Chapter 5
1181 Words
Chapter 5: Why Is He Carrying Six Suitcases?
The sound of something heavy hitting the ground made Ivy lower her sunglasses slowly.
"...No."
Another suitcase landed beside the first one.
"...No."
Then came the third.
Fourth.
Fifth.
And finally, the sixth.
"...ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Three weeks had passed since the world's greatest betrayal—otherwise known as her mother's engagement announcement. Three weeks of successfully avoiding family dinners, pretending to be busy on weekends, and refusing to acknowledge that Asher Silas would eventually move into her childhood home.
Denial was a beautiful thing.
Until reality showed up carrying six suitcases and two duffel bags.
"Morning, sweetheart!" Grace called cheerfully from the front porch while waving excitedly. "Perfect timing! You're just in time to help us unpack."
No.
There had never been less perfect timing in the history of mankind.
For exactly twelve seconds, Ivy contemplated pretending she'd arrived at the wrong address.
Unfortunately, she was currently standing in front of her childhood home while holding her mother's favorite blueberry cheesecake.
There was no recovering from this.
She slowly turned toward Chloe, who had insisted on accompanying her for "moral support."
"This is your fault," Ivy informed her calmly.
"My fault?" Chloe laughed in disbelief. "I didn't date Hercules."
"YOU ENCOURAGED ME TO COME HERE!"
"Because I thought this would be funny."
"..."
"..."
"To be fair," Chloe added thoughtfully, "I was right."
The front door opened once again before Theodore walked outside carrying two moving boxes as though they weighed absolutely nothing.
Actually, no. That wasn't Theodore.
That was Asher.
Of course it was.
He was wearing a simple black T-shirt that hugged his annoyingly broad shoulders and a pair of gray sweatpants that should've been classified as dangerous.
Ivy hated gray sweatpants.
Specifically on men who looked like they could accidentally bench press small cars.
He effortlessly balanced two moving boxes in one hand before reaching back inside for another.
"Does he know movers exist?" Chloe whispered beside her.
"He thinks carrying furniture is cardio."
"...Should I call someone?"
"Jesus would suffice."
As though sensing her presence, Asher glanced toward the driveway before pausing momentarily.
He smiled politely.
"Morning, Ivy."
"No, thank you."
"..."
"..."
"...I'm saying good morning."
"And I'm respectfully declining."
Chloe immediately walked away because apparently she enjoyed watching friendships die in real time.
Grace quickly embraced her daughter before noticing where she was staring.
"Oh! Doesn't Asher look wonderful today?"
"Mother, respectfully, I don't believe we're looking at the same person."
"He's so helpful. He's been moving things since six this morning."
"It's barely nine."
"I know! Isn't he incredible?"
No.
No, he was concerning.
Those were two completely different things.
While Grace happily dragged Theodore inside to show him something involving curtains and wedding magazines, Ivy found herself standing awkwardly beside the moving truck with absolutely nowhere to escape.
Operation Avoid Hercules had officially failed.
Again.
"So," Asher spoke quietly while placing another box onto the porch, "your mother mentioned you've been busy recently."
"Mm-hmm."
"Too busy for family dinners?"
"..."
"Too busy for Sunday brunch?"
"..."
"Too busy for movie night?"
"..."
"...I've suddenly become a very ambitious woman."
He laughed quietly at that before opening the back of the moving truck once more.
The sight waiting inside nearly caused her soul to leave her body.
There were dumbbells.
Actual dumbbells.
Alongside several boxes labeled PROTEIN POWDER and HOME GYM EQUIPMENT.
"...No."
He glanced toward her curiously. "No?"
"Please tell me those belong to someone else."
"They're mine."
"WHY?"
"Because I use them."
"No, no. That's not what I meant. Why are there so many?"
He seemed genuinely confused by the question. "There aren't."
"..."
"..."
"...You're terrifying."
Chloe suddenly reappeared beside her carrying a bottled water she'd shamelessly stolen from Grace's refrigerator.
"Question."
"No."
"I haven't asked it yet."
"The answer is still no."
"Can he legally carry refrigerators?"
There was a brief pause before Asher answered honestly, "Only medium-sized ones."
"..."
"..."
"...WHAT DO YOU MEAN ONLY?"
Before anyone could continue the conversation, Grace suddenly appeared at the doorway looking far too excited for Ivy's liking.
"Sweetheart! Since you're here, could you please help Asher move his things into his room?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"It'll only take twenty minutes."
"No."
"Thirty?"
"Still no."
Grace's smile never faltered. "Wonderful! Thank you so much, darling."
"When exactly did I agree to this arrangement?"
"At birth, probably."
Ivy opened her mouth to argue before realizing her mother had already disappeared back inside the house.
The traitor.
She slowly turned toward Asher, who appeared significantly more amused than he had any right to be.
"For legal purposes," she informed him seriously, "I'd like it noted that I'm being held here against my will."
"Noted."
"This entire situation feels unconstitutional."
"I'll inform the authorities."
She followed him reluctantly toward the moving truck before stopping abruptly when she noticed him effortlessly lifting three suitcases at once.
"...Show off."
"They're mostly clothes."
"YOU OWN THAT MANY CLOTHES?"
"No. Gym clothes."
"...Of course."
For reasons she couldn't explain, watching him unpack pieces of his life felt strangely intimate.
There were books she'd gifted him years ago carefully packed away in one box. A framed photograph of him and Theodore laughing at some family gathering. His favorite coffee mug that she'd accidentally broken once before replacing with an identical one.
And then she saw it.
Her cardigan.
The pale blue cardigan she'd forgotten at her mother's house three weeks ago.
He'd packed it carefully between his clothes.
"You still have that?" she asked quietly before she could stop herself.
He followed her gaze before nodding simply. "You forgot it."
"You could've thrown it away."
"No."
Such a simple answer.
No explanations.
No unnecessary words.
Just no.
The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, merely unfamiliar after two years apart.
"Thank you for keeping it safe," she murmured quietly.
"Always."
The word slipped from his lips so naturally that neither of them seemed prepared for it.
He noticed it first, immediately looking away as though surprised he'd spoken aloud.
For once, Ivy didn't know what to say.
Fortunately for her rapidly malfunctioning brain, Chloe's scream interrupted the moment entirely.
"WHY DOES THIS MAN OWN A PROTEIN WAFFLE MAKER?"
Silence filled the room.
"A what?" Ivy asked slowly.
"A PROTEIN WAFFLE MAKER!"
"THAT EXISTS?"
"APPARENTLY!"
Asher looked mildly offended. "They're quite popular."
"No," both women answered immediately.
The rest of the afternoon passed amidst laughter, moving boxes, and Grace secretly taking approximately forty-seven pictures of everyone together.
By sunset, Asher's belongings occupied nearly every corner of his new room.
This wasn't temporary anymore.
He was really here.
And somehow, that realization felt infinitely more terrifying than she'd expected.
Just before leaving, Grace casually mentioned something that immediately ruined the remaining peace Ivy possessed.
"Oh! Since Theodore and I will be busy meeting with the wedding planner next weekend, you'll be keeping Asher company."
"...Excuse me?"
"Won't that be fun?"
"No."
"Wonderful! It's settled then."
And just like that, Ivy Collins discovered that moving day wasn't the real disaster after all.
It was merely the beginning.
- Writer
