy yawned a huge one this time.
By the look of it, Jason confirmed the bright lights from her room every night was the sign she was burning midnight oil. Ivy stared at Jason who caught her red handed.
“Bye…” She mumbled to Andrew and hung up as she laid back lazily on the table looking at Jason.
"Thank you for the offer tonight..." She mumbled and smiled in an attempt to avoid Jason from scolding her.
Jason walked over closer to the table as he thought to himself.
"If the workload is too..." He paused in mind. "No..no... Wrong entry." He told himself.
He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for giving you too much workload over this week. You should sleep. Your eye bags are bad." Jason said while touching her eye bags.
"I can't." She said between her yawns as she sat up straight. "You need to." Jason persisted.
"Forcing yourself to sleep is so ridiculous. I just cannot sleep at this hour although I am well, I don't know if it's tired, yawny..." Ivy mumbled as Jason interrupted her.
"Exhausted. I'm sorry. I guess if it's too tiring I should not let you follow me to meetings but only focus on the accounts part."
In mind, Ivy was persuading herself to get up many times as she wanted to shower. "I know what I'm doing..."
When she finally forced herself to get up, she lost her balance and sat on the floor instead.
"There... Was it really an all nighter last night?" Jason asked while carrying her to bed.
She was half scolding herself for giving herself away while trying to recover from her dizziness but was too tired to fight. She only had three to four hours of sleep today, she recalled. The bed was so comfy to lie on that she couldn’t even open her eyes but instead lifted her hand which Jason caught mid air.
“Sleep… Don’t fight it… I will wake you when lunch is ready…” Jason gently said as he patted her shoulders watching her slowly drifting to sleep.
An idea came to mind as Jason quickly dropped by the music room and wrote the lyrics to a song which were lingering in his mind as he spent the entire morning composing it. By noon, he completed the piece of song which was inspired by Ivy as he proudly went to cook lunch thereafter.
He decided to surprise her at tonight's emcee job instead. Considering it was a charity event, he had contacted the organiser to volunteer a performance and they had gladly agreed to his arrangement.
Instead of waking her up for lunch, Jason woke her for a late lunch with a bowl of lamb stew and congee before chasing her to get dressed for the job. She was smart to wear slacks this time with heels and a coat over her strapless blouse, he thought, as she needed to walk around a lot.
“Why aren't Nancy and Nick here tonight?” Ivy asked as they alighted after Jason parked.
“Cause I decided to give Nick a break… After all, I should play host to ensure your side event is a success.” Jason teased as she smiled with a wink.
“Our young lady Ivy is getting more and more professional each day I see…” Jason teased again after taking a head to toe look at her as they walked over to her group of friends waiting for her at the entrance.
“I will take that as a compliment any day…” She smirked as he passed to her a duty tag.
“Send them in to the table first while I speak with the organiser. Just show them the tag.” Jason said as Ivy nodded and split ways with him to greet five of them.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Hello…” Ivy greeted gently, acting as a very warm host but Belinda and Laura were skeptical of her. It was their first time seeing her in her formal wear and Lance stood mesmerised by the sight. Andrew and Sandra couldn’t help but to admire her looking different from her usual messy look as well although they saw her in formal wear before this.
“Hello, Ivy…” Lance said as he walked out a little before Laura pulled him back. Ivy managed to exchange glances with Sandra and Andrew and winked to tease both of them.
“Shall we? I will show the way.” Ivy smiled after a moment of awkwardness between Laura and Lance as she pointed to her right and led the five of them to the entrance of the event hall. The usher let them all pass the moment she showed her VIP pass, which impressed Laura and Belinda. The ballroom was clearly decorated into a charity event hall but both girls didn't bother as long as it was free.
She stopped at a table in the middle of the hall not too far away from the sound system which was at the back of the hall this time close to the main door.
