Chapter 6
ANOTHER YEAR LATER
"I don't like this place," Ivy mumbles to herself as she finally manages to hook a foot over the window ledge and launch herself into the small room, landing face first on the carpet.
"Ow," she lets out in a squeak after a few moments, cheek shoved awkwardly against the scratchy fabric.
"Hello?" a sleepy voice mumbles from further inside the room.
"Oh, God," Ivy whimpers, still with half her body sticking out the window and the other half splayed across the carpet.
Please don't wake up please don't wake up pretty please don't wake up.
"Relax, Koen," another voice rings out.
"It's probably just a cat on window ledge or something - "
"Dude, I thought I heard voices - "
"Doubt it," the second voice laughs, and Ivy thinks she may be saved.
"I need the bathroom, go back to sleep, okay?"
At a murmured assent from Koen, she begins hearing footsteps padding closer to her.
"No," she groans, but by now, she's given up with trying to move (okay, not like she was making much of an effort in the first place, but the awkward climb and shuffle up the drainage pipe of the building in order to get into each window wasn't exactly relaxing), and can only sincerely hope that whoever finds her is as kind as Luke was.
The footsteps continue to come closer, and eventually she can make out a pair of slippered feet come to a stop directly in front of her face.
There is a long pause as Ivy holds her breath and hates herself for being clumsy and awkward and also the building for being so tall and not even having a chimney.
"Looks like quite the situation you've got yourself in there," a voice says from above her, amused, and a glance upwards is enough to catapult her lower half into the building as she makes out the familiar features.
"Luke!" she lets out.
"I didn't know this is your college!"
"Well, you do now," he laughs, and she gets up to launch herself into his arms, smiling happily at the feeling of his chest rumbling with amusement.
"Looks like someone's happy to see me," he jokes, but she can feel the squeeze of his arms around her, and only grins wider into his shoulder.
"Of course I am," Ivy chastises, pulling away to glare at him.
"It's been a year!"
Luke grins down at her.
"That's true," he agrees.
"How's things?"
Ivy, having pulled away, is a little distracted by Luke - aren't they supposed to stop growing at some point?
And - oh.
Luke is wearing boxers and a shirt.
Just boxers and a shirt.
"Ivy," Luke sings, poking her cheek gently.
Her eyes snap back up guiltily, but he doesn't seem to have noticed, and she thanks all and any gods for low lighting.
"Uh - sorry.
Yeah.
Things are good.
Great.
Really great.
Great as can be, absolutely gr - "
"I'm getting the sense that they're great," he teases, pressing a finger to her lips.
She silently struggles to contain the flush threatening to creep into her cheeks, but then moves away, saying:
"So.
College."
"College," he agrees, running a hand through his hair.
"How is it?" she asks, lips curving up into a knowing smile.
"Fine, so wipe that smirk off your face, Miss," he reaches over to flick her forehead gently.
"What smirk?" Ivy questions innocently, but her grin's only grown, the overall effect being a little too oxymoronic.
"Is it hard?"
"Very," Luke replies with a wry smile, sitting on the floor by the window and leading Ivy to follow suit.
"But in a good way.
Well, a kind of good way.
Finals really aren't fun."
"Finals?"
"Final exams," he explains.
"We tend to have them before important breaks."
"So you're on break right now?"
"Of course, it's Christmas."
"But you're not at home..." she says slowly, frowning.
"I'm going down tomorrow," he assures her with a smile.
"I couldn't book a bus earlier because I was too busy studying.
I'm on a scholarship, so if I don't pass my classes with good grades I'm pretty much screwed."
"Scholarship?" Ivy repeats unsurely, the phrase vaguely familiar.
"Sorry," Luke shakes his head.
"It's this thing that the college offers if you get really good grades.
They pay for all your fees and stuff.
I was really lucky I got one, actually.
I wouldn't have dreamed of going here without one, it costs boatloads."
"Why?" she peers around the room, as though trying to find something worth paying so much for.
"Is this a good college?"
"What, Hillcrest?" Luke says with a chuckle.
