Mia

Mr. Hendricks leaned against the edge of his desk, blocking the only door out of his office. His sleeves were rolled up, sweat darkening his collar.

The air conditioner had broken three days ago, but no one dared complain. Not when he controlled the paycheck.

"You're a pretty girl, Mia." He said it like he was stating a fact. "Pretty girls know how to take care of the people who take care of them."

I kept my hands flat on my thighs. My nails bit into my knees through the thin fabric of my skirt. "I don't understand what you're asking."

"You understand."

He pushed off the desk and stepped closer. I stood up from the chair so fast it tipped backward and hit the carpet with a thud.

He didn't stop. His hand reached for my arm and I jerked away.

"Don't," I breathed.

The corner of his lips curved up. My heart was beating so fast.

"You think you're special?" He said, voice low. "I've had every girl who's sat in that chair. Every single one and they all said yes."

My back hit the wall. He was close enough that I could smell his cologne… that I could see the yellow tint of his teeth. His hand grabbed my wrist.

I twisted.

He grabbed my shirt instead and pulled me toward him.

One of the buttons ripped.

"Let go of me," my voice shook as I tried to push him away from me.

"How dare you refuse me?" His hand dropped down to my chest. I squirmed under his touch. "Why, Mia? You think you're better than them?"

"I have a boyfriend," I whispered. "If you hurt me, he will destroy you"

The lie came out of my mouth before I could stop it. Derek, my boyfriend… The man who rarely remembers my birthday and even comes home late. I doubt he would care.

But Derek was the only shield I had.

Hendricks laughed. An ugly bitter sound. "A boyfriend?" He released my shirt and stepped back. His eyes crawled over me like insects. "Then bring him here. Let's see if he's real."

I walked away from him toward the door. "I am not sleeping with you. Never. "

He bit his lower lip and growled. He covered the door with his body and then brought out a pink slip from his pocket. He scribbled something on it and held it out. "You're fired."

A shaky laugh escaped me. My hands were still shaking.

I stared at it but didn't take it. "You can't fire me for refusing to.."

"I can fire you for anything." He pushed the slip into my hands. "Bad attitude. Poor performance. We don't even need a reason in this state. Now get out before I call security."

I bent down and picked up the pink slip myself. Not because I wanted it but I couldn't let him see me leave something behind.

I walked out of the office holding my head high even though I was breaking inside.

This was the only job I had and now it was gone.

He followed me to the workstation.

"You know what your problem is?" He screamed , gathering the attention of everyone. "You think you're entitled to something. You walk in here with your pretty face and your tight skirts and then you act surprised when people notice you."

I kept walking toward my desk. My cheeks burned. My eyes stayed dry. They would not see me cry.

"Look at her," Hendricks announced to the room. "Fired before lunch."

A woman I'd never spoken to, Linda from accounting, whispered something to the person next to her. Nothing good I was sure. Their eyes roamed my body and I couldn't wait to leave the workplace.

I pushed through the glass doors and didn't look back.

*****

I crossed my arms around myself in the taxi. My blood was boiling. I should have reported him. I should have recorded him. I should have done something other than just walk away.

What am I going to do now?

I still had rent to think about and groceries and the fact that Derek had been dropping hints about splitting the utilities differently which was his way of saying he wanted me to pay more.

I paid the driver and walked out of the taxi. I headed toward our apartment. The hallway smelled like spoilt cabbage and cigarette smoke. Mrs. Patterson from 4B was watering her plastic plant again.

I scoffed.

I gave her a tight smile and inserted my key.

The smell hit me first. The smell of something burning. Oh my God.

I threw my bag on a nearby chair and ran to the kitchen. Fuck, Derek must have been trying to fry egg or something. I couldn't tell from the burnt particles.

A surge of anger rose inside me.

"DEREK!"

How could he forget it on fire? What the hell could he be doing that would make him almost burn the house?

The one moment that he decided to come home and now this?

I lunged toward the bedroom. It was closed. Weird. Derek never closed doors unless he was hiding something or someone.

I swung the door open.

