Chapter 10 (Iris' POV)

I'd fallen off that first vine I tried to swing on, by the way. I fell and my head felt like it'd been sat on by a Scolipede for about a week afterward. Which was pretty much how it felt right now…

I slowly opened my eyes but the light just made my headache worse. Even so, I still came up fighting, half expecting to have to deck Slick and finally make my escape.

"Hey easy, will ya!" I heard a familiar voice say.

Rubbing at my blurry eyes until they cleared I had to do a double take. "Chili?!"

He shrugged and grinned a little. "The one and only."

Then I frowned as I looked around the tiny room we were sitting on the floor of. "Where are we, and what happened?"

He sighed. "Well the first one I have no clue about, but as for the second, I think the term is 'kidnapped.'"

I balled my fists. "Where's Fraxure and Cilan!? If Slick laid one finger on them, so help me I'll-"

"Wow take it easy!" He said waving his hands in front of himself defensively. "Let's take this from the top and maybe it'll make a little more sense. I was out meeting a 'secret admirer' when I got jumped and sleep powdered."

"Secret admirer? Wait what…?" I asked feeling even more confused.

He crossed his arms and looked disappointed. "Uh yeah, I got a note and figured it was from a pretty girl, instead it turns out to be from a creepy villain apparently?"

"So you fell into a trap?"

He nodded. "Well this certainly doesn't seem like the best way to start a relationship, so yeah. Anyway, what happened to you?"

I held my head, but not because I couldn't remember, but just because I felt so worried and angry when I did remember. "I was with Cilan at the restaurant last night when we were ambushed. By the time we even knew what was happening, it was way too late." I gritted my teeth and felt tears start to well up in my eyes. "If he hurt Cilan or Fraxure…"

Chili sighed, and scooted a little closer to me, sohe could put a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, it's okay, Cilan is a tough guy, he can handle himself. I mean he uh gets the criminal mind and all. But you know, unless they're holding him somewhere else I think we were the only ones kidnapped anyway."

I wiped at my eyes and tried to put on brave face. "What do you mean?"

He pointed toward a tiny window with bars in the corner. "Well I saw when they brought you in. You were zonked out, so Slick had a few of his goons carry you up here, but I didn't see any trace of Cilan or Fraxure."

"But why would they leave them behind if they knocked them out too?" I asked not sure about his point.

Chili shook his head. "Don't know, this guy is probably crazy in the first place, but if I had to guess, I'd say he just wants to hold us ransom or get to Cilan somehow. I mean it makes sense, doesn't it?" Chili smirked a little, and I could hardly believe he was trying to joke at time like this.

"Kidnap his favorite brother, and his girlfreind. It sounds like just the thing if he wanted leverage, right?"

I frowned, not even bothering to clarify that he probably wasn't the favorite, and I definitely wasn't his girlfriend. I needed to be focusing on how to get out of here, but all my thoughts were still spinning around Cilan and Fraxure. Not to mention I still felt like I'd been hit by a truck from the sleep powder.

"I guess it's dumb to ask if we have any of our pokeballs, right?"

He sighed. "No dice there, obviously."

"Which means we'll have to find and take them back before we leave too…" I mumbled to myself.

"Oh good we're planning on leaving. Care to let me in on how?"

I sighed and slumped back against the wall. "Yeah...just as soon as I figure it out myself…"

"Well…" Chili said, suddenly sounding a little serious, which was always a shock for him. "If it's any encouragement, I'm not gonna let these creeps hurt you, I owe Cilan at least that much."

I frowned before smiling a little at him. "Thanks Chili, I'm glad I'm not in this mess alone."

But I didn't realize just how quick he was going to have to make good on that, because just then the door came swinging open. Standing in the doorway was Slick and two of his henchmen. I was seriously just considering jumping all of them, but before I could Chili stepped in front of me.

"Hi guys, it's been a while, so what can we do for you scuz-bags now? Could I suggest letting us go?" Then he pointed and I recognized some of the dramatic flair Cilan had, it must have ran in the family...

