Chapter Fourteen
Despite the awkward looks and moments of silence, things with Oliver wrapped up quickly. He asked her a few more questions and then said he would be in touch, officially, if he needed any more. He did try to convince her to go out to dinner, but Mia feigned a need to do homework. It wasn’t a total lie; she did need to work on the paper and wrap up her first semester work before deadlines. Oliver slapped a hand over his heart dramatically, and pretended to be wounded as Mia had walked away. She gave a quick wave to Tony, still preoccupied with the new girl to have time to chat.
As she climbed the stairs however, she got a text from tony of three question marks, to which she replied coffee tomorrow? Tony had sent a thumbs up, which she took as a yes. She thought about the meeting with Oliver. Had it been worth the hassle for the info she received? She wasn’t convinced it was but the confirmation on who Aurelio was, what he did, was worth a hundred awkward moments with Oliver. She had some things to think about and the perfect place to do that.
Her loft was quiet, the still of night settling over her corner of the world. Her island screamed to be cleaned, the loose-leaf papers and books scattered about. She sighed, the tub calling her name as she began to strip. Tossing her clothes in the hamper, Mia turned the faucet on, letting the hot water fill the large tub slowly. She snatched the clip out of her hair, the cascade falling down her shoulders. Placing her glasses on the vanity, she grabbed the six pack she had taken from the fridge and climbed in, her phone on the little bamboo table next to the tub playing some gentle music. Tonight, she needed something to calm her nerves, some easy listening while she soaked. She lathered and rinsed, washing slowly as she let the stress of the day go down the drain. Once the water was cold, she stood and stepped out. As she let her foot hit the floor, she picked up the other. Quick as a flash, her foot slipped on the tile, her hand shooting out to grab something, anything, as she fell. Her head connected with the edge of the tub, her ankle cracking loudly as her foot kicked out and hit the shower wall next to the tub.
Crying out in pain, Mia’s vision swam as she pressed her hands to the floor. Her foot and ankle throbbed, along with her head. She closed her eyes, crying out curse after curse as she slowly sat herself on the toilet.
“Fuck!” she cried as tears ran down her cheek. “Why the fuck not I guess.” She said, lifting her hand to her head. It was already tender, almost in the same spot as when she had hit the island the day she first meet Aurelio. Thinking of that brought thoughts of him, her brain pulling her emotions down further as she sunk into herself and cried. The phone lay on the floor, the bamboo table being turned over in the scuffle. The music had stopped, silence interrupted only by the sounds of Mia’s gentle sobs.
She wallowed for a few moments, her head pounding now. She wiped her eyes, standing slowly. Her ankle was swollen for sure, but she could put some pressure on it. She grabbed her towel and wrapped in carefully around herself and hobbled to the living room. As she passed the mirror, she took in her face. Blurry without her glasses, she could still see the red and purple mark forming.
“Fucking great.” She said and left the bathroom. Her couch greeted her as let herself fall in, gently placing her ankle on the coffee table. She closed her eyes, the world too much as she felt the throb dull slowly in her ankle.
“Well, its not like I need to look good for anyone, right Ghost?’ she grinned and gave a sad chuckle as she spoke her recent nickname for Aurelio. She heard her phone in the bathroom, the ringtone familiar as her eyes drew closed.
Somehow, Mia had managed to make it to her bed, although she had not managed to get dressed. She found herself still in her towel, wrapped in her sheets. Her ankle hurt but the swelling she had felt was gone, a gently throbbing replaced it. Her head hurt, a mix of hangover and the contusion made her feel groggier than normal. Getting out of bed, she moved towards the bathroom. Her phone lay where she had left it, the screen face down as she approached. She caught sight of herself in the mirror, her bruise purple but not as bad as thought it would be. Phone in hand, Mia made quick work of getting dressed and ready to meet tony for coffee. She checked her phone once she was dressed and found a dozen missed calls and voicemails. Her heart stopped as she read the number, her memory pulling up his face as she registered.
