The next chapter is posted! Enjoy :)
Adar has now been here on Earth for a couple days now.
Within that time, he already feels he has learned quite a bit about it. Thanks to Mia's help and guidance. It was now Thursday, the temperature warmed up a little outside and the rainfall from the night before melted majority of the snow.
At this time, both of them were seated on the couch in the living room. He was wearing one of his new outfits, having stored his old ratty clothes and armor away in the closet in his room. Despite that his old attire was falling apart, he couldn't get himself to part with them and discard them.
They kind of represented a piece of his old life and while most of his life was not a very pleasant one, it doesn't mean there weren't any good moments or times living among his uruk children.
Though right now, he still tries not to think about it because his heart was still quite raw from their betrayal. To the point, he had a hard time sleeping the night before because when he closed his eyes, all he could see was them standing over him and stabbing him repeatedly while growling and snarling at him.
Then he sees Sauron's grinning face hovering over him standing between a group of his Uruks, observing them carry out the heinous deed with a flicker of sadistic glee in his cold gaze.
It was like the evil sorcerer was silently telling Adar as he lays there getting murdered that in the end, he had won, and that he got what was coming to him.
For the rest of the night, he ended up watching the TV in his room that was mounted on the wall at the foot of the bed by the dresser. Out of all the 'channels' that Mia has introduced him to, he still really likes the history channel best. It helped him learn about this world's extended and rich history from past to present. It helped take his mind off of the lingering nightmares for the time being.
Mia had out a piece of paper on the coffee table in front of them. Written on it was the Alphabet. She also had some kids alphabet flashcards in her hands to test his memory. The flashcards used to be her niece's.
One day a few years back, her niece brought them over here with a couple of her other toys and was studying the cards when she was learning her letters. She ended up forgetting them here and left them here, and Mia just decided to hang onto them.
Good thing she did, because they were proving helpful right now for her new friend.
She had just started to hold them up a few moments ago and was slowly flipping through them as he said them. So far, he was doing very well, showing that he does in fact have an excellent memory.
"K, L, M, N..." He said aloud, as she flipped through them.
It didn't take long at all until they got to letter 'Z'.
"Damn, you didn't get a single one wrong. And we only went through the alphabet I written down a couple times before I took these out. Let's try mixing them up now and try to read them out of order." Mia says, as she shuffles the colorful, thick cardboard flashcards with the large letters on them.
What was nice about these alphabet cards, is that they had both the capitol and lowercase version on the card together. Like A a, B b, C c, etc...
After she finished, they started over again, and just like the first time, he nailed it. Mixing them up didn't seem to throw him off or confuse him in the slightest.
"I think it's safe to say, we can move onto simple basic words now." She said, as she put down the alphabet cards.
"I believe so too. These letters, once you get them down, are quite easy to remember." He replied.
Maybe the letters came off simple for him. But using them to make words maybe more challenging.
Still, she went and picked up the regular flashcards off of the table. There were quite a few of them within the pile. She had written out every basic word she could think of last night while she was in her room, right before bed.
The first one she held up was easy. It was just the letter 'a'.
"A". He said.
"Right as in that is 'a' table." She enunciated while gesturing to the coffee table, so he got the meaning.
When she got to the rest of the words after that though, she said them all aloud so he knew what they said and what the words looked like. Words like and, are, as, be, but, can, can't, was, what, where and so on.
There were many cards with words here. Enough that she doubts he may be able to memorize them all as quickly as he has with the letters, because she has made so many, Mia decided to work with only twenty words at a time. Only when he feels like he has those twenty words down, will she move onto the next set of twenty.
As predicted, he got some of them wrong on the first try but was able to get them all down on the second try. Which was technically still very good.
"You must really have what they call a 'steel trap' mind. Where once you get something down, you don't really forget it. Which is very good." Mia tells him.
A small lopsided smile appeared on his face.
"My mind has always worked that way. But then...Elves in general are very bright and fast learners." Adar replied.
That caught Mia's attention.
"Wait...are you saying before you came here...you were not a human but an...elf?" She asked.
While she already knew before he explained to her earlier this morning a little more about the different races that inhabit Middle Earth, she doesn't recall him at all informing her that he wasn't always a human but a being from another race.
"Yes, though it's...complicated." He said.