“Here, take your seat and just say what you want from the menu. They will serve you.” Ivy pointed at the waiters and waitresses. Laura and Belinda weren't convinced at first till they saw the sumptuous luxurious selection of food they could order and began to place them one by one to the waiter nearby. Ivy was grateful for Jason’s generous gesture of paying a free ten seater table just for them as part of the charity event on fund raising.
“Try not to order too much at your end… They won't be able to finish everything.” Ivy whispered to Sandra and she nodded as she relayed the message to Andrew. This time Lance was seated on her left on a round table and he couldn’t help but to keep staring and admiring her beauty.
“Don’t you want to check the menu?” Ivy asked awkwardly at Lance.
“No, it’s fine. You’re dazzling tonight, Ivy.” He praised as Ivy nodded and smiled.
“Thank you… Now, excuse me a little.” Ivy said as she left the table feeling uncomfortable and headed to the sound system area. This time it wasnt backstage but it was behind the hall to the right of the main door. She also noticed the hotel provided them with an assistant which she was grateful of.
Andrew and Sandra knew about her side jobs but Lance finds it strange for her to be meddling with the sound system. He didn’t dare to ask Sandra for fear Laura and Belinda would get upset. All he could do was watch Ivy from afar at work and admire her secretly. Laura and Belinda were too busy with their gossip after ordering that they didn’t notice Ivy had left the table.
Ivy texted Sandra after she had ensured things were in order with her assistant. “Hey, sorry duty calls. Enjoy the food when it arrives.” Ivy sent the message and moments later Sandra replied.
“Yes, I know… Can’t wait for them to leave for the day already. I can’t wait to check the suite out!” Ivy smiled at Sandra’s reply.
“Be patient… The event is about to start. I bet they will find it weird.” Ivy replied as she anxiously waited for a reply.
“Oh, don’t bother… They are about to leave the hall saying they were going outside to take pictures. I bet those were just excuses” Ivy looked over at their table and pondered for awhile before she smiled.
“At least you have some alone time with Andrew for awhile…” She teased in reply and couldn’t help but to laugh just when Jason walked over to check on her.
“What’s so funny?” He asked as she giggled.
“I guess the three of them must have figured I am a cheapskate this time…” Ivy laughed.
“Oh, yes I saw them leaving for outside a while ago… Anyway, there are quite a lot of performances tonight, you might need to stay here for the next hour… Just for the last performance… You don’t have to stay here. You can head back to the table and enjoy the night with them, alright?” He explained while looking at the agenda Ivy was holding. She nodded and with her assurance, he returned to the stage and started the event.
Ivy took note of the few performances in line which showed the performance title and the performer's name. She couldn’t help but to notice Jason’s name at the bottom of the list as she got ready to assist with the sound system while her assistant was in charge of lighting. She wondered whose song was he singing tonight as the title was not the song they performed together previously.
As work distracted her, she spent all her concentration on coordinating with the sound system that she had forgotten all about her friends. At the sight of the last performance on her list, she was reminded that her duty was done and she could return to her friends.
Only then, did she remember to check her phone to read texts from Sandra and Andrew updating her that Lance, Belinda and Laura were back and had finished up their orders and they had to order more.
A part of her was glad that happened as Jason once again appeared in front of her to find her smiling to herself. He wanted to ensure she was paying attention to his performance, and he wanted to bring her forward to the front stage where he could see her well.
“Ms. Ophal, have you forgotten where you should be?” Jason questioned her sternly in an animated angry voice as she giggled more.
He held her hand and led her to the front instead. Midway, he parted ways with her and headed on stage with a guitar he picked up from the side of the stage which left Ivy anticipating for a great performance She didn’t make it back to the table where her friends were but instead, stood nearby the front of the stage as she watched Jason serenading the crowd.
She once again kept herself wondering whose song it was he was singing. The melody itself was gentle and calming for an acoustic song but the lyrics were speaking to her as though resonating with her hidden feelings for him.
“"I could thank
The gentle breeze which blew the dark clouds over.
The rain it brought,
Brought me to you.