My legs shook. My hands fell from the doorknob. He was on our bed. Our sheets. The ones I'd picked out from Target last spring because he said he didn't care about colors.

He was on top of a woman with red hair and a snake tattoo curling up her ribcage.

She looked at me first then he turned.

Derek didn't even flinch.

"Oh, for fucks sake," he said. He didn't stop moving. "Can you not?"

I stood there. The room tilted. My ears rang.

"It's not what it looks like," the woman whispered, trying to push him away from her.

He pulled out of her and glared at me. Naked and unashamed.

"It's exactly what it looks like. Why are you home early anyway... You said you had a shift."

My mouth opened. Closed it.

"Derek..." My voice broke. "How can you be doing this? With another girl?"

I let out a sharp breath.

"I just got fired and now I am finding out that... That you're cheating on me?"

He rolled his eyes at me, picking up his trousers on the floor. Not even caring that I was hurt. Something inside me cracked. All the years of swallowing his cruelty, ignoring his lateness, pretending his wandering eyes meant nothing.

It all flooded out.

My hands curled into fists. "I'm done."

"You're done?" He mimicked my voice in a high pitch. "Where are you going to go? You have nobody. No job. No money. No friends except Chloe, and she's not gonna want your broke ass on her couch."

I swallowed. I didn't give him a response as I walked to the closet. The girl rushed past me, her clothes rumpled around her chest and fled out.

Three years of my life wasted, hoping that he could change. That he could love me.

I quickly packed all the things I had. Not much anyway. Some of it was already packed. I had been wanting to leave his ass for years now but I couldn't... I wasn't brave enough.

I couldn't remain with a man who didn't have a shred of respect for me.

"You'll be back," he said. "You always come back."

I ignored him and walked out. My phone buzzed, probably Hendricks or my mother asking if everything was fine.

I didn't answer. I stepped out into the street. I couldn't hear anything other than the sound of my own heartbeat in my ears.

Where was I supposed to go now?

Mia

I stood on the curb with my suitcase. I had nowhere to go. I couldn't get the image of Derek and that woman out of my head. I thought he had loved me.

My phone buzzed again. I gritted my teeth. I pulled it out expecting Derek's name.

It wasn't.

It was a photo notification from three hours ago. Chloe. Her and her boyfriend, Mark at some rooftop bar, his arm around her waist, both of them laughing at something. The caption read: "Date night done right."

I wanted to throw my phone into traffic. But then I remembered I had no money on me.

I didn't hate Chloe. No, she was too hard to hate. I just... Couldn't help but feel jealous. Of how easy she made it look. Of how she'd never had to fake a smile at dinner or pretend a bruise was from walking into a doorframe.

Chloe had the perfect relationship. I had three years of lies and a half-packed suitcase.

I couldn't call her. She'd ask questions. She'd want details. And then she'd look at me with those big green eyes full of pity, and I'd have to admit that I'd been faking everything since the first year with Derek.

But I had nowhere else.

My thumb hovered over her name. I pressed call before I could talk myself out of it.

She answered on the second ring. "Mia! I was just thinking about you!"

I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.

"Hello? You there?"

"Chloe." I almost broke down into tears. I pressed my free hand against my mouth. "I need you."

The silence on her end was sharp. When she spoke again, her voice lowered. "What happened? Where are you?"

"I... I don't have anywhere..." I said, trying to steady my voice. "Derek cheated on me. He..."

"Where are you?" She cut me off. "I'm coming to get you."

"Chloe, you don't have to..."

"Where. Are. You."

I told her and she said she would be here in fifteen minutes. Then she hung up before I could argue.

I sat on my suitcase and waited. The sun was already setting. I thought about calling my mother. I imagined her voice... I told you he wasn't good enough, didn't I?

A black SUV pulled up to the curb. I expected Chloe. The air caught in my lungs when my eyes caught the person in the car.

Liam Kessler.

He leaned across the passenger seat and pushed the door open from inside.

His gray blue eyes found mine through the gap. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"You gonna stand there or get in?"

