Can You Hear the Ocean?

Chapter 47

"Alright, alright," Leila said. She reluctantly pulled Mia's arms away from her and sat up. Mia once again began to pout.

"You love the cat more than me," Mia lamented.

"I'm protecting you from getting swatted in the face," Leila argued. "You'll get up, won't you? Didn't you say you'd help me with breakfast?"

Mia nodded and slowly sat up as well. Leila quickly made her bed in the seconds that followed. Before she could open her bedroom door, however, Mia wrapped her arms around her and embraced her. Leila smiled and held her close. As they pulled away, Leila leaned down and kissed Mia.

"Good morning," Leila said.

"Good morning," Mia replied. "I want to wake up like this every day from now on."

Leila smiled and glanced at the bed beside them. "We'll have to move your things into here at some point, won't we? I mean, unless you want to keep your room."

"I don't think I can ever sleep in that bed again. Last night was some of the best sleep I've ever gotten since moving back here," Mia told her. "I'm sure we can rearrange some things, and you can have your office back."

"I'm not sure how much I'll need an office," Leila admitted. "Why don't we convert that room into an art space for you?"

"Are you sure?" Mia asked. "This isn't my apartment to begin with—"

Leila cut her off with a kiss. "I'm sure. We can discuss the details later. For now, I think if I don't feed Fuji soon he really will murder me," she said, staring at the cat in the corner. He was glaring daggers at the both of them.

Leila reluctantly let go of Mia and stepped out into the kitchen. Once Fuji was chowing down his breakfast, Leila began pulling out ingredients for her and Mia to share.

"How about pancakes?" Leila asked. "Do you want to cook the bacon while I make the batter?"

"Sure," Mia agreed

As they stood side-by-side at the stove, Leila knew she had made the right choice. She had never doubted herself to begin with, but now she was absolutely certain. Cooking with Mia, exchanging smiles, and sharing the occasional kiss -- it was all Leila had dreamed of the past few months. As the smell of crackling bacon filled the air and the birds chirped outside, Leila felt inexplicably happy.

As they sat at the kitchen table, Leila happily exchanged conversation with Mia. For the most part, their conversation remained the same as it had been, but every once in a while, Mia's face would redden with a blush, or Leila would look away in embarrassment.

I can't believe I have a girlfriend now, she would think every few moments. And I can't believe that it's Mia.

"Hey, do you think we can visit my mother's grave today?" Mia asked. "I'd like to drop off some flowers."

"Sure. Let's stop by the florist shop before we go. We can get her some poinsettias," Leila suggested.

In Leila's car, they sang old Christmas carols, and at the florist's shop, they picked out the most vibrant bouquet of red poinsettias that they could find. They arrived to the cemetery in good spirits, and as they walked down the line of graves, they tightly clung onto each other's hands.

Mia slowly stopped at her mother's grave and wiped away the fresh layer of snow that had settled onto the marble headstone. She scraped some more snow away to make a spot for the poinsettias, and Leila carefully set the bouquet down.

"Hey, Mom," Mia said, looking at the gravestone.

Leila was about to speak up, having never heard Mia address her deceased mother before, but Mia's gaze was so focused deeply on her mother's gravesite that Leila kept quiet. Instead, she held onto Mia's hand and stood listening, as Mia continued to speak.