375 Christmas Eve - Part 3 - Ivy and Bridgette 4

A couple of hours left in the clock to reach midnight, but Ivy and David chose to leave the party early. Bridgette asks them to stay a little longer, but Ivy insists on retiring.

Bridgette knew that she couldn't force Ivy like before. Despite fixing things between them to return to their old state, there was still a trace of awkwardness with each other. Unlike before, either of them couldn't force their preference onto the other.

Now Bridgette understands that it isn't easy to return to their usual selves so soon. She respected Ivy's decision to leave.

While David was saying goodbye to his new friends, Adrienne stepped in for a moment to say farewell to Ivy and then left to join the rest.

Finally, Ivy and Bridgette get some privacy.

"So, did you enjoy tonight?" Bridgette asked.

"Ah- yeah! A lot, in fact!" Ivy answered politely.

"I'm glad to see David making the best use of you two!" Bridgette teased.

"He is, isn't he? Wait till I tell Bethany and Parker about his new friends!"

Bridgette laughed at the thought of those two confronting David after tonight.

"Alright! Convey my wishes to both of them!"

"Of course!" Ivy assured.

Bridgette sneaked a glimpse at Ivy twice or thrice. However, before getting caught by her again, she surrendered herself.

"Hmm, I- want to ask something, but I'm not sure if I should!" Bridgette said.

Ivy gaped at her confusedly.

"What is it?" she asked.

Bridgette hesitates to look around, and only after confirming that there's no one to spy, she uttered. Leaning towards Ivy closer to make sure her words remain reserved, she spoke softly.

"How's Lucy?" she asked.

Startled from hearing the name out of nowhere, Ivy jolted to take a step back in surprise.

"Wh- What about Lucy?" Ivy stuttered, feeling flustered suddenly.

"I mean, how is she?" Bridgette asked.

"She's fine- I guess, why are you asking me about her?"

Bridgette suppressed the erupting sneer.

"What? I just thought of asking about her. Should I not?"

"Piss off, Bridgette!" Ivy weakly punched her in the arm.

"Why would you suddenly mention Lucy?" Ivy grumbled to call for David, hinting at him to leave at once.

David requested a couple of more minutes, which depressed Ivy.

She sighed to let him be while glancing at Bridgette's beaming face. It annoyed her to see how much Bridgette is enjoying this. Ivy wanted to escape as soon as possible. But because of David, she got stuck enduring this silent teasing.

While waiting, Ivy kept sneaking little peeks at Bridgette, noticing how being in love has added a new color to her personality. Although the reason for her flustered face was from suppressing her laughter, Bridgette still gleamed beneath.

"Are you having fun?" Ivy asked.

Ivy smiled back. Searching through the crowd for Adrienne, she kept staring at him for a while, trying to figure if it was his influence behind Bridgette's joy.

"Is he taking good care of you?" Ivy asked Bridgette.

Bridgette's smile ceases to wonder what concerned Ivy. Startled, she turned around to see for herself. She understood that Ivy was looking at Adrienne.

"I- he is!" Bridgette admitted genuinely.

"I see! You look pretty happy with him!" Ivy hinted, causing Bridgette to blush.

"Isn't he perfect?" Bridgette claimed, unable to resist the appeal.

"Hey! You get to date The Adrienne! You probably broke a lot of women's hearts out there! And you're worrying whether he's perfect or not!"

Bridgette broke out to laughter. All of what Ivy said is true, and she can't argue with that.

David finally arrived to join the ladies, wondering what's so funny about their animated smiles.

"There you are! Finally!" Ivy cheered in awe.

"We're leaving, Bridgette! Thanks for tonight!" she hastily added, preparing to leave.

Both collected their jackets to enter the foyer.

"Thanks! Bridgette for inviting me!" David remembered to show his gratitude.

Had he not joined Ivy tonight, he would have spent Christmas Eve alone.

"Let's hang out together sometime!" Bridgette informed.

"We'll see!" Ivy snapped back.

"I was talking to David! Did you see he's a catch among the ladies! They all like him now, so David, don't back out on me!" Bridgette charged.

"Oh, just say the word, and I'll be there!" David swore.

"Both of you enough!"

"Come on, let's go already!"

Ivy said to drag David out of Bridgette's apartment.

"Ivy, wait-" Bridgette called out suddenly.

"What?"

Her rough response startled Bridgette. She worried if she had crossed the line while teasing her friend dearly. Ivy turned back with a furrowed brows. Seeing Bridgette's face express glum, she quickly fixed her expression and waited.

Bridgette held back from whatever she wanted to address. Instead, she chose to depart on a good note.

"It's nothing! Merry Christmas!" she wished.

"Merry Christmas to you and Adrienne! I wish you both happiness," Ivy returned the wish.

Bridgette remained silently, watching as Ivy and David head out. David signaled Bridgette one last time before he left. Ivy got ready to follow when she turned back to stare at Bridgette.

"Let's hang out together sometime! Is that okay?" Ivy asked.

"Of course!" Bridgette smiled, almost jumping out of joy from agreeing.

