Chapter 2 - Teasers

 The following day Iris wakes up from the same dream, only this time the dream seems real, and much more intense. After receiving her first kiss in her dream by Stone, Iris puts on a cheesy grin without realizing it and walks around the pretty Victorian house in a daze; a fantasy world inside her own head. However, when she realizes it isn't real she becomes annoyed, gripping everything far too tightly so her laundry is lined with creases thirty seconds after she took it out, and one plate gets crushed in her palms. If only it were real, she thinks to herself, then everything I am will be complete.

 A few hours later when Iris has to go to work, she is happy about everything apart from the horrible uniform her boss is making her wear. Iris isn't stupid - she knows that being busy will help her forget about Stone not being the man she dreams of, and that talking about it to her friends will be good because they can give her advice on what to do. Lauren will end up swearing, everyone else will laugh at the wannabe comedian's jokes about him, and Iris will end up feeling better about the whole situation. Smiling a little, Iris blinks her long eyelashes and hops into the taxi, ready to start a days work.

 She gets to work and finds one client, a stylist she doesn't know and the tattoo artist, so she puts a hand on her hip and discusses fashion with the client - an old man. Feeling sweat on her palms and forehead, she tells him what he's doing wrong and praises what he's doing right, praying that he'll agree as this is her first proper client. Fortunately he agrees, and Iris gets to work on his hairstyle, dying it jet black, snipping off split-ends, putting hair gel in the locks so it stays in place. By the time she is finished the old man looks a lot younger, and pays her £65 for his haircut and the new shirt he picked up off the shelf.

 Contrary to her beliefs, Iris finds herself worrying about Stone. If they do end up together, what will he say if she tells him she has never kissed a boy? Even though he's not particularly flirty she bets Stone has kissed before, and will mind terribly if she tells him that she was waiting for 'The One.' Would he find that weird? Even if Iris finds out Stone doesn't mind when they meet again she is simply not taking any chances. She hates it, but she has to be a teaser. 

 Gathering up her courage, she goes to the best looking person in the room and says," You're looking nice today, baby." Secretly her mind throws up, but she paints a fixed smile on her face and lets him reply.

 Luckily he is a flirty boy, and he flirts with her back, occasionally brushing hands. 

 He grabs her and they lock lips. As it's a first kiss Iris expects wobbly knees, insides crashing: everything, but instead it's just nothing. Iris doesn't even care when he smiles at her and tells her she is an excellent kisser: she just stands there, eyes filling up with tears as she tells him she was only playing with him. Being a good Sim, she feels really bad.

 However, he just smiles and tells her it's fine - that most boys don't care what attention they get from girls as long as it's sexual, but she isn't really listening as she knows he is wrong. Lots of boys care - it's just him that doesn't mind being played with. With an awkward "thanks," she leaves him to his thoughts - probably of the girls he has kissed in the past.

 Despite being really busy, Iris can't help but look out of the window to see if Stone is there. She really wants him, and she's absolutely devastated that he doesn't want to love. Now she can't think about how she's going to have children and continue the legacy, as the man she's fallen for will never love her back. She can't think of a time when she's been more upset, even when her grandmother died.

 When she isn't knee deep in thoughts Iris is styling, putting on fake pouts and gestures like she imagines one of the stylists who help famous people do. Nobody laughs at her, so she continues until she gets promoted. However even though she earns more money she isn't satisfied, as her heart has a hole that only Stone can heal - that is, if he shows the slightest bit of interest in her as a girlfriend.

 Iris was getting quite good at art now, and this opens her mind to new clothes, hair makeup designs. What's more, her portfolio is building and this helps her get more clients, therefore more money. However, she doesn't need the money - she needs Stone. She is an optimist though, so she counts her blessings - first, she is succeeding in her career, and second she hasn't seen the man-whore of the century, Tyger. 

 Number three: exactly as she predicted, her friends are ever so kind and give her advice - some helpful, like," make him a friend then go with him into a club, where you'll dance - not dirty dancing - and he's be smitten, you'll see," from my boss, some complimentary, like from a woman called Caroline who says," if he doesn't see how totally awesome you are, forget him - he doesn't deserve your presence of amazingness," and some that puts Stone completely in the wrong, like Lauren when she says," what a shithole - don't pay any attention to what that twat tells you." This leaves Iris in a better mood.

