Chapter 28.3: Bidding farewell was never easy
Back then, he never understood Nancy's act, not till Nick came some time later to explain to him that Nancy felt neglected when she was with Jason. Jason was always busy with his growing business and Nancy couldn't do much to help him at that point of time. In addition to her depression which required the attention of others most of the time, Jason was indeed not a suitable partner. Now, he finally understood he was after all the unreasonable person who kept his distance due to an unreasonable reason that he got cheated on but in actual fact it was all his own fault.
Considering the suite has sound proofing, Andrew and Sandra couldn't hear much about what the couple had argued but instead they called Ivy to ask for an update only to be ignored.
"Don't worry… I am sure they will be able to sort it out…" Andrew comforted Sandra who looked troubled.
"Come, you should wash up first. It's late… I will try to text Ivy and see if she replies…" Andrew walked her to the washroom which was in the room. Sandra has no choice but to oblige but was reminded of their sleeping arrangement and felt bad for Andrew.
"Dear… I don't mind if you want to sleep on the bed but…" Sandra said shyly to Andrew as he kissed her to stop her from speaking anymore. When the couple finally broke away, he looked into her eyes.
"I won't make a move on you till you're ready, my dear. I will wait for you..." Andrew gently said as he brushed his nose with hers, watching Sandra's lips curved up with a smile.
"Thank you…" Sandra whispered as he gave her a peck on her forehead before sending her in to the washroom.
Upon reaching the lobby, Ivy who was so angry at Jason suddenly found she didn't have a place to go. She didn't understand what he was upset about as she decided to head to the hotel's garden instead.
Despite Nick not having to host the event tonight, Nancy was still a little uncomfortable leaving Jason and Ivy alone in a hotel. She decided to lie to Nick about meeting up with her friends as an excuse and head to the event while staying behind the scenes to stalk them.
During the event, she knew their arrangement at work where they had minimal chances of interacting and that wasn't her main concern. She was more anxious when she saw the couple leave the ballroom separately and was now finding Ivy alone at the hotel's garden as she approached closer. She couldn't help but to wonder if they had an argument. She stood not too far away from Ivy who was restlessly pacing by the bench while venting her anger.
After a moment of recalling the past, Jason calmed down from drinking a few glasses of water. With anger and jealousy put aside, he decided to head down the ground floor to look for Ivy as it was past midnight and the lightning was dancing in the sky again reflecting from the window panels.
He walked around the lobby but there weren't any signs of Ivy. He started to panic a little as he went to the east side of the hotel where the garden was. He finally saw a familiar figure in the garden but not the one he was looking for. His worries began to flood his mind again as he tried to avoid bumping into Nancy who was lurking behind a bush.
He knew Ivy was at the garden since Nancy was stalking her nearby as he texted Nick to inform him. Nick instantly replied saying he will be on his way to pick her.
Jason took the sidewalk discreetly and hid in one of the bushes as he watched Ivy finally give up pacing and lay down on the bench instead.
"Is she crazy? She is really not afraid of anything!" Jason scolded Ivy in his heart.
Ivy looked up at the cloudy sky which occasionally was lit with lightning. She lifted her right arms trying to catch the lights each time it flashed. Exhaustion slowly crept up on her as she let out a few yawns before slowly drifting asleep under the blanket of gloomy sky.
As Jason watched her staying still, he couldn't help but be reminded of the late nights Ivy had stayed and felt a little guilty for picking a fight with her earlier. He could see Nancy was still looking out at Ivy as though hoping to see him appearing soon but he didn't know what to do.
He didn't want to forgive her so easily as after all, she was also partially wrong for keeping him anxious he thought while he continued to squat by the bush. When the thunder rumbled, Ivy opened her eyes and scolded the sky in her mind for being not cooperative.
At the sound of the second rumble, it made her instantly sit up on the bench instantly but was greeted by a piercing pain from her stomach, pulling her into a hunch. She endured the agonising pangs of gastric pain as she tried to stand.
Jason watched from afar knowing something was wrong with her as he stopped hesitating and walked out of the bush just in time to hold on to her who was fumbling to stand from the bench.
The sight of Jason made Nancy reveal herself from afar. Just when Jason noticed Nancy's existence, he also saw Nick was at the entrance to the garden watching all of them. A part of him sighed in relief while a part of him was struggling to make peace with Ivy who was resisting him.
"Let go of me… I don't need your help…" Ivy winced in pain as she hunched while standing in front of him.
"Is it gastric?" He asked concerned as Ivy stood straight enduring the pain.
"None of your business…" Ivy said as she wanted to storm off but Jason caught her by her arm and turned her around so that she couldn't see Nick and Nancy who were watching them from afar.
"Ivy… It's going to rain. Let's head back in first…'' Jason said as he looked into her eyes. When he felt she had calmed down a little, he decided to tell her about Nick and Nancy.
