The One With Whisky Eyes

Simplicity in Normalcy

Iris tried to support the basket that was draped over one of her arms; the weight of her groceries was making her wish that she had decided to get a cart that she could push instead. Trying to take some of the weight off, she leaned the basket against her hip as she looked at the display of crackers. A snack of cheese and crackers was on her list of cravings at the moment, and she was really hoping to get home quickly. The weather report was calling for thunderstorms and Iris did not want to worry about running home through a downpour while hauling bags of food.

Finally selecting a slightly pricy brand of vegetable crackers, Iris turned to head further down the aisle for the coffee and tea section—she was so stocked up on tea that she was desperate to get something different and Barry told her he liked sweet coffee so she was planning to get some just in case he spent the night again.

The thought of having him over caused a blush to rise to her cheeks, so Iris hurried down to the coffee section and looked over the shelves to try and find the tin of coffee that she had bought in the past. A huffing sigh passed her lips when she noticed that it had been raised up to the top two shelves, making it impossible for her to reach even when on her tip toes.

Taking a step back for a better reading on the height difference, she only ended with another sigh. It was probably just out of reach of her fingers if she stretched.

"Damn."

"You look like you could use a hand, Sweetie."

Gasping in surprise and turning quickly, Iris nearly dropped her basket as the words that were across her back were spoken in a deep, accented voice—was that a New York accent?—that was shockingly familiar. A hand darted out to catch the basket as it slipped precariously on her arm, nearly losing some of its contents. Iris's attention lifted to the familiar face of her soulmate, but one briefly glance confirmed her assumption that this was not Barry.

A pair of slightly worn black jeans and a soft looking blue shirt was exposed through an open leather jacket, startling Iris into leaning back slightly. Having the image of Barry still quite fresh in her mind, she hadn't really been prepared for the appearance of another personality. This one was more casual, less focused on fashionable clothing while still looking extremely attractive in what he was wearing.

"Wow, hello," Iris blurted out before she could think of her words. Her cheeks immediately grew hot as she realized what had come out of her mouth, while the man before her laughed heartily, the laugh lines on his face more prominent than they had been with Barry. Iris immediately pushed the thought of Barry aside, feeling bad that she was thinking of him while another soulmate was standing in front of her now.

"Hello to you, too, little one. So, need a hand?" he motioned to the coffee tin that she had been stretched for a minute ago, causing Iris's eyes to finally flick away from him as she glanced back to the shelves.

"Oh...yes, please." Ducking her head in embarrassment, the man deeply chuckled before he stepped up beside her and easily grabbed the tin and offered it to her slowly, as though he didn't want to startle her.

"Iris," he began carefully, taking the encounter very carefully. Those whiskey eyes finally looked up at him, the soft rose in her usually pale cheeks making his smile grow. "I believe I have you at a disadvantage. My name's Luke," he introduced, holding his hand out to her. Iris dropped the tin into her basket and reached out to shake his hand as a timid smile touched her lips.

"Nice to meet you, Luke."

"That looks heavy," he commented as he motioned to the basket. "Give it here, Sweetie. Barry'll have my hide if I make you carry that." Surprise must have shown on her face, because another laugh sounded from him as he gently extracted the basket from her hold. "He makes sure we all stay in line, and he's absolutely smitten with you."