“Ivy!” He laughed, scrambling back up as I grabbed my bag and sprinted from the room. He gave chase, but he wasn’t quick enough, and I had a good head start. I didn’t even look back as I bolted into the bathroom, just locking myself in when I heard him collide with the other side of the door. “Ivy, you can’t run away from me after saying that!”
“Yep, definitely can. I have the training to do it. I need to get changed for bed,” I called back through the door as I tried to waft my suddenly on-fire cheeks – bold red with embarrassment. I grabbed the clothes from my bag.
“In there you can’t see the smile on my face you’ve just caused.”
“I’ll see it when I get out,” I didn’t want to see him laughing at me. That would just be painful. I looked into the bathroom mirror where my cheeks had blushed scarlet red. I started to change, swapping my clothes for my white shorts and baby blue pyjama top.
“Ivy, how do I get you out of the bathroom?”
“I might just stay in here for the night now.” It sounded like a good plan as I pulled on the pyjama top.
“And sleep in my bathtub?”
“I could use the towels as a blanket.”
“Would it get you out of there if I told you that you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen?” His voice was very close to the door.
I paused, my hands hesitating over the bag.
“I beg your pardon?” I tried to hide the fact my voice cracked. “I think you’re looking at someone else.”
“You can’t be serious. Come on, Ivy. Platinum blonde hair, smoky grey eyes, legs that go on forever, funny, smart, and a laugh that’s… well, I don’t know how to describe it.”
“That’s what I look like to you?” My breath had hitched as I looked up into the bathroom mirror and tried to see his description. Yet I couldn’t. All that was there was the plain face I’d grown up with and the ‘old lady hair’. I took the brush from my bag and started to comb out the curls.
“Everyday.” His voice spoke softly through the door.
Speechless.
I opened the door then leaped back – Tye had been sat with his back against the bathroom door, so he fell through the gap and onto the tiled floor.
“Tye!” I had to really jump out of the way not to be hit. He clearly hadn’t been expecting me to open the door. He looked up from the bathroom tiles and smiled slowly.
“What?” He asked innocently, then his eyes settled on my pyjamas and he covered his eyes. “God, Ivy, are you trying to torture me?”
“Torture you?” I picked up my bag and climbed over him into the corridor. “With what?”
“With what you’re wearing.” He must have clambered back up off the floor because he followed me into the bedroom.
“What’s wrong with it?” I dropped the bag and stood looking in the mirror at my shorts and top. “It’s what I wear to sleep.” My eyes kept flicking back to my face in the reflection, still trying to see the girl Tye had just described.
“Nothing wrong with it at all,” Tye appeared behind me in the mirror, his voice low pitched as he appraised my outfit in the glass. The pitch sent my thoughts to other places. I dragged them back out of the gutter.
“Then what’s the problem?” I asked, straightening the creases in my top.
“The problem is that I can’t seem to be with you, the way I want to be. Ridiculously short shorts, do not exactly help the temptation.” This time he did not couple the flirtation with a wink. His eyes were serious. He meant what he said.
My mouth went completely dry.
We’d reached that barrier again. Except this time, it was Tye who was taking the risk. I turned round to look at him without the mirror in the way.
“Tye, I-”
“Oh shit,” he ran a hand at the back of his neck and looked away. “You really were just joking earlier in the pub, weren’t you?”
“No, Tye-”
“Shit,” he said again, completely turning his body away and refusing to listen to me as he ran his hands through his hair. “God, I’ve ruined it.”
“Tye-”
He still wasn’t listening to me. He just continued to rant to himself. About what, I don’t know as I wasn’t listening to him either. There was only one way I could think of to cut him off and make my point. His words had sent me into a spiral of happiness.
I ran round to get in front of him and grabbed the neck of his white t-shirt, pulling him swiftly towards me and shutting him up with a kiss.
He stood frozen. Just for a second with surprise before he responded. Oh boy, did he respond. Both of his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me as close as possible to him and his lips parted to deepen the kiss.
I had only had one boyfriend back in sixth form, but Tye was leaps and bounds a better kisser. This was something completely different. This was electric.
A few minutes later, I pulled away slightly to look up at him. We were both breathing heavily, his arms were still around my waist and my hands were resting on his chest.
“Finally,” he whispered.
“Finally?” I smiled, moving my hands to tangle together round the back of his neck.
“I’ve been imagining what it would be like to kiss you since I first drove you home from Mandy’s,” his cocoa eyes were twinkling with his smile.
“You have?” My stomach did flips. Here I thought I was the only one going mental in that car with desire.