Adar was unsure how to explain to her that while he was first created by the 'One' as an elf, he was later captured, tortured, and twisted into something else. An Uruk.
It is not something he generally likes talking about with anyone. Plus, he feels it may just both confuse and horrify her if he tells her about his horrid incarceration deep down in the deepest pits of Utumno, Morgoth's Main Fortress.
"So, not only do you have to adjust to being in a new world, but adjust to being a human too?" She surmised.
"Yes, though I do believe it is coming to me quicker than I thought it would. It's already surprisingly starting to feel natural." He shares.
"Good to know. Though I can only imagine it came to quite the surprise to you when you realized you were now human." Mia stated.
"Indeed, I only noticed the differences about me, when I first gazed in the mirror in the guestroom after you first brought me there a couple nights back when I arrived. Was...shocking to look in the mirror and notice that my ears were no longer tapered points but rounded at the end. That was the biggest physical difference that made us stand out from humans. Though the other difference was we were quicker and more agile than humans and required less rest and sustenance than them." Adar explained.
He was also shocked to see all of the scars and disfigurements he has gained from all his years of torture had all but disappeared as well.
"Don't forget the immortal lifespan that was also a huge difference from humans." She added.
She paused before asking a question.
"If you were an elf, then...how old were you before you came here?" She asked, curious.
A small smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Very old. Most would consider me to be among one the ancient Eldar. Because I was one of the first one-hundred forty-four Elves to have awoken in Arda after our creation by Eru Iluvatar. Which would put me at thousands of years old." He told her.
Adar watched in amusement as her eyes widened and her lips parted a little with a surprised look.
"Shit, you're old. And yet you don't look a day over thirty-eight if I had to guess." She all but blurted out.
He couldn't help but let out a low rumbling laugh at her amusing response.
This is the first time Mia heard him laugh like this. Usually, his laughs were barely audible and brief chuckles. It was a nice laugh, deep and full of mirth and emotion.
"Yes, that sounds about right. I guess if you were to equate an elf's age to that of a man's, I'd probably be equivalent to a man in his forties about now." He replied, with laughter still in his voice.
"Shall I get you a cane then, so you don't end up falling and breaking your hip?" Mia teased.
"Just as I could ask, do you need to use a chair to stand on to reach the cabinets above the counter?" Adar teased back.
Her cheeks burned a little at his insinuation and didn't really want to answer that question because sadly, in truth, she does need to either climb up on the counter or stand on a chair to reach the top shelves in the cabinets.
He saw her go silent and her cheeks turned pink and knew he got her there.
"Well, I'm waiting for an answer. Do you need a chair?" He asked again with a wide smirk.
Mia huffed, "Only for the top shelves." She muttered.
She saw him purse his lips to stifle a laugh as his shoulders shook up and down a little.
"Oh, shut up, it's not that funny...old man." She quipped.
"On the contrary, it is quite amusing when you think about it. And as far as old goes, I still have yet to see the appearance of wrinkles or gain achy bones and joints. I would still be considered in my prime back on Middle Earth." He stated.
"Yeah, ok, Hot stuff. You ready to going back to reviewing these words or what?" She teased.
He furrowed his brows in confusion.
"Hot stuff?" He questioned.
"It's just another term we use around here for a guy who's cute, handsome, or considered attractive." She says.
Adar continued staring, then a small grin slowly crept onto his face.
"Oh? So, you were implying that you think me handsome then?" He pointed out with an amused glint in his light eyes.
Upon realizing she had been caught indirectly referring as handsome, her cheeks grew a little pink again.
Mia quickly cleared her throat.
"So, let's get back to these word cards, shall we." She says, while looking around briefly.
"Sure, just try not to get too distracted now as we go over them." He joked.
She arched a brow, "Don't make me have Tundra come over here and bite you in the ass, Aerin."
Adar's gaze flickered to the dog laying on the recliner behind him and off to the right to see the dog in question meet his gaze and started wagging his tail as he continued lying there, watching them.
He then shifted his gaze back to her.
"I doubt it. He appears to be too comfortable where he is to consider getting up for anything. Least of all that." He said, with doubt in his tone.
He already learned during his short time here so far, that the dog was very friendly and didn't seem to have a mean bone in his body.
