Mika now sat in one of the many rooms in the O'Brien Willard residence reading a book. Mika found the room at random, she was going to just look inside and leave but then she saw rows and rows of books on a shelf and she was drawn in.
Mika picked out a book called, 'Standing Still'. She read the book with a heavy heart, it captured the beauty and twisted morals behind a mother and daughter's relationship. Mika wondered what her relationship with Isadora would be like in the future, she knew they'd have their ups and down. But she wanted the ups to be so great that the downs be insignificant.
She reached the part where the daughters were looking at their mom from her past. They reached for her hand and guided the crying girl through the dark cave. This was after a falling out had happened with one of the daughters and their mom. One other never left her side for fear of being selfish and feeling like she owed her mom everything after her sacrifice. While the other daughter left because her mom's sacrifice was her own doing, she would forever be grateful for it but that didn't mean she owed her mother her life.
Mika was already brimming with tears and they ran down her face when a certain line was said, "My love for you knows no distance, no matter how far I show it pushes you away". Mika related the line to her own relationship with her mom.
Her mom still hadn't called, and neither had her Dad. Mika told herself it was because they didn't care, but after everything, she still hoped she was wrong and she missed them, them before Isadora.
"Hey Hermione," Ceila popped into the room. Mika fixed her sitting position and quickly wiped her tears. "Do you want some popcorn? Willard and I are going to watch a movie in his study and Edith made too much," Ceila continues stepping further inside. "No thank you," Mika said in a small voice not looking at her, she didn't want Ceila to see her crying. Ceila frowned at her tone, "What's wrong?". Ceila put the popcorn on the coffee table and sat on the couch next to Mika.
"I'm fine," Mika lied, but of course Ceila didn't believe her, "It's just that this book is really good,".
Mika's lips started quivering again and Celia looked at her with sympathy, "Awh, Come here,". Ceila ushered for Mika to hug her. Mika began to lightly cry when she did and Ceila rubbed her back for support. "I just don't understand why things had to change between us, she always told me she'd be there for me," Mika sniffled. Ceila didn't know who Mika was talking about at first until Mika said, "She's my mom for goodness sake,".
Celia sighed, she knew things between Mika and her mom were rocky but she hoped it'd blow over after Isadora was born. She didn't know exactly why Mika moved in with them, Bose said that she needed a place to stay and Ceila was okay with it. However, she suspected it had something to do with her parents.
"She's still your mom Mika, and she still loves you, I've seen the way Anegla's been with you and Miles, you guys are her whole world," Ceila spoke.
"She's not a good person, she's evil, she doesn't love me anymore, and maybe she never even did if she could ever make me feel this way and live with herself," Mika cried, talking more to herself than Ceila.
"It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself that what you're saying is true,", Ceila held Mika's head but she pulled away from her, her arms still on her lap though. "So what? You think she's in the right?" Mika got defensive. "No, of course not. The way she's been handling you're situation is totally out of line and she needs to do better," Ceila declared. She didn't agree with Angela's methods at all. There was a difference between tough love and neglect, and Angela didn't quite recognize which one she was using.
"I have no doubt that Angela is gonna come around. It might just take a while. I don't know what happened between you two but I can assume that she's put you through something every mother should protect their child from," Ceila said, "And she's going to regret it one day", she foretold. Mika listened carefully and snorted back some heavy tears. "But look at you," Ceila said softly. Mika looked down and Ceila took her hands in hers. Mika looked back up to see Ceila.
"You're coming out of the other end of. From the time that I've known you, all of seen is a fearless, smart, kind, independent, beautiful individual who can just look at someone and it's like they've had a shot of espresso. You're a force to be reckoned with and the amount of love you hold in your heart can and has moved mountains," Ceila extolled so purely, and Mika's heart fluttered with care.
"Now that, those words, those exact words are the same exact words Bose used to describe you from the mere age of 12," Ceila revealed and Mika smiled so wide that you could see all of her teeth.
