Leila stood on her parent's front porch, shivering slightly from the autumn cold. Her knock echoed against the front door in a whisper. Leila raised her fist to knock louder, but the door opened quickly, and suddenly she was being ushered inside by her mother. Leila turned to give a greeting to her worrisome mother, but Vivian Sutherland had already placed her hand on top of Leila's forehead.
"Good. It's not warm," her mother observed.
"Clearly. I wouldn't come over here if I were still feeling sick," Leila told her.
"How are you feeling now?" her mother asked.
"I'm fine, Mom," Leila assured her as she shrugged off her coat and set it on a nearby chair.
"Sick for nearly a week, and you didn't ask us to check on you at all! We were all worried," her mother said. She appeared angered for a moment, but her look of concern vanished quickly as she wrapped Leila in a large hug and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Mom, stop coddling!" Leila complained.
"How come you don't treat me like that when I get sick?" Gavin asked from the couch. He had a beer in his hand and a bowl of chips on his lap as the football game played out on the television in front of him.
"Oh, hush!" Leila's mother responded.
"I'm fine, I promise," Leila assured her mother. "I haven't had a fever in a few days. Catching up on work will be a pain, but I feel much better. Mia took good care of me."
"Well, at least she's looking out for you," Leila mother's said. "She didn't want to come tonight?"
Leila shook her head. "No, she's out with her boyfriend." She tried to hide the bitterness in her tone as she said it.
After Mia had refused to leave her side all week, it felt strange returning to their separate lives again. As soon as Leila had gotten better, Mia's dates with Julian became more frequent, though Leila knew she couldn't blame Mia. She'd kept Mia way from her boyfriend for a week after all. However, the quiet moments they used to share together when Leila was sick had vanished as well. They still ate together and discussed who could use the bathroom first before bed, but their interactions were never as tender as they once were when Mia had been caring for Leila. The distance Leila had hoped had shrunk in the past week seemed to have expanded once more.
I never forgot. Mia's words rang in Leila's ears. For the last few days, those words had been all she had thought about it.
Then why did she lie about it? Leila thought.
"Well, we're having pot roast tonight. I hope you're hungry," Leila's mother said, interrupting her thoughts.
"You missed out on Dad's garlic herb chicken last week," Gavin told Leila.
"Aw, my favorite!" Leila complained.
"I'll make it again some other time!" she heard her dad promise from the kitchen.
Later, when they gathered at the kitchen table for dinner, Leila devoured her meal quickly. Her diet had mainly consisted of soup and dry toast the week before, and her appetite had returned with full force. She quickly cleaned her plate and sat back in her chair, satisfied. With not much else to do, she listened in on the conversation she'd been blocking out during the time she had been eating. With Gavin and Shannon's wedding only a few weeks away, the dinner chatter mainly concerned the upcoming ceremony.
Suddenly, the conversation shifted.
"Enough wedding talk. How about you, Lei?" Leila's father asked. "How's work going?"
Leila repeated the same as she normally did, that her projects were going well, that she was trying to catch up on her workload after being sick, and so on. After she finished sharing, she suddenly remembered what Helen had said to her earlier.
"My manager brought up something interesting though," she said. Leila glanced up to see all eyes turned on her. "She asked if I ever wanted to move out of the state someday and work at a more distinguished firm. She said I had potential..." Leila let her voice drawl off.
"Leila, that's great!" her mother exclaimed.
"Look at you go!" Gavin said.
Leila shrunk her back slightly in embarrassment. It was nice to receive the support of her family members, but as she stared down at her empty plate, she knew it wasn't an option she was considering at the moment. Still, she didn't want to ruin their excitement, so she did her best to appear enthusiastic by forcing a smile on her face.
"Is there a job offer on the table?" her father asked.
"No. I-I honestly said I wasn't too sure," Leila replied. "I mean, I like it here. I've always liked Maine. I get paid well enough at my current job. I don't really know if it's something I should pursue."
Leila could see Shannon eyeing her strangely from across the table, but she chose to ignore it.
"Well, you never were much of a risk taker," she heard her mother mutter. Leila knew it was true, but the words stung.
"You should at least consider," her father said. "After all, you never know."
"I'll think about it," Leila decided. This appeased the rest of her family members. They smiled and carried on with the wedding conversation, leaving Leila alone with her thoughts once more.
As her mother washed the dishes after dinner, Shannon took a seat next to Leila on the couch. Both Leila's brother and father were entranced by the football game, while Leila was glancing down at her phone, desperately trying to find something to entertain her. None of her friends were answering her texts, so she was scrolling mindlessly through social media apps, trying to pass the time until it was appropriate to head back home.
"Hey," Shannon said. Leila set her phone aside. "I feel like I haven't gotten the chance to talk to you at all this evening," Shannon admitted.
"Oh, well you're busy with wedding plans and all that," Leila said.
"Speaking of which, did you decide if you wanted to bring someone?" Shannon asked.
"Oh. Probably not. I mean, it's not like I'm dating anyone," Leila explained.
"Well, either way, let me know before the end of the week so we can make sure the caterer has the correct number of people."
"Mm...okay," Leila murmured.
"So...do you think you'll consider what your supervisor said?" Shannon asked.
