Chapter 2 : Ethan's POV

"I'm proud of you son,"Ethan's dad told him one day after work. Coming from Ethan's father, who barely said anything serious without cracking a joke right after, this was a big deal."Thanks dad,"he said genuinely, a smile not being able to be wiped away from his little boy face. His father was proud of what he had made of his life just shortly after graduation. He had co-purchased a house with his fiance, who was radiant as ever, and the couple both managed to land their dream jobs. What more could a guy ask for?

Ethan knew exactly what he would ask for. More time with the future Mrs. Castleberry. Or would she Clarke-Castleberry? Or Castleberry-Clarke? That was something the engaged couple had never really discussed, but he just assumed she would take his last name like a traditional couple. Yet what was traditional about Ivy? He smirked to himself at the thought. Nothing was traditional about Ivy. That's what attracted him so much to his fiance to begin with, before he even knew he had feelings for the girl, something had always pulled him to her, like a magnet. That is why he was so upset that his new job kept him away from his beautiful, spunky, adorable fiance. It was a job he loved, a job he had always wanted. Yet sometimes it required him to leave early mornings and come back late at night. Sometimes he even had to go on business trips for his job. Being gone days at a time from Ivy was terrible, yet she said she fully supported him in everything he did. That's one of the things he loved about her. Her undying support for him in his adventures. It just took her a while to admit it to herself. Sometimes though, he wonders if the success of his job was worth it.

Ethan might not have been the smartest kid in Hogwarts, but he knew what happened to couples who didn't spend a lot of time together. He would like to think that the two of them were different. They were always a different couple than anyone else. More brash, more loving, and more passionate than any of their other friends. Completely in their own world most of the time. They said they could conquer anything that came their way. They made that promise when Ethan got down on one knee and promised to love Ivy Katherine Clarke for the rest of their lives. But perhaps distance was something that even the power couple Ethan and Ivy couldn't overcome.

It had been a while since Ethan had been intimate with her. Not that their relationship was based on those intimate encounters, but it was a part of who they were and that's where he started seeing changes the most. The last time they had been intimate, she insisted on turning off the lights. It was weird, but nothing he couldn't get used to. Perhaps she had just gained a little holiday weight and was self-conscious about her body? Or maybe just bloated from a large dinner? Not that Ethan could tell, she still looked sexy as hell to him, but girls were weird like that, you know? He never knew when a misdirected comment would send girls into an emotional spiral. Hell, he would have preferred that to the treatment he was getting now. He was getting the cold-shoulder every time things got heated, and in response had to take lots of cold showers.

It was fine at first, but she could only use the excuse of her 'womanly problems' for one week, which was a bit off schedule to Ethan's calculations. Or perhaps he was just really bad at math. After that, she didn't get back to her normal self like he thought she would. She kept pushing him away, physically and emotionally. It was a pretty strong blow to his ego, being pushed away by the one he loved. It made the ever cool and collected Ethan question a lot of things. What had changed with him? Something, obviously, to make her not want him anymore. The only thing he could think of was his job. Or maybe...maybe she was getting bored with him? That thought sent him on a mission to try and entice his fiance. That shouldn't be too hard, right? He had learned some new moves from a source that will remain anonymous and planned to try them out immediately. However, his advances were all shut down before they even had a chance to pan out. What a shame. He had some good moves planned too.

Ethan was frustrated. Emotionally, physically, sexually. He hit a brick wall every turn he took. He even tried talking to her about their distinct distance that had formed between them, but when he brought it up, she clammed up. Typical Ivy, never letting anyone get close to her emotionally. Being her fiance, he thought that he would have special privileges or something. Apparently not. So for a while, he let it drop, hoping it was just one of her phases she would grow out of, but she didn't. The days seemed to drag on slower and slower as he could feel the tension build between them, even though the both of them pretended it didn't exist.

He was tired of pretending though. He wanted things back the way they were. Before she started rejecting him.

"Honey, I'm home!"he called one day when he returned from work. He saw she was in the kitchen washing dishes. Was it just him or did she seem a bit, jumpy? Ah well, today was the day, and he wasn't going to take no for an answer. He sprinted upstairs, changed the fastest he's ever changed and put on some fresh cologne. The cologne that Ivy loved to much. If his intoxicating aroma couldn't entice her, nothing would.

Ethan looked at his Ivy from behind. He walked quietly up to her and snaked his arms around her body, hugging her from the back. A sudden fire grew in his heart at just being this close to her.

