Page 22 of Iris
Chapter Seven
The rest of lunch is a little less intense. We talk about some of our favorite things. Turns out, Dorian loves to read. He is a huge romance fan. Finishing our food, we sit there for another hour just talking about random things.
it's only when Mary comes to our table with a concerned look on her face, we know our time is up.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your date,” She blushes, “but, uh, your car is making really weird noises.”
We look at each other and sigh. “Igor.”
When I try to pay, Dorian is faster. He places several bills on the table, takes my hand, and leads the way out.
“Thanks, Mary! Tell Steve when he comes in tonight that I said lunch was fantastic,” Dorian manages to tell Mary this even as we walk out the door.
The noise that she’s mentioned is easy to hear now that we are outside. It is Igor alright. Singing her version of L’amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle. I sigh. She butchers it every single time on purpose, switching from French to English lyrics every few lines. Her voice is like choking on sad little peas.
“Quand je vous aimerai? Ma foi, je ne sais pas, Maybe never, Maybe tomorrow! Mais pas aujourd'hui, c'est certain!!”
We haven’t even opened the doors and can clearly hear her from feet away. Dorian’s lips are pressed together as his cheeks puff out a little in amusement. He is trying not to laugh.
“L’amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle? Really?” He is trying so hard not to laugh as Igor continues to brutalize the song and harm the ears that are around the car.
Huffing, I open the back door after Dorian unlocks it. I pick up her pot and place her on the trunk. I'm just about to hold her mouth shut when she finishes the song.
“Love is a child of Bohemia!” Her leaves tremble as her voice raises an octave.
“Are you done now?” I pinch the bridge of my nose as I take a deep breath. “It’s like dealing with a child sometimes.”
“You’re not a picnic either.” She snaps at me. “I was bored. You were in there forever. I was wilting. WILTING!”
I look her over. “Okay, you’re not wilting. You were bored. We were in there for maybe an hour.”
Dorian coughs behind me. “That’s not exactly correct.” He comes behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist while he holds his other arm up so I can look at his watch. “It was more like three.”
My body leans into him automatically. I don’t even notice until I’ve already done it. it's funny. I think my body is more okay with this whole mate thing than I am. it's like I’ve known these men my whole life. Maybe it's time for me to stop fighting.
“Well, okay. Sorry about that, Igor. I guess we should head home.” I tip my head back to look up at Dorian.
“I guess we should.” He doesn’t sound thrilled with the idea.
“Ugh. You two look like long lost doves trying to hump each other.” Igor shudders.
“That makes no sense!” I laugh as I step out of Dorian’s arms. “Igor, you’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously suave, you mean.”
We go back and forth on the drive back to my store. Dorian is quiet but he has a smile the whole way as he listens to our squabbling. it's far too soon when he pulls in the back near the entrance to my apartment door.
He places the car in park, leaving it on, as he faces me. His bright eyes seem soft as he reaches out to brush his thumb along my cheek. I'm really starting to love these affectionate touches.
“So,” he mutters softly, “I know we have a date tomorrow, but I have a proposition for you.”
“Oh?” My eyebrows rise in interest.
“What if we counted this as a date? You get to have your date with Noah tomorrow, alone.” His tongue wets his lower lip as he talks.
I know where he is going. My thighs clench in anticipation, but I'm not going to give in that easily. I want to at least make him work for it.
“Okay, and?” Hiding my excitement is harder than I thought it’d be.