She lifted her arms to wipe away tears. "Bose really said that?" Mika sniffled again. Ceila nodded and said that Bose said stuff like that about her all the time. "Now think, how did you become that person? Who encouraged and pushed you to always be the best version of yourself?" Ceila questioned. There was an aching in Mika's throat and her lips quivered again, "My mom,". "And my dad, but mainly my mom." added with a small laugh.
"Exactly, and she's so proud of Mika, even if she doesn't know it or is denying it, she is proud of you, how could anyone not be proud of Mika Macklin," Ceil asserted. Mika blushed from the praise.
"I just want us to get past this, for us to be a family again," Mika's voice cracked. "You will be, just give it more time, but until, then I hope you know you still have another family to cling to," Ceila squeezed her hands and Mika felt safe as her cries settled down.
"I don't want to be a disappointment, it's one of my biggest fears," Mika confessed. Ceila shook her head, "You're not, Angela is still adjusting to this big change obviously. Her emotions are still all over the place I bet," Ceila dragged out the word 'over'. Mika chuckled, "She might actually be bipolar. It's so weird, some days she's nice to me, giving me advice, making me feel better when I'm down, and on other days she's ridiculing my motherhood and acting like we're in some type of competition".
Ceila hung her head closer to Mika, "Let me tell you a secret,". Mika leaned in with curiosity. Ceila shrugged with a tired smile, "You're mom is just a girl,". What Ceila said was simple, but it was like something snapped and Mika saw everything about Anegla differently. Mika's never thought of her mom being anything but a mom.
But her mom was a girl, just a girl. Her mom was once her age and younger dealing with things of her own. Going to school, having crushes, hanging out with friends, being insecure about things others wouldn't even think of, and probably crying to her own mom about stuff that is unimportant now. It dawned on her that one day, Isadora would also view her as just her mom. That her own daughter would probably never think that she was once the age she was now, and younger, being a girl. "Wow," Mika contemplated.
Ceila gasped and it pulled Mika out of her trance, "I should write a book, and have it become a best seller and that'll show Pam from the country club who's actually the emotionally intuned one,".
Mika looked at Ceila, Ceila was Bose's mom. But she was just a girl too. Mika lunged forward and threw herself at Ceila, giving her a big hug. The hug implied, 'Thank you for being the motherly support I so desperately needed'. After the hug Ceila gave her arm a final squeeze and got up to leave, Willard was probably wondering where she was.
But before Ceila left, Mika leaped up again and hugged her from behind when she reached the outside of the door, "Thank you Ceila, you're the best," Mika shut her eyes and grinned into the hug. "And thank you for being the best thing that's ever happened to Bose," Ceila told her. They pulled apart and Mika giggled.
Ceila was going to leave again but there was something she had to say to her first, "Also, you should know, the walls in this hall are very thin, so um, just keep that in mind next time,". Mika was confused and was about to ask what she was talking about then she understood. Mika blushed again but this time from embarrassment. Ceila heard her and Bose last night.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect, it just happened but I swear-" Mika halted when Ceila started speaking, "Relax, I get it. Just maybe don't do it on this floor, or wait til we're downstairs, or not home,". Mika cringed at Ceila's words, this was so humiliating, even with Celia's judgment-free tone. "Got it, thin walls," Mika gave a thumbs up and Ceila hugged her for the third time to assure her that everything was okay.
When she drifted apart they laughed together at the circumstance and heard rapid footsteps coming upstairs. It was Bose. His face lit up when he saw Mika. "Hey, I was just looking for you," Bose happily said to her.
All Mika could think was how much audacity he had at the moment. Mika glared at him, so now he was looking for her. He walked towards but Mika stormed past him, then a few seconds later he and Ceila heard a loud door slam. Bose certainly not expecting that reaction. He looked to his mom for help and patted his chest, "Good luck,".
)
Bose followed Mika to her room. He opened the door, "Um, okay, did I do something wrong?" Bose kept a hand behind his back. "I don't know, did you?", Mika flared her nostrils, crossed her arms, and shook her head. Her back was turned to him.
