To rely on

To rely on
Ivy didn't hesitate to overthink her wishes, she let out almost instantly. 
  “Find the killer behind Nate’s death and I need the information of each girl on Nate’s list,” she said as he gently pulled away from her. 
He did not expect that she would ask a thing like that, he expeced something that didn't have to lead them down the path of finding Nate’s killer. 
  “Vin? Are you even listening?” she snapped him out of his thoughts. 
  “Is that… all you want of me?” he asked, maintaining his composure. 
  “Yes, we can start from there…” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. 
  “About the girls? I'll find all the information you need. But, the killer? Do you really have to go down that path? It could be risky,” his voice soothing and direct. 
  “What do you suggest that I do?”
  “Sit back and wait for the police. They know best,” he opted as Ivy scoffed weakly. 
  “I’ve waited for the damn police for over a month, there's basically no result. Should I keep waiting? I need to find the killer and confirm that all of this… is true,” she firmly stated. Alvin nodded, agreeing to her demands. 

He understood that another second of dragging the conversation would be a total waste of time and Ivy would find his intentions suspicious. 
  “Alright, Ivy. Again, your wishes are my command.” he calmly said. He cradled her face, staring deeply into her eyes. The feisty woman that he's always loved was still in there except that her persistence about Nate’s death was beginning to ruin his chances. 
  “Why are you doing this for me—why are you helping me?” she asked, gently holding his arms. 
  “Ivy, didn't I swear to you that I wouldn't let you down again? This is me proving it to you. I'm here to walk with you—you deserved better than Nate,” he said as he placed a soft, wet, thoughtful kiss on her right cheek. “I won’t leave you,” he vowed as Ivy nodded, feeling the warmth of his words penetrating her body and soul. 

…
A few hours went by, Alvin had been up and about taking care of Ivy until the time he left to attend to business. 
Meanwhile, Ares had tried to reach her all day but it had been negative. 

As soon as he was done with work, he drove to her house for the first time. 
He didn't know how she would take it but then he needed to know how she was doing. 

As soon as he pressed the doorbell, Tika answered the door. 
  “Hello! I'm Winston. Can I see Ms. Ivy?” he politely asked as Tika sized him up and down with her gaze. 
He looked classy, rich, and attractive, she thought to herself.  
  “Yes, come in,” she said, moving away as she led him to the living room. 
  “I shall go to find her, please make yourself comfortable…” Tika warmly said as she hurried off to get Ivy. 

On the other hand, Ivy was going through the drive. Minutes earlier, she vowed not to revisit the documents but her curiosity got the best of her.
Thankfully, Alvin replaced her laptop. As soon as Tika knocked, Ivy closed the gadget and tucked her hair behind. 

Tika gently walked in with a smile on her lips. 
  “What is that smile, is Alvin here to see me?” Ivy casually asked. 
  “The seeing part? Yes. But not Mr. Alvin. There's a Winston downstairs,” she informed as Ivy’s eyes wisely opened for a second. 
  “Oh my God! Ares!” she snapped, stepping out of bed, rushing into her closet to wear a dress that looked presentable. She had been wearing a sweater and loose pants all day. 

Something about the man made her push all her beauty buttons given that she loved how intently he stared and appreciated her beauty. 

“He is quite fetching you know, I mean Mr. Winston! He's really sexy and… attractive,” Tika shared her thoughts while Ivy quickly swung into a simple pink dress.
  “Tika, I know what you're doing. He's just a friend...” Ivy defensively stated as she dusted some powder around her temples. Her eyes bulged due to the tears she shed earlier. “How do I look?” Ivy asked Tika, awaiting her response.  
Tika analyzed her from top to bottom, “Great, except the hair. You don't have to tie it. Men love to stare at women’s flowy hair,” said Tika. Ivy rolled her eyes, partly embarrassed by Tika’s statement although she was right. 
  “Again, he's just a friend, Tika!” Ivy said, knowing deeply that she admired Ares better than a friend should. 
Ivy took Tika’s advice and finally headed out of the bedroom. 

