Captive in Plain Sight

Doi || Wreck

Shots for happy hour weren't the bar norm, but she didn't care. It was almost 7 p.m. and she needed to let loose for once. She was tired of having to be so uptight all the time and it felt good being with someone who was also going through something.

"I'm just upset, you know?" Alec continued.  "She knew today was going to be difficult for me. For months she'd begged me to take her to the Paramount for Aida, and she dumps me a week before."

"You have tickets to Aida?" Mila asked slack jawed, eyes bulging. She LOVED that opera. She was a major choir nerd in high school and had been wanting to see Aida her whole life. It was only playing for a month and most likely wouldn't for another ten years. "If you don't find another friend to go with I would love to join!" she blurted before she could stop herself.

Alec's eyes lit up. More time with Mila, he thought.

"I mean..." she slowed her roll as she read the excitement on his face. "I'm happy to pay you for the ticket. My boyfriend Evan, has been trying to get tickets for weeks, but they've been sold out."

Alec shook his head, "I wouldn't dream of charging you. I'd love some company!"

Mila did a mental sigh of relief. He seemed unfazed by the mention of her boyfriend. She wasn't assuming Alec liked her, but she also didn't want to lead him on. She felt more comfortable now.

Alec played it off well. He was furious at the mention of her boyfriend. Mila was his. That kid couldn't give her half of what he could, she would see that soon enough.

Two hours later...

Mila thought Alec was surprisingly easy to talk to. After getting to know him, she felt she unfairly judged him when they first met. She found him quite understanding, witty and interesting.

They talked about everything, from his Seattle-Parisian upbringing, to her life before Seattle.

"Wait," he said looking dumbstruck. "You went to grad school only a year after you lost all the knowledge you learned from undergrad?"

"I'm a quick study," she replied. "I lost half my senior year in highschool as well." Mila had also skipped two grades in elementary school and began attending college classes sophomore year. She felt uncomfortable  sharing her intellect with people she didn't know.

To be fair, she had a good excuse for playing her cards so close to her chest. In school she'd been an outcast, and neither the teachers or students liked her much. Mila looked different from the majority of people in the small town where she was raised. She was Afro-Brazilian, pretty, and smart as-a-whip. Being too different from the status quo subjected her to ridicule, and unsubstantiated judgement. It wasn't until she left Michigan she had her first date. Mila blossomed in the city, and realized the outside world valued her unique qualities.

"What was that like?" Alec asked, pulling her away from her thoughts. "Recovering from an accident like that?"

"Well, very traumatic at first," she said. "You can imagine waking up in a hospital bed in searing pain, with no hair." she recollected the worried, disappointed look on her mother's face and it made her wince.

He looked at her in awe. "You literally just made my face fall off."

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, it just means you've surprised me and I think you're amazing," he clarified. "Something my mother always says. Her name is Celine, and she's French."

"Thanks," she said. She was flattered, but didn't feel like talking about it anymore. She was starting to feel guilty about what she was currently drinking and pushed it to the side.