Chapter 16

                                    

                                          
Iris opened her eyes feeling a little fuzzy. It was still day she realized as she blinked her eyes and got some sense of recognition of the world around her. After throwing up one last time, Stone made her come back to bed to get some rest and she must have fallen asleep. She raised her head to read the time on the alarm clock on the nightstand and it flickered, in huge red letters, 1.30 pm. Iris cringed a bit as her head was pounding, maybe from sleeping too much and turned on her back. Then, she stretched and stayed quiet for a few seconds trying to figure out if she was still nauseous, but it seemed like she was not. That's when she decided to get up. She pulled the covers away and sat on the bed and rubbed her face to shake the rest of the sleep away from her. Also, she realized that her head was not spinning anymore, she felt fine. Iris bent over and grabbed her lingerie and got up to put it on and then started grabbing all her pieces of clothing that were scattered on the floor. She got dressed and slid her feet in her slippers instead of her boots. She opened the door of the bedroom and heard the sound of a guitar very softly and low and she smiled. Stone was playing. She tiptoed down the stairs and stopped in the middle as she got a vision of him.
                          
Stone was sitting on the gray carpet on the floor in front of the couch. His legs crossed with an acoustic guitar on his lap. His back against the couch, his head down looking at the strings. He had tied his hair on a ponytail so it wouldn't fall over his place and she knew he was experiment things. He was always trying new things and creating new riffs. She smiled when he clearly failed a note and shook his head all alone and then tried again and then not satisfied, he tried the same riff but on a different scale and she saw his lips open a soft smile. She smiled too, knowing he got what he was looking for. He was so persistent and inventive. She wondered many times if he knew how talented he really was. Then, he repeated the riff and smiled openly which caused her to smile again. When he was happy, she was happy. Love without compassion or empathy it is not love. 
                          
"Hey..." She finally said and he looked up.
                          
"Hey, babe." He told her tenderly.
                          
Iris descended the rest of the stairs and walked towards him. When she got near, she sat by his side. He let go a hand of the guitar and crossed it over her shoulders and leaned over her to kiss her temple. Iris closed her eyes as his lips touched her. She loved him so much, and though she loved the company of her friends, having that time alone with him was just perfect.
                          
"Are you feeling better?" Stone asked when he pulled away and she nodded, looking in his green eyes. "Are you sure?"
                          
"I'm feeling good." Iris responded, lost in his glare. He had such expressive eyes.
                          
"I don't understand, you didn't even drink that much last night." Stone commented. "We smoked twice as much as you did..."
                          
"It must have been something I ate." She assured him. "You were playing?" Iris looked down at the guitar and then back at him, kissing his lips softly.
                          
"You know me..." He rolled his eyes. "Always trying to create something."
                          
"I heard this last riff..." She smiled. "It was pretty awesome."
                          
"It still needs to be perfected." He said and Iris rolled her eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me!" He exclaimed, kissing her at the same time.
                          
"It sounded great, babe." She deviated to look at him again. "You are a perfectionist though."
                          
"And yet, I chose you!" He mocked her. Iris understood perfectly well the pun in it, but she turned against him in seconds.
                          
"I am perfection. I know it, babe." She smiled cutely and he couldn't but giggle.
                          
"Oh..." He placed his hand on his heart and rolled his eyes. "This cross that I bear!" Stone said but not holding his sniggers in the middle.
                          
"Are you hungry?" Iris asked him instead, running a hand over his ponytail. "I am..."