Chapter 14 ~ Christmas Bonus Part 3
After getting home, Iris still couldn't sleep. So, she decided to pack for their trip to Europe. By six in the morning, she's done and goes to take a shower, dressing in yoga pants and a off-the-shoulder grey knitted sweater afterwards.
At around eight, everyone is gathered in the living room. Iris sits next to Kanan and he drapes his arm over her shoulder. She feels the unease push at the back of her mind.
She decides to ignore it. Kanan is a great guy and she should just stop being so overly dramatic.
"We'll all be taking our own cars, I'm guessing?" Daniel says, glancing at his watch. Iris perks up and looks at Noah, remembering that he has both a car and his motorcycle.
"Noah," she says, trying to act as innocent as possible. She smiles sweetly. He looks at her with apprehension.
"What?"
"Well, I was wondering, since you have a car too, can I take the bi-?"
"No," to her surprise, it isn't Noah who cuts her off. Kanan frowns down at her.
"What?" She asks, confused. She's pretty sure she wasn't talking to him. Besides, why couldn't she take the bike? She's perfectly capable of driving the thing, since she had to take it home when Noah took him home after getting drunk.
"It's dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt," he states. She can see concern in his eyes, but she still feels annoyed at being told what to do. She takes a deep breath before she can say something she would regret.
"I can handle it, Kanan," she says, her voice coming out as somewhat calm. She turns to Noah and he shrugs.
"It's fine by me," he says. To everyone else in the room, he adds, "Let's go outside and give them some space."
When everyone leaves, Iris turns to Kanan. He looks upset, not meeting her gaze.
"What's the problem?" She asks, finally letting the annoyance slip into her tone. He looks confused.
"I don't want you getting hurt, that's all," he says. When she sees the genuine concern in his face, her own expression softens. She realises she was being irrational, probably because of all the pent up stress. He just wants her to be safe, which is completely normal. He really just cares about her.
Again, she feels bad. How could he care so much about her, yet she can't feel the same? It's unfair, not only to him, but to her too. She keeps beating herself up over it.
"Look, I'm sorry. I just... don't like being told what to do," she says. He nods and a small smile tugs at his lips.
"I know. You were worse in high school," he says, chuckling, "Do you remember when Warren told you you weren't allowed to join the girl's soccer team? You got so upset that he ended up with a bloody nose."
It's Iris' turn to laugh. She remembers Kanan's parents' faces when the three of them came home together, Warren clutching his nose, Iris suspended, and Kanan ditching class to keep them from killing each other. Warren lived with Kanan since his own parents work abroad.
That's most likely one of the reasons his parents never like her as much as hers liked him, she realises.
After a quick hug, the two of them walk hand in hand out of the front door. Everyone is waiting for them next to the cars.
The snow had completely cleared up now. There aren't any trace of it on the driveway, but the gravel is still wet from the rain. Kanan lets go of Iris' hand to fish his keys out of his pocket.
Noah gets in his sleek black BMW. Iris oggles the car with awe. She's never seen something so expensive in her entire life. The car must be worth a fortune.
"I'm driving with Noah!" She says quickly, jogging over to her friend's car, not waiting for anyone to respond. He smiles at her as she gets in the passenger seat.
"When did you buy this?" She asks, admiring the interior as they pull out of the driveway. She looks like a kid but she couldn't care less. She's always had a fascination with cars, just like her father. Noah chuckles.
"For my eighteenth birthday. It was a... going away present, I guys," he says, smiling as he keeps his eyes fixed on the road. Iris' jaw drops and she stares at him in utter disbelief.
"You'll catch flies if you don't close your mouth," he jokes, glancing over at her. Iris immediately shuts her mouth and looks away, her cheeks flaring up in embarrassment. It's not her fault she's not used to wealthy living, her family had never been very fortunate in that area, but she feels like she should at least act like she is.
"Hey, it's fine. My parents work for the government so they get paid a lot," he explains, smiling at her. "What do your parents do?"
Iris' face immediately falls. She tries her best to think of a response that won't sound like a lie. She doesn't want them to know she's from Africa, or that her parents have passed away. She only told Kanan because she's been friends with him for so long and he knew about her past.
In America, people like her are looked down upon by everyone else. They're kept at arm's length in fear. Citizens don't want the war to reach them and every African could potentially be a Rebel. That's why so few of them are allowed into the country, and also why Iris couldn't let her parents' death take her away.
"Okay, touchy subject. Moving on," Noah says, seeing her sudden look of panic. "How long have you known Kanan?"