If this is destiny,
I wished it would be everlasting.
May the rain wash away all of your darkest days.
May your days always be filled with happiness.
I'm sorry, it seems easy to say.
But I couldn't bring myself to.
I am afraid,
Afraid it would break the beautiful bond we had.
Could you please don't let go?"
"An apology? Why?" She squinted her eyes questioning him from afar as he dawned himself into the slow but cool three four tempo on the guitar building towards the chorus.
The song slowly built softly when it hit the chorus as he held her gaze.
"Your beauty had always held me,
Your genuine self was enough to brighten the darkness days,
You're much stronger than you think you are,
All I hope for you is to stay bubbly."
A smile grew wide on her face as she couldn't help but to blush at the lyrics. He continued on into the bridge of the song where he surprised everyone and went into a short rap.
"If life ever gets tired, take a stop to remember,
Remember that someone has their mind on you,
Always and forever..."
She tried to shrug away being captivated at the end of his song and shyly headed back to the table where her friends were waiting for her. However, on the way, she was interrupted a few times by a few male attendees trying to make a conversation with her to build their network or to offer her a job.
The short trip to the table seem a far fetch. Jason noticed a few of the hiring agents whom he recognised striking conversation with Ivy. He couldn't explain the reason why he began to feel a little jealous but instead of saving her, he himself was also approached by a few clients who were interested for him to partake in their upcoming event.
By the time he could catch his breath, he noticed the entire table where her friends were was empty. He texted Ivy to check on all of them but waiting for her to reply had gotten him so anxious worrying one of the hiring agents might have caught on to her or they had all gone their separate ways that he decided to leave the ballroom and call it a night as he bid his farewell to the organisers.
By the time Ivy reached the table, the trio were already prepared to bid her goodbye. Before she could grab a bite, another hiring agent came wanting to offer her a job as she politely accepted his name card and placed them in the stack of name cards she had on her hand. She quickly signaled Andrew and Sandra to quickly leave the hall. She scurried off the hall with the help from both of them as they headed straight to the lift.
“You sure are famous Ivy! Everyone wants to hire you!” Andrew teased.
“Oh, tell me about it! That was not my intention…” She said as she pretended to wipe away the invisible sweat on her forehead.
“How was dinner with them? Sorry I had no time to accompany any of you at all…” Ivy apologised as she watched Sandra roll her eyes.
“They acted like they were so ungrateful but in actual fact they enjoyed every single bit of the food since it was all free.” Sandra complained as Ivy stood closer to her to console her.
“Don’t get too agitated. Come, take a look at the suite instead!” Ivy said just in time when the lift stopped at their floor and twirled into the suite room.
“How could a charity event sponsor such a nice room? Isn’t it too much?” Andrew questions Ivy as they explore around.
“It’s by their sponsor. In an event, there are many parties involved and their sponsors can help to chip in their own choices of support…” Ivy said knowing it from her recent experiences attending business discussions with Jason and his clients. As she stood by one of the window panels enjoying the sight of the city nightlights, she couldn't help but to let out a huge yawn.
Sandra was yawning as well which made her eager to know which room they would settle in. Ivy noticed Sandra kept looking at both rooms from the reflection on the window.
“The both of you can share a room if you want?” Ivy was initially teasing them but thought it wasn’t a bad idea for the both of them to decide if they wanted to escalate things or not.
“Not a bad idea. I could sleep on the floor with an additional mattress and you take the bed..” Andrew said, pointing to Sandra as he went to check the smaller room and left the master room to Jason and Ivy.
Ivy breathed in relief at Andrew’s decision. “At least he knows his way…” Ivy thought while catching him smirking at Ivy from his room sliding door. He winked at Ivy trying to tease her when Sandra entered the room.
“Don’t think too much… At most he sleeps outside on the couch…” Ivy said, understanding he was teasing her about Jason while glaring at Andrew who was leaning on the wooden sliding door of his room.
