Meanwhile, Ivy cut the call to exhale deeply. All the panic she carried melted to her daring choice instigated by a true friend. Parker became the reason for her decision.

**

Ivy looked natural during the film shoots, thanks to her active artists who keep astounding her with their performances, making her live in bliss while in private life, she kept ruining herself at times from remembering the dreaded past.

Parker watched his friend fell to suffering. So he suggested Ivy meet up with Bridgette and sort out their relations.h.i.+p to a state of her betterment. Seeing Ivy hesitate, he dragged her forcefully to a local bar where he ordered her to call Bridgette and invite her to hang out. Undoubtedly, Ivy resisted, and that is where Parker made a bargain of not letting Ivy eat a bite if she doesn't obey him. Threatened by food, Ivy yielded and agreed to follow his command.

Now that the call ended, Parker chose to leave her alone after buying her a sweet drink. However, before leaving, he begged her to resolve their concern before Ivy realizes hope for a possible future. Though not sure what he intended, Ivy listened to him eventually as it made sense. She started working on her first significant job immediately after getting heartbroken and kept running away from facing the rejected love. Bridgette was her best friend for years, and distancing herself from such a.s.sociation bought a fresh regret upon Parker's enlightenment.

Ivy realized it had been a month since they spoke to each other. Never once had it occur before, and even when they fight at times, one of them will approach the other to soothe the anger and then get drunk to return being close friends.

All of this thinking made Ivy worry about Bridgette's state of well-being. She cared to let that regret sink in to ache. The realization urged her to fix the gap unknowingly created. Thanks to Parker's initiation, she impatiently waited for Bridgette's arrival.

**

Ivy waited until Bridgette hastily arrived sooner than antic.i.p.ated.

Panting her way to spot Ivy, they stared into each other to feel a raw tension, uneasy in the atmosphere, followed by a heavy silence to approach.

Ivy broke the unsettling situation to signal Bridgette as they both entered into a late-night local bar. The place was still lively with customers, and Ivy, having already reserved a word to the waiter for arranging two seats, got guided by the escort to their spot. They sat by the counter to place their orders first.

Ivy preferred beer while Bridgette asked for club soda with lime. She didn't want to drink alcohol, especially when meeting with a friend after a long time.

At first, it was harsh for both to face each other straightforward. Thanks to the counter seats, they had an excuse to keep their gazes away, entertaining as each studied the shelf with the display of liquor bottles. As soon as the bartender place their drinks, both grabbed it at once to take a slow, long sip. Ivy took an extra gulp to finish half the bottle of beer. It was cold outside, and she waited quite some time to make this event happen.

Also, it was hard to describe the growing hesitation to talk. Unsettled eyes glanced unceremoniously around as both tried to avoid meeting each other's gaze. Bridgette sat uptight in her stool while Ivy s.h.i.+fts uncomfortably in her seat. Bridgette grasped her sweaty, nervous hands against her gla.s.s while Ivy's feet shuffled against the bar floor, awkwardly tracing a random outline while judging the whispers swirled in the air.

Even the bartender could sense the thick silence and tense mood in the air between the ladies. He ignored to randomly think that it must be love, what caused these two women to have a silent battle; Not an unusual sight in a bar.

"About the show-" Ivy started, "I often hear great things about it-" she said, falling to another quick silence. And she heard the soft mumble of 'Thank You' following from Bridgette.

"I also heard about your movie. Congratulations!" Bridgette said to follow up. Frankly, she was gus.h.i.+ng with joy from the moment she learned the news. She knew it was Ivy's big dream to make a feature film.

Agreeing, Ivy chuckled to explain how the unexpected opportunity flashed in front of her, practically appealing to her longing for distraction.

'A diversion that could cure a broken heart.'

Bridgette asked if it successfully worked in helping her out. Ivy waited to empty her bottle to order another one.

"In a way, yes, because I was doing something I loved sincerely," she replied only after taking the first sip of her second brew.

Bridgette listened to her talk.

"I was able to overcome my feelings for you, momentarily, but I can't keep ignoring them."

Ivy said to look straight at Bridgette for the first time in the night. Still, she was feeling bitter, staring at that beautiful face and how it bothered her very much. Having already got rejected, Ivy chose to get it over tonight with this stupid, naive desire that she had developed unconsciously over discovering herself.

