Chapter 27
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
IRIS
For two days, I hid out in my apartment. I didn’t want to go to work, so I took sick days and worked from home.
Max has called and texted a few times, but I have ignored him.
It’s not that I don’t want to talk to him, but I need to process my feelings first. I know I could call one of the girls, but I feel bad talking negatively about Max at all to them.
He’s their family more than they are mine.
They wouldn’t feel that way, but I don’t want to shade him in a negative light.
I guess that’s why I decided to call Clint up. He is the only person in my life that is solely my friend. Max has no influence on him.
So that’s how I end up standing outside this little café waiting on Clint to show up.
“Hey you, have you gotten your coffee yet?” Clint asks as he walks up.
“No, I was waiting for you,” I tell him.
“Come on then. You look like you need it,” he says as he opens the door to the coffee shop.
We head inside and place our orders. Much to his dismay, I pay for his coffee and mine.
“You didn’t have to do that. Thank you, though,” he says as we step outside.
“You’re welcome. It was the least I could do. You didn’t have to drop everything and come deal with my shit,” I tell him as we walk into the park.
“You’re my friend. I’m here when you need me.” He shrugs. “Besides, I love drama when it’s not my own.”
I laugh. “How have you been?”
“Good. You don’t need to do small talk. You can tell me what is bothering you,” he says bluntly.
“It makes me feel better to ease into it. Did you call the model?”
Clint winces. “I texted her and quickly regretted it. She wanted to know how large my investment portfolio was.”
“At least she showed her red flag early on, unlike the last one.”
“Very true, but enough about me. There isn’t much new going on. You obviously have something important to talk about.”
The barista delivers out drinks to us, giving me a moment to collect myself. I take a sip of my chai tea latte, postponing the hurt I know is about to come.
“You’ll feel better when you get it out,” he says, gently calling me out.
“Max…is an idiot.”
Clint chuckles and shakes his head. “I hate to break it to you, Iris, but most men are. Myself included.”
“He admitted he has feelings for me,” I confess.
“I thought that’s what we wanted him to do?”
“It is, but I have a problem with the way he did it,” I groan.
“I need more than that.”
“After the charity event, we kissed. Then he left me alone in my apartment. The next morning I went to his place to talk, but he got a business call, and I ended up falling asleep. For the next week, we didn’t get a chance to discuss anything.
It was killing me. Then he left me out of the board meeting, sending me on a useless errand that our assistant could go on.
It made me feel undervalued. Like we were regressing back to when I was his assistant. ”
“Not a good look, Max. I was rooting for him too,” Clint chimes in.
I roll my eyes. “That’s not all. So, after the board meeting two days ago, I was at home.
He came over and kissed me as soon as I answered the door.
I thought to myself, ‘Maybe this is it. Maybe I don’t need fancy words.
’ Unfortunately, at the same time, I got a delivery from our competitor.
The ones in London I told you about. They are still courting me.
I didn’t know that was what it was, so I opened it in front of him. It opened up a whole-ass can of worms.”
“I feel like I should have popcorn. Continue. Is this when he admitted he loved you?”
I sigh. “Not exactly. He first accused me of taking the job. Then he begged me to not leave him. There were tears. Both his and mine. Then he admitted that the board meeting was about moving the company to Boston, and it was approved. That he loves me and always has. I don’t know.
It was what I wanted to hear, but the moment was wrong.
It felt tainted. Like I always wanted his love, and now that I have it, it feels too little too late? ”
“You know I love you, right?” he asks once I finally get it all out.
“Yeah…”
“What I’m going to say is going to be a little harsh, but I think you need to hear it.”
“Okay, hit me with it.”
“You’re being stupid.” Before I can say anything, he raises his hand.
“Hear me out. You’ve loved Max for years.
You’ve wanted him to confess his feelings for you the entire time.
You’ve waited and waited, and then when he finally does, his method isn’t up to your standards?
That’s ridiculous. Sure, it wasn’t the smoothest way of communicating or how I would have done it, but at least you aren’t left wondering anymore.
He loves you. He wants you. For fuck’s sake, he’s moving an entire company back to your hometown so you guys can be around your family, for you, and yet you’re mad?
