157 An Outing (1)

The empty apartment was strangely lonely. Iris stood in the center of the living room, looking around while considering what had changed, if anything. After two weeks of Kyro's parents being here, she couldn't help but miss the need to avoid them, to remember to act as a fox.

Then again, she was not a fox at the moment. Once again, she had returned to her human form, and again it happened without her control. She'd hoped that when she learned the trigger, she'd be safe, able to avoid her transformations, but it didn't seem to be the case.

"Who cares, I would have changed anyway," she told herself and turned around to return to Kyro's bedroom to get her everyday clothes. If her memory wasn't faulty, he had hidden them somewhere in his wardrobe.

After a bit of sifting through, she found her clothes and Lucy. The cat had somehow entered the lowest shelf and pushed all the clothes to the side to make place for himself.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, but Lucy didn't bother to reply to her. He continued sleeping like he hadn't done anything. "You big furball!" Iris pulled him out and threw on the bed before closing the wardrobe so he couldn't return.

Lucy meowed at her in indignation while shaking his fur so it would fall into place. He looked exceptionally grumpy, so she came over to pat his head.

"The guests are out, you can stop hiding, you know?" she told him.

After that, she changed and made herself a coffee and some sandwiches for breakfast. They swiftly disappeared into her stomach, and she turned on the TV to wait for Kyro.

With Lucy napping by her side, she wondered what would happen next. It didn't seem like Kyro was planning to throw her out, but that no longer seemed like enough. She wanted more from him, yet was he willing to give it?

"No worries, I'll just have to charm him so much that he wouldn't be able to let go!" she explained to Lucy, who looked over at her with eyes that said she was being a fool. She flicked his ear in revenge, but he ignored her.

The idea of making a man interested in her sounded fine by itself, but not when that man was Kyro. She was quite certain that if she tried all those things she'd seen in movies or heard from friends, she'd be out the house in five days tops. Maybe sooner.

Not that she was eager to act before him in any case. It sounded like a dangerous preposition that would serve little purpose. Even if she managed to win him over with her acting skills, wouldn't that mean that he would like a person that wasn't her?

Then again, he might not like her whatever she did. This was a painful thought, and Iris pushed it away as far as she could. The fact that Kyro hadn't thrown her out yet had to mean something. He clearly didn't dislike her, and that was as good a start as any other.

What should she do then? That was the most important question, and one that left her wanting to scream her frustration out. She had no clue how to endear herself to a man without appearing an idiot. The few times she had dated, the guys had come to confess to her before she even thought about them in any romantic way, and she had agreed just to see how it would go.

Her mind was still running in circles when she heard the click of the door unlocking. 'What?!' She swiftly glanced at the clock, and two hours had actually passed. Kyro was here, and she wasn't any closer to figuring out what she wanted to do about it.

Upon entering the living room, he came to stand by the sofa and stare down at her. He didn't seem angry, so she counted her lucky stars, but his face was absent of any emotion, and it worried her somewhat.

After a moment, he asked, "Do you have any plans today?"

"Besides being scolded by you? No, I don't think so."

His lips twitched at her response, which she had said without thinking. "Do you want to go outside then? You've been cooped up here for two weeks already."

All the chaotic thoughts in Iris' mind were thrown to the side when she heard this suggestion. It had been so long since she had stepped outside! And now she could do it with Kyro!

"Certainly!" She beamed at him and ran into her room to change. Her wardrobe choices were really limited, but that was a problem for another time. She put on her dress, brushed her hair, and stepped out.

Kyro was also leaving his room at this moment, but he looked much more well-dressed than her. He had put on dark jeans and a polo shirt, which was a level above absolutely casual stuff he wore to go with her around the lake the last time.

"Aren't we going to the park?" she asked, furrowing her brow. Her enthusiasm dimmed a little at the thought of him taking her somewhere unfamiliar where she might look extremely out of place with her fifteen dollar dress and no make-up.

He shook his head. "First I'll take you shopping, then we'll have lunch, and then go to an event I've always wanted to attend."

"Why didn't you?" she asked while walking over.

The shopping part indeed meant that her current dress wasn't enough, and she didn't know how she felt about that. It was nice of him to take her along and even get her fitting clothes, but where did he plan to take her? It shouldn't be any super fancy party in the middle of the day, but still… It was worrisome.

"It felt weird to go alone, and Gale is not a person for such things."

'Such things?' Now Iris was seriously puzzled. If Gale didn't want to participate, then it was no party. Yet what else could it be? Her vast knowledge about the lives of rich CEOs gained from romance dramas was betraying her! They never took the women they liked anywhere else but to some important parties where they would meet their rivals…