Falling in Love : I love you, Today and Forever

An hour later, Ivy and the Martin family sat together as they ate breakfast. Hazel and Martin had not stopped praising Ivy for her cooking, while Joshua watched them with a proud face. "Didn't I tell you? Ivy's cooking is amazing. Why should I eat somebody else's food when I can have such delicious food every day?" Joshua said and this time, his parents too agreed with him.

"Ivy, dear. Who thought you to cook? Was it your mother or did you pick it up yourself?" Hazel queried, after getting a small nudge from Martin. Although they had visited their son's house to find out more about the girl he had come to like, they also wanted to know about her background. Noah had already informed Martin about her being Oliver's daughter. However, Martin wanted to hear from her, lest his tongue should slip and he gave away the secret himself.

"No, it was not my mother. To be honest, my mother was not good at cooking. Other than a few easy dishes, she could not prepare anything well. It was my father who thought me to cook." Ivy replied honestly, her mind recalling the days when she and her father would cook delicious food while Aria and her mother waited for them to be served. She smiled faintly thinking how good those old days were and how happy they had been. 

Joshua observed her closely and he noticed her sad smile. He shook his head lightly at his parents, signaling to not go further. And they understood his intentions at once. If Ivy was not ready to speak about her family, they would not probe further too.

"That's great, dear. I must say this is mouth-watering and even better than the food the restaurants serve." Martin commented, trying to change the topic.

"Dad, don't insult Ivy's cooking. It is way better than the low-class restaurants you are talking about." Joshua immediately took the cue and he tried to divert the topic and he was quite successful at it. Ivy let out a small giggle at his words. She did not continue speaking seeing them not asking her anything further about her family. Although she had no problem telling them everything, she was still awkward with them. 

'Maybe, I might become comfortable with them by the time they leave.' She thought to herself.

"What do you feel about Joshua, Ivy?" Hazel inquired, after a moment of silence. She was itching to find out what the girl felt for his son. After being married to Martin for long and being accustomed to his work and his background, she had come to understand that people often hid their true faces behind a mask. This had been proven true when Amber left Joshua without even telling him the reason. She had seen how forlorn her son had become after he was abandoned and Hazel did not want a repeat of the same.

  Ivy looked up to meet three sets of eyes staring at her, waiting for her to speak. Even Joshua seemed curious to know her answer. Seeing her stare at him, he raised his eyebrows, urging her silently to reply to his mother.

"Mrs. Martin, although I cannot confirm if my feelings for Joshua are strong enough to call it love, I can definitely say that I like him. I like him very much. I am not sure why I like nor do I remember when I started to like him. Let me be honest. At first, I found him quite annoying," Ivy glanced at Joshua to read his expression. She wanted to see if he was angry at her. But all she was fondness and love and her heart was filled with warmth. His mere gaze was enough for her. She knew she had taken the right choice.

"I later realized that behind his flirtatious character, there is a man who cares for the people around him. Over the days, I have come to trust him and now I know, I can place my utmost trust in him for he will never break it. I am sure he will never break my heart in any situation and that is all I want of him."

Ivy's honest words brought a smile on Joshua's face. Though he had been disheartened when she cleared that she was yet to fall in love with him, he was happy that she did not hide the truth behind a lie. 'It's okay, Ivy. I'll wait for you. I will wait for the day you will fall in love with me and proclaim your love for me."

Even Hazel and Martin were impressed by her. She had not sugar-coated her words. Nor did she try to fawn over their son, trying to get their approval. She had been honest and sincere and they appreciated it greatly.

"I am certain about one thing though." Ivy declared suddenly and the three people looked at her once again. "It is Joshua I want to spend the rest of my life with."

A huge grin spread over Joshua's lips and he gazed at her intently. How he wished to kiss her lips and devour her whole right then and there. If not for his parents' presence, he would have definitely kissed her senseless. 