Ivy finally left the apartment.

David quickly descended to wait for her downstairs. The cold air was a fresh of breath to feel, along with the Christmas lights flickering outside every building.

Ivy appeared to join him.

"Alright! Let's go!" David hinted to leave, but Ivy paused.

David noticed her resisting. He went to ask if there's something wrong or did she forgot anything back at Bridgette's place. However, to his surprise, David heard something else.

"You go back, David!" Ivy uttered.

"What? You're not going back to the party, are you? That's unfair!" David accused.

"I'm not-"

"Then?"

"I'm- I would like to walk around!"

"In this late night?" David asked.

"It's not that late! Just go back already!" Ivy begged.

"Have you gone crazy? I'm worried!"

"I'm not doing anything stupid! I- want to- take a walk- in the park!" Ivy answered.

"Then let me join you!"

"No," Ivy sternly denied.

"David! Please! I want to be with myself for some time!" Ivy pleaded.

Her request shut David's interrogation. He had no more to say to her after hearing out her reason.

"You will be fine, won't you?" David asked.

Ivy looked at him to sigh and make a promise.

Nevertheless, it won't make him feel safe leaving her alone, especially after meeting Bridgette's boyfriend. She would surely get depressed and roam around the city heartbroken. Therefore, David made sure at least to give Ivy to think about something else rather than grieving alone.

"You are already moving on, aren't you?" David said.

Ivy was taken back in awe by his statement.

"Those roses- why did you pick them?" David asked.

"Any normal person would choose red or white roses to give. Why did you choose yellow?" he accused.

"You may look like you don't care, but all your actions tell a story, Ivy!"

"Your heart is getting ready to overcome the pain and move on- you just need a little push!"

"At least you found a new strength to do it!"

"What are you talking about?" Ivy interrupted to ask.

"Lucy!" David boldly declared.

Again! Hearing the name, Lucy does its deed by adding more damage to Ivy's mood.

"So, don't keep thinking about the past. It is fine if you once had feelings for your friend. It helped you discover about yourself, which is alright! You didn't need to fake yourself-"

"It looks like your friend cares just like you and chooses to move on, so you should do that too!"

"Don't roam all night, and maybe buy something hot to drink! I'm off!" David finished hurriedly to retire. His silhouette quickly disappeared from Ivy's sight, leaving her truly alone with a headache.

***

Central Park was close to where Bridgette lives, and Ivy chose to take a stroll inside.

Accessing through the west entrance, Ivy entered the park to wander, passing through strawberry fields and lake. It may look like she's aimlessly taking a stroll, but the route she picked, appear already compromised. Since Ivy was walking alone, her pace was unusually fast by several steps at a time. Shortly, to her memory, she reaches a familiar spot to discover Belvedere Castle. However, ignoring the castle itself, Ivy walked longer to enter the Delacorte Theater. The outdoor amphitheater offers free performances of the Shakespeare plays every summer. Currently, it was vacant without a soul to sing a verse.

Joining Ivy were a couple of strangers, randomly scattered, taking pictures and chatting while resting.

Ivy crossed several rows to take a random seat in the middle of a section.

She sat down to rest her burning legs and catch her running breaths.

Alone and surrounded by the emptiness, along with the dancing cold breeze, Ivy tried to decompress. She walked faster and roamed longer to keep herself away from absurd self-pitying. However, faced with open solitary and nothing to focus on, the image of Adrienne and Bridgette envelopes her mind naturally.

Like a slap in the face, this change woke up Ivy from a strange dream. All the love she carried for her best friend fell to dust finally. Even though it's unpropitious to imagine, she still dared to paint a picture where she and Bridgette get to be in love with each other, or at least that's what she desired secretly before admitting her feelings.

Bridgette's rejection tainted the picture she fondly drew. Yet, the image remained in her heart as a token of devotion. It made Ivy hold on to her unrequited love a little longer, protecting it from fading away. However, meeting Adrienne today made her realize how foolish it was to keep enduring a hopeless longing. Instantly, the tainted picture she's been dearly holding on to came down shattering.

It ached her even to pick up its broken pieces. She wishes for them to lay on the ground, eventually to disappear on their own.

As soon as Ivy chose to let go of her feelings, she discovered the emptiness in her heart for the first time. No longer she fancied her best friend differently and decided to move on. But, the abundance of love she developed on her own remained unacknowledged.

'What do I do with his affection?'

'I'll let go of her, but what should I do now?'

Ivy gasped. It grew difficult to breathe as if all of her hidden emotions exploded without a purpose to support.

In her worst misery, she leaned back to gaze at the dark sky. The distant twinklers flickered here and there, barely exposing their presence.

Her empty mind dwelled with a hollow heart, unknowingly wounded and the excess love unappreciated.

Ivy grew exhausted all over as she watched the dark sky gloom all over her miserable life. And all of a sudden, she hears her mobile phone ringing. Sighing as she looked at the screen to wonder who's calling, Ivy's face lost its color.

'And I thought what more could trouble me now!' she thought, considering whether to accept the call or not.

