Leila's body sunk deeply into the mattress after she shut off her bedroom lights. She was extremely drowsy after comforting Mia. Her heart felt full knowing that Mia felt comfortable opening up to her, yet it also ached knowing that Mia was still dealing with so much pain. After holding Mia in her arms for two evenings in a row, Leila found herself more in love with her than ever.

It was no surprise then that her dreams throughout the night were mainly of her and Mia. When her alarm woke her in the morning, Leila was rightfully annoyed. She'd been having a lovely dream of her and Mia on a date at the beach. However, her annoyance suddenly shifted to excitement. She longed to see Mia before she went off to work. While a small part of Leila hoped that maybe all that had happened in the past forty-eight hours was a chance to share her feelings with Mia, she realistically hoped to merely talk to Mia in the morning and make sure she was okay after what appeared to be a rough evening.

As Leila stepped out into the kitchen to feed Fuji, she half-expected to find Mia still sleeping on the couch, but rather, the door to Mia's bedroom was shut and the blanket had been left crumpled up on the couch. Once Fuji was fed, Leila folded the blanket and sighed. She couldn't remember if Mia had work today. If she didn't, that lessened Leila's chances of seeing Mia before she had to head to work herself.

After Leila had put on her work clothes and done her make-up, she sat in the kitchen, slowly eating some toast. She glanced at the clock. Ten minutes before she absolutely had to leave. She glanced at Mia's closed door. Should she wake her?

Thankfully, Leila never had to make the decision because as she took her last bite of toast, Mia stepped out of her room and into the kitchen, looking drowsy. When they locked gazes, Mia quickly glanced away.

"Oh. I thought you'd left for work already," Mia murmured.

"Just about to leave," Leila replied.

She rinsed off her dish and then bent over to set it in the dishwasher. As she bent back up, she saw Mia staring at the folded up blanket on the couch.

"Did you sleep okay?" Leila asked.

Mia nodded. "Yeah. I went back to my bedroom at some point in the middle of the night."

Leila nodded, trying to ignore her growing frustration. In only a few minutes, she sensed the distance Mia was trying to place between them again. Oftentimes, Leila let Mia do as she pleased, but today, Leila wasn't going to let her win.

"Um...do you want to talk about what happened?" Leila asked.

"I mean, I already told you everything, didn't I?" Mia said.

"Yes, but..." Leila already felt herself giving up, so instead she asked, "Are you feeling any better today?"

Mia turned back to face Leila, and strangely enough, smiled at her. "I'm feeling just fine. Besides, don't you have work?"

She's not going to let me talk to her, Leila realized.

"Yeah. If you need anything, just call me," Leila said as she grabbed her work bag.

"I'll be okay," Mia assured her.

"Okay," Leila said, only half-believing her. On her commute to work, she gripped the steering wheel in frustration. She'd finally thought Mia had opened up to her, that they were being honest with each other. It seemed every time Leila attempted to knock a wall down, Mia built it back up twice as fast.

As the work day drilled on, Leila was interrupted by a knock echoing off the side of her cubicle. She turned, seeing Helen standing by her.

Leila quickly glanced back at her computer screen. "Sorry. I should have those edits to you soon—"

Helen chuckled. "That's not what I'm here for. Can you meet me in my office? There's something I'd like to speak with you about." Leila must've gone pale, because Helen quickly added, "Nothing bad, don't worry."

Leila got up from her chair and shakily accompanied Helen to her office. She shut the door quietly behind her and took a seat across from Helen's desk.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" Leila asked.

"Did you ever think about what I said about considering relocating out of state?" Helen asked.

Leila twisted her legs together and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "A little. I'm still not sure how comfortable I am with it," Leila admitted. "Besides, you said it was just a suggestion—"

"Well, I'd like to interject and say it's more of a possibility now. One of my friends works at another firm in Connecticut. Her company is hiring. The role is a bit more competitive, but the salary is higher, and there's great benefits. I think you should consider going for it," Helen said.

Leila stared at her in shock. "M-Me?! But I've barely worked here a year and half. Shouldn't I stick around longer? Gain some more experience?"

"You've already been promoted once. I think you have plenty," Helen explained. "I can happily put in a good word for you if you do decide to apply."

Leila glanced down at her hands. They were shaking against her lap. It had been easy to dismiss Helen's earlier suggestion, but this was something more tangible. Leila would need to consider the possibility of relocating more seriously.

"When are applications due?" Leila asked quietly.

"Mid-November. You still have a few weeks," Helen explained.

"I'd have to think about it," Leila said. "I still have my doubts."

"You're a fantastic worker, Leila," Helen told her. "I want to see you succeed. I just don't know if you're getting the experience you want here. The decision is ultimately up to you. I just want to make sure you're going down the career path you want and not feeling forced to stick around."

Leila nodded. "Thank you. I really do appreciate you bringing this up. Um, I'll think on it for a while."

"I'll send you the hiring notice. You come to me if you need a reference, okay?" Helen asked.

Leila nodded, though she knew deep down she most likely would not apply. As she stepped out of Helen's office, still trembling slightly, she cited in her head the reasons she couldn't leave. Her family was here, her friends were here, she had a special connection to Maine, her lease wouldn't expire for another six months, Fuji may not adjust well to living somewhere different, and most of all...Mia.

Leila cursed herself silently as she sat back down at her desk. She knew she shouldn't be making decisions solely based on Mia. Perhaps they had rekindled some sort of friendship, but deep down, Leila knew Mia would never reciprocate her feelings, not while Julian was still around. Still, even if nothing romantic came about from their friendship, it felt wrong leaving Mia behind so soon after she returned to Maine.

Leila could already hear the voices circulating in her head. You don't owe her anything, they said. Mia was the one who initially stopped communication. Why do you owe it to her to stay in her life and make sure she's okay?

Leila dug her fingernails into her palms. She knew the answer all too well.

I love Mia, she thought. She knew that leaving Mia would only tear her apart, that was if Mia didn't shatter her heart into pieces first. With the way Mia had been acting lately, Leila wasn't sure which was more likely.

Thankfully, a morning walk and a long lunch break taken outside helped Leila focus on her work tasks the remainder of the day. As she got into her car to drive home, she was once again reminded of the way Mia had acted earlier in the morning.

Maybe she'll think I'm annoying. Maybe she'll yell at me, but I want to make sure she's okay, Leila thought again. After all, she still wasn't sure what had caused Mia's crying outburst the evening before. If it had been Julian, Mia had made no mention of it, though Leila was inclined to believe it had something to do with him since she was supposed to have spent the night at his house.

Maybe they broke up, Leila thought suddenly. It felt cruel of her to hope so.

As Leila's car followed along the road, she gazed out at the shore in the distance, watching the remaining bits of sunlight reflect on the ocean waters. In the distance, she could see a family with small children playing in the surf. Once again, Helen's words rang through her ears.

"But I don't think I can leave here," Leila murmured.

She turned her gaze back to the road and decided to focus instead on confronting Mia once more about what had happened the evening before. At her doorstep, she could already hear Fuji yowling for food.

Maybe Mia isn't here, then, Leila thought. Usually she feeds Fuji if he gets antsy.

After twisting the key into the doorknob, Leila opened the door and scooped up the hungry tabby. He thrashed some in her arms then eventually calmed once he realized he wouldn't be escaping from Leila's grip.

"Good evening to you, too," she told him.

She looked ahead, and her heart sunk. Sitting on the couch was Mia, as she normally was when Leila came home, but next to her sat Julian with his arm wrapped around Mia's shoulder.

Leila's question of whether or not they had broken up the evening before had certainly become answered.