One Day More - a Sartorias-deles fanfic

Chapter 18

The day came when Iris grew well. She could have pretended to be sick to delay her return. But she had to lie enough to Alaraec already; she had no desire to do it more than she had to. In one of her last discussions with Enda, the other woman had promised she would not speak a word of Iris's disclosure to anyone. It was not her information to share, she said. But Enda did encourage her to speak to Alaraec.

Iris dismissed the notion immediately. Alaraec would never forgive her.

She slipped into her repaired green dress. The cut in the bodice had been sewn together in a lattice pattern—elegant silver embroidery crisscrossing up from her navel to her chest. Swirls had been added, too, so the repair looked intentional from the dress's creation rather than added later. Iris liked the garment more ever. She slipped on her silver shoes and wiggled her toes.

She opened the door when a knock sounded on the wooden surface. Alaraec stood before her, dressed in a blue tunic with cream-colored pants and worn brown boots. The smile on his face nearly took Iris's breath away; she could not help but smile back. Iris took his offered hand, and he gently pulled her from the room she had called hers for the past two weeks.

"It's been so nice to know where you are," he said.

"I'm always close," Iris said.

"Not when you leave here."

"All it takes is a letter."

"I like being able to see you every day." He escorted her down the long hall at a slow pace. "It will be quiet without you."

"Please." Iris waved her hand. "My leaving will shift your focus back to your duties—probably where your attentions belong."

"We will agree to disagree," Raec said.

"Where are we going?" Iris frowned.

"Someone wants to say goodbye before you leave."

"But I—"

"Do you have any appointments?"

"No."

"Then there is no need for you to rush home. Come on." He dropped his arm, her hand naturally falling into his. He took it before she could move away and squeezed.

"You're nothing but trouble." A giggle lightened her tone.

"You need it in your life. Admit it." He grinned, nearly tripping over his feet as he tried to look at her and walk simultaneously.

"Trouble, I could go without. You? Not so much," Iris admitted.

It was why she could not tell him the truth about her role in his life. She could not risk losing him. Perhaps that was selfish, but for the first time in her life, Iris had someone who cared for her. Not out of any obligation, not because he wanted to use her, but because he liked her. And now that Iris had experienced a relationship built on trust and sincerity, she could never go back to being alone.

Trust. Sincerity.

It made her deception even more painful.

Tears welled in her eyes and blurred her vision. Before she could compose herself, Raec noticed and stopped their movement. His other hand closed on hers, so he now held both. His thumbs rubbed against her skin.

"What's wrong?"

"I've never been treated so kindly in my entire life." Iris drew in a shaky breath. "I have to adjust back to what I knew before."

"Do you want to stay?" The hope in his tone nearly broke her.

"I can't. I have to return." She pulled a hand from his and wiped under her eye before a tear could fall. "I'm sorry."