One Last Shot

[30] String and Gears

   Liam

Iris pulls up the house, and puts the car in park.

"Don't forget to tip your driver," she jokes. Her fingers are still tapping on the wheel, and I notice the extra sound her rings make.

"Why do you wear so many rings?" She rolls her eyes.

"It's called fashion and accessorizing. Thank god you don't have a girlfriend, she'd be dying."

"I think she would be very understanding to explain it to me, unlike you."

"A real charmer."

"Let's go," Jasper pulls me out of the car. "By the way, Lindsay is coming over in 10."

"Dude, really? Just us in the house and you call a booty call? No way am I sleeping forced to hear that."

"Then sleep somewhere else."

"Hey," I knock on Iris' window, and she rolls it down, the look on her face not having it.

"Can I help you?"

"Jasper invited a booty call over, can I stay over at your place?" She rolls her eyes, but I hear the car unlock.

"Before I lock the doors again." I hop in the passenger seat, and we roll up to her place. Thomas carries a sleeping Lilly into the house, and I follow them in, Iris the last one out of the car.

"I'll sleep on the couch."

"'Kay." She's acting differently, I was expecting her to ask me to go into her room, after all she's gotten comfortable sleeping with me now.

"Something wrong?"

"No, just tired."

"Iris." My tone is stern, serious. She looks up at me, her face emotionless. She licks her lips, her gaze not breaking from my eyes.

"What?"

"What's wrong?" I see her eyes fall to my lips. Oh come on, this is driving me insane. It is taking everything in my body to not grab her, pull her into me, and kiss her like I've never kissed anyone before.

"Nothing." Everything seems to move in slow motion, she's like a drug.

"With that attitude, who's going to put you in your place?"

"No one." She walks past me down the hallway. "Blankets on the couch, there's a pillow in the corner."

"Iris." She turns and faces me, her lightly curled hair swaying sideways as she moves. Her eyes are intently looking at me, and from down the hallway neither of us say anything, just look at each other. I can almost see a string and a gear, starting to pull me to her. Her room is right there, and I fight the urge to pull her in there and fuck her senseless. Her hoodie is baggy, hanging below her waist, practically begging me to pull it off. She stares at me, her eyes exploring my body just as I'm doing to her. I see her start to walk toward me, and I do the same. As we get closer, a door clicks shut.

"Iris, Lilly needs some water."

"Sure," her attention is off me, she and Thomas are walking to the kitchen. I flop on the couch, completely unsure how I'll sleep after that.

-

It's been a few days since I stayed at Iris' house. Coach and Marcus have been pushing us super hard and I've been exhausted. Between that and school, I've felt completely zombie-like. 9 P.M. Thursday night, I haven't talked to anyone that wasn't a textbook since 12 P.M. when I left my room for lunch. I'm laying in bed, ready to knock out, when my phone rings. Looking, I see Iris is calling me.