Chapter 6 Little Sister

Chapter 6: Little Sister 

Ivy 

The atmosphere was so tense and awkward that it felt almost physical, like pressure gathering inside the room with nowhere to escape.

Maddie was still seated, but her posture had shifted. Her spine was straighter, shoulders subtly angled forward, eyes fixed with unmistakable interest. Not on me.

On Leo.

There was nothing casual about the way she watched him. It wasn’t curiosity. It wasn’t politeness. It was assessment—open, appreciative, and just a little too intent to be accidental.

Strange.

Behind me, I could feel another gaze just as heavy, just as intense. Andy’s attention burned into my back like heat from a flame I couldn’t see but instinctively avoided. I didn’t need to turn to know his eyes were moving between Leo and me, searching, measuring, trying to read something neither of us had spoken aloud.

Thankfully, he stepped forward and shattered the silence before it grew unbearable.

Andy crossed the small space separating us and stopped beside Maddie. His arm slid around her waist with familiar ease, drawing her closer until their sides were pressed together. The gesture was natural, affectionate and unmistakably territorial.

“Babe,” he said, voice warm but tight at the edges, “you remember Julia's son, Leo, right?” He gestured toward Leo, but his attention didn’t fully leave me.

Maddie nodded immediately, her smile widening as though she had been waiting for the introduction. Her gaze lingered on Leo for a heartbeat too long before flicking briefly up to Andy. “Yes,” she said.

Leo acknowledged them with a small nod, relaxed, composed, completely unbothered by the tension he had walked into. “Heard it’s your birthday,” he said smoothly. “Happy birthday.”

Maddie brightened as if he had handed her a gift already. “Thank you very much.”

“Sorry I couldn’t bring a present.”

She tilted her head, playful and confident. “Not an issue. Just send me a ticket to your match and all is forgiven.”

The word slipped out of me before I could stop it. “Match?”

I hadn’t meant to speak. But curiosity had outrun restraint, and now every pair of eyes in the room had shifted toward me.

Leo turned his head slowly, the corner of his mouth lifting. His hand, which had been holding mine, now slid around my waist. It rested lightly at my waist before sliding a fraction lower—not enough to be improper, but enough to be unmistakably intentional.

“Yes, my lady,” he murmured, voice dipping into a teasing drawl that seemed designed solely to unsettle me. “Not sophisticated enough for your tastes?”

Heat rushed instantly to my face. I became painfully aware of everything—his hand, the distance between us, Andy watching, Maddie observing, the quiet weight of expectation pressing in from every direction.

“He’s a boxer,” Andy supplied. “Poppy didn’t tell you?”

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly hyper-aware of how clumsy my movements felt. “I guess she did,” I admitted. “But I seem to have forgotten.”

“Ouch,” Leo said softly. “I’m hurt.”

Maddie laughed — louder than necessary, as though determined to keep the energy light. “Thank you for coming to my party, Leo,” she said, her hand resting over Andy’s where it encircled her waist. She glanced up at him with unmistakable affection. “My baby threw me a surprise birthday party.”

Andy huffed a small, mock-annoyed breath. “Too bad you ruined the surprise by arriving early.”

“I didn’t know you had plans,” she said, voice lowering conspiratorially. She leaned closer to him, whispering just loudly enough for the rest of us to hear. “I wanted to spend this night with you… you plus me plus a bottle of wine. All night.” 

Andy’s face flushed instantly, blushing hard. He cleared his throat, a nervous laugh escaping him as though he wasn’t sure where to look.

Beside me, Leo inhaled slowly, exaggeratedly, like someone sampling the air for a scent only he could detect. “Hmm,” he mused. “Young love. Sweet. Gotta love it. So sweet it might cause cavities.”

There was humor in his tone, but something sharper threaded through it—something faintly… mocking. Like he knew something I didn't. 

He nudged my side lightly. “Ivana, don’t you find this scene disgustingly romantic?”

I pulled away from him without answering. If I spoke, my voice might betray me. If I stayed still, at least I could pretend control.

Maddie and Andy didn’t notice the withdrawal. They were too wrapped in each other’s orbit.

“You’re so stinkingly adorable,” Maddie cooed, reaching up to touch Andy’s chin. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he replied immediately, the words soft and sincere.

She rose onto her toes and kissed him. Not a quick peck but a lingering, affectionate kiss that spoke of comfort and familiarity. When she pulled back, she smiled and gently wiped a trace of gloss from his lips with her thumb.

Andy looked completely obsessed. Like someone who had forgotten the world beyond the space directly in front of him.

And me?

I stood there feeling as though something inside my chest had fractured loudly, cleanly, beyond repair. 

I could feel it—the hollow ache slowly spreading outward. My throat tightened. My eyes stung. I pressed my nails into my palm just to anchor myself to something physical, something real.

Why did it hurt so much? Was Maddie doing this intentionally? 

I forced myself to breathe evenly, though the air felt thin and sharp. “I need to go upstairs and change,” I said, interrupting them before my composure slipped further. The excuse sounded thin even to my own ears, but I clung to it anyway.

Maddie turned toward me. “Sure, sis. I’ll wait for you. We sure need to catch up.”

Catch up on what? I thought bitterly. Your relationship with Andy? Your intimate life? Spare me.

But my smile came automatically. “Sure. I’ll be down soon.”

I moved before anyone could stop me, crossing the room with controlled urgency that bordered on finding escape. The staircase loomed ahead like refuge, and I took the steps quickly, my fingers brushing the railing for balance.

Footsteps followed. But I didn’t turn. Why turn when it might just be Maddie and Andy rushing upstairs to go tear the clothes off each other? 

Not until Andy’s voice cut through the quiet. “Where are you going?”

I paused, hand tightening around the banister. I turned slowly. “Me?” I asked, confused—and only then noticed Leo directly behind me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his presence without even touching him.

Andy shook his head. “Not you, Ivy. I’m talking to Leo.”

Leo lifted a brow, amused. “Why do you care?”

“Are you going to Ivy’s bedroom?” Andy asked.

Behind him, Maddie leaned closer, whispering something near his ear. Her hand remained looped through his arm, but her attention flickered between all of us with thinly veiled interest.

Leo folded his arms across his chest, muscles tightening beneath the fabric of his shirt. For a fleeting second, I had the absurd thought that the seams might split from the strain.

“Why do you ask?” he said evenly. “Are you her bodyguard?”

I watched the exchange in mounting confusion. The tension between them was no longer subtle — it had weight, history, and implication I couldn’t quite grasp.

Maddie laughed lightly, pressing her hand to Andy’s chest. “Babe, relax. Ivy’s not a kid anymore. I know how overprotective you get with her.”

“He does?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.

Maddie nodded casually.

Andy gave Leo one last measuring look before turning his attention to me. His expression softened, but something guarded lingered behind it.

“Ivy is like my little sister, Leo.”

The words landed with unexpected force. Little sister. Something inside me recoiled. The ache in my chest sharpened, twisting into something almost unbearable.

Leo’s laugh was quiet, but unmistakably filled with mockery. “Really?” he said. His gaze shifted briefly to me, then back to Andy. “Then why do you seem mad that I’m a little interested in Ivy?”