I wake up and the curtains are drawn. The sunlight is peeking through and all traces of Liam are gone. I reach for my phone on the side table.
He doesn't reply immediately so I brush my teeth and pull my hair back in a bun. I will never be the girl with long hair chilling as if they are not bothering me, how do other girls do it? Teach me, please. I come back and check my phone again.
Is that even a question? Of course, I'll have sushi, it's half the calories and just as yummy.
"Good Morning Mia," Amy greets me and brings in a glass of mango juice. I love mango juice but I hate being fat, so I just block it out of my vision.
"Morning Amy, how was your night?"
"It was great. How about you?"
"My night was nice as well. Do you want your green smoothie or are you in the mood for some waffles, omelet and bacon?" She names my biggest weakness.
"I am going out for lunch but I appreciate you asking."
She leaves and I take a long warm shower. The bathroom has a gigantic white tub that I fill with bubbles and soak my body in. Nothing feels better than the salts tingling my body as I lay my head back and relax—after the night I had yesterday—I need a moment of calm before the storm.
"You are trying to ignore the fact that Liam is now in full control of your life." Inner bitch reminds me and just like that my fleeting moment is gone before I could ravel in it.
I am to become independent, with my current health and lack of energy, there isn't much I can do.
"You are letting yourself get self-medicated Mia," even Inner voice reason with her and that is how I know for a fact that I am in a bad place. They don't agree on much but whenever they have before, they have been correct.
So here is the plan.
I will take care of myself, find a job and then discuss the accommodation again with Liam. Once I have a constant stream of income I can begin the journey of finding a new place for myself if his and my views don't meet where they should. I just need to chug some coffee and force myself to make it out of the house, rest will take care of itself.
Hopefully.
I put on blue jeans and a white tee-shirt with my Adidas white sneakers. I put face oil and sunscreen—I am not putting on makeup for Nate. That's about as much as Nate gets—which is the bare minimum.
I skip my pain meds. I can't afford to be drowsy anymore, I am taking my life in my hands.
Liam calls me as I am exiting the house.
"Hello," I miss you. I love you. Please kiss me. All the yelling from yesterday still has my throat slightly soar. My voice sounds coarse.
"Take Jeff with you."
"How do you know?" My voice sounds coarse jeez—he sounds like the melted part of the chocolate lava cake and I sound like the rough edges.
"...Just hold that in and yeah give I'll look over it Leah—yeah skip that form Gary just push the deadline. How are you feeling?" Working bossy Liam is so sexy.
"I love you my Liam. How do you know I am leaving?" I say to annoy him further. We don't talk feelings remember?
"How do you think?" He sounds irritated and he is yet to find out who I am meeting.
"Amy."
"Just take Jeff with you."
"Do you want to know who I am meeting?" Why hasn't he quizzed me yet? Why is he so calm? It's freaking me out a bit.
"Do you want to tell me who you're meeting?"
"I am meeting Nate for some sushi before you freak—he's just a friend and we're just hanging out. Nothing more," Why am I justifying myself to him?
"Alright." Whoa... Why are people alrighting me today? First Nate and then Liam. Weird flex but okay I guess.
"That was very mature of you, might I say I am slightly impressed."
"Impressed by what?"
"By you finally trusting me." It feels good.
"It was never you that I didn't trust sweetheart." This feels so much better. Are we finally getting to a happy place?
I hear hushed voices in Liam's background and although I can't tell what they are, he is needed somewhere more than on this call.
"I got to go, I'll see you at home," I say as I cut the call.
I exit the elevator and don't take Jeff with me. Instead, I take the back exit and start walking towards the subway station—I can't afford Ubers anymore and how has Jeff not figured out that I won't be using his facilities?
Liam immediately calls me.
"Please let me take the subway and let's not argue about this." I blurt before he has a chance to give me his piece of mind.
"Leah just hold it off for a minute—No Mia, why are you so difficult?"
"Please..." I try my best to sound cutesy—it's so unbecoming on me. Yuck!
"You are hurt and there is a chauffeur with a car waiting for you. What the fuck is your problem?"
"I want to be independent Liam. You've or Hannah or both or whatever have taken my house. I don't have a job anymore and I am—I just—I feel too dependent on you. Please let me use my preferred way of transportation."
"You can depend on me Mia, I am here for you."
"I know but I want to depend on me, Liam. My voice sounds coarse."
He lets out a loud breath and I know he is a control freak and this is pushing his buttons but it's just lunch—it's not like I am drafted to Afghanistan. I can feel him giving in and it feels good—for once we are actually compromising or I am getting my way.
"I'll have my phone on me at all times Liam and I'll be back super soon. I promise." I feel like I am back in high school asking my mom for permission to go to a sleepover.
"I don't like this one bit," he sounds defeated.
Liam – 674832942 and finally Mia – 1.
Hurray!
Nate is waiting for me as I reach beyond Sushi. I ignore the pain in my ribs and give him a hug—he has his blonde hair laying softly on his forehead and okay he is a cute boy.
I prefer men though.
"Stop comparing him to Liam," inner voice scolds me.
"How have you been?"
"Fantastic. How about yourself?" I lie.
"Busy but good busy. Lots of new things happening at Substance post-Barringer leaving—she was just too stuck up, Charlotte is more chill and easier going."
Charlotte is a little bitch—somebody you can walk all over. Amanda was a boss ass bitch. Did Liam get him fired?
"When did she leave?" I dig for some dirt.
"About the same time as you did," he clarifies my doubts.
"Are there a lot of rumors about me?" I un-intentionally dig my fingers in my palm to brace myself for an answer I don't really want.
"It's died down, people don't really care. You weren't working in Substance long enough to make an impact you know," ouch. It's true but damn—does it hurt.
The super cute Asian man gives us the menu and I order some peanut avocado rolls and Nate orders sweet potato rolls. We hand back our menus and ask him to top our glasses with water.
"So, tell me about this job you think I might be a good fit for," I get to the point.
"It's nothing glamorous like Substance and there will be no hard feelings if you want to pass up on it."
"Try me." I will take a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g.
"There is a racket of women that nobody gives a shit about that are abused, raped and prostituted. There is this local newspaper that wants to do an article on them. It's all I've got right now," he says as he squints his eyes.
"Why don't people give a shit about it?"
"They are women that have been incarcerated before, so you know with their criminal record and drug problems—people want to brush it under the rug and it's messy and the pay isn't anything major."
"I'll do it."
"You'll work for minimum wage to write an article about women that are barely recognized by society?" he laughs as he says this. What's funny?
"First I am desperate and will work for any amount. Second, why the fuck not? Everybody has a story and I am sure they probably have something to say. It actually sounds so much better than writing fake relationship stuff just to sound cool."
"When can you start?"
"Right now."
"Are you absolutely sure Mia? It might be something you aren't prepared for." He warns me with a stern voice that I have never heard Nate use. Within a span of 5 minutes, Nate has completely changed my perception of him and maybe he isn't the cutesy little boy I thought he was.
"Try me, Nate."
"I fully intend to," he says as he winks at me and takes a bite of his sushi.
Question for my OG readers.
Do we want some romance between Nate and Mia? A love triangle perhaps?