On his way to the kitchen, Cas felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out to find that he had a new text from Jay this time, requesting an update on “the chick from the woods.” Noticing that his friend had included Miles in the chat, he rolled his eyes. They were both too nosy for their own good. Nevertheless, he’d put off filling them in for long enough, so he sent a quick reply:

[center][b]She’s fine. Still no memories, so she’s staying at my place until they come back.[/b][/center]
Slipping the device back into his pocket, he stepped into the kitchen and looked around to see if there were any cooks still nearby. Luckily, he spotted one older woman who made quite a few of the meals for him and his father regularly. He raised his hand to her both in greeting and to get her attention as he asked, [color=#b97703]“Hey, could you please make a couple hot sandwiches for me and Iris, the girl I brought back to stay here? Neither of us have had lunch today.”[/color]

“Of course,” she bowed to him respectfully and set to work right away, plucking ingredients from the fridge to make their food.

[color=#b97703]“Thanks,”[/color] Cas nodded absently, taking his phone out again as he felt it vibrate hurriedly with responses from his friends. He’d expected that they would probably make this into a bigger deal than it was—they were usually dramatic like that—but he hadn’t thought they would start so soon. He read through the texts as he walked back out of the kitchen, heading to his room to rest for a little while before the late lunch.

[center]From Jay:
[b]You took her back to your place without even going on a date first?? Damn, Cas. That’s hella smooth.[/b]

From Miles:
[b]Teach me your ways, master.[/b][/center]
Cas snorted. They were already reading into it, and he’d only sent them one message. [color=#b97703][i]Typical.[/i][/color] He typed out another reply, hoping to get the conversation back on track before it could get any worse:

[center][b]No, idiots. Her family hasn’t called about her yet, so she didn’t have anywhere else to go. She’s only staying here until she can go home.[/b][/center]
He lowered his arm as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. Even though it was only about one o’ clock, it felt much later in the day to him. It was probably because of how busy he had been between his early econ lesson and all the time he’d spent helping Iris buy new things at the mall. If he had the time, he might have considered taking a midafternoon nap, but it wouldn’t be long before the food was ready. Sandwiches didn’t take very long to prepare.

He felt his phone buzz again, but he waited until he got to his room so he could lay down on his bed before he checked the new messages. Once he had settled down comfortably, he looked to see what his friends had said this time.

[center]From Jay:
[b]That’s kinda weird, man. It’s been a few days right? Are you sure she’s a high born?[/b]

From Miles:
[b]Yeah, you’d think someone would be looking for her by now. Maybe she’s someone’s servant.[/b]

From Jay:
[b]You’d better not kiss her! It would be embarrassing if word got out that the prince was caught macking it up with a maid. LOL[/b][/center]
He brought a hand to his face in exasperation before sending a reply:

[center][b]I wasn’t going to kiss her anyway. I’m sure she’s a high born, but she might have a bf. I’m not gonna make a move on someone else’s girl.[/b][/center]
His friends responded within a minute.

[center]From Miles:
[b]Well, can we at least meet her?? I’m dying to see this mystery chick you found in a BEAR TRAP.[/b]

From Jay:
[b]Yeah, you can’t hog this all to yourself. It’s like you just walked into a movie. I want in too.[/b][/center]
Cas drummed his fingers against his stomach as he laid on his bed. He didn’t mind that they wanted to meet Iris—he really wasn’t trying to keep them out of it—but he didn’t want to overwhelm her. She’d just gotten to his place that day. He wanted to give her plenty of time to settle in and make herself comfortable before his friends bombarded her with questions she probably couldn’t answer. He sent another text:

[center][b]You can, but not yet. She’s still getting used to being here, so I don’t want to freak her out. I’ll tell you when it’s OK.[/b][/center]
Closing out his messaging app, he checked the time and sat up. He hadn’t spent much time in his room, but he was hungry, and he’d told Iris that he would be waiting for her in the kitchen. Deciding he should go back to meet her there, he got up and headed downstairs again. Even from a distance, he could smell toasted bread and freshly cooked deli meat. The appetizing aroma made his mouth water, and he hurried to get his plate.

Apparently he’d left at the perfect time. Just as he stepped back into the kitchen from the hall that led to his room, he saw Iris limp in from the opposite side. Her hair was damp from what he guessed had been a shower, and she’d changed into the new clothes she’d picked out at the mall. His brown eyes swept over her. She looked good in the jumper she’d put on but, unsure if a compliment was appropriate or not, he kept it to himself.

He glanced at the food the cook had set out for them at the kitchen counter and grinned. [color=#b97703]“I hope you’re hungry,”[/color] he said, turning back to Iris. [color=#b97703]“Because Stella makes the best grilled chicken sandwiches in Aspiria.”[/color]