Chapter Thirty-Two #2
“Absolutely. Plus, she’s told me a lot about you. I just had to confirm it was real, not you love bombing her or something.”
“Like Natasha did.”
“Exactly.”
Barrett sighed heavily. “Yeah, look, I know there are a few physical similarities, but that’s as far as it goes. Iris is one of the best people I know and all I want is for her to be happy and safe.”
Anya softened, nodding slowly. “She’s happier and safer when you’re around. I know that and, really, that’s all I need to know. Just don’t hurt her on purpose.”
Barrett never wanted to hurt Iris by accident either, but she appreciated Anya’s sentiment and her allowance.
When you were close with people, sometimes you hurt them accidentally.
As Ruby and Deepti had pointed out, the trick was learning how to make it better and never doing it on purpose.
Accidentally hurting someone you loved didn’t make you a terrible person. What Natasha had done did.
“And,” Anya said, leaning in conspiratorially, “Iris doesn’t think you look like Natasha. You’re held in such a different part of her heart and mind that she barely associates the two of you. And that’s got to be a good thing.”
Barrett nodded, looking around her again for Iris. Electricity jolted through her Iris was looking at her too. “I’ll be endeavoring to always stay that far away from anything Natasha is to her.”
“Great. You get the official best friend seal of approval then.” Anya laughed again, but Barrett was still watching Iris. “Not that you needed it. She’d already picked you long before tonight.”
Barrett was actually starting to believe that.
◆◆◆
Iris looked happy but a little overwhelmed and peopled out by the time Barrett finally got another moment alone with her.
A huge part of her wanted to wrap Iris in her arms, tuck the pair of them under the coziest blankets she owned, and shut the entire world out.
It sounded like the perfect way to spend some time, even if she was also delighted to see Iris getting along with people so well.
Sure, some of them were Barrett’s people, but it was more than that.
It was Iris finding her own people again, and that mattered.
Barrett held her arms out to Iris, offering a hug without any consideration for what everyone else might think. It didn’t matter. What mattered was Iris and the two of them.
Iris slotted into her arms like she’d been aching to be there all night, a blissful, tired smile on her face.
“How are you doing?” Barrett asked, using one hand to sweep Iris’ hair to the side so it didn’t tickle her nose, and she added wanting to gently stroke Iris’ hair all night to her wish list.
“Good. You?” She nuzzled her cheek into Barrett’s shoulder and it was the cutest thing Barrett had ever experienced.
“Yeah, good.” She smiled as Iris started them swaying very slightly to the music in the bar. “Ready to go home soon.”
Iris hummed contentedly. “It is a school night.”
“Too old to be out all night on a Sunday these days.”
Iris laughed, shaking her head. “We’re really not that old.”
“Old enough to appreciate a reasonable bedtime.”
“Okay, yeah. That does sound very pleasant right now. This has been lovely, though. Thank you for inviting me. And Anya.”
Barrett ducked her head, trying to hide her delight in Iris’ hair. “She told me you’d been talking about an affordable housing complex that was just announced…”
“Oh.” Iris pulled back, looking apologetic. “I didn’t mean for her to mention it before I could talk to you.”
“Actually, I brought it up, and I thought it was cute we were both on the same page.”
“Ah.” She pulled Barrett in close again. “I guess it makes sense that we are.”
“So, you think we should pitch it to Penn? It would probably need the whole team on it.”
“Absolutely. You live for these kinds of projects, and it would be great for Burrow.”
“Yeah.” There was a distinct possibility the pay wouldn’t be comparable to some of their other projects, but they took those so they could balance it out with more altruistic ones.
And Iris was right, Barrett lived for the community ones.
For the ones that helped people find homes they could feel secure in.
She knew how much that mattered, after all.
“I think Penn will be on board, but I’ll help you talk to them about it,” Iris promised.
Barrett was going to melt into a puddle. She was so unused to people just stepping up and being by her side in the big things, the ones that mattered so much to her. But there was Iris, immediately thinking of her and knowing what it meant.
She reached up to brush Iris’ hair back from her face, lingering as she traced her fingertips over the shell of Iris’ ear.
She was so soft and so perfect, and Barrett couldn’t help wondering how much she cared about them having an audience for their first kiss.
It would be so easy to lean in, especially with the way Iris was looking at her—like she was imagining the exact same thing.
But she did care about the audience. As much as she enjoyed being known as the one Iris chose, there were some things she didn’t want to share. That first kiss was one of them.
So, instead of leaning in, she ran her thumb down Iris’ cheek and jaw, looked her directly in the eyes, and said, “If we were alone, I’d kiss you right now. If you were okay with that.”
Iris laughed in surprise. “I’d definitely be okay with that.” She hesitated, something mesmerizing lightly up her eyes as her gaze danced across Barrett’s skin. “I guess it’s a good thing we’re planning to leave soon…”
Barrett’s heart had already been pounding but, at those words, it took off racing. “Anya’s not going back to your place with you?”
Iris shook her head, pressing her own lips together pointedly as she looked at Barrett’s. “No. She isn’t. And I haven’t seen Oscar all day. I could walk you home for a change.”
Barrett was a supernova again, every atom in her body fizzling with ridiculous amounts of energy. She could have swept Iris off her feet and run them back to her apartment. “Okay, princess.”
She’d never actually been walked home before, not in a romantic context. She was very much looking forward to it with Iris.