Page 44 of Trust Fall
“What’s turning those wheels of yours?” Cleo said raising her eyebrows.
Ivy closed her eyes for a minute and blew out a slow breath. “I have a confession to make that I hope will reassure you that I’d keep your heart safe, but I don’t want you to freak out on me over it either, ok?”
Curiously, Cleo agreed and urged Ivy to continue.
“On our first date, after I put my foot in my mouth about seeing you in your power suits every day, you asked me just how many times I had noticed you. When I told you it was a few times, I wasn’t exactly telling thewholetruth.” Ivy lifted a hand to her face to try and calm the blush.
“Oh?” Cleo asked, an amused tone playing in her voice.
“I first noticed you about three years ago.” Cleo’s breath caught as Ivy continued. “You stopped at the window one morning to answer a video call and your whole face lit up with such warmth and love, I figure now that it must have been Sophie on the other end of the call. It was that look that caught my eye, not just your fiery hair which you know I can’t get enough of.” Ivy laughed as she reached out and curled a loose wave around her finger. “And that was the moment that I decided I wanted more in my life than sporadic one-night stands. I wanted someone to look at me the way you looked at whoever was on the other side of the phone.” Ivy dropped her hand from Cleo’s hair and gently held Cleo's hands in hers. “Every day I was working I’d see you either walking to or from work, and I’d think about that look on your face. At first it was a reminder of why I’d stopped shutting out the world, but overtime I began to wonder not just about it coming from anyone, but what it would feel like to be on the receiving end ofyouhaving that look.”
Cleo couldn’t help herself, she knew exactly the look Ivy meant, because it was apparently already on her face. As soon as Ivy looked up, her eyes opened wide and a smile full of such warmth and wonder spread across her entire face as she breathed in a ragged breath and whispered, “That one.”
Ivy lifted a hand and tangled her fingers in the hair at the back of Cleo’s neck, pulling her in for a kiss neither of them would soon forget, or ever wanted to end.
Eventually, Ivy pulled back just enough to whisper, “Stay the night. I just want to fall asleep holding you.”
Cleo’s heart swelled in her chest so much she thought it might burst as she replied, “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Chapter 38
Ivy
It had been a couple of weeks since they had opened their hearts to each other, and Ivy had never felt closer with anyone in her life. She enjoyed every aspect of being in a relationship with Cleo. Even the mundane parts of it like washing dishes together after dinner at either of their places. And usually, Ivyhateddoing dishes.
Another thing Ivy was thoroughly enjoying was on nights that she stayed at Cleo’s, she would find herself bundling into one of Cleo’s hoodies for the morning before getting ready for whatever the day ahead needed. She had never known such comfort as being completely surrounded in the heady mix of Cleo’s perfume, laundry powder, and whatever intoxicating scent that was just… Cleo.
She had started to notice though, that if they weren’t together later that night and had to video chat instead, Cleo had started wearing whatever hoody of hers Ivy had worn that morning. It had made Ivy’s heart swoon and skip a beat, and her belly flip-flop all at once the first time she noticed it.
It also hadn’t gone unnoticed that Cleo had been the one doing the coffee runs for her and Lana more often than before. However, she couldn’t help but write little love notes on Cleo’s cup regardless of whether it was her or Lana who came into the shop for their order.
She was floating on Cloud Nine, and even though tonight was the night she was introducing Cleo to her chosen family of Lucas and Gabby, her nerves weren’t anywhere near where she’d expected them to be.
They pulled up in front of their house in Cleo’s SUV, and Ivy reached over and gave Cleo’s thigh a slight squeeze. “You ready for this?” She asked with a smirk as she saw the nerves on her girlfriend’s face.
“If I say no, does that mean we can turn around and head back to mine to hide for the night?” Cleo asked, and Ivy knew there was some truth to the question.
“C’mon, you’ve got this, they’ll love you,” Ivy said with a laugh as she leaned over and kissed Cleo’s cheek. She then got out of the car and waited for Cleo to join her at the bottom of the steps that lead to Lucas and Gabby’s home.
Cleo arrived by her side a few minutes later after retrieving a gift bag from the back of the car that Ivy hadn’t noticed.
“What’s in the bag?” Ivy asked, curiously.
“A gift,” Cleo smirked at her and dipped her head to place a kiss on Ivy’s lips.
“Smart-ass,” Ivy laughed against Cleo’s lips as she kissed her again before pulling back and linking their fingers together. “Stop getting distracted, it won’t work, you’re going to meet them,” Ivy said, as she led Cleo up the stairs and through the front door.
They took off their coats and shoes, and Cleo reached for Ivy’s hand again before they headed through to the kitchen where music was playing, and dishes were clinking.
“We’re here,” Ivy called just as they made their way through the arched entrance to the kitchen.
“Ivy! Cleo!” Gabby set down the vegetables she was dicing and wiped her hands on the towel that was draped over Lucas’s shoulder before making her way over to them. “I’m so glad you could make it!” Gabby said as she enveloped Ivy in a hug before turning to Cleo.
“It’s lovely to meet you Gabby, Ivy’s told me so much about you,” Cleo said as Gabby wrapped her arms around her for a hug before pulling back with a laugh.
“I hope you don’t believe a single word of it, or maybe just some of it,” she winked at Cleo and Ivy could see her girlfriend’s shoulders relax a little.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” Cleo said, offering the bag to Gabby, “I picked you up a little something, I hope you don’t mind.”