 That night Iris is burled, the alarm ringing through her ears at half past three in the morning when she is still in bed. Sitting up groggily, she rubs her eyes and stands up, wobbling with exhaustion. She heard police sirens, which make her become wide awake as she runs downstairs and sees a dog-faced woman in black and white being beaten up as a police woman grabs hold of an almost empty sack and tugs. Inside the sack is a computer, and Iris knows this because she can see the keyboard.

 After placing the computer on the floor, the police woman grabs some handcuffs and struggles to get them on the burglar, eventually grabbing hold of her so she can't break free. For a terrifying second Iris thinks the police is going to fail and the burglar will run off with some of her stuff, so it comes as a relief when the burglar sighs and gives in, walking over to the police car with pieces of metal holding her wrists together.

 Iris is glad of the promotion because she gets dressed in more comfortable outfits which are pleasing to the eye, therefore attracting customers to look in her portfolio. An old man smiling with his newly trimmed mustache, the high heeled boots of a beautiful young woman which Iris suggested she tries on, a perfectly fitted leather jacket she gives to a teenage boy... it's all so small, but the attention to detail picks up many a customer.

 However, the next day - Sunday - is special. She had earned another promotion (along with some comfortable clothes and a terrible hairstyle) and a day off was just what she needed - just to rewind and spend some time with her friends. She had only just put on her favourite jeans and a lightweight top when the phone rings... and it's Stone.

 "S-s-stone? Hello, what do you want?" Iris tries desperately hard to keep her voice cool and alluring, but she ends up stuttering and squeaking, her voice going as high pitched as a mouse.

 "I'm just bored, so do you want to go out to the amphitheatre and hang out?" 

 Iris is about to decline when she realizes that this is just what she needs. If she can be friends with Stone, wont he like her more? So when she starts flirting he'll accept? "Yes, I will. See you in half an hour, yeah?"

 "Sure! Bye!" 

 The amphitheater is absolutely beautiful. Ancient columns rise up, looking like they touch the sky with the marble, so old it looks like stone. Small lights are dotted around the place, giving it a more modern feel. Everything else is raised grass and stone paths, but what makes it so pretty is that it's really quiet. It's silent apart from the rustling of the trees surrounding it and the birds chirping in the distance, so far away they sound like they are conjured up in Iris's brain. 

 When Stone runs up to Iris and gives her a big hug in greeting she is instantly shocked, although in a good way. He is so gorgeous Iris can't believe she didn't faint when she sees him, and when he smiles her purple-blue eyes glaze over. They get chatting, laughing and having a good time.

 They find out they share traits and star signs, and although she knows she looks like an idiot Iris can't help but cheer silently as she finds out that he's good. He would never leave her.

 Unfortunately, the fact that she was with a new friend made her less self-conscious, so she ended up pulling a stupid face at her crush. What the hell am I doing? She thinks, but it's too late.

 Luckily he shares the same sense of humour, and he returns the face with a grin. Iris silently sighs in relief, and they carry on like that for hours - even when Iris really needs the toilet, or when she's so hungry she could eat Stone's brother.

 All too soon it's time for everything to end, and Stone grabs hold of Iris's hands and stares intensely into her strange coloured eyes. A small smile plays on his lips, and she smiles back, thinking about how gorgeous he is. She thinks Stone is just about to kiss her - something she has dreamed of since she was fifteen, unbeknown to Stone - when he says," I've gotta go," and runs off. Tears spring into Iris's eyes. He was about to kiss her, so why did he run off?

 This leaves Iris wondering whether Stone is as big as a teaser as his brother, Tyger.

Chapter 1 - In Love With A Dream

 Welcome to Twinbrook, a residential town filled with peaceful, happy citizens, in Dorset, south of England. . It contains many houses for you to stay in, a river with a sandy beach, and plenty of places to work such as the styling salon, the local school or the police station. You could even be a criminal if you were so mentally deranged. In this town there is a certain family who has volunteered to prove that names do not matter, and the names will be associated with nature. Let's go to the young woman now.

