Alexia's POV

I had definitely gone crazy.

I still had time to leave. No one had seen me. I could just turn around, get in my car, and go back home. The possibility repeated in my mind, tempting me, trying to be stronger than my concern as my right hand approached the doorbell button.

It had been over a week since I heard from her. She hadn't responded after the direct message, but what worried me the most was not seeing her any of the times I had stopped by the bar. I knew her shifts. It didn't make sense.

Countless possibilities had been swirling in my head for days. One that resonated loudly was that she had been avoiding me because of that night, a possibility that made me feel completely foolish for waiting for her voice to appear on the intercom.

I preferred her to tell me face to face, of course, but coming to her house felt invasive, perhaps crossing a line. This thought would have undoubtedly won, and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the last time I passed by, hoping to see her at The Elf Bar.

Maite was casually drying some glasses when I approached the bar. She was whistling melodically and swaying her hips to her own tune when she saw my shadow cast in front of her. She dropped everything she had in her hands and turned towards me, resting both arms on the bar.

"What can I get you, sweetheart?"

I had my hoodie on and sunglasses, taking advantage of the transitional weather that had brought the warm sun to Barcelona that day.

I saw how she looked at me, expectantly waiting for me to uncover my face and look directly at her, with politeness. And I did.

"The Barça player," she thought aloud, using a more familiar tone with me. "Did you come alone?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about Mía."

I responded hurriedly. I had practiced that miserable sentence thousands of times on my way to the bar, trying to make it as unobtrusive as possible, and now realizing that it had been without much success.

"Mía?" She looked around and pointed to the floor. "Mía, our Mía?" I nodded, and she looked visibly confused. "She hasn't been here for several days. She took all her days off for the year."

Now it was my turn to furrow my brow.

"Do you know why?"

I knew that the questions I was asking Maite were far from normal. She looked at me several times, silently analyzing and examining me before responding, as if trying to make sense of what was happening and why.

"No," she scratched her head with her right hand and leaned back on the counter. "And to be honest, it's something that worries me. She's been working here for a while, and it's the first time I've seen her do something like this. She didn't even tell me if she was going on a trip or anything, she just showed up, asked Fernando for the days off, and left."

I wasn't sure what to say to that. I felt disoriented, confused, and also worried. The need to avoid me shouldn't be so strong as to make her almost quit her job, or at least that's how it seemed to me.

Continuing with her analysis and visibly intrigued by not having any leads to follow regarding her colleague's whereabouts and the reason for her disappearance, Maite decided to use me to stir things up and draw more conclusions without knowing that she was also handing me the possibility to put an end to all my anxiety.

"I can give you her address if you want, in case she's at home," she said, taking out a pen and paper. "Honestly, you've left me a bit worried."

I hadn't stopped at home. Right after leaving the establishment, I had looked for the fastest and smartest way to get closer, and I pressed the button, hoping to be quicker than the fear and probably the sense of embarrassment.

Her voice didn't come through, but her door yielded to the weight of my arm with a loud vibration.

"Great," I thought. "Now she can kick me out of her house to my face."

I adjusted the backpack I had and cautiously climbed the two flights of stairs that separated me from her door, reaching the last steps as her door opened.

Her eyes were the first thing that caught my attention, as always, but in a different way. They were marked, swollen, and red. Her lips were darker, and her cheeks flushed.

She was still in her pajamas despite a couple of hours having passed since noon. Her hair was disheveled, and in front of me, she held a blue twenty-euro bill.

Her black eyes (now red) observed me from head to toe, and I lowered my hood and took off my sunglasses. She let her arm drop to her side, taking the bill with her.

"What are you doing here?"

Even though she hadn't asked in a tone different from what she could have used on any other occasion, her question made me swallow hard. I had messed up, for sure, I must have messed up.

"Maite gave me your address, I hope it doesn't bother you," I replied in a barely audible voice. Mía dropped her shoulders. "I can leave if you want."

"No," she simply responded. Quick but calm. She looked really down, and that only heightened my concern, even if the reason could be me. "I was waiting for a burger," she said, showing me the bill again with a half-hearted smile. "Do you want to come in?"

*****************

Jesus, 11pm and it's 35 degrees. I think i'm going to die.
Well, what happened to Mia? Any theories?