Chapter Twenty-Three
After a shower, which took longer than expected because Mia decided to clean Aurelio's cock with her mouth, they dried off and dressed. Mia hadn't packed anything before being whisked away for the night, so she grabbed her skirt, brushing the wrinkles out as best she could.
“Here,” Aurelio said, handing over one of his button-up shirts, a dark blue one.
“Thanks,” she said, giggling at the too-large shirt that hung off her.
“I love seeing you in my clothes.” A grin played on his lips.
Mia’s returning smile was sly. “Why?”
“It’s like claiming your body as mine, my scent on you, letting people know you are taken.”
“Oh, I am taken,” Mia agreed. “And hoping you will take me again later.” She winked.
Aurelio’s face darkened. “Happily.” He moved to close the gap between them, but Mia placed a hand on his chest to hold him back.
“Later, lover boy. I need to head home and get ready for work.”
“I thought Flory was taking your shift?”
“No, she has something going on. But it’s fine; I don't have to be there till four, and everything's sorted with Dominick.”
“Yes,” Aurelio said. The “but” was on the edge of his tongue.
Mia's face fell. “But?”
“But…” He sighed. “I won't be able to spend time with you until the final job’s over; till I'm out.”
“But…” Mia sputtered. That was two weeks without him!
“I know.” His hand cupped her face. “But I can’t put you in danger. I need to be out and free so we can start this life together right.”
“Aurelio.” The warmth of his hand was not enough to comfort her pain.
“I will be at your graduation, I promise,” he reassured, but that was the least of her concerns. “And when you see me there, I will be free.”
“Okay,” she relented. “I understand.”
Aurelio kissed her softly, pressing all his love into her. She reciprocated, all her love for him sinking into his body.
“I love you.” The words were a whisper against her lips.
Mia sank into the feeling before pulling back, her hands around his neck, eyes locked on his. “Come home to me.”
“Always, beautiful.”
Mac was outside, waiting, unsmiling, for Mia. It was better to part there, where no one would be watching. It was better to leave and go back to her own world while she waited.
“Ass,” she hissed, getting in the car and staring at the house. Mac’s shoulders slumped as he got behind the wheel.
One heavy curtain moved aside; Aurelio’s face peaked out with a grim smile on his lips. Mia gave a little wave as the vehicle was put in drive. The ride to the loft was quiet as she tried to push all her worry to the back of her mind.
When Mac fiddled with the radio with shaky hands, Mia gave him a break. “I’m not mad.” She took in his pale appearance; sweat beaded on his forehead. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Mac said unconvincingly. “I’m fine.” He took a deep breath, swallowing hard. “Just a lot going on.”
“Yeah.” He was just a kid trapped in this mess. “I know.” Mia placed a hand on his as it rested on the shifter. The kid looked at her, eyes wide. When she smiled at him reassuringly, Mac smiled back, relaxing a little.
“Sorry, Mia.”
Her hand patted his before returning to her lap. “It’s okay.” She sighed, “Sorry I tried to put you in the middle of our shit.”
“That’s okay. It was like watching my mom and dad fight.” He let out a little laugh. “And sorry, Mom, but Dad will whip my ass if I don’t listen.” They both laughed, the tension easing. Mac pulled in front of the loft. As Mia grabbed her bag, her phone started ringing.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mia,” Janet’s voice came over the line. “Did you leave for school already? Cause you left your door open.”
“What?!” Mia exclaimed, hands flying to the door handle and pushing it open. Mac turned off the engine, looking confused and concerned.
“Yeah, I heard you shuffling around and run out. Do you want me to close it?” The sound of the older woman moving was clear over the phone.
“Don’t touch anything! I will be right there.” Mia ran into the building, Mac right behind her. She took the stairs two at a time, her legs beginning to burn as she vaulted up to the third floor. As she rounded the corner, she spotted Janet standing in her doorway, the phone still in her hand. Mia’s door was cracked open like someone had tried to slide it closed as they fled. Her apartment was torn apart. Books and papers were all over the floor; her dresser was pulled open, and clothes were all over the place.
“What the shit?!” Mia yelled, turning to look back at the door. Janet gave her wide eyes and slid her own loft door closed. Mac stepped into the apartment slowly, his phone at his ear.
“Calling Aurelio.” He said it like it was obvious.
“No. Stop,” Mia tried to interject, but she was too late.
She heard Aurelio answer the phone, his voice booming. “Mac!”
“Hey, um,” Mac stuttered, looking at Mia, whose eyes were wide, daring him to say it.
“Don’t, Mac. I can handle it,” she gritted quietly through her teeth.
But the teen shook his head and walked past her, further into the apartment. “Someone broke into Mia’s place.”
“It’s fine!” Snatching the phone from him, Mia interrupted Aurelio before he had a chance to say anything. “I can handle this.”
