Mirror, Mirror

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter 21

It was when Derrek was making coffee that I realized something. Something that I had been stupid to forget. I remembered that the fact that any love I had for Derrek could not be returned whole heartedly, and the first kiss we had shared prevents all hope on fixing that. Unless, of course, it did, and I didn’t realize it, which I highly doubt.

“Milk, sugar, or cream?” Derrek called from the kitchen.

“Sugar and cream, please,” I responded automatically.

My heart was numb, and I was so in shock about the death of my mother that I didn’t know what to do next.

“Here,” Derrek stuck his arm straight out with an adorable smile on his face.

It reminded me of a little kid giving someone a drawing he worked really hard on.

“Thanks,” I accepted the coffee.

“I called Ivy and Danny,” he told me.

I glanced at him curiously.

“Why?”

“You need them but are too stubborn to call them,” he replied blatantly.

He was right. Not that I would tell him that.

“What do you want to do?” He tried keeping up conversation.

“Sleep,” I replied honestly.

“Ivy and Danny will be here soon,” he reminded me.

“Disappear?” I tried again.

“I understand that you aren’t in the best of moods, Aurora. But I don’t like it when you’re like this. It’s not who you are,” he smiled softly.

“My mother just died and you want me to be all happy and normal?” I snapped back, and a strong wind blew through the room.

He looked taken aback. I’m not surprised, it wasn’t like me to snap at people.

“No, but-”

“Just save it for another time,” I interrupted him.

The wind slowly died down as I pulled a blanket from the other end of the couch and lied down sideways, head resting on the arm of the couch. He got up and ran his hands through his hair, before sighing and walking out of the room. I was about to fall asleep when I remembered that Derrek was only nineteen, but had also lost both parents.

I threw the blanket off of my and went to find him. He was sitting at his kitchen table, reading a newspaper with his coffee. He looked strangely adult-like.

“Hey,” I said sheepishly.

He glanced up but said nothing, removing the reading glasses he was wearing. He wore reading glasses? How much cuter could he get?!

“I’m sorry,” I began. “I was stupid, and selfish, and I’m not thinking right. My problems could be much worse, and-”

He stood up and engulfed me in a hug.

“You don’t need to apologize, Aurora. I understand that you’re tender right now. No worries, you’re forgiven.”

“Seriously? You’re not mad?” I replied dubiously, pulling out of the tight embrace to look at him.

“How could I be mad at you?” He grinned, causing me to blush.

The doorbell rang, interrupting our moment. I followed Derrek to the door, and when he opened it he released chaos. Danny jumped through the door frame ninja-style, and landed in front of me. I began laughing as he and Ivy tackled me to the floor in a hug.