faint tremble in her tone.
“What happened?” The worry in her friend’s tone makes Mia shiver again, remembering her own nervousness from the night before.
When Eli had left the bedroom it had taken her a long time to get back to sleep, she’d been on edge waiting for him to barge back in and…and what? What did she think he was going to do? Force her? That wasn’t Eli; he would never hurt her, not like that.
“I’m coming over there.” Cassie’s concerned voice breaks through Mia’s thoughts and she realizes she’s shaking her head despite the fact that Cassie can’t see her.
“No, I’m fine. Really, Cass, I’m all right.” She struggles to even out her voice, not wanting to give Cassie any reason to think she’s not telling the truth. She can already hear her friend opening her mouth to argue with her but she ploughs on regardless. “Besides, I’m not going to be here for much longer. I’m thinking about going to stay with my dad for a little while. He could use the company and, frankly, so could I. I’m going to take some leave from the shelter. I have vacation time owed. I figure I can use it to find a new apartment, decorate, that kind of thing. I can’t stand the thought of going back into that place, not after seeing what they’d done to it.”
It’s not until Mia has said the words out loud that she realizes it’s exactly what she’s going to do, what she needs to do. The emotional reminders of that night were enough; she doesn’t need the physical reminder of living in the place where her world had come crashing down around her. This was the first step to moving on and putting it all in the past, which is exactly where she should have left Ray.
“That sounds like a great idea, Mia. Well you know, if you need any help apartment-hunting…” Cassie lets the offer hang in the air.
“I definitely won’t ask you!” Mia finishes it for her. “You have a tendency not to like anything that’s in my price range.”
“It’s not my fault I have expensive tastes.” Cassie’s mock-innocence doesn’t fool anyone.
“You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t!” Mia smiles into her cell, enjoying the easy banter with her best friend. There was something reassuringly normal about it, which was a welcome antidote to the uncertainty surrounding everything else in her life at the moment. “You know I love you, right?”
“Who’re you talking to?” Eli’s voice from behind her makes her spin around and almost drop the phone.
“Jesus! Sneak up much?” She frowns at him, wondering how long he’d been standing there for.
“Who are you talking to?” He repeats the question, clenching and unclenching his fists with a look in his eye that sets alarms in Mia’s head ringing.
“Mia! What’s going on? Dammit Mia!” She hears Cassie’s voice getting increasingly agitated in her ear.
“It’s fine, Cassie. I’ve have to go. Call you later.” She ends the call, not ready for the explanations that she knows Cassie will demand. Besides, she has to deal with Eli before anything else. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Coffee?” She starts to set the phone to one side but Eli is there in an instant virtually snatching it out of her hands. “Eli! What the hell?”
He’s breezed through her passcode – of course he had; he was the one that had set it up for her. She watches as he scans through her recent call list before clicking on to her messages and checking the newest ones before he takes a deep breath and lets the phone drop back to the counter looking at her in relief.
“Eli, what the hell is the matter with you?” She folds her arms in front of her, skirting around so the breakfast bar is between them.
Eli shakes his head, still looking dazed. “I heard you talking quietly like you didn’t want me to hear what you were saying. Then you said about staying with your dad and looking for another apartment and
“What happened?” The worry in her friend’s tone makes Mia shiver again, remembering her own nervousness from the night before.
When Eli had left the bedroom it had taken her a long time to get back to sleep, she’d been on edge waiting for him to barge back in and…and what? What did she think he was going to do? Force her? That wasn’t Eli; he would never hurt her, not like that.
“I’m coming over there.” Cassie’s concerned voice breaks through Mia’s thoughts and she realizes she’s shaking her head despite the fact that Cassie can’t see her.
“No, I’m fine. Really, Cass, I’m all right.” She struggles to even out her voice, not wanting to give Cassie any reason to think she’s not telling the truth. She can already hear her friend opening her mouth to argue with her but she ploughs on regardless. “Besides, I’m not going to be here for much longer. I’m thinking about going to stay with my dad for a little while. He could use the company and, frankly, so could I. I’m going to take some leave from the shelter. I have vacation time owed. I figure I can use it to find a new apartment, decorate, that kind of thing. I can’t stand the thought of going back into that place, not after seeing what they’d done to it.”
It’s not until Mia has said the words out loud that she realizes it’s exactly what she’s going to do, what she needs to do. The emotional reminders of that night were enough; she doesn’t need the physical reminder of living in the place where her world had come crashing down around her. This was the first step to moving on and putting it all in the past, which is exactly where she should have left Ray.
“That sounds like a great idea, Mia. Well you know, if you need any help apartment-hunting…” Cassie lets the offer hang in the air.
“I definitely won’t ask you!” Mia finishes it for her. “You have a tendency not to like anything that’s in my price range.”
“It’s not my fault I have expensive tastes.” Cassie’s mock-innocence doesn’t fool anyone.
“You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t!” Mia smiles into her cell, enjoying the easy banter with her best friend. There was something reassuringly normal about it, which was a welcome antidote to the uncertainty surrounding everything else in her life at the moment. “You know I love you, right?”
“Who’re you talking to?” Eli’s voice from behind her makes her spin around and almost drop the phone.
“Jesus! Sneak up much?” She frowns at him, wondering how long he’d been standing there for.
“Who are you talking to?” He repeats the question, clenching and unclenching his fists with a look in his eye that sets alarms in Mia’s head ringing.
“Mia! What’s going on? Dammit Mia!” She hears Cassie’s voice getting increasingly agitated in her ear.
“It’s fine, Cassie. I’ve have to go. Call you later.” She ends the call, not ready for the explanations that she knows Cassie will demand. Besides, she has to deal with Eli before anything else. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Coffee?” She starts to set the phone to one side but Eli is there in an instant virtually snatching it out of her hands. “Eli! What the hell?”
He’s breezed through her passcode – of course he had; he was the one that had set it up for her. She watches as he scans through her recent call list before clicking on to her messages and checking the newest ones before he takes a deep breath and lets the phone drop back to the counter looking at her in relief.
“Eli, what the hell is the matter with you?” She folds her arms in front of her, skirting around so the breakfast bar is between them.
Eli shakes his head, still looking dazed. “I heard you talking quietly like you didn’t want me to hear what you were saying. Then you said about staying with your dad and looking for another apartment and
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