…
Ivy caught a glimpse of the man’s brown leather coat and his perfectly laid-back hair. He was carried away with the portraits on the wall. 

Ivy cleared her throat to catch his attention as he spun in her direction almost immediately. 
  “Ivy!” he softly called out as she swallowed, guilt hugging her face. “How 
Are you?” he asked, moving closer to her as the corners of his brows creased to the sky. 
  “Are you sure? By the way, I thought that I should give you this,” he said, handing a bouquet of daisies perfectly wrapped in red ribbons. 
  “Wow,” she said, receiving the bouquet as she sniffed it with a smile. “Smells lovely. Quite thoughtful! You didn't have to, but thanks. Ares!” Ivy added as he nodded.  “Please, let’s sit,” she offered. 
They sat on a couch, staring at each other from time to time. 
  “I was really worried about you. I've tried to reach you countless times, but you haven't returned my calls or text messages. Am I disgusting?” he said with a tinge of a joke in his tone. 
  “No way, Ares. I'm sorry about that. I just had a lot to deal with… it took a toll on me, but life must happen, right?” Her tone fell flat as he tried to reason with her. ”Would you like some dinner? A drink? Anything?” she asked. 
  “Oh no, don't worry about me… really…” he said politely. 
He was convinced that something was off about her, he could tell that Ivy had quite a handful to deal with. 

Ares took her free hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. 
  “It's written all over your face, Ivy. All isn't well… although you didn't do so well masking your pain behind your pretty smiles,” he pointed out as she flushed and looked away. 
  “You don't know me,” she let out. 
  “That's what I'm trying to do, to get to know you…” He stated as her lips pursed, gently taking off her hand. 

Ivy was quick to forget that a man like Ares would never feel intimidated by her feisty demeanor. She scoffed and turned back to him. 
  “Okay!” she simply said. “If I may… ask… what is the matter? Do you mind talking about it?” he asked. 
  “You don't want to listen to sad stories, Ares…” Ivy dismissively slapped the air. 
  “I have all the time in the world once it's about you, Ivy…” he pressed as her eyes rolled. ”I love that, your eyes rolling…” he added as she chuckled, a bit of embarrassment flushing her face. 
  “Honestly, Ares, it is a sad story! You wouldn't like it and... I don't want to drown in pain either…” she said.
  “Okay, I can understand. How about I take you out to lunch or dinner—preferably dinner. We can get to talk about everything, learn new things about each other. I mean, only if you're cool with it. I just want to make you feel relieved of whatever burden you have locked somewhere in you,” he said as she nodded. 

She felt comforted, his genuine care was palpable. 
  “Definitely not a bad idea,” she agreed as how eyes shifted to the picture on the wall. 
  “Nate Hart! A very… ambitious man. How are you holding up by the way?” he calmly chimed in, his baritone gave him away.   
  “I'm trying to wake up from a nightmare that still haunts me,” she simply said but there was more to her heavy words. Yet, Ares didn't pressure her.   
  “I don't plan on forcing you to spill either—I know how it feels to be… stuck in a nightmare.” he rose to leave as she for the same. “I should leave now, I have a meeting by morning with some dudes in tuxedos,” he teased as Ivy laughed it off. 
For a second, Ivy forgot about her worries as though time had stopped.  
  “Take care of yourself, will you?!” Ares said, tracing the side of his face with the tip of his fingers. 
Like a sorcerer, she was instantly hexed by his subtle gestures. 
  “Goodnight, gorgeous!” he said as he attempted to leave. He stopped, catching her gaze again. “Your dress? I love it so much!” he added with a half smile as he headed away. 
After he had left completely, Ivy’s eyes darted to the bouquet as she exhaled. It was certain that Ares affected her. 
Ivy headed to her room, taking along the flowers. When she entered her room, she placed the flowers on the table as her phone buzzed. 
She lazily took a peek, it was a message from Detective Calvin.  
‘I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU! Meeting at 8 AM!’
Ivy was left to her thoughts! What could the Detective possibly have that would be different from what Alvin had shown her? Her thoughts lingered in the air.