Chapter Nine

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{Chapter Nine}

When I arrive at my mom's work, or rather get into the building, my smile drops. Of course it isn't the fact that Jer is lecturing the woman at the front desk - who's name I admittedly have long since forgotten - it's the fact that he isn't wearing anything other than a pair of very revealing tight, leather pants.

I clear my throat quickly, making both Jer and the woman jump in surprise. Jer's gaze snaps to me, looking ready to lecture me until he realizes who I am, then he smiles his stunningly perfect smile.

"Levy, it's nice to see you again. How was your weekend? Do anything fun? Why don't you go up to my office and wait for me, I'll tell you about our marketing techniques." He adds softly but quickly as if he wants me to leave in order to continue lecturing the receptionist. I nod dumbly, not bothering to answer his questions and instead I just go up to his office.

I pull my phone out and see a message from Lydia asking if I'd be willing to go on a double date. I think about it for a moment and tell her I'll have to ask Ian before I message him with the question. It doesn't take him more than a minute to reply with a confirmation so I agree with Lydia and relay all the information to Ian.

After a few more minutes Jer comes in the room, looking as calm as ever. I look away from him, focusing on my phone instead.

"So, uh, why aren't you wearing a shirt?" I question. He glances at me from the other side of the room where he seems to be looking for something under all the paper scattered around.

"One of my models couldn't make it so I stepped in; I just needed to make sure the clothes fit correctly and looked good before I approved the manufacturing and shipment." He explains but I notice he didn't actually answer my question. I don't bother pointing that out though, and instead focus on my phone once more rather than his chest.

I open my new message and smile at Ian's rambling. I find it funny that even while texting he manages to ramble on, it's cute.

"Levy?" I blink and glance away from my phone but immediately regret it. Jer has somehow moved away from the paperwork he was dealing with to stand in front of me, probably to get my attention. From this close I can clearly see his muscles, and the continuation of his tattoos. I can also see the light sprinkle of hair that disappears in his jeans but I quickly avert my eyes back to Jer's so I don't get caught looking.

"Yeah?" I reply, clearing my throat when my voice breaks. Amusement sparkles in his golden eyes, making me question what he finds amusing but I don't ask.

"I was making sure you're paying attention, I have a lot to say about our marketing techniques. Oh, how is the paper coming so far?" he adds and I shrug.

"I have most of the rough draft done, I need to add some more details but I've gotten pretty much everything I need so the paper is almost complete. The rough draft anyway." I add. He nods in understanding and goes over to his desk to sit down.

"That's great," he replies before going into detail about their marketing. I put my phone away and make notes in my notebook for later, knowing I'll need the information eventually. After a few hours, and well over ten pages of notes, it's time to leave so I mumble a quick goodbye to Jer before I leave his office. It still bothers me that he spends so much time at the office, it's kind of sad but I don't over think it and instead walk down the hall to my mom's office.

She's already begun packing up to leave but looks up when I clear my throat. She raises a brow in question when she notices me.

"Do you need something?" she questions curiously but I just shrug.

"No, I wanted to let you know now that I'm going out with friends so I'll be back a bit late. I might stay the night with Lydia," I add because Lydia did mention that. She doesn't seem to think about it and merely shrugs.

"Okay, just call me if you plan to stay at her house." She adds and I nod. I leave her office and walk down the hall towards the front, passing the receptionist. Julie! That's what her name was. I roll my eyes at that and leave the building. I slide into my car and text Lydia to tell her I'll be at the restaurant in a few minutes.

I drive the fifteen minute drive to Ian's house so I can pick him up, but he texts me to tell me his dad wants to meet me. I pause at that, wondering if he'll approve of me. If I'm even ready to meet his dad. I push those thoughts away though because it's just his dad, it's not like he's going to interrogate me and start planning the wedding.

So I sigh, shut my car off and after I gather my courage I get out of the car. I walk through the grass to the front door of the large yellow house and knock of the matching yellow door. I expect it to be Ian's dad opening the door though - thankfully - it's Ian himself. I smile and immediately pull him into a hug.

"Hey," I greet and pull away while he fidgets.

"Hey, um, nice to see you. I mean of course it's nice to see you. I meant it's nice to see you on my doorstep, I think." He coughs and bites his lip, dragging me into the house by my wrist. "I uh, apologize in advance for my dad." He whispers as he continues dragging me through the house.