Mika was upset and annoyed at him. She didn't understand why though. It's not like this was the first time she woke up after sex with him and he wasn't there. He would sometimes leave early to go down to the office when he was scheduled for work or he had to be home in the morning. Maybe she just wanted his attention.
Mika was looking forward to a morning with him where they would cuddle for a little bit, share sweet kisses, and just talk endlessly about whatever. Some of her favorite memories of them are from those types of moments.
Bose stalked closer to her and Mika felt him standing a few inches away from her. "Mika, remember, communication is key here," Bose found her annoyance cute, for some reason he couldn't take her seriously. Mika huffed, "You left".
"You left and you didn't call or text me, I woke up and you were gone. It made me feel like it was just another night for you when it was the best night I've had in a very long time," Mika expressed. Mika waited for Bose to say something but she didn't hear anything.
Mika grew even more annoyed, so she quickly turned around to give him a piece of her mind, "You seriously don't have anything to say-". Mika jolted back a little when her face was suddenly in a bouquet of fresh roses. It was a pretty arrangement of blue and white. Mika lifted her head to look at Bose who was grinning at her like a dork. Bose gave them to her, "These are for you,".
"For me? You left to get me roses?" Mika took the roses, she wasn't expecting it and her anger simmered down instantly. Bose twisted his face," Well not exactly, and just so you know, waking up with you is always one of my favorite memories of us,". Mika's smile was genuine mixed with suspicion, "Okay, so where were you".
Bose wasn't going to tell Mika that he went to go see her parents. They had a silent agreement that things would fall into place the right way when it was time. Bose just ensured that the time would be soon and that it was going to happen."I just to do something real quick, don't worry about it," Bose winked.
Mika still wanted answers if she could get one, "But you-" "Hey, it's fine," Bose cut her off, placing both his hands on her arm.
"Things are going to be okay for us, " He kissed her forehead and it calmed Mika's heart. Mika nodded, she believed him, but most importantly she trusted Bose.
Bose then started to fix the roses Mika was holding, "Also, I was hoping these roses would be a peace offering for us,". "Peace offering?" Mika jested. After last night, Bose figured that they'd go back to being 'just friends' and it was bullshit. "Yeah, I want you to take me back, as your boyfriend. No offense, but being your friend sucks, I don't know how I did it for so long," Bose admitted. Mika cackled, it was crazy he thought he even had to ask, "Well duh, I'd slap some sense into you if you thought we were still broken up,". Bose beamed and Mika rolled her eyes playfully. The truth was they were never broken up and they knew it.
Bose stepped closer and leaned down, Mika thought he was going to kiss her on the lips but he didn't. "Good. Now that I'm your official boyfriend again, it's appropriate to do this," Bose trailed off with a sly smirk, he reached into his pocket and Mika looked down to see a velvet blue ring box in his hand. Her heart dropped to her feet and her eyes were frozen open as Bose got on one knee.
Mika's heart roared as he opened it with glee. This was not happening, she would not allow it. "Mika," Bose started staring up at her lovingly. Mika ran her mouth, "Bose. Bose no, I- I really love you and I wanna be with you forever too but now is not the right time for this, we're still so young, and, well I know we have a baby already but, you should really, really, think about this-".
Bose tried to contain a smile at her nervousness, this was the fastest she's ever spoken. Bose chuckled and Mika stopped talking to catch her breath, "Sweetie, relax, it's not an engagement ring,". Mika sighed in relief.
Bose took Mika's hand in his and placed the shiny silver mixed-with a copper ring on her finger, "It's a promise ring,".
"A promise ring?" Mika cheeky questioned, butterflies swarming her stomach already.
"Yeah. I see a future with you Mika. I wanna give you a future where you are infinitely loved by me. A future where you never have to question anything between us. I wanna live a life with you, start a family, have children, and argue about which color we should paint the walls of our shared home. It's gonna be anything but easy and I'm okay with that as long as it's you. You're the last face I want to see when I go to sleep and the first one when I wake up. I will always love you, Mika," Bose poured his heart out for the second time again.
Mika's eyes filled with small tears and her hands trembled from how much joy overcame her. God, when she becomes such an emotional mess.
