The Human Mate

3- Starting again

Iris POV

One month later

Staring at the building in front of me, my hands start shaking and my heart starts beating out of my chest. My heartbeat is pounding in my ears as I start to walk closer to the building. My first day back at college after the passing of my dad, my teachers were very understanding of my situation and let me do online while I was healing. It was good for caring for my sister and also working extra shifts, but I was starting to get stir crazy staying in the house.

Lily started school a week ago, so it was just me at the apartment when I wasn't working shifts at our local grocery store as a cashier. After the passing of my dad, we had to move out of the house, leaving our old life behind. Not many apartments will let a 20-year-old with no credit move in with her 14-year-old sister, but our landlord didn't hesitate. In fact, the first 3 months were already paid for, but the landlord wouldn't tell us who.

It was difficult to leave the only home I'd ever known, but it was more difficult to stay there without my dad around. The home was still under our name and our property, thanks to dad's will, but we just couldn't stand to live there without him being there as well.

Deep breathes, you got this. Just focus on your studies. I could hear my dad's voice echo in my head. He always said that on every Monday I had school. I only realize now how much I miss hearing him say that, or anything really. Breathe. I take a long inhale and exhale before finally entering the building.

After walking up two flights of stairs and finding my room, I walk in and sit in the very back, already wanting the class to be over. The room started to fill up and the teacher walked in five minutes after class was supposed to start. I signed up to take four classes, each one about an hour and twenty minutes. My first degree was Criminal Justice but decided to take business as a major and culinary as a minor. My dream as a child was to have my own restaurant, but after mom left I realized I should graduate with a degree that is in demand, not what I want to do.

I focus and start taking notes in class, and once I get in the groove, the teacher announces that class is over and we can leave. I go back down the stairs and head back outside, the cool breeze is refreshing on my face. My brown hair moving with the breeze as I walk through the open grass to my next class. I walk into the culinary building, ready for my next two classes. Another reason for taking culinary classes was to be able to make dinners for my family.

I finish my two classes and head back to the business building for my last class. At this time it's around noon and I know Lily has lunch around this time so I send her a text asking how her classes are. I message her more for me to know she's safe than anything else.

As I enter the building I find out that my class is on the first floor and my legs and lungs thank me. Exercise is overrated. I get to my class and sit in the very back and middle of the class where there's only one other guy. As I sit down I start to notice more about the man sitting beside me, and how he's actually fairly good-looking.

His Iron Man graphic shirt fits him good, but maybe a little tight on his muscular arms. His dirty blonde hair naturally sits on his head, no gel in sight. His green eyes focus on the book in front of him, giving me freedom to check him out. I was not one to date but I could appreciate a fine looking man.

"You keep staring at me, I might just think you sat here just for me." His eyes gaze up at me and a smirk on his face. I felt embarrassed being caught, but I would never let him know that, I had more pride.

"Actually I was just thinking about Tony Stark and how Oliver Queen is pretty similar." I wait a beat just to marvel in his reaction. (pun so intended). "And I also found you cute." I shrug my shoulders and smile at him before taking out my notebook for class.

"Okay so a girl that knows her comics and finds me cute? I'm sensing a strong friendship here." He smiles at me, showing his pearly whites.

"Oh that friendzone though." I laugh with him. Truth be told I wasn't in the mood for friends, or anyone but my sister really.

Class started and we both started taking notes, noticing that he color codes his notes. I color code my notes but more of my first business class is blue, this class notes are red. All culinary notes are in purple or black, depending on what the topic is. If it's skills, they're black, any recipes go in purple. It's a habit I picked up from my mom, one that I wish I could drop, and have tried to no avail. Class ends and everyone stands up ready to leave.

"So I guess Wednesday I'll wear another comic shirt and we can talk about them too." The cute blonde boy says to me as I put my notebook back in my bookbag.

"By the way, my name's Luke, it's nice to meet you." The cute boy, Luke, said while sticking his hand out for me to shake; seems too formal but I digress.

"Hey Luke, my name's Iris, nice to meet you too." I laugh at his antics. I agree with Luke that it probably is the start to a good friendship between us. We walk out of the building and make our way to the parking lot.

"Hey, so I'm actually heading to lunch with some friends if you'd like to join us." Luke says once we get to the parking lot before we head off to our separate cars. I check my phone to see if I have any messages from Lily, only to see that she says everything is fine and not to worry. Should I really go out to lunch with a man I don't even know?