I take in the plain white walls, mostly holding some family photos and pictures of Ian at different ages. There's a few pieces of cheap art on the walls, but in general the house kind of seems lacking. It doesn't seem like a home but rather a house full of things. We walk through a hall and stop in a large room, obviously the living room.

There isn't much in this room either save for more pictures and art to take room on the walls. A gray couch sits in the middle with a glass coffee table in front of it; a flat screen TV is mounted to the white wall in front of the couch and there's a few random chairs with end tables scattered around the room. And sitting in one of the many chairs is a middle-aged man that I can only assume is Ian's dad.

He has nearly black hair, which means Ian probably got his own dark brown from his mom. Ian does have a lot of the same features as his dad though, like his defined cheekbones and dimples.

The man looks up upon our entrance and I realize Ian also got his shocking light gray eyes from his dad, though his dad's are a bit lighter, which stuns me. He smiles, making his own dimples more pronounced and I relax slightly. Even if the smile is fake, it puts me at ease.

"Hello there, you must be Levy. I've heard so much about you. I'm Haiden Kelly, but feel free to call me Haiden." He says, standing and walking over to shake my hand. Beside me Ian laughs a bit, obviously nervous.

"Haha, yeah. Well this has been fun but Levy's friend is waiting for us so we'll be leaving now." Ian explains quickly, grabbing my wrist to pull me away but his dad merely grabs the back of his shirt.

"Oh come on, Ian. Don't be so eager to leave. So, Levy, tell me about yourself." I open my mouth but Ian groans and interrupts me.

"His name is Levy Newark, he was born in the 90's, can we go?" Ian whines and I chuckle, noticing that he isn't rambling, though he still has that quick pace to his words, making them sound slightly jumbled at times. His dad laughs, his eyes sparkling with amusement. He pats Ian on the back before nodding.

"You can go, calm down. We should have dinner sometime though, I'd love to get better acquainted with Levy." Mr. Kelly explains to him and Ian rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Now we're leaving. Come on, Levy." I expect him to pull me out of the room but first he gives his dad a hug. Then he grabs hold of my wrist once more and drags me through the house, passing a doorway that I assume leads to the kitchen. We get in my car and after I put on some music I drive towards the restaurant.

"Your dad is pretty cool." I state but can't help but wonder where his stepmother is, he did say his dad got remarried so you would think she would want to meet me. Or maybe she's at work, that might be. I make a note to ask him about her later.

"He's my dad, dad's aren't cool. But yeah he's pretty cool considering he's a dad. You know, he's great, I love him and all. But enough of the mushy stuff. Where are we going? And who are we going with? Who's your friend? Is she nice?" he asks and I chuckle.

"We're going to a small restaurant. With my friend, Lydia, and she's really nice." I reply honestly and he nods in understanding. It goes silent but it's comfortable with the music. What makes me really smile though is when I feel his hand cover my own on the gear shift. It's an unexpected move from him since he doesn't seem like the type that would make a move like that but I like it.

The rest of the drive is silent save for the music playing in the background. And all through the drive Ian keeps his hand over mine. It's a simple gesture but it keeps the smile on my face the whole time.

I park the car and get out with Ian following suite. I lock my car real quick before walking over to Ian and taking his hand in mine. I notice a small smile twitching at his lips and it makes me happy to know the small gesture is appreciated. We walk through the doors and I immediately spot Lydia. Mainly because her bright blue hair is a bit of a dead giveaway.

I make my way towards her with Ian in tow and slide into the seat in front of her. Ian sits next to me; in front of Victoria. After we order our drinks we all seem to slip into a slightly awkward silence. I glance at the table before I move my eyes to Lydia, silently prompting her to say something, anything.

"So, Ian, tell me about yourself. How old are you? Do you live around here? Have you come out to your parents?" she asks. I don't bother to get mad at her for asking about his parents, mostly because Ian doesn't seem bothered by the questions; partly because she didn't know and she already asked.

"Well, I'm seventeen, I live over on Birch. I came out to my dad when I knew for sure I wasn't straight three years ago." He explains and I open my mouth to change the subject because I know Lydia is going to ask about his mom, I can just see it in her eyes. Unfortunately she speaks before I can even think of a subject change.