“Mia, you need to leave there.” Aurelio’s voice boomed out of the phone, Mac giving me a look that conveyed his apology for calling and a plea for her to listen. Mia gave him a hard look in return.
“No, it’s fine.” She said to both men, her eyes on Mac. “Let me call Detective Daniels.” Mac’s face fell as Aurelio’s voice carried from the phone again.
“No. No cops.” His voice was a sonic boom in her ear. Mac’s face paled as he looked away from Mia. He looked like a rat in a trap as she watched him back up till his back hit the wall.
“What?” Mia said, turning her attention back to the disastrous loft before her. “Someone broke in. I’m calling him.” The defiance in her voice seemed to trigger something with Aurelio, she heard him take a deep breath.
“Mia,” Aurelio started.
“You can’t come here.” She interrupted, gingerly stepping into the loft to take a clearer stock of the damage. “I need to keep things separate for now. Besides, we don’t know who broke in or if anything is missing. Let me handle this, and I will call you back.” There was silence for a moment and then another deep exhalation.
“No.” he said finally, Mia looking to Mac but although he was standing only feet from her, he was nowhere to be seen. “No cops, Mia.” Aurelio said it calmly but Mia wasn’t interested in listening. Her phone was already in her hand.
“Too late.” She shoved the phone back to Mac who fumbled with it for a moment, his head shaking as if he was waking from a dream. Mia hit the number for Detective Daniels and heard Aurelio roar her name, making Mac pull the phone from his ear, a look of fear on his face. Mac opened and closed his mouth several times before words tumbled out.
“Aurelio, I—” Mac started.
“Give her the phone back!” Mia could hear Aurelio roar, but her feet were carrying her through the mess already. She dodged into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She heard Mac give chase and jiggle the handle.
“Mia,” he said, his voice pleading. “Please.”
“I will be out after I do this.” Her phone rang.
“Detective Daniels.”
“Hi, Detective Daniels. It’s Mia.”
“Ah, Mia. How lovely to hear from you.” He sounded pleased that she called. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m sorry to call you with this, but I didn’t know who I should call. I just got home, and it appears someone broke into my loft.” She let out a sigh, her eyes threatening to water as she let the words sink in.
“Mia, okay…” Detective Daniels’ voice became harder, the friendly nature disappearing. “Are they still there? Are you safe?” He sounded like a cop now.
“No, I mean yes. Well, no, they are not here, and yes, I’m safe,” she clarified. “But my stuff is in a mess, and my door was wide open.”
“Okay, exit the loft and wait in the hallway.” She could hear him walking fast and a car door beeping. “I’m on my way, and I will call this in. Don’t touch anything and try to just retrace your steps on the way out.”
“Okay, yeah, I can do that.” She gave a head nod, and stood from her perch on the bathtubs lip.
“I will be there in about 5 minutes. Just hang tight.”
The call clicked off, and Mia unlocked the bathroom door. Mac held his phone out for her. She sighed, grabbed the device, and walked past Mac towards the door.
“Yes?” she said, tone annoyed.
“Did you call the cops?” Aurelio’s voice was full of agitation.
“No, I called Detective Daniels.”
“Same thing, Mia!” His voice boomed. She could picture him, pacing and red faced, but she knew she had made the right call.
“Do not yell at me. It was the right thing to do!” She looked to Mac, anger rising. Mac’s wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“Mia!” Aurelio yelled again, and she clicked the phone off, handing it back to Mac as they walked into the hallway.
“Did you just hang up on him?” Mac said, finally looking at her. The teen’s face was paler than Mia had ever seen. Poor kid, she thought.
“No one speaks to me like that,” she said simply, leaning against the wall opposite her loft. Mac began to pace, unsure what to do.
“Why did you call him? I had this handled.” She asked him, her arms crossing over her chest.
“I had to.” Mac paused for a moment in his pacing and looked to her. “If he found out we came here and saw this, and I didn’t call him, he would have my head.”
“Mac, he has enough going on.” She sighed, sick of all the stress. “I get it, I do.” She placed a hand in his as he resumed his pacing. “But I need you to have faith and trust in me, too.” Mac stopped and looked to there hands, joined gently. He let her fingers linger in his hand.
“I do.” He said with a sigh, letting his other hand cover their joined ones. “But if anything happened to you, Aurelio wouldn’t survive it.” Mac looked to Mia, his eyes pleading with her to understand. And she did.
Mia smiled sadly at the thought. “Me either.” Her hand fell away from his. “Why don’t you run downstairs and buy us a coffee?” She reached into her bag to pull out $20. Mac nodded, took the money, and disappeared down the stairs. Mia’s phone began to ring, and Aurelio’s name popped up on the screen. She slid the answer bar and waited.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was calmer. “I... I’m just sorry.”