"As in before you bring the wrath of my bro down on you! He's a genius, and he'll figure you guys out and be here to rescue us in nothing flat. Because I really wouldn't want to be you when he gets here! Sure you can kidnap me, his bro, but when you mess with his lady, well you've gone way too far!"

I frowned. I was pretty sure Chili was taking it too far right now…

Slick laughed. "Cute. Absolutely adorable in fact. But I am the one who's the genius here, which is exactly why I've captured you two. Now that he realizes I have all the cards in my hand, he'll have no choice but to meet my demands."

"Which are?" Chili asked raising an eyebrow.

He smirked. "Ah yes, this is usually where the bumbling crooks monologue their entire plan, so you can simply use it against them, am I right?"

Chili shrugged. "Yeah, basically."

Slick laughed. "Well, I am so much more than a bumbling crook."

"Yeah, you're an ugly one too…" Chili mumbled back through gritted teeth.

"Watch your manners, little boy." Slick said still seeming amused.

I knew he was about to lash out and probably make things worse, so I stepped in front of him. "Look, do whatever, but Cilan isn't going to give you what you want, even if it is to save us." I stepped closer and glared Slick down, nose to nose.

He just smiled again. "I wouldn't be so sure, madame champion. But seeing as you have spent so little time being a man, I can understand how you wouldn't grasp it."

"Grasp what!?" I fumed.

He smirked. "Just how far a man will go to spare the woman he loves from harm…"

I felt my knees go weak again as the fight drained out of me. He had no right to even say Cilan's name, let alone think he knew how he felt. I didn't even know, so I knew he definitely didn't… But just hearing that word...love… It bought last night up all over again, and I felt like my heart was being twisted in two different directions.

"Ethics, reason, good motive, they all bow to the heart, don't they? So no, my dear, your precious Cilan will give me exactly what I want… You are my unfailing guarantee of it."

I wanted to punch him and run for it. And maybe I was disappointed in myself that I didn't do just that. But...but I just felt too weak suddenly. So much so that I wanted shake myself, like I still needed to wake up from the sleep powder. Only it wasn't that...it was just...everything I felt and everything I didn't get a chance to say. Because the really terrible thing was that I wasn't sure if Slick interrupting me last night, might just turn out for the best anyway. Would it give me another chance to just change my mind? Wasn't the friendship we already had better than some philosophy on duality…?

Slick slammed and locked the door again and I just fumbled backward until I reached the back wall. Then I just slowly slid down it until I was on my knees and looking down.

For a little while Chili didn't say anything, but then he tried. "Hey...you alright…? I mean besides that we've been kidnapped and everything…"

I just let out a slow breath, before I started to say crazy things I hadn't even planned on. But even so...it just felt like I needed to say it, to say it all. "You were right about us, Chili… Or at least right about me."

"I...don't follow?" He said slowly as he sat down next to me.

"About Cilan… About us being more than friends." I looked over at Chili and focused on his eyes, not even embarrassed anymore. "I am in love with him. In fact, I probably have been for a long time, I've just been too dense to even realize it… He's a pain sometimes, but he still makes me happy. And as contradictory as it sounds, he gives me the courage to be brave, but makes me feel safe, like maybe I don't have to be in the first place… We're like that story Elder used to tell about opposites completing and strengthening each other… Even as crazy as that seems…"

For a few long moments he didn't say anything, and I didn't blame him. What could anybody say after that?

But being Chili, he just smiled, smiled and clapped a few quiet, dramatic times. "Bravo, that was one heck of a 'heat of the moment' confession. But there's just one thing…" He pointed out with a little frown. "I'm not the right guy to be telling all that to..."

I wrapped my arms around my legs, and rested my chin on my knees. "Yeah...I know, Chili… I know…"

It was easy to lose track of time when you were just sitting and feeling sorry for yourself. Because that's just what happened. From the angle of the sun outside the little window I could guess it was around 4:00 or so in the afternoon. It was hard to believe but I'd almost been kidnapped for 24 hours already. And all I could think about was what Slick might be trying to force Cilan to do. I didn't want him to help him though, yeah not even if it meant something bad happening to us.

