Apparently, Iris had been waiting near the Office before he gave his permission, but she had only come in after he agreed.
He had to admit, Iris was sometimes absurdly reserved, while at other times she acted perfectly normal, like the girl next door.
Well, that might also have been the other Iris's doing.
The other Iris was a little shy too, but her personality was very different from this Iris's.
What, you want to know which one I like better?
Both. All in!
"Are you busy, Mr. Jonas?"
Iris walked over, looked at Jonas's lap, and hesitated for a while. Only after some urging from her other self did she slowly sit down on it.
At first, she worried that Jonas might say something, but when his large hand naturally reached for her hair as she sat down, she immediately relaxed and sank softly into his arms.
Although Mr. Jonas had told her many times that she could do whatever she wanted to him, Iris still felt nervous. It was almost a conditioned reflex, the kind of nervousness she felt she could never shake, no matter how hard she tried.
"I've finished my work. Eiffel is handling the Conglomerate's affairs right now, so I have quite a bit of free time for the moment."
Stroking Iris's hair, Jonas understood what she was trying to say. It was just the usual worry about whether she would disturb him or get in the way of his work.
"That's good... Does that mean you're free to spend the whole afternoon with me today, Mr. Jonas?" Iris turned her head, pressing her delicate little ear against his chest to listen to his heartbeat.
It was strong and steady, and deeply reassuring.
*I wish I could live right here for the rest of my