Re: Manning's house: Iris / Manning
[The car pulled up to the house, and she sat there for a bit, staring at the building in front of them. She could see the faint hair-line of light outlining the edge of the open door, a warm color that invited a person inside. She felt strange and awful invading his home, especially at such a late hour, but she honestly didn't know what else to do. She felt caught between staying and leaving, and the thought of someone else making that decision for her was a temptation she couldn't ignore. More than anything, she was exhausted, mind pushed far beyond rational thinking. If she could just sleep. Even if for just a few hours...
She only had a small piece of luggage with her - barely more than a carry-on tote - easy enough to maneuver when she climbed out of the car. The driver would be paid and tipped by her parents, so she only offered him a soft word of thanks before closing the door (wincing at how loud it seemed in the middle of the night) and heading for the front door of the house.
She didn't know how the dogs would react, and she was hoping for quiet, not wanting her presence to be any more of a trouble than it already was. Feet quiet on the walk up, she eased the front door open with a careful push of her hand, and angled her head around the edge to peer inside. And froze a little, seeing Manning there. She had the very random thought of wondering what things Sam might say if she saw him standing there in nothing but his sweatpants. Iris wasn't blind - she knew that her friend was good looking, had noticed it (without comment) more than once. It was different seeing him like this, though - unguarded, quiet in the sleepy night, shoulders and torso bare.
Staring for a moment, it wasn't long before she felt guilty about it and angled her gaze downward, once again rethinking coming to Manning's house, wondering if it wouldn't be better for her to ease back, close the door again, make the dark walk through town to her apartment and leave him in peace. That would certainly be better for him and TJ.
So she did - moving back with a careful shift of her weight, easing the door shut again and twisting the doorknob so that she could make it catch without it making a sound as it latched shut. From there, she moved away as soundlessly as she could, turning and heading back out toward the street. The car was already gone, but she could walk. It would be fine.]