Sweet Saltwater

Chapter 3

Iris woke up to the familiar sound of the morning waves and the seagulls squawking in excitement, a signal that the catch of the day was being brought back from the open sea.
She opened her eyes slowly, the sunlight streaking in through her window and dispersing on the wooden floorboards. Her old wooden bed groaned in protest as she stretched, trying to chase the sleep away. This had been her home away from home for years now. The sisters Dina and Thea, who owned the stone house on the promenade, took her in when she left her parents house. They were extremely kind women, both in their late fifties, that used the house only in the summer months when their family came over. The siblings could not stand each other so there was only ever one part of the family in the house, which worked for Iris because it was a small place. 
She was lucky enough to get the top floor bedroom, her window overlooking the main street and just beyond it was the sea, washing up on a sliver of sand where most tourists made camp during the day. 

Iris sat up, she could hear that Thea was awake downstairs, cooking up breakfast by the sounds of it. The older sister, who normally lived in Berlin, was the most frequent occupant of the quaint little house. Her money disputes with Dina made it so that the two of them never crossed paths, often using Iris as the messenger. Iris didn't really mind, they let her stay in the house as if it were her own, so she was happy to do pretty much anything they asked of her. 

She stood up and walked over to the large oak wardrobe on the other side of the room. Last night, before she headed up to sleep, she had agreed to help Pierce with the unloading and delivery of the groceries for his parents' restaurant. Usually it would be another crew member that helped Pierce with that sort of thing but because they were a man down and the new guy hadn't shown up yet she volunteered her help.
She stood looking at her closet, her go-to would be a flowy long dress but that seemed impractical for the task at hand, so she grabbed a pair of washed out jean shorts and a white top with a V-neck, which she knew accentuated her breasts.She wasn't normally one for showing off her body, but today she wanted to feel good about herself. Being reminded of Nolan always did a number on her self-confidence, despite her not wanting to be affected by the thought of him after three years. She took her hair out of her golden braid and shook it out, the curls finally  let loose in a wild tangle. With one sprits of perfume and a smile to the mirror she headed downstairs. 

"Good morning Thea" she said cheerily as she made her way down the wooden staircase and into the beautiful forrest green kitchen. 

"Oh good morning honey, you're up early" Thea said with a quick glance at Iris, her focus quickly returning to the pancakes on the stove before her. 

"Promised Pierce I'd help him with the restaurant groceries, they haven't gotten their replacement yet." Iris filled the older woman in, walking to the door. "Smells delicious, I might come grab a bight after I'm done if that's okay" she said putting on her sand coloured sandals. 

"Of course, you know I always make extra." Thea said with a wave and a sweet smile. 
Iris stepped out into the early morning sun. This was her favorite time of day; before the tourists woke up and wreaked havoc on the sand shores, before the water had time to warm up from the sunlight's embrace and before the peace and serenity of the morning was ruined by the upcoming and inevitable tasks of a working day. Iris usually had weekends off, that was the only time she could truly enjoy the little things. 

She headed for the dock where the boat would be coming in soon. The deliveries came every couple of days as Lagona itself only had two shops, which were more like kiosks than supermarkets. The island depended on AdroLine to deliver goods from the city along with tourists, making it a lifeline for everyone who lived there full time. Iris smiled as she thought about how cocky that made Pierce sometimes."If it weren't for me and my excellent boating, we wouldn't have Christmas!" he had said for his toast at dinner last winter. Erica and Iris' eyes rolled to the back of their heads, having heard these declarations a million times, but the pride in Vern's eyes was indisputable as he clinked glasses with his only child.
Now, approaching the dock and seeing the white vessel in the distance, Iris also felt a sense of pride for her friends' achievements. She could see him on the hull, his distinct white uniform marking him as a proper sailor. 

As the boat docked, Iris could see the forming line of tourists, their eyes large with awe at the view ahead. They were a sea of vibrant colours; hats, tops, bags, all eagerly waiting to be let loose and fill the cobblestone streets with vibrancy. She smiled, with her being the first local they see, she wanted to make a good impression. 
Pierce was at the front of the row now, barking orders at those second in command and already on the dock, to tie the lines securely. When they were tied, he dropped the assistance metal stairs with one swift movement. They made a loud clang on the concrete, followed by the hustle of the tourists coming of the boat. Iris said a few "welcomes" to passers by that smiled at her as she waited for Pierce to give her the signal to come on to the boat.
The familiar sound of Mr Tomlinson's cart of fruits was fast approaching, she looked over to see what he had collected from his garden that day and what he hoped to sell to the eager visitors. 

"Iris you can come on up!" Pierce yelled, distracting her from the delicious looking peaches that Mr Tomlinson was handing over to a young couple. As she turned towards the direction of her friend's voice her stomach dropped. Not the sort of drop that is exciting and adrenaline filled, it was the sort that made you want to run for your life and never look back.
An all too familiar figure was making his way down the metal stairs now. His brown hair had grown longer, grazing the tops of his perfectly wide shoulders. The tanned bare arms which she remembered so vividly wrapping around her waist, were decorated with intricate and beautiful tattoos which she hadn't seen before. He looked as perfect and as wretched as she remembered, and here he was standing on the same dock where he left her all those years ago.

Nolan. 

She tried to move, to turn, to do something besides standing there dumbfounded, as if she were still that young girl, having left her heart broken and in pieces on this very same piece of concrete. Her legs wouldn't listen to her, her stomach was in an uprising of its own.
She watched him as he descended with such grace and confidence.

Why was he here?  Why after all these years? 

Her thoughts were racing almost as quickly as her heart was beating. Nolan stopped at the bottom of the stairs, as if waiting for someone. Behind him, coming down the steps was a thin young woman, with a bubblegum pink dress and Barbie blonde hair. She wore a straw hat with a white bow which covered most of her features apart from her lips, which were in a perfect glossy pout. In her delicate, pale arms, was a toddler, her thin wispy hair was the colour of her mother's. She too wore pink, that matched the colour of her cheeks as she giggled, looking up at the blonde woman. Nolan wasn't looking at them, instead he was looking at his phone a frown painting his face. The woman reached the bottom of the steps, Iris could see she was saying something but she was too far away to hear. Almost as if in answer or maybe a coincidence Nolan looked up at them, Iris made an effort to stand as still as possible, as if not moving would make her disappear and avoid the inevitable meeting. 

He started walking then, with every step Iris' heart beat louder and faster.
She couldn't face him.
She had healed, somewhat, but this was too much.

Or so she thought. 

The blonde woman caught up with Nolan swiftly, the toddler in her arms bouncing with every step. Once again she said something, Iris wasn't sure if it was to the girl in her arms.

No.
NoNoNo. 
Impossible. 

Iris' gut wrenched, her breath hitched and she suddenly felt extremely dizzy as she watched the young girl being passed from her mother's doll like arms, to the tanned and muscular ones Iris knew all too well. 

She was his.