SWNOVELS : Chapter 108
Alexander
“When you were living with Terry,” Kayden asked,
“what would you usually be doing on a typical day?”
“Woof.” Iris blew air out of her mouth. “I tell you, there was sure no difference between weekdays and weekends.”
The three of us were having breakfast together again, resuming our new weekday routine. Fiona had left for work extra early today, giving herself more time than she really needed to set up and prepare for the biggest executive meeting of the week.
“Every day is just a day on the moors,” Iris continued.
“Fishing. Chores. I don’t know. Life is very basic there. Sometimes it gets real old, though. Tiring, you know? Same thing all the time.”
“And how are you liking life at the palace? Are you finding it more interesting, more comfortable here?”
Iris bobbed her head from side to side, pursing her lips. “More comfortable, yes. Very comfortable. I have had better sleep, mm-hmm, in the big cozy bed.” She sighed. “But I will admit, I’m bored sometimes.”
“Do you miss the outdoor activities?” Kayden asked.
“Fishing and all that?”
“Nah. I don’t know. What I miss the most, I guess, is having company more of the time. Terry and me did everything together.” She ventured a big-eyed look over at me that I chose to ignore.
Kayden rattled off a list of suggestions for ways that Iris could pass some of her time, hoping to pique her interest. He made a valiant effort.
He could show her the palace library, he said, which she’d be able to access anytime. Iris replied flatly that she could not read, humbling all of us into an
awkward moment. Kayden then reminded her of the gardens, offering to draw her a map of how to get to the best ones from her room. She showed little interest. Finally he mentioned that drivers were available to take Iris into the city if she ever wanted to do anything there. This also fell flat.
Iris’s overall mood deteriorated rapidly as we finished eating. Kayden and I exchanged a glance when her back was to us, as we all exited the dining room. I silently granted him permission to take his leave and he did so swiftly.
I walked Iris to her room.
“Do you think you’re up to try again today? Try to recover some more memories about my mother?”
She looked at her feet. “I don’t know. I think I feel a headache coming on. It might not be the best time.
“It’s okay, Iris. I could tell you were not feeling great.
We could take a day off. Circle back tomorrow.”
“Oh, really? That would be good. You sure it’s okay, though?”
The skittish look in her eyes irritated me more than it should have. I wished she didn’t hold onto everything so stubbornly. Take everything so literally.
“Yes. We don’t need to do this every single day, Iris, if you’re not up to it. I was frustrated last week because… it felt like you were unwilling to even start trying.”
“But I did try. And I did good, right?”
“Yes, you did very well. Why don’t I leave you for
today.” We had reached her bedroom, and she was turning her key in the lock. “And we’ll make sure we take some time to work on it tomorrow.”
“Alright,” she said. “That’s fine. Thanks for understanding.”
Her eyes lingered on my neck. She was looking at the marks Fiona had left on me during our rough play the other night.
The welt on my neck was part bruise, part hickey. Iris had taken quick notice of it when I visited her on Friday morning. She had ogled some scratch marks she’d glimpsed on my arms as well.
Now she was studying my neck again, apparently rather interested in its process of healing.
I jerked my shirt collar up and turned to the side.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Iris. Get some rest, and don’t hesitate to call the doctor if your headache gets worse. Okay?”
“Okay.” She began to inch the door closed. “Thanks again. See you tomorrow.”
Two hours later, I was returning to our room to shower after training. I checked my phone, hoping to see a text from Fiona regarding our dinner plans and her estimated time of arrival from work. Instead I found four missed calls and seven texts from Iris.
The gist of the texts was: She wished I would come back and hang out with her. Her head was hurting more and she wondered if I’d come take care of her.
I sent her a single text in response: I’m unavailable, Iris. Please call the doctor about the headache if you
I held back everything else I was thinking.
It was best, I reminded myself, to keep the messaging simple and not give her opportunities to drag me into an argument.
Fiona
A productive, successful Monday had me in high spirits as I returned from work in the evening.
I should have known better by now than to stroll the palace halls distracted, though.
Iris popped out from around a corner just as I was passing an intersection of marble hallways.
I didn’t startle so dramatically this time. Maybe I was
acclimating to her surprising me like this. (What an unpleasant notion that was.)
“Oh, oops!” she cried out when she saw me. “I’m so sorry, Fiona. I didn’t mean to cross your path.”
I knew right away what she meant. She was taunting me for having requested that she keep her distance.
“Hi, Iris. Please – that’s not something you need to be sorry for. It’s quite alright. Have a nice night, now.” I moved to pass her, heading for my and Alexander’s bedroom.
“Well, I know that’s not true, Fiona. Alexander told me I had to stay away from you. I really didn’t mean to run into you here, honest. I’ll leave.” She dropped her head and turned away.
“Iris, wait. Please listen to me for a moment.” I set my
She paused, watching my every move carefully.
“I am sorry that you and I got off on the wrong foot,” I told her earnestly. “But we are bound to cross paths every now and again, as long as you are staying here.
I hope that we can be civil with each other. That’s all I wanted to say.”
“Civil,” she repeated. “Alright. Hmm.”
I picked up my briefcase to signal my imminent departure. Opting to ignore her characteristically odd response, I calmly added, “I’ll be on my way now. I hope that you are well, Iris. Have a good night.”
She chose not to offer me a farewell of any kind. Just retreated in silence.
I entered our bedroom and found Alexander pacing out of his office.
“Everything okay?” he asked immediately.
“Oh, Alexander…” I sighed. “Your friend Iris, she is something else.”
“What happened now?”
“Nothing.” I pressed a palm to his chest so he could feel my energy. I was calm. “She is just… an odd duck. I leave every interaction with her feeling bewildered.”
“What did she say to you?”
I sighed. “Don’t worry about it, please. Honestly, it was nothing. She was in the hall and apologized for running into me. Being overly literal about our
requests for her to keep some boundaries, I assume.”
Alexander peeled my hand off his chest. Brought it to his mouth and kissed the palm. It tickled, forcing me to smile.
“Okay,” he said cautiously. He waited to see if I had more to say.
“Please forget it,” I told him, shaking my head. “It was nothing.”