Blooming Iris | ✓

Chapter 10: Sweet, too sweet ✔

  The thing with people is that you can't help but perceive them based on your first impression of them, especially if they continue to maintain the same image, so it's very hard to imagine them otherwise. 
But right now, seeing him from my window, laughing loudly, a girl in his arms, I almost didn't recognize him. His laugh was so ...joyful. It's a word I couldn't even associate with him. Asher as I perceive him can't muster that carefree happy laugh. He's usually just so... empty. If I could describe him in a color I would say a pale blue-grey. Right now, he seemed so crimson red. 

I couldn't see the girl in his arms. She had to be his girlfriend. I wanted so badly to meet the girl who can make him like that. 

For the next two days, everything seemed normal. Too normal. The autumn vibes were so beautiful, school was good, Sapph and Sam returned to being their normal selves, I hadn't gotten angry after that day, mum and I were again on talking terms but not that much. There was just too many unspoken words hanging in the air between us. And God how I hated to say them...

I was sitting in my room, a book on one lap and Oscar my cat on the other, drinking a hot chocolate. I'd rather stay like this and go anywhere. I was feeling in my element, comfortable and at ease.
"IRIS." shouted my sister Heather from downstairs. "Mum is asking for ya!" I jumped and went downstairs to see what she wanted.
"Come have some tea with me, I made some really good peanut butter cream cookies." She said, taking my hand and pulling me to the living room.
Mum wanting to have tea with me? Well that's extremely rare, given that she likes having tea with Cassandra, or talking on the phone with grandma. I knew that because everytime we talk, we end up arguing. We're just so different.
"Alright." I agreed.
She put a cup of tea in front of me.
"With mint, no sugar as you like it." She said.
"Oh thank you mum." I was truly touched, it wasn't everyday mum showed me affection.
Also, don't be surprised about the "no sugar" thing, it's only natural for a control freak to control her weight. 

We ate and talked about school, then the conversation drifted to talking about mum's past.
"You know Iris, when I was engaged the first time, the last thing that I expected was for my best friend to ruin my relationship with the first guy I knew. We were friends since childhood, I couldn't imagine her doing anything to harm me." I knew mum was engaged before dad but I never knew the reason.
"You never told me your best friend was the reason you broke your first engagement." I said, touched that mum had to endure that.
"I didn't wanted to teach you doubting your friends, but now that you're grown up it's really important Iris to not trust completely, to not lay out all your cards to people." She paused then continued. " But if a friend ever betrays you, know that it is for the best, you may not know the reason at first, but time will show you that everything that happens is for a reason. If my old friend hasn't broke my engagement, I wouldn't have met your dad at that art exhibition, I wouldn't have fallen in love with him, I wouldn't have came with him to America, I wouldn't have gave life to my beautiful children." She said, smiling warmly. I smiled back, my heart filling with happiness at her words.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, help me dress your siblings, and call your dad to tell him we will be dining at the Parkers, Cassandra is hosting a dinner to welcome her son's girlfriend." She said, then got up to clear the table.
My smile widened. Life has definelty arranged me a meeting with that mysterious girl...