Can You Hear the Ocean?

Chapter 17

"Make way for the special guests!" Leila's mother exclaimed.

"Was your mother always this enthusiastic?" Mia muttered quietly beside Leila.

Leila herself was slightly embarrassed how big of a deal her mother was turning Mia's visit into. She shook her head at Mia and glanced out at the rest of her family.

"Um, I'm sure you all remember her – well except you, Shannon – but this Mia, my new roommate and childhood friend," Leila said. "Mia, I'm sure you remember my dad and my brother," she said, pointing to the two. She gestured toward the young woman sitting next to Gavin on the couch. "And this is my brother's fiancée, Shannon."

"Hey everyone," Mia said, giving a slight wave. "Thanks for the invitation tonight."

"Anytime," Leila's father replied. "Are you doing well?"

"I'm doing good," Mia replied simply.

"We heard your father passed away. So sorry to hear that," Leila's father said. Leila quickly glared at him, though he didn't seem to notice. She figured the last thing Mia wanted was to be reminded of her dead parents while eating dinner.

"Oh, um, thank you," Mia murmured.

"You're welcome here anytime," Leila's mother assured Mia. "If there's anything we can do for you, you just let us know."

"Thank you," Mia responded.

"Come on. Let's get some appetizers," Leila said, leading her to the kitchen. Gavin followed them, an empty plate in hand.

"Already getting seconds?" Leila asked.

"Hey, shut up. All the wedding stuff stresses me out," he said, beginning to pile some more tortilla chips onto his plate. He shifted his gaze to Mia. "How have you been doing?" he asked.

"Oh! Good, I guess," Mia said. "Congrats on your engagement."

"Thanks," Gavin responded. "Bet you didn't think I had it in me."

"Does Shannon know you used to eat crayons as a kid?" Mia asked.

"Sh! Quiet down!" Gavin exclaimed. "Jeez, Lei, don't bring your childhood friends over again. I don't want to remember all this embarrassing stuff."

Mia rolled her eyes. "When are you getting married?" she asked.

"In the fall."

Mia smiled. "That'll be pretty. Fall in Maine is something else. I'm looking forward to experiencing it again."

Leila was happy to see them conversing. Mia still appeared to be on edge, but now that the basic introductions were over, the attention was no longer solely focused on her. As Gavin returned to the living room, Leila glanced at the staircase behind her.

"Hey, you should see my old room," Leila said.

"Is it still painted that gross purple color?" Mia asked.

"You know it," Leila replied. She hoped getting Mia away from the others for a bit would at least allow Leila herself to calm down a bit as well.

As they headed up the staircase, Leila felt that same sense of déjà vu Mia had mentioned earlier. They'd spent many times running up and down these stairs as children. Occasionally during sleepovers, they'd even race their sleeping bags down them in the morning. As they headed up toward Leila's bedroom, they both walked with a familiar ease. Leila wondered how many hours they had spent total in Leila's room growing up.

"The posters are new," Mia said once she stepped into the room. "You used to just have fairy lights and some pictures taped on the wall."

"Yeah, I changed it up when I was a teenager," Leila explained. "The layout is still the same as when we were kids though."