Kidnap My Heart - Chapter Eighteen

When Ivy woke up, the sun had barely peeked past the window. She groaned lazily as she thought about tomorrow being her last day in Riverton. She promised to herself that she would still be in touch with the people here she had tended to forget about. Her relationship with her mom was still on shaky grounds but Ivy knew she had forgiven her mom for all her previous discomforts. Her dad was unreachable and Ivy felt as if she didn't want to bother talking to him. And then there was Avery. She knew she still needed to talk to him about the past and she planned to do it while she was still here. She never knew it would have been this hard to talk to him. When they were younger he was always reachable. Things changed though. Ivy stood up and felt as if she was dragging herself out.

With caution, she walked out of her room and almost tripped over Crystal's sleeping body. "Crystal?" Ivy said loudly while tapping the woman with her foot. Crystal stirred slowly and groaned uncomfortably. "Ivy you better give me a good reason about last night. I spent the damn night on this stupid floor." Crystal said with a frown. Ivy lifted her up and they walked into Ivy's room. Crystal plopped herself onto Ivy's bed and cuddled with a tattered teddy bear. "You got some things to share so start already." Crystal said happily. Ivy rolled her eyes and groaned. "We're leaving the day after tomorrow. I have a problem with my client." Ivy said monotonously. "What!? Why?? We have to stay longer! They can't decide when your vacation ends!" Crystal wailed as she threw the teddy bear onto a pillow. Ivy paced around the room and faced the wall. "Well I have to but if you want to you can stay.

You rented that car from here right? Well I need to take a plane ride since I have a meeting with my client on the day I go back. I want you to take my car and drive it back to LA for me. It's only a 3 hour drive but I need to be there really early so I can't drive there." Ivy said in a business like tone. Crystal couldn't believe it. Ivy was acting so cold and she was treating her like a secretary, as Crystal really was, instead of her best friend. Maybe she had wanted to stay here for her intended time but hadn't wanted to say so. "Alright I'll do that boss." Crystal said with an emphasis on boss as she walked out of the room. Ivy groaned and slapped her forehead. She ran to her suitcases and picked out her clothes for the day. After dressing she ran through her house and out the door, leaving Crystal to her upset mood.

This is so stupid. What am I thinking? Ivy thought as she drove up to a small, cozy house. She parked her car on the curb and sat in the car for a couple of minutes. When she built up her confidence, she exited the car and walked towards the blue door. I hope I have the right house, she thought panicking. She rang the doorbell slowly and heard unraveling shouts inside the house. Her heartbeat quickened as she stood for a lingering minute outside the house. The door was opened by a teenage boy who had excruciatingly beautiful blue eyes and was also holding a water bottle. The boy gazed at her with wide eyes and his mouth gaped open and Ivy smiled. He looked around 16 or 17 yet had a mature essence around him. "Hey Derek remember me?" Ivy said with a flirty smile. Derek's eyes opened wide and he dropped his water bottle. "No but hell I wish I did.

Summer camp? Basketball games? Where have you seen me before since I can't believe I overlooked you? " He asked incredulously. He motioned Ivy into the warm house that smelled like sugar and cinnamon. Ivy giggled and replied, "It's a secret." Ivy heard a woman's voice in the next room and heading closer to them. Mrs. Warren walked in with a very shocked face. Her brown hair was immaculately tied in a ponytail and her skin glowed. "Mom I think you have a visitor. An extremely stunning visitor." He said, whispering the last part. Ivy laughed and looked back at Mrs. Warren. "Hello Mrs. Warren. How are you?" Ivy said with a sweet smile. Mrs. Warren ran to Ivy and engulfed her in a hug. "Ivy Kaplan!! I can't believe you're here!! This is amazing! You look amazing! Derek don't you remember her?" Mrs. Warren said happily. Mrs. Warren smiled and ran off to the kitchen. Derek looked back at Ivy and his eyes widened again.

Shock was written all over his face. "No. You can't be Ivy Kaplan. You're too gorgeous, not that Ives isn't gorgeous, but you're incredibly sexy." Derek said disbelievingly. Ivy laughed and walked over to Derek who was almost taller than her. "Oh it's me alright Derek." She said with a smirk. Derek blinked at her and his eyes brightened. "Wow. How old are you?" he asked with a smile. Ivy turned away from him and looked over her shoulder. "Too old for you Derek." She said as she walked away from him, his mouth still open. She entered the kitchen and saw Mr. Warren reading the newspaper. As her heels clacked onto the wood floor, he lowered the paper and looked up at her. He stared at her disbelievingly and smiled warmly. "Ivy come here and give this old man a hug." He said with a chuckle.

Mr. and Mrs. Warren were an unusually young couple. They were both 20 when they had Avery, just as Ivy's parents were. Mr. Warren was a considerably tough man that would have passed as his son's older brother. Mrs. Warren was a happy woman who always smiled and had a bubbly personality. Ivy walked up to him and hugged him tightly. Ivy sat next to him. "So Ivy what brings you to our humble home?" Ivy shrugged and looked at Derek in the living room. "I haven't seen you guys in a while and I'm leaving soon so I might as well drop by and say hello. Anyway where is Avery? I was supposed to meet him here." Ivy said, lying about the last part. "Oh well Avery's in his room actually. Are you alright with talking with him? I mean you haven't seen or talked to each other in 10 years. Do you want me to go with you?" Mrs. Warren said wearily. Ivy laughed and shook her head. "There's no need to.

