Ivan Morris

a sigh of relief escaped her the moment ivan didn’t bolt outof her house. she needed him more than anything at this moment. her fears wereeating her up each day and she knew she probably shouldn’t have been thisreliant on him, but she couldn’t help it. “i wanna hear what you think. youmatter just as much.” she affirmed, burying her face in his chest as shestruggled to keep a calm composure. “i love you, ivan. more than anything.” shelooked up, tip toeing to press a kiss to his cheek, tears continuing to flowdown her cheeks as she spoke. “he’s wrong about you. i promise.” it was likeshe could read his mind. she knew how badly Dylan had affected him. his wordswere like daggers. even she couldn’t forget the chilling tone in his voice. “forwhat it’s worth if this is going to happen i think you’d be the best dad in theworld. you and i can do anything so long as we’re together.”

“i love you sophia, and i’ve got your back always.” he whispered to her as they stayed in their embrace. hearing her mention dylan, without necessarily saying his name caused for tears to spring to his eyes, one slowly rolling down his cheek. he missed his brother, a ton but his words were inked into his thoughts. “you and i, together.” he repeated, summarizing her words. they could handle anything, they had already been through so much, this was just another part of their story. 

soph stood in silence, swallowing down the lump that hadformed in her throat. “the test was positive but it was only one. maybe it’swrong…maybe it’ll all be okay.” she mumbled, staring nowhere else but towardsthe tile floors beneath them. her hands once again found themselves coveringher face, this time in complete sadness rather than embarrassment. she let outa heavy sigh, tears rolling down her cheeks freely as she did her best to avoidbreaking down in front of ivan. the last thing he needed to know was that shewas just as terrified—that she had no idea what would become of them. “don’t…it’sokay, ivan.” she murmured, finally wiping at her tears and glancing over at himfor the first time in minutes. “we’ll do whatever you want. i don’t have tokeep it…we can make it work and you won’t have to leave.”

finally moving from the spot he had frozen into, he slowly approached the girl, arms pulling her into him. “soph....” he whispered to her, a hand gently coming up to the back of her neck, holding her closely. “the decision is ultimately yours.. your body, your rules, your decision..” he said in a cautious voice, nervousness still detectable. he was terrified, absolutely scared. constantly, the words dylan spat at him continued to replay, over and over. “i’m not leaving you..”

 soph held the pen in her hand, completely spacing off asivan spoke. she could hear him faintly in the background, but her mind had beenfocused elsewhere. this wasn’t something she could hide for very long and nowwould be the perfect time to know, to plan out their next steps. but there wasa part of her that wished to refrain. he couldn’t handle this, wouldn’t be ableto see her the same if she told him this kind of news. “oh,” she finallymumbled, setting her notebook and pen aside. the brunette couldn’t handlekeeping this to herself much longer. he needed to know. he deserved to know. “iam.” she finally spoke up, eyes avoiding his gaze as she stood there, lifting herhand to run her fingers through her hair. “i think i’m pregnant, ivan.” herheart sank as the words left her lips, and as soon as they did she wished shecould take them back. “please don’t leave.” she sighed, tears welling up in hereyes as she spoke.

his body froze, posture suddenly becoming straighter and eyes wider. hearing his keys fall from his hand, followed by complete silence, ivan stared back at soph unknowing of what to say. controlling his breathing, he closed his eyes for a second only to open them once more and look at his hands. “you think you are or you are?” he asked, his voice quieter than before. hearing her plea, his heart felt tightened. he knew he wasn’t going anywhere but still the idea of having a kid was frightening him immensely. “soph...” he whispered, looking up at her with concern. 

