Wanting My dear Iris

Chapter 2

*Knock *knock *knock*

Iris, knocked on the door to Noah's room and when she didn't get an answer she knocked again. She was holding Mr. Golem in one hand and continued to incessantly knock on the door until Noah was forced to open it for the stubborn girl.

Without asking for his permission, she entered his room and plopped down on his bed with Mr. Golem in her arms. "Hi," she hesitantly spoke as she looked at the angelic boy standing stock still by the door staring coldly at her. When he didn't answer, she scratched the back of her head awkwardly before walking up to him and said, "I'm sorry, Noah. I shouldn't have screamed earlier, that was very rude of me." She looked at the small boy waiting for him to say something.

When he saw her guilty expression, he thought with some vexation that Mr. Spencer must have told her about the death of his parents. He was about to tell her it was fine but she surprised him by wrapping her arms around him as though trying to protect him. He blinked in confusion but then she said something that tugged at his walls. "It must have been very hard."

The facade of indifference he had created slowly crumbled at her sincere words. She hugged him tightly and stroked his fluffy white hair in a soothing manner like her father often did for her. When he finally regained his senses he tried to push her away but she wouldn't let go, he realized why when he heard her quiet sobs near his ear.

She was crying. But why?

Was she crying for him? Did she pity him?

He clenched his fists and pushed her with more force than before. She stumbled back and fell on top of her pink plush doll. She wasn't angry at his rejection, infact she felt she could understand how he felt because she had went through something similar in the past. The feeling of distrust. The fear of abandonment. And the yearning for someone's warmth. She had went through all those phases alone. She grabbed Mr. Golem and looked at it with a sad expression.

"Mommy once told me that Mr. Golem would look after me whenever I felt lonely. But to be honest, every time I look at Mr. Golem, I would only feel more alone because it would remind me how it was the last gift mommy ever gave to me before she died."

She turned to Noah with some conviction and said, "If you ever feel lonely, Noah, you don't have to remember anything. You just have to come to me and I'll take care of everything." She smiled through her tears and snot and in the ugly picture she painted, Noah saw such sincere warmth that his tears began falling without any prompt.

"Ugh," he leaned forward and covered his face to hide his tears but they overflowed out of his control. He thought she would try to stop his tears but instead, she wrapped her arms around him again and bawled like a baby.

After a while of crying in that position, he found the situation so absurd that he began snorting and laughing in between his sobs. She heard him snort and couldn't help but giggle. Soon both of them were wrapped in each other's arms, laughing with tears in their eyes.

"Welcome home, little brother" she said, a soft smile playing on her lips as she looked at him adoringly. "Let's take good care of each other from now on."