by J. O Mantel
“Yeah, you are,” Sienna laughed, “but I still love you, and come on, it's Gerard Butler.”
There was a knock on the door, “Oh, that'll be the pizza. Would you mind? There's a twenty on the counter.”
“Yeah, yeah! What did your last slave die of?”
“She didn't. She's standing right in front of me.”
Ivy grabbed the money from the counter and opened the door.
“Pepperoni pizza?” The guy asked.
Ivy froze, she stood there staring at the delivery guy. Her eyes wandered over him from head to toe. His muscular chest and arms were visible through his tight work shirt. Her eyes were fixed on his, not leaving them for a second.
“Miss?” The guy asked.
“Huh?” Ivy replied, snapping out of her trance.
“Eleven eighty, please,” the guy replied.
“What?”
“Oh sweet baby Jesus,” Sienna said, suddenly. Getting up off the sofa, she grabbed the twenty dollar bill out of Ivy's hand and handed it to the guy.
“I'm sorry, Ivy's a little...pre occupied.” Ivy continued to stare at the guy, Sienna watched as Ivy's eyes moved from his chest to his crotch. Sienna grabbed a ten dollar bill out of her purse, “here,” she said, handing him the tip.
“I'm Ivy, by the way,” Ivy held out her hand, ready to shake.
“Dick,” he replied.
“Excuse me?”
“Short for Richard.”
He handed Sienna the pizza and she placed it down on the counter.
“It must be hard,” Ivy said.
“Sorry?” Dick replied.
“I mean making pizzas, it must be hard at times.”
“Oh! Um, it is at first but you kind of get used to it after a while.”
Ivy's eyes didn't move from Dick's crotch the entire time.
“Well, you two ladies have a great night,” he said and he turned and walked away.
Sienna closed the door shut and threw herself on the sofa, covering her face with the pillow.
“That was the most embarrassing moment of my life,” she said.
“Fuck he was hot!” Ivy said, peering through the window, trying to get one final glimpse.
“He had such an amazingly, huge talent,” Ivy added.
By the time the movie finished it was quite late.
“So what's the story with you and Jesse?”
“I don't know. I mean, at the moment it's just a casual thing, nothing more.”
“You don’t want anything more?” Ivy asked.
“Me? Seriously? Ivy, you know me, I don't have time for a relationship right now. My career is way too important.”
“Sienna, remember the talk we had a while ago about you settling down? Well, this is your chance. Jesse likes you, I mean he really likes you. And from the way you two act around each other whenever I'm here, it's obvious that you like him too. There's nothing wrong with the two of you dating, I don't see why you just don't make it official.”
“Jesse and I are just friends, babe.”
“Well, where I come from, friends don't stick their tongue inside each other's ears.”
“No wonder your life is boring, you poor thing. Just as well you're friends with me then. Who knows how your life would have turned out otherwise.”
“Thanks for that!”
“You're welcome.”
Ivy looked at her watch, “Hey I think I better get going. Thanks for the pizza and Gerard.”
“You mean, Dick!” Sienna burst into laughter, her face turning bright red.
“You know, you didn't stop looking at his cock the whole time he was here. If you kept staring at it any longer, it probably would have popped right out.”
“As long as it popped right into my mouth, I wouldn't care,” Ivy replied, a wide smile on her face.
“Just a shame you didn't get his number. Oh, well! Maybe next time.”
“Wait a second,” Ivy found the number to the pizza shop on a business card. She dialed the number and waited.
“What are you doing?” Sienna asked.
“Shhh,” Ivy hissed. “Hi, one of your drivers delivered a pizza to my house earlier tonight. I was wondering if he was still working.”
“What was their name?”
“Dick,” Ivy replied, giggling slightly. Sienna was beside herself, her face was bright red and she collapsed onto the sofa.
“Hello, Dick! My name is Ivy, you delivered a Pepperoni pizza to my place earlier this evening.”
“Oh, yes I remember. Was there something wrong with the pizza?”