it was taking a great amount of effort for soph to keep thisto herself. she had already revealed her secret to eva, but for some reason shecouldn’t muster up enough courage to tell ivan. he was dealing with too much atthe moment and she didn’t want to find herself being the source of his addedstress. “not gonna tell him,” he mumbled, tugging a strand of dark brown hairbehind her ear. the sound of ivan’s voice echoing through the tiny housecompletely threw her off guard, a low yelp emitting past her lips as she turnedto face the boy. “i’m fine…it’s a writer’s block thing i’m going through.” shemumbled with a sigh, suddenly feeling guilty for withholding the truth. “maybeyou could help out!” the girl stepped forward, grabbing a pen and her notebookas thought to pretend this was actually work related. “if i for instance toldyou i was pregnant, how would you feel?” she raised a brow, curious as to whathis answer might be. “it’s uh for a creative writing thing..i wanna capture thecharacter’s emotions.”

placing the bag down on the kitchen counter, ivan’s confusion didn’t leave his face as he listened to her explanation. the question made his stop for a second, raising an eyebrow at her. “how would i feel?” he questioned, more to himself at the moment. “well um-” he began, trying to find the words. it’s not that he wouldn’t be ecstatic, deep down he would. would he? was he capable of being a good father? with his experience... and now dylan’s words ringing through his mind.. would that ever be a possibility for him? would he want that? “i um-..” he tried again, his face heating up a bit at his nervousness. “the idea of starting a family is beautiful, don’t get me wrong but, honestly..but-i’d be terrified.” he whispered in complete honesty. with his eyes looking down towards their take out, he took a second to think before continuing. “i don’t think it would be a good idea, with me i mean.” he finished, looking up at her this time. 

a deep sigh escaped the girl as she ended her facetime video call with eva. rather than relaxing as she had previously planned, the tiny brunette stood from the couch, pacing back and forth quickly. her mind had been occupied with so much, as she imagined ivan’s was. how in the world was she going to tell him that she thought she was pregnant? “we aren’t even ready for a dog!” she mumbled, running her fingers through her hair as she continued talking to herself. “a child? at a time like this? no, i can’t tell him..” she chewed at her bottom lip, not at all noticing the other presence emerge into her tiny beach cottage.

with a bag of takeout in his hand and his phone in the other, ivan tried his best to open the door without causing much trouble or sound. he wanted to surprise sophia with a relaxing afternoon, food always being a conversation starter for the both of them. he knew he needed to find some way to open up, especially after his behavior changing due to not speaking with his best friend, it had been a couple of weeks but even time wasn’t healing the wound. hearing the brunette speaking to herself, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, closing the door behind him with his body. “...you okay there?” he asked softly. 

dylan had been expecting him, but ivan flipping the script on him wasn’t one of them. he was blaming him for it all, telling him that not even this last effort would have made a difference. his fist curled tighter, nails digging into his palm the more his best friend retaliated at him. he didn’t care about anyone looking at them, even if eva was one of them. right now this was about betrayal, about his best friend once again choosing sophia’s side over him. “oh i’m a piece of shit? really, you’re gonna come out and have the nerve to say that?” he tilted his head to the side, completely ignoring the presence of everyone else in the ballroom. “who was always there for you? through everything. who let you sneak in late at night to stay in my house so that your dad would stop attacking you. who the fuck supported you when no one else would, when your own fucking girlfriend wouldn’t even give you the time of day. hm? but i’m the piece of shit. i’m nothing.” he had practically been sobbing without even realizing it until he felt the wet tears on his face, and the rising heat to his cheeks. “your dad was right about you. all you do is fail everyone eventually even your own goddamn brother.” he shook his head, turning on his heel and making his way toward the exit, fist still tight in his hand, ready to attack whoever dared to come in his way. 

he was hurt. fine. maybe he should let it slide, but no, he couldn’t. not when bringing up his father, the piece of shit who put him through the worst childhood imaginable. it was a low blow, so low it caused tears ready to spring from his eyes. his best friend, the one person whom he considered family was throwing his hardships and struggles, nightmares even right at his face, always being perfect to hurt someone with words. “you’re so lucky i won’t pound your face in right now dylan..” he spat at him, once clenching his jaw, he couldn’t believe what was going on. “and you’re just a selfish asshole who thinks the world owes him shit, but guess what dylan? nobody owes you anything, figure it out by now.” he yelled at him, ignoring the glares and the murmurs from the people surrounding them as dylan walked away. standing there silently, he clenched his fists in rage, breathing heavily as his eyes roamed around finally finding soph’s, only to walk away to find the nearest exit. 

