Love Abstract (The Art of Falling Book 2) (12 page)

FLOATING. ALL DAY LONG I’VE been floating. I woke up and everything was in its right place. I went through the motions of the day in a delightful bliss. I can’t remember the last time I felt this happy. This complete. This …
everything.

I can still smell Phoenix on my skin, taste him on my lips and feel him deep inside the marrow of my bones. He has become a part of me in every sense of the word. We spent the night talking with kisses, delicate caresses, and toe-curling orgasms. I should be exhausted, but instead I am completely rejuvenated.

Ivy:
I’m still wearing the smile you gave me last night.

Phoenix:
Good. When I get home, you better still be wearing that. And ONLY that.

I turn the corner and search for the keys in my purse, trying not to drop the groceries I picked up on my way home. I’m going to attempt to make a romantic dinner for the two of us. Attempt being the operative word. My last attempt ended in a burnt skillet and frozen waffles in the toaster.

There’s a young woman sitting on the floor in front of our door. The way the sun shines through the window at the end of the hall gives her an ethereal glow. She fumbles with the luggage tag on the suitcase that sits next to her and I quickly realize there is nothing angelic about her.

She looks familiar.

A little too familiar, in fact.

As I step closer, I know exactly who it is.

Fuck.

“Excuse me, it’s Hailey, right?”

She looks at me and forces a stiff smile. My stomach curls in on itself.

“Yeah. And you’re Genevieve’s sister,” she states wryly. “God … what’s your name?”

I watch her feebly search the air for the answer. Being genuine is clearly not in her DNA.

“It’s Ivy.” I reach out my hand but she just looks at it as she plays continues to fidget with the tag absentmindedly.

“Ivy. That’s right.”

Her eyes scan my body and it makes me feel naked. I don’t like being sized up. I’m not some threat. And as much as I think she’d like to be, she’s not a threat to me. There are no threats because there is no competition when it comes to Phoenix. I’m the only one for him, and I’m not about to let this black widow think she has some hold over either of us.

“So what can I do for you?”

“I came for Nix.” She offers up a forced smile as she pushes herself to her feet.

Okay. No need to be flippant. And I know for a fact that Phoenix doesn
’
t want to see you.

“Well, Phoenix isn’t home from work yet. Is there anything I can help you with?” I slide the key into the lock and turn the handle. I feel like I have no other choice but to invite her inside.

Quietly, Hailey follows me in and sets the suitcase in front of the bookshelf. Her moves are slow and calculated. She soaks in her surroundings and I swear I see her face fall ever so slightly. Clearly something inside her is breaking. When she eyes a picture of Phoenix and me kissing on the Staten Island Ferry with the New York skyline in the background, she quickly snaps her head back to me. Hailey’s blonde hair flies in a choreographed routine of
I
’
m better than you.

“I just brought him a few things he left at
our
place. Mail. Some of his favorite shirts. You know, the basics.”

Our place? What the shit? Did they live together? Surely, no. There
’
s no way they could have lived together. He would have told me
…
right?

This definitely isn’t a friendly visit. I’m not an idiot. I know exactly what she’s doing. I used to play this exact same game. Hell, I invented this damn game. She’s not looking for Phoenix at all. Hailey came here for me. I just need to figure out what it is she wants me to know and then she’ll be on her merry way.

I steel myself and act like her vitriolic comments roll right off my back. I can lick my wounds clean later.

“Oh? That was awfully sweet of you, but it’s a little late to be showing up with the
basics
, don’t you think? You could have just forwarded his mail and sent up a box or two clothes.” I make my way into the kitchen, a Hailey-free zone, and catch my breath.

“It was no big deal, really. I’m meeting some girlfriends up in the Hamptons. So this was right on the way.” She calls from the other room.

Sure it was.

“Well, I’m more than happy to relay the message to Phoenix. And I’ll make sure everything you brought gets to him.”

Assuming I don
’
t burn it before he gets home.
I find myself wanting to set fire to everything she touches.

