Chapter 19

POV: Mia

The day is dawning when I wake up lying on Adam's chest. I can't remember the last time I slept so well, even though we were cramped in my single bed. One arm is wrapped around my body while the other supports his head. He is awake and smiles at me. I remember us telling each other how that moment had been the best possible for both of us. I remember how kind he was to me afterward. It still hurt a little, but the feeling of surrendering myself to him was good, as if I had made the right choice.

"Good morning, gorge." He softly says.

"Good morning, Adam. Why do you wake up so early?" I ask.

"I like to walk in the morning while watching the sunrise." He looks back at the ceiling, and I follow suit.

"What do you think about joining me? I want to show you a place." He suggests.

"Sure, we still have about two hours before the first class starts. But what if someone sees us?"

"Don't worry, I doubt we'll encounter anyone besides ourselves there." He turns to me, kissing my forehead before getting up.

"Oh, you better bring a change of clothes, you'll need it." He suggests, getting dressed.

"Are you planning on kidnapping me, Mr. Davis?" I tease.

"Maybe, if you keep calling me that." He runs a hand through his messy hair.

"Don't you like Mr. Davis?" I continue, smiling.

"Not on your lips." He runs his thumb between them.

"Do you mind lending me your toothbrush?" He asks, without moving away.

"No, but..." I raise my eyebrows at his question, feeling embarrassed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Marc always said that it was too disgusting for any man... I didn't expect that..."

" You didn't expect I wouldn't care about that?

"Yeah."

" It's disgusting for any guy like him, and trust me, we are not alike at all. I would never make you feel insecure about yourself and think such nonsense."

He leaves, seeming bothered by what I just said. I get out of bed and put on something comfortable enough for a walk, although I don't usually exercise, at least not anymore. It feels strange to relive this.

Adam kisses me before saying he'll wait for me downstairs so that we don't appear together on the staircase. I look in the mirror and repeat to myself over and over again that it's okay, I'm not the same Mia as before.

–------ ♡–------

We walked to a somewhat secluded place, commenting on the clouds in the sky that seem to have different shapes. Along the way, Adam stops at a bakery and buys some croissants. He's a bit faster and only slows down to keep up with me, making me realize that I'm out of shape. Two years ago, I would have freaked out for sure, but now, I don't care at all. It's better this way.

When we reach the edge of what seems to be a trail, he goes ahead, asking me to follow him. The tall trees make the air feel cooler, and I enjoy the sounds of the animals and insects present. Some lizards cross our path and camouflage themselves; I observe them too, forgetting the negative thoughts that were lingering in my mind.

"We've arrived." He stops, still holding the bag and climbing onto a rock, extending his hand for me to join him.

The day is dawning right there, illuminating the blue sky, the distant trees, and the water of the lake that can be seen from there.

We sit in silence, leaning against each other, as we share the croissants, watching the sun slowly rise, warming up the surroundings.

"I'm always so caught up in my own things that I never realized how beautiful the sunrise is, the fresh air, and the sound of the forest." I say after a while.

"Nature is truly amazing, Mia."

"How did you find this place?"

"When I was young, and we found out about my father's illness, I walked aimlessly through the city until I stumbled upon this path. I just wanted to escape from it all, and for several minutes, I forgot that I could lose him while I was obsessed with the sunset."

"Do you come here often?"

"I used to come here when I wanted to take a break from everything and missed my father a lot. It was how I felt closer to him."

"What made you stop?"

"I ended up focusing so much on the restaurant that I forgot how good it felt to be here... Have you ever had a place where you felt like this?"

"In my hometown, when everything seemed too difficult, I would run to the treehouse in the backyard. I enjoyed locking myself in there for hours and watching some of my favorite animated films. I stopped going after a while as it seemed too childish for my age, but no matter how old I get, that will always be my favorite place."

"It doesn't sound silly at all, even if you were a hundred years old."

"Though, you'd never watch animations in a treehouse with a girl."

"I would love to watch animations with you in a treehouse."

"Are you saying you don't think I'm childish for that?" I ask, looking at the landscape, and he does the same.

"I'm saying I don't think of you as childish at all for that. Come with me."

Adam takes my hand and leads me to a cabin a few meters away. He brushes off the dusty window, looking inside.

"Still empty." He says aloud, taking me to the door and then opening it.

It's all made of wood, small but cozy. There's almost nothing besides a table in the center, a TV with a video game installed, and a mattress in the corner. There was only that room and a bathroom at the end.

"I spent most of my time playing here. When I found it, the place was covered in dust, indicating that whoever enjoyed camping and watching TV no longer came here, so I brought my hidden video game console in my bag."

Adam goes to check the bathroom while I run my hand over the surfaces, curious. It's almost like a treehouse but twice the size. I press the buttons on the TV and the old video game console, both turn on and still work.

