Chasing Ivy (Oak Hill 1)

I held my tongue when I looked up at her again, because those eyes that were glistening just seconds ago? Yeah, they were basically simmering with fire. The green hues were sparking with anger and it set an undeniable thrill down my spine.

“I’m not sure why you’re treating me so shitty. I mean,” Ivy uncrossed her arms from her chest, where my eyes lingered for far too long, and then she placed them on her jean-clad waist. “I wasn’t expecting you to be super happy to see me, but I didn’t expect you to act like such a fucking dick.”

My mouth fell open for a second before I snapped it closed.

Did she just curse? Ivy, little Miss Follow-the-Rules, just said the F word.

I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

I barked out a booming laugh, echoing through the almost empty parking lot, which only pissed her off even more. I could feel the boiling anger pouring off her body. Like if I were to reach out and touch her, I’d be charred.

“Is it funny when I’m mad? Because I don’t think it’s that funny, Dawson.”

I laughed harder, running my hand through my hair. “It’s funny to hear you curse, that’s all.”

She rolled her eyes so far back that I bet she could see her brain. “I’m not fifteen anymore, which means I’m no longer the girl you once knew. Saying ‘fuck’ isn’t that big of deal.”

That brought my laughter to an abrupt stop, reminding me that I was supposed to be angry and still holding a grudge.

“Yeah, I can see that.” I almost growled, feeling all the hurt and despair that I felt so long ago creep up behind me like a stealthy cat. I instantly morphed it to anger. “I don’t think I knew you very well back then, either.”

Her mouth twitched and her eyes narrowed.

I hit a tender spot but that didn’t stop me. I kept going, my voice becoming louder. “The girl I knew would never just leave like you did, without saying goodbye. Without somehow contacting me and letting me know you were okay. But I was obviously wrong.”

Ivy bit the inside of her cheek, taking a step back. Her eyes welled up again and just like that, I was back to feeling bad. My God, is this what it feels like to be a woman? One second mad, the next sad? Jesus Christ.

She didn’t say anything for a few long, painful seconds and I was this close to taking everything back that I’d said but then she started to walk towards me, causing my entire body to go into panic mode.

We were only inches apart. My breathing was labored and heavy while my heart was thumping so loudly I could feel it pounding against my ribcage. I looked over her head, keeping my eyes trained on the glass doors to the office, when she whispered, “I wasn’t okay, Dawson.”

Then she sidestepped me and walked away, taking every bit of my anger with her.

Chapter Eleven

Ivy

I hated the way my eyes were puffy from crying last night. I hadn’t cried in so long, but after seeing Dawson looking so… grown up, and then feeling the fury radiate off his body, because of me…I just couldn’t keep it together.

I was happy to see him, elated even, and then he acted so cold towards me that it literally set a chill through my body. So, I waited. I waited for two hours outside his work to talk to him, to explain my side of the story, to clear the air.

I knew from the second I laid eyes on him that things would never be the same between us, no matter how badly I wanted them to be, but I definitely didn’t want things to be so dicey, either. My God, he acted like I had ripped his heart out and fed it to the wolves. He clearly wasn’t that upset that I’d left without any contact when I’d actually had come to talk to him. Why was he acting like he was so upset I left when he clearly was completely fine a few weeks later?

Like, it’s been six years. Has he just grown cold and angry over time?

I wasn’t lying to myself. It hurt my heart so badly that he stared at me with such distaste. If there were anyone I would want to make proud in this world today, other than Mia, it would be him.

He still meant something to me even after all these years. The bond we had wasn’t just something that went away with time. No matter what happened between us, I still felt him in my very bones. Seeing him hurt and angry…made me feel sick, and empty. Seeing that small amount of pain on his face killed me. My heart had literally moved in my chest, like it was trying to dodge the hit.

I thought I’d done a good job burying all those unresolved feelings for him over the last six years, but the second I saw him, looking so attractively heartbroken, I realized that I had been so incredibly naïve thinking I could be around him without feelings from the past popping up.

I was so naïve. I was so trusting in myself to put on a brave face but I failed, miserably.

At least I had been able to keep it together until I got home.

That’s when I let it all out. I cried so hard into my pillow that I woke up to my hair stuck to my face in a salty crust. It was lovely. So far, being back in my long-lost hometown kind of sucked.

Mr. Lanning, Dawson’s father, told me that he’d have Dawson get back with me in a couple days to talk about what needed to be done to the house, and the price. But after our little spat last night, I wasn’t sure that would be the case. He could barely make eye contact with me without acting as if he hated my very presence… so I needed to turn to p