Was Always There; Part 2

Darwin walked in, still in his uniform.

Ivory raised an eyebrow. "What took you so long?"

"Nothing," he said curtly.

"Alright." Ivory spun around, facing Mr. Dupont again.

"Almost done," he said while plating the pasta. "Annabel!"

Annabel walked in, untying her bun. Her long, strawberry-blonde hair fell to her shoulders.

"Good evening, madam, Darwin," she said, blushing slightly.

The kitchen went silent. Everyone knew she had a slight crush on Darwin, but she never tried to make it obvious or make any moves on him.

"Voilà!" Mr. Dupont exclaimed. "Dinner is served." He set two plates on the wooden dinner table while Annabel helped him.

"Thanks," Ivory said. "You always make the best food."

"Thank you," Darwin said dully.

Everyone sat in their respective seats. "I just want to inform you guys that I'll be leaving for a few months. Darwin already knows and will be staying here."

"You're going on vacation?" Mr. Dupont asked curiously. "Why now? You never do."

She smiled. "You're right. I got a call earlier from my mom that my dad wasn't feeling well. Plus I can't miss my brother's wedding."

"Why not..." Darwin muttered.

She turned to him. "Did you say something?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Miss Ivory, have you informed your manager yet?"

Ivory hit her forehead. "I completely forgot! Thank goodness we don't have anything planned yet. Do you mind telling him for me?"

Darwin nodded. "Will do."

Annabel looked between us curiously. "Are you talking about Mitch? And since when did Darwin start calling you 'Miss Ivory'?"

Ivory grinned. "Today! Awesome right? You guys should call me that too!"

"I can get used to that," Mr. Dupont said, "Miss Ivory."

Ivory finished her last bite of pasta. "Yeah. I'll be leaving in two days. Whew, I'm full. Thanks for the food."

Everyone had finished eating. Darwin stood up and picked up the plates.

"I can help with that," said Annabel.

"I've got it," Darwin answered coldly.

Ivory frowned at his rude behavior. "Come to my room when you're done," she whispered.

She stood and made her way to her room. Ivory sighed. She picked up some pajamas and went into the bathroom for a shower.

***

Ivory walked out in her towel, jumping at the sight of Darwin sitting on her bed. Her towel fell as she stood frozen. Hidden behind his sunglasses, Darwin's eyes widened at the sight of Ivory.

"Get out!" she screamed, quickly running back into the bathroom and slamming the door.

Darwin walked out and closed the door, covering his mouth with his hand. He could feel his face burning. He ignored the dirty thoughts that flooded his brain. He had taken so long to push down his feelings, but after one moment, the dam had broken. The old feelings he had been hiding resurfaced in an instant. His heart was broken at sixteen, and he won't let those feelings get in the way of his job. Now, he couldn't get rid of those dirty thoughts still flooding his head.

She's still so beautiful, he thought. Stop it, pull yourself together. Darwin took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"M-Miss Ivory, I'm truly sorry," he said, even though he really wasn't. He didn't regret anything. "May I come in?"

He heard a sigh from the other side of the door. "Yes, you may."

Darwin walked in to find Ivory standing in the corner, hugging her arms. "It's not your fault. Let's just ignore what happened."

He nodded. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Close the door."

He obeyed. "What is it?"

"It's about Annabel."

"If you're worried I like her back, then you are mistaken. I won't let romance get in the way of my job."

Ivory shook her head. "Not about that. You know how she feels about you. She wants to help you to get closer to you. Please don't treat her badly. She just wants to get closer to you."

Darwin went quiet. "But what if I've fallen for someone else?"

Ivory's eyebrows shot up. "You have a girlfriend?"

"No, it's not like that. I've just...it's complicated. I don't harbor any feelings toward Annabel whatsoever."

Ivory sighed. "Fine. Just please don't break her heart. And if you do, just be gentle, okay?"

Darwin nodded. "Understood."

"You may go."

"Alright." He headed toward the door but stopped. "Oh, can I borrow your laptop, please? My isn't working right now."

She nodded and waved her hand. "Go ahead."

Darwin picked it up from the desk near her bed and carried it toward the door. He hesitated like he wanted to say something else, but he said nothing more and quietly left the room.

Darwin walked to his own room, thinking about the conversation he just had with Ivory. He was glad he made the decision to follow her. That way, he wouldn't have to interact with Annabel at all. Darwin's room was big, but not as big as Ivory's. It was a plain room with a master bed in the corner. His closet was near the door. He had a desk and table and a shelf where books sat. Next to his bed, though, was a small nightstand with a picture frame. In it was a younger version of Darwin, giving a piggy-back ride to a teenage girl. She had silver hair and sparkling amber eyes. Darwin's blue eyes smiled as his black hair plastered his face.

Darwin placed the laptop on the desk, picked up the picture, and studied the girl for the hundredth time. You still look the same, my love. He gently set down the picture in its spot and turned back to the laptop. He opened it up and went through her search history, looking for when Ivory booked her plane ticket. He booked a spot on the same plane, his seat only a few rows behind Ivory's seat. Darwin sighed and sat back in his seat. He glanced at the packed suitcase next to his bed. He stood up and picked up the picture once again. He opened up his suitcase and carefully placed it inside.

***

Ivory awoke the next morning to her favorite smell: pancakes. She got dressed and headed downstairs to see Darwin making them.

"You're up early," Ivory teased.

"I'm always this early," he said. "Here." He set down a plate of warm pancakes topped with strawberries and drizzled in syrup.

"I've always wondered how you knew my favorite breakfast so fast, but I'm not complaining!" she said as she stuffed a forkful of pancakes in her mouth. "Is this a goodbye breakfast of something?"

"You can say that." Darwin shrugged. "Eat up. When's your flight?"

"At eight," she said.

Darwin looked at his watch. "It's almost six. We better get going."

Ivory nodded. "Yeah, but let me finish. Where's Mr. Dupont and Annabel?"

"I already gave them a leave," he said.

"Aww, I didn't get to tell them goodbye. Well, I finished eating, we should go," she said, hopping off the bar stool.

***

It didn't take them long to drive to the airport. Soon, the pair were hugging each other goodbye.

"Well, see you in a few months," Ivory sighed. "It'll be a little while before I see you again." She looked down. "I'm glad I'll be able to see him again."

"Who?" Darwin asked though he knew the answer.

"A childhood friend," Ivory answered. "See you."

Darwin waved. "Goodbye." When she disappeared through the automatic doors, he smiled. "For now."