Alexia's POV

Mía quickly entered her apartment and collapsed onto the couch. I followed her with embarrassment, feeling as if I were doing something wrong even though she had told me to come in.

I closed the door behind me. It was a cozy apartment with large windows and plenty of light. The furniture was well-chosen, with complementary colors and the spaces well-utilized, filled with decorations and memories.

She propped her feet up on the sofa cushion and hugged her knees. Her eyes were still swollen, and every time I looked at them, I felt a knot in my stomach. Not just because of the possibility of being involved but also because I didn't know how to approach or solve the situation for her. I decided not to look at them anymore for my own well-being.

I took a seat in one of the individual armchairs facing her, with the window and the light to my left. Mía sighed and let her bare feet drop back onto the hardwood floor.

"Do you want something to drink?" she offered without looking at me, pretending to get up again.

I shook my head, and she simply returned to her initial position. We remained silent for a few seconds, not looking at each other. The sound of traffic added more tension to the atmosphere.

"I shouldn't have come," I stood up, "I'm really sorry."

"No!" she exclaimed, extending her hand towards me, "You haven't done anything wrong. It's just that I haven't had a good day," she sighed, "or well, a good week."

I sat back down.

"Don't you find it strange, then, that I'm here?" I furrowed my brow.

She smiled half-heartedly.

"A lot," she chuckled, "But I don't want you to leave."

I tensed up instantly. What did that mean? I observed her closely. She was going through a really tough time. She didn't want to be alone, and that was completely understandable. I shouldn't think beyond that, I shouldn't allow myself to.

I wanted to ask her what had happened. I wanted her to open up to me and find a way to make her feel better, but were we at the point in our relationship where I had that authority in her life?

"I stopped by the bar a couple of times this week," I saw Mía purse her lips and gaze out the window. She wasn't comfortable, but I felt the need to explain why I was in her house, "I was a bit worried about you."

"I needed a break. I'm sorry I worried you."

She wasn't going to explain. The interview probably didn't go well, she most likely fell apart. That had been the idea in my head from the very beginning, the one that didn't make me the center of her life. Thinking that it was because of me might have been a bit egocentric. I was the one having thoughts beyond some innocent laughs with the waitress at a bar, and I had to keep that in mind.

"What do you need?" I asked after a while, "Do you want me to listen, help you find a solution, do something together to distract you maybe ? or do you prefer just be here with you even if we're doing our own things?"

Her eyes locked onto mine, completely surprised. Her mouth opened to say something as she sat up on the couch, but the doorbell rang again, interrupting us. She quickly grabbed the twenty euros I had left on the coffee table and hurried to open the door.

The delivery person handed her a couple of bags and bid her farewell politely before giving Mía the change. I stood up to help her with the food.

"Do you want a plate?" I asked, leaning on the counter.

"Please," she replied, "They're in the cupboard above the sink."

I nodded and opened the two cream-colored wooden doors. I took one of the plates from its place and put it back on the counter. She unwrapped the burger and placed it on the plate.

"I can't let you have nothing while I eat," she looked at me with concern.

"Don't worry. I've already eaten, really," I reassured her.

"I made some coffee. There should be enough for a cup or two. Tell me how you like it."

She smiled and I couldn't refuse. I returned the smile and followed her to the stovetop, where she placed the Italian coffee maker back on the flame.

"With milk. No sugar," I said.

She chuckled, and I furrowed my brow.

"Sorry," she apologized, unsuccessfully trying to stop laughing, "A part of me was hoping you'd ask for chocolate and whipped cream."

"Because that's nothing like me, right?" I asked, joining in on the fun.

"Not in the slightest."

She turned around to look directly at me. She stood very close, even though I was leaning on the island. Her scent enveloped me again, and I cursed because that fact made me feel dizzy. She took a step aside as she noticed that our bodies were practically touching.

"I'll take care of this. Start eating before your food gets cold."

"Don't be silly," Mía took the coffee maker off the heat and poured almost all of it into a dark mug. Then she took the carton of milk from the fridge and added a small amount to the liquid, "Coffee with milk, no sugar," she said as she handed it to me.

She took her burger and the bags of fries and onion rings to the coffee table. It was then that I noticed there was no other place to eat. It was a rather small apartment, and for some reason, I loved that. The sofas were barely two steps away from the kitchen island, which was the only thing separating the living room from the rest of the space.

I sat back down in the spot I had assigned myself when I first entered and I watched her take the first bite of her burger.

"I'm not that serious, you know, despite my coffee preferences."

"It's good to know," she winked at me and then took a bite of her burger. I took a sip of the coffee. Her response made me feel dizzy again. What a fool I was. "What you said earlier when the doorbell rang surprised me," I encouraged her to continue with my gaze, "I don't know, it was perfect. It covered everything I could need, and I had never thought about it that way."

"My sister told me that once and I had the same feeling," she laughed, "Now I used it with you."

We fell silent for a few seconds, and I knew she would speak. She seemed calmer, more relaxed around me.

"Marc broke up with me."

***********

I just want to say that next chapter is my second favorite of the whole story 💅

PS: some of you were right ;)