fade to black | james hetfield [1]

thirteen

chapter thirteen: beach date pt. 2

A half-hour passed before Lars gave up, opening his eyes to see Cliff, Kirk, and the girls farther away from him than he thought. Lars narrowed his eyes at Kirk and Cliff. "I'm gonna kick your ass."

Iris couldn't help but laugh out loud, causing Lars to whip around. She tore her hand away from James before Lars could see. He wouldn't let them live it down if he saw them holding hands. 

James and Iris got over their initial awkwardness, enjoying the rest of the day like normal. Her self-consciousness slowly dissipated as she hung out with the rest of them.

As the sun began to set, they decided to set up a bonfire on the beach and relax. The girls set their towels on the sand and sat with their boyfriends, leaving Iris and James to sit together awkwardly.

Everyone sat near the bonfire, sipping on beers while the night filled with laughter and jokes. It was an odd feeling for Iris, who was used to being alone all the time. But it was a nice feeling.

Eventually, Lars and the girl he was with would disappear, with no word on where they were going or what they were doing. Cliff and his girlfriend left the bonfire to go smoke a joint, leaving James and Iris with Kirk.

"You know, you guys look really cute together." Kirk's girlfriend giggled.

Iris felt her heart drop into her stomach when she heard her say that, her face turning red with embarrassment. "Oh, he's not—we're not—" 

"You might as well be," Kirk interrupted. "I know James wishes you guys were a couple." He laughed, taking a sip from his beer.

"Dude, shut up!" James screamed, throwing a stick at Kirk before turning to Iris. "Don't listen to him, he's just being stupid." James laughed nervously before shooting a glare at Kirk.

Iris wasn't sure what to make of what she just heard. Was Kirk just a bit drunk and making things up? Or did James actually feel that way about her and he didn't want to admit it?

Before she could even dwell on it, Kirk was starting to ask multiple questions about Iris like he was interrogating her. He was just trying to get to know her better, but it didn't sound that way.

"How old are you? Where are you from? Where do you live? Are you single?" He was the only one who was talking out of the four of them. His girlfriend looked on in horror as James and Iris looked back at him wide-eyed.

Every time Iris opened her mouth to answer one question, he would ask her another one. He kept rambling, asking about anything and everything. 

"What do you like about James? Do you think he's handsome? I think he's handsome, and I'm a dude." Nope, he was definitely drunk. 

Eventually, the night began to wear on and everyone was starting to feel exhausted from the activities earlier in the day. They called it a night and started to head their separate ways. 

"Need a ride?" James asked as he packed the trunk of his car, noticing Iris standing nearby. She nodded her head and climbed into the passenger seat without another word.

It was silent for most of the ride, the faint sound of the radio playing (Don't Fear) The Reaper by Blue Öyster Cult. They weren't sure what to say to each other, afraid that they were going to say the wrong thing.

Iris became so consumed by her thoughts, the car ride went faster than she thought. Before she knew it, James was stopped right outside her apartment.

"Thanks for the ride home, James." She said with a slight smile. That was the only thing she managed to say after their awkwardly silent car ride home.

As Iris began to reach for the door handle, James reached over. "Iris, wait." He put his hand on the door handle, stopping her before her hand could even reach the door. 

Iris turned to look back at James, a look of concern on her face. She thought that maybe she was forgetting something, but she could see in his eyes that he was thinking about something else. 

His hand moved from its place on the door handle, gently caressing Iris's cheek. James could feel her cheeks heating up under his fingertips as he started to lean in.

She couldn't believe this was happening right now. If it was anybody else, she would've gotten out of there running. But she didn't want to run away. 

James pressed his lips against hers gently. Iris kissed him back almost immediately, her heart thumping against her chest as her soft lips moved in unison with his slowly.

It was a quick and tender moment, with James pulling away first. Iris licked her lips without realizing it, a sure sign that she had enjoyed the kiss. James couldn't help but feel a little proud that he had her feeling that way. 

"Have a good night, Iris." He whispered, slightly smirking as he saw the rosy hue that was currently present on her cheeks.

"Y-You too." She stuttered, grabbing her things and heading to her apartment. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, the moment replaying in her head over and over again. 

James sat watching from the car, making sure she made it inside her apartment safely. Before she walked inside, she turned back and looked at James in the car, smiling at him.