Though it surprised him a little when she did inform him that he wasn't a wolf, despite the fact he looked a lot like one. Then Mia went on to explain to him how there are many different dog breeds that reside here, and that Tundra is something called an 'Alusky' which is a mix breed between an Alaskan Malamute and a Husky.
Some of it he supposed made some sense when he first implied, he was a wolf but had strange eyes for one. For he only ever saw wolves with amber colored eyes, and not once has he ever saw one with icy blue eyes like her 'wolf' had.
This is when she explained to him that he wasn't a wolf but a dog. The two breeds that made up his genetic makeup just happen to look a lot like wolves in terms of body structure and color.
Mia's gaze went to the lazy pooch on the recliner off to the side. Just as he did with Adar, he shifted his piercing light blue gaze to her and lazily wagged his tail, as he continued lying there with his head down on the soft leather.
"Remind me to let you out front for a run later...Lazy." She told Tundra, in a sarcastic tone.
He wagged his tail a little harder when she mentioned 'a run' later.
It made her huff out a small chuckle through her nose as she shook her head.
"I don't think the term 'lazy' lies with him. Considering he nearly knocked my legs out from under me earlier this morning when he sprinted from here into the kitchen when you poured food into his bowl." Adar said, with an amused grin.
"With food, he always comes running. And sorry about that. I did see that he did almost take you out when he darted past you earlier. At least you caught yourself and didn't fall to the floor. My sister-in-law wasn't so lucky. He pulled the same thing with her, and she wiped out big time. Though lucky for her, she fell back into the couch and not onto the floor and just laughed it off." Mia stated, with some laughter in her voice.
They only chatted for a couple more minutes until they went back to reviewing the word cards.
As the review went on and they went through many cards, he decided to do something that will help fast track the learning along. He asked her for a pen and when she went and grabbed one from her office and returned and gave it to him, he started writing out the word in script beneath her word.
"Wow, that script is beautiful and fascinating. That's the one you mainly write in?" She asked him as she watched him elegantly write out the word with practiced ease.
"Yes, as I mentioned once before, it is known as Tengwar. An ancient Elvish Script written out in the native language of Quenya. Which is my first language." He explained.
"That's amazing and very neat. While I tried learning new languages because my old job had me traveling around the world a lot, I didn't do so well with them. I could maybe dish out a few words and phrases but stringing them together to make a full conversation was too difficult." She informed him.
"Really? You traveled a lot?" He inquired with interest.
"Yes, been to many places in Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada and even a couple times went to Africa and South America." Mia told him.
He recalls her showing him the medium size glass 'globe' on her desk in the upper right corner. She pointed out the different land masses and continents on them to him and showed him where they were located on the globe.
"That's impressive and very intriguing. Seeing as there are many land masses you pointed out to me on that globe of yours back in your office." He says.
"I'm guessing you must've gone to many different places on Middle Earth as well?" She ascertained.
"Oh, yes. Being around as long as I have, gave me the opportunity to see many different regions of Middle Earth. Each one more fascinating than the last." He said, with a nostalgic look on his face.
That is how they ended up postponing word lessons in favor of talking about some of the places they liked visiting most.
The conversation dragged on until about midafternoon. Until Mia stopped to look at the time on her iPhone. She was surprised when she saw the time was 3:34pm.
"Oh shit, I didn't realize we were talking that long. I have to start getting ready for my class." Mia says.
Adar gave her a curious look.
"Class?" He asked.
That's when she realized she had yet to tell him about her ballet classes that she teaches.
"I'm sorry, Aerin, I forgot to tell you. On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4pm to 5pm and Saturdays from 10am to 11am I teach ballet classes in my dance studio downstairs to a group of kids. I need to go change my clothes and prepare because they will be arriving within the next fifteen to twenty minutes." She explained.
She started these classes not long after her retirement as a prima ballerina a couple years back.
Unlike most dance studios which charge you for lessons, Mia gives her lessons for free. Something the parents of her students were grateful for because a few of them wouldn't be able to afford the lessons for their kids otherwise due to their lower incomes.
Mia did this to give these kids who wanted lessons a chance to have them and because she didn't need the money, because being a prima ballerina for many years plus the selling of her first book left her very well off financial wise.
