Rogue Sloth

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

In the kitchen, Caspian seated himself at the elevated bar with one elbow propped on the table and his cheek pressed tiredly into the palm of his hand. The cooks were preparing him a light, simple breakfast of toast and jam with three poached eggs, since his stomach was still tender from the alcohol with which he’d tortured it the night before. In front of him, there was a half-full cup of tea that he’d been sipping at while he waited for his food. It was the first meal he was having outside the confines of his bedroom since he’d returned to his home. For once, he was actually hoping to run into his father, so he could hear about the king’s plans to deal with Iris’s disappearance.

Things were still tense between him and Atlas from their unresolved conflict, but at the moment, their personal feud wasn’t as important as it was for him to know if he could visit Iris at the Kinders’ manor soon. After the soldiers had taken her away from him at the border, he didn’t want to leave her alone for very long. He felt like it was his responsibility to make sure nothing else happened to her. It was difficult to do that from a distance, and his stomach knotted at the thought of the guards stealing her again before he could do anything to stop them.

Realistically, he knew she was safe with Miles. It was highly unlikely that the soldiers would be searching the private estates of the high borns in the capital, especially when Jacob was going to lead them to believe that she and her rescuers were long gone. However, he still itched to see her again. Aside from his desire to protect her, he also wanted to be near her simply because she felt more like home to him now than his actual house did. Her presence was soothing, her touch was warm, and he would have been lying if he’d said that he wasn’t thrilled about her idea to spend the night together as soon as they could.

At the thought of it, his cheeks flushed with ruddy color, and he lowered his gaze to the tea cup in front of him, murmuring a quiet ‘thank you’ to the cook who set down his breakfast plate beside the beverage. Picking up his fork, he tried to get his wild heart under control as he buried the prongs into an egg and cut it open.

He dug into his food in a tentative manner, hesitant to stuff himself when he was still hungover, but only looked up again when he heard approaching footsteps. Turning away from the eggs and toast, he perked up slightly at the sight of Jacob, who was walking over to take a seat at his side. “Is my dad awake?” he asked, his dark eyes flitting to the nearby servants as he mentioned the king. Though he trusted the guard to be discreet about the subject, he was still a little tense bringing it back up around other listening ears.

Jacob nodded without looking at him. He had spent the last half hour trying to calm a rather incensed Atlas after he had informed the monarch that their prisoner had escaped. With no lead to give him—at least, not one that he hadn’t agreed to keep quiet about—he’d floundered more than he’d wanted to when the king had barraged him with questions. Atlas had wanted to know how the girl had slipped away, who had helped her, where they had gone, who was responsible for the lapse in protection, and more. Jacob had done his best to relay what he knew from the security footage without incriminating Caspian or assigning blame to Harry, who had been convinced that he’d been reassigned elsewhere by the sly prince.

Of course, Atlas, in his fury, had wanted to have multiple people fired and even imprisoned for their negligence, but Jacob had managed to soothe him enough to accept that Iris was gone and that all the blame fell on the rebellion. There was no harm in pointing the king toward the traitors, after all. They were better off dead.

“He is, and he agrees with me that we need to focus our efforts on securing the border walls of the capital,” he informed Cas nonchalantly, alluding to his success in convincing Atlas that the rebels were the ones who had spirited Iris back to the other districts. “That’s what I’ll be doing for the rest of the day.”

Cas breathed a sigh of relief. It sounded like things were finally starting to go his way. “So all he’s doing is heightening security around the perimeter?” he asked to clarify.

“And then some,” Jacob added. “The capital will also be going into lockdown for a week, so the soldiers will have time to conduct a more thorough sweep of the streets to make sure they aren’t hiding out under our noses.” He turned to the prince. “Unfortunately, that means you’ll be confined to the palace until next Wednesday.”

“Oh,” Cas deflated. There was going to be a lockdown after all. He wouldn’t be able to see Iris again until it was over. Even though he knew he should be celebrating the fact that she was going to get away safely, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment that they were going to have to be apart from each other for so long. Picking up his cup, he took another sip of tea and set it down again. “Well, thanks for letting me know. I guess I’ll have to find something to keep me occupied for the next few days.”

Jacob nodded again, “You’re welcome, Your Highness.”

