Page 21 of Crystal Iris #1

The trip to the museum turned out to be a little more intense than I anticipated. Gil and Christine bickered the entire time.

I’m heating up my leftovers when my doorbell rings. I check myself—my Harvard sweatshirt is covering most of my body; it’s enough to open the door.

“Hi,” says Hoyt from the hallway.

“What… are you doing here?”

“Can I come in?”

I move, opening the door wide. “How did you know... where I live?”

“Akira.” His eyes go straight to my bare legs.

“Hoyt, I’m… Give me a second.” I walk to my bedroom. I put on a pair of dirty yoga pants. My apartment is a complete disaster. I look at myself in the mirror. I look even worse. I wish I could at least take a shower .

“What are you doing here?” I ask, walking back to the living room, tying up my hair.

“I needed to see you.”

“I can’t believe you’re… here.”

“Where are you moving to?” He moves a box out of the way and sits in the chair.

“Nowhere. I’m… unpacking.”

“Akira told me what happened.”

“Why didn’t you tell me… about the money?” I ask.

“It never came up. I thought maybe you knew.”

“I didn’t. Hoyt, what if Aaron… does something with it?”

He shakes his head. “He won’t. Not if he wants to keep his business.”

“You should’ve seen his face… I don’t know if?—”

“As soon as a couple of deals are closed, I’ll transfer everything to another place.”

“He… how much money?” I ask. “Can he…?”

“I still have the lands, but… there’s a lot invested.”

I take a seat on the couch. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Iris, please, it’s not your fault. If anything happens with the money, it’s not your fault.”

I look at him, at his beautiful face. In my apartment.

“Until you get your money back, I think it’s best if we don’t… see each other. Aaron’s mom… she had someone following me.”

“Akira mentioned it. Do you think they still are? Following you?”

“I keep looking behind me when I’m out. Looking for a stalker… I’ve never noticed anyone. Not that I did before… I don’t know.”

“Do you need help? Unpacking?” he says, changing the subject and looking around.

“What? No. I mean, how long are you staying?”

“I’ve got to go back home tomorrow. I have to deal with a builder issue there. ”

“Where are you staying?”

“I came here straight from the airport.” He points to the duffel bag by the door. I hadn’t even noticed he was carrying one.

“Were you planning on?—”

“I don’t want to put you on the spot. I’ll find a hotel. I just needed to see you. I even tried the trick with the fire.”

“What? You did?”

“When you stopped replying, I wanted to make sure you were okay. It didn’t work, though.”

“Nothing?”

“No, it seems like you’re the only one with superpowers.”

I make a face at him.

“Are you hungry?” I ask as my stomach growls.

“How’s work?” he asks as he serves himself from the Thai take-out container.

“Work is the only right thing in my life right now. Even with the tough crowd I have this year.”

“I would love to watch you teach.”

“I’m sure you would find it pretty boring.”

“Impossible.”

I shake my head to distract myself from his tone.

We are both eating on the floor, using boxes as props, even though my table is just fine in the corner.

“Your dad never told you anything else regarding the prisms?” I ask him.

“He never wanted to talk about it. He never wanted to talk about anything that mattered, to be honest. Not the prisms, not my brother, not even my mother. All I ever got from him is the knowledge that our prisms belonged to my mother.”

“You never mentioned your mother before.”

“She died giving birth to my sister. ”

“I’m sorry, Hoyt.”

“I don’t remember her well.”

“Sometimes I think I’m forgetting my mom too.” I take another bite.

“What’s your best memory of her?” he asks me.

“Dancing… we used to dance all the time. She would put music on at night, sometimes classical music, and other times, popular songs.”

“My mom used to sing to me every night. I still remember a couple of songs.”

He stands up, taking his plate to the kitchen.

“Trash?” he asks, looking around.

“Behind you. Sorry, this place is a hot mess. I’m embarrassed, your place was… very tidy.”

“You are moving in.”

“Actually, I’ve lived here for years. I was supposed to move in with Aaron, I just never left.”

“Why?”

“I think a part of me knew that things would end between us.”

I get up to put my plate in the sink. He takes it from my hands, and our fingers almost brush against each other.

“I need a drink,” I say, turning around.

I pour both of us an inch of bourbon on the rocks.

We are sitting on my bed, talking, both propped up on pillows.

“You can stay here tonight if you want.”

“Are you sure? I can stay on the couch.”

“You won’t fit on the couch, take the bed.”

“I’m not kicking you out of your bed, Iris.”

“I’m offering. I don’t mind. It’s my turn to be the host.”

He moves out of my bed and takes his pillow to the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m sleeping here.”

“On the floor?”

“Yes.” He’s pushing boxes away.

“I’m not letting you sleep on the floor, Hoyt.”

“It’s not like you can move me.”

“This is insane.”

“I won’t break.”

“Can you at least let me put a few blankets down?”

He helps me put layers of blankets, sheets, and pillows on the floor.

“I won’t take offense if you want to go to a hotel,” I say, handing him another pillow.

“I don’t want to leave.”

“I don’t want you to leave.” I say it without taking my eyes off him.

He takes another sip of his drink.

“Good, ’cause I’m not going anywhere.”

We are lying down, me in bed and him on the floor next to me, when I turn off my bedside lamp.

“What are we doing, Hoyt?” I ask the question we are both wondering.

“The more I think about not being able to touch you, the more I want to, Iris.” I love how he uses my name.

“What if we can’t?”

“Then, like a moth, I will burn every day trying.”