Page 70 of Elijah

“Okay,” I said, disentangling myself from her. “You do what you need to do, and I’ll sort your car and some food.”

“Thank you, Elijah,” Mia said, wiping at her eyes. “I really appreciate it.”

“Hey, that’s what boyfriends are for, now get packing.”

* * *

As Mia threw her handbag onto the passenger seat of her car, I let out a long sigh, watching her and wondering when she’d be back. I felt bad that she was having to drive hundreds of miles alone, all while worried about her mum. I was worried for her, but I was also worried for us. We were still getting used to living together and weeks apart would only serve to stall things. That scared me, because deep down, I knew our relationship had moved to a place I wasn’t really ready for, but had been too much of a pussy to admit.

I was going to miss Mia, of that there was no doubt, but we’d gone from meeting up two or three times a week to moving in together and a tiny part of me was relieved that we’d been given a big, shitty barrier to deal with. I needed to know whether moving Mia in was the right thing to have done and having Sam telling me it wasn’t, was not the best way to come to that conclusion. It was something I had to understand for myself and being apart would certainly give me time to think, because after all, what didn’t break you made you stronger – right?

As Mia gave me a gentle smile, I felt like a complete twat for even having an ounce of relief about the situation. She was beautiful and sweet and loved me and I loved her and there really shouldn’t be any doubt in my mind, but I couldn’t help feeling that maybe this would be a good thing.

“Don’t forget to stop and take a rest,” I said, pulling Mia into my arms. “And don’t speed. You’ll get there when you get there.”

She giggled and kissed me softly. “Okay, I’ll make sure I stick to the rules.”

“Seriously Mia, please be careful.”

Her smile dropped and she nodded. “I promise.”

“Good.”

I kissed her this time and with more urgency than she’d kissed me, wanting to convey how I felt about her, how I’d miss her despite my worries.

“I love you,” she whispered against my lips.

“I love you too and I’ll miss you.” Because I did and I would. “Call me when you get there.”

“I will.”

Mia kissed me again and then walked away to her car. I stood on the driveway and waved, until she disappeared around the corner and then I went back inside and closed the front door with a heavy sigh.