--

“I don’t think so,” Miles assured Iris with a shrug. “Even if she does, I’ll just tell her that one of her friends must have stolen them. She doesn’t hang out with the best people, and they’re always swiping stuff from each other. Usually over catty things like someone thinking someone else stole her boyfriend.” He pulled a face as he remembered one such incident. His sister had been accused of taking someone else’s scarf, and she had retaliated by calling the other girl fat—she wasn’t—and bringing up a time when the girl had slept with some guy they had both been interested in at the time. “Models are hot, but they’re too dramatic for their own good. That’s why I won’t date them. Not worth the trouble.”

Taking a seat in the sofa again while Iris looked over the clothing selection, he glanced at her when she mentioned that she didn’t often wear dresses. “Really? Why not?” he asked curiously. All he’d seen her wear so far were the hospital gown and his own oversized clothes, so he didn’t have much of a view of what she looked like, but he imagined that she would look great in a dress if she put one on. When she moved, he caught subtle glimpses of the curves of her figure underneath the baggy fabric. She had a nice figure.

“No problem,” he said in response to her words of gratitude, flashing her a friendly smile. As she disappeared into the bathroom again, he turned away to continue browsing his phone, watching a couple short videos that caught his interest. As he got about halfway through the second one, the device buzzed with a notification, and he furrowed his brows as Cas’s name appeared, attached to an incoming text.

It’s amazing that he’s awake before noon, he thought with an amused smirk, opening the message. However, the expression vanished when he read the contents of the note. Leaning back into the cushion behind him, he muttered a swear under his breath and then glanced at the bathroom door again when Iris stepped through. As he’d expected, she looked stunning in the navy blue dress she’d picked out. Although it wasn’t a perfect fit, the fabric still flowed over body in a way that revealed more than the too-big shirt and shorts he’d lent her earlier.

“You look great,” he complimented, getting up from his seat once more and then rubbing his arm awkwardly. “Um, Cas just texted me while you were changing. Apparently, there’s gonna be a lockdown in the capital for a week, so you’re stuck here until it’s over.” In truth, there hadn’t been a plan in place yet to sneak Iris out of his family’s mansion, but he wasn’t sure what to do with her for an entire week. He knew what he wanted to do, of course. However, if she wasn’t interested in him the same way he was drawn to her, they would be trapped in an awkward hell for seven days. That was too much pressure for him to handle.

“I could look for some games for us to play in the meantime?” he suggested, trying to think of some more wholesome activities to engage in. “Do you like cards?”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I think it's taking a long time because my state is one of the worst in the country right now ^^; We have over 4000 new cases every day, so the labs are probably backlogged to hell.

Thanks! It's going away on its own right now, but I might take some medicine later because we're going to be having a few friends over for the 4th of July. Just a little BBQ and game party at our house :) Only 4 of them are coming over, so we decided we felt comfortable hosting, since groups less than 10 are still considered pretty safe.

Aw, I bet your cat misses you too! It's great that you get to see her again.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Alone in his room, Cas stared at the door Jacob had just disappeared through, reflecting on his obscure warning. It had been an odd thing to say when it had seemed like the guard had chosen to take his side. If he had decided that helping Iris was the right move, then why would he act like there were going to be consequences to hiding her from the soldiers? He stood up from his seat and headed into the bathroom, deciding to think about it while he got ready for the day. Hopefully a hot shower would help him get rid of the lingering hangover that made it difficult for him to piece his thoughts together.

As he stripped off his nightclothes and stepped under the warm stream of water, he wondered when his father was going to have him resume the private lessons that had ended when he’d been abducted from the capital. So far, the king hadn’t mentioned anything about his tutors, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he would be expected to further his studies. His father would never risk allowing him to forget all the ‘crucial’ information that he needed in order to successfully ascend the throne.

Maybe he’s waiting to find out from Dr. Foster if I’m even mentally competent enough to continue learning, he thought dryly, closing his eyes and tilting his chin up as the water rolled off his head and shoulders. Even though the idea had only come to him because he was still bitter about it, he wouldn’t have been surprised if it was true. Atlas was so focused on molding him into the perfect successor that he was probably panicked that his son had come back from the other districts with new thoughts and opinions in his head. It doesn’t matter that I came back alive when I also came back refusing to follow in his footsteps.

