Loving You

XVIII. Restless

Wednesday, February 10th, 2016

"Aspen." Late the next morning I heard Mia knocking on my bedroom door, but I couldn't muster up the energy to even lift my head. I heard the door open and all of a sudden I felt the bed shift as she crawled in next to me. "Bexley said you were sick. Are you okay?" 

I shook my head softly. "Not today." My voice came out in a hoarse whisper. 

Mia must've seen something in my expression or eyes or something, because she sat up abruptly. "What happened? Who do I need to sic Knox on?" I just shook my head, having a difficult time meeting her eyes. She lowered her voice to just above a whisper, surreptitiously glancing at my open bedroom door. "What the fuck did he do? I'll cut him." 

Forcing myself to sit up, I shook my head. "No... He didn't do anything wrong. He just..." 

"What? Azzy, please. Bexley and Duke are keeping the boys busy. Tell me." So I did. 

"We had sex, And it was incredible..."

"But...?" 

"But I think he just wanted to see if it would jog his memory. It didn't." 

Mia smiled softly, brushing strands of messy hair out of my face. "Are you sure, sweetie? I see the way he looks at you." I wanted to be offended that she was questioning me and taking his side, but I just let out a deep breath, and blinked back tears. 

"Afterwards, he seemed so disappointed. I pointed it out and he even admitted it. I just feel so... used. What if it was all a lie?" 

"Girly. I say this with all the love in the world. But you're an idiot. He's not hiding it ever. He's absolutely infatuated with you. So, he was a little bummed it didn't trigger any memories. That doesn't mean he lied about anything. Don't get me wrong. Your feelings are totally valid. But so are his." 

"Huh." I figured she was probably right, but I really didn't want to hear it. 

Mia seemed to sense my reticence. "Okay. Take your sick day. I've got the day off so Bex, Duke, and I are spending it together. You rest." She started to shimmy her way across my messy bed when she suddenly froze, her eyes glued to my open computer screen, which I'd just woken up. "What the hell is that?" Her voice rose several octaves. 

Almost the second the words were out of her mouth, Soren and Knox crowded my bedroom door. Both looking extremely alarmed. "What? What's wrong?" Knox moved further into my room and started looking around like he was trying to spot the danger. 

Before I could say a word, Mia snatched up my laptop and hopped off the edge of my bed. Her eyes started to fill with tears as she read the latest email from Isla Moon. 

"Is this what I think it is? This is from the Isla? The one you met...?" I nodded my head while she showed it off to the Grimes brothers. "She's gonna go after all." Her voice cracked, and she started to sob as she buried her face into Knox's hoodie. 

"It's not like it's forever or-"

"This is fucking amazing! Oh, and they're even going to accommodate Bexley and Duke too." 

"Wow. That's cool of them. Now we just gotta find a new manager or two. They're going to be so happy." Soren moved around my bed and leaned over to bear hug me so hard I could barely breathe. 

"You... You guys aren't mad?" I asked quietly, while Mia continued to sniff and cry. 

"Mad?" Knox questioned, tucking her under his arm. "Why the hell would we be mad? Haven't we been bugging you to do shit like this for years?"