“Why are you explaining?” Andrew raised an eyebrow acting confused as Ivy threw a pillow at him.
Andrew ended up wailing while closing the sliding door as Sandra was pulling his ear to teach him a lesson from teasing Ivy. Not long after Ivy was left to herself enjoying the sight outside the window again, the lift rang and a furious Jason stepped in.
Ivy turned around and furrowed her forehead looking at his expression.
“What’s wrong?” She walked over as he caught his breath.
“Where is your phone? Why didn’t you tell me you left?” Jason asked angrily as Ivy quickly looked for her phone and noticed it was on silent mode.
“Sorry, I forgot it was on silent mode. What’s the matter?” She asked while looking at her phone and checked on the messages.
“Old habits die hard, don't it? Can’t you just look at the person you talk to? Do you know how rude it is?” He scolded as Ivy felt something wasn’t right with Jason.
“I’m sorry… Why are you so angry? Is it Nancy?” She asked as she wanted to hold on to his arm but he shook her away before he could touch him.
“Ivy, could you have some sense of responsibility to at least tell me where you are or at least have the courtesy. Don’t forget I am the host.” Jason scolded again not just out of worry but also out of jealousy which agitated Ivy this time at his unreasonableness.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with you for getting so angry. I have already apologised and told you the reason. I do not want to repeat myself again. If you want to continue and get angry go ahead… I don’t care anymore…” Ivy fumed as she walked towards the lift and pressed the button.
“Leave…Leave all you want!” Jason scolded watching her standing at an opened lift.
Before she entered the lift, she fought herself from saying what she wanted but the anger in her was so outrageous that she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
“No wonder Nancy left you. You were the unreasonable one!” Ivy hissed as she entered the lift and headed to the ground floor.
Jason winced at her words as he watched the lift door closed, reminiscing the day he caught Nancy cheating on him and she said the same words to him about him being unreasonable for not being able to accept that she has moved on with someone else.
Back then, he never understood Nancy’s act, not till Nick came some time later to explain to him that Nancy felt neglected when she was with Jason. Jason was always busy with his growing business and Nancy couldn’t do much to help him at that point of time. In addition to her depression which required the attention of others most of the time, Jason was indeed not a suitable partner. Now, he finally understood he was after all the unreasonable person who kept his distance due to an unreasonable reason that he got cheated on but in actual fact it was all his own fault.
Considering the suite has sound proofing, Andrew and Sandra couldn’t hear much about what the couple had argued but instead they called Ivy to ask for an update only to be ignored.
“Don’t worry… I am sure they will be able to sort it out…” Andrew comforted Sandra who looked troubled.
“Come, you should wash up first. It’s late… I will try to text Ivy and see if she replies…” Andrew walked her to the washroom which was in the room. Sandra has no choice but to oblige but was reminded of their sleeping arrangement and felt bad for Andrew.
“Dear… I don’t mind if you want to sleep on the bed but…” Sandra said shyly to Andrew as he kissed her to stop her from speaking anymore. When the couple finally broke away, he looked into her eyes.
“I won’t make a move on you till you’re ready, my dear. I will wait for you...” Andrew gently said as he brushed his nose with hers, watching Sandra’s lips curved up with a smile.
“Thank you…” Sandra whispered as he gave her a peck on her forehead before sending her in to the washroom.
Upon reaching the lobby, Ivy who was so angry at Jason suddenly found she didn’t have a place to go. She didn’t understand what he was upset about as she decided to head to the hotel’s garden instead.
Despite Nick not having to host the event tonight, Nancy was still a little uncomfortable leaving Jason and Ivy alone in a hotel. She decided to lie to Nick about meeting up with her friends as an excuse and head to the event while staying behind the scenes to stalk them.
During the event, she knew their arrangement at work where they had minimal chances of interacting and that wasn't her main concern. She was more anxious when she saw the couple leave the ballroom separately and was now finding Ivy alone at the hotel’s garden as she approached closer. She couldn't help but to wonder if they had an argument. She stood not too far away from Ivy who was restlessly pacing by the bench while venting her anger.