Hazel observed Ivy, her sharp eyes trying to see if she was lying. When she did not find even a small amount of hesitation or anxiety in her, she relaxed her mind and rejoiced silently. 'Joshua, you have found yourself a gem. I am sure she will always keep you happy. I just hope.....' She stopped her thoughts when she realized that Ivy was nothing like Amber. Ivy had an honest aura around her, unlike Amber who screamed of lies and facade.

"That puts my heart at ease. Thank you, darling." Hazel smiled at Ivy, which she returned with a nod.

"Now, Jo." Martin started the moment Hazel finished speaking. "What do you feel about Ivy?"

Joshua was taken aback by his father's question. He had never expected him to question him. Martin smiled at him lightly. "Don't look at me that way, son. I am not going to let you go until you answer us. It is totally fair that we ask you too. What if you are not sincere and you leave Ivy after playing around?" Martin said, this time his expression turning serious. "I do not want that to happen. Let's come out clean before things go out of hand."

Joshua sighed and he shook his head. "Fine, Dad. I understand your concerns." Joshua glanced at Ivy for a brief second and noticed her amused smile. "I think I have fallen in love with her." Joshua did not twist his words and dropped the bomb on Ivy, without any heads up. His sudden declaration stunned the girl and she stood up at once.

"What?" She asked perplexed, completely forgetting about Joshua's parents. She stood bewildered, her mind unable to process Joshua's words.

"Ivy, relax. It is completely normal that I fall in love with you. It is not like we are going to stay this way, without revealing how we feel for each other, right?"

"But...but..how?" She stuttered, unable to think clearly after being hit by a thunderbolt.

"I don't know when. But I am certain I love you. I wanted to confess to you, privately, when we were alone. But my parents ruined it." Joshua did not forget to glare at his parents, only to see them chuckle at his behavior.

"You can thank us for this, Ivy," Hazel added with a wink and Ivy did not know whether to laugh or to cry, given the situation.

"Why do I feel like I was tricked here?" Joshua frowned lightly, his mind trying to comprehend what had transpired just then.

"Great realization. I was wondering when you would find out." Martin chaffed and Joshua rolled his eyes at his father's absurd sense of humor.

They were done with breakfast and Hazel pulled a frozen Ivy with her, giggling on her way out. "Joshua, where did you find such an adorable girl. She is so cute."

"I know right. You must praise me for my choice. I am good at it." 

Martin slapped his son's head lightly. "Idiot, your mother was praising Ivy, not you. She must be incredible for you to fall for her." 

"Dad," Joshua wailed and his high-pitched voice brought Ivy out of her stupor. She blinked her eyes several times to clear her thoughts. "This is not fair. You cannot take sides with Ivy. I am your son." He started with his pitiful act and Ivy burst out laughing at his equally pitiful face. "Why are you laughing?" He glared at her, forgetting about his act for a second.

"Why are you glaring at her?" Hazel rebuked him at once. 

"You too, Brutus." Joshua held his heart and pretended to be in pain. "I am so hurt. Nobody in my family loves me. I feel abandoned. Ivy, this is not fair. How could you? How could you do this?" Joshua tried to push out a few drops of tears, but without success. "I am so pitiful."

Joshua stopped for a split second when none of the three people came forward to console him. "Are you done or do you still want to continue?" Martin asked, putting on a bored face. Joshua was rendered speechless and he could not help but feel ignored. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Ivy, who immediately turned her face away from him.

"I see. You three have ganged up on me to bully me. Am I right?"

"Do you want us to answer to it?" Hazel replied with a question of her own and this time, Joshua did not have any comeback

Ivy chuckled seeing Joshua remain silent. This was one of the few occasions when he did not have words to retaliate. She was just about to offer her sympathy to him when her phone rang. Her expression changed completely when she saw who it was. "Excuse me, I need to take this."

Ivy moved away from the hall towards the corner and took a look at the family of three, before she received the call. "Hello."

"Ivy, I have some news for you."

"Yes?"

"I have found the man you were looking for."