Then there was the matter of what Jacob had said. Though the guard had agreed to keep quiet about Iris’s location, it was obvious that he had reservations about something. As Caspian stood in the shower, he mulled it over, repeating the guard’s words silently to himself until he realized it. Jacob hadn’t been talking about rescuing Iris; he’d figured out that he and Iris were closer than he’d let on. The color drained from his face. For a moment, he felt the urge to find the guard again and make sure that he wouldn’t say anything about their taboo relationship to his father. However, the impulse was short lived. If Jacob wasn’t going to tell Atlas that he was the one who had broken her out of the hospital, there was no way he would tell the king that they were seeing each other romantically. The warning hadn’t been a threat, it had been made out of genuine concern. Jacob was worried that he was going to find himself in deep waters if he didn’t break things off with Iris.

But I’m not going to do that, he thought stubbornly, turning off the water and wrapping a towel around his waist. He knew the odds he faced by attempting to be with Iris, and he’d already decided that she was worth it. He was sick and tired of letting everyone else dictate the decisions he made just because he was the crown prince. For once, he was going to take control and do something that he wanted to do whether the other people in his life thought he was being wise or not.

With that thought in mind, he finished up the rest of his routine hygiene, popped a couple ibuprofens to ease his headache, and dressed himself before he headed to the kitchen for breakfast. With any luck, Atlas would buy the lie that Iris and ‘the other rebels’ had escaped the capital, and another lockdown wouldn’t be put in place.

--

While he waited for Iris to get out of the shower, Miles eventually began glancing toward the bathroom door, wondering what was taking her so long. It had been a while since she’d disappeared around the corner, and he’d thought she would have been done by now. A thought of her slipping on the slick tile surround and hitting her head crossed his mind, and he fidgeted with his phone anxiously. If she actually had hurt herself, he had no idea what to do. It wasn’t like he could just waltz into the bathroom and check on her, after all. If she was fine, that would have been the absolute worst thing he could do.

He glanced at the door one more time and shifted his weight restlessly. If she doesn’t come back out in the next fifteen minutes, I’ll make sure she’s okay, he thought, deciding that was more than enough time for her to finish up.

Almost as soon as he made the decision, he blinked as a flicker of motion caught his eye, and Iris stepped out of the bathroom. She was wearing the same clothes he’d given her the day before, making his t-shirt fashionable, as she’d put it earlier. He stared briefly before standing up from the sofa. “I have no idea what you like to wear, so I brought you lots of choices,” he told her, gesturing to the heap of clothes he’d left on his bed. “Take whatever you want. My sister has so many, she’ll never notice these are gone.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Hey, sorry it's taking me a while to post! We finished closing on the house two days ago, then yesterday my husband and I got sick of social distancing from each other and took a whole date day (he had work off for Independence Day, observed) xD His coworker still hasn't gotten test results back (she was supposed to last Tuesday) but we couldn't handle it anymore. Now we're just hoping that test comes back negative since I'm high risk.

Anyway, I woke up with a bit of a headache today but I'll try to get a post done for you before the hubby is awake! I think he stayed up late playing Minecraft lol

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Thanks! It'll be a busy day, but it's all good things ^^ Closing on the house in the morning, getting brunch with friends, picking out the granite slab for the kitchen countertop at the stone yard, and then getting dinner with my mom, haha.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“How am I sure?” Caspian echoed with a hint of incredulousness. His grip loosened on Jacob’s arm now that it seemed like the guard was no longer hellbent on storming off to sing to his father. Thinking over the question, he hesitated for a moment. Of course, he trusted Iris wholeheartedly and knew that she would never intentionally do something to hurt him. It wasn’t that the other man’s inquiry had planted any seeds of doubt in his head. His struggle was disentangling the objective facts from his affection for her, since Jacob wouldn’t be convinced by a simple ‘because I love her.’

“Honestly, it might just be easier for me to tell you everything rather than try to give you a specific answer to that question,” he sighed, deciding it was too difficult to pinpoint exactly what had led him to have faith in Iris. Gesturing to the small table by the window, he led the way over so that he and Jacob could sit down while he relayed the whole story.

The guard followed him quietly. He was still reluctant to believe that a rebel had changed sides, but he was willing to hear the prince out. In all the years he’d known Caspian, he’d learned that the young royal could be quick to trust others and often took flattery at face-value, even if the flatterer had an ulterior motive. It was entirely possible that Nox-Fleuret was stringing him along, using his heart of gold to achieve something for the rebellion. However, he also knew himself. As an ex-soldier who had seen the darkest side of humanity, he was the exact opposite of the future king of Aspiria. His bent was to believe the worst in everyone until proven otherwise, so it was possible that he was judging the girl too harshly. Taking a seat across from Caspian, he decided to withhold his opinion until after he heard his side of the story.