laughs and cheers suddenly turned into whispers and gentle gasps as shouting and hurtful words were thrown around in the venue, the attention going from the married couple to ivan and dylan. eva’s heart was now pounding within her chest as she listened to the exchange between the two, now acknowledging that dylan was actually there... but why hadn’t he come sooner? confused, she handed her beige floral bouquet to one of the brides maids as she quietly walked away from kyle. “ take some pictures with your groomsmen and family..” she suggested, the crowd of photographers continuing without her, left in confusion. slightly picking up her dress from the ground, she excused herself and made her way over to the commotion, seeing dylan already walking away and ivan heading in the other direction. looking up, she blocked his path, no words exchanged within the first few seconds of sight, attempting to find the words. “what are you doing?” she asked, left in utter confusion. 

how could this have happened? how could he have messed up one simple task so badly? his eyes remained on eva, the obvious look of disappointment etched on her face. but everyone kept cheering, everyone carried on unaware that this wedding was the end of everything for him. he had turned quickly, hoping eva caught no sign of him. he couldn’t look at her longer anyway, not with the broken look on his own face. he was heartbroken, but most all undeniably angry. he searched and searched until he found the one person he’d been looking for this entire time, footsteps growing into stomps as he walked over to his best friend angrily. “how could you fucking do that shit to me, ivan?” he asked, voice cracking mid-sentence. he couldn’t help it as he lifted his hands to push the other male back angrily. “don’t even bother with the explanations because i already know she had something to do with it.” he was practically yelling as he pointed an accusing finger at sophia. “since when, hm? since when was some princess worth more than our friendship?” he lifted his fist, ready to bash it into his someone who he had once considered a brother. but he found himself incapable of doing it, even if he was fuming with anger. “fuck you, ivan. and fuck your little piece of shit girlfriend too.” 

ivan didn’t know what to expect from his best friend, but it definitely wasn’t that. his eyes went wide, quickly attempting to calm him down. “dylan, i swear i-” he was caught off, stumbling back on his feet. immediately pushing back, he grew defensive as dylan spoke about sophia, his pointing fingers making him grow angrier by the second. “she had nothing to do with it-and don’t even start that bullshit with me, dylan because a princess is exactly why you’re acting this way.” he spat back at him, his face expressing distaste at the male before him. seeing him lift a hand, ivan’s heart began to race but he wasn’t ready to back down, anger taking over him completely. “the only one who’s a piece of shit here is you! you want a swing? fine, go ahead! but that won’t make up for the fact that you landed yourself in this situation.” eyes were now turning in their direction, making him immediately stop. “look- i’m sorry dylan.. but you’re just going to have to get over this. you did it to yourself. sure i’m to blame for not texting you, fine, whatever, but this is on you for not getting your feelings straightened out and you know damn well i’m right.” he said through gritted teeth, attempting to keep himself calm. 

dylan had been pacing back and forth, head pounding from the night before. he had gotten beyond drunk and found himself nearly hopeless until he had figured out his last resort. this was now or never and if it wasn’t done at the right time, then he’d lose the one girl he’s loved forever. yes, he loved her. he loved evangeline with every fiber in his being and there was no more denying it. a groan slipped past his lips, soft rays of the sun shining in his eyes as he tried to read for any sign of a text message from his best friend. ivan was watching from the inside and he had been responsible for letting him know of the perfect moment. “c’mon ivan.” he sighed, his steps growing heavier as he tucked his phone away in his back pocket and decided he had waited too long. he had taken a step forward to cross the street to the large venue where eva and kyle were set to get married, but as he approached he could hear loud cheers and clapping in the distance. had he gotten there too late? “no,” he mumbled as he took an awkward step inside, eyes widening to the sight of eva and kyle’s first kiss as husband and wife. 