 Inside an expensive Victorian household an eighteen year old woman draws a picture for her portfolio. Her back is hunched over the canvas and pencil lead causing her slight backache, but she doesn't mind. A single strand of blonde hair falls out of place, she doesn't care. However, she'd be annoyed if her long hair was let out of its side ponytail as the gorgeous golden locks would fall over her bright, purple-blue eyes, therefore distracting her from the task at hand. Armed with a set square and a pencil she narrows her strange coloured eyes and sticks out her tongue in concentration, like a six year old child would do if he were trying not to go over the lines as he colours in. The woman thinks everything is worth it - after all, she works in fashion and although her best friend (and her boss) is kind, she is very strict about deadlines. She is comfortable enough as her stripy top is made out of a lightweight material and her jeans are cool against her pale flesh, allowing her to ignore the stifling heat of the room.

 Her name is Iris Lucia - named after her dark purple-blue eyes - and her family is going to be the one we are watching. Being a Libra, she is responsible and good with children, and as her name - Iris - means 'rainbow' she is cheerful and optimistic. However, nobody knows what her children will become and I can't change their names, meaning a girl called Tulip could be a rough tomboy. It is likely that Iris will be one of the only people of the Lucia family to have a name which suits her.

She may be a cheerful and optimistic young woman, but she has a small secret that she hasn't told anyone - her deepest ambition is not to become a fashion phenomenon (although that is her lifetime wish as she doesn't want anyone else to know) but to fall in love and have three children. Every night she goes to sleep and begins dreaming about a young, handsome man, kind enough to help old women cross the road and adores kids so much he pushes the swings for children he doesn't know. Brown eyes filled with warmth and kindness; hair a rich brown in colour. Iris is certain this perfect man exists and instincts told her to look in Twinbrook, so she abandoned her mother, father and three siblings to search for him.

 Morning after morning she arrives at the beauty salon. Her boss is there already, approaching Iris. After she gives her boss the piece of work she had been doing the day before, the two of them have a laugh as their friends come singing around the corner. Jemima Lawson comes up with a few clever jokes as she sees the group of friends as a mini audience, used for telling jokes, although nobody minds because they all know Jemima wants to be a stand up comedian, like Frankie Boyle or a prettier Jo Brand. She's good at this too - what a natural, Iris thinks after a particularly funny joke. She really could become famous, going on Live At The Apollo, occasionally doing comedy quiz shows like QI or Mock The Week. For a few minutes Iris can be distracted from her thoughts as she laughs and gossips with her friends.

 After the initial talk with her friends who encourage her to just wait for a man, Iris decides to wait around in the salon in the hope that her dream boy will stop by. However, time goes on and the only man she sees is the rude, fat, but extremely talented tattoo artist. Iris really wants a tattoo as a bargain - there is no way she is paying the full £250 for a professional tattoo - so she must endure the artist as he insults and mocks her over and over again. Get a life, she thinks as a fresh wave of insults crash over her, but she smiles at him and casually asks him for a tattoo appointment at a bargain.

 "Sure you can. As you have put up with my truthful comments without smacking me in the face you get £100 off - £150. I'm fully booked until tomorrow at 2:45pm though, so you'll have to wait." 

 A sigh from Lauren Berry interrupts Iris's boy thoughts a few minutes later. "Hey Ris, pay no attention to that oaf. I'm surprised you even got a bargain, the asshole!" Iris grins as Lauren carries on about how horrible the tattoo artist is - once she gets going about how much someone annoys her she continues until the cows come home, i.e. until she runs out of breath. Lauren is also renowned for her swearing and unbelievably rude comments, so Iris is quite glad Lauren is on her good side. "Anyway," Lauren finishes," let's give each other makeovers while we're waiting to go home, as the boss says we're free to do whatever we want."

 For the rest of the day Iris made her friends over; taking obviously bad makeup off and replacing it with more subtle tones; redoing hairstyles in the hair place; taking Lauren's bad highlights away and giving her less hairspray so her hair looked natural instead of greasy and fake. Doing clothes isn't really my thing, so I'd better not annoy everyone with my bad sense of style, Iris thinks to herself.

 Unfortunately nothing much came up in the shape of a handsome male, so the following morning Iris came up with another idea. I'm bored of this waiting, she thinks as she scoops up some cereal and puts it in her mouth. If this boy wont come to me, then I will come to him. You or I might think this was an idea Iris would have thought of in the first place, but Iris believes in sayings such as 'good things come to those who wait.' Today is the day Iris has her appointment with the tattoo artist as well, so when she goes looking for men in the park later she can show off the tattoo she will have on her shoulder, making her look much more grown up.

