They ate in silence, which made the room too quiet. Iris wanted to break the ice and learn a little more about the man in front of her, so she casually asked, "How come you are alone on New Year's Eve? What about your family?"
"I live here alone ....," Joshua answered a bit awkwardly, hesitating a moment on the last question before saying, "I only have my mother for family... ; I will visit her later... when I have some money..."
Iris had already guessed that Joshua certainly needed money with all the part-time jobs she saw him doing, but hearing that she didn't have family besides his mother, make him feel a little sad yet she could emphasize his feeling since even if she still had her father, she never got love from him, she was basically alone.
Now she was very curious about his life. She could at least guess that he was not working, maybe he was still a student. And what about his mother?
"And what do you do? Besides your part-time job, I mean?" Iris asked, eating her meal with relish.
Joshua was a little surprised by the question, he had thought Iris knew so much about him before she addressed him like that! He could not believe she had let him into her home without checking on his life. With a suspicious look, he looked at Iris as if to see if she really meant that question.
Seeing that she really did not know, he frowned slightly before answering, "I am an art and design student at Harlington... But I thought you had already inquired? Is not it rich people's hobby to look into other people's lives...? ?"
Iris smiled a little, "Well, wouldn't I lose the chance to talk to you then? I prefer this way... It's more fun when you tell me about yourself. But, of course, that only applies to you... How old are you?"
" Twenty-four..." Joshua just looked at the woman in front of him silently, not really knowing what to add.
"You said you will go see your mother when the time comes... Doesn't she live here?"
"She is...." Joshua sighed and stay silent for a moment before looking down, you could see the sorrow on his face. "She is at the hospital, it's have been two years now... She has heart disease..."
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have to ask..." Iris felt bad looking at Joshua's sad face. Her heart clenched all she wanted was to hug him tightly at that moment.
"Let's change the subject," she proposed to cheer him up. "Are you really not dating anyone?" Iris asked again because the man in front of her was a good friend, not to mention his looks, he could even cook!!!
"Yes... Why? " Joshua asked a little afraid of what she would answer him.
"Well... You are so good-looking, you are hardworking, caring, and you can even cook... I can even bet that you are an excellent student... Who would not want a man like that?"
"I... Do not have time for this...." Joshua found it hard to answer Iris, not because he was embarrassed, but because he could see the sincerity and interest in her eyes. It was clear she was hitting on him, and he did not like where this whole conversation was going.
"I see... When was your last relationship?" Iris was genuinely curious about Joshua's love life. She could imagine that he was the perfect boyfriend who was always there for you, always had time for you, protected you, cooked for you, and was the sweetest, while he was a beast when he made love to you. She did not know him that well, but she had a feeling that he was a good guy... If he had a failed relationship, surely it was the woman's fault.
"That's a personal matter..." replied Joshua a little coolly, he did not want to broach that subject. Least of all he wanted to talk about his exes.
"I am sorry... I just wanted to know you better..." Iris chuckled and did not inquire further. If he did not want to talk about it, she would not ask further.
"Let us talk about you... Do you often have stomach aches?" Joshua quickly changed the topic of their conversation to Iris. He was also quite curious about the woman; he had an urge to get to know her better, but he had suppressed his urge since their first meeting.
"Well, it's been a few years... It's because of the stress... besides, I am used to it now" Iris shrugged her shoulders, she had this stomach ache at least three times a month, she knew she should take care of it, but she did not have time and she was doing just fine with the treatment she had at the moment.
Joshua, for his part, reacted a little dismissively to her answer. He frowned and his eyes turned cold. There was one thing he did not like, and that was people who did not take good care of themselves. But that, again, should be none of his business...
They finished their dinner in silence. Iris had felt the air around Joshua change after she answered his question, she could clearly see the coldness in his eyes, but she did not really know what the reason for this change was.
As Joshua got up to take the dishes back to the kitchen, Iris had a feeling that if she did not talk now, their night would end here, and that she might never have the opportunity to be this close to him again.
She had never felt this way before; she even found it absurd to think about. At first, she had never believed in love at first sight, or in love at all. She thought it was a fleeting concept that could only break her heart at the end of the day, if not by the end of the relationship, then by death. She was never jealous of her friends who had a significant man in their lives, on the contrary, she liked her freedom more to be tied to someone with the commitment to be part of his life and happiness, and she had her friend for that. She could sometimes feel lonely, but that wasn't because she wasn't in a relationship, but more because she didn't have a family. The most troubling part was when she felt like having sex, but that was something that could be solved without love.
She never thought that one day she would fall in love with someone so easily! She had only met him four times and this was the first time they had spoken! She had always thought that she would never fall in love with someone because they were good looking, cute, or sexy, but ever since she met him she had been attracted to him and had only one thought in her head: to know how good he tasted!
She had always thought that if she was going to fall for someone one day, it would be an older, more mature man who had seen a lot in his life, but here she was infatuated with a man four years younger! She thought falling in love at first sight was a myth, but here she was proving that it was indeed possible!!!
Ever since she had met Joshua, her mind, body, and head had been drawn to him! She had never felt this way about anyone before. And contrary to what she thought, she liked the way he made her feel. She liked getting butterflies in her stomach when he was around, she loved his considerate side and his emotional warmth, him she did not feel lonely even without a word between them. She had this urge to care for him and listen to his soul; she was clearly infatuated with him and she desperately wanted to share her feelings with him and move on to the next chapter. Falling in love with him was indeed easy; only admitting that it had happened was hard for her.
Now she just hoped he was brave enough to accept her love because she was sure he was very attracted to her too! She could read it clearly in his eyes and body language!