Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lina

I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on my door.

My head was pounding. Like something small and angry was hitting the inside of my skull over and over again. I groaned softly and pressed my face deep into the pillow, hoping the pain would go away if I stayed still long enough.Maybe it was the alcohol from last night.Slowly,I opened my eyes.The room was quiet.The curtains let in soft morning light. Everything looked the same as always,the same walls, the same ceiling,but something felt different. Like the air itself had changed.

I turned my head.Mick was gone.My heart dropped for a second. A quiet, cold feeling moved through my chest. But then something else caught my eye.A small tray on the bedside table.I pushed myself up slowly, my body feeling sore in a way it never had before. My hands reached for the tray. Two slices of bread. A cup of tea, still warm. And beside it…A folded piece of paper.My fingers trembled a little as I picked it up. I stared at it for a moment before I opened it.

“I have something to take care of. Be a good girl and eat breakfast”I read it twice.Then once more.A small smile came to my lips before I could stop it.I dropped back on the bed and pulled the blanket over my face. My heart was beating fast,too fast,and my cheeks were warm in a way that had nothing to do with sleep.Did we really…?The memories came rushing back. His hands. His voice. The way he looked at me.My face burned.

Before I could think any further, the loud knocking came again.I quickly sat up and pressed my hands to my cheeks."Coming!"

I climbed out of bed and fixed my hair with my fingers…a quick, useless effort,then rushed to the door.It was Millicent.The moment the door opened, she walked straight in and pulled me into a tight hug, squeezing hard.”Lina!" she said, her voice full of worry and relief at the same time.I wrapped my arms around her and forced a smile against her shoulder. Trying to act normal. Trying to feel normal. Like nothing had happened. Like my whole world had not quietly turned upside down last night.

She pulled back and looked at my face. Her eyes moved over me slowly,searching.

“I've been calling you," she said."Oh… you did?" My voice came out softer than I wanted.

I turned away and started looking for my phone. I needed something to do with my hands. I could feel her watching me. I checked under the pillow, inside the blanket, behind the tray. My bag.I found it inside my bag.When I turned the screen on, my eyes went wide.

"Ten missed calls?" I whispered.I looked up at her.She was standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed, looking at me like a mother who had been waiting up all night.

I looked away quickly and walked toward the kitchen, holding the phone loosely at my side.

"Sorry, I didn't see it," I said, keeping my voice easy and light.She didn't say anything.But I could feel her eyes on my back.

Then I heard her footsteps,slow, deliberate moving toward my bed. Toward the tray.My heart jumped into my throat.I spun around.

She was leaning forward, eyes on the small folded note still sitting beside the teacup.

I crossed the room in three quick steps and grabbed it, tucking it behind my back before she could read a single word.Her eyebrows went up.”Oh…" she started slowly. "Did you just…”"It's not what you're thinking!" I said quickly.She paused.Then the corner of her mouth lifted. That slow, knowing smile I had seen a hundred times. The one that meant she already knew everything and was simply enjoying watching me try to hide it.She stepped closer, tilting her head to one side.

“Who were you with last night?" she asked.

Her voice was light. Teasing. But there was something sharp underneath it…the kind of question that already had an answer.My chest tightened.”I… I was alone," I said.

The word *alone* felt wrong even as I said it. Too thin. Too small. She nodded slowly, like she was considering it. Then she smiled wider like a proud mother who had just watched her child take their first steps."Ouch!" she yelped when I slapped her arm.

"Okay, okay," she laughed, moving away.

"How was *your* date?" I asked quickly, before she could say anything else.

She cleared her throat like she was about to give a speech, then sat down on the edge of my bed and crossed her legs.I rolled my eyes.

I already knew what was coming.I turned away and grabbed a glass of water, taking slow sips while she talked. And talked. And talked. She described everything,what he wore, what he said, the way he smiled, what they ate, the small moment when their hands almost touched. Every detail.By the time she was done, I had finished my water, taken a shower, and was sitting in front of my dressing table in fresh clothes, running a brush slowly through my hair.The room went quiet.I caught her reflection in the mirror.She was standing behind me, leaning against the wall with her arms at her sides. The teasing look was gone. Her face was serious now. Soft in the way that only came when she was genuinely worried.

"How are you going to deal with that son of a b*tch?" she asked.Her voice was quiet. Like she didn't want the words to land too hard, but she needed to say them.My hand stopped moving.The brush sat still in my hair.Something heavy settled into my chest. Like a stone dropping slowly to the bottom of still water.

Reality. Coming back.I lowered my head and let out a long breath.I didn't have an answer. I still didn't know what I was going to do. I hadn't let myself think about it. About him. About everything waiting for me outside this room.Millicent noticed the change in me right away. She always did."Let's go out," she said, her voice returning to something brighter. "Shopping. You need it."I hesitated. My body still felt tired. Still carried the soreness that reminded of last night.But before I could speak, she was already moving to my wardrobe, sliding hangers aside."Wear this," she said, holding up a dress.I looked at it.Then at her.I didn't argue.

….

We walked through the shops slowly. Millicent held bags. I held coffee. Neither of us talked much about anything serious, and that felt like a gift.After a while, she stopped walking and turned to me with a small, private smile.

"I have a surprise for you," she said.

I blinked. "Surprise?"She nodded, looking pleased with herself in that way she always did when she knew something I didn't.I shrugged and followed her to the car.As she drove, I leaned my head against the cool window and watched the road pass.My mind kept going back to Mick.To the note.*Be a good girl and eat breakfast.*I pressed my lips together to stop the smile that wanted to come.

__

When the car slowed down and finally stopped, I looked up.Something moved through me.Not a thought. Not a word. Just a feeling,warm and restless and a little afraid rising from somewhere deep in my chest.

My legs felt weak as I stepped out.We walked to the door. Millicent pushed it open.And then I saw him.Mick.He was standing near the dining table with his hands in his pockets. Grey tracksuit. A tank top that left his arms bare. He looked relaxed…casual like he had been standing in rooms like this his whole life and nothing in the world was difficult.My breath caught.He looked so normal.Like last night was just last night.But for me,Everything was different now.I turned slowly to Millicent.She was smiling again. That smile.

"Is he the surprise?" I asked quietly.She nodded.I faced forward again.He was looking at me now. Just looking. His face calm and unreadable in the way it always was.My thoughts tangled. Should I act surprised? Should I pretend I didn't just spend the morning holding a note he wrote and hiding it from my best friend? Should I look at him the same way I always had,like he was just Mick,like he was just someone I knew?My heart was beating too loudly.I took a breath.And walked toward him.Each step felt heavier than the last. Because I knew,no matter how normal I tried to look,that something had already changed between us.And there was no going back to before.