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Chapter 19

Finally! Took me all week but its here. To make up for it I tried to make this chapter longer than usual. Hope you like it and thank you for your patience!

I have a little surprise up my sleeve regarding this story and I'll let you know my plan soon enough. Stay tuned!

OK imma let you enjoy it.
PS. It might help to revise the theory of Infinite love on Chapter 6 incase this chapter gets a little confusing.

Toodles!
XOXO

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“You don’t have to answer right away,” Barry filled the silence that had suddenly fallen between them. Iris was simply staring at him wide eyed and he felt himself grow nervous at her lack of a reaction. It would have been easier if she had simply rejected his offer. Would it hurt? Like being burnt alive by the sun, but at least he wouldn’t feel like his heart was being juiced in anticipation. Iris walked over to her bed and sat down, her face still expressionless.

“Or uh, or not. You know what, forget I said anything. I’m just - gonna go.” Barry stuttered, turning around to leave but she called out to him and stopped him.

“No, Barry wait.” She said and he turned back around, his heart beating a little more hopefully.

“I’m sorry this - my shock - isn’t a no it’s just…” she cast her gaze on the floor as she tried to find the right words to explain what she was thinking and Barry could somehow read the inner conflict from her side profile. He approached cautiously, settling down beside her and placing a comforting hand on her knee.

“I didn’t mean to spring this up on you, I’m sorry. If you’ve just been through a bad break up or aren’t in that headspace yet I completely understand. I’ll wait for you.” He offered with a kind smile, completely misreading her hesitation.
It wasn’t that she’d been through a bad break up, she’d never been in an official relationship to begin with. By the time she was of dating age she was too damaged to trust anyone fully with the pieces of her shattered heart and most of the guys who approached her didn’t mind being in it just for the fun. It was easier that way, she gave her body what it needed, had a good time and kept her heart safe in the process. Now here Barry was, asking her out and the idea of it all seemed too alien for her mind to process. She couldn’t understand the need of it all.

“Why?” she made her confusion known and Barry regarded her with a bewilderment of his own.

“Why what?” he asked, unsure how to answer her one word question.

“Why would you wait when I’m offering you what you want without the expense of having to court me? Isn’t that what dates are for? A cover up for what we really want? A way to eliminate the concept of sex with a stranger?”

Barry’s eyes widened by the directness of her tone. The slight glimmer of hurt that flickered in her eyes, for a second, made him break a little. She looked like a woman betrayed, like he was selling her a dream in a bottle and taking her for a big enough fool to buy it. He found himself aching for her, wondering what happened to mark her this much, wondering who dared to hurt her. His ache turned into anger and the beast within began to stir. Barry could feel the darkness taking over and his heart beat quickened in fright. If he let himself be consumed by his anger the beast would cloud his judgement, then no one would be safe. Not even Iris. He’d been down that road before and he knew that no good would come from it. His demons wouldn’t care about getting to know her, they had no moral minds only animalistic desires. They would claim her as their own, see her as an object to be used and possessed not a person to be cared for and protected. He couldn’t let that happen, couldn’t let his lesser nature break through, so with all his might he pushed them down.