Promises, Promises

four. alone

There was a knock at Iris' door a little while after she had come up from dinner. It was pretty quiet in the house afterwards but everyone seemed to be doing their own thing. After letting the person know they were allowed in, she sat up and faced the door to see who was there.

It was Ruby. Again.

Iris sighed in relief, watching the tiny girl peek in through the doorway. She'd rather it be Ruby instead of Oliver.

"Ruby? Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. It was weird to ask when it should've been the other way around from this experience she was going through, but she thought she'd ask in case. Plus, Ruby most likely didn't know what was going on.

"Oh! Uh.." Ruby stepped into the room cautiously, unsure if it was completely okay to be in there but Iris didn't seem annoyed. "I just wanted to check on you. You were crying earlier and I may not know why you were, but I know that if you did it, it's because you're sad.." Ruby mumbled, stuttering slightly as she rubbed her arm anxiously.

Iris watched as Ruby began to nervously fidget with her fingers. Was she going to comfort Iris now too?

"Um..just know that even though we're not that close yet, I wanna help you feel comfortable here." Ruby looked up to meet Iris' eyes, "I'm sorry if I'm not smart enough to talk to you but I know that when people are sad, they need to be cheered up! And sometimes it's hard to do that..but knowing there's someone there for you makes it a little easier!"

Iris gaped at the girl in surprise. She didn't expect this kind of speech from Ruby who seemed super timid just seconds ago. Now she was sporting a wide smile as she offered Iris her full support. How was she so mature?

"So, don't be afraid if you need to talk about it. I'll be here for you and try to help you as best as I can!" Ruby grinned triumphantly at her words.

Iris pursed her lips as a lump made its way back into her throat. A small smile graced her lips before the tears began to well in the corners of her eyes again. Just the support and comfort from the people around her would be enough.

"Ah!" Ruby tensed, "Mom, she's crying again! Help!" She exclaimed in a panicked tone, thinking she had set Iris off.

"No..Ruby, it's alright." Iris smiled, wiping at her eyes.

She stood up from her bed and began towards Ruby who watched her curiously. Iris stopped in front of the young girl who stared up at her, then she bent down to Ruby's height.

She had always wanted a younger sibling. Her parents wanted at least three kids, but after Iris was born...

"I really appreciate it Ruby, more than you know. Thank you for saying that. I know I can count on you if I'm feeling down." Iris said with a small smile as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Ruby smiled with pride, shimmying with excitement before lunging at Iris and wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

Iris slowly wrapped her arms around Ruby's small figure, returning her hug which turned out to be a little longer than she expected it to. But she didn't mind it.

••••

Iris stared blandly at the TV screen ahead of her as it played a superhero movie. The volume was adjusted low so it wouldn't wake up the two sleeping females, especially Sasha who had a bedroom on this floor.

Iris and her father were going to watch this movie tonight together. Then he had to stay in late for work. If he hadn't, would he still be alive? She hoped that he was still watching with her wherever he was.