I thought he was right about one thing at least though...Cilan wouldn't stop until he had rescued us. But we had been in tough spots before, and we never compromised to get out of them. There was always another way… Always. Slick was just too evil to get that. But like always my stomach didn't get when not to make a fuss.

Chili turned to look at me when he heard my stomach growl. I tried to smile a little. "Sorry about that…"

He grinned slightly as he reached inside his pocket for something. Then tossing it to me I saw it was a candybar. Unwrapping it I broke it in two and gave him a half. But he just shook his head.

"No you eat it."

I frowned up at him. "Hey come on, I know you're just as hungry as I am, Chili."

He nodded. "Maybe, but you should still eat it, it's more chivalrous that way."

I rolled my eyes a little playfully. "Yeah and you cared about being chivalrous with me starting when exactly?"

He smirked at me playfully, then he finally took his half of the bar. "Good point."

I grinned back and rolled my eyes again.

He shrugged. "Well, it's just because I view you more like my big sister." He winked. "Which you'll probably end up being anyway so…"

I felt myself blush before I frowned at him. "What do you mean big anyway, I'm younger than you?"

He grinned. "Yeah, but I carry my age way better than old Cilan."

I laughed. "Yeah, because you're such a little kid!"

He ran his fingers through his hair as he sighed. "Dang, I walked right into that…"

It wasn't much, but right now that half of a candybar tasted almost like the best thing I'd ever eaten. But it wasn't going to last long I knew. So feeling a bit more like myself I walked over to the locked door and banged against it about as hard as I could.

Chili raised his eyebrows. "Escape Ideas?"

I smirked. "No, just a friendly protest."

The door swung open and a couple buff guards with ferrothorn glared in at me. I just smiled and crossed my arms. "Hey, tell your creepy boss that if he starves us to death he'll lose his leverage with Cilan!"

They all looked between themselves for a second before slamming the door in my face. "Well good luck with that…" Chili said almost sounding amused.

I shrugged. "It was at least worth a try, right?"

Chili leaned against the wall and stretched his legs. "Yeah I guess, but I doubt they're just going to bring us a buffet now."

"Maybe not, but at least I'm trying to do something…" I mumbled to myself as I examined the door and walls. There had to be a way out of here... But how…? I turned toward the window and pulled myself onto the sill. Grabbing the bars I shook them, but just like I expected they didn't exactly budge for me…

"Well if they do come back with any food," Chili added in. "I think we should just rush them and take our chances with those ferrothorn."

"Yeah maybe…" I mumbled still tugging on the bars. Then hopping down I landed with a frustrated look on my face. "You know Chili… What if Cilan can't give them what they want even if he wanted to?"

"How do you mean?" He asked.

"I was just thinking about some of the things that happened during our investigation. I think Slick thinks we know more than we do…"

"Well, Cilan could still act like he knows what the crazy guy is talking about. You know, just until he finds out where we are."

"Yeah I guess…" I mumbled with my arms crossed.

"Anyway," Chili started again. "He's probably already contacted Cilan and made his demands. So now that he's on the case we should be getting out of here in nothing flat."

I sighed. I didn't want to talk bad about Cilan, but sometimes I wondered about his "detective skills." But what I wasn't wondering about was how motivated he'd be to find us. I knew him and Ash both wouldn't stop until they rescued us. But even so, it was never easy for me just to sit around and wait, especially not in this situation. I still thought I needed to do something...

But before I could even think about what that thing was, well something answered the question for me. In a flash of light somebody appeared in the middle of the room. Chili hopped to his feet and yanked me away from the suddenly appeared figure.

"You…?" I mumbled almost too stunned to speak.

There standing in the middle of the little room, was none other than Mr. Eye-Patch and his teleporting Abra!

I wanted to ask a million questions right about then, but I didn't have time before he jumped toward us and wrapped us in...a hug? But then I got why, because in a flash of light we were gone. My head was swimming when we reappeared in what looked like an alley. I'd never been teleported before, but right about then I didn't care about the possible side effects. Nope, all that mattered was that we were free. Or had we just been kidnapped by the other bad guy?