“I know.” Silence hung around for a moment; the sound of Aurelio breathing deeply was all she could hear on his end.
“I don’t like involving cops.”
Mia laughed. “Duh. But this is a situation where they are needed.”
“If Dominick broke into your apartment, they aren’t going to find any evidence of him.”
“We don’t know who it was.” She refused to jump to conclusions.
“All signs point to it being him,” Aurelio said, the anger in his voice rising again.
“No,” she said calmly. “It could have been anyone; hell, it could have been Oliver.” The thought struck her and she was surprised at how easily she could believe it had been him. “Even if it was Dominick, maybe he did it before the pact was signed.”
“Hmm. That is possible, I guess. Or at least, he did not have time to call it off.”
“Exactly. We should let the cops do their job, take whatever evidence they can find, and I can report whatever was stolen. We can let things lie with Dominick.” She could see Aurelio's face in her mind as he contemplated her words.
“Fine.” It was a clipped response. “But next time something like this happens, don’t call the cops.”
“Aurelio.”
“I’m serious, Mia. Promise me.” Aurelio’s voice was hard, with an undertone of pleading bleeding through.
“Okay, I promise,” she relented; the argument was not worth the heartache.
“Thank you, beautiful.” The easiness was back in his tone, and it made Mia smile.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just shook up. All my stuff’s everywhere.”
“I’m sorry this happened.” He took a deep breath. “Soon, we won’t have to worry about any of it.”
“Thank god,” Mia muttered, playing with her skirt. She heard voices on the stairs and turned to see two uniformed officers. “Cops are here; I will call you later.”
“Love you,” Aurelio said quickly before hanging up.
She slid her phone back into her bag and smiled at the officers[HF21].
“Are you Mia?” one of them asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, is Detective Daniels with you?” She peeked past them to look at the stairs.
“Yeah, he is downstairs talking to that kid.” The officer took out a notepad. The other one moved to the door, sticking his head inside and looking around at the mess.
“I’m Officer Wilde, and that’s Officer Hooper.” Officer Wilde gave her a poliete smile and then clicked his pen open. “Could you please state your name for me please.”
“Oh, okay,” Mia said, giving the officer her name. she couldn’t help but wonder why Detective Daniels had stayed behind to talk with Mac. Maybe he remembered him from that day at the diner.
“Miss?” The officer asked, his partner slipping on a pair of gloves inside the apartment. Mia looked to him, mind reeling from everything going on. “Could you tell me what happened?” Officer Wilde inquired.
Mia took a deep breath and began explaining. She told him about coming home, getting the call from Janet, and running up to find the loft in its current state. As she spoke the Officer scribbled notes, his head nodding occasionally but otherwise he remained quiet. When Mia finished he took a moment to finish writing and then looked up at her.
“Janet lives where?” he said after a moment, watching Mia.
Mia pointed to the door behind her. The officer turned to look at the door as Mia spoke loudly.
“She is a very nosy neighbor,” Janet’s apartment slid open instantly.
“I am not!” the older woman grumbled, clearly listening in.
Mia eyed the officer, raising her eyebrow as her lips thinned.
He smiled, amused. “Hello, ma’am.” He said, reaching out a hand and introducing himself as he had to Mia. Janet shook his hand, drawing her robe closer to her chest, her fist white knuckled as she held the thinning fabric.
“Can you tell me what you heard or saw, please?” The officer asked, his smile polite. Janet gave him a smile back, lifting a hand to her curlers and letting out a little giggle.
“Of course, young man,” Janet said, smiling shyly. “Well, I was in my loft, minding my own business,” her eyes flashed to Mia’s, Mia rolling hers and turning her attention to the officer inside her apartment.
“When suddenly during the night there was an awful ruckus from Mia’s loft.” Mia listened as she watched Officer Hooper snap photos.
“I assumed she had her gentleman caller over and was being a bad neighbor.” Mia spun around to look to Janet, Janet giving her a pointed look down her nose. “As sudden as it started though, It stopped. And I heard the door close.” Janet looked back to Officer Wilde. “Then, this morning around seven, I would say, the door opened again. I peeked out to see who it was, but there was no one in the hallway. The door was half open, I couldn’t help but hear someone tramping around in there.” She waved a hand about. “But then the door started to move and I closed mine quickly. I didn’t wanting anyone to think of me as a nosy neighbor.” Janet nodded lightly as she spoke, casting a look to Mia who scoffed.
The officer, pen flying across his notepad, nodded. “And when the door opened, did you see who it was?”
Janet’s smile fell, replaced with a frown on her thin lips. “No,” she said, her eyes looking nervously to Mia’s for a moment before sliding back toward the officer. Janet gave a little throat clearing as Officer Wilde looked up at her from his pad.