"I guess you could say that."
"You never told me you were smart," she nudges him with a grin.
"Ah, well," he scratches the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Not exactly something that comes up in conversation."
"Oh, I don't know," she says lightly.
"With your people skills I would've thought you'd find a way to work it in. So, what are you studying?"
"Anatomy.
I, uh, I wanna go on to do medicine, so..."
"A doctor?" Ivy says dumbly, although she isn't sure why she's surprised at all.
When she thinks about it, Luke would be a perfect doctor.
"Yes, a doctor," he elbows her lightly.
"I'm thinking along the lines of pediatrics - "
"Okay, stop there," she holds a hand up.
"If you're gonna start using big words and going all biology student on me - "
"I'm not!" he protests.
"Pediatrics isn't a big word!"
"It is for a simple present-deliverer like me," she jokes.
"You're not simple," he returns steadily, looking her in the eye.
Ivy suddenly finds it a little difficult to breathe, her eyes drawn to the thin thread of light streaming from the window and reflecting softly off his hair, rumpled and messy from sleep.
"Okay?"
"Okay," she replies, a little dizzily.
She blinks suddenly, shaking her head.
What is wrong with her?
"So, uh, what's - um, what did you call it again?
Something with a p..."
"Pediatrics," he smiles.
"It's a branch of medicine.
It deals with, uh, just kids."
"Like babies?"
"Yeah.
But kids of all ages, really.
I guess I've always liked kids, so..."
"Yeah," Ivy says softly, recalling the way his eyes brighten whenever Jett is brought up in conversation.
She clears her throat.
"Well...that's really cool," she offers.
"Like, more than cool.
Super cool.
Amazing.
Really amazing, like if there was an amazing scale it would be right at the top with - "
"You're doing this a lot tonight," Luke interrupts, eyeing her suspiciously.
Ivy almost chokes.
"Me?
No!
I mean, no more than usual - "
"Yes more than usual," he raises an eyebrow.
"What's up?"
"U - up?" she repeats, shifting uncomfortably.
"Up?
Nothing's up - everything's so not up, it's practically down!"
"Down?"
"E - exactly," Ivy nods, hoping her term is a little firmer than before and trying desperately to keep her eyes from straying to the expanse of skin which is exposed as a result of his shirt hitching up slightly when he moves.
Luke doesn't look convinced.
He leans in closer, concerned, and Ivy almost groans in frustration.
Please don't do that.
Please please please don't.
"Ivy..." he wraps his fingers around hers, and she feels her heart rate pick up slightly.
Don't do that either, she thinks to himself.
Only bad things happen if you do that.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he questions.
Ivy blinks up at him.
"I - uh - yeah," she breathes, withdrawing her hand as though burnt.
What is she doing, feeling like this about a human?
Then she looks at Luke - really looks at him, and she realises that he's not just ahuman.
He's Luke.
And she thinks he might just be her best friend.
"If you're sure," he looks dubious.
"I am," she assures him, reaching back over to squeeze his wrist and offer him a smile.
She's only met him four times, how can she be so...how can she even like him so much?
Is it even possible to like someone that much after four meetings?
It's not even four, this is the fourth, she's only seen him three times before, oh no this is totally not okay -
"Ivy?"
But technically, she's known him four years, hasn't she?
That's enough for someone to be your best friend, right?
"Ivy..."
But the time in between each Christmas Eve doesn't count, that's so stupid, it's still only four nights...
"Ivy!"
But four years, too?
Four years and four nights, four years, four nights, ohwhat difference does it make anyway she still really likes him -
"Ivy."
Oh God.
She likes him.
She totally likes him, doesn't she?
Oh God...
"Ivy!"
"I - yes.
Hello.
Hi."
"You're so not okay," he declares with conviction.
She can't keep the blush from her cheeks.
"I am, I totally am, I promise!
I just, uh..." Ivy trails off, then, eyes alighting on the kitchenette a few yards away, says:
"Am lacking some of the legendary Luke Potts cookies," she says quickly.