Back in the present --
Mia stared at herself in the mirror, shaking off the flashback.
She hadn't seen Andrew again after that night. He never tried to reach out after that night; she had taken down all her social media accounts and become almost a recluse, but her number had stayed the same.
When she saw him briefly during graduation, he didn't even come up to say hello. They had lost touch, and she never bothered to explore what might have been because she had been too busy to deal with what was happening. But she had never allowed herself to dwell on the past, and she wasn't going to let herself stumble now.
Yet here was the past, working with her and living in the same building. She wondered to herself, where was all her anger towards Andrew coming from. She had gone through so much that night that she wasn't sure how she would process both the grief of losing her parents alongside the hurt that Andrew never reached out after they shared what she thought had been a significant night for the both of them.
Mia headed to bed, in an attempt to sleep away all of the terrible memories going through her head, but her escape was not as she had hoped.
Her dreams were filled with Andrew's lips and the sound of an ambulance.
The next morning when her alarm went off, Misty jumped up on her bed, snuggling up against her, somehow knowing that she wasn't okay.
"Thanks, girl" Mia said to her, while rubbing her belly, "I wish that I could stay in bed with you the whole day, but unfortunately I need to work to feed you." She said as she tapped Misty on the nose.
She dragged herself up out of bed, feeling as if she hadn't slept a wink. She knew she looked terrible, she didn't have to look at a mirror to confirm this.
She got ready as best she could, attempting to make herself look halfway human. When she stepped out of her bedroom, Mikee was packing her things, preparing for her move to her own apartment the next day.
She looked up at Mia as soon as she heard her door open.
"What happened to you?" Mikee said, immediately getting up from the floor where her suitcase was wide open, overflowing with clothes.
In a span of 4 days Mikee's things have completely taken over Mia's one bedroom apartment, and the sight made Mia feel more at home than she had ever felt since she moved into the space. She knew that once Mikee moved into her own place she would feel alone again, but at least she was only moving a few blocks away.
"Nightmares." Mia said, as monotonous as she could, trying to cut the conversation short because she knew that if Mikee even had a whiff that she was upset, she would never allow her to leave her side.
"Oh no, are you okay? Do you need anything? A hug? Some pancakes? Or coffee?" Mikee said as she approached Mia, badgering her with a hundred questions of concern.
She attempted to brush off Mikee's concern, knowing that the minute she let Mikee know what she was feeling, she would go full on Mom mode, "I'm okay, Mikes! Really, just a bad dream, no big deal." She said smiling and putting an arm around Mikee's shoulder, trying to keep Mikee's protective self at bay. "I'll just make myself coffee and head out to work early. Have some stuff to do. Love you!" She then walked away from her best friend who was still doubtful of her mental state.
Mia prepared her coffee in a to-go jug, said goodbye to both Misty and Mikee, and walked out the door.
As soon as she walked out of her apartment building, she felt the sun hit her skin. A welcome feeling to warm her body as she began her day. She decided she didn't feel like going to The Alley today, instead she walked a few blocks away to the local bookstore.
As soon as she walked into the store, the smell of books hit her, a scent Mia associated with the feeling of a warm hug.
She was a writer, and despite her wanting to attribute that to her parents' genes, she knew that the reason she wrote was mainly because of her love for reading. Growing up, her parents bought her stacks and stacks of books. She'd evolved from teen reads to YA, romance, and more.
Whenever she'd crack open a new book, she always managed to get lost in the author's words. She marveled at how words on a page could transport someone into a completely different world.
Books were her main escape during the worst time of her life. And books were always there for her when things were hard, so it was a no-brainer for her to head over to a bookstore after the night she had. No—the past weeks that she's had, actually.
Mia went through the shelves, her hands brushing the spines of the books on display. She pulled several books off the shelves, taking the time to go over the covers and read their summaries at the back of each book.
She walked past different aisles, shelves stacked to the brim with books, looking at each author's name. A tug pulled at her heartstrings, something telling her maybe her name should be on those shelves. She shook her head at the thought.
"Something to disapprove of?" a voice behind her said, making Mia jump up in surprise.
She turned around to be greeted by a man with deep-set brown eyes, crinkled because of his smile, with wavy brown hair almost tumbling over his eyes. It was John, her regular barista over at The Alley.