"I needed to confront these emotions," Ivy admits to her truth.

"And?"

The prolonged ignorance somehow weighed in additional pressure as Ivy strove to speak up.

"And-" she muttered subtly to exhale, "I'm really sorry, Bridgette. It was rude of me to keep a distance suddenly."

Bridgette got startled to hear Ivy apologize for her choice. It was never a harsh decision. Yes, the result of such choice tested their friends.h.i.+p, but seeing how they agreed to meet again shows how much of that friends.h.i.+p values to them.

Bridgette stepped in to encourage Ivy, for her judgment was never wrong concerning this subject.

It was the right choice to separate for the betterment of both. Bridgette also included her apology for how things turned out this way for her friend. It was harsh to reject a close friend's confession, but there was nothing Bridgette could do to make Ivy happy. She would rather be straight than giving her mere hopes that might soon drown in a scam.

"And?" Bridgette asked again to determine if Ivy had overcome those feelings or not. Ivy never responded to it the first time.

"I'm there, almost, at the edge," she admits to her heartache.

If they aren't friends, then it could be possible to achieve that goal. Since their friends.h.i.+p stood on the frontline for a test, it became hard to confront the discarded flame.

"It was never easy for me too! Do you remember what happened to me with Josh?" Bridgette reminisced, distracting Ivy from falling to anguish.

The two thought about their friends- Carmel and Sara.

Bridgette finished her drink to request for more, and the bartender moved immediately.

Carmel and Josh got married and have three kids together. They decided to hold a simple wedding, but Josh's friends and Bridgette and Ivy took the couple by surprise and threw a great party at their wedding, shocking the family and close relatives.

Ivy and Bridgette still remembered that day and the previous day when the girls joined for Carmel's bachelorette party. By that time, Bridgette had completely subdued her feelings for Josh. She now accepted their love without any hostility and only wished them happiness. Compared to her friends.h.i.+p with Carmel, Bridgette wasn't willing to scale her love for Josh. Instead, she believed that there's someone else worthy of her attention.

Now, sipping drinks, Ivy and Bridgette held a nostalgic smile of Carmel's bachelorette party.

"I still can't believe that you did a pole dance for her!" Bridgette rattled ashamed.

Fl.u.s.tered to hear the nightmare that they swore never to speak again, Ivy's face turned red, from both the alcohol and a bad memory.

"Shut up," she solicited to stop her mind from replaying the tape, only to recall her erotic moves to a mocking burn.

Bridgette couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out into laughter from remembering it.

"Stop it, Bridgette."

Ivy's yelling no longer worked as Bridgette had tears from heavy laughter. It cleared the awkwardness between them and returned the glorified familiar comfort.

The bartender noticed them suddenly cracking up with smiles and grew nervous inside. Ivy compensated the peeling laughter with beer and had become slightly inebriated. Bridgette finally ceased her fun to order her second refill.

"Did you had it enough, stupid Bridgette?" Ivy grumbled to her dizzy state.

"I haven't laughed like that in a long time!"

Ivy couldn't help and join in to share a childish giggle. It was the second time their eyes met, and that was it. The friends.h.i.+p dominated as both missed each other in their lives. They also thought about their other two friends.

"What is Sara doing these days?" Bridgette cared to ask.

Sara went on to become a licensed city tour specialist and settled in Athen, capital of Greece. It was due to her obsession with Greek mythology, greek theatre, and the beautiful architectures created for Greek G.o.ds. She often travels around the country to visit the beautiful Greek temples.

'I never thought Sara would turn out like that!" Bridgette remarked.

"Why?"

"I don't know! She was the most silent one in our group, and she went to preach about Greek culture."

"I know! But, she's having crazy fun there!" Ivy admits to a slight jealous. In their line of work, vacation is something unthinkable, especially before reaching success.

"Yeah! Josh became an athletic trainer for basketball players, and Carmel manages her family business," Ivy commented, replaying the last few years to see how far they've come and how much they all changed in the course of living their lives.

Soon succ.u.mbing to old memories, Ivy and Bridgette grew natural to their awareness and no longer hesitated to speak.

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