Marked By My Best Friend's Dad

060

~ ky

I hadn’t expected Iris to come over. Not tonight. Not after… everything. My fingers tightened around the wine glass as I stared out the window, the city lights flickering beneath the sky. Part of me wanted to stay in the quiet, to pretend none of it ever happened, but another part,one I didn’t like to admit,was desperate for her.

“Iris?” I heard her call softly. My heart skipped. That voice,familiar, soft. it made the world shrink to just her and me.

I felt her footsteps upstairs before I saw her, and when she entered my room, there she was,her presence impossible to ignore.

“Ky…” she started, hesitation in her tone. My chest tightened. I wanted to tell her to leave, to stay away, but I couldn’t. I needed her here.

“Why… why have you been distant?” she asked, eyes searching mine. The weight of her words pressed against me. She knew. She knew what I had been feeling,the tension, the awkward silence.

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing. “It’s not because of you,” I said carefully. “I’m not… upset about that night. I don’t regret anything we shared, Iris.”

Because of course I don't regret it.

I just regretted why I stopped.

Her hand reached toward mine, brushing against my wrist. “It’s not your fault, Ky,” she said softly. “I kissed you first. I know I shouldn’t have, but please… come back to being our friends. Just… us, okay?”

Her words pierced me, a mix of relief and guilt flooding through me. I stepped closer, brushing the hair behind her ears with careful fingers. My thumb lingered there, tracing the line of her jaw like I was memorizing her again.

“I can’t be angry with you,” I whispered.

“Never. Not at you.”

She blinked at me, her lips slightly parted, like she wanted to say something but couldn’t. My chest tightened, and for a moment, I considered bending the rules we had silently set for ourselves. But I reminded myself: she’s with Alice, and I’d respect that.

“I’ve been… dealing with family stuff,” I confessed. “It’s been… overwhelming. That’s why I’ve been pulling away. I didn’t want to drag you into my mess.”

“Oh,” she said softly, regret in her voice. “I thought it was because of me.”

I shook my head, resting my hands lightly on her waist. “Iris, you could never be the problem. You never were.”

Her breath hitched just slightly, and I had to resist leaning in too close, resist the pull that always made me want more than just friendship. I traced the curve of her waist, just gently, feeling the warmth of her, grounding myself in the fact that this was… enough. For now.

“I’ll be back next week,” I added, softening.

“To deal with things properly. For now… I just needed a moment. To remember that there’s more than just the chaos.”

She squeezed my hands, and I realized how much I’d missed this,her trust, her energy, her presence. “I get it,” she said quietly. “I’m glad you told me.”

We sank onto the bed together, sitting side by side, the space between us intimate but safe. I felt her exhale, her shoulder brushing mine, her fingers still intertwined with mine. For the first time in days, I allowed myself to relax.

We talked about her family, about my mess of a family, about plans and memories and little things we had missed sharing. And though I was still painfully aware of the rules between us, the pull of her closeness was magnetic. My heart ached to just lean in, brush my lips against hers, and let the tension dissolve.

Instead, I held her hands, kept her close, and let her words wash over me. Because sometimes, being near someone, letting them trust you, letting them see you without judgment,that was enough.

And for now… that had to be enough.

Iris’s fingers were warm in mine, and I couldn’t help but notice the little ways she fidgeted,how her thumb traced slow circles over my hand, how her shoulder leaned just slightly against mine. Every movement made my chest tighten, made me want to reach closer, touch more.

She laughed softly, a shy, fluttering sound that made my entire body lean toward her.

“You’re such a tease, Ky,” she said, mock frustration in her tone.

I smirked, brushing my thumb along her hand again. “And you… you make me want to break all my rules.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and she glanced down, heart racing, pulse visible at her neck. “Ky…” she breathed, almost a warning.

I held her gaze, close enough that she could feel my warmth, close enough that the air between us shimmered with tension. “Iris… I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to… hide from me,” I whispered.

She shivered at my words, a soft gasp escaping her lips. I leaned just a fraction closer, enough to feel her breath mingle with mine. “I… want to,” she whispered. “I want to… just be near you. To know that you've forgiven me.”

I smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear again, soft, tender. “Then stay,” I said simply. “Sit with me. Talk. Laugh. Let me be here for you.”

We sank back onto the bed together, side by side, our knees brushing, hands still intertwined. I let her settle against me, feeling the warmth of her body, the soft weight of her leaning into me. No rush, no pressure,just the pull of the bond, the quiet intimacy of being near someone who understood you, someone you could trust.

She lifted her head slightly, looking at me with eyes that were soft, vulnerable, yet teasing. “You always have to make everything so… intense, don’t you?”

I laughed softly, brushing her fingers with mine. “And you always make me want more, Iris,” I said, voice low, playful, magnetic.

“More of this. More of you.”

Yeah I know I was being a d**k now, knowing fully well she's still with Alice.

Her lips curved in a faint smile, and I felt it,the quiet surrender, the permission to be close, to tease, to feel that undeniable pull between us. And as the night stretched on, laughter and quiet confessions filling the spaces between us, I realized one thing clearly: no matter the rules, no matter the world, no one else could touch this… this bond, this connection.

And for now… that was enough.