Page 66 of Pretty Black

“Iris.”

“I know.”

“We need to work on lowering your stress. Frankly, I don’t know how your doctors were prescribing so many and not getting flagged by the DEA. I think my license would get suspended. I’ll give you enough to get through the weekend, and then we’ll talk about lowering them and other coping strategies long term. The new meds should help too if you take them every day.”

“I will, as long as you listen to me when I say I can’t take them anymore,” I said firmly. I wasn’t letting anyone feed me pills again; I knew that for certain.

“I will. I promise.”

“Thank you.” I turned to go.

“Iris.”

I glanced over my shoulder.

“Take this. It has my emergency number on it. You can call me any time if you’re having a crisis, night or day, and I will answer.”

I took the card from her and shoved it into my pocket. “Okay.”

“Go be with your boyfriend.”

I walked out to the waiting room where Caspian stood. I sprinted at him again. He scooped me into his arms, and I cupped his face, kissing him. No one told us to stop. No one rebuffed our make-out session. They let us hold each other.

When he finally put me down, my cheeks flushed as the front desk staff pretended like they hadn’t watched.

“Sorry.” Caspian’s bottom lip caught between his teeth. “I guess not touching you for twenty-four hours does something to me.”

“Nope. No sorry.” I slipped my hand into his. “I like what it did to you.”

“Believe me, I’m not letting you out of my hands as soon as we get home.” He brought my hand to his lips. “Good news and bad news.”

“What?”

“It got out that you’re here. I mean, it wasn’t really a stretch—there aren’t that many mental health hospitals in Chicago. But the good news is they have big ass gates at the street, and it’s pretty far back, so the best photos they get will be blurry.” Caspian searched my face. “Do you want me to see if they have another door we could go out or something?”

“They already know I’m here. I put a statement out. I’m not going to hide from it. Let them have the picture.” I squeezed his hand.

He stared at me. “Are you sure?”

“Yep. I have to come to terms with this. Alexander has more to release, and it’s just part of weathering the storm.” I said it, but I didn’t know if I could actually prepare for the wreckage to come.

“Okay.” He wore a tight smile as we walked towards the doors. He tugged his hand, but I tightened my grip, and he gave me a look. “Are you sure?”

“I am. But don’t do it for me. Or because you feel guilty about my stay or my mental health. I only want you to do this if you want to.”

He laughed. Actually laughed, shaking his head, amusement dancing through his features. “Silly Black. Do you think I’d pass up an opportunity to tell the world you’re mine? I’ve been waiting for this for six years.”

“No, you haven’t.”

He pressed in closer, kissing my forehead. “I have. I’ve been in love with you since the start of this, Iris Rose, and it only grows deeper the more I know you. It’s never going to stop, and I never want it to. I’m going to make sure everyone else knows they have no fucking chance with you.”

My face grew warmer by the second. “No one ever did. Not compared to you.”

“It’s the great honor of my life to be trusted with your heart, Iris Rose.”

I pressed my face into his chest. “You’re going to make me all soft and hard before I have to go out and have dozens of photos taken of me. Hard, whatever—they’ve seen it. But we can’t let them have all the mushy, too.”

He grabbed my halfy and grinned. “They don’t get to see this anymore, either. Mine. Understand?”

---