I want to unlearn the hurt. I want to forget the history and the regrets and the broken hearts.
I pick up my phone and call him, but my face falls as it goes to voicemail. I try a second time before sighing and stuffing the phone into my clutch and meeting my own eyes in the mirror again.
I take a deep breath.
Okay, time to do this.
“Where the fuck is he?”
I’m pacing downstairs, checking the clock on the far wall of the lobby and grinding my teeth.
Blaine’s late, of course.
I mutter under my breath. “Seriously, he’s had two damn hours to put a fucking suit on. What’s taking him so long?”
Ainsley is silent when I look up.
“Ains?”
“Hmm?” She jerks her head up as if I’ve just startled her out of her thoughts.
“Blaine?”
She blinks. “Yes?”
“Do you know what’s keeping him?”
“Oh,” she blinks again, looking bizarrely and very uncharacteristically unfocused and scatter-brained. “I don’t know?”
I groan. “Okay, I’m going to do this stupid event, but I am not going to be late because Blaine’s rubbing tanner on his face or whatever he’s doing.”
I scowl as I turn and storm towards the elevators.
“Whoa, where are you going?”
My storming away breaks Ainsley out of her weird daze as she comes scurrying after me.
“To drag Blaine down here so we can get this thing over with.” I jab my finger at the elevator button.
“I’m sure he’s coming, Ivy.”
“Well he will when I go drag him out by the collar.”
“Ivy, we should just wait.”
Ainsley is frowning and checking her watch skittishly, but she follows me into the elevator.
Blaine’s shirt is unbuttoned when he answers the door to my impatient knocking.
“Oh, uh-”
His eyes dart from me to Ainsley standing behind me.
“Um, hey?”
I roll my eyes. “Are you seriously not ready yet?”
He blinks quickly, his eyes darting between Ainsley and I again. “Yeah, sorry, I got distracted.”
I follow him into the suite as he tucks his shirt into his suit pants and grabs his jacket from the back of a chair. He stops in the mirror, posing with these ridiculous facial expressions, as if he’s trying out for the cover of GQ instead of going to a stupid vendor gala.
Ainsley is wringing her hands, standing just inside the doorway when I glance up at her.
“Ains.”
“Yeah?”
I give her a small smile. “Relax, we won’t be late.” I turn and sigh heavily at Blaine, who’s still preening in the mirror.
“So long as someone gets their fucking hair in place so we can go?”
Blaine looks up, smiling. “Well, shall we?”
I roll my eyes again as I turn to my assistant. “Ains, can you call for the car?”
Her face is white as she frowns.
“Ainsley?”
She swallows. “I, uh, I can’t find my phone.”
I furrow my brow at her. “You sure you’re feeling okay today? You look ill. Is it in your bag?” I nod at the huge shoulder bag she’s hardly ever without.
Ainsley frowns as she starts to dig through it. “I- I don’t know.”
I sigh another exasperated groan as I open my clutch. “Look, I’ll just call it.”
“No! That’s-” She looks up at me quickly. “That’s okay, I’m sure it’ll turn up.”
“Why are you being so weird?”
I give her another curious look as I hit the call button on my phone.
Her phone rings its distinctive tone - the theme from Friends, and I watch as her face goes white.
The phone rings again, and I’m still staring expectantly at her bag, even though that’s not where the sound is coming from, when it suddenly hits me.
I turn slowly at the sound of the television theme song ringing melodically from across the room.
…From somewhere in Blaine’s bed.
I look up to see him looking at me in the same weird, slightly fearful way she is, and then it all clicks.
Oh, wow.
I’m dizzy from it, turning to stare at the two of them as Ainsley’s tell-tale phone goes quiet in the silence of the room.
“Wow,” I say quietly, shaking my head and locking eyes with my assistant - my friend.
She looks away quickly.
“This is actually amazing,” I mutter before barking out a humorless laugh.
“Blaine, you have outdone yourself.”
“Ivy, it’s-”
“Right, not what I think it is, is that it?” I look at him pitifully. “Please, spare me.”
I turn back to my assistant, this time narrowing my eyes at her until she looks up mournfully at me.
“And you?” I tsk as I shake my head.