“But,” Janet continued “I did see that it was a man. His back was to me though.” She shifted her eyes between Mia and the officer. “He was tall, with, uhm, blonde hair.”
Mia pictured Dominick, who matched Janet’s description. But something felt off with that thought.
“Thanks for that, ma’am.” Officer Wilde said, clicking his pen closed and pulling a card from his pocket. “Please call the station if you think of anything else.” He handed the card to Janet, who nodded, smiled wide again, and then just stood there. Mia looked at her, waiting. Janet looked to Mia and then back to the officer, who had turned his back to her. Finally, the older woman frowned, stepped back into her loft. Mia turned back to the officer as Janet spoke once more.
“See, I knew keycards was the right move.” Janet said, her eyes locking on Mia’s. “I guess it didn’t really help though.” Janet gave Mia a small wink before sliding her door closed. Mia looked to the closed door and then back to the door before the stairs. The officer followed her gaze, his steps moving to the reader quickly. Mia followed.
“Hmm.” He said, fingers hovering just above the reader. “We can dust for prints.” He said, turning to mia. “Did you use yours to enter when you got here?”
Mia nodded, words failing her as she replayed Janets wink in her mind again and again. She pulled her Keycard out of her pocket, the one she had mindlessly swiped when her and Mac had run up the stairs.
“Well, that doesn’t mean it was a resident.” The officer said, eying the card. “Huh, same ones we have at the precinct.” The officer gave her a smile and wrote on his pad. “I can call the company and ask about who would be able to have one or have access to get one.” He walked back towards the loft,
“It’s a good start.” Officer Wilde finally said after a moment, looking to his notepad before catching Mia’s eyes. “Know anyone who would want to break into your apartment, anyone that you can think of?” the cop asked, pen hovering above a notepad.
Mia sighed; that was a loaded, tricky question, one the officers didn’t realize.
“Well,” she began. She paused, unsure how she wanted to play this. As she opened her mouth to speak, Detective Daniels came up the stairs, drawing her attention to him.
“Mia,” He greeted with a smile, reaching out a hand to her. She took it, shaking it lightly before looking behind him. Mac was trailing there, two coffees in hand. His eyes were down cast, face unreadable.
“Thanks for coming, Detective Daniels.” Mia said, looking back to him.
“Charles, please,” he said, as he always did. And as always, Mia ignored it completely. “So, walk me through what happened.” He turned to her open door, and she carefully followed his path.
“Well, as I told the officer here, I got a call from Janet as I was just pulling up. She said my door was open, asking if I had left and forgotten to close it.” Mia paused, seeing the back of her door for the first time. All the photos, notes from her dad, everything was torn down, ripped, and bent all over.
“Oh my god,” she murmured, stepping toward them.
“Mia, please don’t touch anything.” Detective Daniels reached a hand out to her.
She nodded, stopping herself from grabbing what she could. Her eyes threatened to release the tears that gathered. “Yeah, okay.” Her voice was quiet and sad. Mac remained outside, eyes on the floor.
“So, then what happened, Mia?” Detective Daniels prompted her.
“Right, sorry,” she sighed, focusing on him. “I said no and ran up here. I saw the door open and stepped in. The place looked like this.” She gestured around. “I went into the bathroom and called you.”
“The bathroom?” he asked, head tilting slightly. “Why?”
“I wanted to be sure no one was still here.”
“Mia, that’s very reckless,” Detective Daniels chastised. “If they had been, they could have hurt you.”
“Mac was here. Plus, you know I throw a mean hook,” Mia said, a small smile on her lips.
“That I do.” He laughed lightly. “Well, in any case. I’m glad you called me.” He turned to the other officer. “I can assume you have taken the statement from the neighbor?”
“Yes, sir. And I was just asking some questions when you came up.”
“Okay, I can take that from here. Go and help Officer Hooper document the scene. We will head downstairs and wait.” Detective Daniels motioned to Mia. “If you don’t mind, let’s let them manage up here, and we can go relax while we chat.”
“Sure.” Mia walked into the hall and grabbed her coffee from Mac, who finally lifted his head to look at her. He quickly looked at Detective Daniels before his eyes fell back to the floor. “Mac, you okay?”
He nodded but wouldn’t look at her face. “Yeah, I just have to get going.”
“Wait, they are going to want your statement, too, I’m sure.” She looked at Detective Daniels.
His face gave way to concern for a split second; it was so quick Mia thought she may have been seeing things. His face settled on a pleasant smile. “No, I took Mac’s statement downstairs when I first arrived. If he must go, that’s fine. Besides, he has my number.”
“He does?” Mia asked, and again saw that look of concern, almost panic flashing across his face.
Mac cleared his throat, drawing Mia’s attention. He was pale and seemed to be sweating.