And he did.

For the next twenty minutes, the prince launched into a lengthy description of everything that had happened to him since the day he’d been taken by the rebels. He explained that Iris’s father, Regis, had kept him locked up in a cell in his basement—the very same one that the rescue team had discovered upon raiding the building—and that Iris was the one who had kept his strength up with intermittent deliveries of food and water behind the leader’s back. He also told the guard how Regis had verbally and physically abused her when he’d found out what she had been doing.

From there, he described the escape; how he had gotten caught the first time when he’d tried to climb out the window, how Regis had beaten him, and how Iris had eventually treated the worst of his wounds and helped him escape. He made sure to include the detail that he had lost trust in her during that time and hadn’t believed she was actually rescuing him until they had gone an entire day without getting caught by the other rebels. Knowing that Jacob was frugal with his trust, he felt like it would be helpful to inform the guard that Iris had earned his trust back after she’d lost it initially.

He went on to tell Jacob about their stay with Maisie—though he omitted her name just to be safe—their time in Bel Bicis, the fight with Ethan and Thomas in the street, and the events that had occurred in the Scourge’s prison hideout. By the time he was finished, he nearly felt winded. It was the first time he’d opened up to anyone about everything that had happened outside of his ridiculous psychotherapy session with Dr. Foster. He studied Jacob’s face expectantly, searching for a sign that the guard had been convinced not to hand Iris over to the soldiers. If he refused to compromise, Cas didn’t know what he was going to do.

For his part, Jacob hid his thoughts with an unreadable expression. After everything the prince had said, he had a lot to consider. Although he was only hearing one side of the story, it sounded like Iris had done quite a bit to keep Aspiria’s crown prince safe, and he couldn’t think of a reason why she might have done so. Well, other than the possibility that she was pulling a long con to win him over, become queen, and have him assassinated in order to secure the throne for the Scourge. However, her bold and somewhat reckless actions made him doubt the likelihood of that. If she had been vying for royalty for selfish reasons, it would have been quite a gamble for her to allow herself to be arrested and imprisoned at the border. If not for her seizure, she would probably have been dead by now. As reluctant as he was to admit it, Caspian seemed to be right in his assessment that she was really on his side.

How long will it last though, when their draw to each other is built on a house of cards? Jacob couldn’t help but wonder. By now, he was utterly convinced that Iris and Caspian had fallen for each other, even if the prince had never stated it outright. He also knew that their relationship, whatever it was, had nowhere to go. She was a former member of the rebellion, and he was on track to be king. Atlas would never allow them to be together. The guard worried that they were getting their hopes up, when in reality, they were going to have to split up eventually. Whether Iris was forced to leave the capital or Caspian was engaged to marry someone of his own status, their time together had an expiration date. The only question was when everything would fall apart.

He drummed his fingers on his knee, holding the prince’s gaze solemnly. Personal opinions aside, he knew Caspian was right. Iris had made amends for her past mistakes and was no longer a threat to the monarchy. There was no reason to have her executed, and if he reported her to King Atlas, she would be dead before the sun went down. “Fine,” he said, feeling more content with his decision to take the younger Maydestone’s side. “I understand why you’re trying so hard to protect her, and I agree with you. If she isn’t an enemy, killing her would be wrong.”

When the words left Jacob’s mouth, Cas felt weak with relief. He was glad that the head of security had agreed with him after all. “Thank you,” he breathed, sinking back in his chair. “Will you… tell the soldiers that she got away?”

The guard nodded, “They’ll likely want to continue looking for her for a few more days just to make sure she’s really gone, but I’ll spread word that she was taken by other members of the Scourge.”

“That’s fine,” Cas glanced down at the silicon brace on his wrist, adjusting it slightly with his free hand. “They won’t find her, so I’m not really worried.”

Jacob grunted and rose to his feet. He was curious where the prince had hidden the girl, but he knew better than to ask. The less anyone knew, the better, including him. However, he wasn’t going to leave just yet. “A word of advice, Your Highness,” he added, prompting Cas to look up at him again. He paused briefly, pursing his lips, and then spoke quietly: “Don’t dive so deep that you drown yourself before you realize you need to come up for air.”

“That’s cryptic,” Cas eyed him confusedly.