"You should see this." I call him, and he comes over to me.

"Are you ready for a game, Adam?" I ask, laughing and grabbing one of the controllers.

------ ♡ ------

I am completely sweaty as I arrive near the University, racing with Adam after losing almost every game to him in video games, except for one that he let me win. I didn't win against him in the race, either, which makes me conclude that I can't compete with him in almost anything. I look at my watch and I have little time until the first class, so I need to run and take a shower in the locker room to arrive on time.

"I have to go." I turn to him.

"It was great beating you, gorge." He teases, brushing a strand of my bangs aside.

"Don't be so full of yourself, I'll still beat you, mark my words."

"You'll need a lot of practice," he wets his lips, getting closer to me.

"I'll eagerly wait for your message admitting I was right about your grades."

"You're quite confident today." I lightly hit his shoulder, and he kisses me in return.

"See you later, Gorge."

"See you later, Adam." I hug him, then step back.

I ran to the locker room, taking advantage of there being no one there. I put my clothes in the corner and turn on the water. It's hot, so I adjust the temperature when I hear some voices outside.

"This is the girl I told you about, the one who played on the neighboring soccer team and won many medals for the team. Most of the goals that made our team lose when I was in school, were hers. They said she was the best. I'm sure I've seen her here before."

I freeze in place, afraid to breathe too loudly and attract their attention towards the person in the shower. No, no, no, the videos, those damn videos. The water falls on my face and I close my eyes, trying not to remember that time, but lately, I've been reliving it more and more. I should have known I couldn't run away forever.

I open my eyes when someone knocks on the door, I have no idea how long I've been here. I turned off the shower, hoping that I was mistaken and the girl they were talking about didn't resemble me at all.

I manage to leave the locker room without being recognized and rush to the second floor, arriving a little before the professor. He hands out the exams, and I'm still nervous. My hands are sweaty, my throat is dry, and it knots up. I'm about to have another panic attack.

I can't see what's written on the paper when Adam's voice comes to my mind.

"Focus on your breathing, exhale deeply and release in the same way."

His words are persistent, and I repeat the steps a few times until I feel my heart slowing down and my body gradually returning to normal. I can finally look at the paper in front of me, but it's difficult to concentrate on the words, difficult to think clearly. I close my eyes.

"I believe in you." I remember what he said last night.

"It'll be enough, Mia. Focus." I whisper to myself.

When I look at the sheet again, I read the questions, and all the answers come to my mind exactly as Adam said they would. Still, I'm the first one to finish. I go through everything one last time before submitting it. The professor looks at me with irony, as if he already knew I had failed. Let's just say I wasn't his favorite student, and he seemed to purposely teach badly. When he touches the paper, he examines it more closely, swallowing hard. He turns to me and puts the exam on the table.

"I don't understand how you did this."

"I just... studied, with the books, of course." I smile, teasing him." Goodbye, professor." I bid farewell and turned my back to him.

"It seems like you were right." I text Adam, smiling at my phone.

"I always have, you need to be more specific, gorge." His response is immediate. I smile.

"About the grades and not being too hard on myself. Thank you for believing in me, you've shown me that I can also trust myself."

"I'll always believe in you, gorge."

"Hey, where have you been? I've been looking for you." Amy sits next to me, putting away her pen.

I turned off the phone screen, trying to come up with a quick excuse.

"I needed some fresh air, so I went for a walk and stopped by the locker room before coming here."

"Since when do you go for walks? I thought you were still traumatized by your past."

"And I still am, but I don't know... I felt like it."

"How did the exam go?"

"Well, that jerk won't be able to fail me. And you?"

"I think I did well."

"Amy, Rick is friends with the girls from the soccer team, right?"

"Yes, we actually went out yesterday. Is something going on?"

" Maybe the girls from the soccer team know about me. Don't you remember them saying something?"

" Wait, now it makes more sense, they were talking about you yesterday."

"What did they say?"

" Something about being talented and the team needing someone like you if we want more chances to win this. They said the coach is looking for you around campus. We haven't won in ages."

"Oh no, Amy. Do they know we're friends?"

"No, no. They didn't show any pictures, thankfully. But don't worry about me, you know I'll never tell, even though you won't be able to hide it for long. You're really talented, Mia. I think they want you."

" No, I don't think soccer is for me anymore... we've talked about this, remember?"

" Alright, alright. Let's go, I'll accompany you to the next class."

------ ♡ ------

By the end of the morning, while Amy and I were having lunch, I could feel eyes on me, as if they knew who I was and all the things I had done before.

The captain of the soccer team approaches, along with some girls from the team. I nervously adjust my clothes, shifting to the opposite side.

"Hey, you're the girl from the videos." She says.

" No, I don't know what you're talking about."

" The principal told us, someone snitched on you... The perfect athlete from Asgard, hard to recognize in those clothes."