"Thanks for the offer and no offense, but I've seen too many crime shows to just go somewhere with you when we've only just met." I subconsciously reach in my back pocket for my pocket knife just in case his reaction turns bad. But fortunately his reaction was just to smile and shake his head.

"Hey, no worries, but it's good to know you're smart about that." He brightly smiles at me and heads to his car. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding in and start heading to my Bronco.

I never liked that Bronco. I always thought it was too manly looking but now I can't imagine driving anything else. Dad got it after mom left and took his car with her. The Bronco was an older blue model, but it was my baby and it was my job to take care of it. Good thing dad taught me how to take care of the car, from changing the oil, changing the lights, and changing the wiper blades.

I get in the car and head to the apartment to take a short nap before heading to work. One good thing about the apartment is that it's only twenty minutes from the college and fifteen minutes from the high school Lily's in. It's still unbelievable that the first three months of rent were paid for by some stranger. I just wish I knew who it was so I would be able to thank them.

I walk up the flight of stairs to our apartment door, smiling at the decoration Lily made me buy. It's a decoration that's supposed to say Welcome but somehow got messed up during production and says 'Weycome'. Lily laughed her butt off when she saw it and wouldn't stop pestering me until I bought it.

I unlocked the door and head in before locking the door behind me. Our apartment isn't the biggest, but it's also not the smallest by any means. You walk right into the living room, the kitchen's on the left with a small island to separate the two rooms. Both rooms have crème colored walls with white baseboards and carpet. Past the living room is two doors, the one on the left being the bathroom and the right being the bedroom Lily and I share.

I walk into the bedroom and change out of my jeans and swap them out for khakis. Changing my sweatshirt out for my work uniform shirt, my uncomfortable uniform shirt. Deciding to leave my shoes off so I can possibly take a quick nap before I have to drive for my shift at our local grocery store.

Working at the grocery store, I made barely enough to pay for the apartment. I had started to save money for a place of my own before my dad passed away, so that's how I paid the down payment on the apartment. I would've had to use part of dad's life insurance policy to pay for the first two months rent, but thankfully I wouldn't have to. I lay down in bed and thank the stranger for helping out two sisters who needed something good to happen to them.

After my nap I head to work, leaving a note for Lily to message me when she gets home and that there are leftovers in the fridge for her. Arriving at work made me thankful for my nap. Our local grocery store was not usually busy on a Monday night, so it would've been easy to fall asleep during my shift.

I was just standing at my register picking at my nails when someone cleared their throat behind me. I put on my best customer service smile and turned around to face the customer. I was expecting some older man who was either going to hit on me or complain about how we moved an item he wanted. So I was pleasantly surprised when I turned around and was met with piercing brown eyes and a handsome face.

"H-Hey how may I help you?" Did I just stutter? I never stutter. I smiled at the handsome and awkwardly laughed, mostly from the social anxiety. Holy wow, this man is hot.

"I was just wondering if anyone was in the deli to get me meats." The handsome man smiled at me and I swear I melted right there. The deli closes at 9 while our store closes at 11, and this man was over an hour and a half too late. Or is he?

"Um, I could help you if you'd like?" I looked around and made sure there were no customers in the store, and thankfully he was the only one. Wow, happy that there's only a handsome man in here with you, Ted Bundy would've loved you. He nodded and headed that way, and I let my manager know where I would be in case a customer came in.

As I followed the man to the deli, I took in his tall frame, he had to be at least 6'3, his brown hair was nicely combed and kept. Another plus was that this man knew how to dress, he had on black boots, dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a long light brown coat. I shamelessly checked him out and headed to the back to put on an embarrassing hair net and gloves. Way to impress a good looking man.

"Can I get a pound of the honey glazed turkey please?" He asked nicely and smiled at me, showing me his perfect teeth. I didn't trust my voice, so I nodded and got to work slicing the turkey for him and weighing it, putting the price on it too.

"Here's your meat." I said before realizing how bad it sounded. He just lowly chuckled and took the meat before thanking me. And again, I watched him walk away before remembering I was the only cashier, so I ran to the register without taking off the hairnet.

I got to the register but the stranger was still shopping, so I took off the gloves and hair net and fixed my hair. My manager came out with a smirk on her face and I knew she was watching the footage of me and the stranger.

"So I think tall and handsome needs some company. How do I look?" She fluffs her hair and fixes her button up, perking up her boobs. She doesn't even wait for my response before she heads to the back to find the stranger. Well, that's totally professional.