Stepping in front of a mostly dazed Chili I frowned at the eye-patch guy that was standing just a few feet away. "Who are you!?" I shouted, expecting more trouble.

But just like before he didn't say anything. He just stood there, before he reached in his trench coat and started pulling something out of his pockets. They were...pokeballs? He rolled them toward us before stepping backward and disappearing into another puff of teleported light.

"What just happened…?" Chili said holding his head.

I didn't even bother answering, I just grabbed a few of the pokeballs and stared at them close. Then my eyes got big. "Hey, these are ours! He rescued us and got our pokemon back!"

"But wait…" Chili said looking faint. "Isn't he the same guy that almost killed you with that stolen car?"

I nodded. "Yeah… But it looks like we're even now…" Scooping up my pokeballs and dragging Chili to his feet I stepped out of the alley and tried to get my bearings. But what I saw almost took my breath away.

"There's the gym!" I shouted as I pointed straight ahead of us.

Chili smiled weakly. "Good, because I think I need to lay down after that teleport…"

But sick or not I didn't stop at all, I just grabbed his wrist and pulled him across the street as fast as I could. It almost felt like I was dreaming, in fact, for a second when I pushed open the doors, well I thought I was…

But even as happy as I was to be back, I still froze when I looked across the room and saw him...

Officer Jenny was there too, and Ash and Cress of course. I remembered the first time I'd ever made it to Striaton City, and when I first stepped into the gym. Back then it was almost funny to see Cilan and his brother's act so over the top. But a lot had happened since then, you know? And all that it took to turn a stranger into a friend was a little time, and maybe an adventure or two spent together. But all of us...well we were more than just friends...we were family too.

So I just stood there staring across the room at all of them, at my family… Then they all turned to look at us too. He turned to look at me… I heard the sound of his breath catching all the way from there, and I saw the way his face was lost somewhere between a frown and a smile. Like too much was happening inside of him for his face to understand it and react. And you know...I didn't understand it all either. But…

"Iris!" He shouted as he ran over to me. But...when he buried me in the tightest hug I've ever felt, well I figured it didn't really matter if I got it or not... "Iris…" He whispered.

I smiled a little to myself as I hugged him back. "Yeah...it's me..."

I'm not really sure how long we would have stayed like that, but I wasn't really surprised when I heard Chili of all people clear his throat.

"Well, I guess I know where I stand on who you missed more, huh bro?" He said pretending to be offended.

"Chili!" Cilan shouted like he'd just noticed him, and reached to pull him into what was now a group hug.

"Hey don't forget about me either!" Ash said as he jumped in and held on as tightly as he could.

I smiled as tears started to run down my face. I'd never felt so warm in my whole life…

"Thanks, you guys…" I said even though my voice was choking a little. "I love all of you so much!"

Then Cilan pulled back and everybody seemed to sense it and let go. Putting both his hands on my shoulders he looked down at me seriously, and I could see how worried he was.

"Iris, please tell me, did they harm you in any way?"

I shook my head. "No, I mean besides a bit of a headache from the sleep powder. I'm fine really, we both are."

"Speak for yourself…" Chili mumbled still seeming queasy from the teleport.

I watched as Cilan's face fell a little, but it wasn't like he was sad or something. Just like he was so relieved he looked almost weak. And that's when I really saw him, saw him as not just being there, but for how he looked compared to his usual self.

His typically neat suit looked like he'd slept in it, but his eyes didn't look like he'd slept at all. His vest was unbuttoned just like his cuffs, and his bowtie was nowhere to be seen. Now it was my turn to look worried. Because I was, I really was.

I frowned up at him. "You look terrible… Did you sleep at all last night?"

"He hasn't eaten either." Cress said with a frown as he shook his head at Cilan.

I bit my lip. "Well that's no good! Come on, sit down." I said as I pushed him toward the first empty chair we came to. He looked too exhausted to protest, but being Cilan he tried anyway.

"I'm fine really, let me cook something for you..."

