Page 49 of Prove Me Wrong (The Sunburnt Hearts #5)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

NOAH

“ C hocolate?” Nathan asks, looking down at the display of pastries lining the wooden tabletop.

Sugary goodness fills my nose, but I can’t bring myself to look at the croissant, remembering Mia wiping the syrup from my mouth and licking it off her thumb at the Autumn Festival.

I told her that I wanted to kiss her, and even though she was taken aback by my words, I could see the shimmer of interest in her eyes.

The way she stilled, both afraid and captivated.

“No,” I murmur, readjusting Jade on my hip. “Get me the lemon one.”

Nathan nods, grabbing one as I peer up the aisle of the market. It’s Sunday morning, normally when Mia would be getting her iced latte. Sometimes she got herself a treat, and even something for Jade and me.

Shaking my head, I push the memory out. She’s gone, and she might not be coming back. Maybe I need to forget about her, since she hasn’t unblocked my number. She hasn’t spoken to me for a week, and it’s felt like the longest week of my life.

Nathan hands me the croissant, and I tear off a bit for Jade, who munches it down quickly.

Bright apple eyes stare at Nathan’s chocolate croissant.

Taking pity, he gives her a bit, too. Normally her legs would be swinging, smile pulling in her soft cheeks, but I can tell she feels Mia’s disappearance as well.

Walking to the next stall, my gaze skims over the faces of every other person here in the hopes of seeing her. I know deep down that she’s not. That she’s still in Sydney, but I lean on that hope. It’s all I have right now.

Wooden stalls line the paved area, covered in light coloured covers, with signs advertising each small business from local farmers and store owners.

I know most of these people, having lived here my whole life, but I don’t feel like talking with anyone.

I have barely left the house, apart from work and taking Jade to Jump Start.

Her cries have gotten worse this week. She’s definitely felt the void in our lives.

The exhaustion pulls me down. It pains me.

June has helped me out on the days that Mia is meant to be watching her, but it didn’t feel the same coming home to June’s voice, although the many containers of lemon squares did help.

Biting into my croissant, zesty and sugary, my eyes catch on the stall a couple of metres away.

Pulling Jade tighter to my side, I walk us over to the younger girl, who has to have just finished high school, standing quietly behind the wooden bench.

Dressed in denim overalls with a thick purple jumper underneath, she gives Jade and me a small smile that shows off her shiny braces. “Hello.”

“Hey,” I murmur, looking down at the selection.

My eyes are glued to the stack of hair bows she has on display. There are so many colours, and I wonder where Mia brought all of hers from. Maybe they have been collected over time?

“Are you looking for a gift for someone?” she asks kindly, grinning at Jade, who shoves her hand into her mouth.

I just shrug. “Something like that.” I don’t want to talk about her . If I say Mia’s name, I don’t know how I’ll react .

I feel Nathan at my side when I reach out, picking up a light grey hair bow.

The colour alone reminds me of her eyes, the softness to their cloudy shade.

They were approachable, but it didn’t match her hesitancy when I first met her.

But I understand why she was so cautious at first. Why she didn’t want to speak.

Why she trembled and rubbed at her elbows.

He did that, and I’ll happily hurt him if I come across him.

“Those ones I made myself,” the girl adds with a polite smile.

My eyes settle on hers as I feel Nathan’s stare on my face. “Why are you looking at bows? Jade’s hair is too short.”

Curling my lip and biting down on it, I grab a stack of them and hand them to the girl with a friendly smirk. “Those ones, please.”

Frowning, she takes them all. Nathan grabs onto my arm, forcing me to look at me. Brows furrowing, I see the tenseness in his face. “What are you doing?”

“I'm buying them,” I state the obvious, not wanting to explain my spiralling thoughts.

Nathan’s eyes narrow. Pulling my arm away, I take the paper pouch from the girl and hand it to Jade to hold for me before continuing on my way. Once I’ve reached the next stall, Nathan is in front of me, halting my movements.

“If they’re for Mia, then you need to explain.”

“I don’t have to explain anything to you, Nate,” I grit out.

“Are they for her?”

My teeth clench tighter as I look away, avoiding his dark glare. “So what if they are?”

His head tilts back as the stinging sensation floods my chest once more. The agony rushes through me uncontrollably.

