Bloom (ARBAON #2)

Chapter Ten

Word count:3.5k
Chapter Song: Normal Girl by SZA
A part of Derrick just kind of wants to be normal and uncomplicated.

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Ira and I spent an evening lazily lounging. Mostly in bed and a little out of it. Somehow, snuggled up together on the bed, he was strangely talkative.

He had his head propped up by his hand as he leaned on his side against his elbow. The blankets started just below his waist and I was enjoying the view of the flat plains of his chest and stomach.

He frowned, looking at me a bit before continuing. Ira's lower lip had a sheen on it from all the licking he was doing. It made me want to nibble on it a little. But his next words distracted me. "I won't be able to see you for a little while."

My eyes made the slow rise to his face. "Why?" I flinched at my inadvertent accusatory tone.

He exhaled sharply. "I'm visiting my parents. Remember my moms? It's my bio mom's birthday and she's turning fifty which is kind of a big deal."

I blinked. "Isn't that a little young for her to be your mom?"

A little crease formed between Ira's brows as he frowned deeper. Something in his expression made me think I'd hurt him.

"I'm sorry." I blurted. "I shouldn't have said that."

But then, strangely enough Ira smiled. "It's okay, Derrick. She certainly did have me young but it is what it is. Her and my other mom have been talking about adopting recently. I think they want to have another kid, which is nice. She's finally in a place in her life where she can go at her own pace. I'm happy for her."

I nodded, taking note of the warmth in Ira's tone and the fact he really seemed to care for both his parents so much.

Jealousy wormed deep in my belly and I tried to push it away but I couldn't. Ira seemed to pick up on my discomfort. Then, he asked the question I really didn't want him to.

"What about your parents? I never really hear you talk about them."

"Well, I don't remember them."

His eyes widened and his mouth went soft. "Oh, the accident?"

I stared back at my Van Gogh painting. "Yeah. But I don't think they were good people. I was in an out of foster care for most of my childhood apparently." I didn't mention the part about Mike telling me I had been homeless after I aged out of the system. "I wish I could...remember, but maybe it's better if I don't."

Ira nodded like he understood but I didn't see at all how he could. "Don't you want to know if you could re-connect?"

I gave him a look. "Re-connect with the people who abandoned me? Isn't that a little too optimistic, even for you?"

"But you don't even know what happened. Don't you...want to find out?" Ira's eyes were wide and the crease in his forehead suggested I wasn't making sense.

"I know everything I need to know. Even if I look for them and they're not completely fucked up there's nothing they could do for me right now. Absolutely nothing."

"Well, what about your magic?" Ira pressed in a way that was really starting to get annoying. "Don't you wonder if it's genetic?"

I paused. I didn't think about my parents very much at all. Most days I thought of myself as magically sprung from the loins of the hospital that I woke up from the coma in. There was no before. The only thing that really connected my pre and post coma life was Mike, and he wasn't in it anymore.