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Iris decided that she wouldn't be the one to make a move. She'd already embrassed herself enough for the year, so if Caden wanted something he'd have to come get it. She wasn't the one who was going to reach out. Once the groceries were put away, she found herself needing more to do. So she replaced the sheets on her bed and tidied up her desk (which was already incredibly clean). Then, looking around at her room, gave a sigh and started cleaning the bathroom, floors, and even the walls. |
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Caden sat on the bed, grabbed his phone, and clicked on her contact. He messaged her, deleating the message and rewriting it 10 different times. -sorry about earlier- The man sent it, instantly deleating it and being grateful his model of phone allowed him to. |
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Iris kept herself busy cleaning her room until it glowed, then gathered things for dinner. She headed down to the kitchen and cooked pasta and warmed up some sourdough bread-- her favorite. Once she had eaten her dinner and brought the leftovers up to her room she would probably go to sleep. It had been a complicated day and she was ready for rest. But for now, focus on eating. 'Don't want to look like a fool again by dropping your whole plate,' she told herself, digging her fork into the spaghetti. |
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Caden didn't eat, grabbing his things and heading to go shower. He came back up after a while, nothing but boxers and a baggy t-shirt on as he pulled the covers back up over himself. The man set all his alarms and took out his contacts, flicking off his lamp and slipping his eyes shut. |
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Iris finished dinner, packed up the leftovers, and headed back upstairs, where she stuck the food in her mini fridge and fell into bed without showering. She tried to fall asleep but couldn't, so she lie there, looking up at the ceiling, trying to think sleepy thoughts. Her roommate came in around 11:00 PM and, though she tried to be quiet, made it even harder for Iris to sleep. She tossed and turned, then, finally, realized what she needed to do to fall asleep. She reached over and grabbed her phone, dimming the light so it didn't blind her. Hardly thinking, she texted Caden: -We need to talk. Meet me in the cafeteria during breakfast?- |
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-ok- He texted back, mind racing at the thought. They needed to....talk? Caden had screwed everything up, just like that. Said three words and it ruined everything. Great job, Caden. Great job. He sighed, running a hand over his face and settling it there as he drifted into an uneven sleep. |
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Iris was glad he texted back, late as it was, and fell asleep in a matter of minutes. But it was a restless sleep. She woke up with bags under her eyes and took a hasty shower to freshen herself up. Then she headed down to the small college cafeteria. It served only breakfast and snacks, and the food wasn't great anyway, so Iris hardly ever went. She took an apple from the fruit bowl and sat down at a comfy table, waiting for Caden to come in. She was both dreading and longing for the conversation. |
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Caden woke late, pulling on a random pair of baggy jeans and a t-shirt before slipping into a pair of Nike dunks and rushing out the door. His beat up, black North Face bag was slung over one of his shoulders--the other strap free. He calmed before walking into the cafeteria, making himself look presentable as he strode over to Iris and sat down. The man drooped in his seat casually, fiddling with a callous on his thumb. "So....is this a TED Talk or what? And if that sounded rude or annoyed or anything, my apologies. Learned that word yesterday, sounds kinda weird." He mused, yawning before looking over at Iris. |
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Iris saw him as soon as he came in, and immediately lowered her head. She wanted to be courageous and look him in the eye but she just couldn't. She listened to his words, practically bursting at the seams to say what she wanted to. It annoyed her how he was acting like nothing had happened, but she tried to brush it off. "I just..." she trailed off, then took a deep breath, raised her head to look at him, and spit out the words. "Did you mean what you said in the car?" |
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He was expecting anything besides what she asked. His face drained of color slightly, a nervous laugh coming from him as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean...I don't know? Sometimes I do then sometimes I dont and...ugh.." He muttered, running a hand over his face before looking at her. "Yeah, yeah--I meant it." |
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Fog Early followed by Afternoon Showers