I didn't move. My brain short circuited. Liam. Chloe's older brother. The boy who had teased me at every family dinner, who had called me short stuff until I was sixteen.

Worse, I'd been in love with him since I was twelve and too stupid to know better.

He must be thirty now. His jaw was sharper. His shoulders were broader and he was still the most infuriatingly beautiful person I'd ever seen.

"Chloe sent you?" I finally managed.

"She's making dinner." He said it like that explained everything. "Get in, Mia. You look like you've been crying and I'm not about to explain to my sister why I left her best friend on the street."

I dragged my suitcase to the back. He got out and opened the trunk for me. His hand brushed mine when he took the bag. I pulled away like I'd been burned.

He noticed. Of course he did.

"Relax." He shut the trunk. "I don't bite. Unless you ask nicely."

He winked at me. I gave him my middle finger. Somehow, he always brought out this side of me.

"Too soon?" He grinned. It was the same grin from high school. The one that made my stomach flip even when I hated him for it.

"I hate you," I mumbled.

He chuckled.

"That's a lie. You love me," he waved at me. "Now get in."

I got in.

The drive was fifteen minutes of him making conversation and giving me one word answers. He asked about Derek. I said he was an asshole. Liam said he had always known. He asked about my job. I said I got fired. He said Hendricks looked like a creep and he wasn't surprised.

"How do you know what my boss looks like?"

"Chloe showed me his LinkedIn. I have opinions."

I almost laughed. I swallowed it.

When we pulled into Chloe's driveway, she was already on the front porch.

I barely had the door open before she was on me... Wrapping her arms around me so tight I couldn't breathe.

"You're okay," she said into my hair. " You're okay. You're here. "

I cried into her shoulder. She let me. She didn't ask questions. She just held on.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, shaking my head. "I've been lying to you. For years. About him. About everything. I was so embarrassed and I didn't want you to think I was..."

"Stop. " She pulled back, held my face in her hands. "We have time fkr that later. Right now you're going to eat something and sleep. Okay?"

I nodded. I didn't deserve her.

She showed me the guest room. It was small but clean, a queen bed with a white duvet, a window that faced the backyard, a vase of fake flowers on the nightstand.

She had put a glass of water there and a granola bar.

"I'll let you settle, " she said. "Liam's making pasta. Come down when you're ready."

I didn't come down.

I sat on the edge of the bed. My suitcase was still zipped. My phone buzzed again... Derek this time. It was a text: "You forgot your hair dryer. Want it back?"

I turned my phone off.

****

I woke up to hot air on my face. Someone's face was inches from mine. The room was dark and I couldn't see the person's features properly, just the outline of a jaw, the blur of an eye watching me sleep.

I screamed.

My hand shot out. I shoved hard.

The person stumbled back. Bumped into the dresser. The vase of fake flowers wobbled and fell.

"What the hell..."

I knew that voice.

Liam stood there, one hand rubbing his chest where I'd pushed him. His hair was messy. He was wearing a gray t-shirt and sweatpants. And he was looking at me like I'd just tried to kill him.

"What are you doing in my room?" I barked. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my teeth.

Mia

"That's creepy," I said, standing up from the bed.

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Good morning to you too."

I groaned.

"You were hovering over my face while I slept. That's not normal."

"I just want my charger, " he said, nodding toward the nightstand behind me. The black cord was still plugged into the wall. "You're lying on it, by the way. Under your pillow."

I groaned, looking back. Sure enough, a corner of the cord peeked out from beneath the pillowcase. Heat rushed to my cheeks. "You could have asked. "

I stood from the bed to open the curtains.

He shrugged.

"Where's the fun in that?" He pushed off the wall and walked toward the door. His shoulder brushed mine. Deliberately, I thought or maybe I was imagining things.

He unplugged the charger and held it up. "See? Not a burglar."

"I still think you're creepy."

His lips curved up.

"And I think you're dramatic," he pocketed the charger and turned to face me. The morning light came through the window, turning his messy blonde hair almost golden.

His eyes found mine. "You're gonna stand there glaring at me all day, or are you coming down for breakfast?"

