— Ian's Perspective —
— Talk 1 with Iris —
"So that was Liam." Iris hums quietly as she walks over and sits down next to me on the couch. Ember smiles from her seat next to Izzy, who is the only person left here.
"That was Liam." She nods. "Isn't he adorable?"
"He is." Iris grins, making eyes at me that suggest things I don't like.
"I like him. He's a cutie." Izzy grins, resting her head on Ember's shoulder. "Can we go to bed?"
"Of course." Ember smiles that sappy smile she only gets around the other girl and the two stand up.
"Goodnight," Ian and Iris say in unison. They make eye contact after and again say the same thing at the same time, but Ian is faster. "Jinx!"
Iris groans while Ian cheers to himself. It's a little childish, sure, but Ian doesn't care. They never stopped doing that and probably never will.
"So, baby brother of mine." Iris leans in next to him, bumping his shoulder repetitively. "Liam sure is cute, isn't he?"
"Shut up." Ian grins, not feeling embarrassed at all. "I think he and Paige are a thing though. Maybe not, but the vibes are there."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm not sure of anything. I mean, I don't think they're officially dating. Think, but they could be. And I mean, Paige doesn't really want a relationship during high school, I know that, but their dynamic is just oddly suspicious, y'know."
She hums lightly and nods. "Well, it's just something to observe. Maybe ask Paige. She's always upfront and honest."
Ian nods. He knows he should, but he doesn't want to make it weird. If Paige and Liam are dating then he's been checking out her boyfriend this entire time.
"Not that any of it really matters though, because I'm perfectly happy to just be his friend." Ian nods. "I mean, I don't even know him like that yet so I'm not thinking about dating him or anything, but he's cute. That's it for the moment."
Iris nods. "For the moment."
Ian smirks a little. "For the moment."
"I see." She's smirking like she won something. "So is he going to be your new bestie?"
Ian snorts. Not that he hates that idea or anything, but he hardly knows the boy. And the way Iris words it is funny. "No one can replace Lu."
"Oh, of course." She nods, then a slow smile creeps on her face. "You sure do have a knack for finding the most introverted people you can and making them your closest friends, you notice that?"
Ian laughs. He has noticed that pattern. He befriends people easily, but he's always loved befriending the ones that are a little challenging the most.
He adopted Lucas in the second grade, then Paige in the fourth, and now Liam. It's a constant with him.
"They're fun, under all the shyness."
Iris laughs. "I thought you barely know Liam? How can you tell he's fun?"
"I've seen it." Ian shrugs easily, thinking about when they went swimming today.
Getting Liam to loosen up seemed so easy with Ember and Paige also having fun. He was laughing a lot, and his smile lit his features perfectly. Ian was drawn to it. He's determined to get the boy that comfortable around him too so he can see those smiles all the time.
YOU ARE READING
After Dark
Novela Juvenil《 This is a BoyxBoy story 》 William Caddel wants to live. Between crushing expectations and the strictness that comes with them that seems like such an impossible thing to do. He has so much of the world he wants to see, so much he wants to experie...
