fade to black | james hetfield [1]

thirty seven

chapter thirty seven: apartment 83

"We're here." James smiles as he pulls up to a main street filled with small businesses and other residential buildings. Iris already felt the excitement building within her and they hadn't even parked the car yet.

They left her stuff in the car for now, wanting to see the apartment first. Iris followed James into the building, who seemed to know his way around and where they would be living from now on.

"Here we are, apartment 83," James announced as he dug into his pocket to get the key and open the door. They both entered the apartment together, and Iris's face immediately lit up at the sight of it.

There wasn't much furniture set up, but that would come in due time. What was most important to them was that they had somewhere to sleep for the night and each other.

James cleared his throat. "I know it's not perfect but," He shoved his hands into his pockets. "It's good enough for the both of us, I think."

"No," She muttered under her breath. "This is perfect." She said, wandering about the apartment in amazement. It was everything Iris could've wanted and more.

James's stuff was already there, most likely from when he returned from the tour. Most of it was just his guitars and an amp, there was still enough space set aside for when Iris would come in with her stuff.

The living room had a decent amount of space for both of them to use as a studio. She could already see James playing something on his guitar while she was focusing on her art.

There were two bedrooms, one with a king-sized bed set up, presumably for James and Iris to sleep in the same room. The other room had a much smaller bed, most likely for when someone would crash at their place.

"We don't have to share the same bed if you don't want to." James mentioned, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't want to overwhelm her and put her in an uncomfortable situation so early.

Iris laughed a bit, shaking her head. "That's alright, James. I don't mind." She said, laying down on the bed to test the mattress and relax for a minute.

She sat up and looked at James who was watching her from the doorway. She patted the space next to her, silently inviting him to lay with her on the bed.

Familiar silence enveloped them again as James lay on the bed beside her. Iris reached over and took his hand into hers, searching for his comfort during this serene moment.

After she relaxed on the bed with James for a bit, they got up and began to bring her stuff inside. James helped, doing most of the heavy lifting (literally) with Iris carrying other stuff in tow.

The rest of the day was spent on bringing stuff inside, going out to buy food for the week, and whatever essentials they might've needed for the time being.

Iris expressed her desire to go out and explore the area they were in, but they were both already exhausted from all the driving and bringing Iris's stuff in. James promised they would go out sometime.

Until then, they decided to have another one of the many late nights they would spend together in their apartment.

Iris was in rare form, or at least it was rare for James to see her this way. She was full of so much energy and happiness, it was like she transformed into a different person overnight.

He was sure it was because of the apartment, but it was more than that. It was finally hitting her that this was it, something she swore she could only ever dream about had come true.

James wasn't complaining, he liked seeing this side of her. This was the first time she was acting like herself. She always looked at him with a smile and he had become her safe space whenever she needed him the most.

After ordering some takeout, the two of them decided to cuddle up on the couch, watching whatever was playing on the TV in front of them.

They were in their usual position; James's arm wrapped protectively around Iris as she was curled into his side. Her head rested against his shoulder, occasionally glancing up to smile at him and admire his presence.

She was so glad to be in his arms again, and James was glad that they made it this far together. It was hard to believe that just a couple of days ago, he had been assuming the worst, and now, they were here, together.

Eventually, Iris succumbed to her exhaustion and fell asleep, right there in his arms. James glanced down at her and smiled, gently lifting her from the couch so he could take her to the bedroom and have her sleep more comfortably.

He laid her down on the bed, climbing into the bed and pulling the sheets over her. Iris mumbled something in her sleep, causing James to laugh at whatever she said. He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, whispering good night.

Everything about that day felt perfect. As they both settled in for the night, they knew that this would be the start of a good thing.