Chapter Three- Joe wants to save them

Mia fumbled with the zipper on her suitcase trying to get it to close. This was it, she was going back to America.

She managed to get it to fasten and set it down near the door, she buzzed around the room getting bits together to take as hand luggage and didn't notice Joe walk into her suite with a heart-broken expression on his face.

"Mia, what are you doing?"

"Oh, hi Joe, I'm going back home. Well I am when I can find my charger for my cell."

"You can't go, Mia. I won't let you go."

"That's tough! I'm going. I just need to speak to Charlotte and arrange for a flight this afternoon."

Mia sprinted over to her closet to see if her charger was in there.

"You've broken her heart, Mia"

There was a deathly silence. Mia stopped what she was doing and looked at Joe with hurt in her eyes.

"I've what?"

"Broken her heart, she's sobbing her heart out in that suite. You shouldn't have said that to her."

"I was angry, she hit me!"

"But why did she hit you, Mia? The things you said to her were horrible. She snapped?"

Mia looked at the floor and the tears fell. She leaned against the door to one of her cupboards and pulled her knees into herself. There she sat rocking and crying.

"I didn't want to say those things, Joe, but I needed answers. This has gone on for too long."

"Could it not have waited until after Christmas? Which may I remind you is in two days!"

"I didn't plan on it all coming out today. After I heard her say that to you on the balcony and then mom phoning this morning to say she wasn't coming really annoyed and upset me."

"I can see why it did but the reason your mom isn't coming has nothing to do with your grandmother. She just thought it would be special to share Christmas just the two of you."

"And that is a sweet gesture but I thought..."

"Exactly, you thought, you didn't ask her."

Mia could now see she was wrong. She turned her back from Joe and began crying again. Joe could see her reflection in the mirror that was across from her. He noticed how the big red mark on her face was slowly starting to discolor. She must have hit her with some force.

Getting the feeling that this was a personal moment for Mia, Joe quietly walked backwards out of the closet door and left her suite. He wandered down the busy corridors not knowing what to do. Christmas was in two days and the two most important people in his life were at each others throats. He had to sort this out, and he had to do it today.

Softly knocking on the door he entered Clarisse's suite. She sat near the fire writing a letter. The tears had stopped but the pain was still evident on her face.

"How are you, love?"

"Awful, what is she doing?"

"She has packed to return to America."

Clarisse looked at Joe and then down to what she was writing.

"Good."

"Risse..."

"Please Joe, don't call me that, not here."

"Why?"

"You know why, anyway, has Charlotte scheduled her flight?"

"No, Clarisse and she isn't going to either. How can you let her go?"

"She hurt me Joe and she isn't sorry about it. I am sorry for hitting her but the words she said, they made me feel unwanted."

"Darling you'll never be unwanted. I told her how she has broken your heart and she is sorry. She didn't say it but her expression said a thousand words."

"Where is she now? Her suite?"

"Yes. Go to her, Clarisse, please. It's Christmas soon, her first Christmas here."

Clarisse thought for a while and gave a weak smile to Joe.

"Ok"

Clarisse straightened her jacket and wandered out of her suite to find Mia. As she walked down the corridor she practiced in her head what she was going to say to Mia. No matter how much she thought of what to say, it wouldn't work. Mia was never going to understand. Clarisse knew that this time would come eventually but she didn't expect it just days before Christmas.

Knocking softly on the door Clarisse decided to wait for Mia to let her in before walking in like she did earlier.

"Come in."

Clarisse took a deep breath and twisted the doorknob to enter Mia's suite.