I put the groceries away, needing to focus on something other than the toxic energy Hailey emits. I’m not comfortable with her in our home, but I have absolutely no idea how to get her out of here without turning into a total bitch. This situation is bound to get uglier before it gets any better.

“Oh, that’s okay,” she says with a flip of her wrist, following me into the kitchen. “I’ll just wait for him. I haven’t chatted with him all week and I’d love to catch up before I’m stuck in the car for a few hours.”

All week? So much for him not talking to her since he left with me in Chicago. What the fuck? Maybe he decided to take my advice and answer her call to find out what she wanted? I just wish he would have told me. Perhaps then I could have been better prepared for this moment.

As I lean over to put the milk away, I shut my eyes tightly to stop the tears from flowing before I turn back around to face her. Either Phoenix has been lying to me or this chick is here for the sole reason of crawling under my skin. My mind is filled with a dozen questions. And I know she’ll be the one to answer them, since Phoenix clearly isn’t.

“Do you mind if I use the bathroom to freshen up quickly? I’ve had quite the afternoon of traveling.”

I ball my fists tightly behind my back and try to keep up with her fakeness. “Sure, it’s right over there.” I gesture to the door in the hallway.

As soon as she disappears I take another deep breath and steady myself. I’m sure Phoenix has a perfectly good explanation for this. He’d better have a good explanation for this.

Shit. What if he doesn
’
t have an explanation?

I pull out my phone out from my pocket, determined to rectify the situation quickly.

Ivy:
We have company.

Phoenix:
?

Ivy:
Hailey.

Phoenix:
wtf?

Ivy:
What do you want me to do?

I watch my phone, willing it to light back up with what I should do. But his lack of response sends me into an emotional tailspin.

A few minutes later, Hailey saunters into the kitchen and I mentally sharpen my talons. I don’t know what to say to her. So I do what any normal host would do.

“Thirsty?”

“Yes. Sparkling water, thank you.” Hailey disappears back into the living room and I pull out a glass from the cupboard and spit in the bottom before filling it up in the sink. If only I had rat poison.
Damn.

“Sorry. Fresh out of sparkling,” I say curtly, passing her the drink. She eyes it suspiciously before taking a sip.

Our conversation is a struggle, but I let her do most of the talking. She prattles on over mindless drivel. Her friends. People that Phoenix used to know. Horrific gossip. Hailey certainly isn’t the friend that Phoenix once painted her to be. All the while, I will Phoenix to walk through the front door to rescue me from this hell.

Eventually, she runs out of things to talk about and an agonizing silence fills the air. I brace myself for the topic I’ve tried so desperately to avoid the past few months.

“So you and the asshole used to date?”

“CJ, you mean? Mm hmm,” she muses, looking around the apartment.

“How did you guys meet?” I ask, trying to make small talk.

“Oh, you know … college,” she answers vaguely. “I went to the University of Illinois. That’s where I met CJ and your sister. And technically Nix, too.”

I hate hearing her say his nickname. Actually, I hate his nickname. I hate how she so casually associates my boyfriend and my family with all of that painful shit we left behind. Her being here has ripped open the scab and I feel like I’m about to bleed to death from all the drama.

And the way she so casually says her ex’s name makes me believe that she has absolutely no idea that he raped me. Or maybe she knows and simply doesn’t believe it. Just how oblivious is this chick?

The doorknob starts to rattle and in walks Phoenix, looking handsome as ever. He smiles when he sees me, the memory of last night still fresh in his mind. But quickly, his eyes settle on our guest and confusion, then fury sets in.

“What the hell are you doing here, Hailey?” He moves to position himself between me and her.

“I was just bringing you some of your things, that’s all.” She smiles demurely and bats her eyelashes at him. She can’t think for one moment that either one of us actually believes this charade. We all know she is not nearly as innocent as she attempts to be.

“I told you I didn’t need anything. I told you to stop calling me. I told you to leave me the hell alone. You need to get out. Now.”

So they
have
talked. Why wouldn’t he just tell me that? I move out from behind Phoenix and my eyes volley between them while they stare at one another.