“He gave it to me downstairs. Mia, I gotta go. I’ll see you later.” And with that, he flew down the steps and was gone.
Mia was a little shocked, but Detective Daniels placed a hand on her back and led her to the stairs.
They found a table in the corner away from the stairs and made themselves comfortable. Mia sipped her coffee while Detective Daniels went to the counter to order one for himself.
When he sat down with his cup, an easy smile sat on his lips. “So, Mia,” he said, producing a small notepad and pen from his coat pocket. “Where were you coming home from?”
She was a little taken aback by the question, feeling like it bordered on the edge of relevance and fishing. She sighed and let a shy smile come out.
“Well…” she began slowly, lightly biting her lip. “…I spent the night at my boyfriend’s place.”
Detective Daniels jotted down a few notes.
“Uh-huh,” he said, nodding as he wrote. “And may I ask his name?” Mia crossed her arms, feeling Aurelio’s shirt still on her. She gripped the fabric, smile fading.
“I don’t think that’s relevant, Detective.” She said after a moment, catching him looking at the shirt she was wearing. He cleared his throat, a soft apologetic smile on his lips.
“Oh, no, I suppose not,” he agreed, shaking his head. “More a personal curiosity I suppose. Sorry if I overstepped.” He looked to her and Mia gave a small nod.
“It’s okay.” She smiled again. “It’s still new, and we aren’t really sharing it with anyone yet.” The lie was easy, time was relative after all.
“Well, I hope things work out well between you.” His eyes met hers. “We all deserve a shot at happiness. No matter our pasts.” His tone was softer as he spoke, like it was a secret they shared. Mia’s face shifted, unsure of what he was implying, but she couldn’t dwell on it now.
He cleared his throat lightly and continued, focusing on the notepad in front of him again.
“Anyway, any thoughts on who would want to break into your loft?” He sat back, notebook on his lap as he waited. Mia sipped her coffee before answering.
“Not really.” She paused, biting her lip as her mind drew up images of Domonick and Oliver. “I mean, no one I can think of.” She sighed, her mind wandering back to what she said to Aurelio on the phone. Oliver’s face flashing before her. “Unless….”
Detective Daniels lifted his gaze to hers again.
“Unless?” He raised a brow at her.
“I don’t want to overstep,” Mia looked to him, eyes meeting. “but Janet said the person she glimpsed leaving my loft was over 6 feet and had blonde hair.”
He seemed to catch her drift, nodding as his smile faded.
“I see.” He reached for his phone, checked the time, and slid the device back into his pocket before standing abruptly and putting the notepad back into his pocket.
Mia stood as well, and he raised his hand for her to shake.
“Thanks for chatting. We will be in touch with anything we find.” His gave her another smile.
“Okay.” She shook his hand lightly, nervous and shaken at his sudden decision to leave. “Thanks for coming.”
“Of course.” He smiled. “That’s my job.” He gave her hand a little pat and released her, turning and striding to the exit.
Mia was left standing there, unsure if she should go back up or wait for the police to leave. She decided to head up and see if they were done just as the two officers were walking down the stairs.
“All set, ma’am.” Officer Wilde said, giving her a slight tilt of his hat. “There is some broken glass, so please be careful.”
“Of course, thanks.” Mia gave them each a small smile.
The officers made their way to the exit, one carrying a CSI case she hadn’t noticed before. Her heart fluttered, hoping none of Aurelio’s prints would come back to bite her in the ass.
“What the fuck was that all about?” Tony exclaimed, suddenly standing in front of her, hands on his hips with wide eyes. “Was any of that about the asshole you sucker punched yesterday?”
Mia laughed, deep and hearty, letting the nerves from the whole situation out.
Her friend stared at her like she was crazy. “Girl, what is going on?” He placed a hand on her shoulder.
Mia blew out a harsh breath. “The last couple of months have been crazy.”
She concocted a story about how the guy had made a very rude sexual advance before she hit him, and Tony nodded along, taking it as complete truth before asking about the police. When she explained, her friend got a very serious look on his face and leaned in closer.
“Mia, I should have said something to you earlier, but…” Tony’s usual tan complexion paled. “…Oliver is obsessed with you.”
“What do you mean? I haven’t seen him in a week and the last time I did, he barely waved before running off.”
“Good. That boy talks nonstop about you and what you’re up to. I finally had to say, ‘Listen, she has a man. And Aurelio will kick you ass if you don’t stop bothering her! Leave her alone.’”
Mia’s face went white, eyes blinking in disbelief. “Tony, don’t tell me you told Oliver the name of my boyfriend.” Her words were careful and quiet.
Tony gave her a “no shit” look. “Of course, why the hell not? It’s a great name.” He waggled his eyebrows, but Mia’s stress was back in full force.
