“John.” Mia suddenly breaks the silence. She adverts her eyes and gently pushes me away from her. The desire I felt only seconds ago is replaced by regret and sadness.
“We should head back.” I say and climb out of the pool. I go over to the pile of my clothes and start to get dressed. Behind me I can hear Mia get out too and walk towards her clothes. The sound of the falling water drops seems to be the only sound in miles. The urge to turn around is easily overcome by the shame I feel. I've never thought I would literary back Mia in a corner.
“I'm sorry.” I manage to tell her after I'm again fully dressed. Searching for anything to look at, I let my eyes wander over my new school, waiting for an answer or any kind of reaction from her.
“Don't worry John. It was just the excitement.” she replies. We both know that it is a lie, but sometimes a lie is easier to deal with than the truth. “You can turn around now.”
When I turn around Mia shyly looks away, avoiding eye contact. Her wet hair clings to her clothes, glistening in the dark.
With little effort we manage to get over the fence and we start to walk back towards the Sanders' house. During the fifteen minutes it takes us to get there, the silence seems unbearable. Fifteen minutes, that seemed like hours, later we stand back where we started.
“Goodbye.” Mia simply says and starts to walk away.
“Where do you think you're going?” I ask her with a firm tone of voice. Surprised by my reaction Mia turns around and looks at me.
“Home. I'll go to the next bus stop and.........” she starts to explain, but I cut her off in mid-sentence.
“You're not walking around alone at night.” I tell her. I wouldn't sleep for a minute, imagining what could happen to her. “You can stay here. I'll sleep on the couch or something.”
She looks down the street and thinks for a moment. She lets out a sigh and walks back. Without waking anybody we manage to go to my room, the hallway just illuminated by the porch and streetlight.
As we go in, I switch on the lights and stop at the door. Mia walks past me and sits on the bed. After I get a blanket and a pillow from one of the cupboards I turn to leave with out looking at her.
“John.” Mia speaks out and I turn around. Her mouth moves, but no words come out.
“Good night.” I say and close the door behind me. Taking a deep breath I lean against the hallway wall, trying to figure out what happened tonight. The little light that comes from the crack of the door disappears a minute later.
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