Fixing You

03. People Who Smell Like Money

"Are you sure you don't want to borrow it?" Carter asked as soon as he got in his car.

Mia had lost the idea of time. The sun was setting when they left the cafe after a cup of coffee and another cup of tea while reading to their heart's content. Heck, Mia didn't even realize he red five books while she was lost in one.

"I'm pretty sure I can find the spoilers online," Mia sighed and looked at him. She shrugged to the smirk on his face. "And even if I want to borrow it, I can always come back. Without you and your arrogant mouth."

Carter put his attention on the road as they left the parking spot and down the road back to campus. "Sure, there are many spoilers online, but you'll miss out on the good parts. They usually don't spoil those."

Mia was curious. She was in deep focus when Carter stopped her reading because he had other plans that evening. She thought she couldn't borrow anything from the store, too. Mia looked at him and he smirked again, knowing he'd easily won. "Do I have to sign up for membership or anything to borrow from them?"

Carter chuckled, "You can use mine."

"Okay... Then let me borrow it." Mia said monotonously.

"Ask nicely, Damian."

Mia rolled her eyes and sighed. Beg him? Never. For a book?

Maybe.

"Please take me back to the cafe and lend me your membership so I can borrow the book?" Mia asked nicely, like he told her to. She knew she met his expectations when Carter laughed and nodded, driving around the block to drop her off so she could go back to the store.

"Take your time," he passed her his card, "The limit is ten books."

"Thanks," Mia hummed, exiting the car and heading back to the cafe while Carter waited outside in his car.

When Mia got back to her room, Hazel was already in her sleepwear and reading something on her laptop. It took a lot of courage for Mia to enter the room. She even considered sleeping at the common studying area where either the diligent or procrastinator type of students usually gather all night, just to avoid confronting Hazel.

She glanced cautiously at Hazel and cleared her throat as she head to her bed and placed a set of books on her desk. She paced around the room, taking off her jewelries. Mia then held out her bracelets to Hazel, "I think you should have these."

"I don't want them," Hazel scoffed as she shook her head, keeping her gaze glued on the laptop screen.

Mia pondered, staring at the bracelets, "Right? I should just throw them away."

Hazel sighed, "I mean, I don't want to take anything that means something to you and Aiden." She stared at Mia, "I'm still angry but I'm sorry for what I said to you. I was just... angry."

"I'm sorry for what I did to you, too. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I swear it was an honest mistake."

Hazel replied with a nod and they stayed in an awkward silence for the next minute. Mia kept her bracelets in the drawer and saw herself out of Hazel's sight. It wasn't a big of a deal, but Mia felt relieved after talking to Hazel again. Things will never revert to the way it was, but at least they're still talking.

Mia went to the bathroom and placed her phone on the sink counter. She looked at her reflection and sighed as she took off her blouse. She glanced at her phone as a text came in, and it was from Carter:

I had fun.

Mia shook her head and sighed softly. Carter tricked her into actually reading for the first time in a long while. He left her alone and bored for half an hour while he's reading and it successfully made her turn to the book for entertainment. Mia didn't expect to get hooked with the story she read, but she did. She was dying to know what was going to happen in the next chapter after another.