Liam sat absent minded in his chair. Alone in his office, his gaze locked down on the papers in his hands but his mind was far away. Far away on what happened yesterday, he couldn't sleep and for strange reason, found it odd to talk it through with Shirley.
He knew his silence disturbed her. She tried to have him talk to her but only a wide lie about it being work was all he said. She didn't believes him, he knew.
He growled, hand running through his grown hair, making the cut on his eyebrows more visible. He had to think straight. It wasn't time for all those thoughts yet he didn't seem to get it out of his mind. No matter how he thought about it, he found no sense in it. No reason.
He leaned in his chair, facing the front door with blank eyes. Someone knocked at the door, after giving his permission, his assistant entered.
"Miss Stone is here, and want to see you," he said.
Ivy? He wondered. Since went did she announce herself? Sitting straight, he let her in.
Ivy entered and his assistant dismissed himself with a bow. Ivy stood by the closed door, awkward, not knowing what to do, where to start.
"Since when did you care to announce yourself,?" He asked his tone distant. The lack of warm in his voice was enough to make Ivy guilt grew further. Never has he spoke to her in such a way.
"Yes, since you hates me," he answered his own question. His eyes darken at his own statement. Good, he hurt himself.
"I don't hate you Liam," she declared. Her voice firm, gaze on him.
"What ever you say," her actions of yesterday told him all he needed to know.
Ivy pressed her lips in a thin line, and left out a breathe. She walked further in, and sat on the sofa in the middle of the room . She putted her bag on the table and gesture for Liam to come.
He eyed her suspiciously but still got up from his seat and went to her. She gesture him to sit next to her, which he did, without forgetting to but the distance she kept between them yesterday.
Ivy, though noticing ignored it. She was the cause of it, she was going to fix it.
"Lay down," she said patting her lap. Wearing a black trousers, her thigh was perfectly covered.
"Why? I don't want to. You even asked me not to touch you anymore remember?" He argued battling with the strong urge he had to embrace her.
Ivy rolled her eyes and forcefully pulled him down. Letting his head rest on her laps. Her hands ran through his hair, which had grown since her arrival. Liam relaxed under her touch, his tense shoulder fell. He was laying on her laps, his face facing her flat stomach.
"I'm sorry," she began, caressing his face.
"I didn't mean to hurt you yesterday nor to ignore you," she paused, waiting for him to react. Sure he would say something along the lines, 'her admitting her actions and that she hated him' but he didn't move. Said no words. Hurt, she broke him.
"I thought it was the way to go. To show you I have accepted your relationship with Shirley. I thought I was doing the right thing but I know now I was in the wrong. Forgive me please," she played with his hair.
"You hurt me," he said taking her by surprise by wrapping his hands around her waist and digging his face in her flat tummy.
She shock gotten from his actions was replaced by the pain cause by his words.
"I know. I didn't only hurt you but hurt myself as well. For once, I was the idiot between us,"
"For once?" he peeked up.
"Yeah, you are the idiot one normally, not me," she smiled.
"Don't do that, ever again," he stated going back to his earlier position. His face nuzzled in her stomach.
"I won't," she promised. Never would she hurt him again.
"And you don't have to do all that to show me you accept my relationship with Shirley. You been kind to her like you were yesterday is all I want."
Kindness towards Shirley huh? Her kindness would only be indirectly proportionate to her love for Liam. Actually, maybe it was the way to go. Being kind to Shirley. This way, no one except her would be hurt.
"I would try my best." She would. It was a promise she made to herself.
"I love you Ivy," he confessed.
"I love you too." more than you could think of.
They remained in the same position for a moment. Relaxing in each other warm, feeling at peace in each other arms. Till she began to feel the weight of his body.
"You can let go now," she said unwilling but knew it was the way to go.
Not only was she feeling heavy. Their interactions, their position was sending butterfly in her stomach. A feeling she appreciated, a little too much. It wasn't the way to go for someone who wanted to stop loving him. Her statement was responded with a refusal. In fact, had the opposite effect as it only had Liam hold tighter. Unwilling to let go.
"No!" He protested.
"Stop acting like a child now and let go. You are heavy you know that?" she complained.
"Maybe but if let go who knows when you would still allow me to hold you?" he expressed his concern. What happens yesterday left him with doubt and uncertainty.
"I said I won't do it anymore," but Liam heard none of it.
"You are soon to be father, you should act like it. Mature. At this rhythm, one won't be able to tell between you and your children." She joked. A sour feeling took her heart hearing herself. He was going to have children and not with her as wished.
"Who said I was going to be a father?" He asked jerking off of her lap, looking straight in her face. Nervous.
"Just a supposition. Given how much you love each other, I'm surprise Shirley isn't pregnant yet." She weirded out at his reaction. Freaking at the possibility of having kids? Why?
"Oh," he left out a breathe.
"What? You think if she is really pregnant I'm the one to whom she would tell first?" she asked confused. She only said those words out of playfulness but Liam took it seriously, why?
"Right," he said laying back down. In his panic, he forgets that detail. Shirley would have told him first.
"Don't want to be a father?" She questioned seeing his reaction. She knew he wanted kids, why acting horrified at the possibility. They were soon to be married, it won't be a bad thing.
"I want to be a father, of course. I'm excited just thinking about it but Shirley isn't ready," he explained.
The warm of his breathe falling on her stomach was a distraction she didn't want. It wasn't helping her to think straight, in fact, it caused her to have weirder thoughts. Thoughts she was pushing away. Not wanting to entertain it.
"She is still trying to find her way, doesn't want a baby in the picture for the moment."
Her way? Wasn't Shirley not working? As far as Ivy knew, Shirley after graduation opted to be a stay at home mother since she didn't try to find a job or anything. Ivy supposed it was how she wanted to live. What was the whole finding her way about?
"Why isn't she working ?" She always had it on her mind but usually brushed it off, answering it with her incompetence.
"She doesn't need to. I can perfectly support the two of us," Liam said.
"I don't doubt that but I think she should find something to do and not stay at home everyday. Maybe not for money, merely for the seek of doing it and having fun is also good. No need for a career if she doesn't want to."
"Ivy Stone thinking about Shirley well being. It doesn't happens every day." Ivy lightly hits his face.
"You are right," he agreed. His face took a more serious look.
" She has been thinking about it. She hasn't found her way yet and is trying different things to see. I'm not pressing her, she can take all her time."
"My Liam is in love. I doubt you would have had the same speech if you were struggling financially," she pointed out.
"It won't have been different. Taking care of her could never be a burden to me. Never. All I want is to see her happy."
'With so much love shower on her, if she dare to be unhappy, it would be her decision.' Ivy thought.
"Staying for lunch?" he asked. When she agreed, he got off her and walked to the phone office to place his order.
"Shrimps? You are bold given you can't open it," she commented after him being done.
"That's why you are here for. It has been a moment I haven't ate any," he said, claiming his earlier position which Ivy happily gave.
"I almost forgotten. Thank you." she placed a kiss on his head.
"For?"
"You perfectly know why."
"I thought you would be mad. And to our defense. You said if we wanted to help you, it was that way." He was fast to try to defend themselves. Even though all they did was helping her.
"Don't worry, you did great. Thank you." She stroke his cheek, eyes lost in his. The battle to stop the urge to kiss him was fierce but she won. She always won.
Yeah, thank you for loving her, even though not the way she wanted. For the first time, she didn't feel the universe was so cruel. He took her many things but also gave her so much and on all things, love. If she left this world, she would know for sure, she has been loved.