Bloom (ARBAON #2)

Chapter Six

Chapter Song— SOMETHING ABOUT HIM - Brockhampton
WC: ~3.6k
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I packed up my things hurriedly, thrown by what Tommy had just revealed to me. Tossing everything into my satchel, I told Chrissa that I was leaving for the day. She gave me a concerned glance but she was up to her ears in piercing appointments so all she could spare me was a concerned glance.

On my way out of the shop I was still frazzled and trying to zip my satchel closed. Since I wasn't looking at where I was going I bumped into someone hard enough to lose my balance. Somehow, I ended up falling on my ass.

"What the hell?" I said, looking up and realizing it was Ira. "What's the rush, Lightening McQueen?"

Ira laughed while helping me up. "I was heading in to see you actually." He swatted at imaginary scuffs of dust on my jeans and my ass. 

Then,  he gestured for me to stand to the side of the doorway so we wouldn't be blocking people from coming in. The way we were standing, the light was getting into Ira's eyes, making the normally dark blue look like a glacial blue. He was squinting down at me. "Everything alright?"

"It's fine." I said, more shortly than I intended. I bit the inside of my cheek, wondering how Tommy could just lie by omission for months and why he was so anal about me and Roe spending time together if he actually knew me. And why the fuck had he insinuated I wasn't teaching Roe magic right? I needed time to think not to have Ira looking at me with his perpetual magnifying glass.

Ira was studying my face. "Ah, I get it. I'm just the guy you may or may not fuck, no need to spill the contents of your heart out to the likes of me."

I glared up at him. "Fuck you, Ira—"

He gave me a cold smile. "Well, Derrick I think you know I'd have no objection to that."

I talked straight past that one. "You're not entitled to every thought in my head, and you don't need to act like I owe you anything. You don't actually know me, Ira."

"So?" He said aggressively, "I'll call you out on your shit when you push me out. What if I wanna know you, huh?"

I didn't say anything but Ira continued on, raising his arm to block the sun, casting half his face in shadow. "I had a great time at the bar. You're interesting and I want to take you out again." He said it in such an annoyed voice, chewing out the words.

"Why?" I mocked him, "'Cause I'm the guy you may or may not fuck?"

Ira clenched his jaw. "No. Because you're cute, and funny, and a little angry. Sue me for liking angry guys. Can we go somewhere? I don't want to shock the children with my language."

The street corner outside the shop was pretty empty, the few other pedestrians gave us a wide berth. I turned away. "I'm not good company right now."

Ira walked around me until he was facing me again. "Maybe I want some bad company?"

I snorted, but Ira was still watching me. His voice soft, "There's a breakfast place around the corner. My dad always said the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and my mom always says there's nothing wrong with eating your feelings."

"Fine," I said, "you're paying. "

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It wasn't as though I had a thing against breakfast, I just normally had some cornflakes and called it a day. The breakfast place Ira brought me to was a regular diner, with something of a Mom and Pop shop feel to it. It had that American fifties vibe with black and white checkering along with red accents. If it was maintained better it could have been cute.