"No! You'd just set yourself on fire at this rate." I shouted with a firm glare before I turned toward the kitchen.

Chili said down next to Cilan and I heard him chuckle. "Don't argue, you'll just lose, bro."

It wasn't like I could cook my way out of a paper bag, but I needed to do something for him… But as soon as I walked into the kitchen my eyes went wide and my heart dropped. There in the corner was a sleeping Fraxure. How did I almost forget about him…?

I crept over toward him before kneeling down. His face looked sad and his sleep was restless from the way he was fidgeting. I smiled and felt more tears well up behind my eyes. "Oh Fraxure…" I whispered as I gently reached to wrap my arms around him.

"U-Ure…?" I heard him sleepily mumble.

"No you're not dreaming…" I said softly when I pulled back to look at him.

"Fraxure!" He shouted excitedly and buried his head against my chest. I just hugged him tighter for the longest time. "I love you so much…" I whispered when finally we broke apart.

"Ure ure…" He mumbled back and I knew just what he meant. Because I couldn't just hear it, I felt it. Elder said it was a gift, that I could feel everything a dragon type did. I wasn't sure if I was really special, but right now I felt like I was… But not because of any talent, no just because so many amazing people cared about me…

Just then I heard the kitchen door slowly push open, and I saw a very weary, but still smiling Cilan come walking over to me.

"Fraxure was naturally extremely worried about you too…" He said softly. "Though I tried to offer him my special blend, he just wasn't interested…"

"Like someone else I know…" I said still feeling a little mad at him.

He smiled gently before staring down at the ground.

"Hey…" I spoke up slowly. "Cilan, please promise me you won't do something like this again…"

"Pardon…?" He asked seeming confused.

I frowned. "Take such terrible care of yourself I mean. Because…" I looked down and then back up at him. "What if something really bad had happened?"

"Iris, please don't say that!" He almost shouted looking somewhere between angry and so hurt he could hardly stand it.

"Well what if it had?" I just shot back. "What were you going to do, just give up and let yourself go? Go until you got really sick?"

"But Iris…" He mumbled, but I didn't let up on him.

"No buts, Cilan! You wouldn't have wanted me to do that if it would have been you missing instead. If this is going to work, then we both have to be on equal terms."

I didn't bother to explain what I meant by work, or what this I was talking about. I knew what I meant, but I guessed he thought I was just talking about our detective partnership. So here I was, with another chance, the chance I thought I might not ever get again. Last night I'd had it all but said. So why was I still hesitating? Was it just because he looked too exhausted to handle what I needed to say right now? Or was it really me? Really that I was just too afraid of ever losing him again…? Because if he didn't feel the same then he'd be gone for good, wouldn't he…?

And then my words would come right back on me, wouldn't they? All that big talk about not giving up and letting yourself go… Maybe it was just too much, too much for either of us to handle right now…? Or maybe that was just an excuse too…?

"Just promise me...okay?" I whispered as I felt a few more tears fall down my face.

He smiled softly down at me, his face looking as kind and gentle as always. "Anything you'd like me to, Iris…"

I bit my lip before reaching to pull him into another hug. Burying my face in his shoulder I closed my eyes. "Promise me that...we'll be best friends forever…"

I knew he wouldn't really be able to keep that promise if he didn't feel the same way about me… He'd want to, he'd try to, but it just wouldn't be possible for either of us. Because sometimes, maybe all the time even...when you fall in love with your best friend...well you can't ever be exactly the same again. You can't just pretend that nothing happened. Yeah even though you'd never hate each other...you still would have to just let go...

Maybe it took until now for me to grow up enough to understand that but...now I got it. And nothing scared me any more than that. Because I didn't just want to be his best friend… There was a special place that I wanted just for myself, and I knew that it wouldn't work if I had to share it with someone else. So I only had one shot at it… One chance. And to take it I was going to have to risk everything else…

I felt him hold on a little tighter, and then he laughed softly. "Why Iris, I've already promised that..."

