Can You Hear the Ocean?

Chapter 16

Wisps of Mia's hair floated as the standing fan in her bedroom blew around the room. The air was warm and sticky, but the cool air from the fan helped some. Mia's body sunk deeper into her mattress as Julian leaned over her, his lips gently tracing her jaw and neck. Mia thought she would be enjoying his presence more. She turned her head, allowing more access to her neck, but the view of her shut door made her pause. All she could think about was Leila in the other room.

Having Julian in her apartment felt strange. Mia had only let him spend the night a few times since moving in, mainly because she was still trying to gauge how comfortable Leila was with having him over. While Leila assured Mia that she didn't mind Julian spending the night, Mia continued to be hesitant. However, Julian had been frequently pestering her lately about how little time they spent together since moving in, so she once more agreed to let him spend the night.

As Mia continued facing the door, feeling Julian's warm lips press against her neck, she shut her eyes, trying to block out her thoughts. Julian must've taken this to mean she was enjoying herself, because his hand crept under her shirt. Mia quickly shoved it away.

"No," she said suddenly, her eyes opening again.

Julian looked down at her, confused. "What?" he asked.

"Not tonight," she repeated, exchanging a glance with her shut door once again.

"What's wrong?" Julian asked.

"Nothing's wrong. I just don't want to do anything tonight," Mia argued.

"That's what you said last time," Julian complained.

"Can you move off me? I want to sit up," Mia said.

Julian moved to the side, and Mia sat up once more. She adjusted her tanktop and looked over at Julian. It was easy to sense his annoyance. He appeared tense and averted his gaze from her.

"Hey," she said, stroking his arm. "Come on. Don't be mad."

"I am mad," Julian complained. "What's the point of inviting me over, then?"

"Because I want to spend time with you?" Mia reminded him. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm still getting used to this apartment and living with Leila, and I just don't really feel comfortable doing anything right now when she's around."

"Yeah, yeah," Julian mumbled. "So should we just go to sleep, then?"

"Yeah," Mia agreed.

She was afraid Julian wouldn't want to cuddle her when they crawled under the sheets, but thankfully, he pressed his body close to hers and wrapped an arm around her. Mia sighed in contentment as she felt his breath against her face. Her eyes shut slowly, and finally, she dozed off to sleep.

When she had been living with Abby, Mia and Julian usually spent their mornings lounging around, grabbing breakfast around eleven in the morning, and spending the rest of the day together. When Mia woke up in the morning, however, Julian was already awake and packing his things in his duffel bag.

Mia yawned and sat up slowly. "Leaving already?" she asked groggily.

"Yeah," Julian answered.

"Don't you want to get breakfast?" Mia asked.

Julian shook his head. "No. I'll get out of your and Leila's hair."

"Julian," Mia said softly. She'd hoped sleep would ease their argument, but he still appeared upset. Not in the mood to fight, Mia didn't press him any further. She had learned at this point to give him space when he was annoyed. He was usually kissing her by the next time they met up anyway.