"I think I should give you two time to talk" Elini said as she parked in front of Irida's house "I'll see you tomorrow" she waved and drove off
"Bye Elle" Irida and Ian said in unison
They both walked into the house in silence, Irida saw Andres and Maria sitting in the living room, both had their heads buried in Maria's homework
"Hey daddy, hi Maria" Irida greeted
"Hello Mr konstantin" Ian greeted
Andres waved at them both and continued to help Maria with her homework
"He doesn't seem surprised to see you again" Irida mused
"My mom called him before we came back" Ian replied with a smile
"Let's go" Irida said as she lead Ian into her room
"You haven't done any decorations in your room since I left" Ian noted
"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" Irida asked as she flung her bag carelessly. She barely turned to even check where it landed
Ian smiled with indulgence and bent down to pick up her bag, he placed the bag on the chair. It seemed she still hadn't changed her habits either, Ian mused with a smile
"How about you go freshen up first, I'll help you tidy up the room a little" Ian said as he ruffled Irida's hair
Irida blushed in embarrassment "I'm really not messy anymore, it's just cause I was busy all weekend and I barely had time to tidy up"
"I know peach" Ian said as he ushered Irida to the bathroom
Ian looked at the familiar room with fondness and he started cleaning up, he didn't mind helping her clean up, his peach has mostly been unorganized, he was used to her messy room. Ian quickly finished cleaning up and went downstairs to get some snacks for Irida
"I got you some cake and orange juice" Ian said to Irida as she walked out of the bathroom
"Thank you" Irida said in gratitude as she quickly found a good spot on the bed to sit. She had barely eaten anything the whole day, even her lunch was given out. Irida took a few bites of the fragrant cake and couldn't help but moan in satisfaction
"So why did you leave?" Irida finally asked after she took a sip of her orange juice
"Ma's identity was compromised" Ian said as he sat beside Irida
"What identity?" Irida asked in confusion
"Ever wondered why I was called Gallagher and not Brown?" Ian asked "or why I looked nothing like the man I and ma lived with all those years?"
"When I asked, you said your grampa wouldn't let you change your surname" Irida replied
At this point Irida looked like a lost puppy and Ian couldn't resist giving her slightly puffed cheeks a pinch
"My dad's name is Aiden Gallagher, he works for the special force so most of his operations are remote. When I was twelve, an enemy found out he had a wife and child in Ireland so our location was compromised. I and ma's life was in grave danger and we could barely protect ourselves. My dad had to send us here to be protected by your dad while he continued his mission, to avoid further complications, we had to have the illusion of a perfect little family so Mr Brown acted as my father" Ian paused to look at Irida only to see her cute serious expression as she listened, he also noticed a slight frown on her face as she seemed to be pondering his words
"And then? Continue " Irida said almost impatiently
"Living in Athens was the longest we had ever stayed without our identity being compromised" Ian continued "then three years ago, as I got home from hockey practice, I met the whole house in disarray and ma was frantically stuffing clothes into our suitcases. I knew we had been discovered again and we had to leave " Ian said sinking more into the bed
"I didn't even have time to say goodbye to you, I was scared I'd put you in danger if I met you at that point, I....."
"Ian.... I had no idea" Irida said as she sat on Ian's laps and wrapped her arms around him "at first I was really angry at you for leaving without even saying goodbye, then I became really sad and lonely without you" Irida muttered
"I'm sorry peach, I should have at least said goodbye" Ian said patting Irida gently on her back
A patch of his shirt was getting wet again, she really cries a lot
"So where have you been all this time?" Irida asked
"We went to Hong Kong first, stayed there for a year, then we went to Columbia. We had to lay really low until my dad could contact us again. He eventually called us a month ago, he said the mission was finally completed and what was left was to clean up the rest of the people so it was safe. That was why we were finally able to come back" Ian concluded as he squeezed Irida into him, his body craved the familiar warmth, her scent
"I missed you so much peach, I could barely hold on, our memories together was the only thing that kept me going. I was so scared, I didn't even know if I'd ever see you again " Ian said as he started crying
He guessed he probably wasn't as strong as he thought....