𝟎𝟗

♕

𝑎𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑟𝑎'𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑣

I woke up the next morning with the sun peeking through my curtains and the sound of soft snoring coming from my phone.

Neither Iris or I had hung up from the call last night, so technically we slept together.

Virtually.

I pushed some of my hair out of my face before rolling over onto my side and staring at Iris's contact name while listening to her sleep.

Realizing how creepy I might've looked, I left my phone to charge before trudging into my bathroom to prepare myself for the day.

Once I had changed into a lavender fitted crewneck and leggings, I took a glance at my alarm clock.

It was nearing nine in the morning.

Sighing softly to myself, I tied my hair into a low bun as I left my room to go check on Ariella.

Yesterday, after she finished ballet lessons and two donuts from the box that Iris brung over, she put on her pajamas and fell asleep without much trouble.

I could tell that the day exhausted her.

When I peeked into her room I saw her lying in a starfish position, loud snores leaving her mouth ever few seconds.

Ariella could never sleep in a bed with someone else.

The little devil refuses to share her bed with anyone, which explains why the way she sleeps takes up three fourths of her bed.

Even on the days that she feels comfortable enough to lie in bed with me, she'd complain about not having enough room for herself— even though my bed is like twice the size of hers.

She liked having her own space.

Just like how she enjoyed being independent.

It's just how she is.

I smiled to myself and gently fixed the position of her head, so that it wouldn't hit the ground. I moved a few strands of her blonde hair out of her face to deliver a light kiss to her forehead.

I decided to let my princess sleep in a little late today since it was the weekend, and went back to my room to grab my phone.

As expected, Iris was now up and moving.

"Good morning, beautiful." I said into the phone, a smile already forming on my face.

"Good morning, Ro." she replied back a few seconds later, sounding just a bit out of breath.

"Are you okay?" I asked, making my way downstairs to the kitchen.

Iris laughed, "Yeah I'm perfectly actually. I was just having sone trouble finding something to wear today. Took a lot of energy."

I laughed along with the brunette, loving how lighthearted she made me feel.

My feelings for Iris weren't complicated at all.

I know how I feel about her, which is why I love being around her as much as I do.

Yes, she is Ariella's babysitter, but I give absolutely no fucks.

Iris is an amazing person, and I adore her. We haven't known each other for that long, but she's the only person that I can seem to think about romantically.

Which is why I thought that now would be the best time to ask her on a date.

"I'm happy that you're feeling good. Ariella has a sleepover with some of her ballet friends today, so I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me somewhere tonight, perhaps?" my nerves were just a little high as I asked this, but I attempted to calm them by fixing myself a yogurt parfait for breakfast.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Miss Romane?" Iris jokingly questioned, her voice having a slight seductive tone.

I chewed down on my bottom lip to stop from smiling, "Yeah, we could definitely call it that. Are you saying yes to my request, Miss Heather?"

Iris took a few minutes to respond, and for a second I thought that she had hung up on me, but after a while the woman's voice rang through my ears again.

"Yes, I'm saying yes to your request."

Then, I could've screamed like a little teenage girl who had just been asked out by her crush. . . but I didn't.

I kept my composure.

"See you at seven?" I carried my breakfast to my home office, phone held with one hand while the other was underneath the bowl.

"See you at seven." she clarified.

♕

When Iris stepped out of her home I nearly fainted.

God, was she the most beautiful being to walk this planet.

Her hair was straightened and pushed behind her shoulders, so that the top part of her dress was on full display. It was off the shoulder, and the short sleeves hung loosely from her bare shoulders, a pendant centered to lie right under her collarbone. It was satin material. Silky and smooth. If it weren't for the bejeweled heels that she wore, the cream colored dress would have been touching the ground. It fit her perfectly, as if it was made to only be worn by her.

At this moment, I wanted to pull her in by her waist and kiss her passionately with everything in me, in hopes that it would show her exactly the meaning of actions speaking louder than words.

However, I couldn't.

I wanted to ask her that question at a time that felt right.

A time that was better than this.

So instead of kissing the beauty in front of me, I took her hand and smirked in a teasing manner, "Just when I thought that you couldn't get anymore irresistible."

A blush coated the brunette's face, adding more to what was already there from makeup, which made me smile at the effect I had on her.

"You're such a flirt." she laughed, squeezing my hand a bit, "You look just as amazing, Ro. Dare I say even sexy."

My hair was curled, one side pushed over my shoulder while the other sat over. My dress was basic yet elegant. The black fabric reached slightly above my knees, a slit forcing the attention on my left thigh. A necklace didn't seem to be needed with this outfit, but I did in fact have a pair of diamond studded earrings in my ear. I had worn black stilettos that had a few diamonds attached to the sides, and as per usual, my fingers were adorned with rings, specifically silver ones.

I ignored the slight throb from a certain part of my body, and chuckled at the smaller woman before leading her to my car.

The ride was silent for the most part. Iris hadn't begged me to tell her where we were going, which made me feel at ease knowing that she was fairly okay with surprises. Music played from the radio, and we'd occasionally hum to the lyrics of a song together, glancing and smiling at one another when we both recognized a song that we knew.

No words could really describe the way that Iris made me feel. Her smile was one of the prettiest; always reaching her eyes. Often times a delightful sound would leave her mouth as she smiled so beautifully how she did. I patiently waited for the day that she would grant me permission to exploring certain places on her body, places that would gain an even more lovely sound from her throat.

A whimper.

A moan.

A pleasurable scream.

"Fuck." I whispered to myself, ridding of the sexual images that filled my mind.

