6,000 Miles (Station 19)

Breathe In Breathe Out

Carina's POV:

I climbed into bed and fell back against the headboard, completely exhausted from the day.

"How are you doing, love?" Maya asked as she got changed. I let out a sigh and she turned around to face me. Not sure what words to use to describe all the emotions flowing through me, I gave her a sad smile and shrugged. She came over and joined me in bed, softly sitting down beside me.

"Thinking about tomorrow?" she asked.

I nodded as I felt my eyes well up. She pulled me into her, kissing my forehead as I rested on her shoulder. I blinked back my tears and wiped away the few that escaped.

"It's okay," I heard Maya say quietly. "You've had a smile on all day for your sister. You can cry if you need to."

I didn't want to cry, it felt like that was all I had been doing for days, but in the warmth of her arms I couldn't help it. Eventually she laid us down, guiding my head down onto her chest. I wrapped an arm around her, pulling myself even further into her comfort. My eyelids grew heavy and as if she could sense it, Maya reached over and turned off our bedside lamp, keeping one arm around me the entire time.

"Get some sleep my love," I heard her say slowly, stroking my hair as I drifted off to sleep. "I'm here."

Adelina's POV:

I tossed and turned all night unable to sleep in part because of the jetlag and in part because I was dreading today. By 6am I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep anymore and decided to just get up. Assuming Carina and Maya were still in bed, I grabbed a book from my bag and plopped down on the couch to read. I was texting Papà letting him know I was safely with Carina, when I paused, thinking I heard footsteps. 

"Good morning Addie." I jumped as I heard Maya's voice coming from the kitchen behind me.

"Oh hi," I said, quickly turning around. "I didn't know you guys were awake."

Maya smiled, "Your sister's still sleeping. I'm usually up early to run."

I nodded and looked back at my book before quickly turning around again to face her.

"Can I come?" I asked tentatively, not wanting to impose.

"On a run?" Maya asked.

I nodded.

"Yeah of course! Go get changed and we'll head out."

I smiled and dashed back to my room to throw on leggings, a tank top, and my running sneakers, then headed back to the living room.

"That was quick," Maya laughed as I flipped my head over, quickly tying my long brown hair back into a ponytail. "You ready?" she asked.

As we headed out Maya began to explain that she goes for pretty long runs so I should let her know if I wanted to head back at any point. I appreciated it, but it wouldn't be necessary.

"I may not be an olympian," I started, giving her a sly smile. "But I run cross-country at my school. I'm used to running 10+ miles a day."

Maya smiled and nudged my arm. "Well alright then," she said as we made it out to the street and she started picking up her pace.
"Let's go," she said as she sprinted past me. I laughed and chased after her.
"On your left," I called out as I passed her.

"Oh you don't really think you can outrun me do you?" she asked, teasing me as she dug in and ran faster.

"Oh, I really do."

We chased each other through the streets of Seattle for a good three miles. Eventually Maya led us to a park and we ran a few laps around its trails. When we made it back to the sidewalks, Maya turned down a small street, still running full speed. I followed after her, almost crashing when she came to a sudden stop. I looked around trying to figure out what was happening.

"Why did you stop?" I panted.

Maya pointed at a small shop on the corner. "I realized we were close to this bakery and it's Carina's favorite. Thought we could pick up pastries for breakfast."

I smiled and nodded. It makes me so happy to see that my sister has a girlfriend that cares so much about her. Plus a pastry sounded great.

As we walked back, each holding a full bag of croissants, donuts, and danishes, we made small talk about running. She asked about my cross country team and I told her all about my training schedule and my friends on the team. I kept my smile up, but deep down, thinking about it made me sad. I couldn't help but wonder if I'd ever get to be with my team again. Or if my dad would even let me come home to Italy.

Changing the subject, I asked Maya about her gold medal. I was so fascinated listening to her talk about her experience at the Olympics that I didn't even notice we had made it back to the apartment. Walking in, I hoped Carina would be awake but she wasn't. I think Maya could sense my disappointment because she told me they had been up late the night before.

Maya gestured to the kitchen and I sat down at the counter while she made coffee.

"How has she been doing?" I asked slowly. I had been wondering for a while. Whenever we talk I can tell she tries to put on a brave face for me.

Looking at Maya, I could tell she wasn't sure what to say, so I clarified my question.

"How is she really?"

Maya sighed. She explained how rough the first few days were, how Carina was lying on the floor, in the hallway, sitting in the shower. She was a total mess. After the initial shock wore off, Maya explained, Carina started to become more functional, still sad, but at least she was eating and sleeping.

She paused and looked at me, giving me a smile that I couldn't help but return.

"What?" I asked with a laugh.

"It's just that yesterday, when she was with you, that was the happiest and most okay I've seen her since Andrew died."

My smile quickly faded when I heard her words. 'Andrew died.' Mentally I knew it was true, I had heard it and said it over and over again, but emotionally it just didn't feel real. I still couldn't believe that I could possibly be living in a world without my big brother in it.

"You okay?" Maya asked quietly, pulling me from my thoughts. She handed over a large mug of coffee.

I nodded. "Thank you." I said softly, taking a sip. It wasn't as good as the espresso back home, but it was warm and sweet and felt good in my stomach.

"You're welcome," she responded casually.

I paused and looked at her. "No really, thank you."

Maya cocked her head slightly, a puzzled expression on her face. "What for?"

"For taking such great care of my sister." I gave her a slight smile as I continued. "She's not always great at letting people take care of her, but I see the way she looks at you and talks about you and the way you are together. I'm just really glad she has that."

Maya blushed. "Well I'm very lucky and grateful to have Carina too."

"And!" she added, "I'm really happy that you're here."

I smiled, relieved that she felt that way. Especially since I hadn't heard back from my dad yet.

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Author's note:

Thanks so much for reading!

More from Carina's POV next time :)