” He shakes his head. “That doesn’t make sense to me. ”
I think about what he has said and consider his words.
“I don’t know. It feels wrong to me somehow,” I murmur.
Clint touches my arm. “Look at me,” he demands.
Reluctantly I meet his eyes.
“Please tell me you are going to take this opportunity for what it is. If you walk away because he is a male and doesn’t always know how to effectively communicate…
” He shakes his head. “Look, if I were you and it was my dream girl who finally laid it all out for me, I wouldn’t hesitate.
I would jump in with all ten toes, ankle deep, and never look back.
Take it from me, Iris, life is fucking short, and you two have wasted enough time circling around each other.
You really need to think about this rationally. ”
“I know that.”
“Then why are you hesitating?”
“I don’t know,” I admit.
“Let me ask you this. Do you want to be with him? No buts or explanations. It’s a simple yes or no question.”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation.
“Do you love him?”
“Yes,” I repeat.
“Then none of the noise matters. So tell me the truth. What is really holding you back?”
I toss my free hand up in the air and yell, “Because I’m scared!”
I feel people turn to stare at us and feel my cheeks start to heat.
Jesus, could this get any more embarrassing?
“What are you scared of?” Clint presses.
“I’m scared because what if this is too good to be true? What if we don’t work out? Everything would be gone in an instant. My job, my best friend, my family. All of it could disappear, and where would that leave me?”
Clint shakes his head. “Sweetheart, that’s just your fear talking.
I haven’t met your friends back in Boston, but I think it’s safe to say they wouldn’t drop you like that.
I know the man I met at that charity event would never let you leave so easily.
I could see the love shining in his eyes every time I looked at him.
You didn’t notice, but he never once took his eyes off of you.
He followed us around, from a distance, but he always kept you in his sight.
As for your job, fuck it. You don’t like your job anyway.
Even if you do decide to get with Max, I think you should quit.
You deserve happiness, and being CFO isn’t making you happy. ”
“You make it sound so easy.”
Clint’s face softens, and he reaches out to brush a tear away.
“Fine. Let’s try another approach. I don’t think anything will happen, but if it does, you won’t be alone.
You will always have me. I will even move my ass all the way to Boston or London or fucking Timbuktu if that is what you want.
I won’t ever leave your side. So even if you lose your friends, Max, and the job, you won’t ever be alone. So take the leap.”
I start to sob, making Clint stand from his chair and pull me up with him. Clint pulls me into a hug and holds me. I let all my fear leave me as he holds me.
He’s right. This is stupid. Why am I questioning this now? Max loves me. I know it. I’ve known it for a long time. Am I really going to let my future walk past me because I’m scared?
No. I can’t.
I love him.
I needed time to process everything that happened, but nothing has changed for me. Well, at least not with Max.
Max. I need to talk to Max.
I step back, and Clint lets his arm fall as I dry my tears. “Thank you.”
“Anytime. Now how about we get you home so you can go patch things up with pretty boy?” he says.
“Pretty boy?” I laugh.
“You have to admit. He sure looks pretty.” He winks at me.
I shake my head, letting him walk me back to my place.
As much as I look forward to moving back to Boston, I’ll miss New York.
I’ll miss Clint. Friends like him don’t come around very often, and I hate the idea of us drifting apart.
Although, I have a suspicion that much like Max, Clint will always be a permanent fixture in my life, which I’m thankful for.
MAX
I toss myself down onto my couch and place my arm over my face.
I imagined confessing my feelings to Iris so many times, but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would go like that.
I pictured her crying tears of joy, smiling and teasing me that it was about time, her quietly professing her love back to me, but never, and I mean never, did I think she would kick me out of her place.
Still, I didn’t handle things right, and now I’m paying the price.
It’s been two days. Two long days without even a glimpse of her. Bernard has taken pity on me and let me know that she hasn’t left, so I know she’s still inside, but it doesn’t help when she doesn’t want to talk to me.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, but I ignore it, not in the mood to talk to anyone. I know it’s not Iris. She’s made it clear she doesn’t want to talk to me.
Again and again it goes off. Someone really wants to get ahold of me right now, but unless it’s Iris, I’m not interested.
My smartwatch makes a noise.