Page 252 of Masters of Pleasure
It was so much worse now that she’d had a taste of doing something else.
This week had been great, but it was way too soon to suggest something as big as moving in with Law.She would hate for him to think she only wanted him for his house, which was far, far from the truth.Moving into the apartment in her dad’s basement sounded pretty good by comparison to continuing to live with Noelle, but she would rather move into the apartment in her dad’s basement than make Law feel she was using him for a place to live.
Driving into the parking lot, Iris’ tension ratcheted up another notch when she saw Noelle’s car.It didn’t necessarily mean she was home since she relied on Tyler a lot for rides.
Pressing her ear to the apartment door, Iris bit her lip as she listened and waited.She didn’t hear anything, no television or conversation.Mentally crossing her fingers, Iris let out a long, deep breath and put the key in the lock.The door opened to an empty apartment, and she sighed in relief, the knot untwisting in her stomach.
Crap.Too soon.
The unraveled knot pulled tight when she heard a door in the back of the apartment open, then Noelle appeared in the hallway.She’d been in her room, but Iris hadn’t heard a thing.
“Oh, finally checking in, are you?”Noelle asked sarcastically, putting her hands on her hips.“A little late, don’t you think?”
“What are you talking about?”The question popped out of Iris’ mouth before she could think.Dammit.That was an open invitation for Noelle to unload, and her friend took immediate advantage.
“I’m talking about the fact you’ve been goneall weekand haven’t called or texted me once to see how I’m doing.”Still standing in the middle of the hallway, Noelle didn’t look as if she would be moving any time soon, which meant Iris had to deal with her since she couldn’t get past her.
She was barely two steps inside the apartment, and Noelle was already pissing her off.
Shewasgetting mad instead of wallowing in guilt, which was what she would have done in the past and what she was pretty sure Noelle intended.There was still a little part of her that felt bad she hadn’t checked in on Noelle, that she’d been relieved to be away from her, but a part of her that worried she was a bad friend… a really tiny part.
“I’ve been taking care of Law.You got my message, right?About how he was in a car accident?”
Noelle rolled her eyes.Rolled.Her.Eyes.
Iris’ nails dug into her palms as her hands turned into fists, her jaw aching from how hard she was clenching her jaw shut.
“He isn’t even actually your boyfriend, and he was fine, right?Did he really need you all week?And what happened to chicks before dicks?”
“We’re in a relationship, even if we haven’t put a label on it yet, and yes, he needed me.”
“What, he has no friends to help him out?”Noelle snorted.“Well, at least he and I have something in common.”
It was a verbal jab that would have once hit Iris right in the solar plexus, but it didn’t have the same weight.It didn’t sting the same way.She was no longer afraid Noelle would end their friendship.There was no driving need to fix things because she’d reached the end of her rope.
She just wanted Noelle to leave her alone.Iris wasn’t a bad friend, and she knew it.Not only that, but being away so much had ripped the blinders from her eyes.All the little comments, Iris always brushed them off as Noelle not realizing how they sounded…
No.She was pretty sure now Noelle knew exactly how they sounded.Even if she didn’t, that didn’t make it okay.Especially since when Iris pointed out how it sounded and how Noelle’s words made her feel, Noelle was never willing to change her perspective or apologize.She always brushed it off or turned it back around on Iris.
Iris tested it, just in case.
“That’s really hurtful.We’ve been friends for a long time, and not being around for one week while I was taking care of… of someone I care about after they were in a car accident does not negate that.You didn’t check in with me to see how I was doing, and I’m not mad.”Iris kept her tone reasonable, taking deep breaths to stay calm.
Realizing she didn’t have to put up with this, that she was going back to Law’s tonight, really helped.She wasn’t trapped anymore and didn’t particularly care if Noelle was mad at her.Well, mostly.At least, she didn’t care enough to stick around and grovel when she knew she wasn’t in the wrong so that Noelle wouldn’t be mad at her.
“I didn’t check on you because you made it clear you didn’t want to hear from me when you left me that voicemail, then never contacted me again.”Noelle huffed.“Well, guess what, you won’t have to put up with me any longer.The lease is up in two months.I contacted building management yesterday with our sixty-day notice that we’ll be moving out.So, I hope you’re happy.”
Iris gaped.Of all the things Noelle could have said, she hadn’t expectedthat.
“What?You can’t just… we didn’t even… what the hell, Noelle?”She didn’t want to keep living with Noelle, but she wouldn’t have contacted the management office without at least talking it through first.
“Oh, now you care.Maybe you should have thought about that before you treated me like shit.”Noelle was looking for all the world like the injured party, hurt, anger, and betrayal clear in her expression.She meant it, and that was the thing that messed with Iris’ head the most.
She could feel the waves of emotion coming off of Noelle and knew they weren’t fake.Noelle was visibly, palpably upset.
That was why Iris ended up questioning herself all the time.
Not this time.
