Talk to Mia

With your head still feeling like its going to split open, you decide to take a few minutes to go get some fresh air away from the music that no doubt Julia would soon be switching to something heavier more with drums. You had seen Mia outside, maybe she'd like to talk?

You walk out the front door, closing it quickly as you smell cigarette smoke hovering in the air, looking oddly blue in the dim light of the streetlamps. Mia was a few metres away from you on the front lawn, anxiously pacing up and down with her phone in one hand next to her ear, and her cigarette in the other from which she took regular puffs from. You wrinkle your nose slightly as you approach her slowly, waving to get her attention.

Mia turned her brown eyes towards you, giving you an absent wave with her cigarette wielding hand, before turning away and talking into the phone at a lower volume, although not quiet enough that you couldn't make out a few words.

"This isn't fair, you can't do this. No, no I won't calm down. Look, let me come-" Mia suddenly paused speaking, a hurt expression coming over her face as she removed the phone from her ear, staring at the screen.

You slow down as you get close to her, painfully aware that you just interrupted something.

"Mia?" You ask tentatively, worry in your words.

Mia turned around to face you properly, her look of hurt replaced by a big, wide and utterly fake smile on her face. "Hey you!" She dropped the cigarette on the ground and stamped it out, placing her phone into her pocket as she spread her arms and embraced you in a hug. "Happy birthday!"

"Um, thanks," you smile half heartedly at her as you embrace her back in turn. Painfully, you try to ignore the feel of her body on yours. With a mixture of both displeasure and relief, you both pull away from each other before anything happened.

"Hey, so um," you begin to ask as Mia brushes her hair behind one ear, avoiding your eyes. "Is everything alright?"

"What?" Mia glanced at you quickly before looking away again. "Yeah dude, everything's cool."

"Well, its just-"

"Hey!" Mia suddenly exclaimed, "What about you, ya dope? You fainted earlier, what was up with that?"

"Oh," You blink in confusion at the sudden change in conversation. "I have no idea." You pointedly try to not think of that woman who talked to you in your dream.

"Well, it was weird dude. Hope you're not trying to be macho man and not going to the hospital because you want to show off or something."

"Nah!" You say with a bark of laughter, "I'm not. I feel fine, honestly." Strangely enough, you do as well. Your headache is starting to disappear, no doubt thanks to the fresh air.

"Well, if you say so," Mia said, a look of doubt on her face. "Um, anyway look, I'm sorry to do this, but I'm probably going to go."

"Go? Go where?" You ask, startled.

"Like, I just need too...well...um..."

Mia looked embarrased, and to your horror, you see her bottom lip start to tremble. Without any words, you quickly pull her into another embrace, ignoring the smell of smoke on her. "Hey, whatever it is, its alright. But don't leave, come inside with your friends. Have a drink, and don't let whatever's happened get you down, yeah?"

"I..." You hear a sniff. "I guess so."

"Good." You smile pulling away slightly to meet her eyes. A tension suddenly fills the air as you both stare at each other, your faces are close, really close.

"I...um." You stammer, feeling lost as you stare down at her eyes. She was...pretty, really pretty come to think of it. Her face was heart-shaped, and she had adorable dimples whenever she smiled. She wasn't smiling now though.

"I..." Mia started to speak. "Lets go inside, yeah? The others will be wondering where we are."

"Yeah..." You say slowly, feeling the tension disappear as Mia pulls away from your arms. She started to rub one of her arms with the other, deliberately not looking at you. "Lets go on in, I could use a drink."

"Yeah," Mia replied, looking up with another smile. "I could use one too."