Chapter 21
A Woman's Heart
[Iris’s POV]
His kind words fell on my ears like a gentle spring rain which was slowly drenching me in comfort. I found it so strange that someone who I had just met to have such a profound effect on me. As I stared at the lit candle, I felt warm and secure in his embrace—and for a moment, all of my fear washed away. We continued to sit like that for awhile. Before I knew it, I was squinting against the brightness of the lamp as my apartment came back to life. The electricity had been restored and I sighed in relief. Finally able to feel my heart slow down, I froze when I realized where I was and who was holding me.
His chin rested on top of my head with his arms still tightly around me.
“Shit! If all of his fans saw us now, I would get killed!” I thought.
Quickly jumping out of his arms, I stammered, “I-I’m alright now, sir. I’m so to have bothered you.”
He looked up at me with a confused expression and I immediately dropped my gaze to the floor. I felt my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
“Are you sure you’re alright? Do you need any medical attention?” he asked softly.
At his words of concern, I looked up and saw his eyes fixated on me. I gave him a small smile and he quickly averted his eyes while letting out an awkward dry cough.
“Yes, I'm completely fine now. I have phobia of being in the dark. I thought I had been cured from it. I don’t know why it hit me so hard today.”
Not wanting to come off like the hundreds of women that tried to get close to him, I unintentionally revealed something else about myself. I was getting in too deep. Why should I care about what he thinks?
After hearing my explanation he nodded slightly and said, “You should have yourself checked out by my doctor. He is pretty good.”
I nodded and replied firmly, “I’ll be sure to do that when I have a chance. Thank you.”
Taking a quick glance of out of the window, he looked down at his watch.
“I should get going now.”
Not making any more towards the door, he just stood there looking at me with those captivating blue eyes. It felt like he was reluctant to leave and I bit my lower lip while trying to think of something to say. But, nothing came to mind. I totally sucked at this. If I was braver, I would have invited him to get dinner with me. He had helped through one of the worst panic attacks that I had ever experienced and I wanted to repay him.
“Maybe I should invite him to dinner?” I briefly thought.
But, considering the difference in status, I instantly dismissed the idea. Seeing me sigh in defeat, his eyes looked away—forming into a bitter expression. Without another word, I followed him as he had turned to head out the door. After walking few steps, he suddenly whipped back around.
Giving me a breathtaking smile, he said, “By the way, your coffee was really delicious. Take care, Miss Young.”
Leaving me in a completely puzzled state, I watched as he walked towards the elevator. A small grin broke out across my face. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
Stepping back into my apartment, I hastily locked the door and went to grab my phone. I remembered an urgent matter that I needed to deal with and I needed to do it now before something else popped up. Searching through my contacts, I dialed the familiar number. It had been a few months, but I needed answers. I nervously played with my hair as I expected the call to go unanswered. I glanced at the clock, noting that it was 10 p.m. Surprisingly, the phone was accepted and the first thing I heard was the surf breaking on the shore. The kid must be staying at his favorite place. I found it to be creepy. Who in their right mind would stay alone on a deserted island?
“Hello? Aww… sista! Is it really you?! What's up? Ya missing me already? Too bad! I’m —”
“At Severn Island? Yeah, I know. I could hear the ocean.”
I heard the smirk in his voice as he asked, “What made you call me at this hour, Sista? You could have just messaged me.”
“Did you guys make a play on Xavier Grey?”
Silence. Chewing on my lower lip, I waited.
At last, he replied, “He isn't my cup of tea, Sista. Although, I know that Wolf is personally handling this matter. Why?”
“I tracked SS0 in Xavier Gray's office. He attacked the affiliated companies’ servers. "
He gasped in admiration. “Wow, sista! I didn’t know that your knowledge of hacking had improved so much. In any case, it seems like they’re keeping secrets from me as well.”
Through clenched teeth, I asked, “Why didn’t they inform me in advance? I could have accidentally provided his location to the president.”
“No one knows Wolf's decisions, sista. You know that better than anyone. Well, keep your eyes open and be wary of Xavier Gray. He isn't easily fooled. Actually, I heard that he is a lot like wolf—dark and mysterious.”
I hummed in response and gazed out of my window to the see the rain easing up.
“He never mentions me, does he?”
Laughing softly, he replied, “Well sista, you know that he doesn’t care about anyone like that. Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on him?”
Clenching my hands against the window pane, I wished that I was someone else—anyone else. “You don’t understand how woman’s heart works, do you?”
“Nope! They are way too unreasonable. Don’t you think so? One day they love you wholeheartedly and then the next day they throw you away like trash.”
Well, it sounds like he was going through his own shit too.
“Take care, brother. I’ll call back soon.”
Ending the call, I laughed at our stupidity. Everyone had their own way of dealing with heart ache. Both of us hid behind our fake smiles. We never showed how much we were hurting by loving someone who would never love us in return.
Sighing, I put away my phone and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Laying my head down on my pillow, I replayed the moments of genuine care that I had received and I felt a soft smile form on my lips. Slowly, I drifted into a deep sleep.