After a moment of recalling the past, Jason calmed down from drinking a few glasses of water. With anger and jealousy put aside, he decided to head down the ground floor to look for Ivy as it was past midnight and the lightning was dancing in the sky again reflecting from the window panels.
He walked around the lobby but there weren't any signs of Ivy. He started to panic a little as he went to the east side of the hotel where the garden was. He finally saw a familiar figure in the garden but not the one he was looking for. His worries began to flood his mind again as he tried to avoid bumping into Nancy who was lurking behind a bush.
He knew Ivy was at the garden since Nancy was stalking her nearby as he texted Nick to inform him. Nick instantly replied saying he will be on his way to pick her.
Jason took the sidewalk discreetly and hid in one of the bushes as he watched Ivy finally give up pacing and lay down on the bench instead.
“Is she crazy? She is really not afraid of anything!” Jason scolded Ivy in his heart.
Ivy looked up at the cloudy sky which occasionally was lit with lightning. She lifted her right arms trying to catch the lights each time it flashed. Exhaustion slowly crept up on her as she let out a few yawns before slowly drifting asleep under the blanket of gloomy sky.
As Jason watched her staying still, he couldn’t help but be reminded of the late nights Ivy had stayed and felt a little guilty for picking a fight with her earlier. He could see Nancy was still looking out at Ivy as though hoping to see him appearing soon but he didn’t know what to do.
He didn’t want to forgive her so easily as after all, she was also partially wrong for keeping him anxious he thought while he continued to squat by the bush. When the thunder rumbled, Ivy opened her eyes and scolded the sky in her mind for being not cooperative.
At the sound of the second rumble, it made her instantly sit up on the bench instantly but was greeted by a piercing pain from her stomach, pulling her into a hunch. She endured the agonising pangs of gastric pain as she tried to stand.
Jason watched from afar knowing something was wrong with her as he stopped hesitating and walked out of the bush just in time to hold on to her who was fumbling to stand from the bench.
The sight of Jason made Nancy reveal herself from afar. Just when Jason noticed Nancy's existence, he also saw Nick was at the entrance to the garden watching all of them. A part of him sighed in relief while a part of him was struggling to make peace with Ivy who was resisting him.
“Let go of me… I don’t need your help…” Ivy winced in pain as she hunched while standing in front of him.
“Is it gastric?” He asked concerned as Ivy stood straight enduring the pain.
“None of your business…” Ivy said as she wanted to storm off but Jason caught her by her arm and turned her around so that she couldn’t see Nick and Nancy who were watching them from afar.
“Ivy… It’s going to rain. Let’s head back in first…'' Jason said as he looked into her eyes. When he felt she had calmed down a little, he decided to tell her about Nick and Nancy.
“If you don’t cooperate, things might be worse. Nancy has been stalking you. Nick is behind her to pick her. I think you know what to do…” Jason said in a lowered down voice as he looked at her in all seriousness.
Ivy knew better not to retaliate in such a situation as she nodded but winced at her gastric pangs. While she endured the pain, she was caught by surprise when Jason lifted her into his arms and carried her to the sidewalk leading back to another hotel’s entrance.
Nick then walked over to Nancy which startled her.
“What are you doing here?” Nancy asked gently while looking down on the floor feeling sad.
“To pick you up, silly…” Nick said as he pulled her in for a hug before the first drizzle sprinkled down on them.
“Let’s go?” Nick asked gently as Nancy sobbed in his arms.
Nick wondered what was on Nancy’s mind this time. Every time he picked her up from stalking the couple, she was angry but this time it was different. He knew if Nancy wanted to talk about it, she would when she was ready as he stood patting her head, trying to comfort her while she sobbed in his embrace under the heavy downpour.
