Fixing You

38. Unannounced

Mia tossed and turned in bed as she tried her best to find the right position to fall asleep in. It has been going well with the new chapter of her life - she got a job as a secretary at a small newspaper company nearby, she bought a car for herself and a driver's license, she also deliver homegrown flowers to a flower shop in town on the weekends for extra profits, Dan was coping well with cutting down his drinks and he started volunteering to distract himself... Everything was going well.

Except that she missed Carter a lot for the past five months. They haven't met and haven't managed to find time to talk to each other as much as they did since the last weekend after they got back together. The six months of break from him weren't even half as painful as being apart while clearly being in a relationship.

The only thing keeping her going about her daily life was the fact that he had subtly tried to help her by sending fresh flowers to her house so she could grow her garden a little faster. One time, he delivered a mini wooden house with a note saying 'to fool the squirrels to hangout with you' and Mia's hormones had trouble coping that she had to cry while setting up the house at the garden.

No squirrels dropped by. But a bird somehow live there now.

Carter got busier in time. He was doing great with his job and at being her lover. Mia wished she could give him the same energy but she could hardly surprise him with anything. She even secretly wished she got pregnant after the reckless weekend they spent together, just so she could surprise him. Even her cycles were on time. To be fair, they did make sure she took the morning after pills the second they woke up.

She checked her phone. The last text she got from Carter was him telling her that he had to attend meetings all day. Mia got up and eventually decided to take a brisk walk just to tire herself up to sleep easier.

"Mia?" Dan called from his room as Mia walked past his door. He jolted up from bed and approached her. "Where are you going?"

"Outside. I wanted to walk for a bit," Mia told him.

"At this hour?" Dan frowned, "It's almost eleven. I'll come with you."

"It's okay, I'll just go to the garden real quick and come back inside," Mia told him. "You should rest. You've had a long day."

"No, I'm fine. I'll come with you," Dan shrugged, "Unless you want to be alone...?"

"I think I want to be by myself for a bit," Mia smiled, "Thanks for thinking about me."

"I see. Don't forget your phone, okay? Call me if you need anything."

"Sure," Mia nodded before walking away. She went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of hot chocolate before heading out to their little garden. Mia froze at the porch when a familiar car pulled up to their driveway.

"Oh, my God..." Mia put her glass down on the floor and head out barefoot to greet the man before he even stepped out of the car. "Carter!" She gasped.

"Well, that surprise was a fail," Carter chuckled, stepping out of the car and immediately welcoming Mia into his embrace. "I missed you, puppy."

"I can't believe you're here!" She peeled away to look at him, touching the stubbles on his face, "And you look rough."

"Yeah," he frowned, "Maybe it's a sign that I should get a wife to remind me I need to shave."

Mia chuckled. Carter lifted her up against him, carrying her in his arms. "I missed you," Mia said, almost in tears. She kissed him dearly and felt a huge sense of relief after he reminded her how good it feels to be held by him.

"I didn't mean to come over at this hour," Carter clarified. "I just couldn't wait to see you, so I figured I should leave straight after work and drive here. I was going to spend the night at a motel before seeing you tomorrow. I didn't expect you to walk out just as I was passing by."