Page 31 of Crystal Iris #1

Twenty-Five

“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” – Andy Warhol

I ’m waiting for Akira at the airport when I spot her hair. Her new hair. Blue. Only the bottom ends, but still, it’s really blue.

“Tell me you didn’t drive.” She’s searching for Hoyt.

I jiggle the keys in my hand. She tries to take them.

“Hoyt let you drive his truck?”

“Yep.”

“He doesn’t know, does he?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I recognize her luggage and pull it from the belt.

“Do you have a death wish?” she asks, helping me with the bag.

“I can drive,” I tell her as she follows me to the truck.

“Having a driver’s license doesn’t mean you can drive.”

“Actually, that’s exactly what it means.”

“When was the last time you drove?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I’m driving.” She moves to the left side of the truck.

“I made it here, didn’t I?”

“I won’t push our luck.”

She doesn’t get in the truck until I move to the passenger seat.

“Fine, suit yourself. It’s a long drive from here. ”

“So tell me… how are things going? You look different… happy,” she says, taking a long look at me.

“Everything is great. Does Broc know you’re coming?”

“No.” She speeds up.

“He likes you.”

“Does he?”

I know she doesn’t want to talk about him. “How was Chicago?”

She goes on to tell me about her lovely nephew, the arguments with her parents, and the issue with still being single, unmarried, and without children.

“You can’t blame them, now that they have a taste for being grandparents.”

“It’s never enough with them. I’m never enough.”

“At least they care.”

“I guess.” She pauses. “You and Hoyt, still keeping things slow?”

“Yes.”

“And how’s that going?”

“Good, great. I’m busy with the horses and the paperwork.” It’s been days since our outing in the truck bed. Hoyt seems to be taking my request for space very seriously.

“I thought you were on vacation.”

“I’m on vacation from my professor’s life.”

Akira brings up NASA and her latest job offer.

“That’s a lot of money,” I tell her.

“I know, but like I said, I’m not interested in leaving the academic world.”

“I’m sure you could still teach on the side.”

“I’m not moving to Texas.”

“What about your research?” I ask.

“Still working on it.”

I look outside my window. “I’m glad you came.” We’ve barely talked these past weeks with her being so busy .

“Me too. Look at this view.”

“Yeah, it’s beautiful here.”

Hoyt walks out to greet us. I know he wants to help with the bag.

“How was your flight?” he asks Akira after giving her a hug.

“Long.” She hands him his keys. “By the way, Iris can’t drive.”

He looks at me. “What?”

“Ignore her. She’s being dramatic. I made it there just fine.”

“Ask her when was the last time she drove.”

He looks at me with crossed arms.

“When I took my driver’s test, at seventeen. And I aced it,” I say, walking into the house.

He looks at Akira, and she says, following me, “She’s a handful, isn’t she?”

We’re walking outside when Broc drives by. I see when his eyes find her. The surprise. Akira pretends not to be affected by it, but I know her better.

He pulls over immediately. “I didn’t know you were coming,” he says to her.

“Last-minute decision.” She’s too cold. I feel bad for him.

“Your hair, you changed it.” His eyes say more than his mouth.

“I sure did.”

“How long are you staying?”

“A few days,” she tells him.

“I’ll see you around,” he says, walking away.

I have to give it to Broc; he plays it casual enough. I know him well by now—he’s more than excited to see her.

“Iris, wear a jacket tomorrow morning, it’s gonna rain and we’ll be outside,” he tells me before driving off.

I nod.

We eat dinner indoors; the rain’s coming down heavily, and I welcome the coziness.

Hoyt’s made a delicious savory pie, and we eat while discussing the latest news he’s received from the lawyers.

Apparently, Aaron’s made a few mistakes—not with Hoyt’s money—his is mostly frozen—but with other accounts.

“He’s losing it. I think I should be able to get my money back soon,” he tells us.

I can’t help but feel nauseated. I would never wish to see Aaron fail. I’ll always be grateful for our past, all he’s done for me. I want him happy.

“His mother finally sent an email, saying the wedding is off,” Akira says, taking a bite of her side salad.

“She did?” I ask.

“Yeah, she blamed you too.”

“Let me see.”

She passes me her phone.

We regret to inform that the wedding of Iris and Aaron is cancelled. We kindly request that you do not contact the groom during this difficult time. We extend our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

“It’s not like anyone’s going to contact me, though. I don’t know any of the guests.” I try to keep eating. The wedding was supposed to be in just a couple of weeks.

I excuse myself to bed earlier than planned.

I’m still feeling bad about Aaron’s news.

What’s going on with him? He was the best at what he did.

To lose money like that—he’s struggling.

I hope I’m not the reason. I wish things had ended differently between us.

A part of me wants to reach out, but I know there’s nothing I can say that would make the situation better.

I only want to go back in time and do things differently.

The last time I sat in this bed and cried, I was still hopeful that things could be talked through.

I haven’t slept well; even so, I welcome the work Broc gives me. The stalls need cleaning and care, and the horses are moved to the outdoor space surrounded by a wooden fence.

