I brought Mia back to my apartment; the short walk from the bar feeling like an excursion with Mia in tow. I supported her weight on my shoulder, helping her climb the twenty flights up to my floor. Unable to get to my keys without dropping Mia, I knocked on the door and shouted "Ema, open the door!"

"Don't you have a key?" Responded Ema from the living room. I could hear the TV blaring loudly. Typical Ema.

"EMA! Just open the damn door!"

"Alright alright!" A few seconds later I was greeted by a disheveled Ema, who stared blankly at my drunken cargo. "Who is she? Is she sick?"

"She's drunk. Help me get her inside." Ema positioned herself under Mia's other shoulder and we both carried her toward the couch. Mia groaned once she had made contact with the soft leather. "Ema go get my a pillow and blanket from my bed…" No response. "Ema!"

"Oh! Yeah sorry!"

I pushed a loose strand of hair behind Mia's ear. "Mia…Mia…are you alright?"

"I…I…think so. Where the hell are we?"

Her crass language was surprising. "You're in my apartment. You drank too much tonight, and I'm not sending you home alone like this."

"Where are Diego and Miles?"

"I don't know and I don't care Mia. Just try and get some rest OK?"

Mia was preparing to say something else but instead, vomited on my floor. Ema walked in not a moment too soon.

"Oh my god! She's puking……I HAVE to collect some samples!"

I think I threw up in my mouth at that moment. "Yuck! Ema are you kidding me? This poor woman is sick and you're preoccupied with vomit samples??"

"But I need some stomach acid! I want to test the pH! The medical waste dump doesn't let me get within a 500 meter radius of their dumpsters anymore…do you know how hard it is to get a sample of human stomach acid nowadays!?"

"I'm thankful to say that I don't." I held back Mia's hair as she continued to heave vomit onto my floor. "Why can't you be a normal teenager? Put those down and go get some paper towels."

Mia moaned as she rolled onto her back, "I feel like shit…ugh…"

I laughed. "Well usually that's expected when one drinks more than they can handle."

Ema returned with cleaning supplies, and we both wiped up the vomit from the floor. I'd never been so grateful for hardwood floors before. Ema placed a pillow behind Mia's head and wrapped the blanket around her. She then handed Mia a tall glass of water.

"Thanks Ema. I'm sorry about this, I hope we didn't interrupt your homework."

Ema smiled. "Homework? I finished that hours ago. You interrupted my show!"

"How was your pizza?"

"I ordered Chinese. There's some left on the table if you want it."

I looked to the disgusting wad of paper towels in the wastebasket across the way. "I…I think I've lost my appetite, so no thanks Ema. Why don't you go to bed? It's nearly one in the morning."

Ema nodded. "Goodnight Sis." She walked off toward her room.

Mia looked at me…longingly. "Can you sit with me?" She sounded a lot more sober than before.

"Uh, sure." I sat down on the far end of the couch by her feet and turned on the TV. She spread her legs out across my lap.

"Thanks so much for this Lana. I'm really, really embarrassed. I don't usually drink like this…I was nervous tonight and got a little ahead of myself…" I caught myself staring at her legs.

I looked back to her. "Nervous about what?"

"Hanging out with you of course! I really admire you Lana. You're intelligent…you're doing so well in Law School…you're going to make a fantastic prosecutor..." Her breasts looked like they were about to spill out her shirt...or at least I hoped they would. I immediately shook the thought from my head and blinked.

"Uh, actually I'm not too sure that I want to be a prosecutor just yet. I'm considering becoming a detective first."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Possibly." I said absently watching the TV. Mia sat up and slid over closer to me. "I want to know how a criminal thinks, before I try to expose them in court. I'm also about to start my internship with Detective Gant from the Police Department."

"How exciting!" Mia was leaning against me now, her head pressed into the crook of my neck. I'd never been this physically close to anyone before…even Ema. After my parents died, I'd never let anyone in…so why was Mia the exception? We sat like this while watching some sappy Lifetime movie in silence. I could feel Mia's hot breath on the skin of my neck and I felt…something in the pit of my stomach...and on my leg. Mia's hand was now resting on my right thigh, her thumb lazily grazing the fabric of my jeans. "Uh Mia? Your hand…?"

"Oh! Oh my god, I'm sorry!" She immediately pulled her hand away and sat straight up. Her face blanched. "Heh, I don't know what came over me…"

"Mia. Are you still drunk?"

She blushed. "Would it be better if I said I still was?"

"Why did you put your hand on my leg?" The trainee prosecutor in me was rearing its ugly head. Mia was taken aback.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what I was thinking!"

I spoke calmly to Mia, "I can tell that you're lying. It's written all over your face."

Mia frowned. "I'mattractedtoyou…" She muttered under her breath as she hastily stood up and began to gather her things.

"Mia…"

"No Lana, it's alright. I've embarrassed myself enough for one night. I'll see you in class soon, thank you for helping me and have a good night." And she was out the door.

"Sis, are you stupid? Go after her!"

"Ema!?" I spun around to see Ema standing in the kitchen with a vexed expression on her face. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough! She was going to pour her heart out to you and you were an asshole to her! Stop her before she leaves!"

"I…I'm not gay Ema."

"Please. 'It's written all over your face.'" She turned around and went back to her room. My stomach churned painfully inside me. I pivoted and sprinted out the door.

"Mia wait!"

She turned at the end of the hallway. Her eyes were painfully red with tears. How could she have cried that much in the walk from the door to the elevator?

"Please, just answer me one question...did you…intend for tonight to be a…date?"

Mia merely looked up at me with her glossy eyes. We locked stares for an ephemeral eternity…

…and then she nodded.

And the rest…is history.