Brave Mia

Chapter 44 - Brave Mia

Mike's voice remained controlled, but there was a hardness in it that even he could feel.

Danny turned toward him.

For the first time, the faint smile on his face disappeared.

Mia stared at Mike as tears gathered in her eyes. She still looked frightened, but beneath that fear was something else now.

Relief.

Mike saw it, and his expression hardened further.

He had come looking for her because he thought she might simply be taking too long.

He had not expected to find her like this.

And he was no longer leaving without her.

Mike rushed toward Danny, but Danny shoved away from Mia and ran for the back door. Before Mike could reach him, Danny threw it open and disappeared outside.

Mike took a step after him, then stopped when he heard Mia's shaky breathing behind him.

He turned and immediately went back to her.

“Mia, are you okay?”

She tried to answer, but the words wouldn't come. The moment she saw him, her composure broke. She stumbled forward, and Mike caught her in his arms.

Mia buried her face against his chest, gripping his shirt as tears finally escaped.

“I've got you,” Mike whispered, holding her tightly. “You're safe now.”

He stayed there until her trembling began to ease.

They searched for Danny afterward, checking the streets and surrounding area, but he was nowhere to be found.

Danny had disappeared without a trace.

Mia remained in Mike’s arms for several minutes before her trembling finally began to ease.

Mike didn't let go.

He could still feel the fear running through her body, and the thought of what might have happened if he had arrived a few minutes later made his stomach tighten. He wanted to ask her what Danny had done, where he had gone, and why he had been holding her, but looking at her pale face, he knew now wasn't the time.

“Let's get out of here,” he said softly.

Mia nodded against his chest.

When they finally stepped away from the corridor, she stayed close to him, her hand gripping his arm as though she was afraid that letting go would somehow make Danny appear again.

Mike glanced at her. “Are you sure you're okay?”

Mia forced herself to nod. “I just want to go back.”

Mike looked toward the ice-cream parlour.

“What about the ice cream?”

“I don't want it anymore.”

There was something in her voice that made him stop joking.

He studied her face. Her eyes kept moving toward the corridor behind them, and her fingers were still tightly wrapped around his arm.

“Okay,” he said quietly. “We'll go.”

Mia nodded, but she didn't relax.

Mike started walking with her toward the beach, keeping his pace slow so she wouldn't have to hurry.

After a few steps, Mia suddenly tightened her grip on his arm.

“Mike.”

He looked at her.

“Don't leave me.”

The words were so quiet that he almost missed them.

His expression softened.

“I won't.”

Mia lowered her eyes and walked closer to him.

Mia tightened her grip on Mike's arm and started walking toward the parking area.

She moved quickly, almost as if she wanted to put as much distance as possible between herself and the washroom corridor. Mike followed close behind, watching her carefully. She still looked pale, and every few steps her eyes flicked toward the people around them as if she expected Danny to appear again.

When they reached the towel, Mia quickly picked up her clothes and belongings. She didn't stop to fold anything properly. She simply gathered everything into her arms and kept moving.

“Mia, slow down.”

She didn't.

Mike caught up with her just before the parking area. He unlocked the rental car and opened the passenger door.

“Come on. Get in. I'm taking you home.”

Mia climbed inside without saying anything. She turned toward the window and pulled her clothes close to her chest, staring at the beach as Mike walked around to the driver's side.

He got in and started the engine.

For the first few minutes, neither of them spoke.

The beach slowly disappeared behind them as Mike drove onto the main road. He kept glancing at Mia whenever they stopped at traffic lights. She hadn't moved much. Her hands remained clasped tightly in her lap, and her eyes stayed fixed on the passing streets.

Eventually, Mike couldn't take the silence anymore.

“Mia, what happened back there?”

She didn't answer.

He waited before trying again.

“Was it Danny?”

Her fingers tightened.

That tiny reaction told Mike more than words could have.

His grip on the steering wheel hardened, but he kept his voice gentle.

“Did he hurt you?”

Mia shook her head.

At least, she tried to.

“I just want to go home.”

Mike looked at her for a moment before returning his eyes to the road.

“Okay.”

He didn't ask anything else.

The rest of the drive passed quietly. Mike wanted to reach for her hand, but something stopped him. Mia looked as though she needed space, and he was afraid that pushing her would make her shut down completely.

When they reached her apartment building, he parked near the entrance and switched off the engine.

Mia immediately opened the door.

“Wait.”

She paused but didn't look back.

“You don't have to tell me anything right now,” Mike said. “But whatever happened, you don't have to deal with it alone.”

Her throat tightened.

She wanted to turn around.

She wanted to tell him everything.

Instead, she shook her head.

“Not today.”

Mike frowned.

Mia finally looked at him. Her eyes were red, but she refused to let the tears fall.

“Please go back to your dorm.”

“Mia—”

“I need to be alone.”

She stepped out and closed the door before he could say anything else.

Mike remained there, watching her walk toward the building. Something was seriously wrong. He could feel it, even if he couldn't understand it yet.

Mia disappeared through the entrance without looking back.

Mike stayed there for another minute before finally starting the car.

He would give her time.

But he wasn't going to forget what he had seen.

The moment Mia closed her apartment door behind her, the strength she had been forcing herself to hold onto disappeared.

She dropped her things on the floor and walked straight into the bedroom. She barely made it to the bed before her legs gave out.

Mia fell onto the mattress and buried her face in the pillow.

The tears came instantly.

She pressed the pillow against her mouth to keep herself quiet, but the sobs still shook her entire body. Her shoulders trembled as everything she had been holding back since the corridor finally broke free.

Danny was back.

After all these years, he was back.

His face kept appearing in her mind. His voice. His hand around her wrist. The way he had smiled when he realized how afraid she was.

And then there was his threat.

He wasn't finished with her.

Mia rolled onto her side and pulled her knees toward her chest.

What frightened her most wasn't what Danny might do to her.

It was what he might do to Mike.

She remembered the way Danny had looked when he saw Mike. There had been something cold in his eyes, something that made her believe he wasn't going to simply disappear and forget about them.

Mike had spent years working toward his dream. Boxing wasn't just something he did for fun. He had sacrificed for it. He had trained until his body gave out, pushed through injuries, and kept going when other people would have quit.

Mia couldn't let Danny destroy that. If Danny wanted revenge, he might use Mike to get to her.

She couldn't allow that to happen. Slowly, her crying began to subside.

Mia wiped her face with both hands and sat on the edge of the bed. Her eyes were swollen, and her breathing was still uneven, but her mind was becoming clearer.

She stared at the floor for a long time. Then she made her decision.

She would not tell Mike.

She would not let him get involved. Tomorrow evening, she would go to the calisthenics gym. If Danny wanted to see her, she would meet him there.

Mia knew she was scared. She knew facing him alone could be dangerous.

But if that was what it took to keep Mike out of Danny's reach, she would do it. She clenched her hands together and took a slow breath.

This time, she would not run.

Read up to Chapter 59, with Arts, with my new work recently added: https://www.patreon.com/c/KDaddy935?vanity=user