Hey, Everybody! I just couldn't wait to give you guys this chapter! I love it so much! AHHHHH! Read on, Read on!

Chapter Twenty-One

Ivy Mellark's POV

*One Week Later*

I can't help the nervous jittering of my leg as I sit across from Dr. Sapphire. Today is my session with Alex and I'm growing increasingly anxious with each passing minute. I'm terrified that I'll have a bad reaction to him or something after all this time of us being apart.

"Ivy, you can relax. I'm sure that this session will go smoothly." Dr. Sapphire tells me with a smile.

"I guess I'm just nervous. Alex and I haven't really talked or anything since . . ." I trail off and Dr. Sapphire nods.

"Everything is going to go fine. I can tell that you both love each other. Love conquers all," She tells me before getting up to go to the door of her office. She tells Alex to come in and then he's there, just a few feet away from me.

He sits down and our eyes lock. I can't help the huge smile that spreads out on my face as we look at each other. He smiles back at me, his gentle grey-blue eyes sparkling.

"Ivy, why don't you tell me what you're thinking right now," Dr. Sapphire prompts.

"Honestly, I really want to kiss him." I say with a light chuckle. Alex laughs, too.

"Besides that, what are you feeling?" Dr. Sapphire asks.

"Well, I have some giant butterflies in my stomach right now and I'm a little nervous, but I'm not scared or anything." I answer, never breaking eye contact with Alex.

"That's great. Now, Alex, I want you to ask Ivy if you can give her a hug." Dr. Sapphire instructs. This has been the first step for every man I've had a session with: Initiating physical contact.

"Ivy, can I hug you?" He asks me, his voice wavering from his own nervousness. I nod and we both stand up.

Alex hesitates for a minute, like he's not sure how to go about giving me a hug. I, on the other hand, can't wait any longer and I launch myself into his arms. He wraps his arms tightly around me and we cling to each for dear life. I feel tears streaming down my face as I lean my head onto his shoulder. One of Alex's hands goes up to stroke my hair and I squeeze him even tighter. After a good ten minutes of holding each other, Alex and I finally break our embrace. We take a seat on the couch, ready to continue with our session.

"Ivy, how do you feel after that hug?" Dr. Sapphire asks me.

"Completely amazing," I tell her, wiping my wet cheeks with my hand.

"Good. Now, I do believe that Alex wants to ask you something." Dr. Sapphire tells me and I look over to Alex.

"Um . . . well, I don't want to make you think about what he did to you, but, Ivy, I really need to know. It's tearing me apart not knowing." Alex says, never actually asking me his question.

"You can ask me anything," I assure him, grasping his hand in mine. He squeezes my hand back and then continues.

"Did he . . . did he . . . sexually assault you?" Alex asks me, fumbling over his own words.

"No," I answer quickly and truthfully. Alex nods a few times, obviously relieved at my answer.

"Alright, now, I believe Alex has planned a special date for the two of you, if you're up to it." Dr. Sapphire tells me.

"Of course I'm up for it," I reply with a smile. "Are you going to tell me or is it a surprise?" I ask Alex.

"Surprise," He answers with a smirk, kissing the knuckles of the hand he is clutching.

Our session ends and we separate, making plans to meet in the lobby in just two hours from now. I call Lilac and my Aunt Effie, hoping they can help me get ready for tonight. Since it is our first date after our technical break up, I want to make sure I look absolutely stunning.

Lilac and Effie come right over. Lilac lends me a skirt of hers that is white and flows down to my knees. I wear a white blouse and then a midnight blue sweater over it. Even though it's May, the night air is still a little chilly. I ask both of them if they know anything about tonight, but they won't answer me.

Two hours later, Alex is walking towards me in the lobby. He is wearing a pair a dark washed jeans and a black, button down shirt. I must say that he looks very, very handsome.

"Ready?" He asks me as he extends his hand towards me.

"Ready," I tell him as I take his hand. He leads me outside where his Jeep is awaiting us. We hop into his Jeep and starts driving us away.

"Where are we going?" I ask him, not recognizing where we are going.

"It's a surprise," He tells me with a grin. I smile back, but there is a feeling of anxiety in my chest. I take a moment to remind myself that this is Alex and that he would never hurt me. We arrive at a small grassy area surrounded by a few boulders. We both get out and I watch as Alex unloads the back of his Jeep. He sets up a blanket on the grass and then he pulls out a picnic basket.

"I thought you might like just getting away from the hospital and getting to look at the stars." Alex tells me as we take a seat on the blanket.

"You were right," I tell him. "This is nice." Alex unloads the picnic basket, handing me a slice of pizza. I look up at him, a bit befuddled.

"I figure is must be a while since you've had pizza." He tells me. I continue to give him a suspicious look. "Okay, fine, I didn't know what to cook you. I just figured this was a safe bet." I laugh at him as I take a bite of the pizza.

For the next hour or so, we sit together, eating and talking. There's so much we have to tell each other after being apart for almost four months. He tells me about the little bit of progress he managed to get done on his graduation project. I tell him about all my sessions. We tell each other how much we've missed each other.

"I was so afraid I was going to lose you," Alex tells me, looking deeply into my eyes.

"I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to be near you," I tell him, grasping his hand in mine and holding on tightly.

"I love you," He tells me, his eyes watering with tears.

"I love you, too." I tell him, running my hand over his cheek. I use my hand to bring his face closer to mine. I tilt my head up and bring my lips to his. Our lips touch and I see fireworks behind my closed eyes. I wrap my arms around his neck to bring him closer to me. His lips feel so warm and gentle. After a few moments, we break apart and just stare into each other's eyes. Above us, in the dark, night's sky, a single star shoots across the moon.

AHHHHH I LOVE IT SO MUCH! I just think that Alex's date was perfect! And I really love the ending! :D :D :D :D I think we have some love triangle drama coming up soon (What love triangle? you ask, well, you'll just have to wait and find out, mwahahahaha) and of course more IvyXAlex! Plus, we'll find out why Damian kidnapped and tortured Ivy! Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review on your way out! ;)