The heavier the rain was, the sadder Nancy was. The sight earlier made her realise how important Ivy was to Jason. As she recalled during her time with Jason, never once did Jason was willing to initiate a reconciliation with her. All he did was abide with her request. It made her wonder if he ever loved her.
As the lift reached the suite floor, he laid Ivy down on the couch.
“Lie here awhile. I will grab a bite for you…” Jason said as he rushed to the kitchen to find some instant noodles and quickly sprung into action to cook them with the hot water from a boiler. He also made one for himself as his stomach was growling at the fragrance smell of Ivy’s brewing instant noodles.
He poured a glass of milk and heated it up in the microwave before serving it to Ivy. Ivy was sitting on the couch wondering if Andrew and Sandra were asleep and did Nick manage to send Nancy home yet.
As Jason approached her, he still didn’t know how to reconcile with her as he quietly handed her the glass of milk and stood watching her drinking it.
When she noticed he was standing quietly not wanting to explain himself, she thought about apologising for her harsh comments earlier. After all, who was she to judge as a fake girlfriend. When Ivy was ready to open her mouth, Jason walked over to the kitchen counter and retrieved their instant noodles.
"Supper... Hope it's enjoyable." He gave a forced smile when he returned as he placed hers on the table in front of her. Ivy didn’t have the appetite to eat, feeling awkward after the argument they had earlier.
"Jason, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I shouldn't have. And if i could take back what I said I want to. I'm sorry I went overboard..." Ivy apologised as she shifted to face him.
"You don't have to apologise. In fact I'm sorry for being unreasonable and letting you fall sick again when you helped me so much..." Jason said quietly without looking at her before slurping his noodles.
Ivy knew Jason was letting her taste her own medicine for her own bad habits for not looking at someone when talking to them.
"Anyway, I'm sorry and I promise not to use what you shared against you in the future and will change my bad habits..." Ivy gently said with a hint of persuasion as she sat closer to him after leaving her glass of milk on the table.
Jason looked at her and slowly lifted the corners of his lips knowing Ivy had seen through him.
"Eat up. You cannot afford to keep falling sick… Your exam is a week away and I am not around tomorrow to look after you…" Jason nagged as Ivy nodded and enjoyed their supper together. Due to being too hungry, she finished hers in a dash.
She volunteered to clear away their supper while Jason chilled on the couch. As he watched Ivy cleaned up from afar in the kitchen, he slowly drifted to sleep.
Ivy quickly took a blanket and a pillow from her room to cover him in it after laying him down on a pillow on the couch. She sat on the floor next to him watching him peacefully asleep as she too slowly drifted to her paracosm.
Ivy found herself lying on Phoenix's lap in their mystical form as she tried to shift herself into a sitting position. “Ivy…” Phoenix echoed.
“Phoenix…” Ivy said, but to her surprise she was echoing as she stared at the mesmerising sight of Phoenix’s mystical form. It wasn’t long that she realised they both were perching from a cliff looking afar at a glowing golden sunset view. It was breathtaking as she remained dazzled.
“That’s the magic of the ember dance Ivy… It doesn’t only recover your magic powers but it joins and strengthens our power into one force.” Phoenix explained as Ivy nodded and continued to enjoy the sight in front her.
“This… Do I get to see it everytime we dance?” Ivy echoed but couldn't take her eyes off the scenery.
“It will always be here from now on Ivy…” Phoenix echoed as Ivy beamed with joy. Phoenix lifted his right wing to embrace Ivy who couldn’t contain how touched she was as happy tears flowed down her cheeks.
“When the time comes, I promise to bring you back to our kingdom and show you our past lives…” Phoenix echoed as Ivy nodded and leaned closer into Phoenix’s embrace.
Phoenix knew it was a tough task as it meant he had to ensure Ivy was not assassinated and convinced their father to send them to the tower of reflection as their punishment. Besides, entering the tower of reflection has its flaws, if they weren't careful.
He prevented himself from thinking about it any further and decided to deal with it when the time comes for them to cross the bridge as he learned to appreciate every moment they had at present.