“Why are you doing this to yourself, Noah?”

I feel my face crease with confusion. “Doing what?”

“This.” He points to the pouch. “Telling yourself that she’s coming back.”

“Because she is,” I grumble, pushing past him.

I move towards the exit when he reaches out, stopping me once more. My hand fists, scrunching the pasty in my grip, but I don’t care. I’m not in the mood to eat it. “Stop hurting yourself.”

“I’m not hurting myself,” I bite back. I don’t want to hear this, it’s the last thing I want anyone to say. “She’s coming back.” My voice is quiet, hoarse, as if I know the words are a lie.

Nathan’s eyes move between mine, trying to read me.

Shutting my eyes, I have to control the anger bubbling up through me like boiling water.

“And what if she doesn’t?” Nathan asks.

Exhaling heavily, I shake my head. I know I’m not thinking straight, I haven’t this whole week. I’ve barely slept, barely moved. All I am holding on to is the hope that she’ll come back soon, and I won’t let that hope die.

“She will,” I repeat, forcing myself to believe it. “She has to. She has to be feeling the same way.”

Nathan glances around before pulling me out of the market and into the quiet side street covered in puddles from the morning frost that’s melted away under the sun. Weatherboard houses line the road, with bare trees standing on either side, hardly leaving shadows.

He lets go when we are out of the public eye, giving us the space to talk as we start on our way back to my place. “Did Sinnett tell you how she is?”

Nodding, I tell him everything her brother said over the phone. About the way she’s acting, and the job interview, and his honest thoughts about her doing this for her parents and needing time to think .

“I am giving her the time and space, but I don’t know how much longer I can just be here, waiting for her.”

“And she hasn’t messaged you back?”

My head shakes. “No. Not to the dozens I’ve left?—”

Nathan digs his hand into my jeans pocket, ignoring my protest. Opening it—since he knows my passcode—he thumbs through the sea of messages I’ve left her.

Groaning, I look away to Jade, who is watching me with wide eyes, wondering what is going on.

Nathan grunts disapprovingly. “You told her that Jade sneezed?” He looks up, wide-faced.

I bite the inside of my cheek. “Mia always thought they were cute.”

“Still…” He goes back to reading before shutting the device off. Letting out a sigh, he passes it back with a tight smile. “Look, man, I hope she comes back. I really do. But you can’t keep doing this to yourself. You can’t keep messaging her when she’s not responding.”

Shutting my eyes, I know he’s right. I know I should be trying to move on.

It was easier with everyone else; I just let them go.

It never hurt me to leave them, to see them go.

But watching Mia leave felt like someone had cut off my air supply.

The pain in her eyes cut me deeply, wrenching my insides and making me feel sick.

She was hurt by my mum, and nothing I said could stop her from going.

“I can’t let her go, Nate,” I breathe, my heart feeling weighed down.

“I chose to be with her. When Mum was trying to tell me to move, that I could have this big, glorious life with them in Rafter’s Falls, all I could think about was leaving Mia.

And I couldn’t. Since she moved here, she’s become a part of my life that I can’t replace.

She’s good with Jade. She’s kind and gentle, and—" A gulp stops my words.

I shake my head, letting out a hollow laugh. “She watched my races, man. ”

“I know,” Nathan murmurs after a moment, placing a hand on my shoulder. “And she was so proud of you.”

My chin drops, shadowing my face as I let out a slow breath.

“All I could think when I was away was coming home to them. To Mia and Jade. Knowing that they were here waiting for me kept me going. It wasn’t the racing this time.

It helped, because I love it, but I love her more, Nate.

” My heart cracks on the words. “I wanted that life with her, and I thought I had it, until I saw my parents and knew something was going on.”

He's quiet for a moment, his hand squeezing my shoulder an indicator that he’s still beside me. Slamming my eyes shut, I let my chest slow, allowing my breathing to settle before looking at his sympathetic expression.

“I can’t just let her go.”

Nodding, Nathan’s hand slips away, silently walking beside me down the street. Throat working, I picture Mia with Jade in the kitchen, laughing together. Of her on my couch, sleeping in my bed, coming home laughing and covered in mud.

My place has never felt more like a home than when Mia was there, and I crave that feeling again. It’s been too quiet, too bare without her presence, and I need it back.