𝟎𝟔

♕

𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑠' 𝑝𝑜𝑣

"Impressive."

I looked up from Ariella who had crawled into my lap and watched as Aurora and my mom held a conversation — which seemed to be going good.

Well that's what I assumed judging by my mom's smile and a glint in Aurora's eyes as she spoke.

"More, please."

I looked back down at Ariella and laughed before filling the plate up with macaroni, dressing and ham once more.

She had been given her own plate, but decided to come over to my seat and steal mines. Aurora had scolded her about it, but I just excused it and allowed her to do whatever.

The blonde took a quick glance at us and sent me an apologetic smile.

"Ariella let her eat." Aurora whispered to the younger blonde again.

The six year old looked up at her mother with a messy face; cheese from the macaroni and cranberry sauce from the dressing coating her chubby cheeks.

I looked up and shook my head at the Aurora with a small smile , "It's alright. She isn't bothering me much."

She raised an eyebrow at me before replicating my smile and nodding.

♕

"You've done just enough by cooking all of this for us. Go rest. I can handle it." I reassured my mom.

She sighed, "Are you sure?"

I nodded.

Her lips spread into a smile and she walked over to me with open arms.

"I love you." she whispered in my ear.

I laughed, "I love you too. Now go sleep."

The shorter woman pulled away from me and reluctantly walked away to the hallway, disappearing from my sight.

I let out a breath and looked around the kitchen.

Dishes were left over from plates that we'd used to eat on, glass cups that held our drinks, silverware that was used to eat with, and pots and pans that once held a tasteful food in it.

It's going to take a while, so no time to waste.

With that thought in mind, I grabbed my small speaker from my bedroom and clicked the shuffle on one of my Spotify playlists; keeping the volume low yet loud enough for me to hear the lyrics.

My mom was already preparing dishwater before I came into the kitchen and insisted that I clean up after today's dinner, so I didn't have to worry about doing that.

I immediately began bringing dishes from the table to the bubbly sink.

In the midst of putting a knife in the soapy water a presence was felt behind me which caused me to react by squealing and dropping the sharp utensil.

Luckily, a hand captured it before it could hit the ground or land somewhere else — such as my foot.

"Need help?" a familiar voice whispered softly.

Aurora.

As a response to feeling her breath on my neck, I bit my bottom lip and crossed my legs.

I so hate the effect she has on me.

Pull yourself together, Iris.

I nodded wordlessly without looking back as a response to the blonde's request of assistance.

She laughed and revealed herself from behind me, rolling up her sleeves before settling beside me.

"I'll hand you the clean ones to put in the dishwasher." I mumbled while cleaning a glass, handing it over to her and pointing at the kitchen appliance that was a counter away from the sink.

She hummed and opened the dishwasher before placing the glass in it.

We repeated this process continuously until the sink held nothing but the remaining water, all bubbles now dissolved. I let the water out before drying my hands. I took a quick glance at Aurora and handed her a towel to clean her hands as well.

As she dried off her wet hands my eyes traveled over to two wine glasses that sat on the countertop. They didn't have any lipstick stains on them or appear dirty at all for that matter.

I cast a questionable look at Aurora who smirked in return.

"I was thinking we could have a drink or two as a reward for our hard work."

I looked at the time on the microwave and took note that it was twelve forty-three, meaning that it took us about fifteen minutes to finish cleaning.

With risen eyebrows, I softly laughed, "Sounds like a plan."

I bit down on my bottom lip as I twirled around and searched my pantry for something, a smile forming on my face when I found it.

I didn't exactly render my actions as I linked our fingers and gently tugged the taller woman out the back door, leading her to the balcony.

It wasn't until the chill that the outside weather brought hit me in the face that I came to my senses and hesitantly unliked our fingers.

My apartment was located on the fifth floor, so the view in front of us was a painting of the dark, starry night sky and other homes and places that lit up the darkness of it all.

The only sounds heard nearby were the chirps of crickets as they hid in nearby bushes, trees, etc., and a few car horns from people who drove around on the streets. I had left the speaker inside and was thinking about going back to get it, but I decided that the peaceful sounds of nature were enough to keep a smile on my face.

I sat the bottle of wine on a wooden table that I had recently purchased and took a seat on the two-seater cushioned bench whilst Aurora sat the wine glasses on the small table.

"I never took you as the type to drink so much." she voiced, taking the hair tie out of her hair before running her hands through her blonde curls and sitting beside me on the comfortable seat.

I playfully rolled my eyes, handing her a glass that was half full of the red wine, "Only on special occasions."

She thanked me as she took the glass before leaning back on the bench; her head thrown back, her eyes closed, and the chalice already touching her full lips.

"What's so special about this occasion?" she curiously asked, circling the rim of the glass with her finger.

Our eyes connected, "I'm not sure. It just feels right at the moment." I admitted.

I exhaled and laid my head on my fist while taking a sip of the wine myself, a soft hum forming in my throat at the divine taste.

We sat outside for at least thirty minutes, occupying our time by stargazing, pointing down at things that we spotted in the city during after hours, refilling our glasses several time until the bottle of wine was just barely finished, and sneaking secret glances at one another whenever we thought the other wasn't looking.

"How many sets of rings do you own?" I spoke up after she had recently pointed out a star, drawing my attention to her fingers and the many rings that decorated them.

The blonde chuckled and started to play with a golden ring that sat on her thumb. Her low eyes traveled over to me, "Way too many for me to count. I probably have every color of the rainbow at this point."

We shared a genuine laugh.

She looked over at me, "Do you own any rings?"

My answer was immediate.

"Absolutely not." I folded my lips together.

My response caused her to burst into laughter. Now interested, she sat up in the spot that she had taken.

"Why not?"

I shook my head, running my tongue over my lips to gather the remaining liquid that had been there since my last sip of wine, "They're uncomfortable. I tried wearing one, but I either kept fiddling with it or took it off completely because I didn't like the idea of something being wrapped tightly around my finger."

Aurora and I made contact after I finished my sentence off with a mumble.

The corners of her lips were pulled into a smirk and she took a longing look at my body— specifically my chest area. Blood rushed to my cheeks and I grabbed a small blanket that I had left out here earlier in the day, wrapping it around my shoulders.

Her stare on my breasts didn't make me uncomfortable, but it did make me feel something.

It was scary in a good way.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" she questioned me, her eyes now staring intently at my face.

I swallowed and shook my head, my voice coming out as a whisper, "Uh no."

The blonde hummed and stared into my soul as she spoke, "Well I'm telling you now. Believe me when I say; Iris Heather, you're so fucking beautiful."

"Thank you." I softly smiled and tilted my head downwards, attempting to hide the blush on my face.

Cold fingertips were placed underneath my chin, raising my head up. Aurora's hand traveled to my left cheek where she tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"Just like this, okay?"

Catching the drift that she was referring to the position of my head caused me to chew on my bottom lip in anticipation.

I melted into the woman's hand, the rings on her fingers rubbing softly against my skin as I nodded.

The blonde shook her head and pulled me closer to her by the waist, "Words. Use your words. I want a clear answer, cara."

"Y—Yes." I whispered lowly, forcing my eyes away from her lips.

"Good." she stated.

♕