Wild Boys

Chapter Nineteen

Boarding at Visco used to be nothing more than a necessity. Now it felt like home. Chief's food was a warm welcome both to her stomach and her spirit. Nothing was different about the dorm and yet everything felt new, as if Iris had just begun to see in high definition.

While that was a pleasant surprise, nothing prepared her for her room. Dom's warning of 'don't freak out' did nothing to prepare her when she stepped into their hallway and found stacks of presents piled in front of her door. They were so many it was ridiculous. The boys didn't share the same sentiments though. It took a lot of work to haul them inside her room and once she got them all in, she found she had no idea what to do with them.

Opening them was the only way to go, and even then she was still reluctant and was somehow filled with an urge to just throw or give them away.

After a ton of ripping premium gift wrappers, Iris found herself surrounded by bags, sportswear, makeup, electronic gadgets, jewelries, a blender, dresses, pairs of shoes...even cash—that last one particularly had an anonymous note saying 'teens these days want straight up cash. amirite?'. She was dumbfounded. Had she really pleased all those people that much?

There was no time to dwell on that matter though. Just because they were in an island didn't mean that time stopped here in Visco. For starters, she had no idea about the situation of her part-time job. Ray and Dina were good people and even though Ares had told her he'd already 'fixed' her five day absences, would it be a good idea to stay? Iris had an inkling on how busy it's all going to be now that she's had her debut as one of the newest member in Visco's World. She thought of the warmthness of the family that ran the diner and Iris came to the conclusion that even though she's fond of them, it's still their decision in the end.

Besides that, it was back to her normal routine. But come morning for her tutoring session, she was in for a surprise when Dom intercepted her after her early run and told her of Ares' words, "No session for today or tomorrow. Do what you like."

"Did something happen?" She asked.

Dom had an easy smile. "Don't worry yourself."

So she did just that. She used the time for gym. This early in the morning only a couple guys were up and active. It didn't surprise her that Caleb was one of those few.

"No lesson?" He asked. There was already a healthy flush on his tanned cheeks and light sweat coated his skin.

"None. He must be busy." Leg day for today. Seeing as she's already warmed up from the run, she delved straight for the weights.

"That's rare."

"Ares being busy?"

He shook his head from where he sat cooling down. "He always is, but he's always found the time for you."

At that moment Iris felt a sudden pang of shame and guilt. She always dreaded her lessons, and she's quite sure she hasn't always been entirely discreet about her feelings.

"Things must be really hectic." She looked up to see Caleb had come to be a spotter for her weighted squats. "None of those marriage proposals come back to haunt you yet?"

"None."

"Really? I thought I heard Dom saying that when he filtered all our...donations," He lowly chuckled at the word. "He spotted a tiny box just for you, said it was probably an engagement ring."

"It is a ring, but certainly not for an engagement." After her set, she faced him. "It's absurd all the same."

"You get used to it."

"Have you?"

"No." He shrugged with a small smile at the look on her face. "Still depends on the person, I guess. My sisters would waste no time abusing that power."