I pulled away gently until I was standing on my own and staring down at the floor. Everything I wanted to say was so close. So close I could almost taste how the words would feel to say. The flavor of love being as bittersweet as anything I'd ever bitten into. But I just took a few steps away and wiped my eyes. Then reaching for an apple sitting in a basket on the counter I tossed it toward him.

He caught it but looked a little confused, almost like he'd expected something else completely.

"Here, eat this, will you?" I said frowning and grabbing one for myself.

He nodded with a tiny smile, one that almost looked like a mask to hide his disappointment. But in what I wasn't really sure. Maybe I was just reading too much into things…? Or maybe I was just being a clueless coward…?

When we both walked out of the kitchen it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop, but from across the room I didn't think they could have eavesdropped on everything. Though I figured, just enough to be looking as confused as they did now.

Chili raised his eyebrows at me and I knew what question he was silently asking. I just shook my head and looked away. But glancing back I saw his forehead bunch into a frown. Then he rose to his feet and tried to sound casual. "Hey, give me a hand will you, Iris?"

I just sighed as I halfheartedly followed him back to the kitchen. Then turning around Chili frowned at me and almost started pulling his hair out. "You can't tell me he seriously just turned you down!?"

I shook my head and took a bite out of my apple. "No, I didn't mention it…" I mumbled between bites.

He tugged on his hair and grunted louder. "Oh you're kidding me! All that about duality and legendary pokemon comparisons, and you didn't mention it!?"

I glared at him. "Just drop it Chili!"

He rubbed at his forehead seeming completely frustrated. "You're just so unbelievable… You do know that right? And hey, it's not just you, what's Cilan's deal either?! He practically killed himself worried about you, and hey he can't even spare a simple: 'oh by the way, I'm flipping in love with you!''

"Be quiet, will you!" I said suddenly worried the next town over had heard that.

Then he took in a few more deep fuming breaths. "And why are you still eating during all of this anyway…?"

I shrugged. "Hey we were just kidnapped and denied food for almost 24 hours!"

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I think? I think you two are bigger little kids than Ash and me put together!"

"Well that's just your opinion…" I mumbled, finally tossing the apple core in the trash across the room.

He balled his fists. "I don't know why I even bothered trying to help… I should have just wrote you some ridiculous love letter and forged his signature from the start!"

"Oh yeah, and that doesn't sound like something a little kid would do!?" I shot back.

We were too busy yelling at each other to even notice when the kitchen door slowly crept open.

Then Cilan cleared his throat… "Could I interject something, please…?" He asked meekly.

We both turned to him and shouted in sync: "NO!"

But then doing a double take we both almost swallowed our tongues. Or at least I did… Chili on the other hand looked suddenly relieved. Throwing up his hands he walked toward the door.

"Good grief, shippers rejoice!"

I felt my mouth tremble into a nervous frown as my face washed red. "How m-much of that did you hear?"

He looked toward the floor and judging by how red his face looked too, well I thought the answer was pretty obvious. "Well…" He started to say. "You and Chili are both so spirited that it was very easy to overhear…"

I buried my face in my hands. "Oh no! I'm so embarrassed I could die! This wasn't how it was supposed to go at all!"

I heard Cilan take a few steps toward me, but I still couldn't look at him. All I really wanted to do was curl up into a ball and disappear. How much of a little kid must he have thought I was now!?

"Iris…" He said gently. "Don't you think we should talk about this face to face…?"

I wanted to shout back a loud: "no, just forget it!" But I knew that wasn't going to happen… It was way too late for that now... So I hesitantly peeled my hands away from my face and made myself slowly look up at him. All I could manage was to nod at his question.

He smiled a little even though he still looked so awkward too. "There that's better, isn't it?"

I frowned. "Uh yeah...I guess so…" Which was mostly a lie for sure.

"Now…" he started to say, and I cringed at every word. "Is what um...Chili was talking about true?" It was both amazing and annoying how composed he was trying to be, when I just felt like freaking out.

"Yeah it's true, okay?" I almost snapped.

"I see…" He mumbled as he tugged at his collar. "And this is what you were trying tell me last night? The something you said was very important?"

