Chapter 9 ~ I love you
Iris rides out of the show jumping arena with a wide smile on her face. Theo prances proudly, knowing he did a good job. The two of them had just finished their jump-off ride and it went amazing.
Quickly, Iris dismounts and hugs the big red stallion. She's never been prouder in her life.
She's pulled into a strong embrace from behind. Slightly taken by surprise but too happy to care, she laughs and turns to find out who it is.
Kanan beams back at her and her heart immediately plummets. Her smile turns to a frown and she wriggles out of his grasp. He doesn't even seem to notice her change in attitude.
"That was amazing!" Kanan tries to pull Iris in for another hug but she ducks under his arm. Finally, he seems to get the hint and his own smile turns to a grim expression.
"Iris, listen-" Iris feels anger simmer deep inside her stomach. If she has to listen to him explain some bullsh*t story again, she might just go insane. He doesn't get to be off the hook every time!
"No, Kanan. You listen," she spits, furious. "You don't get to please and explain every time you do something unexplainable. I can't just keep going back and forth with you. So tell me, Kanan, where do we stand right now?"
Kanan looks lost for a moment, definitely taken aback by his friend's outburst. He realises, with shame, that he's been expecting her to sit back and accept everything he does without taking her feelings in account.
"I'm sorry," is all he's able to say. Iris takes a deep breath, trying her best to calm the growing rage inside of her.
Before she does something she'll regret later, she turns swiftly and leads her horse, who, sensing her change in mood, is now irritable and upset, to the stables.
"You know what, Theo, he's not worth it. He's really not," she's lying to herself. "I think I should just leave him alone. We should just ignore each other, like we were never even reunited over all these years."
Iris feels tears well up in her eyes. She was so happy to finally be back with her friend and he just has to go and ruin everything. She can't even be happy with her horse without him raining on her parade.
"Iris," she doesn't even realise she'd stopped walking and is now standing in the middle of the show grounds, everyone moving around her, until she hears the deep voice beside her.
"You rode well. You did the yard proud," Mr Kingsley says. Quickly, Iris wipes the tears from her eyes before looking up at her boss. His brow immediately furrows when he sees that she's been crying.
"What's wrong?" He asks but Iris merely shakes her head. She wishes that the ground would swallow her up the moment sympathy passes in his gaze.
"Look, I'm sorry about last night. I was upset and didn't mean to lash out at you. I was lying when I said I'd take away your privilege of one day buying your contract. A deal is a deal," Mr Kingsley says quickly.
"Thank you, Mr Kingsley," Iris croaks and turns quickly to escape his intense gaze. She wants more than anything to be alone with her horse right now.
You're upset, a newly familiar voice resonates through her aching head as she walks Theo across the grounds. She startles slightly, but soon recovers. Honestly, she thought she dreamt the red beast, but apparently not.
I am, she thinks helplessly. It feels odd talking to the beast in her head.
Why are you upset? The voice sounds genuinely concerned. Iris doesn't know why but she finds herself wanting to confide in the odd creature she's still a little unsure about.
Because it's unfair.
What is unfair, Iris?
When it says her name, Iris realises that she has nothing to call the creature. For some reason, she feels bad about that.
Hey, what should I call you anyway? I can't pronounce your name, so we'll have to find some alternative.
I do not mind. Iris has to think long and hard about that as she leads Theo into his stall. She also feels herself accepting the beast now. She doesn't know what to make of him, so she'll just play along for now.
Duarte. It's a Portuguese name meaning protector of the land. Iris remembers hearing the name once, but she can't remember exactly when or where it was. Nevertheless, she's always loved the name.
That is perfect. She can practically feel the beast, Duarte's smile and she can't help but smile along, momentarily forgetting why she was upset in the first place.
You wanted to tell me something, he reminds her, which quickly pulls her back into reality. She starts unsaddling her horse as she ponders over what to say.
So, she starts from the top, telling him every single detail about her life. When she's done, it feels like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She'd never told anyone her complete life story before, not even Kanan.
***
They take the horses back home later that day. Arriving just after 8 pm, they decide to go out after taking care of the horses. Against her will, Iris is forced to join, even though she wants nothing more than to go curl up in bed and sleep.
It's funny how she's the one avoiding Kanan now. He even tried to talk to her a few times, but she would just excuse herself and leave.
It takes everyone a good two hours to get ready. By ten thirty, they're finally at the club.
"I'm heading straight to the bar," Noah declares as they all step out of their seperate cars. Iris shakes her head but, despite herself, decides to join him. No better way to drown your sorrows than with booze, right?
"I'll join you," she says. She laughs and takes the arm he offers her, like the true gentleman he thinks he is, and they walk inside together.
As promised, the two of them head straight to the bar area of the club. Much to Iris' disgust, they have to push between sweaty, dancing bodies to get there. She's never been one for clubs.
Noah orders the two of them a beer and they take a seat on two of the bar stools.
"You know, none of us know too much about you. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" Noah turns to face her and smiles as he sips his drink.
"What do you want to know?" Iris asks after downing her beer and asking the bartender for a refill. She turns to face Noah, who has a slightly horrified expression on his face.
"Don't you think you're going a little fast?" He asks, eying the second beer warily. They haven't even been in the club for over ten minutes. She merely shakes her head, so Noah continues. "Where are you from? I can tell you're not American by your accent."
"South Africa," Iris answers nonchalantly. A look of surprise crosses over Noah's features, him probably realising she's a refugee, before his expression turns to some form of sympathy. Iris hates it when people give her that look, like she's a lost puppy, and that's why she rarely talks about her past. Feeling even more upset than she was before, she downs her second beer.
"You should really slow down," Noah remarks, to which she responds with a roll of her eyes. She doesn't ask for another refill, though, just to put her friend at ease.
"American has nothing on South Africa in the beer department, so don't worry. I can handle myself," Iris tells him, to which he pulls a face. She rolls her eyes again, smiling this time. "That," she points at his half empty glass, "is watered down. The shots here, however, are hard-core. That's why I'm not getting into those."
"Fair enough," Noah says after a few seconds of internal debate. "So, when did you get here? The USA, I mean, not the bar."
Iris snorts out a very unladylike laugh, making Noah grin, before answering. "Junior year of high school."
Noah is about to reply when he looks over Iris' shoulder and sees Kanan, his intense gaze fixed on Iris. He doesn't look like himself at all and Noah realises he's drunk.
Seeing his sudden distraction, Iris turns to look in the direction Noah is staring. Her eyes meet the icy blue ones of Kanan, who grins stupidly before making his way over to them. When he stumbles over nothing more than once, she knows he's drunk.
"Iris!" Kanan slurrs, slinging an arm around her shoulder. The strong smell of alcohol hits her nose. It reminds her of the alley last night, with the two men. She shies away from him out of instinct.
A hurt look crosses over his face and he removes his arm.
"Why don't you like me, Iris?" He asks sadly. Slightly taken aback and not fully sure what he means, Iris frowns.
"Kanan, I do like you, I'm just upset. You know that," she tells him. He seems to think about it for a moment before shaking his head. He gently takes Iris' hands in his.
"Man, you're drunk. Maybe you should just-" Noah starts.
"No!" Kanan turns his head and practically growls at his friend. Noah, clearly taken aback, takes a step away from him. Kanan straightens up a little and looks back at a very confused Iris.
"You don't like me like I like you. I'm in love with you, Iris."
*ð*
"You cannot save people. You can only love them."
Ooookay, I'm not sure if I like drunk Kanan all that much. What about you guys? What do you think about this new... situation?
~ Danielle