"It's fine. We can continue this another time. But I must ask, what is ballet?" He inquired.
"It is a certain type of dance that involves fluid and graceful movements to convey emotion and tell a story through the art of dance. It's also a very sophisticated form of dancing that can take years of developing strength, flexibility, and technique to perfect it." She explained.
The young woman became silent for a moment before speaking again.
"It's what I did for a job for many years since I was a kid, before I started writing books. Ballet...was a job I truly loved and was dedicated to." She admits.
He saw the passion in her eyes as she says this. But if that was the case, why did she go from doing this ballet to becoming a writer. Which was a completely different career shift for her.
"If you loved it so much...why do you not do it as a main job anymore and went to writing stories instead?" He asked.
It must've been the wrong thing to ask, because her look of passion, slowly shifted into a look of sadness and pain. Something he didn't miss.
Adar was about to apologize for being invasive, but she spoke up before he had the chance.
"I'm afraid...that is a story for another time." Was all she told him.
He continued gazing at her, before nodding in understanding.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to come off as invasive as I did. That is clearly you're own personal business." He said, in an apologetic tone.
Mia lightly shook her head, "No, it's ok. It's just something I'm not really ready to talk about. You didn't say anything wrong."
"Alright. Well, I won't continue delaying you. Go ahead and get ready. But...may I observe this lesson? Since you explained it, it has me curious. Seeing as...Elves were quite fond of dancing." He requested.
She gave him a soft smile.
"Sure, you can even go downstairs and check out the dance studio if you want while I change. There is a small, comfortable couch down there against the wall not far from the steps you can sit on during the class. Though fair warning, my kids can be quite the curious bunch. Don't be surprised if some of them start staring at you in curiosity. They're not used to having visitors down there observing." She informed him.
Adar didn't have a problem with that.
He's always held a soft spot for children. It's why in the past he desired them and wanted to be a father to begin with. Something that Sauron and Morgoth made good on, but in the worst ways possible. But loved the children he sired, nonetheless.
"That is fine. I'll try my best not to be distracting to them or you." He assured her.
"Oh no, I know you won't be. I'm just letting you know is all." She says.
"Alright. Thank you." He said.
Mia placed the rest of the flashcards on the table before excusing herself to go change and get ready.
When she left, he sat there for a moment, and then he gathered up the flashcards with words and set them into a neat pile on the coffee table next to the paper with the alphabet written on it and the alphabet cards.
Then he got up and headed to the door off to the left of the living room not far from the start of the hallway.
He opened the door and saw a set of stairs in front of him that led down to another floor. He went downstairs and got to a small landing that had two steps leading down to floor.
Adar looked around the large space and saw it was quite bare. The floor was made out of smoothed out thin floorboards and there was a gigantic mirror that took up nearly the whole entire wall to his right. There were also these wooden bars on the wall to the left that jutted a few inches from the wall. One was mid-way up the wall while the one next to it sat a little lower.
There was also this big black, strange looking box in the far-right upper corner of the room. Next to it was another door in the corner.
Not far from the two-seater couch, was this rectangular wooden structure with multiple open square little boxes within it. It was the only other piece of furniture down there besides the couch.
He decided to take a seat down there, since he was already there.
It was only about four minutes later when he heard Mia coming down the stairs. She was wearing a top that would be considered quite revealing. A thing cotton shirt that clung to every curve and was being held up on her shoulders with very thin straps and these slightly baggy trousers that ended at her shins and these small, odd pink shoes. Her hair was tied up too in some kind of messy bun.
"Hey." She said, as she made it to the small landing.
"Hello, this room has quite the interesting set up." He tells her.
Mia gave him a small lopsided smile.
"This is how a lot of dance studios are set up. With a smooth floor, mirrors to see what you're doing and doing it right, and bars for stretching and doing some leg exercises." She explained as she cleared the two steps down the small landing.
Makes sense, seeing as it's best to have adequate space for dancing.
While it has been ages since he has witnessed simplicities like dancing, he still remembers it. His companion he awoke with, loved dancing and would often drag him out to dance with her in the earliest days.
"Anyways, I'm going to start hooking up the music from my iPhone to the speaker over there, so it's ready. My students should be coming in soon." She stated.
All he did was give her a brief nod and stayed where he was on the couch, letting her work and get ready.
