I LOVE YOU

"I know you are avoiding me," Ivy speaks up after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.

"And why would I do that?" Wilder gives a mischievous smile just to cover up the fast heartbeat which is a result of being in close proximity to her. 

"I don't know, you probably heard my conversation with Meghan."

Wilder contemplates if he should lie but things will be weird if he doesn't. "Didn't hear a thing." He lies.

"Oh," Ivy bits down on her lip, convinced that he heard something. "Then why are you acting weird?"

"That's because you are acting weird." Wilder counters.

Ivy stops for a second, considering the fact that he may be didn't hear her. "O-oh okay," Ivy says awkwardly as they both say quiet anything afterwords, just standing looking at their surrounding.

How awkward.

"So...." Wilder attempts to break the ice, Ivy's eyes move back to his face upon hearing his voice. "You and Cole seem to be doing great." Wilder still maintains that smile, even he doesn't know how he does it.

"Y-yeah, I think we are..." Ivy stops, feeling the need to rephrase. "I mean we are, we are doing great," Ivy affirms.

"Well, that's great." Wilder drops the smile because his cheeks hurt and within seconds, Ivy will probably figure out that he is faking it. "So, I can't kiss you now?" Wilder teases moving close, with a smirk on his face.

Ivy guys taking a step back. "T-that will be cheating." Ivy replies.

"Too bad." Wilder removes the strands of hair covering her face, as they are inching close. Both their hearts racing, Wilder knows he should stop because he is actually teasing himself. She is so close and yet he can't have her.

Torture.

Her brain is telling her to look away from his perfect face but again she's hypnotized.

Damn him.

Wilder drops his hands, which took every retrain he had in him as he covers his minor heartbreak with a laugh.

"You should have seen your face." Wilder laughs.

"You ass." Ivy hits his hard arm, both laughing hard at nothing in particular. "Well, I am glad you are back," Ivy says truthfully.

"You seemed worried that I was avoiding you."

"Yeah, because we are friends." Ivy replies, nudging him but it didn't move the muscular man before her.

Friends? Another minor heartbreak for Wilder, but he is getting used to it when it comes to Ivy.

"I doubt we are friends," Wilder says lowly as he looks ahead, towards the shore.

Ivy caught what he said, "Then what are we?" She asks.

"I don't know." He turns to her again, more composed to actually face her. "Anything but." He replies truthfully.

And there goes the silence again. Ivy feels this huge tension between them, it gets her heart beating, she doesn't feel comfortable yet she doesn't want to leave.

"Are you sure we are okay?" Ivy asks again.

"I did hear what you and Meghan were saying," Wilder says the truth without thinking about it.

He has nothing to lose.

"Oh," Ivy says loss of words. "I-I we..." She pauses, noticing she can't make out any sentences, she needs to regroup and pick her words carefully.

"Okay, I am so sorry." Ivy starts off. "I threw some words that I didn't mean, like unstable and some other stuff  but it was to throw Megan off our case. You won't believe that she actually thinks you are in love with me or something like that."Ivy finishes with a laugh, hoping Wilder will join.

But he didn't, so she stopped laughing. Wilder is trying to shut down his brain, which is telling him to stop whatever he is about to say.

"Well, I..." Wilder stops upon hearing a high pitched "babe" from Jessica. She walks in between the two, totally ignoring Ivy, as she smiles at Wilder who looks at her weirdly.

"Babe?" Wilder and Ivy say together in shock. Jessica puts her arms Wilder's neck, winking at him to play along before drawing him in for a kiss.

Ivy stands there awkwardly trying to process what's before her eyes. She doesn't have the right to, but she didn't like the scene before her, it makes her heart squeeze and she hates it.

Jessica smiles at a shocked Wilder who just stood there frozen as she stops the kiss. She withdraws, turning around pretending to just notice that Ivy is standing there.

"Hey Ivy." Jessica greets with a wide smile.

"Hey," Ivy tries but she can't return the same smile even if it's a fake one. She is yet to understand what's going on, she can believe Wilder didn't have a "Babe" 12 hours ago.

"Congrats by the way." Ivy gestures to the baby bump.

Wait a minute, is the baby for Wilder?

Ivy's mind is running out of possible answers to what's before her.

"Oh thanks," Jessica says as she cleans the lipstick at the cover of Wilder's lips.

"So what were you and my boyfriend talking about?" Jessica smirks as she saw Ivy jaw drop a little.

Ivy isn't the only one surprised, Wilder stares at his friend in mirrored awe.

"Boyfriend Wow.." Ivy couldn't hide the bitterness in her tone as she took a step back. "I- w-we we-were..." Ivy mentally cusses her self for becoming a stuttering mess.

"I should go, congrats to both of you." Ivy finally said as she walked away.

