Going To The Opera

(Iris POV)

I just got out of the shower and getting ready. I figured this was going to be a nice event so I put on a soft teal cocktail dress with shoulder cut sleeves, it came up to my kneecaps. This dress didn't have a very low neckline but just to make sure my stitches were covered up I put a shawl around me. I'm finishing up my hair when I hear my buzzer ring.

"Come on up." I talk into the voicebox and I buzzed him in.

I hear a knock and I a little too quickly open the door and it turns out to be Amber and Renee for our regular girls night...shit I totally forgot!

"Wow, you look great! Where are you going?" Renee asked.

"I'm going to see the Phantom Of The Opera."

"Who are you going with?" She questioned while both girls looked at me confused. "And what about girls night?"

"Just a friend, I'm sorry I totally forgot about tonight but you have to go." I'm trying to push them out but they wouldn't budge.

"Who is taking you tonight?" Amber firmly demanded, they both are folding their arms.

"His name is Steve, no this isn't a date, we are just going as friends." I explained everything before they could ask.

"Since when do you have guy friends?" Amber asked, "I am so confused, you've never mentioned him before."

"That's because we just met, he's going to be here any minute so please go and I will explain everything to you guys later okay."

Renee strongly sighed, "you better."

I exhale after I closed the door, only a few minutes later my buzzer goes off again. "Who is it?" I ask learning my lesson from before.

"It's Steve."

"I'm coming down." I told him, I look at myself in the mirror one last time to make sure I'm covered up. I slowly breathe in and out, "this is not a date!" I tell myself.

I walk outside and he's standing there in a very nice 3 piece navy blue suit. "Wow...you look beautiful." He sweetly smiles and reveals a white rose that was behind his back.

"Thank you," I smell it and look up at him with my eyes when I do, "you don't look half bad yourself." I complimented as I straighten up his tie...God he smells good!

He opened up my car door for me and we drove to the theater, I put the white rose in my hair. After we got there Steve opened up the door for me again, he extended his arm for me to take which I did. We took our seats inside, I was definitely right about wearing a nice dress, everyone was dressed up.

"Have you ever seen this before?" He quietly asked a little too close to my ear, I can feel his breath on the side of my neck, I inhale. "I've seen the movie and know the songs but no never seen the actual musical." I answered after silently exhaling, he grins. "Good, then it will be new for both of us."

The musical started and it was amazing, the songs and the singers were fantastic. After the musical we're walking back to his car, "hey, isn't that Captain America?" I hear someone shout, Steve takes a hard breath.

We suddenly were beginning to be surrounded by cameras and all we could see were flashing lights, they were blinding. We couldn't understand what one person asked, it all sounded like gibberish. Steve quickly grabs my arm and brings me into the car before it got worse. I can tell he's very embarrassed. He rolls his eyes as he looks back in his mirror to make sure we're not being followed.

"I'm sorry about that Iris. I didn't think anyone would recognize me." He sighed.

"It's okay, we got out of there in time." I said reassuringly, "that must be a pain in the ass to deal with."

"Yeah, it can be. You would think I would be use to it after doing all those USO shows." He told me.

"What was that like? Doing the USO shows." I asked gently.

"...It was like a circus...sometimes I thought I was getting use to it and I will admit it at first it was nice being appreciated...to be noticed...I never had that before..." He explained.

"That's understandable...what changed?"

"...I started to feel like I was like a dancing monkey...and I wasn't doing what I actually really wanted to do...be on that battlefield."

"Why did you want to fight so bad?"

"Because...I don't like bullies...and everyone else was laying down their lives and I wanted to fight beside them...fight for my country...do something bigger then myself." We're quiet for a few minutes. He really is a honorable man who wants to do the right thing!

"You think you'll ever get used to it?" I ask him, he gave me a little sigh.

"I have no idea...but I better because it's not going to go away any time soon." He replied with a side grin. "So, are you hungry?"

"Yes, very!" I answer quickly.

We go to this little pizza parlor and eat outside. "We're not too overly dressed, right?" He snickers as I giggle.

"I guess we are a little but who cares, no one else is here." I reply looking around.

We continued eating our pizza and I was having such a good time that I didn't even realize I was shivering. "Oh here, you look like your freezing." Without letting me say a word he takes off his jacket and gently drapes it over my shoulders, I smile and accept it.

"Thanks." He rubs my shoulders to warm them up for a few seconds, "but won't you be cold?"

"No, I am use to being cold. I was frozen for 70 years remember?" He jokes and it made me chuckle.

"I had fun tonight," I confessed.

"Me too." He smiled as we continued to eat our pizza.

I let him walk me up to my front door inside my building, I gave him back his jacket and was starting to turn away to open the door. "Listen, everyone is always making fun of me for not knowing very much about pop culture and movies and shows...I was wondering if you wouldn't mind watching some with me?" He asked suddenly, "especially some of these movies." He pulled out of his pocket a little notebook and inside were a list of all kinds of movies that was titled Need To Watch, I knew most of all of them like Princess Bride, The Goonies and some more classic Disney films and there were others I hadn't seen before either.

"Well, I couldn't let you go through life without seeing Beauty and The Beast." I responded with a smile.

"Well...good-night Iris...thanks for coming with me."

"Your welcome...good-night Steve." I go inside and lean against my door, close my eyes and smell the rose he gave me, I just breathe it in and smile. Suddenly I look up and there is my two best friends looking right at me, they both startled me. "God! You guys scared the shit out of me!" I hiss putting a hand over my heart.

"I don't think I have ever seen you smile this much." Renee finally spoke after a few seconds.

"And we can see why you tried to get rid of us so fast, the man is fucking gorgeous." Amber chimed in.

"How do you know?" I confusingly asked.

"We saw him pull up in his car and get out as we left." Amber explained. "Yeah...he kind of gave himself away with the way he was dressed." Renee finished.

"Well, what are you guys doing here? I told you I would talk to you tomorrow." I complained changing the subject.

"No, you said later, its now later." Amber corrected me with her arms folded.

"There is nothing to tell, we are just friends...new friends but friends." I explained with a shrug.

"That looked like a date," Renee mentioned.

"It wasn't a date, you know me I hate and don't trust men, Steve has not changed my mind."

"Then what is going on?" They both asked in unison.

I took a deep breath, went into my room to change into something more comfortable and after us sitting on my bed I couldn't keep it from them anymore. "I don't know how to tell you guys...it's difficult to talk about it..." I start to say.

"What? What's going on?" Renee asked as they both looked very concerned.

I took another deep breath and told them everything about that night including Steve. They were in complete shock, there were a lot of hugs and tears shed from all three of us. "Oh my god Iris, why didn't you tell us sooner?" They both asked with tears.

"I don't know...I was ashamed...scared...just thinking about it..." I shake my head not able to finish my sentence.

"We would have been here for you and we would never have left you to close the bar alone last night." Amber regretfully said, "I know. It's okay, I was fine."

"I just can't believe that happened to you, did they find the assholes?" Renee asked.

"No, not yet. I told the police so I am hoping they'll find them soon...I'm terrified they're going to come after me again and that's the only reason why I've been hanging out with Steve..." I explain, I know I'm not being quite honest with them...and to myself.


They are growing closer! And Iris is still denying her true feelings!