"I'm sure you will," Lydia said before she left the room again.
With some coaxing, Mia finished the soup while leaning against me. Being beside her filled me with a sense of contentment. That was often the case now, that when I returned from work after a bad day, I sought Mia to bring me some tranquillity. It was as if my soul knew she would heal its restless nature.
"Ugh, that stuff is disgusting," Mia shuddered, swallowing the medicine.
Taking the tray from her, I placed it back on the table and leaned back against the headboard. "Yeah, well as long as it does its job."
Mia pulled a face and leaned back. She looked pale and tired but still managed to draw my eye.
"I'm sorry for last night," I said. The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself.
Mia turned her head to look at me, "It's fine. You could have just invited her, you know?"
"What?"
"Amber," Mia clarified. "You could have just invited her if you wanted to spend time with her. Dom got me home safe, so you have nothing to apologize for."
Mia tried her hardest to be casual, but I caught the tightness in her words and the clipped tone. I knew I'd seen something in that look she had thrown me last night. The flicker of hurt and concern that I had chosen to stay behind with Amber rather than follow her out. If only she knew.
"Are you jealous?" I asked.
"Why would I be jealous?" Mia replied, taking a sudden interest in the ring on my finger.
I turned my body towards her, and Mia glanced up at me before dropping eye contact again. "What do you think happened last night?"
She had set upon us all of these rules, but Mia seemed to have a harder time following them than I did.
"You left with Amber," Mia said confidently.
"And?" I pressed, wondering where her mind had gone. Did she possess the same jealous streak that had developed in me?
"I'm not discussing this with you, Lucas," Mia said and turned her face away but I caught her chin with my fingers and forced her face back towards mine. In her sick state, she put up little resistance.
"Mia, look at me," I told her, but she continued to stare down at the space between us. "Look at me."
Her eyes flicked back up to my face and satisfied to have her attention, I let go of her chin. "I left with Amber last night to tell her that she shouldn't have invited herself over," I explained. "And to tell her that I don't want to see her again."
Mia hesitated for a moment, eyes searching mine for any signs of a lie. "Why?"
I laughed, "You didn't answer my question earlier. Are you jealous?"
Another moment of hesitation.
"No."
Stubborn woman. She was desperate for control of the situation, but she had lost it a long time ago.
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm sick and my head hurts," Mia told me, closing her eyes.
"Mia..."
"Shhh."
She shuffled a little closer and leaned against me once again. Mia may not have said it but I knew that she didn't like the thought of me with anyone any more than I could stand the sight of any man near her. A silent claim had been staked between us. We could belong to no other and I would play the game until she was comfortable enough to concede defeat.
"You can't pull the sick card just to get out of things," I said, placing an arm around her shoulder.
