Ronan
Iris was a greedy sleeper.When she wasn’t curled up on my chest, she overtook the bed. Small as she was, she managed to sprawl out and take up a good portion of our king-size bed. She also made no signs of waking up, not even when I showered and got dressed, so I took my laptop out into the living area, intending to get some work done.
I stopped short at the sight of June sitting on the couch, watching international news at a low hum. Unsure if she’d want to share the space with me without Iris, I held up my computer.
“All right if I do some work out here? I’ll be quiet.”
She barely nodded, worrying her bottom lip with two fingers. “It’s okay with me.”
After fixing a cup of coffee, I sank into the armchair across from the couch and cracked open my laptop. June stared straight ahead at the TV. It seemed like I should have said something, but I didn’t want to spook her, so I answered a few emails while contemplating how to start a conversation with her.
“She’ll sleep all day if we let her.” June’s voice was soft, not just in volume, but in tone. She was nothing like Iris, at least not at first glance, but I was beginning to see some resemblance.
“I don’t doubt that. When I left her, she had overtaken the mattress, leaving me a wee corner. She didn’t appear to be anywhere close to waking up.”
June laughed, revealing an identical gap to Iris’s. This was the first time she’d smiled wide enough for me to notice.
“You have the same smile,” I said.
Her lips quickly covered her teeth. “It’s from our mom. She used to have a gap before she got veneers. Now, she has perfectly straight, big, white teeth.”
I shrugged. “I think I prefer a little bit of imperfection.”
She nodded, her round cheeks filling with color. “Me too,” she whispered.
I picked up my coffee, training my eyes on the cup instead of June. “I’m sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable.”
“No, you’re not,” she rushed out. “It just takes me a little time to warm up.”
I looked at her again, but made sure not to stare too long, as I had a habit of doing. It was half habit of the job, half because I was a nosy bastard who liked to figure everyone out, but I recognized June wouldn’t enjoy being scrutinized by me—or anyone, for that matter.
“All right. Please let me know if you want me to move my arse out of here. I’ll be happy to.”
She laughed again. “Thank you. That’s very kind.”
I heard the sarcasm blended with sugar. That must’ve been a family trait.
“Do you travel with Iris often?”
“Not as much as I would like.” She shifted on the couch, tucking her legs to the side to face me. I took that as a big win, especially when she barely blushed. “I’m in grad school. Getting away isn’t easy.”
“That’s right. Counseling, right?”
Her eyes widened. “That is right. My sister’s been talking about me?”
“Of course she has.”
Her lips curved into a pleased smile. “She must really like you. Iris is pretty private about our family. I don’t think her last...the last people she was involved with, even knew I existed.”
That hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn’t love hearing about the two arseholes Iris had given herself to, but knowing she’d given me a piece of herself they’d never touched swelled something inside my chest to the point of bursting. I had to clear my throat and loosen my collar.
“I really like her,” I said.
June grinned at me like sunshine. “I hope you tell her that. People love my sister because she’s beautiful and friendly, but that’s the surface of her and she knows that. I have a feeling you’ve seen past that.”
“Aye.” I tipped my chin. “I’ll be sure to tell her. She might scratch my eyes out, but I’ll tell her.”
She leaned her head against her hand. “She’s a bit like a feral kitten, but if you pet her enough, she’ll purr for you.”