Another few minutes went by before they heard the door glass storm door open, and they heard a couple kids talking as they made their way across the living room and started heading down the stairs.
He saw as a few little girls came walking down the stairs to the studio. They were conversing with one another a little as they came down.
Once they got to the landing, a couple of them saw him, but didn't say anything and kept going. While Mia walked over with a soft smile.
"Hello ladies. Go ahead and put your bags in the cubbies. Then come to the floor and get started on your stretches." She told them.
The four girls did just that, shoving their small bags into the cubby holes next to the small couch where the man was sitting.
One the girls took a step towards him and eyed him.
"Hi, are you Miss Mia's boyfriend?" She asked.
Adar didn't know what boyfriend meant but softly smiled at her innocent curiosity.
"I am friend of hers. My name is Aerin." He told the little girl.
"I am Robin." She said, with a big toothy smile.
She was missing a couple teeth and had some adult teeth still growing in.
"Nice to meet you." He replied, with a small smile.
The little girl then shoved her bag into the cubby and waved goodbye to him, before heading over to the center of the floor and started doing some stretches.
After another five minutes, four more girls came downstairs.
Like the others, a couple of them stared at him briefly with curiosity, before putting their things into the cubbies and going out to the floor. Mia stood before all eight girls and made sure they were all stretching.
"I'm sure you all noticed upon arriving that we do have a visitor here today. He is a friend who is currently residing here. His name is Aerin, and this is his first time observing the dance form of ballet. So, let's all make him feel welcome and say hello." Mia announces to them.
Not long after, all the girls shifted their attention to him and waved. Some saying, 'Hi, Aerin' as they did.
Adar thought it cute. He smiled and waved back to them.
Afterwards, Mia had them start on the usual routine. She had them all go to the bars that were jutting out from the wall on the other side of the room, and they stood next to them facing the back all and they all lifted a leg onto them doing a little stretch.
This lasted for a couple minutes as they switched from one leg to the other, getting a thorough stretch before moving on.
Then she had them do a series of high side kicks as they grasped the bar to the side with one hand. At first, he wondered how his correlated to any dance form, seeing as they were repeating motions as they all stood stationary next to a wooden bar while kicking out one leg at a time.
After a few minutes, they all went back to the middle of the floor. While Mia went to stand before them in front of the large wall mirror. Then she held out her arms in a circular motion in front of her while sticking out one leg with her foot pointed down to the ground.
The girls followed suit and imitated her, following the motions.
That was when he realized she must be breaking down the moves and showing them each one at a slower pace.
At the same time, Mia had turned some music on that started radiating through the speaker as they practiced. It wasn't long before she had them practicing some more fluid movements like spins and elegant looking kicks. Something they all seemed to already be well versed at.
As time went by, they all seemed to be having a good time as they learned and practiced their skills.
They took turns, spinning about from one side of the room to the other. It was a wonder that they didn't get dizzy in doing so. But by the looks of it, they were used to these drills and have been doing them for a while.
Though at one point, he thought he heard a beeping sound coming from one of the cubby just ignored it, knowing that this world apparently was built up on technology.
But as a few minutes went by, the beeping continued periodically.
That is when he noticed one of the little girls stop what she was doing, and she started walking over to where the couch and cubbies were. She walked over and pulled out her bag. Then he observed how she pulled another tiny bag out of the bigger one along with this somewhat large cylindrical type of object.
She pulled something forward at the top of it and put it to her mouth and started drinking.
That's when he realized it was some type of bottle that held water. Afterwards, she put it down and opened the tiny bag and pulled something out. It looked a lot like the iPhone that Mia had.
The girl tapped away on it for a few moments. Before putting it back in the tiny rectangular back and zipping it back up. She then took a few more sips of water from her bottle before putting it back.
Afterwards, she returned to the middle of the floor.
Though as she was walking back, he did notice something odd. She had this strange tiny white square attached to the outer part of her bicep. He wondered what it was for and why she had it.
Perhaps, he can ask Mia about it later.
For now, he just continued observing her as she gave lessons to the children. The moves she had them practice were interesting and different from any type of dance he has seen before in the distant past.
As stated, the lesson only lasted for an hour. Which really wasn't all that long at all.
