An Outing (3)

After a couple deep breaths, Iris collected her courage and left the changing room. This was perfectly fine, nothing was going to happen to her. While repeating that, she passed through a couple isles, looking for Kyro.

She remembered him talking on the phone by the window, so she first went there, but that place was empty. Puzzled, she glanced around and saw a small waiting area. Two men sat there with their backs to her, speaking to each other.

"... like you. He's such a spendthrift and a general lost cause. I sometimes wonder if he's really my son."

"But you have a younger son as well, don't you? I heard he shows promise," Kyro replied, looking amused by the older man's woes.

Iris listened to them for a moment, not daring to approach. It was clear that whoever the stranger was, he was someone Kyro knew, and thus a person that did not need to know about her. She didn't want to cause problems to Kyro by forcing her way into his social circles.

They weren't anything yet, and she didn't want to risk her chances at something for something like this. One day, when she got her two feet fully on the ground, she would come out, but for now she was a nobody.

A bit downcast, Iris walked to the counter and gave Sam the card Kyro had presented her last time she had turned human. She wasn't sure if it would have enough money, but who knew, maybe she would get lucky.

"Thank you for coming. Please visit again," Sam said with a professional smile while giving back the card. After that, she leaned in closer and whispered, "Good luck!"

"Thanks…" Iris answered with a strained smile and left the shop.

Her face muscles relaxed the moment she was out, falling into a semi-frown. Kyro was still talking and she didn't want to interrupt him, yet what was she supposed to do until he finished?

"Why did you run away without me?" a voice asked from behind her, and she whirled around as if she'd heard her death calling.

"Weren't you still talking? I didn't wa—"

Kyro took her hand into his, and all her thoughts scattered. "Did I come here with him or you?" he asked while raising her hand up.

"I—" Iris had a hard time collecting her mind back. She could feel his fingers around her left wrist, holding her still without exerting any force, and she couldn't move her eyes away from that place. "I didn't think you'd want me to appear before your colleagues."

"Do you think I'd be ashamed to be seen with you?" Kyro asked with slight puzzlement in his voice, and Iris looked up at him. His head was tilted slightly and his eyes narrowed as if he was trying to solve a complex puzzle.

She looked away. "Not really. But rumors. You don't want them, right?"

Kyro pulled her on the arm, starting to walk toward an escalator to the next floor. "You're thinking too much. I'm not some pop star or actor that would be hounded by reporters. The little attention I get is due to the company and its ups and downs; no one would be interested in me just going out."

Iris quickened her footsteps to not be dragged after while looking at him with a disbelieving stare. As if sensing it, Kyro chose that moment to turn around. "What? You don't believe me?"

"I saw you in a newspaper once…"

"You read newspapers?"

"No, I just saw your photo while passing an old man on a bench and—"

"You stole a senior's newspaper because you saw my photo on it?" Kyro asked while barely holding back his laughter.

Iris tore her hand away from his and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. "Don't make it sound worse than it was! I asked to borrow it for a moment to see if there was anything interesting there."

Chuckling, Kyro pointed at a restaurant ahead of them. "Let's go there." He then turned back to her. "Did you find it?"

"What?"

"Did you find anything interesting?"

While saying that, he led them to a far corner where there were fewer people. They sat down, and a waiter instantly came to their side with menus. Iris opened her own and looked through the unfamiliar names. At least the pictures of some of the dishes seemed like something she'd seen before.

"I'm still waiting for my answer," Kyro said poking her hand with his menu. "What did you read?"

Iris glanced up at him from the menu and poked him back. "Nothing interesting. At all."

"Really?"

She nodded emphatically. "Really. There was a single paragraph about your company and a new toy gadget, and then a whole page about how amazing you are. A truly pointless read!"

Her dismissive tone of voice didn't seem to have worked, for Kyro started laughing. "Stealing a senior's newspaper just to read about how amazing I am…" He shook his head in mock reproach.

The menu in Iris' hand trembled slightly as she considered throwing it at Kyro. However, they were in a restaurant now, so she decided to act with decor. Someone here had to be the grown up.