"What was that?" Wilder glares at Jessica.

"That was me saving your ass, you are welcome." Jessica smiles.

"I was..." She interrupts Wilder before he could finish.

"You were going to embarrass yourself, I heard." She finishes for him.

"But she didn't seem very happy for us," Jessica says as they walk back to their shade.

"What do you mean?" Wilder asks.

"Don't tell Casey that I am encouraging you but I think you have a chance," Jessica states honestly.

"That's all I need."


~~~~

"Babe, you forgot the drinks?" Cole asks as Ivy walks up to their shade.

"Shit, I forgot. Let me..." Cole interrupts her.

"Don't worry, I'll go get it." Cole stands up placing a light peck on her cheeks before walking towards the drink stand.

"Thanks," Ivy says, sitting next with Lucy and Lili under their shade.

"Did we just see Jessica kissing Wilder?" Lili asks.

"Hmm, yeah, I guess so." Ivy is in shock herself. "Do you think Wilder is the baby daddy?" Ivy doesn't know why she's asking them but that's the only question is all she's asking herself now.

"And why would you say that?" Lily asks.

"They are dating." Ivy turns fully to the duo.

"That bitch never fails to miss a bag in her entire life." Lucy cusses.

"What do you mean?"

"She's probably lying, I can bet Wilder isn't responsible for the baby," Lili replies.

"Poor Wilder, she's playing him."

On a normal day, Ivy won't feed into their gossip but she doesn't trust Jessica.

Or is that the jealousy talking? Nope, Ivy is not jealous. She's just worried about Wilder.

"I heard the old man gave his money out to charity, leaving Jessica with nothing. She's probably looking for a way back up, what another way than Wilder." Lucy continues.

Ivy doesn't want Wilder to get his hopes up that the kid is his, she doesn't want him to get hurt.

She has to give him a heads up.

~~~

"You look, beautiful sis." Lili comments as Ivy steps out of the bathroom, in silk open back short gown.

"T-thanks," Ivy says awkwardly, shocked that her sister actually said something nice to her.

"But ditch the shoes, it makes your feet look big," Lili says before looking away, to continue her makeup.

Ivy rolled her eyes, as she walks over to her bed to get her phone. They are getting ready for Lucy's bachelorette party, last time for Ivy to have fun before going home.

Ivy's heart skips a beat upon seeing Wilder's text, which reads.

I am outside.

"Guys, I am going to grab a drink before we head out," Ivy says as she walks towards the door.

"Get us one too," Lucy calls as Ivy walks out.

~~~
"Hey," Ivy says behind Wilder, who's staring at his precious car. Wilder tunes upon hearing her soft voice and he could swear that his heart stopped for a second.

"Y-you look, beautiful," Wilder says absolutely hypnotized as he scans her outfit.

Ivy bits her lips awkwardly, his gaze on her his biting her skin. "T-thanks." As she finishes that word, their eyes meet.

"So, I saw your texts." Wilder breaks eye contact focusing on anything rather than her beauty or her alluring eyes.

"Y-yeah."

Ivy had texted a couple of times, after the beach to check up on him and asking them to meet.

"Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy your company but why the meeting?" Wilder asks.

Seeing Ivy three times today isn't what Wilder had in mind when he said to himself that he is going to avoid her.

"I wanted to check up on you. Are you okay?" Those words don't only sound weird to Wilder, Ivy also feels weird saying it.

"So this is what we are doing now?" Wilder let out a low laugh, before turning back to the beautiful sight of his car. "How cute." He comments.

Ivy takes a few steps standing beside him staring at whatever he is staring at.

"Why do you want to know?" Wilder turns, and his move makes them inches close which makes Ivy regret taking those steps forward.

Wilder removes the strands on hair obstructing her view like he did earlier today like he knows it makes Ivy's heart race. He tucks it behind her ears.

Ivy clears her throat and takes the courage to take a step back. "You and Jessica are a thing, surprising."

"I am in shock myself," Wilder says truthfully. He doesn't exactly applaud his friends lies but Ivy's here. So something might be working.

"I know she's your friend and all, but that doesn't mean you should believe the kid is yours." Ivy spits out.

"What are y..." Wilde stops coming to a realization as to what she's saying.

"And why do you care?" Wilder taunts closing the space between them. He doesn't even know the answer he expects.

"Be-because we are fri-friend." Ivy stutters.

Wilder takes a step back, let's out a low laugh. "When will you stop saying that?" His voice comes out louder than intended.

"Why?" Ivy's voice matches his.

"I don't want to be your friend. Are you oblivious or just avoiding it?"

"What are you saying?" She asks softly, her heart hammering.

"That I love you goddamn it," Wilder yells.

~~~~~