Page 23 of Trust Fall
Ivy wondered if Cleo was figuring out whether Ivy was free this weekend. She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t want to assume. Maybe she could play it coy.
Ivy:Thanks Cleo, no plans but that just means I’m stuck doing housework and like you said, relaxing. Enjoy your weekend too :)
There, she did it. Maybe tomorrow she’d be brave enough to ask Cleo out properly.
Chapter 21
Cleo
Cleo stirred the next morning and lay in the warmth of her bed for a few extra minutes before opening her eyes. As she had no plans for the weekend due to Jade spending some quality time with Sophie, Cleo decided to lay back and unpack all the events from yesterday before getting up.
Work had been hectic as usual, and her patience for dealing with Jackson Copeland was swiftly running out. Then there werethe Best Boss points she’d earned herself with Lana by closing early for the weekend. That was what led her to Cuppa Comfort for the coffee in the afternoon, and with that, Ivy. Cleo felt the smile begin to spread on her face at the thought of the woman she’d been unable to get out of her mind for the past two weeks.
Then, there was the coffee cup interrogation from her family. Her mom practically had her married to Ivy by the time Cleo left the house that night, Evan and Jade were their usual idiot selves, her dad was quite content watching it all play out in front of him, and the only person under the spotlight as much as Cleo herself was Sophie. Only because Sophie had met Ivy and could give innocently honest answers to questions that Cleo wasn’t prepared to tell her family. At least not yet.
After getting home, and having the call with Lana, Cleo spent the evening messaging Ivy. For the first time in six years, Cleo was feeling a part of herself finally come back to life. Like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She knew that Lana had suggested starting as friends until Cleo felt more confident that she wanted to see if there was something more there, and Cleo knew that if the roles had been reversed, she would have suggested the very same. In fact, shehadsuggested exactly that when Lana first met Connor.
But having spent the evening getting to know a little more about Ivy and her personality, Cleo wanted to know more. She wanted to know everything. She felt like a teenager again with a significant crush.
Rolling her eyes at herself for her own admittance, she got up and showered before checking her phone. Whether or not a message from Ivy was going to be there for her, Cleo refused to bethatkind of woman, who woke and reached straight for her phone to see if a message awaited her. At least for now, she was only human after all.
An hour later, she was tidying away the breakfast dishes and noticed it was already after 11 a.m. When was the last time she had slept in as late? Come to think of it, when was the last time she slept solidly through the night? Cleo let out a soft chuckle at the realization as she hung up the towel on the handrail and put the cutlery back in the drawer.
Finally, she made her way out of the kitchen, up her stairs, along the hall, and into her bedroom to get her phone. Three new messages. The first was her mom reminding her to have the manners to message Ivy, regardless of whether she wanted to let anything happen between them or not, and to let her know once she’d made her decision and messaged Ivy either way. The second was Evan reminding her yet again that she’d broken their sacred Twin Laws innottelling him about Ivy the second they found themselves tangled in the coffee shop doorway. The third was from Jade, who essentially wished she had a photo of Cleo’s face the moment she and their dad called Cleo out for having Ivy’s name and number, purely so that she could make it her new caller ID image of Cleo.
Cleo smiled and rolled her eyes at each of them. Honestly, did her family have nothing else to talk about? Granted, it had been well over a decade since Cleo had met anyone who interested her enough to want to swap numbers with. She felt that hardly made it quite the world event that her family were trying to turn this in to.
Cleo could feel herself start to spiral under the pressure of her family. She decided she needed to get out of the house and go for a long walk. She checked the weather app for the day and noticed the weekend was to be surprisingly mild for the time of year, so she grabbed a light jacket and headed out for the day.
A few hours later and Cleo made it home ready for an early dinner. She had wandered the surrounding area of her house a few times and spent some time window shopping. She thought of a few gift ideas that would suit several of her family. She liked to buy things when she saw them and put them aside for whatever next gift opportunity arose, whether it was a birthday or Christmas.
During her walk, Cleo had decided that while she had been so anxious about reaching out to Ivy yesterday, the way they messaged for so long before realizing how much time had passed had to be a good sign.
With that in mind, she took out her phone and sent a message before she chickened out:
Cleo:I had a great time messaging with you last night. I hope I’m not overstepping here, but I was wondering if you’d like to go out tomorrow? Somewhere other than your work this time? ;)
To keep panic at bay, she hooked her phone up to the speaker and let music fill the kitchen while she made dinner. At the breakfast nook, she pulled her phone closer to scroll through her socials, and just as she took her first bite, it pinged with a new text.
Ivy:Hey Cleo, I had a great time too! From the woman who gave you her number on your coffee cup,it’s safe to say that no, you’re not overstepping ;) and yes, I’d love to go out with you tomorrow! Any idea of when and where?
Cleo nearly choked on the mouthful of food. She gulped down some water and took a few calming breaths before replying.
Cleo:Great! I don’t mind, I hadn’t really thought that far ahead ;) do you have any ideas?
Cleo dropped her head into her hands—why hadn’t she thought about this before sending the message? She’d just been on a huge walk, contemplated her life, and yet hadn’t thought to come up with what she would suggest they do on their first date if Ivy had said yes?
Her phone pinged again.
Ivy:I don’t mind either. The weather is supposed to be like today, so why don’t we take advantage of that and do something outside?
Of course! Cleo thought to herself, that sounded like the perfect plan.
Cleo:How about a picnic? Outdoors and more relaxed than a cafe or restaurant, while still giving plenty chance to get to know each other more?
Cleo held her breath. She hadn’t realized she was doing it until she found herself gasping for air after watching Ivy’s typing icon bounce on her screen multiple times before disappearing and reappearing.
Ivy:That sounds perfect! I haven’t been on a picnic in such a longtime. How about you pick the place and I’ll bring the food?