She was more than sex, therefore I could think of other things that we could do together that'd make me feel for her more than I did now.

Like cuddling one another while watching a romcom or staying up until midnight to bake something together — more so her telling me how to do such a thing.

Going on a date.

Kissing under the stars.

I smiled to myself for what seemed like the hundredth time today.

"I don't think I've seen you smile so much." Iris spoke up, voice pleasing to my ears.

My head turned in the direction of the woman beside me and I smiled at her rather than to myself, "There's a whole lot to smile about, darling."

We'd already arrived at our destination, and had been sitting in the parking lot while observing each other for a few minutes.

Iris hummed to herself, her eyes closely watching my lips. I watched her stare at my lips the same way that she stared at me the first time I met her, as if she was amazed by me.

I chuckled at the brunette and leaned in a bit closer to her — for teasing purposes.

"Though I do love the way you're drooling over me, we have a reservation for eight, and I'd hate to be late." I whispered to her.

My comment seemed to pull Iris out of her own thoughts. She chuckled at me and cast a glance outside.

"Well, I suggest you lead the way."

"Gladly."

♕

Iris and I were just now taking our seats at our reserved table, and I couldn't help but laugh to myself at her reaction of the place.

The restaurant had high ceilings and large windows that showed the outside world. A small window was built in the center of the ceiling, so — depending on what time of the day it was — those inside could inspect and point out things that they saw in the sky; whether that be stars or clouds.

Currently the sun was setting, so the light settled on certain things inside, such as the side of my date's face. Iris's skin glowed as if she was the brightest star there was out there. Her jewelry and that smile of hers shined like never before. I don't think that the sun has ever made something look so astonishing.

The interior wallpaper was art. Quite literally. Ancient paintings of beautiful landscapes and angels scattered across the walls of the place, and golden accents helped bring out the old money aesthetic that I suppose the owner was going for.

Chandeliers were stationed above most diner's heads, which made the room bright enough to see those who you bring with you. If the glass lights weren't enough for you, there was a slim lit candle that sat in the middle of your table, right beside a rose.

Iris's amazement of this restaurant was exactly the reaction that I had the first time that I'd had dinner here.

"Amazing, right?" I asked her, reaching a hand over the table to grab onto hers.

"Amazing is a fucking understatement. This place is stunning." Iris looked at me with widened eyes.

I smirked and tilted my head slightly, "Not as stunning as you are, gorgeous."

The brunette's face lit up as she playfully rolled her eyes at me while smiling.

A waitress came up to the table as Iris attempted to not make eye contact with me by lowering her head. Menus were placed in front of us and the sound of a pen clicking was heard just before the woman spoke to Iris and I.

"I hope that you guys are enjoying yourselves so far. My name is Abby and I'll be serving you this evening. I'll give you a moment to look over the menu, but until then could I start you both off with beverages?"

I politely smiled at Abby before nodding towards Iris, signaling that she should be the first to order.

The brunette hesitated for a bit before answering to Abby, "Uh, water will do."

The waitress nodded her head while writing something down, turning towards me once finished, "And for you?"

"Could you possibly bring a bottle of wine and two glasses with that?" I asked, smiling when she nodded, "And a water with that, thank you."

Abby wrote down our drink orders and gave us a smile, "I'll be right back with those drinks for you."

And then she was gone after winking at us both.

While we waited for our refreshments, Iris and I made conversation with one another. We talked about our childhood lifestyle, hobbies, favorites and much more. Once we had our drinks and ordered, we talked some more. We laughed and smiled at each other's stories, making slight touch with another ever other minute; a hair tucked behind an ear or a squeeze of an hand for reassurance.

I'd ordered pasta and Iris had a vegetable soup with a breadstick. Iris had taken bites of my food every now and then as I did hers, and we drank more than a glass of wine.

By the end of our date, I was not only satisfied with the food but also with how much more I got to learn about Iris.

We were now walking to the front of the brunette's apartment building hand in hand. The sun had fully set hours ago, and the both of us were just standing underneath the stars.

"That was the best date that I've ever had." Iris whispered, looking up at me with a wide grin.

"Every date that we go on from here on out will always top the last." I mumbled, holding eye contact with her.

She laughed, "There's going to be more?"

I nodded, too lost in her eyes to reply with words.

Iris broke eye contact for a second to lead my hand to her cheek. I caressed her soft skin in my palm, smiling softly when she leaned into my touch.

"I can tell that you want to kiss me." Iris mumbled.

I chuckled, "What if I do?"

Her arms wrapped around my neck and the brunette pulled me down to her level of height, our lips now only a few inches apart.

My unoccupied hand moved to secure itself around her waist before pulling her closer to me, our lips now only centimeters apart.

Iris shifted her gaze up from my lips and to my eyes. Her eyelashes fluttered as she looked at me through them.

An almost innocent look.

Just as I made a move to press my lips against hers, she held her hand up to my chest, "I'd tell you to wait until our next date." she whispered against my lips.

I exhaled a breath when she stood on the tips of her toes to place a kiss on the corner of my mouth.

"You're such a tease." I mumbled, squeezing her waist softly.

Iris whimpered and stumbled slightly, but quickly bit down on her lip to stop more sound from coming out, "Am I?"

I hummed and stuffed my head in her neck, my arms wrapped around her waist as I placed a kissed on her skin.

"I'll see you soon, cara."

After whispering those words into the brunette's ear, I pulled myself away from her and turned around to leave.

The woman stood there stunned for a while, but eventually came back to her senses and walked into the building with a blush on her face.

I laughed and slipped into my car, preparing to head home.

♕