He hasn't told you about seeing me more than once? When I got here 2 weeks ago he saw me and then the reunion. Besides from that there have been other times. We're on okay terms now." Ivy said with a grin. The couple looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Then do you know why he has that gigantic bruise on his face?" Mr. Warren asked with a smug smile. "Yeah I do but I promise it wasn't me. If I was going to hurt him it would have been more severe." Ivy said with a mischievous grin. The couple smiled and sent Ivy up to their oldest child's room. Ivy walked unsteadily toward Avery's room and she felt herself tense up. So many memories were made here. Those little stolen kisses that was breathtaking nevertheless. They had many smiles and it wasn't just in one room of their house. It was all over the house.

She walked up to the door of his room and knocked on the door. Behind the door she heard rustling and Avery grumbling to himself. The door pulled open and Avery looked at her surprised. His hair was disheveled and added a flare to him. He was in casual jeans and a green long-sleeved shirt which clung to his sculpted body and made him look impossibly handsome. Ivy thought there was something wrong with how she described him, but it was all too true. "Hey Avery." Ivy said nervously. Avery grinned and motioned her into his room. Just as it was before, his room was immaculately clean and organized. It was unusual for a boy to be as such, but Avery had high standards. Maybe he was meant to be a doctor for those reasons. She sat on his comfy bed and he sat across from her in his computer chair. The air wasn't as tense as it was the first time. Now it felt as if it were old times. "So Ivy, what brings you to my humble home?" Avery asked with a steady smile.

Before she was able to respond the door opened and Derek came in. He sat next to Ivy and stared at her strongly, his blue eyes glittering. "Um Derek, why are you staring at me like that?" Ivy said as she shifted and looked over at Avery. Derek didn't say anything so Avery threw a tennis ball at him and he caught it without looking. "I'm just seeing if it's actually Ivy. You guys can lie to me all you want but I need proof that it's actually you. I mean seriously, when did you learn how to flirt back? You sucked at that." Derek said as he ogled at Ivy. Ivy laughed flirtatiously and batted her long eyelashes. "Is that so? I always thought I was pretty good at it." Ivy said with a pout. Derek's mouth gaped open again and he shook his head briskly. Avery laughed and watched as the pushy teen looked at Ivy with awe. "Der, it really is Ivy. I promise you can even ask her any question about her and she'd know." Avery said with a smug smile. Derek looked back at Ivy and squinted hard. "Fine, what is my favorite place to be at?" Derek said arrogantly.

Avery and Derek really were siblings. They had that same look to them and the same annoying demeanors. It was quite mind-boggling for Ivy and she felt immensely weird when she thought of the similarities. The only difference was Derek's bright blue eyes. Ivy had always thought he had amazing eyes. She still did. That was how she remembered his favorite place. "Your favorite place is the forest in my backyard. You always liked the blue skies when you went and the blue geraniums that grew right under the trees. You always thought they matched your eyes and so did I." Ivy said as she thought back to the look on his face when he gave her the blue geraniums. Derek blinked and jumped out of the bed with a cheer. "I can't believe it's you!" Derek said as he pulled Ivy into a tight hug. Ivy giggled and lifted her arm to pat Derek on the head lightly. He pulled her at an arm's length and gazed into her eyes. "You still owe me that car you promised when I was 8." He said in a serious tone.

Ivy looked up at him and burst into laughter. She rolled on Avery's bed, dying with laughter and trying to catch her breath, to no avail. As she caught her breath she stood up and slapped him on the shoulder. "Keep dreaming kiddo. My car is forever off limits to you." Ivy said with a smile. Derek smiled and Ivy walked away down the stairs. Derek plopped onto Avery's bed and smiled wide. "How could you have ever let that get out of your grip? She's dynamite man." Derek said while pointing at Ivy as she descended the stairs. Avery frowned at him and turned to face his computer. The air between them became hostile. Derek raised his hands in defeat and sat up. "Do you think she'd go on a date with me?" Derek said with a vague smile. Avery spun in his chair and looked at his younger brother. "Yeah I bet she would. That is, if you don't tell her it's a date." Avery said with a charming smile. He turned back to his computer and Derek threw a pillow at him.

Avery burst into laughter and Derek responded to his comment. "I look exactly like you except for my striking blue eyes, as Ivy said they were before." Derek said with an overconfident smile. Avery rolled his eyes and walked out of his room and down the stairs. He heard Ivy and his parents laughing loudly. The way he had hurt her before flashed into his mind and he couldn't help but feel completely guilty. He knew her parents were already on the brink of a divorce yet he hadn't tried to stay with her to keep her strong. He knew it was only him who would've helped her out. If he hadn't screwed up, then there might have been a chance that she would have stuck around in his life. Why had he broken up with her when she needed him the most? He still didn't know an exact answer and he knew that the questions were coming.