Afterwards, Mia told them that she was proud of the improvements that they all made before they headed off to get their bags and put on their little coats.
"Bye." A couple of them said as they walked by him as he sat on the couch.
"Goodbye." He replied back to them, with a small smile as they left.
Soon all the girls started heading back up the stairs.
Mia then approached him afterwards.
"So, what do you think?" She asks.
"It was very interesting and different." He says.
"Yeah, ballet can be quite unique as far as other types of dancing goes. And they like coming here to learn all about it and how to do it." She tells him.
"And you appear to be quite the outstanding teacher." He tells her.
The young woman couldn't help but give him a small smile.
"Thank you. I try. Even though it's been a couple years since I have been doing this, a part of me is still used to being the student rather than the teacher. But I'm glad I'm able to pass on the knowledge and skills I do have to the next generation that wants to learn." She admits.
"I assure you, that you're doing quite well in doing so. I could see you were good at guiding them while teaching them the techniques they would need to utilize to make this type of dance work." Adar says.
It was not much different from the time he was teaching his children how to wield a weapon and fight over a millennia ago.
He too would start out with simple basics with them before gradually making the lessons more challenging until they perfected the techniques and became skillful warriors.
"Again, thank you. And I'm glad to teach and show them the art of ballet, even if I know for most of them it won't become a life job like it was for me, it still brings me joy that they do show interest in it enough to learn what it is all about." Mia told him.
A couple moments of silence went by before he spoke again.
"I do have one question though. Why was one of the girls coming over here for extra water rations? I also heard this odd beeping sound coming from their bag." He pointed out.
Mia gave him a sad smile.
"That was Jordyn. And unfortunately, she has this chronic condition called diabetes. It's where her body is unable to regulate blood glucose or sugar properly, so in turn her blood sugar can be sporadic, at times being either too high or too low. She needs this chemical called 'insulin' to help her regulate it to help her survive.
The beeping you heard was from her diabetes kit, it's called a Dexcom and it monitors her condition to let her know if her blood sugar is getting too high or low. It will show where her blood sugar level is at in a series of numbers. Right now, her normal numbers should be between seventy and two-hundred fifty. If it gets lower or higher than those numbers, the Dexcom alerts her and tells her if she needs to drink more water or have a piece of candy.
She only drinks a lot of water if it is high and eats a small piece of candy if it is low. Though usually with diabetes, it is more dangerous to be low than high. Thankfully, we currently do have the medicine and technology that is enough to support her and others that also share her condition." Mia explains to him.
The more he heard, the more he felt bad for the child. It couldn't be easy having to juggle such a condition while trying to live a normal life. Yet, it appears she manages it just fine enough to do so. She was obviously aware of the severity of her condition and was doing what she could to track it and stay on top of it.
"I am sorry to hear that. Must be challenging for the poor child. Yet, she appears to take it in stride and handles it well." He says.
"And she does. As long as a diabetic person takes care of themself, they can live normal lives like everyone else. Because of this, we know not to treat them any differently from any other healthy individuals. Their lives are really no different than ours." She said.
While it was still sad, it's good that there are ways to manage such a condition here.
In Middle Earth, he sadly doubts the child would've survived into adulthood with such a condition because they wouldn't have the proper medicine to combat the effects of such an ailment.
"Then it is good to know that this world is advanced enough to help those like her. As you stated, Earth is not only advanced technology wise but in medicine as well." Adar mentions.
"Yes, and to think, just a little over a hundred years prior, they didn't have something like insulin injections to give out to diabetic people. Back then, diabetes may as well be a death sentence because of it. This is why, we are thankful to have the brilliant doctors that we have today and for all the medical breakthroughs they have to help improve the quality of life for those that need it." Mia told him.
Before they can say anything else, a voice cuts through the air.
"Aunt Mia, are you coming up!?" Came a little girl's voice.
He gave her a questioning look at that.
"That would be my niece, Robin. Who is also one of my students. My brother is probably running a little late picking her up." She says.
"Are you kissing your boyfriend down there?!" The little girl yelled down the stairs.
At that remark, Adar couldn't help but chuckle at that. While Mia remained silent and gave him an awkward smile.
"I take it this 'boyfriend' translates to suitor here?" He asks, with an amused smile.
