Page 16
Adam had noticed it before, the way Ian felt blank to his Sight. Not invisible, or impermeable, just empty.
Ian stared back at him, too calmly, too placid.
Sensing Adam’s gaze, but without looking up, Ian asked, “Uncle?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you have any allergies?”
Adam woke. Sitting up, he took a hard breath. He was home, in bed with Vic. It was now.
“What is it?” Vic asked sleepily.
“A dream.” Adam shuddered, letting the tremors pass through him. “Just a dream.”
Vic grunted. He looked like he wanted to do something, hold Adam, but it wasn’t the right moment. Adam’s skin felt too tight, in that way it did so often lately.
He swung his legs so he was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Vic sleepily reached out and let his hand fall heavy on the mattress where Adam had been. Gray light peeked through the blinds and curtains.
“You should sleep in,” Adam said.
“What about you?”
“I’m up. I might as well make the day count.”
Vic didn’t sigh or say anything, but he tensed a little.
It would be so easy to fall back, let Vic hold him, and fight his need to pull away and try to give Vic the intimacy he clearly needed, but everything inside Adam felt like static, like a dozen birds were trying to fly away but none of them knew the right direction.
“What are you going to do?” Vic asked.
“Homework, then maybe I’ll go see Annie.”
“Another dream about Ian?” Vic sounded more awake now.
“Yeah.”
“You’re getting them more often.”
Adam let out all of his breath and drew his knees up to his chest. “I don’t know if it’s because he’s going to be born soon or if it’s something else.”
Vic rolled over, blinked his brown eyes open, and gave Adam a view of the wide V of his back as he stretched, putting his hands above his head. Adam was tempted to dive in, to ride the want that surged through him, but he’d tried that before and it had been a disaster. The desire rarely outlasted the sickly prickle of green that filled him if he wasn’t in a place to be touched.
Instead he stretched back out and laid a soft kiss on Vic’s cheek.
“What was that for?”
“For being you, for being perfect.”
Vic scoffed.
“Tell that to my mom.”
“Perfect for me then.”
And he was.