“I think you know what I mean,” Jacob assured him, not bothering to elaborate. With a curt bow, he turned and exited the room, leaving the prince behind to puzzle over his parting message.

--

Oh, I know you could, Miles thought, biting his lower lip when Iris joked about making his clothes fashionable. She could even make a garbage bag fashionable. Why the hell did Cas have to bring back a girl as hot as she was? Housing her would have been a lot easier if he didn’t have to pretend like he didn’t find her ridiculously attractive, so he wouldn’t make her uncomfortable.

When she disappeared into the bathroom, he turned his back to the glass door and ran both hands through his unkempt hair, puffing out his cheeks as a long exhale escaped his lips. It was tortuous. Hiding her from the soldiers was both his most coveted fantasy and most dreaded nightmare at the same time. It was also a gamble. If he made a move and she reciprocated, then watching her would be even more of a thrill than it already was. However, if he tried and she recoiled, things would just be awkward between them the rest of the time that she stayed with him. He didn’t know what to do.

Coming to the conclusion that he was just going to send himself into a tailspin if he kept thinking about it, he snuck out of his room to distract himself by raiding his sister’s closet for clothes.

Luckily, his guess had been right, and the bedroom was empty by the time he got there. There were no maids around either. He slipped inside and made a beeline for the oversized walk-in, turning on the light and looking over the rows of fancy, vogueish outfits that lined the walls. Not knowing the first thing about women’s fashion, he collected a variety of tops, bottoms, dresses, and undergarments and piled them in his arms. Iris could go through everything and pick what she liked when she got out of the shower. He just hoped at least some of it would fit her, since he’d heard his sister and past girlfriends gripe about how hard it was to find clothing that was designed for their body types.

Once he had a surfeit of options for her to choose from, he ducked back out of the closet and headed back to his own room, where he dumped the clothes on the bed and seated himself on the sofa to scroll on his phone while he waited for Iris to finish washing up.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

We ended up staying out super late last night, and I have more stuff to do for the house today, so I'll probably get a post up later! Closing is tomorrow, so I'm putting together all the final things that I need for the meeting in the morning ^^

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Oh yeah, I could see that happening a lot.

And I follow a bunch of pages on Instagram for the enneagram. If you're interested, I could send you the names, so you could check them out! They're really interesting and honestly just fun to read. One is even a meme page for all the different types, haha.

Thanks! I'm excited. I got so busy with errands that I forgot to eat today, so I'm starving ^^;

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Yeah, it'll also be interesting because they'll probably have to keep their relationship quiet for a while before they can reveal to anyone that they're together. That could put strain on them too.

I love the enneagram because it's scarily accurate! It told me stuff I didn't even realize about myself, such as how (as a 7) I only operate with half a range of emotions and can hyper focus on bad situations because I feel the need to reframe everything in my head to spin it into a positive thing. I had no idea I did those things until I read and reflected on it, then I was like "holy shit, it's right" XD

Nice! I managed to get one more up, but that may be the last for today. It's one of my friend's birthday today, so we're going out for a little group dinner soon :)

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Caspian felt like his heart had stopped. They knew. Or, more specifically, Jacob knew that he was the one who had pioneered Iris’s escape from the hospital. The instant the words had fallen from the guard’s tongue, a simultaneous sense of alarm and despair had washed over him. He couldn’t believe how quickly Jacob had realized that he was the culprit behind the prisoner’s disappearance. Even though the other man was observant, he’d thought he would be able to get away with it because the military would set their sights outward toward the other members of the rebellion. Instead, it had taken the head of security less than twelve hours to catch him red-handed.

“Your Highness,” Jacob prompted him, interrupting his spiraling thoughts. “All I need is Nox-Fleuret’s location. She’s the one the soldiers want, so if you tell me where she is, nothing will happen to you. I can easily sweep your involvement under the rug so your father doesn’t find out.” Technically it would have been a breech in protocol to leave out such a major detail, but he knew the prince wasn’t thinking clearly. He was obviously infatuated with the girl, so this was his chance to cut ties without suffering any consequences. In his mind, it was the best and more gracious way out that the royal was going to stumble into.

