Oreo

Chapter 30: Emotions

Warning!!  Feels trip and cofessions will happen in this chapter if the title doesnt already imply that!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orion's POV~

To put it simply, the visit with Avra Quirke was a bit awkward on our end at first.  We put on a kids show to entertain Angelos in the living room whilst Romeo and I figured out a way to kill time with his mom that also allowed for them to catch up.

So, as you do, we settled on board games.  We started with a game of Monopoly and, once that finially reached an end, we pulled out Risk, then Life.  Avra told him the story of her ex who left her to raise their son on her own.  She explained how it was difficult to keep a job and take care of Angelos at the same time.  Currently, she had a job at a nursing home where she monitored and watched over the elderly, making sure they got their medications and ate nutritously.

Romeo briefly explained what happened with his father and how he met me - leaving out the details of our being a couple - and how we came to live together.  She was pleased to hear that he was doing a lot better and that I was supporting and helping him with his emotional state.  Even though he usually kept his emotions on the down-low, burrying them deep inside, we both knew very well that he was more broken than he let on.

"I'm sorry to hear you got let go, Romie." Avra stated as she moved her little car forward on the path.  "You were really excited when you told me you got a job there."

"Romie?  Excited?" I teased playfully, laughing when he punched my arm.

Romeo drew a card from the pile, reading it.  "We weren't very busy and had too many staff members.  I did get to go to Josh's birthday party, though."

Avra hummed and watched him play out his move.  "Was there alcohol?" The tone in her voice seemed more chaff and a little less than serious, giving me the impression she didn't care too much if he drank before he was of age.

Romeo just nodded and I drew my card once he finished his turn.

I smirked a little and moved my car.  "Yeah, but I was there to make sure he was safe from... everything."

"And what a wonderful job you did, too." He remarked, giving a wry smile.

"Hey, I beat up those jerks for you."

"Exactly."

Avra raised her eyebrows.  "And what was brought on for that to happen?"

Ro shook his head.  "It wasn't that big of a deal, mom, don't worry."

"That's some bull," She attested, rolling her eyes.  "If this boy had to fight people for you, I wanna know every detail mister.  Now spill."

He seemed to withold a grimace as he pressed his lips together tightly.  Apparently making up his mind, he confessed the story of how he was assaulted in the alley and how I came to the rescue.  She listened attentively, expression remaining very calm and unjudging, almost amused as he described it all in as minor detail as possible. 

I nodded in confimation, chuckling a little as I remembered what had happened that night.  "Of course, that's mostly how he remembers it.  He was still pretty drunk when we got home but I made sure he was cleaned up before putting him to bed."

"The next day, we decided to have a Harry Potter Marathon." He added, driving the conversation from something less grungy and towards something more relaxed.  "I got to meet his older sister, too.  She was cool..."