I folded my arms and nodded. "Yes it was… But a lot of good it did right…? Just for things to turn out like this…"

He wrung his hands together nervously before smiling a little. "You see, I wasn't aware that you thought of me as anything more than friend, the same as Ash or anyone else."

I frowned and hung my head to sigh. "Oh Cilan...please just stop trying to be so polite about it… It's okay, I get it, and I can handle it. I'll be okay." I said doing my best to put on a brave face and let him off the hook. In the back of my mind I wondered what I was doing, why was I blowing the one chance I had to ever be with him? But everything just felt so surreal and numb, and it wasn't like I really thought I had a fair shot anyway…

He frowned and didn't say anything, which almost confirmed it… Even if I was numb, I felt my heart sink down to the floor. Wow, that was it then…?

"We don't have to talk about it again, okay?" I said as I brushed past him and headed toward the door.

"I-Iris, wait…" He called after me, and so I stopped and glanced over my shoulder.

"I'm listening…" I mumbled.

He took a few steps closer to me before he reached for my hand and gently pulled me away from the door. Then letting go and balling his fists by his side he tried to go on. "Why are you so sure that I don't feel the same way?"

I felt a little better just then, like my heart was trying to rise out of my stomach, but I stifled it. It was still too soon to feel relieved…

"Iris, please answer me…" He said again, and his voice almost sounded like he was begging me.

I froze up for a second before I just shrugged. "I...um don't know I…" Then I looked at him and met his green eyes honestly. "I guess that would just be too good to be true, you know…?"

For a second his face didn't change at all, then I watched in disbelief as a tight smile rose to his cheeks. His eyes lost all the tiredness from them and they almost looked like they were sparkling. Then his face fell into a slightly calmer look.

"Love is the greatest flavor of all. But beside it's sweetness, it can have uncertain bitter overtones." He bowed slightly. "I wholeheartedly apologize for making you experience that untasteful side of love!"

I sighed almost smiling. "Cilan...you're making even less sense than usual."

He stood up straight and I watched as his face got red again. "What I'm trying to say is…" He paused and took a deep breath before softly smiling down at me. "I do feel the same."

Now it was my turn to lock up again. At first I didn't really believe it, but at the same time...maybe I shouldn't have thought it was that crazy? Maybe I should have seen it coming all along even?

But none of that really mattered now, did it?

"Seriously?" I asked simply, just to be sure.

He nodded, and turned even more bashful. "But I was afraid I was hardly your prefered type…"

I smiled a little. "You're not my type, Cilan, which is exactly why you are…"

He blinked at a loss. "Now I'm afraid you're the one not making much sense..."

I wanted to laugh, because I didn't really get it either. "Well...the way I see it… For every one half of something, there's another, totally different half. But what counts, is that when you put them both together...well they complete each other."

He balled his fists at his sides and almost looked like he was trying not to cry. "I'm honored but...how could it be that I complete someone as uniquely wonderful as you are, Iris?"

Seeing him cry wasn't something that happened very often. He was always the calm and collected one. Even a bit of a know it all at times. But right now... Right now he didn't seem like he thought he was more than a waiter.

I reached out to pat his arm, as I leaned up on my toes to kiss his cheek. When I pulled back I just looked up at him honestly, as all my nervousness somehow faded away. "Cilan… I love you, because you're pretty amazing yourself…" Then I smiled as he touched his cheek. "Even if you are a little kid sometimes…"

I watched as he finally lost the fight with the tears he was holding back. So lunging forward to wrap me in another hug, he lifted me off the ground and spun me around the kitchen in his overly excited daze. "What a tasteful conclusion to confession time!"

I sighed to myself with a smile. Normal people just didn't talk like that…

But he wasn't normal, I knew that already, and hey...neither was I. So even though we still had a mystery to solve. Even though we had every reason to believe that it would be dangerous… Well I just couldn't think about any of that right then… Because no matter what happened from here on out…

Well it wouldn't ever change this moment.

So for at least right then...I couldn't have wished for anything else…

Thanks for sticking with me, more to come soon! ;)