Love You Better (Better Love 1)

“Samantha broke up with me because I was spending too much time with you.” I grimace and raise my eyebrows.

“Samantha...?” Ivy cocks her head to the side and looks at me quizzically, before her face lights up with realization. “The girl you were dating when I transferred to BU? That was Samantha, right?”

“That was her.”

“Oh man. I’m so sorry. I liked her. She was nice. Did she not realize we hadn’t seen each other in over a year? I could have backed off.”

“She understood at first. But she was right to dump my ass. One hundred percent, I was spending more time with you. I don’t blame her, and it wasn’t a messy breakup. No hard feelings. I think she’s engaged to a mechanical engineering major now.”

I lie back down on the bed, and Ivy curls herself in front of me. I pull her body into mine and breathe her in.

Everything about this woman lights me up and calms me down at the same time. I’m buzzing and energized, comfortable and content. She’s the only person who has ever felt right. Ivy is the tranquility of home and the exhilaration of adventure. I won’t need anything else in life as long as I have her.

“Something happened,” she whispers after a while. “After graduation, I mean. Something happened to me. It’s why I left.”

“You didn’t leave because of what happened with us? At prom?”

She shakes her head, and I feel something wet hit my arm. Tears.

“No,” she says with a sniffle. “It wasn’t prom. I kind of wish it was, but it wasn’t. Something happened, and after I had to go to Bowen to kind of deal with the aftermath, I guess. I started seeing a therapist. I transferred back when I was ready. I promise I’ll tell you all about it. Just not now, okay?”

I press a kiss to her head and hold her more tightly, my protective instincts in overdrive. Pieces of a puzzle start to come together. The panic attack. If someone hurt her...

“I’m here when you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Just...when I tell you. I need you to promise you won’t look at me differently. I don’t want it to change how you see me.” Her voice is pained, heartbreaking, and I pull her in tighter.

“I promise, Ives. I’m not going anywhere. No matter what.”

* * *

“So how was your weekend, Matthew?” I ask on Monday as I pass him the extra sandwich I brought. I’m not even going with the façade of trading anymore. I’m just bringing him lunch.

Matthew averts his eyes. “It was okay.”

I watch him as he takes a bite of his sandwich. “Just okay? Did you do anything fun?”

He shrugs. “Not really.”

My mind flits back to my literal run in with his father last week at my mom and dad’s firm. Matthew has been growing increasingly more withdrawn, and I’ve decided to speak to the school guidance counselor about him this afternoon. I spoke to my mom, so I know that she’s been in contact with Matthew’s mom, but Matthew needs all the additional support he can get.

“Hmm, well,” I say nonchalantly. “I read a really great book this weekend that you might like.”

Matthew snorts. “You read books?”

“Of course, I read books! Books are awesome. This one is about a dragon and a little boy who is a dragon rider, and there are elves and fighting and magic.” Matthew is watching me, intrigued. “I can loan it to you, if you want.” I pull the worn paperback out of my backpack and slide it to him.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, definitely.” He snatches it up.

“I think my mom and dad are going to get a divorce,” he says quickly as he’s thumbing through the paperback.

“I’m sorry,” I say back, even though I’m pretty sure his dad is mega asshole. Matthew shrugs.

“I’m happy about it. I don’t like my dad.” We sit in silence for a moment, because I honestly have no fucking idea what to say, before Matthew adds, “My mom says we might have to move.”

“Moving could be a great new adventure, you know? A new beginning.”