the unforgiven | james hetfield [2]

twenty two

chapter twenty two: the show

Iris nearly shot out of bed when her alarm went off, the excitement and nervousness of the day already weighing down on her shoulders.

James wasn't home when she woke up, but she told him the night before that the show was today. He claimed he didn't need a reminder, he hadn't forgotten since the day she told him.

They finally managed to share the bed together again. It was nice to have his arms around her again, it had always been a source of comfort for the both of them.

She smiled to herself as she thought about their kiss again and how special it felt. Although it wasn't their first kiss, that's what it felt like.

However, she had bigger things to worry about than a kiss. As she began to get ready to head out for the big day, she made herself some breakfast and coffee in hopes of calming her nerves.

When she had a moment to sit down and eat her breakfast, she noticed a little folded note on the coffee table. She took it and opened it, knowing it had to be from James.

"Had to go meet with the guys real quick. Good luck with everything, Iris. Promise I'll be there later."

Iris felt her heart flutter in excitement at his words. She couldn't wait to show him all of her work.

For now, she tried her best to push all the stress to the back of her mind. The anxiety was going to kill her first before she would even get to the gallery.

After all, it was going to be one of the first times she would show her art in public. Work that was once reserved for her eyes only was going to be seen by complete strangers.

What could be considered her best work in her eyes could mean nothing to someone else. It already happened with a real artist, what was everyone else going to think of it?

Even worse, what if no one bothered to show up? The event was being heavily advertised, and although Iris told James, what if he was the only one to show up?

The horn blaring from the car behind her snapped her out of her thoughts. She hadn't even realized that she spaced out at the red light, which was now green.

She took a deep breath and pressed on the gas, trying not to let her anxiety get the best of her. After all, James was coming to support her, it wouldn't be so bad.

When she came into the gallery, some people were there early, looking to view the art on display ahead of time. Her nerves were through the roof enough as it was.

Iris was busy trying to rehearse what she would say for her big speech, but she couldn't help watching the people who were already looking at her art. 

She was trying to read their expressions to see what they thought of it, but it only added to her anxiety. In the meantime, she kept her eyes on the clock, counting down the minutes until her big moment.

Iris watched as more people came in during that last hour, introducing herself and shaking hands with them at the door. No sign of James yet.

She didn't start worrying yet, maybe he was running late or he got stuck in traffic. He promised earlier he would be there, so there was no reason to jump to conclusions.

But as the clock hit 6 pm, he still wasn't there. Iris started to feel a bit uneasy but tried not to let it get to her head. She had to keep a brave face for the audience in front of her.

Now was a time when she needed him the most, and he wasn't there. She had to get up on the stage and speak in front of a crowd. If she had trouble speaking face-to-face, how was she gonna do this?

Iris took a deep breath and kept telling herself that James would be there soon. He would show up, support her, and help her to stay grounded.

He promised.

The event had a bigger turnout than what Iris expected, and the size of the room didn't really hit her until she got in front of everyone to speak.

She took the time to introduce herself, telling the crowd who she was, showing her artwork, and explaining the inspiration behind the art they were seeing that night.

It made her feel good seeing the interested faces in front of her while she continued to talk. But you know what didn't make her feel good?

James not being there.

After she was done speaking on stage, she opened herself for personal one-on-one conversations with the patrons in the gallery.

She tried her best to keep the smile on her face as she spoke to the others, trying to mask her disappointment. It felt like such a slap in the face, he knew how important this was for her.

Whatever bullshit excuse he had was going to fall on deaf ears. He knew, and she made sure he didn't forget because she didn't want something like this to happen. 

Eventually, the gallery emptied out, signifying the end of the event. By the end of it, he never came. Even if it was for a few minutes, she wouldn't have been upset.

At least the day wasn't completely ruined. The people who came to see her art show seemed to enjoy it and were impressed by her art. She was grateful for that.

But more than anything, she wanted James to be there. And she thought with the way things were going in their relationship, he would care enough and make the effort to come.

What a fool she was.

Iris held back her tears as she prepared to head home. As she stepped out of the gallery, her eyes glanced across the street to the bar that had an outdoor section.

There she spotted a tall man, towering above all his friends, laughing and sipping on a beer. There was no mistaking it was James, she could spot him from anywhere.

Iris narrowed her eyes, her anger quickly turning into rage as she began to stomp towards the bar.