In the middle of the ocean

Chapter 13: Small trip

When our laughter dies down, we wipe our eyes full of tears and look at each other. As I gaze into his eyes, they take me to another world. A world, where on a big green field stands a small brick house with a terrace full of flowers and a quiet creek next to it. "Mia," I hear a voice behind me and turn around. On the other side, Mark is walking towards me with a big smile, waving his hand. 

I flinch and break eye contact, slightly clearing my voice. 

"We better go to sleep. It's almost midnight," I say and lay into the soft bed. Mark closes his eyes and also lays on the sofa, covering himself with a blanket. He turns off the lamp and darkness spreads into the room almost immediately going away as the moon shines through the balcony door. 

"Good night, Mia," Mark quietly whispers. 

"Good night," I whisper back and curl into the soft cushion.

Loud crashing of the dishes wakes me up and I groggily cover my head with the blanket, trying to tune out the sound.

"Come on, Sleeping beauty, wake up! It's a new day," Mark shouts out with joy. He pulls the blanket from me, cold air engulfing me suddenly. I immediately wake up. I glare at Mark, who is happily singing to himself and preparing something in the kitchen.

"Wash up and come sit at the table. I'm making us breakfast."

I unwillingly stand up and follow his instructions. After a shower, my head becomes more clear and I sit down with an empty stomach. There's already a plate with hot fried eggs and some fresh cut vegetables. The food is more than delicious, so I clear the plate right away. Mark joins soon and laughs, starting to eat as well.

I look at the clock and see it's only 7 in the morning. 

"Will you please tell me, why you woke me up at 7 when we have a free day today?" I ask him, angry.

"We're going on a date," he answers, short.

"Where and who's going?" I ask, shocked.

"We're going on a date, or a small trip, if you like it better," he answers and smiles his boyish smile.

Still without words, I shake my head.

"If I were you, I'd start preparing. I know women need twice more time than men."

"No, we don't," I reply annoyed but still take my bag and take it with me to the bathroom. I take all of my clothes out and observe them. What should I wear? I'm not working today so I can't just wear anything ordinary. Why am I even getting worked up about this?

I take a deep breath and reach for my phone.

"Mia!" someone happily booms in the phone.

"Mary! You can't believe how much I missed you," I say, worn out and sit on the toilet. "I need your help."

"Sure! What's up?"

"Um," I start but then stop. I already started so I'm going to finish it. "I'm going on a trip and I don't know what to wear."

There's silence for a good minute and then I hear her wacky voice.

"So a date."

I sharply inhale." Why is she also calling this a date?

"It's not a date! It's a small trip."

I can hear her laugh. "Okay be it your way. And?"

"Help me pick out my clothes!"

"Fine. First, tell me which style Mark likes?"

"Mark? Why?"

"You are going out with him, right?"

I stay silent, which she takes as a confirmation. 

"Way to go, Mia!"

"Mary, you're thinking too much. Instead, help me! It's like a sea of clothes in here."

"Okay, okay! I'm working on it," she replies and helps me pick out something passable for the next half an hour. After we finish, I stand before the mirror in my dress and apply some mascara and a thin layer of nude lipstick. After that, I hear a knock on the bathroom door.

"Mia, you ready? We're running a bit late," Mark informs me.

"Just a second," I reply and open the door. A rather impatient Mark awaits before me. His eyes stop on me, then slowly travel down my body, back to my face. He doesn't say a thing and when I start to feel uncomfortable, I open my mouth.

"Is everything okay? Do I look weird?"

"Far from that. You look really beautiful," he breaths, his eyes still on me. 

Blush covers my cheeks and I hide behind my short hair. 

"Should we go now?" he asks and I nod. Before we leave, I grab my purse, that was hanging on the chair and follow him out of the hotel.

"Where are we even going?" I ask excitedly when he leads me to his car.

"In the city, shopping," he smiles and opens the door for me. I sit in and the motor starts. After 15 minutes we stop in front of a big shopping mall. Quiet, he takes my hand and pulls me through the circling door into an enormous space with hallways on each side, which divide into even more hallways. There are stores everywhere, sitting close next to each other and people are almost fighting to get to their goal as soon as possible.

"There," says Mark and pulls me into an elevator. He presses the floor number 3. It seems he knows where we're heading. I slight grip reminds me we're still holding hands, so I try to shake him off but he just grips my hand even more.

"Sorry, but it's better we stick together. I don't want to lose you in this crowd."

The elevator opens with a sound and I give in, letting him have my hand.

Maybe he's right. I really don't want to get lost here.

We walk towards a shop named Kleinfeld Bridal. Isn't this the most popular and well-known company for wedding dresses? What the hell are we doing here?