First Sight (The Ivory Series Book 1) Page 7
7
My pale blue car pulled in front of the Pearson’s house on Friday night, Bec was already in her pyjamas and standing at the front door when she heard me outside “Mum and Dad have gone out for dinner and Justin has a date, so we have the house to ourselves.”
“Justin has a date?” I exclaimed, standing on the threshold.
“Yes, his first post Nicola crush. He is now officially stalking someone else.” Bec declared.
The news took me by surprise, but I was happy that Justin was moving on. “That’s great. So who is she?”
“No idea, she doesn’t go to the same school. I think she’s a friend of a friend’s girlfriend or something. He’s double dating tonight.”
“He’s the wingman?”
Bec looked sympathetically at me “Yep.”
“Poor Justin.”
“I know. I just ordered pizza, what ice cream did you bring?” Bec asked, looking to the bag in my hand.
I pulled a carton out of the plastic bag “Cookies and Cream of course.”
“What Brad Pitt movie do you want first; Meet Joe Black or Interview with the Vampire?”
“Hmm. Did you get Thelma and Louise?”
Bec rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh “Yes, but I’m skipping straight to the part with Brad Pitt with no shirt on.”
“Ok, then Interview with the Vampire.”
We sat in silence, eating and watching. Interview with the Vampire was one of my favourite movies. I knew almost all the lines by heart and held a sympathetic soft spot for Louis. The emotionally abusive relationship he had with Lestat, and the way he kept Louis, bound to him with Claudia. Louis, looked different this time, almost familiar to me. Toward the end of the film, in the scene when Claudia is put to death, that it hit me. Pale skin, beauty, the strength to lift Matt in the air by his throat. Not wanting to have dinner or lunch with me, living by somebody else’s rules. It all seemed to add up; the pieces all seemed to fit. But it was absurd, surely I was being ridiculous! My hands started to shake and my chest tightened, I lurched forward and gasped for breath. Rocking backwards and forwards hyperventilating. Bec shook me “Are you ok?” her voice was panicked.
She caught my attention and I nodded.
“You’re really pale; you look like you’re going to be sick.”
“I just need some air” I stood and ran from the room, opening the front door and stepping out onto the veranda, shaking. The night air was warm and humid, but I could feel a chill to my bones. Could it possibly be true? The stories that were meant to scare you. Living only in our nightmares, all the things we were taught to believe as works of fiction, walking amongst us, blending in. Or was my sanity slowly slipping away from me?
Justin pulled into the driveway and saw me outside in my pyjamas, he came to my side and looked at me concerned “Are you ok Nicola? “
“I’m fine. I just need some air.” My voice was too panicked to fool anyone.
“Can I get you anything?”
I shook my head and turned away.
“Are you sure you’re ok Nic? “ I could feel his presence close behind me.
I took a deep breath and turned around. “How was your date?” I asked trying to deflect the conversation.
“Um… yeah. I’d rather not talk about it” he answered as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration, looking everywhere but at me.
“That good huh?”
Justin laughed “I’m going inside. Are you sure you’re ok.”
I nodded and walked through the door as Justin opened it for me.
“You’re home early?” Bec pointed out when she saw her brother in the doorway.
Justin shrugged his shoulders.
“How was your date?”
“Just ok, I guess.”
Bec glanced at me and laughed “What do you mean. Just ok, I guess?”
“I don’t want to talk about it with you.”
“Oh, come on Justin, don’t be all shy just because Nicola’s here” Bec pleaded.
He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.
“Where did you go?”
“To the movies.”
“What did you see?”
He shrugged his shoulders “I don’t know, some soppy girl movie.”
“Did you walk her to her door and kiss her goodnight” Bec teased as she made kissing sounds.
Justin blushed “I’m going to bed” and he retreated from the room.
Bec stood up and indicated me to follow her “I’m tired” she yawned. Her room was set up with a spare bed on the floor for me and we settled in. “So what do you think the story is with Vaughan?”
I sat bolt upright in bed “What do you mean?” my heart hammered in my chest, had Bec come to the same conclusion I had?
“You’re jumpy! I mean with him not showing up at the café, and then waiting for you in the car park?”
I lay back down “I don’t know.”
“So what did he say?”
“That he’s not right for me and doesn’t want to hurt me” my chest tightened when I said the words out loud.
“It sounds like there’s more to it.”
“Like what?”
Bec shook her head “I don’t know. Maybe he’s worried he’ll lose his job.”
“I’ll never set foot in Ivory again if that means we’re not breaking any rules.”
“Rules were made to be broken Nic, you of all people know that.”
I laughed and shook my head at her.
“Hmm. Do you think Cassie will tell Ivan how she feels?”
“She should, he loves her too” I said propping myself up on one elbow.
“What makes you say that?”
“Vaughan told me” I quickly put my hand over my mouth. My eyes strayed to Bec, who was now propped on her elbow in her bed, staring at me open mouthed. “Vaughan told you that Ivan is in love with Cassie?” she said the words slowly and deliberately, her eyes wide.
My hand was still over my mouth as I nodded, it slipped away “You can’t say anything Bec, promise.”
“When did Vaughan tell you this?”
“Last Monday when we had coffee.”
“What else did he say?”
“Nothing, just that they all met in London when Cassie was there.”
“Vaughan was there too?”
I nodded and fell back onto the pillow, staring at the ceiling.
Bec settled back into her bed, absorbing all the details. I knew she was going to over analyse what I had told her.
In the early hours of the morning, I was woken by the front door opening. Quietly, I slipped out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where Cassie was standing at the sink with a glass of water in her hand. “Hey Nic” she whispered.
“How was work?”
“Busy. Thing seem to be picking up. Ivan’s happy” she looked at me closely for a moment “Vaughan asked about you tonight.”
I met her gaze, trying to remain calm. My earlier theory came flooding back to me and I could hear my heart beating through my chest “What did he say?”
She shrugged “He just wanted to know if I’d seen you and how you were doing.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That you’re fine and having a movie night with my sister… Bec told me about Monday.”
I looked away, focusing on something insignificant “What’s his problem Cass?” When I looked back at her she was shaking her head “I don’t know.”
Trying to be as quiet as possible I pulled a chair out from the dining room table and sat down, my chin resting on my hand. Cassie sat beside me “Vaughan’s… complicated.” She started.
Did Cassie know something that I didn‘t? “I can see that. I can’t get him out of my head Cass, he churns up all these emotions in me I haven’t felt before” I let out a long frustrated sigh “Is this what love feels like?”
She laughed “I’m the wrong person to ask.”
“Do you kno
w why Ivan called the bar Ivory?”
Cassie eyebrows pulled together and she shook her head, confused.
“You should ask him. I’m sure it’s a good story” I stood up and left the room “Good night Cass.”
“Night Nic” she called after me.