Lilly and Tina hadn't said a word all night, either. They had come out to the dock upon hearing the commotion Kenny made upon seeing them together to see Mia and Michael still standing there with their arms wrapped around each other, wearing guilty expressions. They'd put the pieces together. And it was like they didn't know what to say to anyone. Mia assumed Lilly was angry at her for hooking up with Lilly's own brother and also assumed that Tina was probably also angry, but for the different reason that Mia had neglected to tell her about her and Michael's secret love affair. It was the sort of thing that Tina probably would have thrived over.
Finally, Mia coughed weakly, unable to stand the silence any longer. Michael stopped mashing his fork into his potatoes and put it down on the table. Lilly threw Mia a quick, haughty glance with cold eyes. Tina looked at Mia with a flash of sympathy and a slight smile. "Look, guys," she started. "I.. I just don't know what to tell you."
"You could start with apologizing to me," Lilly said loudly, in a rude tone of voice. When she was met with Mia's confused expression, she continued. "You know, for pretending to be my friend when you were really just using me as an excuse to mack on my brother. That's low, you know. Really low. Using me to get close to Michael. I thought you were cooler than that."
Michael didn't jump in to defend Mia. He just looked down at his plate, his big brown eyes empty and his dark brown hair falling into his face.
"I'm so sorry, Lilly," Mia said. "I never did that, I swear. I'm really glad we became friends. I would never do that to you."
Lilly looked over at Mia meanly. "We only became friends because you saw my brother and thought he was hot or something," she said, shuddering slightly as she mentioned her brother. "Easy way in, hey? Become friends with his sister and you've got it made." She slammed her fork down on to the table. "I'm done. I'm going to bed." With that, she got up and stalked off.
Tina looked down uncomfortably. "Yeah, I think I'm going to go to bed, too, guys. 'Night," she said, walking out the door.
Mia pushed her plate aside and put her head down on the table. Seconds later, her shoulders started heaving up and down and Michael came over and kneeled beside her. "Do you want to talk?" he whispered, his hand rubbing her back. "Come on," he grabbed her hand. "Let's go up to my room. We'll work this out together."
Mia nodded and rose, following Michael to his room. He shut the door behind them and went over to sit on the bed and motioned for Mia to come sit beside him. She walked right over to him and into his open arms, settling herself down into his lap and burying her face into his warm chest. Her tears had subsided by then, and Michael kissed her cheek gently.
"I just don't know what to do, Michael," she said miserably. "I wanted everyone to find out, but not like that. I wanted to tell them and I wanted them to be happy for us. I mean, I know Kenny wouldn't have been happy for us ever, but that's even the worst way for him to find out. And Lilly, she's going to hate me forever. I didn't even know you were her brother when I first met her!"
"Shhhhh," Michael responded comfortingly, running his fingers absentmindedly through her hair.
Mia turned her eyes to Michael. "Why do you even want me?" She trailed off. "I mean, I couldn't even break up with Kenny for you, Michael. I couldn't even give you that. And I'm not pretty enough. Or smart enough. You could do so much better."
Michael shook his head, his expression confused. In response, he placed his hand behind her neck and used it to draw her face closer to his. She willingly obliged, and their lips met. Mia wondered how each time they kissed, it was just as amazing as the first time it had ever happened. After a few moments, Michael pulled away a few inches and rested his forehead on hers, his eyes still closed and eyelashes dusting his cheeks softly. "You're perfect, Mia."
"What?" she asked, almost silent.
"I take all of this from you because I just know it, Mia. I know you're special. It's different from those other girls I've dated, you know? I can just feel it. You fit in my arms. Your hands fit in mine perfectly. We just work. And we're meant for each other," he finished, smiling shyly.
She responded by kissing him again. "So what do we do?"
He turned her around so that her back was facing him and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I think you should talk to Lilly alone. She won't care what I have to say. I'd say you should give her some time to cool down. Tina will be the easiest to talk to. I'll go with you for that one. We could probably do that tonight. And Kenny, well, that you've got to do by yourself."
Mia nodded. "Let's go talk to Tina."
They got up and walked down the hallway towards the room Tina was staying on. Mia knocked on the door softly. "Tina? Can we talk?" she asked, timidly.
The door opened in response and Tina half-smiled at them as they stood in her doorway, holding hands. "Come in, guys." She sat down on her bed and discarded the romance novel that had been lying there. Mia and Michael took a seat on the floor.
It was silent for a moment, and then Mia spoke. "Listen, Tina, I'm really sorry."
Tina looked confused, and then smiled. "For what?"
It was Mia's turn to look confused. "I thought you were mad at me."
Tina shook her head and laughed. "Not at all! I just didn't know how to respond. And even if I was angry, it would have been just because you didn't even tell me one of the most important things that has happened to you this year. I mean, hello, you hook up with the guy of your dreams and you don't even tell me?"
Michael smiled and poked Mia in the side. "Guy of your dreams?" he said with a playful smirk, cocking his head to the side innocently.
Mia blushed. "I'm sorry for not telling you.. I just didn't know what we were."
Tina leaned forward. "Do you know what you guys are now?"
She looked at Michael, and Michael smiled and took her hand, squeezing it gently and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "I...I'm breaking up with Kenny," Mia said, unsteadily. She rolled her eyes and tried again. "I'm breaking up with Kenny. I'm doing it tonight. I'm sick of pretending."
Tina squealed. "Go for it, babe!"