“When did you have this conversation with him?” Her mind was putting the puzzle together faster than she could logically realize what was happening.
“Yesterday, after you left in such a hurry. The poor girl behind the counter didn’t know what to do when you decked the guy, so she called 911. Oliver heard the call come in and took it.” Tony gave Mia a face.
“Okay, and what happened?” she asked, needing to hear what she knew was coming.
“He just about lost it. The guy you punched took off before Oliver even got here, and his nose was all kinds of messed up, by the way.” Tony cringed at the memory. “Anyway, Oliver asked where you had gone, how long since you left, and which direction you went. I had enough. He has been talking about you every day for weeks. I had to get him to understand you are taken.”
Mia knew what happened after Tony told him that; she didn’t need it to be said. Oliver had broken into the apartment; he was the one who had smashed everything. He lost his temper. He knew Aurelio’s name.
“I have to go.” She rushed past her friend and went upstairs, bag on her shoulder and coffee forgotten.
The door to her loft was still open, the mess in full view. The first thing she saw was the glass the officer had warned her about. The vase with fresh flowers from Aurelio was smashed on the living room carpet. He gifted her new flowers every few days, saying he loved the way she lit up when he brought them in. The bouquet of sunflowers and daisies, only two days old, was ruined, and petals were everywhere.
Mia scanned the rest of the room. Her eyes caught on her books, some wet and ruined from the broken vase. She avoided the door, her heart not ready to see all the damage. She took stock of broken things; books she would be unable to return the following week, papers she was glad were backed up on her laptop, the couch was destroyed, and her clothes littered everywhere. She hadn’t taken stock of the bathroom earlier, so when she pushed the door open, she was greeted by another mess. Her shower door was cracked; the glass was fragmented but none of it was on the floor. As she stepped inside, she heard a tinkling sound. The whole mirror and every bulb on her vanity had been shattered; the entire thing was cracked and falling down.
“Oh,” Mia said quietly, her heart breaking. She had brought the piece with her from home, a leftover from her dad. He bought it when she was 12, telling her all girls needed a private place to check how they looked. And with 4 boys in a one-bathroom house, he never wanted her to have to fight for it. Now it sat shattered and broken. Her makeup was spread across the floor, cracked. Her claw foot tub was okay, thankfully. At least one thing she loved had survived the onslaught.
Having checked just about everywhere, Mia left the bathroom and looked at the door. Her heart caught in her throat; the thudding of it made it hard to breathe. She walked slowly towards it, each step causing her heart to shatter a little more. The wall was torn down almost completely. Pictures lay crumbled on the ground and notes from her dad over the years were ripped with corners still hanging on the wall. Her dreams, hopes, and memories… all trampled on.
“Oh,” Mia murmured again. The silence in the room was almost too much for her to bear. She wished more than anything Aurelio was there to hold her, to let her cry with him. But he wasn’t, and so, her tears went unshed as her mind kicked her into cleaning up. Picking up the rest of the house was easy. Broken things to the trash and salvageable stuff to various locations to dry. She worked diligently, moving swiftly across the floor, broom in hand, to sweep up the glass and debris. She was halfway done when her phone rang, her bag forgotten by the front door. She walked over to it, recognizing David’s ringtone and realizing she was definitely late to work. She unlocked the phone and answered.
“Where are you!?” David’s voice yelled over the line.
“Sorry, David. Someone broke into my apartment, and I have been dealing with that.”
“Sure, Mia.”
Her mind reeled. “What does that mean?”
“It means you don’t want to work here anymore. You trade all your shifts off to anyone else, and when you do have a shift, you show up late or leave early.”
“David, I haven’t been late in weeks, and I don’t leave early.”
“Don’t think I didn’t watch the security tape of you and that oversized gorilla leave early.”
“What? When?” Mia hadn’t left early since the day Flory said she could. Aurelio always waited for her to be done; he never complained or rushed her.
“Doesn’t matter. I saw it!”
“David, you don’t have to yell at me like this. I can come in. Give me a few minutes—"
“Don’t bother, you’re fired! Your last check will be mailed. Give Mac your uniform since you’re such good friends.” He hung up, and Mia was left stunned.
“Shit.” She let her hand fall, and she rubbed her face, pushing her glasses up. “Shit, shit, SHIT!”
Mia felt the world around her spin, everything she had built was crashing around her. Her heart pounded harder in her chest, panic rising in her throat.
“SHITTTT!!!” Mia screamed once more, and her phone began to ring. She sighed and looked at the screen. Aurelio. Exhaling deeply, she answered.
“What’s wrong, beautiful?”
“Everything.” Tears began to fall. “Everything….”
“I can hear you screaming.”
“What?” Mia glanced around the apartment, eyes scanning the darkening sky. “How?”