People were cheering, crowds clapping and cameras immediately going off. Ivan’s eyes were on Soph, wide eyed and concerned, knowing how badly he had messed up. He was so caught up in arguing with Jack, making sure he knew his place, he had missed the cue, the one his best friend so desperately needed and depended on. He had failed him and honestly, did not know how he would face him. Immediately digging through his pocket to find his phone, he looked down at his notifications, guilt settling within the pit of his stomach. Hearing the exiting music, Eva and Kyle strolled by, the brunette shifting her eyes away from Ivan and faking her way by the guest. Spotting Soph, he rushed up to her, interrupting the wedding party and taking Jack’s place. “I messed up..” he whispered to his girlfriend, guilt in his voice as his eyes found Dylan, already fearing his reaction. “Shit-I’m sorry, Dyl..” he attempted. 

soph could feel the heat rising to her cheeks in response to ivan’s compliment. he never ceased to make her excited whenever he was around. she wasn’t sure what it was, but she never found herself growing bored with his affection. “says the one who looks like an absolute showstopper.” she rolled her eyes playfully as she tiptoed to peck his nose. 

the girl could already imagine who ivan was referring to as she turned to eye her best friend, dylan, and kyle just inches away from one another. they seemed to be doing alright for now, but with dylan you could never expect what could come next. “tell me about it. i can feel trouble ahead of us.” she sighed softly, running her hand up and down her arm nervously. “hey, don’t worry about him. it’s just one more day and then we’ll go back to normal…i hope.” 

“i’m just trying to keep up with you, you know?” he teased following a bit of laughter, his hands playfully fixing his tie. “is this good enough?” he asked, raising a brow humorously. squinting his eyes as she pecked his nose, his hands came up to her face, caressing her gently. “you’re perfect.” he whispered against her lips before pecking her. 

sighing to himself, he shook his head slightly, clenching his jaw once more at the sight of jack. “when did we become the parents?” he joked, the only way he knew to release such tension. “we better.” he warned, his eyes now towards jack. 

soph couldn’t help but walk in tonight with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. she’d support eva until the end of time, but even she knew this wasn’t the right thing for her best friend to do. it wasn’t so much her choice to marry kyle, but rather the fact that she had been planning to do it while still hopeleslly in love with someone else. there was no denying, no hiding that her best friend was in love with dylan. but in less than twenty-four hours this was happening. her friend would be handing herself off to someone she barely knows and moving away to california. it was bittersweet. on one end her friend was finally forgetting someone who wasn’t good for her. on the other? she hadn’t really forgotten about ivan’s best friend.

things weren’t so easy for her either. she wasn’t sure how much more ivan could take knowing she was seeing jack nearly everyday at wedding rehearsals. she tried to ignore his advances as much as possible, seeing as she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. ivan was right about him and soph truly couldn’t wait until this whole thing was over. what she wanted most in this world was to walk down that isle with ivan by her side, not the guy who nearly tarnished her entire career. 

but there he was again, trying to talk to her as she wordlessly made her way into dylan’s restaurant. this was quite the choice for a venue and it was almost obvious by the look on ivan’s face that drama was inevitable. even en, she tried to ease the tension by making her way straight over to her boyfriend. “someone’s looking dapper tonight.” she gleefully smiled at him, effortlessly lacing her fingers with his. 

Clenching his jaw, he kept his eyes on jack, seeing him smirk back in response and so badly wanting to wipe it off his face, but tonight he would be at his absolute best, especially for soph. Seeing her approach, his hands immediately fell to her waist, pulling her in for a quick kiss. “someone’s looking rather gorgeous tonight” he said softly in reply, stepping back to take a look at her once more. “absolutely gorgeous.” he smiled, before placing a kiss among her cheek.

his eyes looked up once more, now seeing dylan approach eva and kyle, his expression turning into complete worry. “we might have to be on the look out tonight...” he expressed to the shorter brunette before him. “something tells me we’re going to have a long night ahead of us... especially with that jackass over there.” he nodded towards the other male, who attempted not to stare in their direction. 