“No, not at all! It was delicious. Um, I was just wondering, what time do you knock off work, tonight?”
“In about ten minutes, actually,” he replied.
The excitement swept across Ivy's face, Sienna got a glimpse from the sofa. She sat up and listened to the rest of the conversation.
“Look, I know this may be a little inappropriate, but I was wondering if you'd like to come over after you finish work. You know, for a little...night cap?”
There was no use, Sienna just couldn't contain herself. She broke out in laughter, the roar echoing through the entire apartment.
“A night cap? Um...yeah, that is a random request,” Dick replied.
“I-I'm sorry,” Ivy stuttered, and she hung up the phone, suddenly.
“A night cap? A fucking night cap? Are you actually serious? How old are you, like sixty?” Sienna said, through the roaring sounds of her laughter.
“Oh, shut up. You're no help at all. The guy must think I'm a complete idiot.”
“Well, do you blame him? I wouldn't be holding my breath for a phone call from him any time soon.”
No sooner had the words escaped her lips, the phone rang.
“Hello?” Sienna answered from the portable phone beside the sofa.
“Hi, is that Ivy?”
“Oh! No, I'll just get her for you. Who's calling?”
“It's Dick.”
Sienna covered the mouthpiece and looked at Ivy, “It's Dick, he's asking for you.” She threw her the phone and walked over to the kitchen.
“Um...hello, this is Ivy,” Sienna fluttered her eyelashes and mimicked Ivy's “hello.” Ivy placed her hand over the mouthpiece and lip synced the words “fuck off” to her.
“Hi, Ivy.”
“Hi! Sorry about earlier, I...needed to...go to the bathroom.” Sienna clasped her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back the laughter, Ivy raised her eyebrows and shook her head in embarrassment.
“So, um...how's your night going?” Dick asked.
“Its fine, I guess. Just having a girl’s night in with my best friend.”
“Oh, the blonde, right! She seems really nice.”
Sienna looked at Ivy inquisitively, she picked up the portable phone that was lying on the bench and pressed the mute button. She held it against her ear and listened.
“So, how's your night going? Busy?” Ivy asked.
“Well, it is a Saturday night. But on the bright side, my shift is almost over.”
“That's great, you must be happy. I mean, like you said, it's a Saturday night and all, you must be looking forward to going home and spending time with your girlfriend.”
Sienna put her finger in her mouth in disgust and looked at Ivy.
“Oh...I don't have a girlfriend.” There was a brief pause, without thinking, Ivy opened her mouth; “Oh, sorry! Well at least you can spend time with your boyfriend then.”
“What?” Dick asked.
“Sorry, I just assumed...I mean a great looking guy like yourself I thought you'd...never mind, I'm going to shut up now.”
Sienna stood there staring at Ivy, neither of them saying a word.
“No! Please, continue,” Dick said after a few seconds.
“No, I think I've said enough. Look you're a great guy and all, but I really shouldn't have called you.”
“And why not?”
“Well, because I'm a woman.”
“
Yeah, and I love that fact.”
“Have you even been with a woman, or have you-?” Ivy started to ask but Dick interrupted her.
“Of course I have. I've been with lots of- wait a minute, what? Oh my god,” Dick laughed.
“What's so funny?” Ivy asked.
“I'm not gay.”
“You're not?” Sienna's eyes suddenly widened again.
“No! What made you think I was gay?”
“Um...awkward,” Ivy replied. Sienna's face turned a deep shade of red as she put the phone down and ran out of the kitchen and into the bathroom.
“Sorry, I guess I shouldn't assume anything,” Ivy replied, awkwardly.
“It's ok, I'll forgive you. On one condition.”
“And what's that?”
“You let me buy you a coffee.”
Ivy was quiet for a few seconds. She stood there staring blankly at the wall in front of her.
“Hello?” Dick called.
“Sorry, I'm here.”
“So! How about that coffee?”
“Sure! Why not?” Ivy replied.
