Flashback - 2 years ago, a month before Mia's graduation from University
Mia and Mikee were walking out of the dinner hall, ready to end the night scarfing down ice cream and chips while binging Friends, when they bumped into Andrew.
"Oh, hey guys," Andrew had said, clearly looking a little drunk. The campus was buzzing, almost every student had been done with all their requirements for the school year, and it was time to celebrate.
"Hey drunky," Mikee laughed, "Are you headed home or headed back out?"
"I'm not drunk!" Andrew exclaimed, smirking, "Okay maybe a little, but not enough. I'm actually probably gonna call it a night, not feeling the crowd over at Barn." Barn, being one of the local bars by their campus.
"Where are you guys headed? Out to celebrate?" Andrew asked, his eyes landing on Mia, and lingering on her lips. This happened quite a bit, and Mia assumed it's because the idiot just couldn't keep eye contact with her long enough because he knew she probably just beat his GPA and she got the front page headline for the last University paper that either of them would ever be part of.
"Actually, we're spending the night in, drinking in our dorm and singing Taylor Swift at the top of our lungs. Don't exactly feel like braving the crowds tonight." Mia said, a little cold.
Andrew, as always, never missed a beat and caught Mia's tone right away. And true to himself, he decided on the most obnoxious response, "Great! Count me in!"
This left Mikee laughing, and Mia speechless.
Because Mia and Mikee were part of a larger friend group that included Andrew, they would occasionally hang out with him, go on trips and parties, but they had never really hung out with just him. Mia always found him a little insufferable, especially since he had a knack for challenging her opinions and pushing her buttons.
His easy charm and relaxed demeanor seemed to rub her the wrong way, almost as if he was too comfortable, too confident in his ability to navigate any social situation. He often managed to win over everyone around them with his quick wit and infectious laugh, making Mia feel like she was the odd one out for not being charmed by him. It didn't help that they were always somehow pitted against each other both on the school paper and in their classes, given that they had the same major.
4 hours, a bottle of tequila, 7 beers, 2 bottles of vodka and bags and bags of chips later, Mia, Mikee, and Andrew were sprawled on the floor of Mia and Mikee's dorm room, gazing up at the ceiling. The room was filled with the comfortable chaos of college life—textbooks, clothes, and empty coffee cups scattered around, testament to their shared experiences and impending departure from university life.
Mikee was holding the can of whip cream, she aimed the nozzle towards her open mouth, pressed down to release a swirl of whipped cream directly into her mouth, "I can't wait to be a professional singer." Mikee exclaimed right after swallowing the dollop of cream and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She then passed the can over to her right, where Mia gladly accepted it.
"You're a psychology major, you psychoanalyzed and profiled every guy I've dated the past 4 years. Are you honestly telling me you won't use your degree?" Mia, ever the practical one, countered. She followed suit and poured whip cream into her mouth, "Not that I don't think you won't make it as a singer, I just feel like you'll miss it." She said with her mouth full.
"First off, say it, don't spray it." Mikee teased, "I know you're just being overly protective and your worrisome self. I guess I haven't fully decided if I'm going to pursue something in the field of psychology. I just know that if I don't go after this dream I may regret it for the rest of my life."
"I get Mikee's point here." Andrew butted in, as he reached over to Mia grabbing the bottle of whip cream, pouring some into his mouth as well, before setting the can aside. "Sometimes, you have to follow your dreams, even if they seem impractical."
Mia rolled her eyes. "Easy for you to say, Mr. I Can Do Whatever I Want. Just cause you already have offers from so many different companies lined up already. Some of us aren't stars that just sit back and have the world offer everything up to us just by breathing."
Andrew leaned back on his elbows, studying Mia. "The world doesn't offer everything to me. Sure, it seems like my door is wide open with tons of opportunities, but that's only cause I don't limit myself to one track, Mia. I open myself up to anything and everything."
A pang of envy shot through Mia. The idea of writing fiction sounded liberating, a way to escape the rigid expectations she felt shackled by. "Must be nice to have that kind of freedom," she muttered, not quite able to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
Mikee, oblivious to the underlying tension, yawned and stretched out on the floor. "Whatever we do, we'll be amazing," she said confidently before her eyelids drooped and she fell asleep.
Mia and Andrew continued to talk in hushed tones, careful not to wake Mikee. They moved to sit up against the foot of Mia's bed, the conversation flowed from their future plans to reminiscing about their university days, the nights spent studying, the parties, the laughter. They had competed with each other so much over the past four years, that it was nice to finally be able to shed that indifference towards each other.
In the middle of her conversation with Andrew, Mia's laptop lit up with a notification, reminding her she had forgotten to file her story on the school paper system. Unfortunately, the system was locked and could only be accessed from a computer in the newsroom. It was too late; she would disappoint everyone. Not sending in the paper's headline article was bad enough, but it was even worse that this was her last article in university.
"Oh no no no!!!" Mia said in a panic, as she got up, and paced the room. "How could I forget, what do I do???"
Andrew got up and put his hands around her shoulders, rubbing them up and down in a form of comfort that felt familiar to Mia, "Hey, it's okay, look at me." He said as he turned her around and faced her towards him. They were facing each other now, his eyes fixed on hers, while his hands were still on her shoulders. She couldn't help but feel so small next to him. Small and safe.
"We can head down now to the newsroom, you still have till 5am to file it and it's only 3. Let's go." Andrew said as he grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the door.
"Wait, Andrew! How are we going to get in? The newsroom is locked!" Mia said as she clumsily put on her shoes. Maybe drinking that much wasn't such a good idea, she thought to herself.
Andrew turned back to face her and flashed that iconic dimpled smile that sent some type of shock through her heart, "I have a key." He said, and pulled her out the door. Of course he did.