her eyes. ‘I picked up on it all, Lux. But there’s a difference between a runaway train, and a derailment you know! And I was powerless to prevent either!’ Pintang turned back to Lincoln. ‘Have you lost your mind? Of all the ungrateful-’ She shook her head, backing off. ‘Actually, don’t explain. I don’t want to hear it. I came back for...not for this kind of crap. Good night.’ She shot Lux one final, baleful glare. ‘And by that I mean go to bed . Alone.’
Both Pintang and Lux were long gone by the time Lincoln snapped out of his frozen panic.
⁓
It seemed to Tristan like a millennia had passed before Ivyanne spoke again. She turned away from the ocean and glowered at him, crossing her arms across her chest, looking like a goddess against the inky black night.
‘I don’t want to get on a plane, and even if I did, I couldn’t just ditch Lincoln like that. It would be heartless. So what else can I give you that will make this trip a non-issue?’
‘Aside from the obvious?’ Tristan asked. ‘I want to know that my odds of winning here are the same regardless of whether you’re carrying my child. I want to know that you’re not saying no to this trip because you can stand to be away from me easier than you can stand being away from him .’ He could tell Ivyanne was about to say something but he held his hand up. ‘The scales are so in his favor that it’s almost comical. For one, he gets to see you every single day and secondly, you’re giving him an equal chance regardless of the fact that you’d already promised your future to me ! And to make it sting just that little bit more, I had to get you pregnant to be considered at all !’
‘Not true!’ she said. ‘That day on the beach, before we made love, I told you that I was falling for you.’
‘Because I was the least horrid option available then! Face it Ivyanne, if Ardhi had turned Lincoln that morning-you probably would have forgotten my name by now!’
Ivyanne opened her mouth, then shut it. Her face was still wet with tears, and she swiped them away, even as fresh ones began to pool in her eyes.
The angst in her expression did it for Tristan. Feeling like everything inside him died from that one look, he got to his feet, as words he loathed to say spilled from his lips.
‘Fine,’ he nodded, backing away from her. ‘ That’s the answer I needed, I guess. The final one.’
‘ What ?’ Ivyanne got to her feet. ‘Wait Tristan I didn’t say anything !’
‘You didn’t have to-I know you well now Ivyanne-words always come to you when they’re from your heart,’ the fact stung him with its accuracy. ‘It’s when you have to make something up to please someone else, that you get tongue-tied. Well, I won’t be the guy who renders you speechless anymore.’
‘Tristan don’t say that!’ She flung herself at him, pressing her face into his chest, trying to slip her arms under his, but he was immovable. He stood there, turning to stone to ward off the ecstasy her touch promised yet never seemed to deliver. ‘I’m just having a rough day is all!’
‘Maybe. But if you loved me, I’d be the one to make it better for you, not worse,’ he held out his hands helplessly. ‘I offered you an escape but you don’t want it. Not with me.’ His vision began to blur. ‘Forget your promise, okay? I’m releasing you from it. And the damn IOU.’
‘No!’ Ivyanne dug her fingers into his flesh.‘I just need time. I don’t want to be released!’
‘Yes you do,’ Tristan said quietly, keeping his eyes on the stars above her head so he didn’t have to look into her pleading face. ‘You just don’t want me to feel bad that I’m making your life that much easier by walking out of it. I’m sorry that you feel so responsible for me.’
Ivyanne began to rain little punches on his chest. ‘Don’t apologize for this!’ She cried. ‘I won’t! And what if I have your child, huh? What then ?’
‘We won’t have been
Both Pintang and Lux were long gone by the time Lincoln snapped out of his frozen panic.
⁓
It seemed to Tristan like a millennia had passed before Ivyanne spoke again. She turned away from the ocean and glowered at him, crossing her arms across her chest, looking like a goddess against the inky black night.
‘I don’t want to get on a plane, and even if I did, I couldn’t just ditch Lincoln like that. It would be heartless. So what else can I give you that will make this trip a non-issue?’
‘Aside from the obvious?’ Tristan asked. ‘I want to know that my odds of winning here are the same regardless of whether you’re carrying my child. I want to know that you’re not saying no to this trip because you can stand to be away from me easier than you can stand being away from him .’ He could tell Ivyanne was about to say something but he held his hand up. ‘The scales are so in his favor that it’s almost comical. For one, he gets to see you every single day and secondly, you’re giving him an equal chance regardless of the fact that you’d already promised your future to me ! And to make it sting just that little bit more, I had to get you pregnant to be considered at all !’
‘Not true!’ she said. ‘That day on the beach, before we made love, I told you that I was falling for you.’
‘Because I was the least horrid option available then! Face it Ivyanne, if Ardhi had turned Lincoln that morning-you probably would have forgotten my name by now!’
Ivyanne opened her mouth, then shut it. Her face was still wet with tears, and she swiped them away, even as fresh ones began to pool in her eyes.
The angst in her expression did it for Tristan. Feeling like everything inside him died from that one look, he got to his feet, as words he loathed to say spilled from his lips.
‘Fine,’ he nodded, backing away from her. ‘ That’s the answer I needed, I guess. The final one.’
‘ What ?’ Ivyanne got to her feet. ‘Wait Tristan I didn’t say anything !’
‘You didn’t have to-I know you well now Ivyanne-words always come to you when they’re from your heart,’ the fact stung him with its accuracy. ‘It’s when you have to make something up to please someone else, that you get tongue-tied. Well, I won’t be the guy who renders you speechless anymore.’
‘Tristan don’t say that!’ She flung herself at him, pressing her face into his chest, trying to slip her arms under his, but he was immovable. He stood there, turning to stone to ward off the ecstasy her touch promised yet never seemed to deliver. ‘I’m just having a rough day is all!’
‘Maybe. But if you loved me, I’d be the one to make it better for you, not worse,’ he held out his hands helplessly. ‘I offered you an escape but you don’t want it. Not with me.’ His vision began to blur. ‘Forget your promise, okay? I’m releasing you from it. And the damn IOU.’
‘No!’ Ivyanne dug her fingers into his flesh.‘I just need time. I don’t want to be released!’
‘Yes you do,’ Tristan said quietly, keeping his eyes on the stars above her head so he didn’t have to look into her pleading face. ‘You just don’t want me to feel bad that I’m making your life that much easier by walking out of it. I’m sorry that you feel so responsible for me.’
Ivyanne began to rain little punches on his chest. ‘Don’t apologize for this!’ She cried. ‘I won’t! And what if I have your child, huh? What then ?’
‘We won’t have been
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