“Great. How about I pick you up, tomorrow at seven? I already have your phone number and your address.”
“Actually, you've called my friend's place. This is her number.”
“Oh?”
There was another brief pause before Ivy finally shrugged her shoulders; “555-2467.”
“What?” Dick asked.
“My number.”
“Oh!”
Ivy could hear him scribble the digits down, she was slightly nervous, but a small smile swept across her face.
“Do you have any plans for the rest of the evening?” Dick asked.
“Um...No actually. My friend and I just finished watching a movie, I don’t have any other plans this evening.”
“Great. How about I meet you at your friends place in about twenty minutes?”
“Sounds like a date, I mean-”
“It’s okay, I know what you meant. I will see you soon.”
“Looking forward to it,” Ivy replied as she hung up the phone.
She walked over to the sofa and sat down as Sienna walked out of her room. Noticing the smile on her face, she sat down beside her.
“Someone’s happy.”
“Huh?” Ivy asked, trying to act surprised.
“So, come on! Spill! What happened?”
“None of your business,” Ivy replied.
“He asked you out, didn’t he?”
“Yep!”
“When’s he coming over?”
“He’ll be here in about twenty minutes, which reminds me, I better get ready.”
“Where’s he taking you?”
“I have no idea.”
Ivy stood up and walked over to the bathroom, placing her hair in a neat pony tail, she sprayed some of Sienna’s Rhianna perfume, adjusted her bra and ironed the creases out of her top with her hand.
There was a knock on the door, Ivy stormed out of the bathroom, raced through the living room and walked over to the door.
“How do I look?” she asked.
Sienna looked at Ivy, her eyes moving up and down as she examined her from head to toe. “Hmmm, Yep! If I was a guy, I’d fuck your brains out.”
The two of them giggled, there was another knock on the door.
“Let’s not keep lover boy waiting,” Sienna said.
Ivy opened the door. Dick was standing there, sporting a brown denim jacket, jeans and his black Domino’s Tee.
“Hi”
“H-hi,” Ivy replied, nervously. “Sorry, hi.”
“And I’m Sienna, we met earlier in case you’d forgotten.” She had made her way over from the sofa and shook Dick’s hand.
“Nice to meet you again, Sienna.”
“Likewise.”
Silence filled the room again, the girls looked at each other, and Dick stood in the doorway eyeing both of them.
“Well, shall we go?” he finally spoke.
“Yeah, sure. I’ll just grab my purse.”
Ivy grabbed her purse from the sofa. Sienna gave her a look and smiled.
“Have fun, babe. Oh, and don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.”
“Geez, that really doesn’t leave me many options,” Ivy replied sarcastically.
“Ready?” Dick asked.
Ivy nodded.
“You two have fun,” Sienna said, waving goodbye.
“Thanks, we will.”
Sienna waved and as Ivy turned around for one final wave, Sienna whispered the words “call me,” holding her hand to her ear.
A couple of hours later, a roaring car engine woke Sienna. She glanced at the clock on the wall, it was after one a.m. She could hear the front door open as Jake walked in.
“Oh! You’re still up?” he asked.
“Yeah, I was actually just heading to bed. You’re home late.”
“Yeah, sorry, just had a few last minute touches to make on the cover with the band.”
“Oh? Can I see it?”
“Nope!”
“I should have known better than to ask.”
“Hey, where’s Ivy? I thought the two of you were going to have a girl’s night?”
“Oh, we did. She’s out on a date.”
“A date?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t even know she was seeing anyone.”
“It kind of just happened, tonight.”
“Huh?” Jake was confused.
“She’s on a date with Dick.”
“What?”
“His name’s Richard. Dick for short. He delivered a pizza here earlier and let’s just say that the two of them kind of…hit it off.”
“I bet they did. With a little persuasion from you, I’m sure.”
“Just a little,” Sienna replied.
Jake changed into his boxers and before heading to bed, he grabbed a drink from the fridge.
“So! Notice anything different?” Sienna asked.