Aurelio.
Heart pounding as she scrolled down the dozens of voicemails and text messages he had left while she had slept off her tumble from the tub. She worried at first it was just a concussion at first, her head still pounding as she hovered her thumb over the first voicemail. Was this real? Was Aurelio reaching out to her after almost a month of no communication, besides the email she assumed he had sent.
Trepidation flowing throw her veins, Mia clicked the first message and gently placed the phone to her ear. The familiar husky voice flowed through the phone, his speech slow at first but picking up speed as he apologized and asked her to pick up so they could talk. The message was long, the beep of the end of the recording cutting of the last of his words. She pressed play again, putting the phone on speaker and closing her eyes as she listened again.
“Hello, beautiful.” A deep breath, she could feel his nerves through the phone. “Mia, I need to explain some things. But first, I am so sorry for doing this to you.” Pain, and a touch of anger laced his words. “This,” a pause as he drew another breath. “Situation was not ideal, and I am sorry for any hurt I caused you.” Moments ticked by as his breathing came through steadily. “Please, pick up the phone and let me try to explain. I know I don’t deserve any grace from you, but please. Theres so much I need to…” the beep cut him off and Mia opened her eyes, tears threatening to spill over.
Scrambling with shaking fingers, Mia pressed the next one, his voice filling her space once more.
“Please, Mia. Please pick it up. I need to hear you voice, even if it’s to tell me to fuck off or go away. I just need you.” There was more despair in his words, his pain filling Mia’s bones as her tears fell free. Anger and want raged behind her rib cage, begging her to throw the phone away or pick it up and call him back.
“I don’t deserve your forgiveness I but I promise to do all I can to be worth it.” The beep sounded but Mia felt frozen. There were at least 6 more voicemails, and plenty of texts still unread. Wiping her eyes, Mia walked away from the phone. She paced the small apartment, her mind still reeling from the realization that Aurelio had called. He wanted to explain things, but did she want to hear it?
Hands still shaking, tears still slowly falling Mia pulled her back into a low ponytail and dabbed some makeup over the bruise. She eyed her phone, still perched on the edge of the vanity where she had left it while listening to the voicemails. As if it would bite her, Mia gingerly picked it up and slid the screen unlocked. Her mind still enraged, she debated, call him back or continue the charade of being angry and not caring?
Choosing not to choose, Mia slid the phone into the front pocket of her jeans and headed for the door. Preoccupied with her thoughts, Mia didn’t stop to listen in the hallway. Sliding the door open, she was greeted by a few men, two of whom she had never seen before. The third to her dismay was Oliver. The two men she didn’t recognize were deep in conversation with Oliver, one with a tape measure in hand as the other pointed to a clipboard in his. Oliver was shaking his head, his face in a hard line as the conversation continued. Quiet as she could, Mia stepped out and slid her door closed. The loud clicking of the lock sounded and Mia turned back to see all three men staring at her. The one with a clipboard gave her a quick once over before giving a polite wave. He looked to be close to Terry’s age, his round figure shifting as he said, “Morning Ma’am.” The other man was closer to Olivers age, his physic much scrawnier. He gave a little head nod, his features matching much of the older man’s. Mia replied with a polite “Morning” and moved to pass the three men. Oliver gave her his shiny wolf smile and winked; his arms crossed over his chest. Mia smiled tightly and closed the gap.
“Mia, meet Todd and his son TJ.” Mia and the two men gave polite “nice to meet you”.
“They will be installing the keycard doors later this week.” Oliver continued. “They will also be collecting the resident’s information to provide the keycards for entry.” Mia nodded, her eyes scanning the doorway.
“Oh, okay. Well thanks.” She gave Todd another polite smile and moved to leave. “Let me know when you need anything from me, and I am happy to provide it to you.” she added, sliding past them. She felt Olivers hand on her arm as moved to leave.