She's grateful for the change in subject. Noah may behave childishly most of the time, but he really is a sensitive guy. She's fortunate to have him as a friend, she realises.
"Since junior year," she answers.
"Wow, that's, like five years ago. You're twenty-two, right?" he asks, sounding surprised. Iris nods. "How was he back then?"
"A geek," she answers, smiling to herself a little. Noah busts out laughing and she immediately joins in.
"You're telling me that Kanan was a geek? Are you sure we have the same Kanan in mind?" He says through fits of laughter. She nods, not able to control her own laughter. Looking at him now, she really can't believe he ever looked and acted the way he did in high school.
***
The two of them talk and laugh the whole way to the airport. Noah is a really great guy. Not only funny and goofy, but also surprisingly smart. They talk about a variety of subjects, ranging from high school to horses.
"I can't believe you two would do that!" Iris laughs. Noah had just told her a story about him and Zander breaking into a house and staying there for a week while the elderly couple was away.
"Yeah, we were stupid kids," he chuckles along as they walk into the busy airport together. They're at least an hour early since Noah just had to speed the whole way. Everyone else should be here soon, though.
"Definitely," she says. They walk towards a small coffee shop near the entrance to sit down and wait.
"Coffee's on me," he announces as they approach the counter. Iris doesn't object and they place their orders.
"Hey, you're pretty cool, Iris. I'm glad you're staying with us," Noah smiles as they lean against the counter. Iris grins back. She's glad they're getting along. Him and Zander are both great guys. They remind her of friends she had back in Africa.
"I'm glad I'm staying with you guys, too. You're a good friend," she says honestly. Despite wanting to leave very badly, she knows she'll miss them all a lot. When they get their coffees, she adds, "Thanks for the coffee. Caffeine is a good start to any day."
Just then, the rest of their friends come walking into the airport. The group spots them and immediately walk over.
"Wow, buying her friendship. Classy, Noah," Zander smirks as he flicks his bother in the head. Both Iris and Noah laugh at the statement. Kanan doesn't seem to find this as funny. He turns and walks away from the group. Confused, everyone watches him leave.
"We'll be late if you guys don't hurry!" He yells over his shoulder.
Kanan doesn't talk to anyone as they go through the system. Iris notices his odd behaviour, but doesn't say anything. She remembers when he acted this way at the show a few weeks ago. To this day, they still haven't talked about why he was so upset, so Heaven knows why he would be upset now.
Mr Kingsley is waiting for them at the boarding gates. He's dressed in the most casual clothes Iris had ever seen on him, a pair of black sweatpants and a black t-shirt. She can't help but notice how the shirt hugs his muscular body perfectly.
She blushes at the thought and looks away. Her hormones are getting to her, she realises. Well, they must be. Mr Kingsley might be attractive, but he's also an intimidating and plain scary individual.
"Good morning," he greets the group. Not waiting for their responses, he turns and walks through a door which leads out to the tarmac of the airport runway.
No one seems bothered by his strangeness and just follow him out.
It's windy outside, but not too much that they couldn't safely fly. Airplanes are everywhere, towering above the trees in the distance. It'd be intimidating if Iris wasn't fascinated by the sheer size of everything.
To her surprise, they don't head to a normal airplane. Instead, Mr Kingsley leads them to a luxurious private jet. It's decked out in white in silver, the same colours as basically everything on the stable yard.
She wants to say she's shocked that they would be flying in that thing, but she already knew Mr Kingsley had a lot of money.
They board the aircraft. The inside is even fancier than the outside.
"I'm just going to go check in with the pilot. I'll be right back," Mr Kingsley announces before disappearing into the cockpit. The rest of the group take their seats while Iris admires the beautifully decked out airplane.
There are ten plush leather seats, each with it's own side table. People in uniforms scurry up and down the wide isle, carrying trays with different assortments of food and drinks on them.
Iris takes a seat next to Kanan on the very back of the plane. He gives her a cold look.
"What?" She asks, now annoyed with his attitude. He can't do this and expect her to just forgive him and drop the subject every time. He doesn't ever explain his behaviour and she's starting to become sick of it.
"Leave me alone, Iris," he grumbles. Her temper flares violently as she gets to her feet. Angry, she stomps off to go sit in the front, as far away from him as possible.
Her friends watch the whole ordeal silently. Hannah gives Daniel a look and he knows exactly what she means. He needs to talk to Kanan.
*ð*