"Iris," he said softly, "Turn around."

At the sound of his voice Iris had taken an immediate step back.

Ash was sure his life was going to crumble. He'd never felt so rejected. He never wanted to hear her say no.

"Ash, what are you doing here?" Iris softly whispered. She dropped her head to stare down between her feet and pulled her shirt closed.

She was hiding herself - from him. He got the sudden urge to fall to his knees. She should never, ever have to feel like she had to hide from him. He was torn between wanting to love her and doing the right thing.

What was the right thing anyway? Doing what your heart most desires or, was it living through a hell of a life you thought was forever? Ash screamed at his heart for betraying him, how dare it fall for someone who wasn't his wife.

He had taken a few steps towards her to close the gap between them, just to have her take another two steps back.

"I came to see you," he challenged her by filling the gap again. "I'm not allowed to come see you anymore?"

Iris lifted her chin up and crossed her arms across her chest. He loved when she pretended that she was stubborn, stubborn was cute on her. He backed her up into the apartment and slowly shut the door behind him.

"Iris, do you want me to leave?"

Iris didn't know what to say to this. She knew what she should have said but that wasn't what she wanted. She sometimes wished he'd just leave and not come back. She hated thinking about what this...thing could do to his family and from the looks of it she was pretty sure that Ash didn't care at all, or maybe he was fighting the same battle with his heart as she was.

He was impossible to read and that really irritated her. No matter how hurt she'd be if he walked away, she was sure she could live through it. There was nothing she wanted more than for him to be happy, even if she had to risk her own happiness to get it.

She reached her hand out to touch him but decided against it.

Just as she was putting it down he leaned his face towards her.

Ash didn't know what came over him. He wasn't aware of what such a simple gesture could do to him. The moment he placed his face in her hands he was instantly relieved. Every tense muscle in his body relaxed. He never felt better.

"Iris, do you want me to leave?" Ash said it again.

She had only taken a second to answer him, but to him that second felt like forever and a day.

"No," she replied slowly, while gently rubbing his face. She studied his face, watching how relaxed he was becoming. The worry lines in his forehead smoothed out, his eye lids dropped, and the moment he leaned in a tiny bit further she knew. He needed her. "Please stay."

That was all he needed to hear, before he gave in to complete lust, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her firmly against his chest. That sudden gesture left her breathless. So, she wasn't ready when he suddenly pressed his lips against hers. Ash's lips exploded the moment they came into contact with her lips. He groaned against them.

He'd never felt so alive.

Just the sound of his groan woke up everything within her body that has been asleep while he was away.

"You've been away for so long," she softly moaned.

"I'm sorry," he groaned. "I just don't know what to do about us, I...," he stopped himself. He was so close to telling her everything, so close to revealing how he felt, and how much he needed her. 

"You...?" Iris wanted so desperately for him to finish his sentence. She knew he was close to spilling everything he felt about her and she wanted so badly to hear it but, every time he got close to telling her, he'd just freeze up.

She hated it.

"But I know, that I. . . I want you," he said.