58

"No, not today Jacob. Not today! You always spill whatever your brain sends to your mouth and then run over to patch up whatever mess created from your mouth. You want me to go on acting like I am okay. No, I am not. I thought we had shared something and we had at least gained some sort of trust. But you and your smart mouth get in the way. You told me about a power balance, maintain it!" Mia is whisper-yelling and does not want to attract the attention of people. She also notices that the old lady from before is monitoring their movements. So she us careful with her body language and expression.

Jacob's shoulders fall, he knows he messed up. He does not know how he could fix this situation. He was wrong to react the way he did due to his personal insecurities. He knows better now. He refuses to move from where he is standing while Mia walks on ahead. She notices he is not following when she picks a bag of chips to throw into the basket and the chips hits the floor. A worker immediately gives her a quick side eye and continues her work. Mia turns sharply to seek Jacob out. She finds him standing at the spot where she finally spoke her mind with the basket tightly secured in his hands. She walks over to him.

"What are you doing here? I almost embarrassed myself over there, didn't you see?" She asks, pointing her index finger at his chest repeatedly. She turns to walk away but he catches her wrist to stop her and in the process pulls her to his chest. This sudden movement catches him by surprise but she immediately masks the surprise with a scowl. She steadies herself and gives them both some distance.

"What do you want, Jacob?" She asks with a curt tone. She refuses to make eye contact with him and fixes her gaze on the sign above him.

"I am sorry, Mia. I got lost in my insecurities and I poured some of my messed up emotions on you. It was not right and I apologize for it. I have been lonely for the longest time. Recently, you have been one of the few people in my corner and I took that for granted." He says this with utmost sincerity etched in his eyes. Mia's walls has broken from the moment he made the first apology. She only wants to hug him and get her friend back. A lot had happened in the weeks when they were giving each other the silent treatment that she was dying to share with someone. She would not act like she has accepted his apology immediately. She would stretch this game a little longer. She crosses her arms against her chest and walks ahead. Jacob sighs and follows her. They get everything Mia needs and go to the register to pay for the items. They check out and walk briskly to the car. Mia is slowly putting up bricks to block Jacob out mentally. He opens her door and she gets in. They drive off and Jacob thrums his hands on the steering wheel nervously.

"Please, Mia." He blurts out. He has thought about ways he could salvage their situation. He does not know Mia enough to know what she would like to hear.

"Please what?" She turns her head to the window to avoid maintaining eye contact with him.

"I was wrong to limit our friendship to an employee-employer situation. You have come through for me in my lowest moments and I know I can not repay you but at least give me a chance to make it up to you, Mia." Jacob speaks while his hands are on the wheel. He throws glances at Mia through the mirror but her eyes are fixed on the houses that drift away as they drive by. She smiles softly to herself,then turns around to give him her attention.

"Apology accepted, Jay. I rarely find men apologizing for their shortcomings. A few brownie points for that." She says as she winks at him through the mirror. He smiles.

"A few? I had no idea you were giving out brownie points. What are my total points now?" He asks, playing along with her shenanigans.

"Well, considering your last fall off, you are now treading carefully around three. The three I just gave you now. You have to keep those points riing, boy. These things are never stable, you know." She says with a laugh.

"Hahaha, oh I know. I really know. Guess I have to work extra time for those points then, need to get a ten by the end of the week." He replies her. She makes a serious face at him and nods as though he is talking about politics and the economy.

"Yeah, if you can maintain a steady rise, who knows? You just might get a reward for it. I am a firm believer in positive reinforcement." Mia explains.

They get to the Rodriguez residence and Jacob parks the car in the garage and rushes over to open Mia's door. He then goes to the boot to get her bags. Mia offers to carry some of the bags and they walk into the house together. A split second before Jacob completely steps into the house, a loud sound hits the door hinges. Jacob turns and notices a small red light. It is coming from a bus parked far away from the house. Jacob whips out his Glock gun immediately and firmly locks the door behind him. He can barely hear Mia's yelling, he is only focused on securing the perimeters.

He walks stealthily towards the bus. He knows they can sense him approaching so he takes another route. There are multiple routes around the area and he is going to throw them off him, so they will not expect him coming. Manuel is chatting with the gardener, he approaches him.

"Hey Manny… how is it going?" He asks as he slaps him playfully at the back. Manuel gives him a wide smile. He has finally cut out his mullet. He looks more handsome.