Weeks started passing by quickly and it was soon Halloween. Mia was dressed as a nurse. I dressed as a sailor, which angered my mother because she thought it would upset Mia.
But Mia simply smiled when she saw me, "You look handsome," she whispered on her tip toes into my ear. "I love a man in a uniform."
Lilly was dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and begged me to have Frued as Toto. I refused. Animals should never be dressed up. Tina, Laura and Syliva were the Tin Man (get it, Tina, Tin Man, haha, only I thought this was funny), Laura was the Cowardly Lion, and Sylvia was the Scarecrow.
"Mia, you should have been Glenda the Good Witch," Laura said in a whiney voice.
Mia smiled, "I haven't seen the movie. I don't know anything about it."
Lilly rolled her eyes, "We defiantly have a lot of work to do with you, Mia."
"Naw, I think she's perfect," I replied smiling at my girlfriend of one month.
She blushed and the others sighed. "Mia, you are so lucky. Had I known Michael was this sweet I would have chased him," Sylvia said as we entered the school gym.
"And he would have gone the other way," Lilly teased.
I put my arm around Mia as I handed our tickets to the freshman in charge of ticket collecting. We looked around and saw people we faintly recognized through costume. This was much smaller than the gathering the previous year. The costume contest winner from the previous year was now in Europe . The girl that won was a nurse with the Red Cross. No one really even remembered their names.
"I'm going to get some punch," Mia announced while I was talking to Kevin.
"Okay baby," I said kissing her cheek.
She and Lilly went to the bowl and Josh came by the table, "You know, a real gent would get the punch for her," he said with a smirk before he went over to the table.
Kevin and I watched as Josh stood behind Mia as she and Lilly giggled about something they had been whispering about. He said something and Lilly shook her head. Mia said something.
"What a guy!" Kevin said shaking his head. "I mean, going in on your girl like that. He has that-" he stopped himself as we saw Jill Weinberger flirting with one of our classmates.
I saw Mia smile at him and laugh. Why was she laughing like that with him? She's my girl. She shouldn't be laughing like that with other guys. She shouldn't look at another boy like that!
Kevin and Miranda started talking to another couple about their impending nuptials (set for mid December. He was shipping out with me in January). I bit my lip as I watched Mia talking to Josh. Lilly glanced over, which caused Josh to look my way. He waved with his cocky grin.
Mia smiled to me in the way only she can, and then said good bye to Josh. "Hey there handsome," she said with a grin.
"What were you talking about with him?" I demanded.
She looked slightly taken back. "Because we were talking about Genovia. He was asking me about it."
"Doesn't hurt that he just broke up with Jill, does it?" I mumbled.
"And?" she said sweetly.
"Mia, he's gonna go after you now."
She burst out laughing and put her hand on my knee, "Michael, he can go after me all he wants 'cuz all I want is to be going after you."
I lightened after that. "Dance with me," I said standing up and extending my hand.
I like slow dancing with her. She is allowed to stand reasonably close to me (when the chaperones aren't watching us). She whispered into my ear so the I would loosen up. She was always trying to get me to loosen up with her. But I was so…scared. Scared that I would screw it all up.
Meanwhile I was trying to get her to loosen up around everyone else. She still acted cool toward a lot of people. Clearly not to me or Lilly, but still distant even from those who were her friends.
We went straight home after the dance. "It's great about Miranda and Kevin, isn't it?" she asked, watching them walk in front of us. The Wizard of Oz crew went over Tina's.
"What about them?" I asked, watching my breath in the air.
"She was showing me her ring today after classes let out. I never knew girls got ring for engagement. Lilly told me about it."
I looked at her while she spoke and smiled. She was hinting.
"She looked really happy. Nervous though."
"Nervous?"
"Yes. I mean, her true love is leaving her."
"Oh…"
"I know I'll be crushed when you leave," she said looking at the ground.
I smiled, "What are you saying?" I asked, stopping our stroll. Who cared if is was in the low fifties that night? I couldn't be feeling any warmer.
"Huh?" she asked, startled by my abruptness.
I waited until Kevin and Miranda were out of sight. "Mia, I know we've only known each other two months…and only been dating for about a month now…but I…I think I might be in love with you."
There I had said it.
MIA:
My eyes widened as he said these words to me. "I love you too," I whispered. "I mean…Michael…I'm in love with you," I said softly.
We sat down on the same stoop we had sat on the night he first kissed me. "I think I fell in love the very first day I laid eyes on you," I admitted. "In some strange sort of way…"
We held hands then and just looked at one another. We didn't dare say another word, didn't dare ruin the moment.
What seemed like only minutes later Lilly came by. "What are you two doing here?" she asked with a laugh.
We just smiled and got up and walked the rest of the way home together.
"As a proper date," he whispered. "I'll simply walk you to your bedroom door and then I will leave."
I smirked. "Who says you are such a proper date?" I teased.
He looked at his parents bedroom door, then leaned in and softly kissed me. "Goodnight baby."
And then he turned and left.
"What happened tonight?" Lilly asked as I went into our room, on a cloud.
"He loves me," I squealed.
"Well of course he does. He worships the ground you walk on. He finally told you?"
I smiled, "Yes…"
"And you?"
"I love him with every fiber of my being," I said softly. "But he's leaving so soon…"
"So? He'll be back Mia. How romantic is that? You could be his will to live!"
I laughed, "I don't think I shall ever be anyone's will to live."