"How about me? If I wanted to… No, I'm interested in you, would you consider me?"
Joshua's eyes opened wide when he heard her, she asked the question straight her cheeks slightly red. At that moment, the hair between them tensed as she was looking at him right in his eyes with a burning and expectant gaze.
He knew that she was interested in him, he had that feeling that that night might end in a weird way, maybe with both of them in bed, but he really didn't expect her to ask that question. Now he really was regretting staying back.
Iris was certainly an attractive woman, strong and independent even cute at that! Whoever in his right mind could only fall for her and he might as well have started to be interested in her, he wanted her! Well, who in the world wouldn't be? She was such a mesmerising woman and she deserves the world.
But he knew he couldn't! Or to be more accurate he wouldn't dare! Because from all the angles he could analyse Iris's behaviour and attention toward him, he could only think of it as a play. She was just looking for something to play with and unfortunately, he had caught her eyes! But he wasn't going to let whatever was going on between them continue. He just didn't have time for that, he really couldn't afford one more time to be in a failed relationship! He just didn't want to cope with the stress of a relationship, he had too much to deal with at the time.
"Before I answer your question can I ask you one too?" Joshua's eyes looked at Iris a little colder than usual.
"Of... course" Iris was a little apprehensive to hear Joshua, she could feel that despite the obvious interest for her he had in his eyes, she could also feel that he was doing his best to suppress his feelings.
"Are you that lonely?" Joshua asked bluntly.
"I'm not doing this because I'm lonely..." Iris blinked, not knowing where their conversation was going.
"Oh please, you are so lonely that you came to a stranger on a night people spend with their most important one, If you can't play with those rich men around you find someone else but me..."
" Wait, what?" Iris was a little taken aback by Joshua's reaction...
"I just wonder, why a beautiful and attractive woman like you, would waste her time on someone like me! Surely there are more attractive and interesting men around you? I won't believe that there is no one around you that wanted you on a date tonight."
Iris didn't answer and only looked at him with a smile that was a little too seductive for Joshua's taste.
"What?"
"Nothing, just taking in the fact that you found me attractive?" she said, smiling even more "and to answer your question, I'm just like you, I'm single, and even if there are people around me who want to date me, I'm not interested in them..."
"And you are interested in me?"
"Yes" Iris was surprised by his question, he didn't seem like the detached and young man he was but rather a man who had a grasp on his life and didn't have time to mess around with people.
"You don't even know me..." Joshua chuckled "what's so interesting to me? My body?"
Iris gasped a little taken aback by the question, she could see the disgust in Joshua's eyes and she didn't like it...
"Is it that bad to be attracted by your body? And to answer your question the thing about you that caught my attention first was the kindness and the tenderness in your eyes when you made that caramel macchiato that day... After that I kept meeting you, thus my interest in you deepens! And of course, your body and sexy eyes keep haunting my dreams, that I won't deny it" Iris calmly explained not hiding anything.
"So if I were to have sex with you now, will you get what you want and stop all this?" He asked his eyes not leaving her beautiful face once.
"I may be a little too expressive sometime, but I'm certainly not some scum who would take interest in someone only to have sex! If that was what I wanted, I could have just gone to a find a professional and gotten laid! What do you take me for? If you are not interested in me, just say it! No need to insult me like that! " Iris couldn't believe that Joshua would think that she was just after his body... She was also after his heart, for god sake!!
"I advise you to find another way to escape your loneliness! Hitting on me isn't the clever way to enjoy yourself..." Joshua felt a little sorry for his words now, but he needed to make her understand that he wanted nothing to do with her!!
After that, he quickly got up, took their dirty plates and dashed into the kitchen, leaving Iris alone.
Upset by his words, Iris walked to her room after indicating to him with a detached expression where was the guest room.
Joshua had a hard time sleeping that night. Iris's proposition had gotten him awake until dawn. He couldn't process at all what she wanted from him. He was just a poor student doing his best to survive.
He couldn't understand her way of thinking. What did she see in him to make her want him as a boyfriend? His face? His body? He may be handsome, but it shouldn't be special for someone like her. She was a rich and beautiful woman who could have all she wanted, so why him? He had nothing to offer her, nothing at all!
The next morning, Joshua wanted to leave the house before Iris woke up, but he thought it was not polite. Even if he didn't want to face the woman after their conversation the night before, he decided to wait for her to wake up before going back.
He made her some breakfast while waiting until she came down, all dressed up with a faint smile on her lips. She looked a little worn out and her tone was not very good as her voice was a bit slurred when she greeted him. Joshua guessed that she didn't sleep well... It bothered him a little, but he quickly dismissed his thought.
"Since you are ok now, I'm going back…." Joshua looked at her hurriedly getting at the shoe cabinet... "I made you breakfast by the way."
"Already? let's eat breakfast at least before you go…."
"No, I better go now, I have some things to deal with…" Joshua lied.
"Okay… Thank you for yesterday…"
"You are welcome!"
"About last night... Maybe I wasn't clear with what I wanted to say! I want you as the man who would share my life! And by this I mean marriage" Iris said matter of factly, without blinking.
Joshua was flabbergasted thinking that something might definitely be wrong in Iris's head... "Miss Ha…"
"II already told you to call me Iris" She cut him not liking the way he addressed her trying to put distance between them.
"I..ris, I get that you enjoy teasing me, but I think this joke of yours is going a little too far!!"
"I'm not joking…"
"Then it's even more ridiculous!"
"Why?"
"Do you really see someone like me being with someone like you? We are so different… And as I said yesterday, you don't really know me!!"
"Why can't you? Don't serve me those reasons like we are from a different world and all… We live indeed a different type of life, but we are still on the same earth and breath the same air, we are both humans who bleed, and need to drink the same water to live! We both work hard to have a good life! So I don't see what's so different between us!! Besides, a part of a relationship is to know each other! How will I know you if we don't share anything!? So give me a more valuable reason…"
"Marriage is meant to tie two people who loved each other together, isn't it? We are not in love we don't even know each other!!"
"That's why we can start to date first... Besides, who said that you only marry the one you love? You can marry someone you find comfortable and secure to be with, love can come after! People who marry after a blind date, usually aren't in deep love, but because they feel that they are compatible and can lead a good life with each other… Besides, I know you are attracted to me too… We are both alone, so why don't…"
"You should just stop there, I'm going back… take good care of yourself…" Joshua cut Iris sharply, the woman before him was really too unpredictable and unreasonable! He couldn't understand how their conversation from the night before had turned into a marriage proposal!! He needed to get out of there quickly!