Choose (A Choose Your Own Story Adventure)

21. Black

"Just a black coffee, please," Mia replies.

"Cool, I'll be back in a jiff." Terry gives Mia a small salute before leaving.

"'In a jiff?'" Therese mocks the salute. "He can't be serious."

Mia sighs and looks at her screen. She can feel her colleague's gaze burning into her forehead. Mia looks back up.

"Seriously, Mia," she whispers. "This is becoming a problem."

"...It's fine."

It really isn't. Coffee is nice, but it isn't just coffee. Mia receives continuous text messages from Terry and he is always pestering her about going to lunch with him. Though she wants to be nice to her co-worker, she doesn't want to be alone with him.

He comes back with the coffee. Mia smiles, thanks him, then returns to her work. Surprisingly, he leaves her to it.

The caffeine gives her just the boost she needs to get through the day. She finishes all of her paperwork and answers all of her phone calls, only a few of them being nasty. With the friendly company of Therese, time seems to go by quickly. It isn't long before Mia's shift is over.

She says farewell to everyone, cleans up her area, and then heads home. Benjamin yips excitedly as she opens the door. Mia laughs and bends down to pet her dog.

"Hey, little buddy," she says in a high-pitched voice. He jumps up to lick her chin. Mia gets back up and goes to her room. She changes into more comfortable clothing. She feeds Benjamin before making herself dinner.

She crawls into her bed with a bowl of pasta. It's simple, but it's also the only thing left in her pantry. She needs to go grocery shopping soon. She can worry about that another day, though.

Her phone beeps. Mia checks her phone, groaning when she sees what it is. It's a text message from Terry. Hey, Mia! We're having a movie night at John's, want to come?

Mia turns off her phone, ignoring the message. Tonight is not the night to hang out with friends—it's show time.

She flicks on Netflix and plays the first episode of Stranger Thing's season two. She grips her bowl excitedly. She hasn't had time to binge it yet, and figures that it's the best night to do so.

However, after a couple of episodes and scrolling through her social media, Mia feels her eyelids grow heavy. Her bowl is empty and laying on the floor. Benjamin surprisingly hasn't tried to lick all of the butter and sauce that's left in the bowl, but that's because he's snuggled closely next to Mia. She yawns and rests her head next to her dog.

She has been waiting so long to watch this show. She's so tired, though, and doesn't want to accidentally miss anything. She can always watch it tomorrow night.

Mia has been telling herself that every night. She can push through for at least a few more episodes...at least she tells herself it'll only be a few episodes.

She grips her remote, undecisive. What's the best thing to do?

Go to Bed ... Chapter 23

Stay Up Late ... Chapter 24