Kai chuckles. “Iris is my assignment. As her guardian, her well-being means everything to me.”
“Well, you should know by now I wouldn’t do anything to harm her well-being. You don’t need to protect her from me,” I whisper.
“Buddy, with all due respect, I’ve known you for less than two weeks. Trust is not given freely. It’s earned. It’ll take more to gain my trust,” he says earnestly.
“For the love of everything, can you please stop calling me buddy? We’re practically the same age.”
“Time in the afterlife works differently—I feel like I’ve basically lived for eons at this point.”
I sigh. It does feel nice being around old friends, but Joy pulled me away from Iris too quickly earlier. As Jess and Joy chat, I notice the man with Iris cozying up to her, pulling her into him. I look away, finishing my second drink since arriving.
“That’s Jake—he’s always had a thing for Iris, but the feeling isn’t mutual.” He leans over. As I watch them from a distance, I see Iris subtly fidget with her bracelets. She’s anxious.Stay in your lane, Jasper.
Jake grabs her hand and leads her away from the party, out into the hallway. Kai goes into full protection mode, not even saying goodbye before teleporting instantaneously. I’m well aware I’m not Iris’s guardian. That role belongs to Kai, rightfully so. But I can’t stop myself from going after them. Sure, Iris can take care of herself, but that doesn’t mean she should always have to. I step out into the hall from another access point quietly, so they don’t hear me approach. I can hear their conversation from here.
“I’ve been feeling something between us for years, Iris. You can’t deny our chemistry.” The prick leans in too close, his mouth nearly grazing her lips.
“Jake, I told you. This is not going to happen.” She pushes him away as I clench my jaw.
“I don’t see why you can’t give me a shot. I’ve seen your exes. They don’t come close to me. I’ll be the best you’ve ever had.” He strokes her cheek, leading her to slightly flinch in response.That’s it.I step toward them, but find myself getting pulled back.
“Wait,” he simply says, not appearing uneasy at all. “Just wait.”
I glance at Kai like he’s lost his mind when I hear a loud smack and turn back to see Jake holding his hand over his face. “What the hell, Iris?”
“You’re right. I haven’t been the same since it happened. I may be fragile, but I'mnotbroken.” She stares into his eyes, unwilling to look away. Jake’s face reddens, then he stomps back into the gym, visibly pissed off. Serves him right, I was about two seconds away from decking him myself, and I wouldn’t have been half as graceful as she was. Jake’s departure leaves Iris and me alone in the hallway, but she doesn’t know I’m lurking in the shadows. She takes a deep breath, puts her hand over her heart, and then exhales, strutting back into the party without missing a beat.
“I’ve never liked him,” Kai says resolutely. “I mean, okay, I did at one point, before realizing he was a tool.”
“This sounds personal to you,” I note.
“I just hate watching guys treat her like that. It makes my blood boil.” He grimaces.
“That makes two of us.” The words slip out of my mouth before I can register the impact.
“Why is that, bro? Are you into her?” He raises his eyebrows.
“What? Don’t be ridiculous.” I brush him off. He chooses to ignore me, so I head back inside to the party. While walking in, Joy greets me instantaneously, grabbing my arm.
“Where’d you go?” She glances over my shoulder. For a second, I wonder if she can see Kai, but as I follow her eyes, I discover he has disappeared again—big surprise. I can't lie, it'd be pretty nice if someone else could see him, too.
“Nowhere,” I answer, looking around the dimly lit room to try to spot Iris. “Have you seen Iris?”
She looks taken aback for a second, then grins. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I saw her take some shots a few minutes ago with some friends. Hey, do you want to dance with me?” She pulls me toward the dance floor. Begrudgingly, I oblige, figuring I need to blow off some steam anyway.
“I’m so glad you moved back to the Cove.” She leans into me as we dance. “It’s crazy that we both moved back around the same time.”
“Definitely,” I agree. As I dance with Joy, though, my thoughts are elsewhere.
Thankfully, the fluffy white wings are hard to miss—I see her bouncing on the dance floor with a drink in her hand and a friend by her side, seemingly without a care in the world. She’s laughing, letting the music carry her away. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was the happiest person in the room.
“I’ll catch up with you later, Joy,” I shout over the music, excusing myself. She nods, then continues to dance. I approach Iris through the sea of bodies. Upon reaching her, I rest my hand on her left shoulder, gently urging her to turn toward me. When she notices me, I see the mask slip for only a second before coming back.
“Jasper! Hi! Are you having fun?!” She’s neverthisrelaxed with me.
“A blast. Can I steal you away from the crowd?”
She glances around, just now seeming to realize she was even in this swarm of people. “Turns out I was swept into the crowd after all.” She gleams. “Lead the way!”
