Epilogue (3)
Epilogue (3)
There were a dozen things she could do in the city, but she didn't feel too comfortable walking alone. Although Gale promised that no one would come for her again, she didn't want to risk it too much.
Once she returned to Kyro's parents' home, she was welcomed by Mila . The girl was dressed in a bright yellow dress and looked like a butterfly in winter. Her grandma ran after her, unable to let Mila out of her sight.
Iris received a perfunctory greeting, and the pair left to busy themselves with something. In the house, father was sitting by himself near the window and looking outside. Iris greeted him, and he asked her about the outing, if everything went well.
It hadn't been in her plan, but Iris then ended up talking to him for the next hour or more. She learned a lot about Kyro's childhood and youth, how long it took him to start calling them mom and dad.
She also learned about father himself and how he'd met mother. It was a story of two people who married for influence when their parents ordered them, which was why there was a quite large age difference between them. Luckily, they found love nonetheless, thought it hadn't come easily.
Later, Iris helped mother with lunch, which she appreciated a lot, and dinner later. Kyro looked a bit tired after returning around six, but after wolfing down his meal, he disappeared somewhere in the house. No matter where Iris looked for him, he wasn't there, and no one could tell her what he was doing.
After twenty minutes of pointless searching, she gave up and went to watch cartoons with Mila and the ecstatic grandparents. They were acting like the children's movie was the most interesting thing they had seen in their life. It was so amusing to see them making a show for the girl that Iris watched them more than the TV.
Around ten, when Mila fell asleep, Kyro showed up again. He helped carry the girl to the room prepared for her, then returned to sit with Iris and his father. They talked for a while more, until eleven or so, then his father chose to say his goodbyes as well.
When it was just the two of them left, Kyro stood up and extended his hand to pull her up. "Let's walk outside for a bit."
"Now?" Iris asked in disbelief. It was pitch black outside the window, and cold. "We can do it tomorrow."
He shook his head. "Come on, it's just a walk."
Iris gave him a dark look. It was dark and cold outside. Besides, she'd been kidnapped once near his lake in broad daylight yet he wanted her to venture there at night? No way!
"There's a really beautiful place I want to show you. You won't regret coming out, I promise."
It didn't convince Iris, but Kyro was so adamant about bringing her out for a walk that she gave up in the end. If it would satisfy him, she could sacrifice the warmth for half an hour.
The outside was as cold as expected, and Iris shivered upon the first step out. Kyro took her hand and quickened his steps so they'd get warm from moving.
It was quiet all around them. At first, Iris worried a little about it, but with Kyro beside her, she soon calmed her heart and began to enjoy it. There was a certain beauty to the night, trees and fields washed in silver moonlight.
Maybe it was worth it to be a little cold to see it.
When they reached the lake, it glistened with light. Iris stared at it, mesmerized. She could finally understand where all the tales of moon goddesses stuck in lakes were born. The lake shone with a soft light which rippled when a soft breeze passed over the surface of the water.
There was a boat on the shore, and Iris glanced back at Kyro. He nodded with a smile and pulled her along toward it. "Do you even know how to row?" she asked. "What if we fall in?"
"Trust me a little, will you?"
Kyro helped her in, then stepped in himself. The boat rocked, scaring Iris, but neither of them fell out. "This is not good for my heart," she muttered while holding onto the boat's sides with all her strength.
"We're not gonna fall in," Kyro said again, this time with a little annoyance. Iris smiled at him sheepishly and slowly retracted her hands. It wasn't part of her plan to hurt his pride.
The boat flowed with ease through the lake's surface, and soon she forgot all about her fears. The scenery around her was magical, and she was with the person she loved the most. How could it be any better?
When they stopped in the middle of the lake, Iris turned to smile at Kyro, ready to apologize for distrusting his skill, but his expression stopped her. It was tense. He seemed to be trying to look okay, but it looked more like he was grimacing.
"Wha—"
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then took out a small box from his pocket and opened it. Iris' eyes went wide and she leaned back, all her thoughts scattering away. "You— No— This…"
"Iris Warren, will you please do me the honor of marrying me?"
"I—" She wanted to speak, but her mouth was too dry, her mind blank. What was she supposed to say? It was too shocking! He actually proposed to her! Proposed!
She thought it might happen one day, but not so suddenly! Her heart wasn't ready!
"Iris?" Kyro asked, his expression filling with uncertainty. "Will—"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Iris shouted out, grabbing the box like her life depended on it, then realizing what she was doing. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried and laughed, too embarrassed to even try to make sense of what she was feeling at that moment.
Kyro let out a held breath and extended his hand for the box back. "Let me put it on your finger."
Not brave enough to speak, Iris nodded. She could barely see through the tears which blurred her vision into a mess.
Kyro's fingers were warm when they touched her icy ones. The ring fit perfectly on her fourth finger, and she raised it into the air with awe on her face. White gold crossed with rose gold while three small diamonds winked at her from the top, but the most unbelievable thing was still that the ring was on her finger.
Words abandoned Iris, and she just looked at Kyro, hoping he would understand the chaos of emotions whirling within her from her eyes. He smiled and brought her hands to his lips. The kisses on her knuckles were butterfly like, soft and fleeting.
And then a phone rang. Both of them froze, like schoolkids caught doing something they shouldn't. They laughed, and Iris brushed the tears from her eyes.
A magical sight was before her. Kyro sat in the middle of the boat with her hands in . He was washed in moonlight and surrounded by glistening water. It looked like a scene from a fairy tale, especially since there was a ring on her finger.
"I think you should answer that," Kyro said with amusement.
Iris then remembered that the phone was still ringing in her pocket and cursed inside. Why in the world had she brought it along? And who hated her enough to call her around midnight?
Furious, she dug out the phone from her jacket's pocket and picked it up. "What is it?" she asked Elise without hiding the annoyance in her voice.
"I got proposed to," the woman answered while crying.
Iris blinked, and Kyro also looked at her with surprise. Since when was Gale so forward? The two didn't even know each other that well. Did they miss something while abroad?
"Gale did?"
"Of course not." Elise began to weep even harder, making her words barely legible. "It was someone I don't even know, but Gale got so furious. He threw me away like I was a venomous viper and won't speak to me again."
"I…" Iris glanced at Kyro rowing beside her. "I'll try to see how bad it is tomorrow. There's nothing I can do today…"
"Right, I'm sorry." Elise sniffled as she tried to control her emotions. "I'm sorry. You were probably asleep. I'll hang up now."
Iris winced. She didn't want to make the other woman feel bad about confiding in her. "We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay."
Finished, Iris sighed and closed her eyes. She then remembered her engagement ring and pulled her hand to her heart. What if the ring fell off? Her heartbeat increased just at the thought of it.
Back at the shore, they embraced and didn't let go for a long while. In the dark of the night, it felt like they were the only people in existence. There was only them and their love.
On the way back, Kyro held one hand while she walked with the other in a fist so the ring wouldn't have a chance to fall off. She kept glancing at it anyway, afraid that it would disappear at any moment. This brought a lot of amusement to Kyro who didn't miss the opportunity to tease her about it.
The ground floor was lit when they approached it, and an old couple met them at the doorway. "So how did it go?" mother asked, rushing over. When she saw the ring on Iris' finger, she squealed in delight and pulled both of them into a bear hug.
"Good job, son," father said, nodding his approval from a few steps away.
"How did you know?" Kyro asked, a little ruffled. "I thought you went to sleep."
Mother laughed. "Silly child, did you think we wouldn't notice you sneaking around and preparing? We know you better than you know yourself!"
"Sure," Kyro muttered, but there was a smile on his face. In truth, there was one on everyone's face.