CHAPTER- 42

                                    

                                          
Iris POV:
As the clock struck 7 in the evening, I found myself sitting on a crowded bus, exasperated and a little irritated by the situation. 
Caleb was beside me, his presence unwavering and annoyingly insistent. 
He had practically dragged me onto the bus after I mentioned walking back to my apartment. 
Sure, I wasn't feeling one hundred percent, but it wasn't like yesterday's fever— just a mild one now, nothing serious. 
Still, Caleb insisted on accompanying me, acting as though I might collapse at any moment. 
I appreciated his concern, but it was suffocating.
Last night, though, that was a blur. 
A dark, unsettling memory that I was determined to push away, even as fragments kept surfacing. 
Someone had forced me into something I didn't want, and the memory of it lingered like a bad taste in my mouth. 
It had felt like a game, a cruel one, and while I was glad it was over, I couldn't shake the weirdness of it all. My skin crawled just thinking about it.
Yet, despite my resolve to forget, thoughts of Ace lingered in my mind.
Despite telling him to stay away, I couldn't deny the pull he had on me.
I was confused, and the more I thought about it, the more tangled my feelings became.
"Iris," Caleb's voice interrupted my thoughts, jolting me back to the present as we disembarked the bus and headed towards our rooms.
I hurriedly retreated to my own space, eager to escape Caleb's company.
My feet carried me swiftly to my apartment door, the familiar creak of it opening bringing a wave of relief. 
The soft hum of the television greeted me, and there, sprawled out on the couch, was Quinn. She was engrossed in her work.
She didn't even glance up when I walked in, and for that, I was grateful. 
The last thing I wanted was to talk about last night, and thankfully, Quinn didn't seem interested in prying. 
She didn't ask a single question about Ace or what had happened, which gave me the space to breathe.
She just gave me medicine in the morning and just acted like everything was normal.
 I liked it when she acted normal, like everything was fine, even when it wasn't.
I slipped into my room, peeling off the clothes I had been wearing all day and freshened up.
I pulled on a miniskirt and my Mickey Mouse shirt, a cheerful combo that always lifted my spirits. 
The shirt was a cheap little thing I had picked up during a sale— cartoon designs, bright colors. 
It wasn't much, but it made me feel better. As I caught my reflection in the mirror, I smiled slightly.  Yay!
Ace was nowhere to be seen when I woke up, likely having returned to his mansion, leaving me to deal with the aftermath of last night on my own. 
The memory of our conversation clung to me, making my stomach churn with embarrassment. 
I had said too much, revealed too much, and now I was left grappling with what it all meant.
I headed to the kitchen and began preparing fried rice, the comforting routine helping to ease my mind.