It was early in the morning when I found my way to Ivan's house. Hoping to surprise him, I was rather disappointed to learn he wasn't around. Instead, I found his two friends, Karl and Grayson, who were the same people I'd seen seated with Ivan the first time I met him.
"I guess I'll come back later." I said to them, but they refused, ushering me in.
"No, he'll be back any minute. You can sit with us and wait." Karl offered. Not wanting to seem too eager to leave, I settled on the couch adjacent to theirs.
"Drink?" Karl offered, and I shook my head.
"Come on, Lainey. Have a drink with us," Grayson pressed, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "We won't bite unless Ivan tells us to."
Karl chuckled, his deep voice rumbling. "Grayson, shut up. Lainey, ignore him. He's just trying to get a r
