An Unexpected Girl

chapter forty-one

Iris sat outside of the gym changing room while Adi showered. A part of her felt nervous, while the other half felt giddy and excited.

About fifteen minutes passed before Adi finally emerged from the changing rooms. She was wearing a sweatshirt with matching sweatpants and had her gym bag slung over her shoulder.

Iris rose to her feet as the red-haired girl approached her, a slight smirk playing at Adi's mouth.

"Do you always take forever to shower?" Iris asked, folding her arms over her chest, "you've gotta cut down on your water use. Leave some for the fish, you know."

The smirk on Adi's face only grew wider. "I didn't realize that you missed me that much."

Iris rolled her eyes. "You are so corny."

"I didn't know you were such a huge planet activist."

"Everyone should be, seeing as we have like 30 years tops left on this bitch."

Adi's smirk changed into a genuine smile. "Fair enough. I'll take shorter showers moving forward. Any other requests, ma'am?"

Iris glared at Adi, not sure what else to do. She wasn't sure how it was possible that Adi could cause goosebumps to spread all over her skin without even touching her.

Adi was standing close enough that Iris could smell the fresh scent of soap radiating off from her. She smelt as soft as Iris knew she was, and the way she looked at her right then wasn't doing much in curbing the desire Iris had to touch her.

"Well, I don't mean to rush you while you're making such an important point on the state of our climate," Adi began, placing a hand lightly over her stomach, "but I skipped breakfast this morning and I am extremely hungry."

"You shouldn't skip breakfast," Iris simply said, "it's the most important meal of the day." She turned on her heels and began walking towards the exit of the gym. Adi was right beside her in just a few strides, walking in sync.

"Yes ma'am."

Iris knew that Adi was teasing her, but she had to keep from smiling to reveal how much she was actually enjoying Adi's teasing. If Iris were lighter skinned, she knew she would probably be a bright red right then.

Iris silently thanked God for her melanin.

The cold immediately hit the girls once they walked outside. It was like a slap in the face and Iris clutched onto her jacket, pulling it securely over her shoulders. Winter was definitely here. They didn't get a lot of snowfalls in their town, but this winter seemed particularly cold compared to the other winters Iris had experienced.

"I'm regretting not bringing my car," Adi announced as she zipped up her coat all the way to the top. "I didn't expect it to get this cold today."

"I'm regretting you not bringing your car as well," Iris said, thinking of how much warmer they both would have been if they were in Adi's car right then. Instead, they huddled together as they made their way over to the restaurant.

Luckily, the restaurant wasn't that far of a walk away, and soon enough; they arrived.

Iris let out a sigh as she entered the warm atmosphere of the restaurant, with Adi right behind her. They made their way over to a booth at the back of the restaurant, sitting opposite each other.

"This place is pretty cool," Adi noted as she sat across from Iris.

Iris nodded, agreeing with her.

"Campus feels a lot more empty now that most people are away. I kind of like it. It's peaceful."

"Wow Iris, I didn't know you were so deep."