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Iris turned and saw Caden walk up, breathing a sigh of relief. She knew she was safe with him. The bully stared at Caden, dumbfounded that Iris actually knew someone, and that they would stand up for her. "You- how- that's-" She sputtered, looking between him and Iris. She was clearly wanting to punch him, but knew that he was too big and would overpower her. Finally, she gave him a nasty stare and stalked off, muttering something about how the people there 'couldn't take a joke'. . Iris instantly relaxed, shoulders slumping in relief. She turned to face Caden, a grateful smile on her face. "Thank you, Caden. I don't know why I froze up like that." |
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The moment the woman walked away his arm slid off her shoulders, Caden just nodding when Iris spoke. "Anytime, she seems a idiot." He mused, turning to walk back off. |
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Iris shot out a hand and grabbed his wrist. "Wait!" She didn't know why she did it. But she knew she couldn't let him walk off yet. . She let go of his hand, suddenly very self-aware. "Um..." She didn't know what to say. Wait, why had she stopped him again? That was stupid. Now he expected her to say something and she wasn't going to. She always had to make things awkward. Though, actually, that was new. She had always been confident about herself and talking to others. Why was she not anymore? |
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"Yeah?" He asked, turning around to face her. Caden realized she didn't have anything to say, pretending his phone went off and he had places to be as the awkwardness grew more and more. "I need to go, meeting up with the guys and heading out to town." He lied, turning and walking off. |
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Iris almost said something, but then Caden spoke. She nodded, trying to act like it was fine, as he walked off. As soon as he was far enough away, Iris crumpled onto the nearest bench, so confused and overwhelmed and tired. She couldn't get her thoughts straight, so instead of trying to sort them out, she let herself cry. Her tears dripped onto the stones, and were soon evaporated by the slowly sinking sun. |
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Caden's flight got cancelled early, way early, him picking up another one that night and scheduling his hotel stay for two weeks now. The man went to the airport, checking through TSA and what not before boarding his flight. He couldn't wait to be back home, to be him again. |
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Iris forced herself to stop crying, and be strong. She stood, breathing shakily, grabbed her backpack, and headed up to her room. She ate dinner and did her schoolwork, then changed and lay down in bed. She stayed there for a while, thinking and letting her mind wander. Eventually she fell asleep to the thought that tomorrow, Friday, would be a better day. . In the morning, the first thought she had was that she didn't know what Caden's phone number was. If she saw him she could ask, or as a last resort she could find one of his friends. Iris sighed, threw on jeans and a sweater, and headed to her first class. |
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Caden arrived in Moscow and started making his way around the city, figuring he'd missed it more than he thought. The first thing he did was go and get beef stroganoff at a old family owned cafe running off a generator. He tipped exceptionally well, even if it was all the cash in his wallet. |
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Iris looked for Caden all throughout the day, not seeing him. Then, when it was time for the English session, Iris waited and waited in the room, growing more and more concerned that he hadn't showed. Finally, she went and looked for those friends of his, figuring they'd probably know if something had happened to him. She finally found one of them in the library, and spoke her best Russian. "Hello. Have you seen Caden today? I can't find him." |
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Dmitri shook his head, reckognizing the woman from the other day. "I havent, i'm not sure where he would even be."
He mused, chuckling softly as his eyes analyzed Iris. ~ * ~ Caden found the food delicious as he walked back out into the bitter cold, the kind that settles deep in your bones. He started walking down familiar streets, knowing his way around every which way and that of the city. |
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Warming, with Sleet and Heavy Icing
