Page 62 of Isolated
I’d wasted so much time.
“I’m disappointed I can’t go back to change anything, but I can promise you that I’m going to do everything I can to make up for the time we lost.”
Her eyes sparkled, and the smile that spread across her face transformed her. “I’m looking forward to it, even if I’m nervous. I swear, it’s like I’ve got a thousand butterflies in my belly right now.”
Was it too soon to fall in love?
Iris had a confidence about her that I’d always admired. Even though she claimed to have some nerves, she wasn’t shy about sharing that. If she was like this all the time, always open and sharing exactly how she felt, I didn’t think I’d ever want for anything else.
I reached across the table. “Give me your hand.”
Her eyes dropped to my open hand before she lightly placed hers against it. The second her fingertips touched my skin, I clasped her hand firmly in mine.
“What are you nervous about?”
“Well, now I’m even more nervous with you touching me.” I moved to release her hand, but she grasped myfingers before I could. “They’re good nerves. It’s exciting being here with you. That’s all.”
Nodding my understanding, feeling warmth move through me, my lips twitched. “I can understand that. If that’s all it is, that’s okay. If it’s anything else, you need to know that you do not have anything to be nervous about with me. Okay?”
Her fingers squeezed my hand. “Okay.”
Our server returned with our entrees, forcing us to separate our linked hands, and took our empty salad plates away.
After Iris took her first bite, I asked, “How is it? Are you glad we came here?”
“It is so delicious. Truly, this is amazing. But you should know that I would have been happy going through a fast-food drive through with you, too.”
“I’m trying to impress you, though.”
She waved her hand in the air dismissively. “You did that ages ago.”
“I did? When?”
“Have you not seen the amount of weight you lift in the gym? I’d collapse under most of that.”
No matter how hard I tried to stop it, my effort was futile. The laughter burst out of me, my head dropping back as my body shook with the force of it. It took me some time to pull myself together, and when I did, returning my attention to Iris, she was looking at me with an expression of awe.
“What’s that look for?”
She slowly released a breath, her hand resting flat against her chest. “That’s the first I’ve ever seen that.”
“Seen what?”
“You’ve never laughed like that around me before. You’ve never smiled so huge that I’ve seen your teeth while you do it. Seeing you laugh like that was magical. It completely transformed you.”
Apparently, she’d been observing me for a long time. I found it hard to believe that I hadn’t ever laughed like that when I was with her, but perhaps it was true. Maybe I had been unwilling to let myself go too much around her for fear I might cross a line that she didn’t want me to.
But understanding how much she enjoyed it, and knowing how I felt every time I saw her laugh, I vowed to loosen up a bit and allow myself to just enjoy each second that I had with her.
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize.”
One half of my mouth quirked. “No. I think I do. Because I think what you’re feeling is similar to what I felt when I saw you in a dress for the first time that night at the pub. You were still you in so many ways, but it was also like you’d undergone this huge transformation. I don’t know how I kept my composure that night.”
A knowing smile washed over her expression. “Were you spending time enjoying all the effort I’ve put in with you at the gym?”
I groaned. “Iris, if you only knew the self-control I’ve had to practice for the better part of a year or more now.”