The ringing lasted longer to get the stranger's attention. Underneath the reluctance to talk with this person at the moment, Ivy worried if the call carries a significant purpose. She answered lastly.

"Lucy?" Ivy greeted.

However, all she could hear was silence, so disturbing that Ivy suffered enduring its presence.

"H- Hi!" a voice broke out, following.

"Hi, Lucy!" Ivy greeted again sharply.

"What's up?" she asked.

Lucy continued to procrastinate her reply, which began to concern Ivy. She forgot about swimming in her sadness to worry about this unexpected caller.

"Is there something wrong?" Ivy inquired.

"No. Nothing! I- just wanted to call- you- Ah- I want to thank you for the reference materials that you gave me!"

Ivy wondered if it was the only reason for Lucy to call this late into the night, especially on Christmas Eve. Her silly mind grew lighter from daydreaming, even in a heartbroken state.

"Oh- it's nothing. I saved it while we were writing the script. I thought it could become any use when we get to make the movie one day!"

"Was it helpful?" Ivy asked.

"Plenty!"

"I'm glad!"

Forced to face the silent treatment again, Ivy bit her lips out of frustration. She could only wish that the conversation ends soon before she goes hysterical.

"Do you have something else to say? Because I'm getting a little bored here!" Ivy condemned against tribulations.

"I- don't- I'm sorry! Am I disturbing you right now?" Lucy quivered as she spoke.

'You have been disturbing me for a while now!' Ivy thought to herself.

However, she didn't want to assume so herself. Instead, she wondered how to respond without getting aggravated. No matter how hard she thinks, it is not fair to take out her frustration to Lucy. She wearily sighed, swallowing the disdain.

"No. You are not. Actually, I am all alone. In fact, I wanted to be alone," Ivy admitted, contrary to what she intended. The drinks she had at Bridgette's party began to distort the reality from an illusion. Regardless of her position, Ivy continued to express herself honestly.

"I wanted to figure out my feelings and get full disclosure, but I got too scared to confront myself."

Lucy dared not to utter a word and quietly listened.

"I thought I'd go for a walk, you know, to distract myself and clear my mind, but I got myself tired from speed-walking. So, I sit down to take a break, and there it was, the miserable sense of self-pitying and watching my pathetic self getting hurt- ugh, I am such an idiot!"

Ivy regretted to realize that she is on a call with someone and that someone is Lucy.

The sudden awareness of pouring out herself to Lucy bought discomfort. She grinds her teeth from added frustration.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy! It's Christmas Eve, and I'm ruining your good mood! You probably called me to talk about the materials, but- I- can we- can we talk later? Now is not the good time!" Ivy appealed.

"Where are you?" Lucy asked.

Ivy wanted to scream the place she's hiding, but the suffocation within opposed her stubbornly, not letting her speak.

It was a battle of choice, and Ivy won with resolve.

"Central Park," she answered.

Ivy knew Lucy heard that. But, she didn't know what came to her mind at that moment. Because despite the pain, Ivy absurdly yearned for someone to reach out to her.

"Please. Please don't come to find me!"

Her voice barely reached as she spoke the contrary. She wishes to have someone by her side right now, but she can't imagine Lucy taking the spot.

Ivy didn't fancy acting foolishly anymore.

"Sorry, Lucy! I'll talk to you later! Bye!" Ivy said to cut the call.

No longer was her head held high from embarrassing herself miserably to a colleague. Ivy wished to disappear somehow and buried her face in the dark to escape life. Eventually, the scattered stranger's company retired along with the passing time, and Ivy remained alone inside the theater.

No soul to spot her crouched body or discover her crushed spirit.

She remained to hide for a long time that even underneath the jacket, her skin slowly numbed.

Her body flinched from recognizing a hand on her cloth. It removed for a moment to return to her shoulder. Even under thick layers, Ivy felt a little warmth. She lifted her head to find who it was disturbing her loneliness, and it struck her blurred vision to meet the profile of a girl.

"Lucy?" Ivy called out.

"Why are you here?" she added, panicking.

It was pure shock at first, but seeing that someone did found her hiding made Ivy lose her temper momentarily.

"I told you not to come to find me!" she protested.

"But I never agreed to it!" Lucy casually responded to hand out a drink.

Ivy hesitated whether to accept or not.

All this thinking finally made her feel her paralyzed form. She accepted the drink to free herself from getting frozen. The bottle carried some warmth, and it was enough to satisfy Ivy.

Meanwhile, Lucy moved to take a seat next to her. Both faced the stage silently beneath the mirthful night.

"Why did you come to find me?" Ivy asked.

The drink served to relieve her animosity. It gave a sense of clarity and awareness.

"Because I was alone too, tonight!" Lucy replied.

They meet each other's gaze to get lost. It was not lust that connected each other but a commonly shared agony.

Lucy pulled away first from getting submitted to the feeling.

"There! We both aren't alone anymore!" she said.

Her sweet voice quietly tried to cheer Ivy.

Hearing those words made her choke on her breath, bringing tears to her eyes. However, Ivy fought back to look away, abruptly to hide her face again.