Ivy knows it's time to return to her childhood seaside town to battle the demons of her past. Two years away from her friends, family and the beloved sandy beach that holds such a special place in her heart.
She knows the visit will be painful but...
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J J W O O D F O R D
I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE what's going on right now. All I know is I've turned up at my best friend's house for the summer to find the girl who left my apartment a few days ago after a one-night stand without uttering a word. No thank you, no goodbye. Absolutely nothing.
Alarm bells are ringing inside my head as Ivy lingers in the doorway to the house.
What on earth is she doing here?
Fuck. Fuck. Don't say she's his girlfriend or something because this is the sort of shit that would happen to me. Just my luck.
I suck down my whirlwind of emotions and step closer to Finn. We only left each other a few weeks ago after our third year of university together but we still hug like it's been years.
"How are you man?" Finn slaps my back.
My head nods slowly as my gaze falls on Ivy who is staring at me in utter confusion and shock. She's not even hiding it anymore now that Finn has turned his back and given me an unneeded hug.
"Yeah, good," I nod. "Journey wasn't bad."
Finn pulls away and smiles, then he beckons me into the house where Ivy steps away. Her eyes roam over my body quickly and then glances to the wall, but I catch that look. She tugs on her bottom lip and fiddles with a piece of string falling from her cardigan.
She's nervous. I guess I'm about to find out why.
Finn turns towards me and then clears his throat as we step inside their little coastal home. The air smelt like sea salt as soon as I stepped out of my car. I'm not exactly used to the smell but it's something I could grow to like over the next few months.
It's certainly different from the smell of burning fuel and rotting garbage. No wonder people prefer to live at the seaside than an overpopulated city, it is beyond peaceful. It's bliss and I've been here all of three minutes.
"JJ," Finn starts. "This is my sister, Ivy. Ivy, JJ."
Okay, maybe this is worse. They're fucking related.
I stare back into Ivy's crystal blue eyes. The same eyes that had me almost hypnotised when we first met, despite how much I was playing with her and teasing her during our date–she won't class it as a date–I still wanted her and I got her. Only to be left in my cold bed, alone the next morning.
"Nice to meet you," she blurts out.
I tilt my head slowly but Finn doesn't clock anything. My arm extends and she glances down at it like I'm crazy. "You too."
Reluctantly she takes my hand and shakes it for a second before dropping it like I've burned through her skin. She steps away and lowers her gaze, just in time for Finn to slap my back again. "Let's go grab your stuff and I can show you around and that."
