Page 69 of Isolated
I wondered how that would change now that things were taking a different turn between us. I could imagine—and hope—that there’d be more of the same. Because it was unlikely that I’d leave the gym now and only have my thoughts lingering on her for a little while afterward. I suspected thoughts of her would pop into my mind throughout the day, just like I’d seen happen with so many of my friends at work.
“I hope I can do the same for you.”
“You have, Landen. Trust me. My weekends were normally spent with me working several hours from home, so this has already been a huge change for me.”
“Maybe I’ll have to set up a time for you to meet my mom sooner than I thought, if only to make sure your time isn’t completely occupied by work,” I reasoned.
She beamed at me. “I would love that. Introduce me to the whole family. Do you have any siblings?”
I released her hand and sat back, shaking my head. “I’m an only child.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t miss the way her tone had changed at the loss of that connection to me. “What about your dad?”
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell her the truth. Iris was so sweet, and this news was the kind of thing that would dull her mood even more. “He died ten years ago.”
Iris gasped, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“I know. It’s okay.”
“Are you… Were you close?”
I nodded. “We were, so it was particularly difficult inthe beginning. My mom and I are both doing much better now. She’s very involved at our church, and I’ve had my work and friends. And now I’ve got you. I’m okay.”
She shook her head, sadness consuming her. “I can’t imagine how awful that must have been for you. I’m really sorry if I brought up bad memories.”
“You didn’t. I promise it’s okay. I don’t mind talking about him. Why don’t you tell me a bit more about your family, though? I know you’ve got those two sisters. Any brothers?”
“Nope. It’s just the three girls. Sometimes, I wonder how my parents still have any hair left on their heads for things we put them through.”
Her mood shifted as memories seemed to flitter through her mind. “That look tells me you three might have been a bit wild. I mean, I know you went around getting lost at the beach. What did your sisters do?”
Iris’s laughter filled the air around us. I was glad to see her in better spirits. “Oh, well, let me start by telling you about the middle sister, Eleni…”
For the remainder of our lunch together, Iris regaled me with tales of her exciting, wild, and fun-filled years as the oldest of three girls. As much as I loved hearing the stories, what I found I enjoyed most was hearing about them from her. The way she talked about her family and the expressiveness in her features and voice told me so much about the woman I felt such a strong pull to.
By the time we finished lunch, I confessed, “I made a mistake.”
Concern littered her features. “What do you mean?”
“I thought we’d go apple picking this morning and that I’d bring you out for lunch afterward.” I sighed. “And justlike dinner last night, I never planned anything to do following lunch today. So, now I’m regretting it, because I’m having such a great time with you that I’m not exactly ready for this to be over.”
Faster than I could even consider a solution, Iris declared, “Then you should take me home and stay for a while.”
I stared at her.
There it was again. That offer.
Sensing where my head was at, Iris called my name. “Landen?”
“Yeah?”
“We don’t have to do anything yet.” Her lips curved into a small smile. “We could just sit on the couch and watch a movie. Maybe cuddle a bit. Possibly share a kiss or two.”
A grin formed on my own face, even if I wasn’t entirely sure how long I’d be able to resist her. “I think that sounds fantastic.”
By the time Iris and I made it back to her place and picked out a movie, the watching part of the plan flew out the window.
Feeling her close, smelling her, and remembering what it was like to have my mouth on hers, I was far more interested in giving her the kisses she wanted than I was in watching a movie I’d already seen.
