excuse any mistakes.
𝐌𝐢𝐞𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐢 𝐃𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧
𝙹𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙴𝚈 𝙲𝙸𝚃𝚈, 𝙽𝙹.
"Mieke," Khouri knocked on Mieke's closed bedroom door. "Bitch can we come in? By 'we,' I mean me, Haveli, and Dakota. Plus, your racist-ass cat who is too damn close to me right now."
For the past two days since the encounter with Keanu, Mieke had confined herself to her room.
Everything felt like a heavy load to unpack – from discovering that he was unaware of the reason behind their breakup, to her finally sharing about her past trauma and Keanu's surprising reaction. The weight of it all became overwhelming, leaving her in a state of wreck.
She had even called out of work for the rest of the week, and thankfully, her understanding boss granted her the time off. Since then, Mieke found solace within the confines of her room, where tears flowed incessantly. Sleep eluded her; the haunting images of Landon's actions replayed vividly in her mind. To escape the torment, she chose to forgo sleep altogether.
"Helloooo!" Khouri persisted, knocking on the door. "Dakota, you know I can't stand cats."
"Y'all can come in." Mieke muttered, her voice audible but muffled from beneath the covers, as the bedroom door slowly creaked open. She remained hidden under her covers.
"I used to always be confused when they would say in movies that you could smell sadness but I smell it now." Haveli walked over to the bed, gently pulling the covers from Mieke's head. Mieke reluctantly opened her eyes. "Oh my God, Mieke. What happened? Who I gotta beat up?" Haveli's face bore an expression of deep concern as she observed Mieke's troubled appearance.
Mieke's appearance really was troubled. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut, her face numb, and her lips visibly swollen. The signs of continuous crying were apparent.
"Nobody. Ive just been crying. What y'all doing here?" Mieke mumbled as she sat up, her voice hoarse from all the crying.
"Girl fuck what we doing here. What's wrong? Why have you been crying so much?"Haveli inquired, taking a seat beside Mieke on the bed. "That's why you didn't come to the doctors?" Haveli pressed, and Mieke nodded.
"Is it just you guys here?" Mieke asked.
"Nah. Javon, Bryce and Duke out there." Dakota placed Cupid on Mieke's lap. Javon is Haveli's fiancé while Duke is Khouri's boyfriend.
Cupid let out a soft meow and placed his head on Mieke's hand.
"Oh." Mieke mumbled.
The weight of keeping everything bottled inside was becoming unbearable for Mieke.
She felt this profound need to disclose why her feelings toward Keanu had shifted so drastically after that trip. It wasn't just about sharing what had happened in Alabama, but also explaining why she was finding it challenging to heal and move forward.
Mieke had always been open with her sisters, sharing nearly everything with them. However, this unspoken part, this heavy secret, was gnawing away at her.
She couldn't pinpoint where this sudden urge came from; it was like a dam bursting open after holding back for so long.
Maybe it was the overwhelming need for understanding, or perhaps a desperate plea for release from the secrets that were suffocating her. She wished she knew where this urge was coming from, but at that moment, it was more about the urgency to share than why.
