Thine Poison'd Hearts

Honesty

Iris takes a seat next to a distressed Phoenix. The two refuse to make eye contact for several long moments. Phoenix's distressed panting remains the only sound heard as well as the soft ticking of the clock on the wall. Iris fiddles with her fingers before Phoenix begins to fidget slightly. He takes a deep breath before speaking.

"I'm sorry for threatening you earlier...I was so fueled by my anger that I wanted revenge immediately. I sacrificed too much to try and get my hands on her and—" He pauses before turning to Iris. The two make eye contact. Phoenix can see a sort of sparkle in the girl's eyes. Whether excitement or pure desire Phoenix cannot tell. His eyes gaze down at the ring on her finger; "So...I am begging you for answers now. I need to know who you are. I know you are telling the truth because your presence is so familiar to me. I supposed I was so blinded by my affections that I never realized the difference being around you and Dahlia."

Iris turns her head away for a moment and nods solemnly.

"I have been waiting many years to finally tell you everything. But it is not guaranteed that you will still respect me after I tell you. Your hatred towards me is completely expected."

Before Phoenix can speak, she begins:

"You only interacted with the true Dahlia twice—the first being in the library the day that you met and the second being the day in court. I was with you every other time we met."

"She despised me that much that she didn't even want to be around me?" Phoenix chuckles dryly; "I wouldn't have expected anything else".

Iris goes silent for a few seconds. She feels her heartbeat begin to quicken.

"As you expected, she was the one who killed Doug...and that defense attorney in the courtroom the day you met. You were a part of her escape and I...was the one told to clean up her mess."

Phoenix raises a confused eyebrow before turning his head away. Iris feels her stomach drop. She can feel his anger rising steadily.

"You know by now that the pendant she gave you that day was the bottle carrying the poison that killed the attorney. You were her only way out that day and so...she made me responsible to get it back from you and destroy it."

"So that's why you asked me for it back every time that we met...I just thought that you were shy about your gift," Phoenix chuckles again; "How naïve I was."

"We were both naïve, Phoenix..." As if a natural reflex, Iris places a soft hand on Phoenix's shoulder. He flinches noticeably and turns his head towards Iris once more. She jolts backward and her hand quickly moves away. She places it under her leg as she hangs her reddened face. Her other hand rests on her cheek in an effort to hide the blushing; "I never would have known...that after all this I would develop genuine feelings for you. And I know that is an absolutely horrible thing to say to someone who you lead into so much hurt and..."

"So, you're saying that the only thing that was genuine about those months I spent with you were your feelings?"

Iris spins to face Phoenix once more. Her face is as red as ever. She begins to stumble over her words as she feels her eyes begin to water. After many long seconds of work, all she can do is nod. Phoenix's expression shifts. Iris feels her heart sink down to her toes. After several long seconds, Phoenix stands to his feet. His back is away from Iris and he just stares at the wall. He places his hands on his hips and continues to stare. The girl grows confused as the minutes go by. The room succumbs to silence as neither moves a muscle. Time seems to have stopped. Then all too quickly, everything returns to normal. Phoenix cups a hand to his eyes as soft whimpers can be heard. Iris makes her way to her feet as she stands behind him. His whimpers turn into sobs as he hunches forward and cries. Seemingly five years' worth of tears erupts from his eyes as he falls to his knees. Iris hesitantly places her hand onto his back. Phoenix does not flinch this time. The girl feels her own tears begin to break as well. She rubs his back softly as she leans her head on his back. She can hear his heart pounding in his chest. She pulls him closer to her as she feels tears course down her cheeks. Her body begins to tremble once more although she works to keep her hand steady. She whispers through her trembling lips.