Swinging the door open, he hummed to himself before spotting Dylan, making his way over and greeting him. His eyes traveled along the place, seeing everyone on task, almost in sync and entirely focused, one could tell that people of such titles would be walking in through the doors, it threw him off not really seeing Eva in such light, just a girl, who could surf and who his best friend couldn’t make a decision on, 

But finally, his girl was in sight, immediately catching his attention and a smile at his lips, which only seemed to last a matter of seconds, seeing Jack trailing behind her, and his eyes trailing on her behind. 

Soph hummed softly as she felt him placing tiny kisses on her neck. She couldn’t help but think that they were the perfect for each other. She wished she could have seen it sooner, that they would have been together all these years. The girl stuck her tongue out at him playfully, pushing her hair to the side as he continued his focus on her neck. “I love you too.” She smiled happily. It wasn’t scary to say it anymore, it just came out naturally.

Soph shook her head in disagreement. Even though he believed she had done a lot to help him, he had no idea what kind of impact he had on her life this entire time. “You’d still be drumming, living the dream and writing great music.” The brunette mumbled with a smile.  “Like who? Jack-o?” She mocked, raising an eyebrow. “normally I would roll my eyes to this, but you are a hot shot.” Soph said with a laugh. “Ivan if it weren’t for you I’d still be pretending to be someone and something I’m not,” she admitted.

Sophia had made such a difference in Ivan’s life, he didn’t where he would be without with her. Bringing his head down as she spoke, he hid his face in the crook of her neck again, placing kisses on her neck, that was until she mentioned Jack. Looking up at her, he made a silly expression, furrowing his brows playfully before making his way back to her neck. Her words made him melt, although he wouldn’t admit. “I love you..” he whispered against her neck. 

Soph shimmied in her spot once Ivan laid her down, a smile taking a hold over her features when he hovered over her. “Very much,” she added, using her index finger to trace over the tiny moles on his face. The girl pecked his lips softly, finding it seemingly impossible not to keep smiling at him. “I’m glad i was there that day you decided to sneak into the band room to play with your band. Don’t know what it’d be like if we hadn’t argued that day.” She laughed, remembering their first face to face encounter.

Smiling down at his girl, he watched as she traced his features, the act so innocent and gentle. “I’d probably be a whole lot of a mess. Maybe in jail or something..” Ivan confessed, softly rubbing his nose against hers. “You’d probably be dating some hot shot..” he added before smirking. “But you are right now, so it wouldn’t have been so different for you.” he joked, then realizing he used the word dating. 

Soph yelped to herself as Ivan hoisted her up. It’d been so long since she was held this close by someone, especially someone she cared about this much. “You’re such a little dork, Ivan.” She teased, a large smile on her face when she looked down at him. Her arms remained hooked around his neck as she nodded towards her bed.

Following her nod, Ivan began to walk them towards her bed. Being as gentle as possible, be placed her body down onto the bed, his body now over hers. “A dork, that you love.” he pointed out, a huge dorky smile on his face as he wiggled his eyebrows. Chuckling, he came down to peck her nose before meeting her lips. 

Finally telling Ivan she loved him lifted a huge weight offof Soph’s shoulders. The girl couldn’t feel happier at that moment as shekissed him back. Who knew tonight would be the night? What was supposed to bepizza and hanging out turned into a night full of romance. Still, Soph had noregrets. The brunette held him as closely as possible, never wanting to let goof him. “You did taste like pizza by the way,” she whispered with a large smileon her face.

Chuckling as they held one another, Ivan closed his eyes, breathing her in. He felt safe for once in his life. Like he didn’t have to hide a thing, pretend to be something he wasn’t or put up a tough act. He could just simply.. be. Bringing his hands down to her thighs, Ivan gently pushed her off the ground, having her legs wrap around her thighs. “I taste delicious then.” he laughed, looking up at her now.