3. Mia
MIA
“Why won’t this move?” I complained, huffing out an exasperated breath.
“Pushing a boulder up a hill again?” Tori asked, her voice coming from the direction of the desk, where I had her on speakerphone.
“I’m trying to turn this stupid mattress, but it’s just too heavy.” I braced one knee on the edge of the bed frame and shoved with both hands, but the mattress barely budged. It felt like it was filled with concrete.
“What size bed is it?”
“Queen. I’ve never had a bed this big before.” The rooms here came furnished. The bed had been comfortable last night, if you didn’t count the sagging part that kept trying to swallow me whole.
“Well, since it’s just you, can’t you just sleep on the other side? Of course, maybe it won’t be just you. After all, you’ve got your hot RA just down the hall, right?”
I glanced at the door, but it was closed and—hopefully—reasonably soundproofed. “I don’t even want to think about that.”
“But you said he was gorgeous.”
“I’m serious, Tori. Finding out that Sara was kicked out nearly made me want to leave, too.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry, I forgot what happened that day before the party. Have you heard from her?”
“No. The treatment center said it would be at least a week or two before she can have phone calls.” I flopped down, trying to avoid the gravitation pull of the massive divot in the mattress, and sighed in the direction of the ceiling.
“I’m sorry. That’s rough. Want me to come over so we can both test our strength against the mattress?”
“No, thanks. It’s not important. Even the saggy side is more comfortable than some beds I’ve been in.”
“Seriously, can’t you just sleep on the other side?”
“No. It’s next to the wall, and that would make me feel kind of trapped.” It was hard to explain, but I liked knowing my exits were free.
“I understand.” But she didn’t give up. “Could you ask one of your hot new roommates to help?”
“No.” I suppressed a sigh. I didn’t even know if I was allowed to change anything up in here—I sure hadn’t been at some of the foster homes I’d lived at.
It was time to switch the subject to something more pleasant. “Speaking of hot men, how are your guys doing?”
“Really good.” Her voice warmed.
And then she was off and running, telling me about all the kind and thoughtful things that Kyle, Jayden, and Lucas had done for her lately—along with a few things that were less on the kind side and far more on the steamy side.
Was I jealous? Yes. Especially with Jayden, whom I’d met at the beginning of the semester. He was a smart, funny, and thoughtful man—exactly the type I’d never dated. But I was happy for both him and Tori. All of them, in fact. Somehow, the four of them together seemed to work.
As for me, I had a job. I had classes. And that was enough for now. It was all I could handle, in fact.
When we finally hung up, I sat down heavily on the bed, only to spring up again when I sank into the body-shaped dip. I swore, and then cut myself off guiltily, hoping no one outside of my room had heard. It was going to drive me nuts if I couldn’t get this mattress turned.
The sudden knock at the door startled me, and I jumped to my feet. Opening the door, I found Aaron there. Had he heard me cuss? If so, I was glad it was him and not one of the others. He’d seemed friendly and open last night. A little like Jayden, only less sarcastic.
He had on faded blue jeans and a white t-shirt that hugged his chest. He smiled and lifted a hand to place it on the doorframe, causing his sleeve to ride up. To my surprise, I spotted the bottom of a tattoo on his bicep. He struck me as the rather clean-cut type, so I hadn’t been expecting that.
“Hey, Mia.”
“Hi,” I said, a little shyly. I wasn’t this shy at my job—I worked as a barista at a small coffee shop on campus—but having handsome men show up at my room was a lot different from preparing a cappuccino.
“I heard…” he trailed off, looking over my shoulder at the mattress askew on the box spring—not that I’d been able to move it much. “Need some help?”
“No thanks, I’m just making the bed.” The lie came quickly, for reasons I didn’t entirely understand.
His eyebrows rose as he surveyed the room. “Making it or moving it?”
“I—well, you see, there’s this dip in the mattress.”
“And you were trying to flip a queen mattress by yourself?” The disbelief in his voice made me see how dumb I’d been to think I could do it on my own.
“I was just going to turn it. I, um, didn’t know if we were allowed to change anything in here.”
He studied me, his hazel eyes intent. “It’s your room.”
“Yeah, but…” I’d had my own room before, but it hadn’t meant I was allowed to change things. I’d learned that the hard way in the past.
His smile was gentle. “Want a hand?”
A sigh of relief escaped me. That I wasn’t in trouble. That he was going to help. “Thanks, that would be great.”