Telling Tina had went a lot better than they had both imagined it would go, and it gave Mia a surge of confidence. "Well," she said, turning to face Michael. They stood outside of Kenny's door. Michael looked at Mia and smiled, and then gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "I love it when you do that," she said.
"I know," Michael smiled. "You can do it. Just don't back down. I'll be waiting for you in your room," he said, slowly walking away from her. "Meet me there as soon as you're done, okay?"
Mia nodded, and knocked on Kenny's door as Michael walked off in the general direction of Mia's room.
After a few minutes of knocking, Mia gave up and just turned the doorknob, walking into Kenny's room unnannounced. He was sitting there on the bed, his eyes red and splotchy. Crumpled tissues laid on the bed in a circle around him. Unable to stop her reflexes, Mia crinkled her nose in distaste.
He looked up at her and frowned, his eyes glaring at her. "What are you doing here? I think you've caused enough trouble today."
Mia paused, considering for a split second running away, out the door just behind her. But after remembering Michael's kisses, she shut the door behind her and walked over to Kenny's bed and sat down at the foot of it. "Listen, Kenny, I'm really sorry about what happened today," she started. "But the truth is, it's been going on for awhile."
"Is this supposed to be making me feel better?" Kenny said, sniffling.
Mia shook her head. "No, it probably won't. But I can't keep sacrificing my happiness because I don't want to hurt your feelings. I have to do what's going to make me happy, Kenny. And if you really liked me, you'd want me to be happy. Even if it was with someone else. Kenny, Michael makes me really, really happy. He's right for me."
Kenny glared at her.
"So... what I'm saying is that we have to break up. I need to be with Michael. I'm going to be with Michael."
Kenny's expression had changed from one of anger to one of sadness. "But Mia," he said with puppy-dog eyes, "I love you."
Mia shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kenny. I'm really sorry. We're over."
And with those final words, Mia turned and walked out of Kenny's room and out of her relationship with him.
Tingles ran down her spine as she realized that she was finally free to be Michael Moscovitz's girlfriend.
Mia arrived at her room a few minutes later and walked in. "Michael?" she called. "Michael, are you here?" She looked around and saw no sign of her dream guy anywhere in her room. Confused, she walked over to her bed and collapsed on it, then finding a piece of paper lying on the bed.
Puzzled, she opened the envelope that said 'Mia' on the front in neat writing. Michael's. She unfolded the paper inside, which simply read 'Meet me in the courtyard garden.'
Mia smiled to herself and put it in her pocket and practically skipped down to the courtyard. She walked out and into the dark, expansive garden. "Michael?" she called out to the darkness, again. "Michael?"
Straining her ears to listen for a response, she heard soft guitar music coming from further in the garden. Hugging her arms to herself, she walked over to the place the music was coming from. She'd forgotten that it was night and it had gotten colder. In her excitement, she hadn't brought a sweater.
As Mia came up on the courtyard's fountain, she found the source of the soft music. Michael was sitting on a bench beside the fountain, which was lit up as it was every night. He'd arranged some candles around the bench and there was a blanket sitting beside him. He was playing the guitar and singing along softly. And he looked like an angel.
Mia stopped and stood there, a smile spreading across her face. She didn't want to interrupt him. The trees were all lit up, the candles, the fountain, the music.. It was all just so perfect. Absolutely perfect. She was entranced by it.
Finally, Michael looked up from his guitar and broke Mia from her trance. "Hey," he said softly, still playing his guitar softly. "Come here," he continued, patting the seat on the bench beside him.
She walked over to him and sat down. Her eyes glistened with tears. He threw the blanket over the two of them.
He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. "What's wrong?" he asked, gently wiping a tear from her cheek. "Did it go okay? I mean, did it happen, did you actually...?"
Mia paused and took Michael's free hand in hers. "Yes."
A smile brighter than one Mia had ever seen before spread across Michael's face. He kissed her quickly then, softly and sweetly. "Why are you crying, then?"
"This, Michael. Thisis just so perfect.. I can't believe you did this. I mean, I thought we were just going to watch a movie in my room or something. Nothing special. Not special like this. You're just awesome."
Michael smiled. "You like it?"
She nodded. "Love it."
"Anything for you." He blushed. "You're going to think this is really stupid, but...do you want to dance?"
"Now? Right here?" Mia asked.
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," Michael responded shyly.
"Me either," whispered Mia.
He stood up and then extended his hand to her. "May I have this dance, princess of my heart?" he said, smiling down at her goofily.
She answered him by standing up and falling into his arms. Could this night be any more perfect? She was slow-dancing in the garden with Michael, while Michael softly sang into her ear. His breath tickled and sent shivers down her spine.
Michael finished singing, and pulled away a few inches. He gazed into Mia's eyes a few moments. It was slightly disconcerting, but spine-tingling and awesome and beautiful and perfect all at the same time. She'd never felt these things before.
He kissed her again, a little bit longer.
And when he pulled away, he spoke again. "Mia," he said playfully. "So, I guess you're single now?"
She smiled giddily. "Single and looking," she answered pointedly.
"It's kind of silly to ask this, but I want it to be really special for you so I'm going to sacrifice my dignity and pride a little for you." He lifted his hand to her head and fiddled with her hair. Nervously, he continued. "Mia, do you want to be my girlfriend?" He paused and then rushed on. "I mean, I thought I should ask because I didn't know and I thought you might like to be asked and..."
Mia interrupted by pressing her lips against his passionately. "I thought you'd never ask, Michael."
He grinned.
Author's Note: Hey, look, I'm still alive! Imagine that! Review?