He’s hiding something from me.

Something
she
knows.

And I feel guilty for even thinking it, but I know this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. I’m finally going to get some answers. Finally understand the true purpose of her visit here.

“Get out,” he seethes. His hands are at fists by his sides and I hear him cracking his knuckles. Each pop sends an unsettling sensation shooting down my spine.

After an uncomfortable silence, Hailey stands and grabs her clutch from off of the coffee table. She turns and looks at me with conviction.

“Did your sister ever tell you about the
night
she met CJ?”

I’m a little taken aback by her question and unsure what to make of it. But clearly, whatever it is she wants me to know, it has to do with Genevieve.

“No.”

Phoenix cracks his neck in a silent threat. “Hailey!” Phoenix snaps and she looks him square in the eyes.

“Oh. Well … you
might
want to look into that.” She smiles. And even though she’s talking to me, she never breaks eye contact with Phoenix. My eyes move from Phoenix to Hailey and back to Phoenix again. He looks like he is one nanosecond away from wringing her neck.

“Leave.” Phoenix moves to hold the door open for her and a tiny vein pulsates from the temple of his forehead. I want to slap that conniving smirk off of Hailey’s pretty little face.

The picture frame on the bookshelf rattles when he slams the door shut behind Hailey. I can hardly understand the string of obscenities Phoenix mutters underneath his breath, but it’s enough to tell me we are close to hitting DEFCON level one.

He just stands there, raking his fingers down his face before he turns to me. “What else did she say?” There’s venom in his eyes that I’ve never seen before. His words are terse. His stance guarded.

“Well,
hello
to you, too!” I bite back. My sweet and sensitive and perfectly caring boyfriend from last night is nowhere to be seen. Our undeniable connection completely cut.

He scoffs. And looks around the room. He looks everywhere but at me. “I’m serious, Ivy. What did she say to you?”

What the fuck? And where the hell does he get off being angry?
He lost this privilege when he lied.

“Well, for starters, she brought it to my attention that you guys were
living
together
when you were in St. Louis.” He cringes when it registers that he conveniently left out that truth after months of dating. “What the fuck, Phoenix? How the hell did you live with Hailey and just fail to mention it to me after all this time? Better yet, why is
she
the one to tell me about it?”

I get up and start to pace restlessly.

“I never thought it mattered because
she
never mattered.”

“
Oh
! She
absolutely
matters now.” My voice grows louder to combat the tears that risk filling my eyes. If I can just stay angry, I won’t cry. I don’t want him to see me cry right now. If I cry, he’ll comfort me. And I don’t need his comfort. I need his honesty.

“And why is that?”

“Because she was a lie. You’ve lied about her for months! And you know exactly how I feel about lying.” If he’s capable of lying about living with Hailey, who knows what else he’s keeping from me. I can feel the bile bubbling up through my stomach.

“It wasn’t a lie! It was irrelevant!
She
is irrelevant. The only reason she’s here is to piss me off and get under your skin.”

I eye him suspiciously. I want to call his bluff. Her cryptic message didn’t go unnoticed and I need answers.

“What are you hiding? What the hell did she mean about the night Gen met Sully?” I cringe as his name passes my lips.

“I don’t know.”

“Really? Because she seemed pretty sure that something happened that I should know about.” I’m practically shouting and I barely recognize my own voice. “Maybe I should just go call Gen and ask her myself?”

“Be my guest,” he challenges, knowing that the last thing I want to do is talk to my sister. “But I honestly have no idea what Hailey was talking about.” His tone doesn’t sit well with me and he folds his arms defensively across his chest.

“Fine.” Whether he does or doesn’t know what she was talking about is irrelevant right now. He fucking lied to me. And that is a huge problem. “If you’re not going to tell me that, did anything ever happen between the two of you since you were living together?”

His stance is sheepish and his silence unnerving. I fucking hate that he won’t look me in the eye right now.

“Look at me. Tell me nothing happened.” I move so I’m standing directly in front of him. No doubt he can feel the anger rolling over me in waves.