He took a step forward and then stopped. “Okay if I come in?”
I bit back a smile. Tattoo or no, he was a very polite guy. “Of course, but honestly, it would be more impressive if you could turn the mattress from where you are.”
Aaron laughed, entering the room as I moved back. “I’ve heard Diego’s speech on consent so many times that it’s getting in my head.”
He strode over and surveyed the heavy mattress, still chatting. “What’d you think of him?”
I hadn’t been able to stop thinking of him—and that night at the party—but I just shrugged. “He seems like a good guy.”
“He really means what he said. If you have any problems, you can go to him.”
“Good to know.” Except what would I do if he was the problem?
I still couldn’t believe he didn’t remember me.
I sure remembered what he looked like. That dark, shiny hair.
Those soulful eyes. That sad mouth, his lips—wait.
Why did I think he looked sad? I couldn’t remember exactly why, but somehow that impression stuck with me.
What would a good-looking guy like him have to be sad about?
Aaron strolled around to my side of the bed and whistled as he patted the concave part.
“This crater is so big, it’s like a meteor hit.”
“If we can just turn it around, then that side will be toward the wall,” I said. “I sleep on this side.”
“Why don’t we flip it? Then that side will be buried underneath, and both sides will be usable.”
“I only need one side.”
“But why not have both sides flat? I mean, you never know—” He stopped, smacking himself in the forehead. “That came out wrong.”
I laughed at the fact that he was suddenly the nervous one. “I guess it is a good idea, but this thing is super heavy. I couldn’t even slide it over a few inches.”
He flexed one arm, and his sleeve inching up to reveal more of the dark ink on his bicep. “I haven’t exercised yet today, so this will count as my workout.”
I had my doubts, but if he was willing to try, I was in.
“So, how do we do this? I’ve never had a bed this big before.”
“Me either. Let’s strip the sheets.” He grabbed the nearest corner and tugged.
Once the mattress was bare, Aaron located two rope handles at the base and pulled it out a few feet.
“Can you climb up there by the headboard?”
“Okay.”
I kicked off my shoes before doing so.
“Now take hold of the right side, and when I count to three, we’re going to lift it straight up. Got it?”
“I think so.” My voice sounded doubtful even to me.
He counted us off, and I lifted the corner of the mattress—which didn’t budge. He was doing better on his side, raising that corner up along with half the length of the mattress. My end wasn’t moving at all.
He stepped around to the side of the mattress, his hands outstretched as he continued to raise the massive thing. His biceps bulged, which was not what I was supposed to be paying attention to right now.
“Come on, push,” he said.
He climbed onto the box springs, still hoisting the top of the mattress up and up and?—
“Watch out!” I shrieked.
The edge of the mattress—and his hands—were dangerously close to the ceiling fan.
He spotted the danger and let go of the mattress, backing away.
It slammed down heavily, and the resulting jolt on the box springs bounced me forward, where I landed in a heap with my limbs tangled and my hair hanging in my face.
“Are you okay?” Aaron seemed to be asking me that a lot, which was probably all the evidence he needed to know that I wasn’t.
“Maybe the dip’s not so bad.” I curled onto my side, resting my arm under my head. “I could sleep here.”
He sat down next to me. “That’s like saying that the Grand Canyon is a mere drainage ditch.”
I curled my lip and blew upward, making the stray hair fly off my forehead.
But then it settled right back down again.
Aaron’s hand twitched, like he was about to push my hair back for me, but then it stilled.
Apparently, Diego’s lecture about consent worked on everyone except drunk, depressed partiers.
My memory was a bit fuzzy, but I was pretty sure we’d both pounced on each other without exchanging many—or perhaps any—words at all.
“Maybe we need reinforcements,” he said. “I think Diego gets out of class soon.”
“I don’t want to bother him.” The words rushed out of my mouth.
“Raymond was in the kitchen earlier,” Aaron said, a bit doubtfully. Neither of us seemed very inclined to enlist his help.
“Maybe we just need to try a different way,” I said. “I don’t suppose you’re an engineering student?”
“Public administration.”
“Oh, right, you said that last night.” I hesitated. “But I don’t really know what that means.”
“It means I don’t know a clever way to lift and flip a mattress without being decapitated by a ceiling fan.”
I smiled. He sure was easy to talk with.
He returned the smile. “It means I want to work for the city someday.”
“Haverford?” I’d only lived here for less than two months, but the town was very small, with the university as the main focal point.