Meant For You

fifty-two.

Nola Scott

The moment my eyes opened a couple of hours later, my heart instantly dropped to my stomach. All the memories from only a couple of hours ago came flooding back like a tsunami.

Was I happy? Yes.
Was I confused? Most definitely.
Did I regret it? Not one bit.

But...

I was scared the man sleeping behind me would regret it. When I turned around, Miles was still sleeping peacefully. It was only nine in the morning which wasn't many hours after we finally fell asleep. My eyes felt heavy and all I craved was more sleep but I decided to get up. Last night was... unexpected. Although it is all I want to think about, for Miles's sake, I know I can't.

Today isn't about me or even us. It's about him and his birth mother.

He's finally going to get the answers he's been waiting for for the last twenty-something years. So the only thing I was focused on was that today would be decent for him.

I changed into my other change of clothes, brushed my teeth, and let down my hair. It hadn't been too hard to tame since it had been in a ponytail last night. Once I was done situating myself, I decided to leave the hotel and look for coffee nearby. Plus, exploring this little part of Miami was something I wanted to do. I had only been here once when I was like seven years old with Mom.

Aunt Nova was filming a scene for one of her movies down here in Miami. We had surprised her on set one day. It was all I remember from our two-day trip.

The salt air filled my lungs as I stepped out into the streets. It was already Spring and the sun was shining in Miami but it was a little humid from the night before. Nevertheless, it felt nice outside. It didn't take me long to find a nice coffee shop on the corner of the street. The hotel we were staying at had lots of things around it like restaurants, food stands, bars, and even a beach. Though none of those things were on the agenda today, I admired them as I walked past them.

The coffee shop I entered was bustling with what mostly looked like students. A lot of them wore orange and green shirts that said UMiami on them. There seemed to be only one guy there who was probably in his thirties. I ordered my drink and Miles' as well. It was the same as our Renaissance Café orders, the drinks we ordered when we needed a boost of energy. Despite getting rest on the plane and a couple of hours at the hotel, I'm sure he'd still be tired.

As soon as the drinks were ready, I was out of there. It was so lively for it to only be ten in the morning. I was used to this living in Los Angeles and all but this morning had started with uneasiness. Everything that was about to come was unknown and as someone who hates the unknown, my anxiety was prickling.

Today had nothing to do with me.

I was about to meet the woman who gave birth to one of my best friends. A woman who also happened to be familiar with my mom. It was weird, yes, but like I said today wasn't about me. I have no connection to this whirlwind of a story. Well, besides my mom but that's her story. Not mine.

When I entered the hotel room with Miles and I's coffees, he was putting his clothes in his small, black and white duffel bag. Our eyes met as I walked into the room and I felt my cheeks get hot quickly. His gray eyes had pierced into my soul every single time.

There was tension. The air was thick with it.

"I woke up early so I decided to go get coffee," I say, being the first one to break the silence. He ran his fingers through his wet hair and nodded. "Thanks," he replied, taking the coffee from the drink holder. It looked like he was ready to go and there was only less than an hour until checkout time anyway.