To Cas, though, the mere thought of giving Iris up to the military made him taste bile. He cared about her too much to let them kill her when she’d done nothing to deserve it. She had saved his life and treated him with the love and respect that he’d been yearning for all his life. So, rather than giving in to Jacob’s demand, he set his jaw and met the guard’s gaze unwaveringly. “I can’t,” he said, dropping his act. There was no point in pretending to be innocent when the other man knew he’d done it. “Jake, you know they were going to kill her. I had to get her out of there before they took her back to the penitentiary.”

“You didn’t ‘have’ to do anything,” Jacob corrected him, crossing his arms. “I understand that you’ve gotten close to her, but she committed treason, Prince Caspian. She has to face the penalty for her actions.”

“Why?” Cas challenged. “She knows she was wrong before, and she’s already apologized profusely. Why should she still be executed when she’s trying to move on from her past?”

“It’s the law,” the guard answered shortly. He let out a sigh. It seemed like the prince wasn’t willing to see reason, which meant that he was going to have to go over his head with this. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but if you won’t give her up quietly, I’m going to have to tell His Majesty and let him make the final decision about how to proceed.”

At the mention of his father, Cas choked. Jacob could be stern, but the king was absolutely ruthless. He dreaded to think what Atlas would do if he found out that he was the one who had helped Iris escape—not for his own sake but for hers. The monarch already thought he’d been brainwashed by the rebels, so he would be merciless in his retribution if he got his hands on her again. He couldn’t let Jacob turn her over.

“Wait,” he said quickly as the guard turned to leave. “Stop. Don’t—” he scrambled to get out of bed, ignoring the churning in his stomach and the pounding in his head from the sudden movement. “Don’t tell my dad anything,” he pleaded, reaching out to catch hold of Jacob’s arm. “You know what he’ll do if finds out I did this, right? He’ll blame her and have her killed in the most brutal way possible.” As he spoke, his voice cracked beneath the strain of the emotions he was barely keeping in check. “Jacob, listen to me. Iris is not an enemy. I can swear it on my life. She made some mistakes before, yes, but she regrets every single one of them. I saw the look in her eyes when we talked about it after she helped me get away from her father. She wasn’t lying to me, and ever since then, she’s continued to prove time and again that she wants to make up for what she did. That’s why she helped me get back to the capital too. She knew what could happen to her if she showed up at the border with me, yet she came anyway.”

He searched the guard’s eyes desperately, “Please, she’s not one of them anymore. It would be unjust to have someone killed who’s already begged for forgiveness, wouldn’t it? Please let her go. Tell the soldiers that she escaped from the capital already. I don’t care, just don’t let my dad know what actually happened. This is my way of paying her back for all the times she’s saved my life… I can’t let them kill her.”

For a moment, Jacob was silent. He was surprised by how passionately the prince felt about the issue, but more so than that, he was surprised by the hesitation he felt to disregard his pleas and go to the king anyway. He had always respected the monarchy because it was his job to do so, but the young royal clutching his forearm had earned his admiration with more than just a title. Watching the heir to the crown grow up and turn into someone worth following, he felt an odd dissonance at the thought of turning him over to King Atlas—as if he was being disloyal. He pursed his lips. A few minutes ago, his plan had been to go straight to the reigning king if the prince refused to comply, but now, he was uncertain.

Deciding to give himself time before he made up his mind, he asked, “How are you so sure she’s really changed?”

--

“As hard as you want,” Miles shrugged, smiling as Iris good-naturedly when they joked about shoving him when he snored. “I probably won’t wake up. Once I’m out, I’m dead to the world.” It wasn’t an exaggeration in the slightest. It took nothing less than a life-threatening emergency to drag him out of the depths of a REM cycle. He wasn’t worried about getting interrupted sleep if Iris chose to take him up on his offer and push him over if he woke her up the next night.

Settling down comfortably in his seat, he nodded when she asked if she could continue to borrow his clothes. “Yeah, I don’t need ‘em,” he assured her. Plus, he secretly liked the thought of her wearing his oversized shirt and shorts again that day. The thought made him shift his weight, and he looked away, reminding himself that she was a refugee that he was harboring. Nothing more, nothing less.

“My sister probably left to go do another photoshoot this morning, so I’ll steal some clothes from her while you’re washing up,” he added as an afterthought, glancing back at Iris. “I have no idea if you wear the same size or not, but it’s worth trying. That way you at least have… uh, some stuff that will fit you better.” More specifically, underwear made for women, but he couldn’t bring himself to say that.

When she asked about the towels, he nodded again, “Yeah, the extras are in the closet by the shower. Feel free to take whichever one you want.”