“I think everyone around the block heard you cursing.” He chuckled. “Open the window.” The call ended.
Mia walked to the window that connected to the fire escape, which was broken at the bottom. She frequently crossed her fingers that there would never be a fire. The view faced the alley, and as she approached, she saw a remarkably familiar hand wave at her. She slid the window open and leaped into his arms, almost knocking them both over.
“Woah, beautiful.” He wrapped her in his arms. “Easy.”
She took him in from the leather jacket over a white T-shirt to the dark black jeans. He was everything she wanted. He reached out of the window, with Mia still attached to him, and pulled in his motorcycle helmet. He set it down before walking them carefully over to the bed. Mia wrapped her legs around his torso, keeping her head buried against him. Aurelio sat with her on his lap, gently stroking her back while she wept quietly. He didn’t say a word while she cried, just held her tight, breathing her in while she did the same.
She cried for the loss of her world, the carefully crafted existence she had built around her. She cried for the life she had dreamed of, the hopes she had plastered on her wall. She wept for the girl who had locked herself in here, the girl she had been.
Aurelio wrapped her in his arms, the comfort of him surrounding her as she let it go. The past was the past, but here, together, was the future. She felt the warmth of him, the smell of pine and grease filling her nose as she breathed in the possibility. His hands held her to him, his voice slowly surrounding her as he told her how much he loved her, that everything would be alright now.
Mia’s tears dried after some time; the sun had fully set, and the moon shone brightly in the open window. Slowly, she lifted her head, eyes red and puffy, and sniffling softly. Aurelio glanced at her with a sad smile.
“Better?” he asked after a moment, his hand coming up to caress her face, thumb brushing away the last few tears. Mia nodded, mouth still set in a soft frown.
“I’m sorry.” He placed a kiss on her cheek. “I’m sorry.” He kissed her again, and the gentle kisses warmed Mia’s heart.
“Don’t be.” She said, voice raw from crying. “It just sucks.”
“I know.” He hugged her tight, pressing their bodies together.
She inhaled deeply, letting all of him soak into her lungs. Exhaling, she opened her eyes and met his gaze. “I still have more cleaning to do.” She refused to look at the wall she wasn’t ready to tackle.
“Let me help.”
“I can’t clean my door by myself,” Mia murmured, knowing he would understand. She had explained every piece of the wall to him, read him the notes, and shared the dreams with him. They were all torn and destroyed. She slid off his chest, letting her feet touch the floor, and stepped back.
Aurelio stood up, placing one of his arms around her waist. He felt his body press to her back, the comfort of knowing he had her giving her strength.
“No point holding it off anymore.” She spun to face him, lifting on her tip toes to place a kiss on his chin. He smiled at her.
“I will be right here with you.” He lifted her chin, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
“I will always be here.” He whispered, his words filling the cracks in her heart.
Together, they walked to the door. Mia picked up photo after photo, each one bringing a tear to her eye. Although he had already heard every story, Aurelio asked after each photo. She laughed a little as she went through them; the memories captured in the photos were still her favorites. He helped pick up the notes, gently pressing them flat and stacking them. Working as a team, they made quick work of putting everything together, making neatly stacked piles of her memories and hopes. She sighed, feeling a release in the shed tears and shared moments while cleaning. Aurelio grabbed her waist and pulled her into a kiss; her body pressed against him, grateful and full of love.
“Go take a bath. I’m going to cook something for us to eat.” He pushed her gently towards the bathroom.
“What?” she asked, a smile on her lips. “You cook?”
“Yeah,” he chuckled as she walked backward to the bathroom. “Had to learn when Dad was sick, and money was tighter than ever. Now, I just do it on occasion.” He walked to her little kitchen and opened the fridge.
“Wow, okay.” Her feet hit the bathroom floor, hand on the doorknob. “Sure you don’t want to join me in here?”
Aurelio looked away from the fridge, his eyes dark with want. “Oh, I want to. But I know you haven’t eaten all day. I would love to take care of you in there, but first, I need to take care of you like this.”
Mia smiled; her heart could not love him more. He was right; she hadn’t eaten all day because of everything that happened. Time had slipped right by. She nodded and started to close the door but stopped.
Mia had cleaned all the glass in the loft, vanity included. She removed the mirror entirely, and it sat outside the front door. She secretly hoped Oliver would come by and see it and know she knew he was responsible. She had to let the anger go; she couldn’t hold onto it, or it would eat her alive.
Drawing a nice hot bath, Mia stepped into the warm bubbles and breathed easy. Again, Aurelio was right; it was perfect. She had told him the first day they messaged that a bath was her way to unwind, and it was. He remembered. Thoughts of Aurelio swirled around her like the bubbles, wishing he was in the bath with her. As if he heard her secret desire, he appeared. But unlike her fantasies, where he was naked, the real Aurelio was still wearing his clothes, carrying a plate and drink.
