Page 56 of Guarding the Star

“I know. I just want to talk.”

“I wanted to talk too. Two weeks ago. When I found you after the game sitting on the bench, you never came home. That was your call. Not mine.”

“It was a mistake,” I say.

“Yeah, it was. But mistakes don't get fixed by just showing up. You break my heart, and it's over. Done.”

She doesn't yell. Doesn't raise her voice. Keeps it low. She always told me that when Hades was truly furious, she didn't yell, and that was scarier. This is the same thing. She turns on her heel and walks away.

***

Day seventeen, I try again.

Same spot. Same time. No plan. I'm just there.

The players come out. Lucía looks at me. This time she gives a small nod. The rest don't even do that.

Iris sees me and keeps walking.

After the whole team has left, I sit on a bench by the entrance and wait forty minutes for a miracle that doesn't come. Hades passes me on her way to the parking lot, rolls her eyes, says nothing.

***

Day eighteen, I come back, and I'm starting to worry that Iris will call security on me.

Same spot. Same time. Wesley's drawing in my hand this time, not my pocket, just because I need something to hold on to.

Lucía comes out first, as usual. This time she stops.

“Wow, three days straight, Paula,” she says, low. “If you come back tomorrow, I'll bring you a coffee. Seriously, you're putting in the work, but I don't think this is going to crack Iris,” she adds, shrugging.

Iris comes out early today, walking with Zoe, who gives her a nudge and tilts her chin toward me.

“What's that?” she asks from a distance.

I don't answer. She usually comes out last and I didn't have time to put the drawing away, so I hold it up. Two stick figures. Lines of every color. A ball. “Iris and Paula playing soccer.”

“Where'd you get that?”

“From the pocket of my jacket. Wesley stuffed it in there without me noticing,” I say.

Iris looks at the drawing for a long time. The two figures side by side.

“God, Wesley,” she sighs.

“I talked to Jason,” I go on. “I'm not going back to working as anyone's bodyguard, but he offered me a position as a security consultant. Mostly risk assessment. I'm telling you because… well, I'm staying in Seattle and…”

“And…?”

“And… look, I guess what I'm trying to say is I know I screwed up. Twice. First a professional mistake and then a personal one. The personal one hurt more. I got scared. I blamed myself, because of you, because of Valentina, and… I'm sorry, Iris. I really am.”

Iris looks at the drawing again. Then at me.

“I swear, if you disappear again, I'll rip your head off, no matter how strong you are. I'm not giving you another chance. This is the last one, and I think it's the first time in my life I've ever done something like this.”

“I know, just let me—”

“Shut up, idiot,” she murmurs against my lips. “And now we're going to call Zoe and have lunch at her place, because Wesley has been asking about you for two weeks and he's getting kind of unbearable,” she adds, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together as we walk toward the parking lot.