About You

Chapter Fifteen

Three Months Later

"You're doing it, you're finally doing it" Sara mused, over the phone to her friend, Ivy. She was finally headed to Columbus to see Alex. They had been talking non-stop since the day he left for Sweden, and after the tournament. After the gold medal game, Ivy had told Alex she was willing to come to Columbus to see him. She was hesitant of the decision at first, but the longer she and Alex talked every day since, the more she was convinced she was making the right decision. 

"I know! It feels really strange" Ivy bit her lip. 

"I'm sensing somethings up here" Sara picked up on her tone of voice. 

"I'm just- I'm nervous" Ivy sighed, collapsing on her bed. She was all packed, her suitcase in the corner of the room, ready to go. It wouldn't be long until her parents knocked on her door, ready to drive her to the airport. She was going for a week, right before school was set to begin. 

"Nervous, why?" Sara asked curiously. 

"I have no idea" Ivy confessed. "What if I mess it up? What if he doesn't like me? What if-

"Ok, hold your horses" Sara cut her off. "We already know he likes you, so there's nothing to worry about there" she laughed at the sheer stupidity of her statement. "Don't forget that- he really likes you" she repeated softly, trying to ease Ivy's nerves. 

"I guess you're right" Ivy sighed, shrugging. As she was about to speak again, there was a knock at her door; it was time to head to the airport. "I've got to get going, I'll call you later" she smiled into the phone. 

"Call me when you get there!" Sara trilled, and Ivy laughed. 

"I will"

"Safe travels!" Sara called as Ivy hung up the phone. With a sigh, she hopped up off the bed, her suitcase in her hand. It was going to be a new adventure, one to which she was so excited to begin, but also very nervous at the same time. 

******

She arrived at the airport in Columbus, what seemed like an eternity later. She was seated next to the same annoying guy the entire way, feeling a sweet sense of relief once the flight was finally over. She felt her eyes droop, she hadn't had much sleep. She tried to sleep at many different times throughout the trip, but each time she tried she felt an intense amount of nervousness. 

It didn't take her long to notice the first person who looked familiar, and wasn't able to hide her surprise when she saw him; he was the last person she was expecting to see, so far away from home. 

"William!" she laughed, smiling widely. He beamed, shooting her a wink, before pulling into a hug. 

"How was your trip?" Will asked, and Ivy shrugged. 

"Long. Longest ever" she sighed, yawning. "Didn't sleep much though" she began to ramble. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Toronto?" she couldn't help but ask. 

"What, are you not happy to see me?" William asked, laughing as Ivy stumbled over her words. "Relax, I know. I have a few days before I hit the ice for pre-training camp" he explained, and Ivy nodded, trying to follow what he was saying. 

"Did Alex send you?" Ivy asked, confused. They had spoken the night before and it was the plan for him to pick her up from the airport. 

"Yeah, he just had something to deal with so I volunteered to pick you up" William smiled, and Ivy rolled her eyes. 

"Thanks, I appreciate it" Ivy thanked Will, who shrugged it off as nothing. 

"Anytime" he answered, grabbing her bags before they walked towards his car. She wasn't able to stop yawning the whole time; the weight of the entire trip finally hitting her. "It's a half hour drive to Alex's- why don't you sleep on the way?" Will offered, and Ivy shrugged, putting on her seatbelt, trying her best to take in her surroundings. 

"I haven't been able to sleep this whole trip, but I'll try" Ivy confessed. 

"Why haven't you been able to sleep?" Will asked, trying to lull her into a sleep. In truth, Alex was busy setting up a surprise for when Ivy arrived, hence why he was the one picking her up from the airport. She looked exhausted, so Will wanted to do whatever it took to get her to sleep. 

"Nerves, I guess" she sighed, closing her eyes. 

"Nerves why?" William kept persisting. He could tell she wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer. "You know everything is going to be fine. You guys get along really well, and he's missed you so much" he was rambling, and looked over to gauge her reaction. Not surprisingly, she was sitting in the passenger's seat, fast asleep. "And he loves you" Will added in a dull whisper, turning his attention back to the road, continuing to head toward his destination. 

*******

Ivy's eyes fluttered open, them going wide when she didn't recognize where she was. She looked around the room she found herself in, anxiously wondering where she was. She recognized the room from the background of their late night facetimes; she was in Alex's bed. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, noting the clock to the right of her; it was a few hours after she had originally arrived. Had she fallen asleep? How did she get into Alex's bed?

The last thing she remembered, she was walking with Will out of the airport. She shook her head, wondering if she was dreaming. Why would William be here and not in Toronto? Was she truly losing it? Deciding to get up from the bed, she gently placed her feet on the ground, walking slowly out of the room. 

She had vaguely remembered where things were in his house based solely on the virtual tour he had given her, and the many times they had been facetiming throughout the summer. She managed to find her way to the kitchen, which she found empty. Though it was empty, she smelled something delicious, and the oven was on. 

"You're awake" she heard the voice she longed to hear. Smiling widely, she approached him, engulfing him into a hug. 

"Alex" she grinned, feeling all of her nerves wash away at his touch.