Tainted Love

The Alley

IRIS

Though much had changed over the past couple of weeks, Iris's Friday nights remained the same. She was at Tracey's, sitting on the ground and leaning against her couch. Across the room, Tracey played with her curls in the mirror and held up three different pairs of shoes to inspect.

Theodore and Sebastian were going to meet them at the Leaky later. Theodore had some pureblood dinner function that he said his mother was forcing him to attend under threat of death. Sebastian was just being lazy.

Iris wasn't drunk yet, not even tipsy, but she was in one of those good moods where everything felt lighter and more relaxed. She was happy to play with the fibers of Tracey's rug and listen to her monologue.

"Of course, we never actually did hook up," she was saying, "but when I tell you that we locked eyes last weekend - well, you know what I'm talking about."

"I do," Iris said, shooting her a fond smile through the mirror. Tracey was talking about Michael Corner, her former classmate and current coworker. More specifically, she was talking about the possibility of them hooking up.

Tracey turned around, directly facing Iris instead of the mirror. "So you think I should?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"I suppose I only have my dignity to lose," Tracey said, then snorted at herself. "Actually, I think I might have left that in the Prefect's Bathroom fifth year."

Iris smiled, wondering whether or not Tracey would detail exactly what had happened then. Tracey was not an excellent storyteller - she was prone to tangents and exaggeration - but she was undeniably entertaining.

Instead, though, Tracey sighed loudly and somewhat wistfully. "But I'm boring you," she said.

Iris knew Tracey didn't actually think that she was being boring. She knew herself too well for that. Her comment was probably a crafted segue into a different topic of conversation, but Iris didn't mind. She was happy to talk about whatever Tracey wanted to.

"Of course you aren't boring me," she said with a soft smile.

"Okay, well, sometimes I wonder," Tracey said. "Because you never hook up with anyone."

Tracey's words immediately conjured a cacophony of images. It made sense that Tracey and Theodore would think that she was practically celibate - of course they would. They didn't know that she was hooking up with someone. Very much so.

Since that Monday where Draco had finally broken the ice between them, they had only made it through two full work days without fucking. He was the one who decided when and where and she hated it, but if that's what it took to have him, she would do it.

It seemed blasé to call what they were doing hooking up. It was more intense than that, more real. They said horrible things to each other and afterwards pretended that nothing had happened. Iris had learned how to go back to her work, unfeeling.

Nothing had ever made her feel the way he did and she doubted anything ever would. When he touched her it felt like a vortex. Every part of her moved toward him instinctively, like she was getting sucked in.

She realized that Tracey was waiting for her to say something. Her memories of Draco's hands on her waist had left a silence in the air between them.

Obviously taking it as Iris being offended, Tracey rushed to amend her earlier statement. "Not that I'm shaming you or anything. I mean, if you don't want to hook up with anyone obviously you shouldn't. I respect that!"

Iris smiled, easing Tracey out of her frantic apologies.

"No, don't worry. Of course I want to hook up with people."