Crossroads

Chapter 15

"Fucking hell..." I mutter to myself before I jump up as well, yelling after her, "You know this apartment isn't all too big, right. I'll find you!"

I can't help but laugh when I enter the living room, her voice resounding from the kitchen, "Who said I'm hiding?"

But as I enter the kitchen I can't see her anywhere, and for a second I'm actually confused, but then I hear a noise coming from the corner of the room.

"Oh, you're kidding me..." I chuckle as I make my way to the door, and of course when I open it there she stands, a jar of flour in her hand and a huge ass grin on her face. "The pantry, Mia? Really?"

She laughs again and I can't help but join in, shaking my head as I place a quick kiss on her forehead. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"I do. It's a good crazy, though. Right?"

"Right. Very good crazy."

Her response is a simple wink before she slips through the door frame, slapping my behind on her way back into the kitchen. And as always I can't help but watch her work her magic, as she always does. The way she cooks should be illegal, she looks so fucking good and magical with everything she does, it's hard not to study her 24/7. Especially ever since we accepted our attraction it's almost impossible to stay away.

I don't understand how I ended up here, living with this beautiful, extraordinarily strong woman, who even cooks me goddamn breakfast, I mean... What on earth is happening?

She's quiet during breakfast, which once again is uncharacteristic for her. I don't know if it's because of our trip in a few hours, or if it's something else that's bothering her. I've been trying to ask her more about herself, although I know we still mostly focus on me in our conversations. She always insists that it's okay and that she'd tell me when she had something to say, but still. Sometimes it seems like I don't know everything I'd like to know about her.

"What's your plan for the week?" I ask, taking a sip of my coffee.

But she just bites into her sandwich, her eyes set on her cup of tea which she stirs with the spoon in her hand, and she takes a few moments before she answers, "I'll be out of the house tomorrow."

That's new. She's usually home on Tuesdays, the only reason she leaves the house that day is to go grocery shopping.

"Okay... For how long?"

"Um... I don't know. I think at least half the day?"

"Where are you going?" I don't want to sound controlling or anything like that, it's just so weird that she's closing off this way. She's usually an open book.

"Doesn't matter," she mumbles before taking a sip from her tea, and this just makes me raise both my eyebrows.

I've gotten to know Mia over the past few weeks, and there are two things that became more than obvious during that time. One: Mia isn't afraid to say what she thinks. She opens up easily, tells you what she feels and offers her opinion. Two, and this is the more prominent one: Mia is not afraid, in general. She takes on every battle like a warrior princess, like Xena herself she slashes every obstacle that gets in her way.

"I'm sorry, I..." she finally sighs, and once again I can only envy her for the strength she carries around every single day, "You know, my brother once said something that just stuck in my brain. I'm scared of it sometimes."

She fiddles with the string of the teabag in her cup, and I can't help but take her hand in my own, maybe it shows her she can open up to me.

"He said that I'm too strong for my own good. That I shut people out by not wanting to lay anything on them, by trying to hide my feelings... He said it made me cold, and apparently I seem calculated at times," she clears her throat as she studies the rings on her fingers.