"Pretty much. Apparently here, when people see you with a guy or girl in the house, they automatically assume just that. That they are seeing each other. Even though half the times that is not the case and the other person really is just a friend." The young woman informed him, albeit rather awkwardly.
"I see. Well, best not to keep her waiting. Less, she gets those ideas about us 'kissing'." He teased.
Adar watched as her face grew a little pink at that and found it to be most amusing.
"I hate to say it but knowing her; you're sadly probably right. So, on that note, let's go." Mia quickly said.
Then she started heading for the stairs.
He got up and followed her. An amused smile still lingered on his face as he followed her upstairs.
When they got to the living room, they saw the girl sitting on the couch, lightly swinging her legs as she pets Tundra's head. Then her gaze went to her aunt as she came through the doorway with the man trailing behind her, as they both entered the living room.
Robin smiled at them.
"That was a quick kiss." She says.
"Robin, we didn't kiss. He's just a friend." Mia told her, while trying to shake off any embarrassment and awkwardness she felt.
The little girl's gaze flickered between her aunt and the man.
"Sure. And Camden isn't in love with his Nintendo Switch, he just likes playing it from time to time." Robin sarcastically replies, with a knowing smirk.
While he didn't know what this 'Nintendo Switch' was, he found the child's response amusing, nonetheless.
"We are friends. But your aunt has been very kind to me, and I do enjoy her company." Adar says.
Before either one of them could answer, a man and young boy came through the door, gaining everyone's attention.
While the man smiled at Mia, he was a little surprised to see a man he has never seen before standing next to her.
"Hey, Mia. Sorry, I'm late. Camden's basketball practice ran a little late today." He informed her.
"It's ok. Robin is a joy as always." Mia replied.
Then her brother's gaze flickered to Adar.
"Who's your friend?" He asks his sister.
The young woman went to reply, when her niece beat her to it.
"That's Aunt Mia's boyfriend, daddy. His name is Aerin." Robin said, with a bright smile.
Her older brother Camden's gaze flickered back and forth from his aunt to this man in slight surprise. Same as his father.
"He's a friend, John." Mia corrected.
John's gaze went back and forth between the pair, before he politely smiled and held out his hand to Adar.
"Well, nice to meet you. I'm John, Mia's brother." He said.
Adar grasped his hand and shook it.
"A pleasure to meet you as well." He cordially says.
He was surprised to see a friend at his sister's house and a male one at that.
For the last couple years, she usually tends to be rather skittish around men. Perhaps, she was getting over this skittishness and finally moving on. At least he hopes so, seeing as he wants her to be happy again and live life to the fullest once more.
They exchanged a few more words, before her brother decided to leave with his two kids.
Mia hugged them all goodbye upon leaving and shut the front door behind them. Then she turned to face Adar.
"Well, you at least met half the family. His wife is a nurse who works at Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional. They tend to have some crazy work hours there. While my parents live up in Avalon. A town not too far from here." She explained.
"Your family seems very peasant so far. It was nice meeting them." He replied.
While she won't deny that they are good people. She just knows that her brother will probably be calling her up later and inquiring more about her new friend. God forbid; he tells their mother. She will have Mia on the phone, chewing her ear off for the next couple hours about it.
"Yeah, they are great." Mia said, with a small smile.
"Anyways, you ready for dinner? We can start cooking now. I don't know about you, but I'm starving." She adds.
"Sure. Need a hand?" He asks.
"Yeah, ok." She replied.
The two of them then headed off to the kitchen to get started.
It seems the more Adar learns about Mia, the more interesting she was becoming. He cannot say he ever knew anyone who went from being what she calls a professional dancer to a writer before. He's certain things like that is unheard of. Though a dance teacher was not a far cry from being a dancer.
But doing these things at the same time as a job, was both interesting and fascinating.
It had him wanting to learn more about her. Something that shouldn't be too difficult to do, seeing as he's staying with her. Yet, he can't help but feel there was something else to her. Something more...complex and something she may be reluctant to share with him.
Whatever it was, he will not pressure or push her because for all he knew, it was something maybe she didn't like conversing about. Though something did tell him it had to do with dancing. Given the look on her face when he asked why she no longer does it professionally anymore.
It was a haunted look he knew all too well. For he carried that same look for ages.
Until Next Time ;)