Sculling the bottle of juice in his hand, Jake eyed Sienna up and down, trying to work out what was different about her.
“New pajamas?” he asked.
“Nope!” she let down her hair and swished it in her face. “What do you think?”
“It…you look…” he couldn’t find the words to finish that sentence.
“What?”
“Nothing, it’s just-”
“Just what, Jake?” Sienna asked, slightly annoyed.
“Nothing.”
“Jesus, Jake we’re friends for Christ’s sake. It’s not like we’re brother and sister.” Flicking her hair, she turned and headed for her room, closing the door shut behind her.
“Nope! We certainly are not,” he whispered. Flicking off the light, he headed for his bedroom and closed the door.
A smile swept over Ivy’s face as she rolled over and stared up at the ceiling. She and Dick had been dating for almost six weeks, and for the first time in a long time, she was finally happy.
She checked her phone for messages. Each morning Dick would send her a “Good morning” text and an emoji on his way to work. In the evenings, he was the pizza delivery boy down at the local Dominos. Between the hours of nine to five, however, he was one of the best reporters for the New York Times newspaper. At times, Ivy felt like Lois Lane and Dick was her Clark Kent, but without the jet black hair or geeky glasses.
Dick was making a generous wage at the paper. However, he had been at the pizza store since he was eighteen and after twelve years, it was like his family and he couldn’t bring himself to leave. Not to mention, he got free pizzas every shift, which came in handy on a Friday and Saturday night when he and Ivy were together.
Getting out of bed, she showered and got dressed. She and Sienna both have the day off work, it didn't happen very often and neither of them had seen each other for a few weeks.
She pulled up outside Sienna's place, got out of the car and let herself in using her spare key. Jake was sitting on the sofa watching
TV.
“Hey, Ivy,” he said, without turning around to acknowledge her.
“How did you know it was me?” She asked.
“I could see your reflection through the television, and not many people have a key to our apartment,” he joked.
“Fair point,” she said, walking over to him and kissing him on the cheek as she sat down beside him.
“You look nice,” he said, finally admiring her.
“Thanks.” She blushed.
“So, where are you two off to today?”
“To be honest, I'm not actually quite sure. It's very rare that the two of us have the day off at the same time, especially on a Friday. We haven't seen each other in weeks so we decided to catch up. You know, shopping, coffee, girl talk, all that sort of stuff.”
“Sounds boring!” Jake laughed. “So, tell me, how's things with your man, Dick?” He couldn't help but laugh each time he said his name.
“Dick is fine. We're fine. Things are going great, thank you.” Jake gave her a smile, but it wasn't the warm, pleasant smile that Ivy was used to. He turned his attention back to the TV. Ivy looked around; “Where's Sienna?”
“Oh, she's taking a shower,” he replied.
“What's going on with you, Jake? How have things been here?”
“Same as always,” he said, unsure of how he was supposed to respond.
“I mean with you and Sienna. Have things changed?”
“She's still fucking Jesse if that's what you're asking,” his response was frustrated.
“So you still haven't told her how you feel?”
“No! And I'm not going to Ivy.”
“Jake, you can't do this to yourself. I hate seeing you unhappy. I feel really guilty about all this.”
“Guilty? Why the hell would you feel guilty?” He asked, confused.
“Because a while ago, it was me who had a crush on you and now all that's changed. I mean, please don't get me wrong, you're a great guy. I just mean that, you were kind of my first crush, you were always around Sienna and I've grown up with you. And now, I've found a guy that I actually enjoy being around, I didn't think anything would come of it. Yet, here we are together and happy, Sienna's with Jesse and you're all alone.”
Jake switched off the TV and faced Ivy; “Ivy, listen to me. You don't need to worry about me, I'm fine. This thing with Sienna, nothing can ever come of it. She can never know how I feel. I believe that she genuinely likes Jesse, the two of them are happy and I'm happy for them, and I'm happy for you too, I'm glad you've found someone, really I am.”
