Gravitating : Book 1 (The Defying Series)

Chapter Thirteen

"Thank you" Mia muttered, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I know, things have been rough and the way you handling everything... I got to say that you're strong" Nick confessed.

Mia nodded her head and patted him on his back before turning to Leah and mouthing 'What's up with him?', to which Leah shrugged with a smile.

"Xander and Catherine would be leaving for a hike tomorrow, and he had invited us-"

Mia pulled back to say that she was not going anywhere with them but then she saw Leah's face get the same irritated expression she entered the room with. So she turned to Nick and waited for him to explain but he stayed quiet.

"Leah?" She urged.

"By us he means just me and him." Leah snickered. "Nick is being a pansy in telling him no"

Even though Mia felt a pang in her chest, she pushed it back and rolled her eyes. "He's family Leah, Nick can't just go ahead and tell him no."

"It's for this whole week, we won't be coming back until the school starts" Leah screeched, glaring at Nick like she wanted to murder him that very moment.

Mia turned to take a peak at Nick. He looked absolutely torn between two sides and she was probably the only one who could save his back because that's exactly what best friends did. "Leah" She called out. "Lucas is going to be back soon. I won't be alone and you know how much I hate hikes. I'd rather stay here. That's the best for me"

Leah simply gave away a frosty nose stare in return.

It took another hour for Mia to convince Leah, and when she finally had her convinced Nick started having second thoughts. However by the end of the night she had helped Leah pack her bag and convinced Nick that he wouldn't come back to find her dead.

They left before Mia woke up in the morning and even though she didn't like waking up to an almost empty house she was happy that she won'y be having anyone accompany her to the Library. She convinced Sebastian that she would be safe since she would take his car which could apparently survive an apocalypse at the breakfast, even though he was skeptic at first but he agreed when Jonathan and Susanne influenced him.

Mia was back in her room when the clock struck 10 am, she went through her wardrobe like a cyclone and came out looking as good as she could with a bird nest atop her head. She quickly untangled the mess and decided to tame her locks for once with the straightener. One she was sure that her lips didn't resemble Sahara Desert she put the books in her bag and ventured out to the garage.

The Wilsons had seven cars, and a huge garage. One could easily hide behind one of those machines and go undetected for months. Mia walked over to her assigned car, which also used to be Sebastian's old car before slipping in and adjusting the seat since she will never be as tall as her uncle.

She drove the car very carefully, and it was easy since it was a clear day. However she let out a deep breath when she finally got out of the car. She was ten minutes late but she was being extra cautious. She was sure Xavier would understand.

The library looked normal from outside, but she had these thoughts about the accident and Mrs Goodwill's death in the back of her head as she made her way through the parking lot. She took a deep breath once she reached the entrance, though before she could open the door from outside someone already opened it from inside and crashed against her. They'd both have went down if Xavier hadn't kept his balance and caught her.

"I should't have greeted you like that" He muttered, unmoving with his hands around Mia's waist and face less than a breath away. "I thought you wouldn't come" He added.

Mia, highly aware of their proximity but completely unaware of her toe at the edge of a step, put her heel down to take a step back which ended up with her body being pressed completely against Xavier's and her hands grabbing his shirt for dear life.

"Careful" He muttered.

Mia looked up at his face, those expressive eyes of his were lit dimly with happiness. However he lacked the warmth that one felt through touch. He felt like he had been outside for too long. He was cold as ice, so much that she found herself shiver when his fingers rested on the bare part of her waist. Her top must've risen up somehow when he caught her.

Xavier stepped back and cleared his throat. "We should go inside" He said. Holding the door open.

Mia walked in after giving him an awkward smile. She could still feel his touch even though he was more than a feet away from her. He must've held her in a strong grip. Jeez, she had to do something about her clumsiness.

"You've cleaned this place up completely" Mia muttered as soon as her eyes fell over the shelves. Though she never complained but Mrs Goodwill was old and the Library, even after having the best books was very badly kept.

"Yes, took up the whole night and the whole morning. The wallpapers were the hardest. I'm glad I got the same ones."

"You'd always get them at Prefect Indoors, they're like the symbol of that store. They never run out of them." Mia said, a faint smile appearing on her lips when she remembered how Nick scared the cashier.

"Is there a story I don't know of?" Xavier asked, walking in front of Mia and leaning against a shelf.

The Library received very scant sunlight, it was mostly lit with high power lights which bathed the room in a golden glow and maybe for the first time, Mia found herself attracted to anything rather than the books in the room she was in.

She cleared her throat. "Well there was this one time I went to that store with my best friend and his mother. The cashier ended up thinking we both were sisters and invited us to his party. My best friend pretty much scared him for the rest of his life"  

Xavier chuckled. "You have a pretty protective best friend then. Should I be warned of him?" He added, a soft smirk playing on his lips.

"Only if you have any bad intention" She said, smiling.

Xavier straightened himself before taking a step towards her. "And what if I can't classify my intentions in to good and bad?" He asked.

"He'll classify them for you don't worry" Mia chuckled.

Xavier nodded. "Why didn't I think of that" He laughed. "Come on" He added, grabbing Mia's hand and pulling her forward. "Let me show you the rest of it"

Mia dropped her book bag on the nearest table and let Xavier guide her through the familiar yet somehow unfamiliar hallways. She had to say that the Library looked better than ever, and if Xavier kept improving it this way it'd soon bloom into a much popular business. However Mia couldn't see a single soul except her and Xavier anywhere.

"Is the Library not open yet?" She asked as Xavier stopped at the last section. Mia looked at the heading that read SUPERNATURAL, she was sure that she never came across this section before. Either this was new or the heading was coated with dust before.

Xavier rubbed the back of his neck, looking kind of nervous. "Not yet, I uh- made some changes and I wanted you to see them and tell me your thoughts before I open it"