Can You Hear the Ocean?

Chapter 41

As Leila opened the door to her apartment, her mind was wandering in a thousand ways as she considered what she'd make for dinner, when she'd hear back from the job recruiter, and of course, how she could rekindle her relationship with Mia. However, all those worries dissipated as she took in the sight before her.

Mia was sitting on the couch, and shockingly, beside her, was Fuji. Leila watched Mia gently stroke Fuji's fur. He did not hiss or swat but rather seemed perfectly content sitting beside her. Leila glanced at them in shock. Unless Mia had been lying to her, the tabby had never gotten so close to Mia before, let alone allow her to pet him. It took all of Leila's might to hold back a squeal. She knew she shouldn't still be feeling this way toward Mia, not when she was potentially moving, not when their relationship seemed like it would never be repaired, but Mia looked so adorable in the moment that Leila's heart couldn't help but swell.

Suddenly, Fuji looked up at Leila and let a meow. Mia removed her hand as he stood up and wandered from the couch over toward Leila. 

"What were you up to, little troublemaker?" Leila asked, scooping him up in her arms. Fuji meowed as she carried him back over toward Mia. "Did he actually let you pet him?" Leila asked in shock.

"Oh. Yeah," Mia mumbled. "He was keeping me company."

Leila nodded. There was something off about Mia. It wasn't the normal tension the two had already been experiencing around each other. Mia was unusually quiet and looking quite somber. Her gaze was deliberately turned at the floor below, rather than at Leila.

"Is everything okay?" Leila asked.

Mia took a deep breath and stared up at her. "I broke up with Julian."

Leila froze. In the moment, she couldn't find the right words to say. I'm sorry? No, Mia already knew how Leila felt about Julian. What does this mean for me? No. That would obviously be too selfish to ask.

Instead, Leila settled on, "Oh. Do you want to talk about it?"

Mia shook her head. "No—"

"Mia, I'm sorry if I influenced your decision at all," Leila said, suddenly feeling guilty. "What I said about Julian—"

"No. Don't worry about it. I made the decision on my own," Mia explained. "Our relationship wasn't healthy. I already know you thought that."

"Yes, but Mia—" Leila said, her heart breaking slightly. Of course she disliked Mia's relationship with Julian, but that didn't make her happy to see Mia in pain.

"It's fine," Mia said, rising to her feet. "What's done is done. I won't get back together with him. I'm relieved."

"Oh. Okay," Leila said.

Mia gave her a weak smile and began to walk toward her bedroom.

Leila struggled to find words. "Um, I haven't decided on what to make for dinner yet—"

"I'm not hungry. Feel free to eat without me," Mia said. She paused in her steps and turned around once more. For a moment, Leila thought she would say nothing by the way she hesitated, but then, she finally spoke. "This doesn't...mean anything for us, by the way."

Leila stiffened. "Of-of course! I wouldn't expect it to!"

Mia turned back around and headed into her room. Leila waited to hear Mia's bedroom door shut, and then she sighed as she set Fuji back down on the ground. For several minutes, she leaned against the counter, the reality setting in. She was overjoyed she wouldn't have to ever see Julian's stupid face again, but at the same time, Mia's words rang in her head: This doesn't mean anything for us. She had seemed hesitant when she said it, which stupidly gave Leila hope.

"What should I do?" Leila asked Fuji quietly as she scratched his chin. He had leapt onto the counter, the one place Leila didn't allow him, but she ignored it for now. Mia's confession had shocked her too much for her to bother scolding Fuji.

Leila turned back to stare at Mia's bedroom door. Of course she wanted to go in and comfort Mia, but she held herself back. That wouldn't be appropriate. Mia needed space and time to grieve her relationship. Though she'd never been in a relationship, Leila knew that at the very least.

"I guess I can just do the second-best thing," Leila muttered.

The air outside was cold as November settled in. With the ingredients in her fridge, Leila decided to make Mia's favorite soup, tomato basil, hoping that it would be comforting to Mia. She slaved away in the kitchen for a few hours until finally, the dish was ready. Leila toasted some bread in the oven and then delicately plated the steaming bowl of soup and warm bread. She walked nervously down the hallway, then slowly set the plate on the floor in front of Mia's bedroom. Leila held her fist to the door and quietly knocked.

"Hey, um, I won't come in, but...I left some soup out for you. You should eat it," Leila said.

"Okay. Thanks," she heard Mia's voice come from within.

Shortly after Leila returned to the kitchen, she heard Mia's door open. Once it had closed again, Leila let out a sigh of relief, glad her efforts had not gone to waste.

Later that evening, as Leila laid in bed, she found herself unable to sleep. She hated to think it, but she was excited at the prospect of Mia being single. It was so terribly wrong of her to think, and Leila kept beating herself up about it in her head, but for the first time in so long, she felt hopeful that at the very least, with Julian out of the picture, their friendship could be repaired. As she drifted off into a calm sleep, her mind was suddenly invaded by the job recruiter she was still waiting to hear back from.

I haven't heard anything. Who knows at this point? Leila thought, quickly dismissing her thoughts as she drifted to sleep.

The next morning, Mia was still asleep when Leila left for work. Her heart sunk, as she'd been hoping to talk to her, but Leila knew it was best to respect Mia's space at the moment. Leila later arrived at work in a chipper mood, feeling confident in taking on the day. It felt like things were turning a corner, and a new chapter in her life was about to begin.

As she opened her inbox, she noticed an email from someone outside of her job organization. Suddenly, Leila recognized the name.

Dear Miss Sutherland, it read. We are impressed with your application and would like to invite you for a phone interview later this week. Please respond with your availability.

Leila hated to admit it, but her heart sunk at the sight of the email.