The Heart System

Chapter 720: Chapter 720

I pulled up outside Ivy’s apartment building, eased the car into a parking spot, and set the handbrake. After stepping out, I leaned against the car and gave her a call.

One ring. Two. Three. No answer.

Figuring she was probably getting ready, I lit a cigarette and took a long drag.

By the time I’d finished smoking, there was still no sign of her. I dropped the cigarette onto the pavement, crushed it beneath my boot, and looked up at her apartment before calling again.

Still nothing.

"Hmm..."

I pushed myself away from the car and headed inside the building.

Instead of taking the elevator, I started climbing the stairs. I was still feeling sleepy, and I figured the walk might wake me up a little.

When I reached her floor, I stopped in front of her apartment and knocked.

Footsteps approached from the other side.

Since Delilah would still be at work, it had to be Ivy.

"Coming!"

The door swung open.

Ivy stood there wearing an oversized T-shirt and a pair of long shorts. Her hair was a complete mess, and she still looked half asleep.

"My God, I forgot." She groaned, rubbing her forehead. "I went right back to sleep after I got home with mom..."

"At this hour?" I laughed as I stepped inside. "You were really that tired?"

"Yeah." She shut the door behind me. "Grace came over last night. Mom was out with her friends, and I knew I’d be bored, so I invited her over."

"Oh? You two have fun?"

"We drank." She sighed. "Again."

"You should slow down with the drinking, Ivy."

She rolled her eyes as she followed me into the living room. "Says the alcoholic."

"Hey, I barely drink beer anymore, and I definitely don’t go through a whole pack of cigarettes every day."

"Well..." Her voice softened. "At least you got your life together. I can’t say the same."

"You don’t need to fix your life," I replied. "You just need to get back on your feet. You stumbled. That’s all."

"Tomato, tomahto." She shrugged. "My life’s a mess."

"Messed up, maybe. Not ruined. I’ve seen what ruined looks like. Trust me, you’re nowhere near that."

The two of us sat down on the couch.

She leaned back and rubbed her temples. Sitting this close, I could smell the alcohol lingering on her. She really needed to take it easy. I’d been down that road before. I used to drink beer for breakfast and piss it out the same day. It was a miserable way to live.

"Do you still want to go out?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Let’s just order something. I’m starving."

"Sure. Pizza?"

"How about burgers?"

I pulled out my phone.

"Burgers it is."

"The biggest one they’ve got," she said with a grin. "And don’t be stingy with the fries."

"I wouldn’t dare."

I opened the delivery app and scrolled through a few nearby restaurants before settling on a burger place with decent reviews. I ordered two double cheeseburgers, a large basket of fries to share, onion rings, and a pair of sodas. It only took a minute before the order was confirmed.

"There." I slipped my phone back into my pocket. "It should be here in about thirty minutes."

I looked over at Ivy.

"So... this is a little weird, isn’t it?"

She gave a slow nod. "Yeah. A few days ago, you were my closest friend. Now... look at us."

I nodded in agreement.

"I wanted to meet because of... this." She looked down at her hands. "Everything that’s happened between us."

The atmosphere suddenly felt much heavier.

Something told me this conversation wasn’t going to be easy.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Well... us, basically." She turned her body toward me. "We used to be friends, and now we’re... kind of complicated."

"Yeah." I smiled and nodded. "We are."

"So, you’re with Nala, and you’re in an open relationship with her, right?"

"Yeah."

"And she wouldn’t get angry if we..." She looked away, struggling to finish the sentence.

"No." I smiled reassuringly. "She wouldn’t."

"Okay." She took a slow breath. "Then there’s one question left. What are we? Friends? Friends with benefits? Whatever this is, I feel like we should put a name to it."

I scratched the back of my head. "I... honestly don’t know."

She gave a quiet hum.

"Can I ask you something?" I said.

"Sure."

"Are you happy with the way things are?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you happy right now? With us."

She looked up at the ceiling and stayed quiet for several seconds. I could tell she was giving the question a lot more thought than I expected. Eventually, she sighed and looked back at me.

"I think so."

"Then isn’t that enough?"

"Evan, I’m going to be honest." Her expression softened. "I’m not okay with being the other girl. A side-bitch."

"What? No." I shook my head. "You’re not that."

"You and Nala are together." She shrugged. "I’m the one on the side."

"I don’t see you that way."

"Then what am I?"

I didn’t have an easy answer.

Before all of this, she had been one of my closest friends. Someone I trusted. Someone who had always been there for me when my life was falling apart. Sleeping together had changed things, but it hadn’t erased everything that came before it. If anything, it had only made our relationship harder to define.

I moved a little closer and gently took both of her hands.

"You’re still my friend," I said. "You’re the person who made college bearable. You’re the one who drove me home whenever I got completely wasted. You stayed by my side when my life was a complete mess. I care about you because you’re Ivy, not because we slept together."

She stayed quiet, listening.

"If that night had never happened, I’d still want you around. I’d still want to spend time with you. I’d still want you in my life. Sleeping together didn’t suddenly change how important you are to me."

I smiled.

"I like talking to you. I like seeing you. I like being around you. Do you still feel the same way about me?"

She hesitated before giving me a small nod.

"Then that’s enough for me. We don’t have to force a label onto this today. Maybe we’ll figure it out later, maybe we won’t, but I don’t want to lose you just because we can’t find the right word for what we are."

She lowered her head and stared at our hands for a long time without saying anything. I didn’t interrupt her. Whatever was going through her mind, she needed to work through it herself.

Eventually, she slipped her hands out of mine and stood up. Turning her back toward me, she rested both hands on her waist and let out a quiet breath.

"I’ll... think about it, Evan."

I nodded.

"That’s all I can ask. Thank you."

She remained facing away from me for another second before speaking again.

"I’m going to take a shower. Make yourself at home."

"Sure."

She walked down the hallway and disappeared into the bathroom. A moment later, I heard the door close.

At almost the same time, my phone buzzed inside my pocket. I pulled it out and checked the notification. ’Your order is on the way.’

I locked the screen and slipped it back into my pocket before leaning against the couch and rubbing my face.

There was no relationship decrease from the system.

Maybe she was okay with everything I’d said. Or maybe she simply needed time to sort out her feelings. Either way, I wasn’t going to pressure her.

I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath.

Man, what the hell was I supposed to do with those two?

Ivy.

Delilah.

"One problem after another." I exhaled. "Man... I’m tired."

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