"What about your mom?"

"Lydia," I cut in sharply but Ian just waves me off.

"My mom passed away when I was younger so I never got to tell her." He explains with a shrug. The table slips into an awkward silence once more, because how are you even supposed to respond to that? But apparently Lydia knows how to respond because she breaks the silence.

"How many relationships have you been in before you met Levy?" she probes.

"Oh, uh, one." He replies. We all seem to stop to look at him in confused surprise, even Victoria seems surprised, surprised enough to add to the conversation since being silent the past few minutes.

"One? What happened?" she asks, seeming to forget about the napkin she was previously folding into origami as she had already done with two other napkins.

"It ended." Ian replies, his eyes dropping from Victoria's slightly. I notice his body tense slightly after answering, and his fist clenched under the table. It makes me wonder if the relationship ended on a bad note, or if he wasn't over it. Oh hell, of course it ended badly. Why else would he seem so upset if it hadn't ended badly?

"How did it end?" Lydia pipes in but I glare at her.

"Alright, that's enough interrogating my boyfriend. Especially since I haven't gotten to ask Victoria a single question." I add in amusement but truthfully I want to get the attention away from Ian because it's obvious the question bothered him.

"Oh come on," Lydia whines. "I wasn't done asking him questions."

I roll my eyes at that but continue on with questioning Victoria anyway. While I ask her pointless questions, I slip my hand under the table to entwine my finger with Ian's. He relaxes a bit at that and the rest of the dinner consists of the four of us asking each other questions and sharing funny or embarrassing stories.

"And he cried all night, it was hilarious." Lydia finishes telling her story about when I first slept over at her house and then started crying because she didn't have a nightlight.

"Oh that's not that bad, I think all kids go through that phase when they need a light on." Victoria replies and I hang my head because I know what Lydia's going to say next.

"Oh I know, all children go through that phase. But he was almost thirteen." She adds and I can tell Victoria is trying to hide her laughter by finishing the last few bites of her piece of cheesecake. While Ian on the other hand just laughs, not bothering to cover it. I huff as I feel heat rise to my cheeks in embarrassment but I don't mind in all honesty, it's nice that we're all comfortable around each other. I'm also grateful that Ian's past relationship wasn't brought up again.

When the bill comes we split it to avoid us staying there for another ten minutes deciding who gets to pay. After we pay we all walk out together, still laughing at some joke Lydia made. Me and Ian walk the girls over to their car and after we all say goodbye, promising to do this again, we both get in my own car.

"That was nice." Ian comments and I nod in agreement. A silence falls over us as I drive towards the park in the middle of town that I'm sure is deserted by now since it's already eleven. I park and Ian seems to glance around in slight confusion.

"What are we doing?" he asks, not seeming all that bothered about not going home since he called his dad around nine to tell him he'd be home late.

"I want to talk." I reply with a shrug. I get out and when he doesn't follow I go over to his door to open it. He looks up at me with slight fear in his eyes, causing confusion to wash through me.

"Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry if I said something that embarrassed you, I didn't mean to." He adds, looking even more scared by the minute. I furrow my brows in confusion at that, wondering why he's so scared.

"No of course not. Ian I just want to talk, it's okay." I add, smiling reassuringly before I extend my hand for him to take. He hesitantly takes it and after I close the door I lead him through the grass to a bench in front of a fountain. Of course it's not going right now but I couldn't care less about the silent water in the fountain right now.

"What happened with your last relationship?" I finally force myself to ask, turning my gaze from the still fountain to him. He fidgets with the sleeve of his jacket for a minute and I feel bad for asking but I need to know what happened.

"It was nothing. It doesn't matter anymore, it ended, it's over." He adds, not looking at me. I know he's lying though, it's obvious it had a negative effect on him and though I know I should leave it be I have to know what happened.

"Ian," I start and he glances at me. "Please." I reach over and take his hand in mine to comfort him.

"Nothing, he just wasn't...nice." He replies in an uncharacteristic whisper. I want to push the subject but instead I merely nod, knowing he'll tell me the whole story when he's ready. With that thought in mind I stay quiet and let the comfortable silence wash over us once again so we can enjoy a little more time with each other before I take him home.

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