the unforgiven | james hetfield [2]

eighteen

chapter eighteen: late nights

In the days after Iris told James about her upcoming show, he could tell that she was starting to spend more time at work than at home. 

This upcoming presentation had been more important to Iris than anything else. After working in the gallery for years helping other people to display their work, she would finally have her moment.

When Iris came home that night, James could see the exhaustion written all over her face. She gave a weak smile as she shuffled inside, trying to keep a brave face.

He looked over at the time, noticing it was close to midnight already. As the days went on, the time she came home was starting to get late into the night, into the early morning hours.

"Long day at work?" He asked, attempting to make some conversation. Most nights Iris would find James sitting in the living room waiting for her to get home.

 Iris appreciated the fact that he would always wait up for her during such a stressful time. "That's what I get for trying to be a perfectionist about this sort of thing." She sighed.

He watched as she set her things down and headed to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. He hoped she wasn't going to bed yet, she needed something to eat first.

"Hey, I made you something to eat!" He shouted from the couch. "I'll drag you out of that room if you go to sleep without eating."

Iris couldn't help but laugh a bit, a warmth spreading in her chest as she listened to his words. "I'll be back in a second!" She shouted back to him. 

For some reason, she felt appreciated and cared for knowing that James had cooked for her.  It wasn't that big of a deal, all he did was make dinner. But to Iris, it meant more than that.

James could really be a sweetheart when he wanted to be, and this was one of those moments where Iris felt appreciated by him. A rare moment unique to the time before their separation.

Even after all the times she tried to push him away and said things she didn't mean, he was still going to show how much he cared for her. How much he loved her. 

After Iris finished changing into her pajamas, she went to the kitchen and saw the plate of food he put aside for her. She couldn't resist the smile that formed on her face almost instantly.

"You didn't have to do this for me, you know," Iris muttered as she looked down to see what he made, her stomach growling at the sight.

James looked over at her and shrugged. "Don't worry about it. You've been hard at work, you deserve it." She knew he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

She couldn't help but blush slightly at his words, and he said it like it was no big deal. She could get used to something like this again. It was sweet and comforting. 

Iris took her plate and sat at her usual spot in the living room, sitting on the chair separate from the couch. It was the usual routine for her and James to sit apart for a while now.

For the time being, they just made small talk, occasionally laughing at the animated cartoon that was airing on MTV at the moment.

When the show finally went to commercial, Iris decided to check in on him. "Did you eat something at least?"

That question was all too familiar to him. He remembered the days when he rarely had anything useful in his system besides beer. She had to force him to eat sometimes.

"Yeah, I ate dinner earlier in the day," He replied. "Don't worry about me, you've got more important things to worry about."

It wasn't that she was worried about him, she simply wanted to make sure he was taking care of himself. With his personal problems in the back of her mind, she wanted to make sure he was okay.

"Go get some sleep, James. I'll be fine." Iris insisted. As much as it sounded like she was pushing him away, she wasn't trying to.

But again, James shook his head and denied her request. "I'm not going to leave you here alone. I'll keep you company until you finish eating."

It was quiet after he said that. Iris felt like he was doing so much for her, even if she didn't need it. Maybe the James that she knew really was coming back. She didn't have to worry anymore.

Rather than staying on her spot in the separate chair, she decided to sit beside James on the couch. There was no specific reason why, it just felt right to her.

He was confused for a second as he saw her move closer, surprised that she was now sitting closer. 

He hesitated to put his arm around her, pretending to yawn and stretch before putting his arm over her shoulder to hold her closer.

Iris looked up at him and rolled her eyes once she realized what he had done. "Seriously? Are we in middle school?" 

James couldn't help but laugh. "That was pretty corny." He smirked, going back to watching the cartoon on the TV.

They stayed like that for the rest of the night, neither one wanting to tear away from each other. Any other day, this would be too much for Iris. But right now, it felt perfect.

Eventually, James heard some light snoring coming from his right. When he looked over, he found Iris asleep on his shoulder, her hands wrapped loosely around his bicep.

He turned off the TV and gently moved to place his arms under her, trying not to wake her up as he lifted her from the couch and began to walk to her bedroom.

As he entered the room they once shared, he placed her down on the bed, moving the covers over her so she could be comfortable.

A part of him wanted to join her in the bed and hold her close, sharing the bed with her like they always did. But that was another distant memory, never to return.

"Good night, Iris," James mumbled as he leaned over to kiss her forehead gently, taking one last look at her peaceful expression.

He sighed and walked out of the bedroom, leaving her to sleep and bring himself into his own cold and empty bed.