"You're it for me, Mika, against all odds. That's my promise to you," Bose vowed.
Mika nodded excessively, wiping away the tears. He put into words exactly how she felt about him. "You're my person, Bose, you always have been. You're it for me," Mika pledged. Bose cuffed Mika's face with both his hands and pressed an everlasting kiss on her lips, careful not to crush the roses. The kiss was sweet, yet it felt overpowering.
Bose put his nose on Mika's after and she faintly rubbed them together. Bose then remembered, he still hadn't told Mika about sealing the deal on the condo. He forgot with everything that had happened. But now was perfect.
"By the way, the condo in forest hills is mine now. I am an official homeowner as of three days now," Bose proudly told her and Mika was ecstatic, "Oh my god, Bose, that's amazing!". Mika put the roses on the bed and gave Bose a proper hug. Bose pulled away from her, took her small hands in his larger ones, and said, "You and Adora are moving in with me next week,". He wasn't asking, he was telling her. That was always the plan for him when he started looking for places to move in. Bose expected Mika to be stubborn once again. But she wasn't, she just smiled and her eyes shimmered.
"And you're sure about this? I can be a handful to live with," Mika laughed. Bose squeezed her hands, then bought them up to his lips for a soft kiss, "I'm never been more sure of anything in my entire life,". "Except you and Isadora of course," Bose said. Mika fluttered her eyes, memorized by him. There it was again, that warm feeling only he could give her. Mika started smiling like a love-struck child, moving her body loosely. She tip-toed and gave Bose another small kiss, which he returned with a bunch of his own.
Mika and Bose both felt a tug on their pants and Looked down to see Isadora. She had crawled in here and they were too caught up in their moment to notice. "What trouble are you up to now huh?" Bose squatted down to her sitting on the floor.
Bose was about to pick her up but Mika stopped him when she noticed Isadora's determined attempts to move on her own, "Wait, look at her,". Isadora made small struggle noises so Bose kneeled on the floor offering her his hand. Isadora stood up firmly like she always did. Mika felt that this was going to be a pivotal moment for her and Bose when Isadora put one small foot out in front of her carefully. It was like she was trying to show them something, looking up to make sure her parents were looking.
"Oh my god, she's going to do it, she's going to take her first steps," Mika gasped holding her face. Bose watched Isadora's grip on her hand loosen. "You got this sweetheart," Bose twinkled backing away from her a little bit to give her room. Bose let go of her hesitantly and Isadora stood up on her own.
Mika and Bose encouraged her to walk towards Mika and she gave them a toothy grin. Isadora put one foot in front of the other and she was a step closer to Mika. Mika bounced excitedly as Adora took two more wobbly steps with her chubby legs before falling down instantly. Mika and Bose shouted and hollered so much that you'd think Isadora solved world peace.
Bose picked her up off the floor and lifted her into the air, moving her side to side, "You did it!".
Bose handed Adora to Mika so she could give her own praises, "You're so talented,". It was still early, babies didn't usually take their first steps until they were a year old. Mika tackled Isadora in kisses and congratulated her.
The sudden tranquility in that air absorbed Mika and Bose as they looked at Isadora and took her in accomplishment.
Mika's phone went off and Bose took Isadora back from Mika,"I have to show my mom,". Bose skipped out of the room, flying Isadora out like she was an airplane and she giggle. But he came back to give Mika a kiss on the cheek, held Isadora up to do the same, and happily left again.
Mika leered once more, the look feeling permanent now. Mika saw Chapa's Facetime request and gladly accepted. "Well someone's happy," Chapa's face came to light on the screen. "Chapa!" Mika claimed, they haven't talked in weeks. Mika missed her best friend.
"Hey, so how are you," Chapa asked cautiously. The last time they talked, Mika wasn't in such a good place so Mika's been in her thoughts.
"Good," Mika told her, it was the first time she actually meant it when talking to her, "I'm good,".
Chapa softly smiled, It was the first time she actually believed her.
"So what's my favorite London girl been up to?" Mika flopped onto the bed, shifting to lean against the frame.