Mia
“Okay Mia, open your eyes!” My boyfriend Max says with enthusiasm that makes my stomach drop. It’s been a fifteen minute drive since my apartment, having my eyes closed the entire ride. Hearing the elevator ding, to riding upward past five floors easily. I don’t have a good feeling about any of this, and when I open my dark blue eyes, my gut proves me right.
“Surprise, Baby! It’s our new work space!” Max grins ear to ear.
I look around. I want to love it, I have to. If I don’t, Max will be so pissed and right now, I’m not in the mood to deal with that. “Our work space?” I ask for nothing other than verification. Because as I see it, this is all Max and none of me. Tee shirts that aren’t even my designs are hung up on the...emerald colored walls with golden molding. The carpet matches the walls, golden accents and all. This room looks like it was inspired by some Wizard of Oz slots game. I guarantee this makes Max feel bougie, and that’s why he chose it.
He frowns, “You don’t like it?”
I shake my head, my hands instinctively raising in a placating gesture. “No it’s not that it’s just...a little fancy for a place to make custom tee shirts, don’t you think?”
He scoffs as though I’ve just offended him. “I happen to think this room provides a classy environment and motivates you to work hard.”
I stare at him with genuine confusion on my face. “I’ve never needed the design of a room to inspire me. I work hard because I love making t-shirts.”
Max takes a step closer to me and takes my hand. “I can’t do much about the room, but I made it as uniquely you as I possibly could.” he brushes his lips to my temple, his dark stubble tickling the sensitive skin.
As uniquely me as possible? My heat press, printer, and blank t-shirts are all on opposite sides of the room, making me have to move in three different directions just to do one damn shirt. My computer is off in a corner as if it’s been sent to time out. I bite my lip to keep myself from saying something I might regret. “It’s perfect, I love it.” I force a smile on my face.
Max gently squeezes me in a side hug, “Oh Mia..no you don’t.”
I look up at him through my soft brown bangs, “I could try to...”
“That’s my girl.” He praises as he trails sensual kisses along my neck. “Now...let’s christen the place and head to your parent’s house for dinner.”
And that’s just what we do. It’s repetitive , it’s mechanical, and as usual, Max is the one leaving satisfied and I’m left feeling frustrated and unfulfilled. We stop and pick up a cake for dessert and drive to my parent’s house. Mom greets Max before she greets me. Dad takes the cake from my hands and hugs me.
I look around for my brother Elliot and Mom notices, chiming in. “Elliot’s going to be late, says he has a surprise.” she beams.
“A surprise? For who?” I ask with confusion.
“The whole family he says.” Dad grins proudly.
Oh boy, the last time Elliot had a surprise for the whole family, he brought home a random girl he eloped with in Vegas. They annulled it when he decided he was too young to be married. I can only imagine what Elliot has planned now. We all sit down at the table, say grace, and dig into Mom’s famous Chicken Cordon Bleu and a bottle of white wine. Mom eyes me from across the table with a knowing smile on her face. “Mimi had a surprise of her own today, yeah?”
“Jan!” Dad scoffs, “What if she hasn’t seen it yet?”
“Oh relax Thomas, she has. Max told me he was showing her before they came to dinner.” Mom assures him as she cuts into her chicken and takes a large bite.
I nod emphatically, “Yeah, I did see it and it was-”
“She hates it.” Max cuts me off mid-sentence.
Mom has her wine glass tipped back when she chokes a bit on it. “You hate it, Mimi?”
I look around in confusion. Why would Max say that? To my mom whom he knows is going to reprimand me for being ungrateful. “No! I love it, I’m just-”
“She thinks everything is ‘too scattered.’” Max puts his fingers up in quotations.
“Hey, I didn’t say that!” I scoff and look at my mom who is glaring daggers at me.
“Mia, I helped Max plan that out. We both agree you’ve put on a few pounds and the exercise of moving around the room is going to be beneficial.” She shrugs and takes a long sip of her wine.
I look at my dad as though he’s my only hope out of this. For some reason, I’m always hoping he’ll help me. But it’s never the case. He has that same, neutral look on his face and plunges his fork into a piece of steamed broccoli. “I didn’t say I hated it. It’s an impractical setup for production. If you want me to lose weight, maybe get me a gym membership. As far as everything else goes, it’s...fine.” But it’s not fine. Not even a little bit. It’s ugly, doesn’t represent my little brand, and it...
Just then the front door opens and Elliot walks in with a proud grin on his face. “Guess what this cat just dragged in!”
I look up and my stomach drops when I see a face I haven’t seen since high school walk through the door. His blonde hair cascades over his deep brown eyes. Our eyes meet and it steals my breath away, grinning at me with his sharp jaw. Simon Watson, the only person who was always there for me, yet the one who left me behind stands in my doorway for the first time in ten years.
