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Mint - Short Story
Mint - Short Story
Ivy
Ivy felt her heart pounding strongly in her chest as she stared at the man sitting in
front of her. Something fluttered in her stomach as she watched his every little movement,
every little gesture. The man was a magical, mesmerizing sight to behold. His sparkling blue
eyes were as breathtaking as the Hope Diamond, and they were the pair of eyes that stole her
heart from the moment she first laid eyes on him. It was love at first sight. There was no way
Her heart calmed and bloomed with affection as he gently smiled to the young
waitress. She wondered how a human being could make a simple smile look so ravishing and
wondrous. Was this a spell cast by him perhaps? She asked herself, but deep inside her heart,
The man ordered an iced espresso for her without her saying anything. She was a little
taken aback, but after she let it sink in, the corners of her lips raised faintly. Of course, he
would remember that she liked to drink iced espresso, not hot americano. He was different
from him, from the rest of the world. Ivy took a quick glance at her phone in her hand as the
waitress walked away, before putting the phone face down on the table.
“You look gorgeous today,” he complimented her with his deep and raspy voice. His
Ivy recalled how she got out of bed very early in the morning and spent hours doing
her hair, makeup, and nails, and rummaging through her fancy closet. It was all worth it after
hearing his sweet remark. He made her feel youthful, something she hadn’t felt in ages. She
The gorgeous man in front of her ran his hand through his ash brown hair as the Rolex
watch on his wrist sparkled, before resting his hands on his firm laps.
“We haven’t met for a while. I miss you so much,” he said with an adorable pout on
his lips, staring into her round brown eyes. Ivy felt a sharp twinge of guilt amidst her
“I miss you too. I really wanted to see you but I had been very busy with my work,”
she replied slickly, as if she had told the truth. Her eyes didn’t flicker and her voice didn’t
tremble as she looked at her beloved. She knew she was going to nail it like she always did.
warmly.
“In case you have forgotten, you live in a condo,” Ivy responded, rolling her eyes
jokingly. He chuckled again. She noticed from their very first date that he would laugh at
every little thing that amuse him, and she loved his joyous nature. Ansel was a bright man
Ansel opened his mouth to say something, probably a flirty remark, but he was
interrupted by the waitress from before. The young waitress served them their orders, one
iced espresso and one iced latte, before walking away. Ivy naturally grabbed her phone and
“You know, condos are very boring. When will you finally let me come over?”
The phone almost slipped out of her pale hand, but she quickly got a hold of herself.
Ivy slowly placed her phone face down on the table and with her voice as clear as crystal, she
“Oh, no,” Ivy replied, wringing her hands under the table. “I’m truly interested in
condos. Really.”
“Sure,” he said in an amused tone, sipping his iced latte. Although Ansel liked to talk
about coming over, he never cornered her into saying yes and Ivy appreciated his chivalrous
behavior. It made things facile for her. “You’ve been to my condo so many times. Isn’t it
boring?”
“Not really.”
“Why?”
They started to talk about random things, but it didn’t feel boring. Minutes felt like
seconds when she was with him. Ivy laughed as Ansel told her about a hilarious mistake his
co-worker made during their business meeting. Before she knew it, there was no espresso left
in her glass. A sudden and immense joy filled her heart when she thought about how nice
today was. Spending time with Ansel always made her feel a great sense of elation and for
“When I was--”
Ansel’s phone suddenly rang while he was speaking. He made an apologetic face
He froze.
“What’s wrong?” Ivy asked slowly and carefully. The look on his face was a mixture
of shock and indignation, and Ivy had never seen him like this before. Ansel was still silent,
After a long pause, the man finally declined the call and put his phone in his pocket.
the discomfort on his face. He looked like he didn’t want to talk about it, and it sparked both
Ivy didn’t say anything, or rather she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know much
about Ansel’s parents. He used to talk about his father several times, but he never mentioned
“I’m sorry that I never told you. I don’t really like to talk about it,” Ansel explained
with a solemn expression. It was unusual to see him so serious. “My parents are divorced and
my mother rarely calls me, so I was quite shocked to see her calling.”
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Ivy said, looking him in the
“It’s okay,” he replied. “It just makes me mad when I think about it.”
“Okay.”
“So, my father loved my mother a lot,” he said, looking down. “Long story short, she
had an affair.”
The moment he finished speaking, Ivy felt a strong pang in her heart. If Ansel had
paid more attention, he would have noticed her bizarre reaction, but he was looking down,
being too absorbed in telling the story. Ivy opened her mouth to tell him to stop, but the
“She was his everything, but she betrayed him,” Ansel said angrily, clenching his
fists. “It was an insensitive, heartless act. She showed no remorse when she was found out. At
that time, I was young, but old enough to understand what she had done was terrible. To be
honest, I still can’t forgive her. How could she do that? Isn’t being faithful the most important
thing when it comes to relationships? I will never cheat on you, and I know you will never
cheat on me.”
Ansel finally looked up and Ivy knew she was doomed. She had always been a good
actress. She could tell lies as if they were true. She could fake a sincere smile even if guilt
was stabbing her. However, right now, she couldn’t do it after seeing those eyes of his.
All of a sudden Ivy put her phone in her pocket, stood up, and murmured, “Sorry, I’m
Before Ansel could say anything, she walked away from the table quickly. As she
walked, she felt her heart pounding strongly in her chest. This time, it wasn’t something
pleasant. It was agonizing. She stopped in front of the café’s vacant restroom before rushing
The questions flashed into her mind as she sat down on the toilet, holding head in
She thought about when she first saw Ansel, where she didn’t hesitate to take her ring
off and hide it. She thought about all her plans and efforts to make everything work. She
thought about all the happy days and sexy nights she had spent with him. She thought about
Ansel, the perfect man with beauty, affability, humour, kindness, and wealth. Most
“I’m not going to lose him,” she whispered madly to herself. “If he doesn’t know,
then I’m not hurting him. If I’m not hurting him, then I’m not doing anything wrong. If I’m
not doing wrong, I’m not going to lose him. I just have to make sure he doesn’t know. That’s
the door.
“Hey.”
Ivy jumped with surprise after hearing a familiar sound. It was Ansel, standing
awkwardly in front of her. He also brought her bag that she left at the table.
“Ansel? What are you doing here?” she said, faking a painful expression.
“I was worried so I tried to find you. I thought you would be at the restroom,” Ansel
answered in a concerned tone. He looked like a sad puppy. “Are you mad? I’m sorry. I was
being too emotional about my parents, right? I’ve calmed down now. Did I ruin our date?”
“Oh, no, don’t be sorry,” Ivy said, placing her hand on her stomach. “It’s just that
“Yeah, a little,” she replied with a slight smile, taking the bag from him. “Don’t mind
Ansel nodded and they walked together towards the cashier. When they arrived, Ansel
took out his wallet. As he was busy paying, Ivy heard a text notification sound, coming from
her pocket. She took a quick glance at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 4:10PM, and
today was Friday. She didn’t need to look to know it was a text message from her husband,