“This couldn’t wait until it wasn’t raining?” I ask.

“My schedule’s tight this week,” he says.

I look at him.

“We’re getting a new horse tomorrow,” he adds.

“We are?”

“Yes, a purebred white.”

“White?”

“Yes. As you may know, true white horses are rare. Most people call gray horses white, but pure white is rare.”

“How did you guys find one?”

“I have no idea. Hoyt must have spent a fortune on it. I don’t even know why he bought it. It’s apparently not a racing horse.”

I’m exhausted after the lack of sleep and all the work Broc and I did. We struggled with a broken gate for a while. All that matters is that we got the job done. I stayed longer to help him finish.

Akira finds me when I return. “You look…” She eyes me. I’m dirty, wet, tired, and starving.

Hoyt comes downstairs just in time to see me that way.

“Bad day at work?” he asks as I take off my layers.

“You could say that. I’ll see you guys later. I’ve never needed a shower more in my life.”

I walk upstairs.

I take my time washing every body part. My hair is knotted, and it takes me ages to brush it through.

When I get out of the bathroom, I see a tray with food waiting for me on the bed: a sandwich with a pickle on the side, an iced coffee, and water on the right, with a note on the left.

I’m an expert at washing off mud if you ever need help.

I let myself dream about the idea for a minute. At least he’s teasing me again.

Thanks for the food, I text him.

I read a message from Akira: Went out for lunch with Broc. See you at dinner.

I don’t want to nap, but my body has other plans—I wake up to a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I mumble.

“Did I… wake you up?” Hoyt closes the door behind him.

I see worry in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

I sit up and rub my face. “What’s going on?”

“Aaron’s firm asked him to step down.”

“They what?”

“I guess they agreed he’s not himself. It might be a temporary thing, I don’t know.”

“What about your money?”

He takes a deep breath. “They transferred the care to Lara.”

I stand up. “They what? Can they do that?”

“I guess. We made our case against Aaron, but she’s free to… take over.”

“This is insane.”

“What do you know about her?” Hoyt asks. “Do you think she can… I don’t know, handle it?”

“Well, luckily, Lara’s a money whore. If she can take a commission from the transactions, she’ll do anything to…” I stop talking. “What if… this has been her plan all along? Maybe, since, I don’t know, taking over Aaron?”

“You think?”

“It explains it. I don’t think she’s in love with him.”

“Do you know her husband well?”

“He does whatever she wants. Who knows? I wouldn’t put it past him to be in on it too. Maybe he even knew about her and Aaron. It could’ve been their plan all along. I don’t know, I just…”

“What?”

“I can’t help but feel bad for Aaron. If I’d known…”

“Iris, you need to stop blaming yourself for this. He’s a grown man.”

“Yeah, sometimes I still see him as the young boy I knew, who would…” I remember him rubbing my back when I needed help. I don’t tell Hoyt, though.

“I don’t know what to do. If Lara can finish the deals, maybe it’s best to… let her.”

“What do the lawyers want you to do?”

“Pull out, keep pushing them to release it all, untouched.”

“I would suggest doing that. We can’t trust Lara.”

“Pizza?” I ask him, eyeing the boxes on the table that evening.

“I’m too stressed to cook.” He’s drinking a beer.

“You don’t have to cook every day, you know? I’m used to heating frozen meals, opening cans, spreading things on bread.”

“I like cooking. I’m just taking a break today.”

“Is Akira still out with Broc?” I ask, pulling out a slice.

“No, she’s back. She said she’ll be right down.”

“Sometimes I think I’m home, that I really live here,” I say, sitting across from him. There’s a game on TV, but he isn’t paying attention.

“Me too. It’s the reason I like cooking for you. I like that you’re here, living here, even if it’s only for a little bit longer.”

Something about our words makes me want to sit on his lap, kiss him, feel him closer. We continue eating until Akira comes down.

She coughs on purpose. “Am I interrupting anything?”

I shake my head. “Pizza?” I gesture to the boxes .

“Sure.” She’s still trying to figure out what’s going on between us.

“How did your day go?” I ask her.

“It was fun. Broc showed me around Crewneck town.”

“He took you to Crewneck?” Hoyt asks, surprised.

“Yeah, I told him I’d already seen Whitefish.”

“What’s in Crewneck?” I ask, wiping my mouth.

“Bars,” they both reply at the same time.

I laugh.

“We played pool, won a few drinks,” she tells us.

“Broc sucks at pool,” Hoyt says, opening another bottle.

“I don’t,” Akira says.

I chuckle.

Akira goes upstairs with her journal to work on her theory, and I follow Hoyt to the window to watch the rain come down. He’s switched to scotch.

“Are you okay?” I ask him. I look him in the eye, not shying away from what his gaze makes me feel.

“Just tired,” he tells me, looking out.

“I heard about the new horse,” I say, following his gaze.

“Tomorrow’s an exciting day for all of us.” He turns around and lies down on the lounging chair. He closes his eyes, and I wish I could go over and kiss him. Perhaps, if I could, I would have.

“Can’t wait. Good night,” I say, walking away.