“Yeah, it will be very important that any guest you have are also in the system.” Olver added, his fingers digging in slightly as she tried to pull free. Todd looked between them, his face shifting as he looked to Olivers hand on her. Oliver, sensing the growing unease it seemed, released her and smiled wide.
“Wait, you want any guest I have over to also give all their information?” Mia crossed her arms, an eyebrow cocking up as a familiar anger began to swell in her belly. “That seems a little invasive.”
“Oh, no!” TJ spoke up behind her, Mia turning to meet his eyes. “You can also request guest keycards if you want.” He gave her a shy smile, his eyes looking away.
“Oh.” Mia said, the anger dissipating. “That’s good then.” She looked back at Oliver, a clear displeasure showing on his features. “Can I request an extra guest keycard at any time?” Mia asked the young man, but her eyes never left Olivers.
“Absolutely Ma’am.” His father replied. “I can put you down for one right now if you would like.” Mia turned to him and smiled brightly.
“I would love that!” she said. “How many can I request?”
“Well,” the man said, looking between her and Oliver. “As many as you like really. We offer 3 free replacements if you lose your keycard so technically you could request 2 extra at no charge to you.” Mia beamed at the man as she looked to Oliver for a moment. His jaw was clenched once more, the hard lines popping in his face.
“Now Mia.” Oliver said, his voice dangerous. “You don’t want to be handing out the keycards all willy nilly now.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, his hand clenching slightly as it rested there,
“Of course not.” She said, smiling wily at him. “I will be very responsible with my keycards.” She emphasized the word my, enjoying watching the smirk fall from Olivers face.
“If you would please take a moment then, miss?” Todd asked, holding the clipboard out to her. Mia took it, the form before her a simple sheet requesting her information.
“On the bottom you can check yes for guest keycards and then just right how many you would like next to it.” Todd gave her a smile and Mia began to fill out the sheet. She wrote her name, loft and floor number. She wrote her email and phone number next when a shadow crossed over the board. She looked up to see Oliver reading her info. Before she could move it out of his line of sight, he spoke.
“Wait a minute.” He snatched the clipboard from her as she went to pass it back to Todd. Todd in turn gave a look of shock. Oliver traced the page, his finger moving along slowly.
“Mia, you wrote your number wrong.” He pulled out his phone and compared the digits, Mia’s heart giving a heavy thud in her chest. “Or did you give me the wrong number?” Mia swallowed, her vision swimming as she felt her heart hammer.
“Oh, did I?” she grabbed the clipboard back, giving its cursory glance and then handed it to Todd. “Nope, its right.” she said and turned on her heel quickly. As she moved to the stairs Todd called behind her.
“The keycards will be available after install Ma’am.” Mia turned as she walked and said okay and thanks. She avoided Olivers gaze. “We can give them to Oliver here if that works.” Mia paused, her hand on the railing, foot on the first step.
“Can you actually give mine to Tony, the cafe owner downstairs?” she asked, meeting the older man’s gaze. He gave a quick look to Oliver, who opened his mouth to speak. But before he could, TJ spoke up.
“Oh sure.” TJ gave Mia a warm smile that she happily returned.
“Thanks, him and I are good friends.” She looked at Oliver as she spoke and smiled widely. “He is such a great guy.” The two men smiled and gave soft calls of okay and sounds good as she turned to leave.
“Have a great day miss.” TJ called, as Mia began to descend the stairs once more. Calling behind her she replied in kind and made her way to meet tony, her grin wide.
Tony was already sipping a hot coffee, a second steaming mug placed across the table from him, when Mia entered the shop. He gave her a warm smile and gestured to the coffee. Mia practically skipped to the table, happy to be able to have a moment to catch him up on everything.
The minutes passed as she told him all about her encounters with Oliver, the report she had made about the cars she had seen, and the moments that had passed just before their coffee date upstairs.