"If you don't cooperate, things might be worse. Nancy has been stalking you. Nick is behind her to pick her. I think you know what to do…" Jason said in a lowered down voice as he looked at her in all seriousness.
Ivy knew better not to retaliate in such a situation as she nodded but winced at her gastric pangs. While she endured the pain, she was caught by surprise when Jason lifted her into his arms and carried her to the sidewalk leading back to another hotel's entrance.
Nick then walked over to Nancy which startled her.
"What are you doing here?" Nancy asked gently while looking down on the floor feeling sad.
"To pick you up, silly…" Nick said as he pulled her in for a hug before the first drizzle sprinkled down on them.
"Let's go?" Nick asked gently as Nancy sobbed in his arms.
Nick wondered what was on Nancy's mind this time. Every time he picked her up from stalking the couple, she was angry but this time it was different. He knew if Nancy wanted to talk about it, she would when she was ready as he stood patting her head, trying to comfort her while she sobbed in his embrace under the heavy downpour.
The heavier the rain was, the sadder Nancy was. The sight earlier made her realise how important Ivy was to Jason. As she recalled during her time with Jason, never once did Jason was willing to initiate a reconciliation with her. All he did was abide with her request. It made her wonder if he ever loved her.
As the lift reached the suite floor, he laid Ivy down on the couch.
"Lie here awhile. I will grab a bite for you…" Jason said as he rushed to the kitchen to find some instant noodles and quickly sprung into action to cook them with the hot water from a boiler. He also made one for himself as his stomach was growling at the fragrance smell of Ivy's brewing instant noodles.
He poured a glass of milk and heated it up in the microwave before serving it to Ivy. Ivy was sitting on the couch wondering if Andrew and Sandra were asleep and did Nick manage to send Nancy home yet.
As Jason approached her, he still didn't know how to reconcile with her as he quietly handed her the glass of milk and stood watching her drinking it.
When she noticed he was standing quietly not wanting to explain himself, she thought about apologising for her harsh comments earlier. After all, who was she to judge as a fake girlfriend. When Ivy was ready to open her mouth, Jason walked over to the kitchen counter and retrieved their instant noodles.
"Supper... Hope it's enjoyable." He gave a forced smile when he returned as he placed hers on the table in front of her. Ivy didn't have the appetite to eat, feeling awkward after the argument they had earlier.
"Jason, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I shouldn't have. And if i could take back what I said I want to. I'm sorry I went overboard..." Ivy apologised as she shifted to face him.
"You don't have to apologise. In fact I'm sorry for being unreasonable and letting you fall sick again when you helped me so much..." Jason said quietly without looking at her before slurping his noodles.
Ivy knew Jason was letting her taste her own medicine for her own bad habits for not looking at someone when talking to them.
"Anyway, I'm sorry and I promise not to use what you shared against you in the future and will change my bad habits..." Ivy gently said with a hint of persuasion as she sat closer to him after leaving her glass of milk on the table.
Jason looked at her and slowly lifted the corners of his lips knowing Ivy had seen through him.
"Eat up. You cannot afford to keep falling sick… Your exam is a week away and I am not around tomorrow to look after you…" Jason nagged as Ivy nodded and enjoyed their supper together. Due to being too hungry, she finished hers in a dash.
She volunteered to clear away their supper while Jason chilled on the couch. As he watched Ivy cleaned up from afar in the kitchen, he slowly drifted to sleep.
Ivy quickly took a blanket and a pillow from her room to cover him in it after laying him down on a pillow on the couch. She sat on the floor next to him watching him peacefully asleep as she too slowly drifted to her paracosm.
Ivy found herself lying on Phoenix's lap in their mystical form as she tried to shift herself into a sitting position. "Ivy…" Phoenix echoed.
"Phoenix…" Ivy said, but to her surprise she was echoing as she stared at the mesmerising sight of Phoenix's mystical form. It wasn't long that she realised they both were perching from a cliff looking afar at a glowing golden sunset view. It was breathtaking as she remained dazzled.
"That's the magic of the ember dance Ivy… It doesn't only recover your magic powers but it joins and strengthens our power into one force." Phoenix explained as Ivy nodded and continued to enjoy the sight in front her.
"This… Do I get to see it everytime we dance?" Ivy echoed but couldn't take her eyes off the scenery.
"It will always be here from now on Ivy…" Phoenix echoed as Ivy beamed with joy. Phoenix lifted his right wing to embrace Ivy who couldn't contain how touched she was as happy tears flowed down her cheeks.
"When the time comes, I promise to bring you back to our kingdom and show you our past lives…" Phoenix echoed as Ivy nodded and leaned closer into Phoenix's embrace.
Phoenix knew it was a tough task as it meant he had to ensure Ivy was not assassinated and convinced their father to send them to the tower of reflection as their punishment. Besides, entering the tower of reflection has its flaws, if they weren't careful.
He prevented himself from thinking about it any further and decided to deal with it when the time comes for them to cross the bridge as he learned to appreciate every moment they had at present.