Mia sat up a little in the tub as Aurelio squatted next to her. His face was close but not close enough to kiss.
“For you, beautiful,” he announced, lowering the plate. On it was a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crust removed.
Mia laughed, her face splitting in a wide smile. “Why, thank you! My favorite!”
Aurelio shared her wide smile. “Mine, too. But it’s not complete...” He pulled the drink out for her to see. “…without a glass of milk.” He gave her a wink, and Mia laughed harder.
“Of course, truly the perfect meal. Thank you, my Aurelio!” she said, pursing her lips.
Aurelio leaned closer and kissed her, setting the food on the sink next to them.
“Can I have dessert first?” she asked, her hand snaked out of the tub to reach for him.
He pulled back, standing up again. “You need to eat. Then we can talk about your dessert.”
“But what if I promise to eat every bite right after?” she asked, pouting. “Or what if I want to eat something else?”
Aurelio stopped, his eyes growing dark as his own lust took over. “Oh, beautiful.” His hands were already working on his pants buckle and zipper. “You will be the death of me.”
The pants slid off, followed by boxers. His cock was hard, ready for her. Mia eyed him hungrily. Aurelio lifted his shirt over his head, flexing hard muscles that begged to be touched. He sauntered slowly over, watching as she floated just below the surface of the water, the tops of her breasts barely breaking the surface. Mia pushed onto her knees, and suds clung to her flesh. Aurelio stood before her. Watching, waiting. She stared up at him as she took his cock into her mouth. He let out a guttural moan as her tongue worked over the hardened length. She sucked hard, her hand coming up to grab the shaft as she pulled back. Licking the tip, she began to work him faster between her fingers.
“Fuck,” Aurelio moaned, his head falling back as she licked and stroked, letting her tongue clean the precum on his tip. She took him fully in her mouth again, swallowing as he reached the back of her throat, and pulling more growls and moans from him. His cock slid out of her mouth, and she looked up to catch his dark and lustful gaze, continuing to lick and stroke.
“Get out,” Aurelio commanded, moving back so Mia could stand. Before her left foot even hit the floor, his hands were around her, setting her on the edge of the tub. “Lean back.” His words were an order, his face hard and dominating. “Spread your legs.”
Mia did as instructed, and Aurelio sank to his knees before her. He buried his face between her thighs, tongue licking all the juices she released. He worked her clit into a frenzy until Mia was ready to cum all over his tongue. His fingers worked into her vagina, moving in and out slowly while his mouth sucked her clit and flicked it with his tongue.
“Oh God, Aurelio,” she cried, trying to be quiet, but he would not allow that. He pulled his head back from her pussy, his gaze telling her exactly what she needed to do. Mia bit her lip; she shouldn’t. She needed to be quiet with everything going on around them, but fear that someone would hear her had never stopped them before. Aurelio licked her again and again, fingers still working in slow movements as her pussy leaked all over his palm.
“Scream.”
The shout Mia let out was louder, deeper, and more intense than any other she ever had before. She let out all the anger, pain, fear, and resentment she had been clinging to. Aurelio worked her to a release she hadn’t known she needed. As she came down, he lifted his face to hers, kissing her. She could taste herself on his tongue. She stood up, pulling him with her. His cock was still rock hard. Aurelio settled into the tub, and Mia gently lowered herself onto him so his cock slid into her wetness. As she dropped down, they both let out a moan. Mia pressed her palms to the edge of the tub, lifting herself enough for him to thrust into her. Aurelio moved his hips slowly upwards, his cock sliding in and out easily. He began to move faster, pulling her by the hips and fucking her harder and harder.
“OH, fuck,” he moaned, close to coming. Mia let her fingers slide to her clit, playing gently as another orgasm rose in her. Aurelio thrust harder, his cock was ready to burst as Mia’s fingers went faster, and together they crashed over the edge, coming. She leaned back as his cock slid out of her gently. Aurelio rested his arms on the edge of the tub, one hand playing with Mia’s hair as it floated around them.
“That was…” His chest expanded with a deep inhale. “…fucking perfect,” he finished.
Mia smiled as her eyes threatened to close. “It was. Cathartic.”
Aurelio gave a chuckle, arms banding around her chest. “You were amazing. She could feel him relaxing. “Now, you need to eat.” He shifted slightly, trying to reach for the plate.
“Wait,” she said, grabbing his hand and placing it back around her. “Please. One more minute. One more minute in here, with you.” Mia laid her head all the way back, her body begging for her to sleep.
Aurelio let out a deep breath. “Okay, beautiful.”
And with that, Mia let her eyes close, her body wrapped safely in his arms.