“I don’t know girl; the man is sus af.” Tony said, sipping his second cup. “He comes down here all the time but never orders or talks to anyone.” Tony gave her a pointed look. “Plus, he is on the tv all the damn time.” Tony rolled his eyes. “I get the feeling. He gives me bad juju vibes too.” Mia gave a little laugh and sipped her own mug.
“He just won’t leave me alone.” Mia’s eyes scanned the area, her back was to the stairs, and she had this fear Oliver would be behind her all of the sudden. He hadn’t come down, not even after Todd and TJ had made their way down. They had each given tony and Mia a wave goodbye and promised to leave her keycards with tony after install. Tony was happy to accept the burden of holding the cards for her in case she wasn’t home when they finished.
“Anyway, fill me in on the mysterious boytoy!” tony reached a hand across the table and grabbed hers. His eyes were big as he waited with bated breath. Mia shook her head, loose hair falling around her. She tucked the fallen strands behind her ear and sighed.
“Well, as you know, he went radio silent and fucking ghosted me a few weeks ago.” She said, pulling her phone from her pocket. “And last night I ate shit getting out of the tub.”
“Wait, what!” Tony placed his free hand over his heart and scanned over Mia’s face. His eyes landed on the bruise, mostly covered with makeup, and gave a sharp inhale.
“Babe!” he cried, his hand shooting out of hers and to her face. “Are you okay?” Mia nodded, giving a little hiss as he gently pressed around the area.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It hurt like a son of a bitch,” she felt his fingers trace the spot, her head giving a gentle pound as she recalled the fall. “I made my way to bed at least and was able to sleep it off.”
“Gilr!” tony scolded “You should not fall asleep after hitting your head! You could have a concussion.” Tony gave her a tsking finger and sighed. “You need a guardian I swear.” He sipped his cup again. “How do you feel? Should I drive you to the clinic to be checked out?” Mia shook her head no and placed her phone on the table.
“No, I’m fine.” She gave a soft roll of her neck and sat straighter. “Any way, when I woke up, I had a dozen missed calls and text messages. She tapped the phone. She picked it up and showed it to Tony. His eyes grew wide as she unlocked it and scrolled through the voicemails.
“Wow.” He said finally, his eyes never leaving the screen. “So, what did he say?” Mia bit her bottom lip and looked away.
“I didn’t answer.” Tony let out a gasp and shook his head.
“Why?”
“It’s been almost a month. Why should I let him explain?” She felt the same anger she had felt earlier build. “He just ghosted me.”
“But now he is desperately wanting to explain why.” Tony replied. “I mean, babe. Look at this.” He picked up her phone from the table and clicked on a text message. Mia read the words and let her heart shift.
Mia, please. You mean more to me than I could ever even express. Please, don’t give up on us.
Mia placed a hand on the table and let her head fall to rest on it. She groaned, hearing Tony tapping away on her phone. Realization struck as she sat up, Tony’s face filled with mischief. She reached out to snatch the phone from him, but he pulled away.
“Tony!” she cried, leaning over the table. “What are you doing?!” she stood, moving to his side. But Tony was faster, his thumbs working overtime as he skipped out of the way. She heard the whoosh of a text being sent and let her arms fall.
“There, I did it for you.” He said, holding her phone out for her. “Meet him. For me.” Tony’s eyes were pleading, his smile soft as she grabbed the phone.
Mia read the message tony had sent.
I don’t forgive you, but I am willing to hear you out.
It was simple and honest. She looked from the message to tony, her heart still torn as the phone vibrated in her hand.
I understand. All I want is a chance to explain. Thank you.
Mia felt tony get closer, but still mad at him she tilted the phone to her chest and narrowed her eyes at him. Tony gave a ugh sound and feigned hurt.
“Fine.” He said, collecting their mugs. “But when you two work it out I expect the biggest thank you box of chocolates you can find.” Tony blew her a kiss and turned towards the coffee counter. Without another word, Mia made her way back upstairs.