I crossed my arms. "I'm not hungry."

"Liar. You haven't eaten since yesterday. Chloe said you skipped dinner."

I bit my lower lip.

"She cares about you," he stated. "So do I, unfortunately. Now move your feet."

I laughed for the first time in a while.

He pushed the door open and walked out. I followed him. Not because he told me to but because my stomach growled loud enough to betray me.

The kitchen smelled like bacon. I could hear Chloe humming, the clatter of plates but at the bottom of the stairs, Liam stopped, blocking my path.

"What?" I asked, my heart racing at how close we were.

He studied my face for a long moment. I hated when he did that... Looked at me like he was reading a book I hadn't agreed to lend him.

"Derek," he whispered. "He never deserved you."

The words hit softly in my chest. I didn't know what to do with them.

Compliments from Liam always felt like traps, sincere enough to hurt and vague enough to leave me guessing.

"You don't know anything about my relationship," I said and walked away from him. My shoulder hit his chest harder than necessary. He didn't move. He just laughed under his breath and the sound followed me to the kitchen.

After helping Chloe in the kitchen, I went back to my room to take a bath. I stared at myself in the mirror.

I splashed cold water on my face. Borrowed Chloe's brush from the counter. Pulled my hair into a ponytail. The woman staring back at me was still tired, still broken, but at least she looked human.

I took a breath. Then another.

You survived worse, I told myself. You survived three years of Derek. You can survive breakfast with Liam.

I opened the door and walked to the dining room.

The table was set for four.Chloe sat at the head, already piling eggs onto her plate. She smiled when she saw me. "There she is! I was about to send a search party."

"Sorry. I needed a minute."

"Sit, sit." She waved at the chair next to her. I moved toward it. My heart seized when I saw the fourth person.

She was beautiful.

Tall. Long legs in white jeans. Hair like black silk pulled over one shoulder. She held a coffee mug with both hands and smiled at me like she already knew who I was.

"Hey," she said. Her voice was warm. "You must be Mia. I've heard so much about you."

I looked at Chloe. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've..."

"That's Vanessa," Liam said. He was already seated across from me, buttering a piece of toast like this was nothing. "She's staying for breakfast."

Vanessa. The name shoved the air out of my lungs. Liam's girlfriend.

Chloe had mentioned her. Once. Maybe twice. I'd not taken her seriously because there was no way Liam could get a girlfriend. But here she was.

"It's so nice to finally meet you," Vanessa mumbled, flashing her white teeth at me. "Chloe talks about you all the time. I feel like I already know you."

My chest tightened.

"Thanks." My voice came out strange. I cleared my throat and sat down. "You too. I mean... Chloe's mentioned you. A few times."

Liam didn't look up from his toast. Chloe, oblivious as always, launched into a story about a delivery driver who'd left a package in the bushes. I laughed when everyone else laughed. I nodded when everyone else nodded. But my eyes kept drifting to Vanessa's hand on the table. Her long fingers wrapped around the mug. No ring. Not that that meant anything.

"So, Mia," Vanessa said, turning to me with those warm brown eyes. "Chloe tells me you just got out of a relationship. I'm sorry. That's awful."

I felt Liam's gaze lift. His eyes met mine across the table. I looked away first.

"It's fine," I said. "It was a long time coming."

"Still. Breakups are brutal." Vanessa reached over and squeezed my wrist. Her touch was friendly. It made my skin crawl.

"Derek was a jerk anyway," Chloe added, waving her fork. "You're better off."

"Agreed," Liam said, biting into his toast. It was the first thing he had said since Vanessa started the discussion.

Then the conversation shifted, which I appreciated. Chloe asked Vanessa about her work. She talked about a pitch she'd won. Chloe laughed at something she had said but I wasn't listening. The only thing I could focus on was how Liam watched her with a look that pierced needles in my heart.

I pushed eggs around my plate. My appetite had vanished.

"This is fun," Chloe said, leaning back in her chair. "We should do this more often. All four of us."

Hell no.

I forced a smile on my face.

"Mia's welcome anytime," Vanessa added. "You're practically family."