"What's wrong?"he whispered quietly in her ear before he kissed it. He couldn't help himself after that. His mouth placed kisses all the way from her ear to her neck. He knew she liked this by the change in her breathing, but he didn't want to distract her too much. He wanted answers.

"Nothing, it's...nothing,"she responded in a distracted way. Wrong answer. Ethan smirked to himself as he continued to kiss her neck. He stopped long enough to say"You're washing the dishes...without magic, there is definitely something wrong."Suddenly he spun her around, his dark chocolate eyes gazing into hers. How long had it been since he just admired her from this close? Too long if he couldn't even remember when the last time was. He knew he wanted answers but his instincts took over instead. His lips found her neck, her jaw, everywehere around her face except her lips. Those he would save for last. He was teasing her and he knew it as she twisted her fingers in her hair. His hands roamed her back, lifting up her shirt and feeling her bare smooth back with his hands. He had barely moved them toward her front a millimeter when she pushed him away quickly. He frowned at her.Really?

"Whats wrong with you lately Ivy?,"Ethan asked. Although he tried, he was clearly upset with Ivy, annoyance seeping through his words. Might as well get it out now."I mean, you're always on edge, you barely let me touch you at all, you keep pushing me away and you're acting all weird,"he said at a very fast pace. It was clear this had all been on his mind for a very long time. It wasn't exactly how he had planned to bring it up, but now that it was out there, he waited for Ivy's response with his hands now clenched at his side. She refused to look at him, which made Ethan even more irate.The nerve...He wanted to say. How dare she think she can just play around with his emotions like this! Before he got any angrier he left. If she was going to play those games, Ethan didn't want to be around her at all at that moment. He needed some space. Guess tonight would be just another lonely night.

This had been, without a doubt, the worst fight Ethan had ever been in with Ivy. And he didn't even know what he did wrong! The suspense of being in the dark was killing him! It was driving him crazy and making him think crazy thoughts like...

What if she's having second thoughts about the wedding? What if after living with me she found I'm so undesirable that she's just trying to find a way out? What if there's another man?Each thought was more ridiculous than the next. He tried to pull himself together, but the longer time went on. The harder it was to do that. It was going on two weeks of avoidance. First, Ethan felt anger. Second, it was a weaker anger, annoyance. And third, Ethan felt depressed in a way he'd never been sad before. He didn't know how to shake it. He was sure that he did something wrong. He must have done something to deserve this. It was his job, wasn't it? The time apart was putting a strain on their relationship. He knew that this would happen! And an even deeper depression hit him as he realized he was losing her.

It was if that thought had lit a fire underneath him, knocking him out of his depression. Perhaps it was his stubbornness that ran through his veins, but he refused to give up on their relationship, even if she already had. Surely if they remembered how they used to be, unable to resist each other at Hogwarts. Once they even escaped to the nearest broom cupboard because their feelings couldn't wait. It was more than just passion or lust. It was fire. A spark between them that somehow went out over time. Perhaps if he could just remind her, just once, then he could win her back. He wanted her back. He wanted the old Ivy back. He wanted the woman he proposed to in Hogwarts with him again. Whatever happened to her? He would see glimpses of her, but it was as if she was buried beneath this ... very strong brick wall.

He knew, somehow, that Ivy had been hiding out at Ellie's this entire time. It was instinct. He knew Ivy too well, despite the rift between them at the moment. So he called up Ellie, preparing to demand answers from her.

"Ellie! Where's Ivy? We need to talk, and don't you dare cover for her!"Ethan could be quite aggressive when he needed to be, and this was one thing he was pretty passionate about. He could hear the panic rising in Ellie's voice on the other end of the phone."Um, er, did you say poison ivy? You know you should really go to the doctor about that. But I'd be careful if I were you. Yeah there was this outbreak of..umm...that dragonpox. Yeah! Can you believe I almost snogged this guy...then i found out he was still recovering from it! And I was like WOAHHH I don't want dragon pox...you know?"

"You're a terrible liar,"he said dryly, clearly not amused by her terrible act. Why was getting a straight answer from women SO DAMN DIFFICULT! Ethan cringed, balling his fists up in anger."Look, Ellie, this is serious! I'm losing her!"Ethan snapped at her, one of the few times he had ever lost his temper with her seriously in their whole seven years of friendship. After a silence between them, he takes a breath to calm himself down. Regaining his composure, he tells her with a crack in his voice"Just...I don't know, just tell her I miss her"and hangs up. It was the lowest low point in his relationship. He hung his head in depression as he wracked his brain for what to do.I have to talk to herhe decided. THIS time...he wouldn't take no for an answer. Either they talked...or somebody was bound to walk.