 A few hours later:

"I need to see your shoulder you dumbass, otherwise I can't put a tattoo on you," The artist groans for the second time. Iris is reluctant to take her clothes off in front of him, and who can blame her? Mind you, he has a point in what he's saying, so Iris succumbs to him eventually, forcing him to close his eyes while she changes into a bikini. Then he loads up his machine and gets to work.

 Actually it isn't too bad - Iris learns to relax her muscles and the needles only sting for a millisecond after it gets injected, and although she winces every time he does it, eventually it becomes fairly pleasant. He really is talented, Iris thinks, if only he wasn't rude, fat and ugly.

 By the time he was finished Iris couldn't feel a thing in her shoulder, enabling the artist to do the deed much faster. Therefore she was up and thanking him so much for the sparkles on her shoulder, messily painted outside the lines for character just like she told him to, within half an hour. Iris was extremely pleased with the result, and because of that the two of them became friends. The artist would teach her about boys feelings, and Iris would teach him all about how to lose weight and get the girls. There would never be chemistry between them even if he were slim and kind - they simply didn't feel a spark.

 A few hours later and the Sun is setting, bathing the peaceful town in hues of red, orange and yellow. It's beautiful, but there's more than the sunset going on in Iris's mind. After all, it's time for her to meet her boy, as she heard that two gorgeous men were here tonight, at this very park. Iris is nervous, but she grins and approaches the park with confidence to see what's on offer.

 

 It's not hard to find the two best looking boys in the park - only a few children on the swings and a group of scary looking adults by a clump of bushes is present apart from the two fantastic looking men. The two men looked absolutely identical - it was only the eyes and the hair (one had dyed his hair black) that told you they are two different people. However, another thing they were different in is their personalities. The man with the black hair approached Iris with relative confidence while the other, more familiar looking one stayed behind, looking sheepish.

 "Hello there babe, I'm Tyger Perez," the man with the black hair told Iris. Iris inwardly groaned - Tyger Perez, a man with a reputation as a heartbreaker and the very last person Iris wants to meet.

 "So honey, want a kiss? Believe me, I'm real good!" Iris swallows - Tyger's voice is threatening and Iris is a bit scared. However, her dignity wins as she pushes Tyger away from her with a low growl that clearly says piss off.

 "Tyger, looks like you've failed! Now leave the poor girl alone - she has a bit of pride, don't take advantage of that," Finally the other boy speaks, his pleasant voice echoing slightly around the small square where the three people are standing. Iris turns to look at him.

 Immediately she gasps in shock, covering it up smoothly by pretending to have a hacking cough. This man is the exact guy she dreams about, only in person he's even more gorgeous. His hair is the perfect shade of brown in Iris's view, and his eyes are warm. But that's as much as Iris can describe - he is impossible to put into words. Take a look at him in the picture above, and you'll see how handsome he is.

 "Sorry for my brother - he gets carried away," his voice is like velvet, lips barely moving. Iris imagines what it's like for her mouth to be pressed against those soft looking lips.

 "No, i-i-it's f-fine. What's your n-name?" For God's sake Iris, get a grip she scolds herself after stuttering so badly next to the amazing man she dreams about.

 "My name is Stone Perez. And you?" Iris could listen to that voice forever, but she knows she has to answer.

 "I'm Iris Lucia," she says, inwardly praising herself for sounding relatively normal. She can't help grinning, and Stone notices.

"What are you smiling at?" Iris swallows, finding it hard to answer. What should I say? She wonders. Do I tell him everything or make it up?

 In the end she compromised. She told him he was really gorgeous and whether he wanted to go out, maybe know each other better, but left out the bit about destiny - the bit her mind screams about.

  However, instead of nodding and looking chuffed, Stone looks sheepish and above all, taken aback. "Er, Iris, I do not love. I am never going to fall for anyone. Sorry."

 15 words and a really cute half smile is all it takes to destroy Iris right there and then. Her dream, her fantasy, her life was this man, and destiny knows it, so why doesn't he want to love? Iris swallows, blinks back tears and walks over to the bench, trying hard not to sob hysterically.

 In the end she can't do anything except let the tears roll down her cheeks. He is the man she's looking for, and she knows it. If he can't love her, how is she going to live her dream? How is she going to continue what she started?