“He used those exact words?”
Tilly was perched on the edge of Mia’s bed while Mia proceeded to pull out every item in her wardrobe.
“Yep. Part of me wish he hadn’t because now I’m even more nervous than I would have been.”
She slumped onto her desk chair and looked at Tilly. After the big apology speech over the school PA, Tilly had phoned Mia later that night to forgive her. Mia had never felt so relieved in her life. Losing Tilly had reminded her what having a friend was like. Now she had her, she didn’t want to be without her.
“Look. It’s going to fine. He’s seen you from looking like a mess to looking a million bucks.”
Mia sighed. “True. But I don’t want to look like I’ve tried too hard, but also not like I’ve not bothered either…” Mia knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t help it.
Tilly fished around on the floor am
She didn’t make it home in time. Just as the view of her house came into sight, hot salty tears escaped from Mia’s eyes. She felt so stupid and miserable. What if he’d gone to see Savannah instead? What if she’d completely misunderstood the point of tonight? Maybe it had just been about hanging out? But why hadn’t he at least messaged her?As she fell onto her bed, a cold chill ran through her. What if this had all been a game? Maybe he hadn’t forgiven her for the article at all, and this had been all part of an elaborate plan to humiliate her like she’d humiliated him.She was just about to throw herself into a fresh bout of sobs when her phone went off. She grabbed it and read the message.“I’m so sorry about tonight Mia. It was out of my control. Will you meet me at that place by the creek?”Mia wanted to scoff. Was he being serious? He stands her up and then asks to meet at the same place whe
Mia was lost. She was lost in him. The first kiss had been wonderful, but this was something more. It was as if this time neither one of them was holding back. The passion she felt was pure, yet addictive.As their lips moved against each other, Ryan’s grip around her waist tightened. He couldn’t get enough of her. He was sure it had never felt like this before. Not even with Savannah. It was as if Mia’s touch held something so powerful he could barely breathe.Neither knew how long they stayed locked together like that, their arms entwined, and mouths joined, and neither of them cared either. They were the only two people in the world in that moment, and nothing else mattered.But then Ryan felt something inside him shift. He could feel his hands itching to feel other parts of her that he was sure had remained untouched. As much as he wanted to give in to his urges, he respected Mia too much to go to fast. And they were hardly in the right pla
When she woke up in the morning, Mia realised she was already smiling. She stretched, enjoying the delicious feeling of contentment as her arms extended above her. She reached for her phone, and almost squealed when she saw there was a message from him. But as soon as she opened it, Mia’s good mood was knocked.“I won’t be in town for a few weeks. Mom is finally willing to divorce dad, so I’m going to stay with her at my aunts while things get sorted out. I know this isn’t great timing for us, but I need to do this for my mom. I’ll miss you, but I’ll be back as soon as I can. Last night was amazing.”Mia sighed. She knew that he was doing what he had to, but with thanksgiving coming up that week she’d hoped they would be able to spend some time together. And not long after that it would be the winter formal. Last night she’d gone to sleep dreaming about him asking her. Would he even be back in time for that? S
“Could you pass me the yams please?” Mia’s hand went to pick up the dish her mom had just requested and handed it to her.Once that exchange was done, the table immediately fell back into silence.It wasn’t that the so-called ‘family’ dinners had ever been pleasant, it was just that it had never felt this awkward. Mia wondered if it was because it was Thanksgiving. Maybe that was putting more pressure on everyone than usual. After all, the holiday was all about being with the people you loved and being thankful for it, right? But looking at these solemn faces there was nothing to be thankful for it seemed.Carla cleared her throat. She was determined not to let this meal go down as the worst thanksgiving ever. “So, is the food, okay?”She’d spent hours preparing everything. She’d hoped if she could create a wonderful dinner, the tension between her and Bob, as well as the tension between the girl
Ever since the phone call with Ryan, Mia felt as if she had been floating on a cloud. She’d hoped he was going to ask her, but now he actually had she couldn’t believe it. Every night she went to bed thinking about the dance. She imagined them swaying together in the middle of the dance floor, their eyes locked on each other as fairy lights twinkled all around them.Tilly was excited about it too, and the first opportunity they got, she insisted they go to the mall to find a dress.“I thought you would have bought yours by now? Jake asked you like a month ago!”Tilly shrugged her shoulders and continued to run her fingers through the multicoloured display rack. “I was hoping you’d come and we could do it together. Coming dress shopping on my own seemed a little…sad.”Mia gave a small smile and nudged her friend gently. “Well I’m glad you did. It’s a lot more fun to do it with you.”
It was strange. It had only been a week or so since they had last seen each other, but it felt like a lifetime. At first, Ryan simply held her close and kissed her hair, taking a moment to enjoy the sweet coconut smell of her shampoo.Mia realised that she felt nervous again, just like how she had the first time they’d been this close. She didn’t dare look at him, and instead chose to bury her face in his chest.Ryan chuckled and pulled back slightly before looking down at Mia whose cheeks were beautifully flushed. He said nothing, and instead simply smiled at her before placing his fingers under her chin and raising her head. She let him guide her, her eyes reaching his as she returned his smile.Ever so slowly, he tilted his head and moved towards her, lightly placing his lips on hers.Mia sank into them. Relishing the warm full feeling as he kissed her. Her head felt so light, and yet she was magnetised to his touch. After a few moments she
Mia looked at herself in the reflection of the mirror. As stupid as it was, she took a few moments to really stare into the face looking back at her, because she couldn’t really believe it was her.Her mom had insisted on paying for Mia to have her hair and make up done at the local salon. Mia knew this was partly because her mom was so excited about the fact that Mia was actually engaging with a normal part of high school life.Carla was standing behind her now, and as she gazed at her daughter looking so grown up, she felt her chest tighten with emotion. How had her little girl turned into this stunning young woman so fast?She was however a little worried about the situation that Mia had only just revealed to her.“You look stunning,” Carla commented.But Mia could tell there was an edge in her voice.“What is it?” She asked, turning round to face her mom.Carla hesitated. She didn’t want to upse
The silver dress made Mia’s body look like it had been bound gently by moonlight. It shimmered and moved liked the ocean lapping the shore as she made her way down the stairs. Her dark hair fell around her shoulders in soft curls that bounced slightly every time she took another step. Her large hazel eyes had been framed by a soft blend of black and grey eyeshadow, causing them to stand out even more than they normally did. A light gloss had been swiped over her deliciously plump lips, and it took everything Ryan had to not run over to her and kiss her.She caught his eye, and she smiled shyly. How could she be so devastatingly beautiful, and yet completely unaware?Carla was watching the pair from the side-lines. She had worried about Ryan’s intentions with her daughter, but there was something about the look on his face right now that told her she had nothing to worry about. Before she could forget, she took out her phone and snapped a picture of Mia on t