Chapter 79
Mia barely made it to work on time.
Her new place was farther from Casa Lounge, which made the getting here frustrating, especially since she didn’t have the luxury of a car or a driver like most people in Willowcrest.
Public transport was unreliable, and the ride itself had been unnecessarily long, cramped, and exhausting.
By the time she stepped into Casa, she already felt drained.
Emily noticed.
“You look like hell,” Emily said, pulling Mia aside the moment she clocked in. “Are you going to tell me everything that’s going on? Or what?”
Mia hesitated.
She didn’t want to talk about it. Not really. But Emily wasn’t the type to let things go, and if she didn’t say something, Emily would just keep pushing.
So she gave her the simplest version of the truth.
“We had to move.”
Emily’s brows pulled together. “Wait, what? Move? Just like that?”
Mia nodded.
Emily’s concern deepened. “Why?”
Mia let out a quiet sigh, leaning against the counter. “It’s just… things got complicated”
Emily stared at her for a moment, then shook her head. “Mia,” she said softly, like she was trying to piece everything together. “Why didn’t you just come stay with me? You know my place is closer. It would’ve made things easier for you.”
Mia gave her a small, tired smile. “It’s okay. Where I’m staying is fine. It’s just for a while.”
Emily didn’t look convinced, and for a second, Mia thought she was going to argue. But instead, she sighed, reaching out to squeeze Mia’s arm.
Mia saw the pity in her eyes.
She hated that look.
So before Emily could say anything else, she gently nudged her and said, “Come on. Let’s get to work.”
And just like that, they fell into the rhythm of their shift.
Casa was unusually slow that night.
There were only a few customers, which meant more standing around, more chatting with coworkers, more time for her mind to wander.
Mia leaned against the counter, talking to James about some ridiculous thing he saw earlier.
She felt it before she saw it.
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Chapter 79
Like a sudden tension in the air.
Then, without meaning to, her eyes moved toward the entrance.
And that’s when she saw him.
Alex.
Her entire body froze.
Her breath caught in her throat, her fingers tightening around the towel in her hand.
She immediately looked away, her heart hammering against her ribs.
He shouldn’t be here.
She wanted to leave. She wanted to disappear into the back room and pretend he never walked in. But someone called for her, snapping her out of her daze, and she grabbed onto the distraction like a lifeline.
Anything to keep herself from looking at him again.
She threw herself into work, focusing on every small task, keeping her hands busy, keeping her mind busy.
But no matter what she did, she was aware of him.
She felt his presence like a weight on her skin.
She told herself not to care. That it didn’t matter. That Alex Blackwell was just another customer. That what happened between them was over.
But then, suddenly-he was gone.
She hadn’t even noticed when he left.
Mia blinked, glancing around the lounge, expecting to see him still sitting in his usual spot, but-nothing.
He barely stayed.
That wasn’t like him.
Alex never left Casa this quickly.
A strange feeling settled in her stomach.
Disappointment.
She shouldn’t feel disappointed. She shouldn’t care.
But she did.
And that realization made her feel even worse.
Mia swallowed hard, forcing herself to keep moving, to shake off the feeling threatening to take over.
It’s none of my business, she told herself.
It never was.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket just as she was wiping down the last table of the night.
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She pulled it out, already exhausted, and saw a message from Ethan.
“I’m out. Found a place to stay for now.”
That was it. No details, no explanation.
Mia exhaled sharply, gripping her phone a little tighter. Of course he left before the doctors discharged him. It wasn’t surprising- his life was literally in danger…
This wasn’t just some petty street fight. He had pissed off the wrong people, and now they were all going to pay for it.
Mia swallowed the lump in her throat.
At least he was safe. For now.
She shoved her phone back into her pocket.
Thirty minutes later she was muttering a quick goodbye to Emily as she stepped out of Casa Lounge.
The night air was cooler than usual, brushing against her skin as she made her way toward the bus station.
The streets of Willowcrest were quieter at this hour, only a few cars passing by. The sound of her footsteps echoed slightly as she walked.
She was drained. Her entire body ached, her feet sore from being on them all day. She could barely think straight.
All she wanted was to get home, crawl into bed… no, the couch and shut out the world for a few hours.
Reaching the bus station, she sat on the cold metal bench and leaned her head back, closing her eyes for a moment.
Her mind drifted.
Everything was changing too fast.
Their house-gone. Their lives-turned upside down again.
She hated this.
This constant instability, this feeling of never knowing what trouble her siblings will get into next.
She hated that she had to worry about things most people her age didn’t even think about.
Her hands curled into fists on her lap.
Mia’s eyes fluttered open, and instinctively, she looked across the street.
And froze.
Sitting there, parked on the side of the road, was a sleek black car.
And behind the wheel-staring straight at her-was Alexander Blackwell.
Her breath caught.
Her entire body tensed.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Mia’s heart started hammering against her ribs, a tight, confusing ache blooming in her chest.
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What was he doing here?
Why was he watching her?
The streetlights cast a soft glow on his face, highlighting the sharp angles of his jaw.
He wasn’t just passing by. He wasn’t just sitting there mindlessly.
He was waiting.
For what?
For her?
Mia didn’t know what to do.
She should look away. She wanted to look away. But she couldn’t.
Because a part of her-the part she tried so hard to bury-wanted to stay in this moment.
Even though she hated him.
Even though he had hurt her.
Even though nothing good could ever come out of this.
Still, Alex didn’t move.
Didn’t even blink.
Like he was trying to figure something out. Like he was debating something in his mind.
And maybe he was.
The bus pulled up, the sound of its brakes snapping Mia out of whatever this was.
She tore her gaze away from him, forcing herself to stand up.
But just before she stepped onto the bus, she glanced back one last time.
Alex was still watching her.
Still waiting.
Still there.
Mia turned away and got on the bus.
She didn’t look back again.
Alex stayed in his car, staring as the bus disappeared down the street.
His hands gripped the steering wheel, his jaw clenched so tight it hurt.
Why did he even come here?
What was he doing?
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Why did he keep doing this?
He knew Mia took the bus home after her shifts. He was worried about her. He has heard everything that happened to them.
He didn’t know where she stayed now, but somehow, that didn’t stop him from ending up here, parked outside Casa like some idiot who couldn’t let
He should let go.
He should be laughing at himself right now.
Because this was insane.
But he couldn’t bring himself to move.
Because the truth-the ugly, undeniable truth-was that he was worried about her.
He cared about her.
He cared about a fucking Turner.
No matter how much he tried to push it down, to fight it, to convince himself it was nothing-it wasn’t working.
Because it was getting harder every day to ignore how he really felt.
And that scared him more than anything else.
How is he going to get himself out of this…. how?
