𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 - 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐱 𝐨𝐜

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧!

CW: smut (?). kind of hhhrrrgggggggg

her apartment was suffocating.

"what did you want to talk about?" iris leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed. she had no clue why rowan wouldn't choose his own house to have this conversation—other than knowing his brother was home—as sweat dripped down her back. she'd barely gotten back from the ice cream shop and found him sitting on the steps up to her apartment.

this was the most nervous she'd had ever seen him.

he paced around her living room, running a hand through his already tangled hair. "we need to like... we need to talk about—" he gestured in between them, and she frowned.

"is this about what happened at the restaurant? or at your house?"

his breathing was uneven. "both."

her frown deepened. she picked at her nails, saying slowly, "you wanted to keep it casual."

"that's the problem, rye!" he ran his hands through his hair, forehead gleaming slightly. all the lights were off, considering they only gave off more heat, but she could see how wide his eyes were. the room was too heavy, too stuffy, but it was too quiet. "i want— i don't want—"

"spit it out," she snapped, the heat making her miserable. she'd much rather be in the ice cream shop. it didn't help that she was still wearing the man's hoodie. "what do you want? to split?"

"let me TALK!" he all but shouted, pacing around her living room. "iris, i can't stop thinking about what happened in the restaurant. how close we were..." he couldn't form a proper sentence. he was so nervous, iris wondered if he'd pass out. "i've never— iris, it was... that was—" his breathing was uneven.

she watched him carefully, eyes soft but lips quirked in confusion. "how so?" she asked cautiously. he stopped his pacing to turn to her, chewing his lip. his hair was a mess, but she trained her eyes on his face. "why are you so nervous right now?"

"because i've never been this nervous with anyone before!" he shouted. she swallowed.

he'd been the most closed off and stone-faced person she'd ever met. she hardly saw him nervous or even showing any expression whatsoever. with him looking like he was on the verge of breaking down, she couldn't help but ask, "why?"

he stared at her, lip pressed together, waiting for her to understand. and by god, she did, but she refused to act on it until he said it himself.

"say it, rowan." she pushed off of the counter and sauntered over to him, tilting her head to the side. "why can't you stop thinking about the moment at the restaurant?"

he ground his teeth together. "i hate you."

a smirk flickered across her lips. his eyes shot down to the action. "don't be shy," she said. "it's just a couple of words." and suddenly the room became ten times hotter, and he was closer to her than before, and the heat that formed between her thighs wasn't due to her broken AC, but rather the look in rowan's eyes.

"iris," he breathed, "i can't stop thinking about you."

"say it."

"it'll ruin us. it'll ruin our friendship. it'll ruin you."

that smirk of hers didn't waver. "i don't care," she said, hand running up his neck, and kissing him.

it took two heartbeats for him to press her further into the table, lips moving against hers like it was his last day alive, like it had taken all of his willpower to not do that the moment she walked inside. this was different than the night in the restaurant pantry—this time, there was no one to stop them. this time, there was nothing stopping them.