Leila shrugged. "I mean, it wasn't even a job offer. She just told me to think about expanding my horizons, but I just got my apartment here and—"
Shannon held up her hand. "Say no more. I get it. You're just feeling settled after college. I get you don't want to consider it now, but maybe some other day. I think what your boss said is right. I know you put 110% into everything you do. Don't let the opportunity pass you by."
Leila smiled at Shannon. "Thank you. I'm looking forward to calling you my sister in a few weeks."
"As if we already aren't," Shannon said, reaching down to squeeze her hand.
They were both distracted by the sound of Leila's father and brother yelling at the television screen. One of the teams must've gotten a touchdown. Leila wasn't quite sure who.
"Lei, can you help me dry the dishes?" her mother called from the kitchen.
Leila thanked Shannon once more for her kind words and joined her mother at the sink. They stood side by side, wiping the dishes down as the faint sound of the television played in the background. Leila was curious why her mother had called her over. Oftentimes she was adamant that she be in charge of cleaning after dinner, despite Leila's insistence to help.
"You two are my guests. You don't live in my house anymore," her mother would tell Leila and Gavin whenever they started to help with the household chores.
Leila didn't mind helping today. She was reminded of simpler times as she stood next to her mother at the sink. The conversations they shared while doing household chores was always pleasant. It always made the work more enjoyable for Leila, whereas in her own apartment, she found the silence to be dull. Doing chores with Mia by her side always seemed to get them done faster.
"I heard Shannon mention you haven't invited anyone to the wedding," her mother said.
"There's no one for me to take," Leila argued. "So I'm not planning on it. Come on, Mom, don't look at me like that. What am I supposed to do? Find a girlfriend in the next week?"
"Why don't you take Mia?" her mother asked.
Leila nearly dropped the plate she was holding. She hoped her mother mistook it for clumsiness.
"We-we're just friends!" Leila exclaimed.
"What's the matter with bringing a friend along?" her mother asked.
"Well, she may be working, or usually she's out with her boyfriend on the weekends..."
"It doesn't hurt to ask. I mean, unless you don't want her there. I just figured you would like some company," her mother said. "Unless you want to invite one of your other friends. I just figured, since you were roommates..."
"I guess I could ask," Leila said. Her heart rate sped just at the thought of it. She was sure she was just overreacting. Wedding dates didn't have to be romantic. However, the question felt intimate to Leila – will you accompany me to my brother's wedding? She shuddered at the thought of how Mia would react.
Later that evening, Leila headed back to the apartment with a full stomach and several containers of leftovers. During the car ride home, she had rehearsed over and over how she would ask Mia to her brother's wedding. She knew if she chickened out this evening, she may not have the courage to ask again, and with her brother's wedding so soon, she needed to ask quickly.
As Leila nervously fumbled with the keys to her apartment door, she took a deep breath, working up the courage to ask Mia as soon as Mia greeted her, but when she opened the door, she realized Mia was gone, clearly still out with Julian. Her heart sunk slightly.
Thankfully, Fuji was happy to see her. Leila knelt down and scratched his chin.
"Perhaps I should ask you to accompany me instead," she said as he nudged against her hand. "You'd look adorable with a little bowtie."
After giving Fuji his share of pets, Leila placed her leftovers away, got comfortable in some pajamas, and grabbed a book to read on the couch. It was hard to concentrate, especially when she kept gazing up at the door every few seconds.
Finally, after an hour or so, the door to the apartment opened. Leila was thankful to see just Mia step inside. Julian must have dropped her off from wherever they had gone out for the night.
"Hey," Leila said.
"Oh. I didn't think you'd still be up," Mia admitted. "How was dinner with your family?"
"It was good. There are leftovers in the fridge. You're welcome to have them," Leila said. Her palms were sweating, and her heart rate was accelerated. Once again, she had to ask herself, why was this so nervewracking? It wasn't as if she was confessing her love to Mia. The more nervous she acted, she was sure the more suspicious Mia would be.
"Thanks," Mia said. "What's up? You look like you got something to say."
Leila set her book down. "Um...this is a weird question..."
Mia eyed her suspiciously. "Okay?"
"Um, well, I'm allowed to invite a plus one to my brother's wedding. I wasn't planning to, but my mom and my brother's fiancée really encouraged it, so...would you possibly want to come with me? I mean, if you're not working or have plans with Julian and if that's not too weird. I mean, you just got back in contact with my family a few weeks ago so I understand it might be strange—"
"Of course I'll come," Mia said, breaking off Leila's ramble.
"You will?!" Leila exclaimed.
"Sure. It sounds fun. I'll make sure I get the day off."
"You don't have to do that! I just wanted to ask if you weren't busy," Leila said.
"Nah, it'll be nice supporting your brother. I've known him so long anyway," Mia said. "Never thought I'd see the day he got married. He was such a pain in the ass when we were kids."
Leila giggled. "He's calmed down over the years. Um, I can give you the details tomorrow, if that's okay?"
"Sure," Mia agreed.
As Mia headed off to her own bedroom, Leila wiggled her feet back and forth in excitement. She hadn't expected Mia to say yes, but now she was overjoyed that Mia would be accompanying her to the wedding. Inwardly, Leila knew it didn't mean anything to Mia. She was sure Mia was just accompanying her to offer support, but for the time being, Leila let herself smile and savor the moment.