I watch her eyes widen in concern before she asks, “Is he okay?” It dawns on me that she’s worried about my dad because of his recent health scare with his heart. Something dense falls in my chest over this girl caring for my family.
I gently put my hand on her thigh, reassuring her. “He’s fine.” I remove my hand and point to her drink. “I guess you’re coming back over this weekend.” I give her a victorious grin.
“Blake always orders the same drink.” She rolls her eyes, not impressed with my accurate guess of her dates drink order.
“You go on a lot of dates with Blake?” I know I don’t technically have a reason to ask but I do anyway.
“When I need to.” That’s the only answer I get.
“Why are you here? We’ve missed you at the gym this week.”
“I love this place and my grandma is here.” I don’t know a lot about Mia. The little bit I do know, I know from AJ. But I know she loves her grandma. “I actually have to go and meet her now so I can’t stay. But thank you for this.” She takes a large sip of the drink I bought her before setting it back down. I want to ask more about her date and where she’s been. I almost ask if I can come with her to meet her grandma just to have the excuse to be around her more. But she’s walking out the door before I have the chance to make up my mind.
OLIVER
Incessant knocking and ringing of my doorbell are shaking the space in my brain. My room that is supposed to be pitch black is blinding with prickling rays of sunlight. Instantly I reach around trying to find a pillow to block it out. But that consistent knocking doesn’t let up. It’s not anyone that normally comes over because they all have keys.
I’m searching through the pain in my head when my phone starts vibrating on the side of my bed. I can barely make out Mia’s picture lighting up my screen through my squinting eyes. It’s my favorite picture of her. The only picture I have. She’s glaring at me, flipping me off, with her tongue hanging out and a red lifesaver on the end of it.. Chaotic sunshine, every bit of her. The screen goes black before immediately lighting back up and I realize that I never answered the call.
“Answer your door or I’m leaving.” Her words come out before I can even say hello. “Seriously, who invites someone over and then doesn’t answer the door. If you are downstairs in your basement all sweaty again, you better have a shirt on before you answer this door or I swear to..”
“Or what?” I interrupt her.
“Or what?” I can hear confusion from across the phone and the softness of being caught off guard is endearing.
“Yeah, or what? If I answer my door all sweaty and shirtless, what will happen?”
She growls, “You’re insufferable. Come let me in.” I can’t help the smile that takes over. I hang up and grab sweats, no shirt. She might hit me when I open the door and I might like it.
I definitely feel the pain from the hits last night though. Even walking makes the bruises swell with each breath. The cut on my lip burning with the movement from talking. Eli was so pissed that I allowed myself to get hit like I did, but my head wasn’t clear enough to care. For the first time since I’ve been fighting at The Poolhouse I was searching for something outside of that hollowed out cement pool. And she wasn’t there.
Then I spiraled trying to figure out why that was so consequential to me. Before I was able to collect my focus, I was taking hit after hit and I got lost in the pain. Eli didn’t talk to me the whole way home. Maxwell patched me up. And AJ doesn’t know yet.
I open the door to her holding two coffees, a bag, balancing her ipad and phone in one hand, and a bag strapped over her shoulder. Her glare would probably make most men weary of letting her into their home but not me.
“Morning, pretty girl.” I grab the coffees and bag before she drops her carefully held tetris tower of items.
“Don’tpretty girlme. You’re not wearing a shirt.” She smacks my bare chest with her now free hand. I don’t even attempt to hide my amusement at her frustration. “Oh my God. Are you laughing?” She asks as she walks through the doorway. I make a weak attempt to hide my laughter behind the tray holding the coffees. And I momentarily forget the way my face must look. She drops her stuff on the bench by the door and is invading my space in a matter of a breath. “What the hell happened?” Her small hand gently runs over the split of my lip as she takes in the rest of the bruising and swelling spotting my face. One thing that is unsettling about Mia is her lack of boundaries. It’s also the thing that showcases her heart the most.
I don’t pull away, instead I let her keep cataloging my injuries. “Fight was rough last night.” I clear my throat.
“You don’t lose.” She accuses me.
Lifting a shoulder, I say, “sometimes I do.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were fighting?” I set the coffees down and she pulls her hands away from me. Her perfect lips jut out the tiniest bit. There is no mistaking the soft hurt in her tone.
“Didn’t know you were interested in my fight schedule.” I lean with my forearm on the counter to get lower and closer to her eye level.
“Maybe I just like watching you bleed.” She scrunches her nose but I can still see the concern in her eyes.
“It’s just a few bruises, Mia. I promise I’m okay.” I know I said the right thing by the way her eyes soften. They are mostly green today but the brown and gold are hazily there.
The moment holds without either of us breathing too heavily to break it. She’s not smiling and laughing until her eyes are filled with tears. She’s not busily running around and taking care of everyone else. She’s not fiercely protecting her space. She’s quiet. I reach for the coffee to refrain from reaching out to touch her.
I nod to the far wall of the living room, it’s smaller than the rest and it always held our family photos in all mismatched frames. Dad put Mom’s pictures from when she was younger in picture frames to hang among ours, always keeping her present as we grew. He has the pictures decorating the bookshelves in his apartment now. The wall has been empty for the past few years that I’ve owned the house. Mia had sent me a few pictures of exposed brick walls in a home and I kept going back to the way it made me feel like there was a place within a place. I love that idea. That we can escape the disappointment from the world in a safe place we create just for ourselves. And then fill that place with the purest form of love.
“Remember the few ideas you sent me that had exposed brick?”
