Chapter 30
30
Thirty-two minutes later, thanks to Iris’s speeding and a surprising lack of traffic going through the Holland Tunnel, Iris breathlessly ran into Lover Underground. A spoken-word poet was performing onstage. Iris squinted as she looked around the dimly lit room, failing to locate Angel. Was he still here?
“ Iris ,” someone hissed.
Iris turned in the direction of the voice. Bree and Ray were sitting at a small table toward the back of the room. Iris hustled over to them, trying not to bring attention to herself.
“Are you looking for Angel?” Bree asked. Beside her, Ray smiled wryly.
Iris nodded. “Where is he?”
“He left about twenty minutes ago,” Ray told her. “He said something about getting his phone fixed so that he could call you. I told him most phone repair shops were probably closed by now.”
“His phone is broken?” Iris asked.
Bree and Ray nodded. That would explain why he hadn’t answered any of Iris’s calls during her drive.
“Do you know where he went specifically?” she asked.
Ray shook his head, and Bree grinned. “He flew out of here after he finished singing.”
“Check his place first,” Ray said. “He might be there.”
“Okay.” Iris moved to leave, but she turned back to face them. They looked so blissful and content, sitting closely. “You’re really cute together, by the way.”
Ray and Bree shared a smile.
Iris raced back to her car. She hoped that Angel would be home. How many phone repair shops were there in the city? It might be impossible to catch him at one.
Finding parking on Angel’s street at this time of night was a pain. She parked three blocks away and by the time she rounded the corner of his building, speed walking like her life depended on it, she was winded and sweaty. Her T-shirt and denim shorts clung to her skin.
The building’s doorman was smoking a cigarette. He eyed Iris as she approached. Angel had no idea that Iris was coming over, so he hadn’t given the building’s staff a heads-up to expect her. Aware that she looked like a sweaty mess, Iris took a steadying breath and smoothed back her fraying curls.
“Hi,” she said, “I’m here to see Angel. I’m a friend. Or, well, more than a friend, actually. An ex, kind of?”
The impassive doorman raised an eyebrow and crushed his cigarette beneath his shoe. “Is that right?” he said.
To him, she probably looked like a crazed fan. “I’m not lying, I swear.”
He chuckled. “That’s what they all say. I’m gonna have to ask you to move along, lady. I’m sure you can find something better to do besides stalking.”
Iris frowned, instantly incensed. “Excuse me, I’ll have you know—”
Her words evaporated on her tongue as Angel’s black car emerged from the garage.
“Angel!” she shouted, running toward his car.
“Ma’am!” The doorman reached out to stop her.
Angel slammed on his brakes and lowered his window. “ Iris? ” He quickly got out of his car and waved his doorman away. “It’s okay. I know her.”
The doorman shrugged and resumed his post at the entrance.
Angel was wide-eyed as he walked toward Iris. She was so relieved to see him. Her gaze devoured him as he approached, taking in every detail that she’d missed during the last few weeks. His beautiful face and assured stride. He stopped in front of her.
“I was on my way to see you,” he said breathlessly, clearly recovering from the shock of her presence. “My phone is broken.”
“I know. Ray and Bree told me,” she said. “I went to the open mic night to look for you. I watched the video of you singing the song that you wrote for me. It was so beautiful.”
Angel stared at her. “Thank you.”
She swallowed thickly as her pulse spiked.
“I have to tell you something,” she said. “And I want to get it all out now so that there isn’t any miscommunication between us, or confusion about how I feel.”
Angel’s expression turned apprehensive. “Okay.”
“I’ve always been someone who is in control and in charge. I’ve been that way with my family and at work. I plan and plan and plan. That way I always know what to expect. But, Angel, you came out of nowhere, and I didn’t know how to handle my feelings for you or how to control them. And that scared me. I was afraid of what I didn’t know and what I couldn’t predict.” She inhaled deeply. “When I realized the true extent of my feelings for you, I was afraid that I’d lose you somehow and I didn’t want to experience that loss after everything I went through after Terry died, so I pushed you away.”
Angel’s chest rose and fell on a deep breath. “Iris—”
“Hold on, please. I’m not done,” she said gently.
He nodded again and dutifully returned his arms to his sides. She thought she saw a hint of amusement flash across his face, but he quickly schooled his features.
“I know now that never allowing myself the chance to love you would be worse than losing you,” she continued. “I know that you might be upset with me, given how I handled everything. You have every right to be. I’m so sorry for how I acted. I was afraid to admit what I wanted then, but I’m not afraid now.” She looked him directly in the eye, her gaze unwavering. “I love you. And if you’ll still have me, I’m clearly and straightforwardly asking if you would like to be my boyfriend.”
Angel was quiet for a moment. Iris anxiously clasped her hands together. Then the knot in her stomach loosened as a slow smile crept across his face.
“I—”
“Wait! Still not done, sorry,” she said, and Angel bit his lip, trying not to laugh. “If you say yes, I do think it’s important for us to make sure that Calla’s privacy is protected. That’s a huge priority.”
“Can I talk now?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“Yes,” she said.
But Angel didn’t speak. Instead, he wordlessly wrapped Iris in his arms and kissed her. She startled in surprise but easily melted in his embrace, grasping his shoulders and returning his kiss. His mouth was soft and warm. It was the kind of kiss that stopped time and moved mountains. She didn’t want to let go of him.
He pulled back and cradled her face in his hands. “I love you too.”
She’d never thought of herself as the type to swoon, but she almost did right then.
“I will always do my best to protect your privacy and Calla’s, like I told you before,” he said. “I’m sorry about what happened at the ceremony. I know this life isn’t for everyone. I won’t make you do anything that you don’t want to do. I just want us to be together.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“Then, yes, Iris Greene,” he said. “I will be your boyfriend.”
Joy seeped through her veins, traveling from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
She looped her arms around Angel’s neck and gazed at him with love.
“Kiss me again, please,” she said.
Smiling, Angel brought his lips to hers and eagerly complied.
Iris was capable, reliable and a problem solver. Ambitious and motivated. And she was brave. Brave enough to pursue a life where a dance with a famous singer at dusk one summer evening might eventually lead to a magical love affair.
This was her story.